Predicting the Consequences of the Chicago Cubs' 2014 Season

Shortly after the Ricketts family purchased the Chicago Cubs for $845 million in 2009, they made a bold promise to Cubs fans: the team would win a World Series under their ownership.

The Ricketts reiterated that promise recently, stating that the proposed renovations of Wrigley Field would bring the team a World Series championship because of improved facilities and resources for the Cubs.

As the season winds to a close, Cubs fans are focusing more on the future of the Cubs than the 2014 campaign. Though the lovable losers still aren't expected to be contenders until a year or two from now, many Cubs fans are nonetheless disappointed about the outcome of the past season, primarily at the major league level.

Here, we look at the consequences of the Cubs' 2014 season.

Increased Confidence in Management

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In many ways, the Cubs front office performed better than the team on the field in 2014. As management has stated before, the focus for the team is not on winning immediately but rather winning consistently in a few years.

The front office made solid moves all around in 2014, specifically in regards to the progress of the team's prospects. The team promoted multiple top prospects in the second half of the season, including infielder Javier Baez, infielder/outfielder Arismendy Alcantara, outfielder Jorge Soler and multiple other prospects.

First-year manager Rick Renteria's job will be safe, as he can already say that he has improved the team after only one year of managing. The Cubs lost 89 games in 2014, compared to 96 in 2013 and 101 losses in 2012.

The Cubs are still on a solid path to contending in the near future, and it seems that most fans are excited about the direction that the front office is guiding the team. Despite losing 89 games, there will be minimal, if any, changes in the Cubs management.

Players on the Hot Seat

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Perhaps the most scrutinized player in 2014 lasted only approximately half of the season before he was sent packing. That player was second baseman Darwin Barney, now with the Los Angeles Dodgers and making his first major league playoff appearance.

Must be rough to hit .230 for the first half of the season and then play in October.

Besides Barney, here are the Cubs players most on the hot seat.

Edwin Jackson, P: Unfortunately, Jackson's $52 million contract may prevent the team from being able to unload him. Jackson has a 6.09 ERA in 26 starts and was moved to the bullpen at the end of the season.

Luis Valbuena, 3B: Though Valbuena has been a solid third baseman for the Cubs, his time on the North Side may very well be winding down to a close thanks to the looming arrival of top prospect Kris Bryant at Wrigley Field's hot corner. Because Valbuena plays well on both sides of the ball, he may find himself as a starting third baseman with another solid ballclub.

Mike Olt, IF: Olt began 2014 with many opportunities and potential. After officially being named to the Opening Day roster, he had plenty of opportunities to be the Cubs' long-term third baseman. That is, until Kris Bryant and injuries put him in a deep hole that he's unlikely to come out of in Chicago. Olt even found himself back in Single-A quite recently as part of a rehab assignment with the Kane County Cougars. If Olt does return to the Cubs next season, it's likely that he will find himself in the outfield, per Jesse Rogers of ESPN Chicago.

It is also important to mention that the Cubs' only free agents are pitchers Kyuji Fujikawa and Carlos Villanueva. It's likely that neither will return next season, as both posted ERAs over 4.50.

Free Agents and Trade Targets

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The Cubs have already gone on record to say that pitching is a high priority moving forward, and the team showed it by making a claim for Philadelphia Phillies starter Cole Hamels off waivers in 2014, according to 97.5 The Fanatic's Mike Missanelli. Though no deal was reached, it was a good sign that the front office is willing to spend or make some moves to focus on pitching.

Fox Sports' Howard Eskin (h/t Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com) has named Hamels as a trade target in the offseason.

Hopefully the team won't make another bad decision, like the four-year, $52 million contract that Edwin Jackson was given. As we mentioned earlier, Jackson was so bad that the Cubs moved him to the bullpen for the remainder of the 2014 season.

There are multiple options in the way of starting pitching, including Jon Lester, Justin Masterson and James Shields. All three pitchers are free agents, and Lester and Masterson both have ties to Theo Epstein and much of the Cubs front office.

The Cubs will also need to pursue some veteran leadership to mentor the young team on the North Side. Players like Jonny Gomes, who won a World Series with the Boston Red Sox in 2013, could be a solid fit, as detailed by Jesse Rogers of ESPN Chicago.

Returning Faces

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The most obvious players who will be returning next season are the two signed to long-term deals with the club. Shortstop Starlin Castro and first baseman Anthony Rizzo are both locks to return in 2015, though Castro may face a position change due to his defensive struggles.

Many of the Cubs' young prospects will be returning as well, including Arismendy Alcantara, Javier Baez and Jorge Soler. All three players showed signs of progress in their short tenure in the majors thus far.

With the youngest team in baseball at an average age of 26.6 years, the Cubs will likely have much of their roster returning for next season.

Excitement for Next Year

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For those fans who haven't begun the countdown, there's 182 days until Opening Day 2015. 

Dear God, that's forever away.

Regardless of how difficult some aspects of the 2014 season were to watch, Cubs fans will no doubt be counting down the days until the return and relevance of their lovable Cubs.

The arrival of many of the team's young prospects in 2014 was more than enough to get the fans excited for the upcoming season. For many fans, the ongoing renovations to Wrigley Field will also be a source of excitement, as the ballpark will take an enormous leap forward into the future.

Thanks to the glowing light at the end of the tunnel, this may be the longest 182 days of a Cubs fan's life.