Cubs manager Craig Counsell not sugarcoating 83-79 season: 'We've got work to do'

Sitting in the home dugout at Wrigley Field and addressing reporters before the Cubs’ final game of the season Sunday, manager Craig Counsell could have taken the out that was built into the question: ‘‘Is it naive to think a manager alone can add wins to a team’s record?’’

Instead, he answered the question truthfully.

‘‘It’s never going to be about one person,’’ he said. ‘‘I mean, that is my job — to help us win baseball games. So I should be expected to do that, absolutely.

‘‘We didn’t do it this year. We won 83 games. That wasn’t enough to make the playoffs. That wasn’t enough to give our fans October baseball. That’s what we should be striving to do. That’s what we should do on a consistent basis, in my mind. And that means we’ve got work to do.’’

That offseason work starts now.

Last season, the Cubs came so close to making the playoffs that rolls of clear plastic were affixed to the ceiling in front of the lockers in the visitors’ clubhouse in Milwaukee in case they clinched a berth on the final weekend of the season.

This season, the Cubs still had a week of games left after being mathematically eliminated. So while the National League wild-card race was swept up in weather-induced postponements that forced a doubleheader Monday between the Mets and Braves, the Cubs quietly won two of three games in an anticlimactic series against the Reds this past weekend.

‘‘Always kind of weird,’’ second baseman Nico Hoerner said after a 3-0 loss in 10 innings in the final game of the season. ‘‘Every year is different. I don’t really know what to do with myself right now.

‘‘Obviously, there’s going to be a lot of reflection in the coming days and some that’s already started. It’s just a weird feeling knowing that, even though we have a sense of a core here, there’s just so many people that don’t come back every single year — players and staff and everyone involved. Everyone’s gone just really fast, so that’s always a little strange to process.’’

There undoubtedly will be changes. Veteran right-hander Kyle Hendricks is headed into free agency after 11 seasons with the Cubs. Outfielder Cody Bellinger has to decide whether to opt out of his contract.

And even though Counsell emphasized that closing the playoff gap is more about process than personnel, internal improvement alone generally doesn’t take a team from 83 victories to 90 or more.

‘‘There was so much this year that had a lot of promise, and a lot of you know we were rolling,’’ shortstop Dansby Swanson said. ‘‘And then there were times where it felt like it was the complete opposite. So finding a way to just be our best more consistently is a big thing.’’

Injuries played a role in the Cubs’ extended slump in May and June, throwing hitters out of rhythm when they returned from the injured list and shortening the bullpen at the back end. But the Brewers were as snakebitten as pretty much any team and won the NL Central by 10 games. The Cubs and Cardinals tied for second.

‘‘We’ve got to figure out how to win baseball games,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘We’ve got a fan base that demands it, that pushes us for it, that we want to provide that for them, absolutely. It’s putting together a roster. It’s getting through a 162-game season. It’s making decisions. It’s helping your players get better. That’s what this job and managing jobs are about.’’

Beyond Counsell’s on-field duties, the Cubs’ front office has valued his input since they hired him last November. This offseason, he’ll be involved in team-building conversations from the beginning.

‘‘I started [last] offseason without really any knowledge of the organization,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘And so, from that perspective, the offseason for me was slow and late.’’

After the Cubs swept in as a surprise contender in the Counsell sweepstakes and lured him away from the Brewers, he would drive down from Milwaukee to the Cubs’ offices about once a week in the offseason, excited by the new challenge. Before the home opener this season, he mused about how much fun it would be to walk into the Friendly Confines every day.

‘‘That feeling just doesn’t go away,’’ Counsell said this past weekend, calling the day games at Wrigley magical. ‘‘It’s grown. As much as anything, that fires me up. And it’s an internal thing that gets you going because it’s a great place to come. And that means you naturally envision wanting to be great for all the people that love coming here, as well.’’