Mediocre vs Bad yeah, it really doesn't matter. But being really good when the other team is shit is a huge deal and I really wish people would stop using 'The Cubs do not matter at all' as some smarter than you meatball bash.
I have a ton of friends who were 10-12 in 05 and ended up growing up Sox fans with Cub fan parents. I'm sure the inverse is true now. Being better than the Cubs is good for the bottom line which is theoretically good for baseball purposes.