Editing Chicago Cubs (section)

====2010–2014: The decline and rebuild====
{{Main|2010 Chicago Cubs season|2011 Chicago Cubs season|2012 Chicago Cubs season|2013 Chicago Cubs season|2014 Chicago Cubs season}}
[[File:Starlin Castro 09-05-2010.jpg|thumb|upright|left|[[Starlin Castro]] during his 2010 rookie season]]Rookie [[Starlin Castro]] debuted in early May (2010) as the starting shortstop. The club played poorly in the early season, finding themselves 10 games under .500 at the end of June. In addition, long-time ace Carlos Zambrano was pulled from a game against the White Sox on June 25 after a tirade and shoving match with Derrek Lee, and was suspended indefinitely by Jim Hendry, who called the conduct "unacceptable". On August 22, Lou Piniella, who had already announced his retirement at the end of the season, announced that he would leave the Cubs prematurely to take care of his sick mother. [[Mike Quade]] took over as the interim manager for the final 37 games of the year. Despite being well out of playoff contention the Cubs went 24–13 under Quade, the best record in baseball during that 37 game stretch, earning Quade the manager position going forward on October 19.

On December 3, 2010, Cubs broadcaster and former third baseman, [[Ron Santo]], died due to complications from bladder cancer and diabetes. He spent 13 seasons as a player with the Cubs, and at the time of his death was regarded as one of the greatest players not in the Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite web |date=October 20, 2010 |title=Cubs name Mike Quade manager |url=https://www.espn.com/chicago/mlb/news/story?id=5703131 |access-date=August 1, 2014 |website=[[ESPN]] Chicago}}</ref> He was posthumously elected to the [[Major League Baseball Hall of Fame]] in 2012.

Despite trading for pitcher [[Matt Garza]] and signing free-agent slugger [[Carlos Peña]], the Cubs finished the [[2011 Chicago Cubs season|2011 season]] 20 games under .500 with a record of 71–91. Weeks after the season came to an end, the club was rejuvenated in the form of a new philosophy, as new owner Tom Ricketts signed [[Theo Epstein]] away from the [[Boston Red Sox]],<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/chi-chicago-cubs-hire-theo-epstein,0,2913884.story |work = Chicago Tribune |first = Paul |last = Sullivan |title = Done deal: Cubs land Epstein from Red Sox }}</ref> naming him club President and giving him a five-year contract worth over $18&nbsp;million, and subsequently discharged manager Mike Quade. Epstein, a proponent of [[sabremetrics]] and one of the architects of the [[2004 World Series|2004]] and [[2007 World Series]] championships in Boston, brought along [[Jed Hoyer]] from the [[San Diego Padres|Padres]] to fill the role of GM and hired [[Dale Sveum]] as manager. Although the team had a dismal 2012 season, losing 101 games (the worst record since 1966), it was largely expected. The youth movement ushered in by Epstein and Hoyer began as longtime fan favorite Kerry Wood retired in May, followed by [[Ryan Dempster]] and [[Geovany Soto]] being traded to [[2012 Texas Rangers season|Texas]] at the All-Star break for a group of minor league prospects headlined by [[Christian Villanueva]], but also included little thought of [[Kyle Hendricks]]. The development of Castro, [[Anthony Rizzo (baseball)|Anthony Rizzo]], [[Darwin Barney]], [[Brett Jackson]] and pitcher [[Jeff Samardzija]], as well as the replenishing of the minor-league system with prospects such as [[Javier Baez]], [[Albert Almora]], and [[Jorge Soler]] became the primary focus of the season, a philosophy which the new management said would carry over at least through the 2013 season.
[[File:Anthony Rizzo 2012.jpg|thumb|right|180px|One of two Cubs building blocks, [[Anthony Rizzo]], swinging in the box]]
The [[2013 Chicago Cubs season|2013 season]] resulted in much as the same the year before. Shortly before the trade deadline, the Cubs traded [[Matt Garza]] to the [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]] for [[Mike Olt]], [[Carl Edwards Jr.|Carl Edwards Jr]], [[Neil Ramirez]], and [[Justin Grimm]].<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.espn.com/dallas/mlb/story/_/id/9500209/texas-rangers-trade-matt-garza-chicago-cubs |title = Texas Rangers trade for Matt Garza of Chicago Cubs |publisher = ESPN |date = July 23, 2013 |access-date = August 1, 2014 }}</ref> Three days later, the Cubs sent [[Alfonso Soriano]] to the [[New York Yankees]] for minor leaguer [[Corey Black]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Ehalt |first=Matt |date=July 26, 2013 |title=Alfonso Soriano traded to New York Yankees from Chicago Cubs |url=https://www.espn.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/9511031/alfonso-soriano-traded-new-york-yankees-chicago-cubs |access-date=August 1, 2014 |website=ESPN New York}}</ref> The mid season fire sale led to another last place finish in the NL Central, finishing with a record of 66–96. Although there was a five-game improvement in the record from the year before, [[Anthony Rizzo (baseball)|Anthony Rizzo]] and [[Starlin Castro]] seemed to take steps backward in their development. On September 30, 2013, Theo Epstein made the decision to fire manager [[Dale Sveum]] after just two seasons at the helm of the Cubs. The regression of several young players was thought to be the main focus point, as the front office said Sveum would not be judged based on wins and losses. In two seasons as skipper, Sveum finished with a record of 127–197.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.espn.com/chicago/mlb/story/_/id/9748610/chicago-cubs-fire-manager-dale-sveum-two-years |title = Chicago Cubs fire manager Dale Sveum after two years |publisher = ESPN |date = October 1, 2013 |access-date = August 1, 2014 }}</ref>

The 2013 season was also notable as the Cubs drafted future Rookie of the Year and MVP [[Kris Bryant]] with the second overall selection.

On November 7, 2013, the Cubs hired [[San Diego Padres]] bench coach [[Rick Renteria]] to be the 53rd manager in team history.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/chc/cubs-name-rick-renteria-manager?ymd=20131106&content_id=63720570&vkey=news_chc |title = Cubs name Rick Renteria manager |publisher = Major League Baseball |date = November 7, 2013 |access-date = August 1, 2014 }}</ref> The Cubs finished the [[2014 Chicago Cubs season|2014 season]] in last place with a 73–89 record in Rentería's first and only season as manager.<ref>{{cite web |last1 = Rogers |first1 = Jesse |title = Cubs fire manager Rick Renteria after one season |date = October 31, 2014 |url = https://www.espn.com/chicago/mlb/story/_/id/11797575/chicago-cubs-fire-manager-rick-renteria-one-season |publisher = ESPN Chicago |access-date = October 31, 2014 }}</ref> Despite the poor record, the Cubs improved in many areas during 2014, including rebound years by Anthony Rizzo and Starlin Castro, ending the season with a winning record at home for the first time since 2009,<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.cubsinsider.com/cubs-notes-arrieta-cards-cubs-end-year-winning-record-wrigley/ |title = Cubs Notes: Arrieta Does It All Against Cards, Cubs End Year With Winning Record at Wrigley |newspaper = Cubs Insider |publisher = cubsinsider.com |date = September 25, 2014 }}</ref> and compiling a 33–34 record after the All-Star Break. However, following unexpected availability of Joe Maddon when he exercised a clause that triggered on October 14 with the departure of General Manager Andrew Friedman to the Los Angeles Dodgers,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kepner |first=Tyler |author-link=Tyler Kepner |date=October 24, 2014 |title=A Manager Opts Out to Test Free Agency |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/25/sports/baseball/manager-joe-maddon-opts-out-of-tampa-bay-rays-contract.html |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/25/sports/baseball/manager-joe-maddon-opts-out-of-tampa-bay-rays-contract.html |archive-date=January 1, 2022 |access-date=October 2, 2019 |work=[[The New York Times]] |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> the Cubs relieved Rentería of his managerial duties on October 31, 2014. During the season, the Cubs drafted [[Kyle Schwarber]] with the fourth overall selection.

Hall of Famer [[Ernie Banks]] died of a heart attack on January 23, 2015, shortly before his 84th birthday.<ref name="Attack">{{cite web |last1=Gonzalez |first1=Mark |last2=Ziezulewicz |first2=Geoff |date=January 25, 2015 |title=Cubs legend Ernie Banks died of heart attack |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-ernie-banks-presser-met-20150125-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150125195428/http://my.chicagotribune.com/%23section/-1/article/p2p-82627232/ |archive-date=January 25, 2015 |access-date=January 25, 2015 |work=[[Chicago Tribune]]}}</ref> The 2015 uniform carried a commemorative #14 patch on both its home and away jerseys in his honor.