Cubs seek to add playoff depth entering weak patch in schedule
After winning four of six games from the Rangers and Mets and adding a much-needed left-handed reliever in Mike Montgomery on Wednesday, the obvious tendency for the Cubs would be to look directly ahead to the playoffs.
But a 5-16 finish to the first half tempered all the outside hype after a 25-6 start, so the Cubs are tending to their own business while President Theo Epstein and his staff continue to pursue trades designed to address the Cubs’ needs in the final two months of the season as well as the future.
“We’re all looking at the big picture here,” catcher David Ross said. ‘We all have our eye on the playoffs. But we have to take care of business. We need everybody here, and the guys they’re planning on getting to help us out, to see what comes together, and go from there.”
The Cubs play 13 of their next 16 games against teams that are one game above .500 or worse. But with the expected return of leadoff batter Dexter Fowler and addition of 41-yearold reliever Joe Nathan, the next 10 games will be highly important as manager Joe Maddon shuffles his players to find the most cohesive fits while Epstein and Co. work diligently leading up to the Aug. 1 trade deadline.
Despite trading lefthanded-hitting, run-producing prospect Dan Vogelbach and Double-A pitcher Paul Blackburn to the Mariners to acquire Montgomery and Triple-A pitcher Jordan Pries, the Cubs have talent to offer for another reliever or starting pitcher under team control for multiple seasons.
“We haven’t touched the prospects we were potentially going to move in some bigger deals that didn’t come to pass, and maybe those will be resurrected in the future,” Epstein said after the Montgomery trade. “It’s nice to have our options open, and we feel like we helped the club for now and for the future.”
In the meantime, the return of Fowler should help Ben Zobrist, whose batting average has dropped from .315 to .270 since Fowler’s injury and is hitless in his past 15 at-bats.
Fowler will enable Maddon to bat Zobrist behind Rizzo _ where the second baseman was extremely productive until he had to move around the lineup to compensate for Fowler’s absence from the leadoff spot. He also should help in taking pressure off rookie Willson Contreras.
Meanwhile, the addition of Montgomery should ease the workload of fellow lefthander Travis Wood, who is second in the NL with 47 appearances.
The willingness of Nathan, who has 377 career saves, to accept any role gives Maddon more flexibility in late-inning situations.
And it virtually assures Maddon he won’t need to summon closer Hector Rondon to get more than three outs in save situations.
Epstein was pleased to complete the Montgomery deal with plenty of time to maneuver for another big trade as National League foes like the Giants and Nationals, are searching for relief help to secure division titles and earn homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.