Former Chicago Cubs Star Still Shocked by Fate of Legendary 2016 Team

One of the franchise's former star sluggers still can't believe what happened to the 2016 Chicago Cubs.

Apr 12, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; iThe Chicago Cubs celebrate receiving their 2016 World Series championship rings before the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Wrigley Field. | Dennis Wierzbicki-Imagn Images

It's been nine years since the Chicago Cubs won the 2016 World Series, beating the Cleveland Guardians in seven games to end their historic 108-year title drought.

Since then, the entire roster has turned over.

Everyone eventually moved on, either by changing teams or retiring.

That includes Kyle Schwarber, who's now with the Philadelphia Phillies. He was just 23 in 2016 -- only his second season with Chicago -- but batted .412/.500/.471 in the World Series despite missing most of the year with a torn ACL and LCL.

With young stars like Schwarber, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Javier Baez, the Cubs seemed poised to win multiple championships.

Unfortunately, that's not what happened.

Chicago never made it back to the Fall Classic and ultimately parted ways with most of its best players, including Schwarber. The Cubs let him walk after the 2020 season, allowing him to sign with the Washington Nationals.

Looking back, the 32-year-old slugger can't believe how things played out in Chicago after he left.

"You think that team is going to last forever."

Kyle Schwarber says it was shocking to see the Cubs disassemble their core five years after winning the World Series. pic.twitter.com/a35WLJCa9C

— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) March 6, 2025

"You think that team's gonna last forever, but there's a business side to baseball," Schwarber said in an interview with Foul Territory. "I guess it was probably a little bit more shocking going into '21 ... Everyone's getting traded ... They still had a really good team."

With the Cubs toiling below .500 in late July of 2021, they unleashed a massive fire sale before the trade deadline, shipping out Rizzo, Baez and Bryant to dismantle what was left of their championship core.

Chicago has spent the last few years rebuilding and hasn't made the playoffs since 2020.

Meanwhile, Schwarber helped carry the Phillies to the World Series in 2022 and has made four straight trips to the postseason.

While the Cubs have disappointed lately, they have high hopes for 2025 with their new-look roster. Meanwhile, Schwarber will try to push Philadelphia over the hump after three straight years of October agony.

Both are searching for their first World Series ring since 2016.

A lot has changed over the last decade, but they still have that in common.