The Cubs finished the season again in 4th place in the NL East in 1993. While the offense was among the best in the NL, the pitching was simply too mediocre.
Offense
Mark Grace, Rick Wilkins and Sammy Sosa shouldered most of the load for the offense in 1993. Grace established new career highs in doubles, homeruns and runs batted in and was selected to the All-Star team. Wilkins had his career year hitting 30 homeruns and slugging .561. For the rest of his career Wilkins would barely crack .400 slugging. Sosa on the other hand had his breakout season and continued to have success the rest of his career. Splitting time between right and center field, he set new career highs in homeruns, stolen bases and runs batted in. His large step forward offset the loss of Andre Dawson. Dwight Smith had his best season since his rookie year, mid-season pickup Glenallen Hill was productive and young Rey Sanchez filled in very well for the injured Shawon Dunston.
Kevin Roberson disappointed the team after a mid-season callup. Free agent signee Candy Maldonado was a bust. Star second baseman Ryne Sandberg broke a bone in his hand in a spring training game and missed the entire first month of the season and limiting his time to only 117 games. Shawon Dunston missed almost the entire season with a significant back injury.
Pitching
Virtually the entire staff was mediocre. Career journeyman Mike Morgan was the staff ace, while Greg Hibbard, Mike Harkey, Jose Guzman and Frank Castillo rounded out the staff. Without a true ace like Greg Maddux, the pitching staff struggled. Free agent pickup Randy Myers was fantastic in relief, racking up 53 saves, a career high and Cubs single season record, and won the Rolaids Relief award. Jose Bautista another free agent signing was the swingman and pitched 111.7 innings with an ERA of 2.82.
Regular Season Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Phillies | 97 | 65 | .5899 | -- | |
| Montreal Expos | 94 | 68 | .580 | 3.0 | |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 87 | 75 | .537 | 10.0 | |
| Chicago Cubs | 84 | 78 | .519 | 13.0 | |
| Pittsburg Pirates | 75 | 87 | .463 | 22.0 | |
| Florida Marlins | 64 | 98 | .395 | 33.0 | |
| New York Mets | 59 | 103 | .364 | 38.0 |
Transactions
Free Agent Activity
Signed
- Jeff Robinson – January 7
- Dave Smith – January 8
- Steve Lyons – February 8. Lyons was released before the season began.
- Craig Worthington – February 8
- Mike Dyer – February 18. Dyer was released before the season began.
- Ed Vosberg – March 17
- Eric Yelding – March 30
- Doug Jennings – April 3
- Brendan Donelly – June 16
- Mike Walker – June 22
- Mike Porzio – June 30
- Randy Veres – December 3
- Roberto Rivera – December 10
- Todd Haney – December 14
- Mike Maksudian – December 14
- Mark Parent – December 14
Released
- Steve Lake – October 12
- Jim Czajkowski – October 15
- Craig Worthington – October 15
- Ed Vosberg – October 15
- Eric Yelding – November 4
- Doug Jennings – November 15
- William Brennan – December 10
Trades
Draft
Based on the 1992 season, the Cubs had the 10th overall pick in each round and received two additional first round draft choices for the loss of Greg Maddux to the Braves in free agency.
- Brooks Kieschnick – 1st Round
- Jon Ratliff – 1st Round (compensation for Greg Maddux)
- Kevin Orie – 1st Round (compensation for Greg Maddux)
- Steve Rain – 11th Round
- Jose Molina – 14th Round
- Bo Porter – 40th Round
- Jason Maxwell – 74th Round