did the cubs tank games to get higher draft picks?

Are you kidding? Did you learn anything from the Black Sox scandal? I think historically the cubs have been bad because of poor management. With a almost exclusive national tv following on WGN I dont think cubs management cared who won or lost world series as long as fans came to cubs games because of seeing their games on WGN. Now, however cub fans want to finally see a world series at wrigley in their lifetime and Tom Ricketts being a life long cubs fan (he met his wife at a cub game too) realizes that. Also if the cubs tanked games as you suggested why weren't they so good so many years before now? And when they had good teams they had to trade and sign free agents. like Sutcliffe in 84 Nomar in 03. they only exception might have been 89 when home grown Jerome Walton and Dwight Smith lead them to the playoffs but look at their careers after. Smith was not great but decent and Walton sucked after winning ROY.

As a lifelong Cubs fan I can confirm that they really were that bad.

No, teams and players don't do that.