2012 Chicago Cubs season
The 2012 Chicago Cubs season was the 141st season of the Chicago Cubs franchise, the 137th in the National League and the 97th at Wrigley Field. The Cubs finished fifth in the National League Central with a record of 61–101, their worst record since 1966. The Cubs began the season at home on April 5, 2012 against the Washington Nationals and finished the season at home on October 3 against the Houston Astros.
| 2012 Chicago Cubs | ||
|---|---|---|
| League | National League | |
| Division | Central | |
| Ballpark | Wrigley Field | |
| City | Chicago, Illinois | |
| Record | 61–101 (.377) | |
| Divisional place | 5th | |
| Owners | Tom Ricketts | |
| President of baseball operations | Theo Epstein | |
| General managers | Jed Hoyer | |
| Managers | Dale Sveum | |
| Television | WGN-TV WGN America CSN Chicago CSN Chicago Plus WCIU-TV (Len Kasper, Bob Brenly) | |
| Radio | WGN (AM) Chicago Cubs Radio Network (Pat Hughes, Keith Moreland, Judd Sirott) | |
| ||
The season marked the first season with Jed Hoyer as General Manager and Theo Epstein as President of Baseball Operations. It also marked the first season with Dale Sveum as manager. The season also marked the last season with the Houston Astros in the National League Central as they would move to the American League West in 2013.
The season also marked the first season in the Cubs rebuilding project under Theo Epstein that would break their 108-year World Series drought and lead the Cubs to the 2016 World Series championship.
The season was the last full season with the Cubs for Alfonso Soriano, who would be traded at the 2013 trade deadline.
During the offseason, the Cubs would acquire future All-Star Anthony Rizzo from the San Diego Padres. During the season, the Cubs would also acquire players that would play important roles during their 2016 World Series season: Travis Wood was acquired via trade from the Cincinnati Reds on December 23, 2011, Albert Almora was drafted on June 4, Jorge Soler was signed as an amateur free agent on June 30, and Kyle Hendricks was acquired via a trade with the Texas Rangers on July 30.