The reality has become clear for the 2024 Cubs.

Even if all of the answers are not yet clear.

For a team who had their sights set on playing in the postseason, they woke up on the morning of Friday, Sept. 20 facing a possibility of being eliminated from playoff contention more than a week before the end of the regular season.

[MORE: Counsell shares brutally honest message with Cubs as tough reality sets in]

That didn’t happen, as the Cubs beat the Nationals 3-1 Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field. But the Cubs’ playoff hopes could end as soon as Saturday.

Not that there is much hope right now anyways. The Cubs’ playoff odds have been at less than 0.1% ever since they dropped 2 out of 3 games to the rebuilding Oakland A’s earlier this week at Wrigley Field.

So where did things go wrong? How did the Cubs ultimately come up short of their goals and expectations?

And – more importantly – how do they fix things to try and change their fate for the 2025 season?

[WATCH: Craig Counsell assess state of Cubs]

Counsell’s coaching staff and Jed Hoyer’s front office are still determining some of those answers and they obviously won’t share their entire plan publicly.

But Counsell did acknowledge Friday morning that the Cubs have to be open to any possible avenue to improve – in every corner of the organization.

“We have to push each other in these situations and that inevitably is going to make for hard decisions because it’s hard,” Counsell said. “The thing we want to do is hard. That’s going to require hard decisions.

“But the things worth doing are hard. That’s where we gotta get to and it’s gonna be difficult. We’re not there. There’s going to be hard decisions to get there. But that’s how it’s gotta work.”

The Milwaukee Brewers clinched the National League Central on Sept. 18 and sit 10 games above the Cubs in the division.

That is a sizeable gap for a team who entered the year with a goal to take home the NL Central crown.

But the Cubs aren’t behind just their division rivals. Even after a second-half surge, the Cubs are still going to finish in the middle of the NL standings with at least 7 teams ahead of them.

Counsell understands the best way for his team to get back to a consistent contender is to churn out 90-win seasons regularly.

“We have to deliver these teams and we have to set ourselves up to be in this [playoff] world,” Counsell said. “I don’t think we’re quite there.”

How will the Cubs push each other this offseason to once again rise into the ranks of playoff teams in the NL?

“I think it’s all of it – that’s what it requires at this point,” Counsell said. “I think there’s been progress in that area for sure. But it entails everything.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to share some of the details. But it requires us to look in every area, for sure.”

[MORE: Cubs place rookie pitcher Jordan Wicks on IL, ending his season]

Counsell believes the path forward is more about process than personnel.

“Absolutely,” he said. “I would jump to process.”