Going from pain to gain
Cubs offer insight into rebuild process
After the Chicago Cubs lost 91 games in 2011 and appeared headed nowhere in a hurry, team owner Tom Ricketts hired Theo Epstein to oversee what would become a massive rebuilding project.
Epstein then hired Jed Hoyer, who helped him resurrect the Boston Red Sox, to be general manager. The new leadership team made it clear that it would take time to make the Cubs competitive again but that didn’t chase all the wolves from the door.
The next April, Ricketts asked MLB Commissioner Bud Selig to come down to Chicago for a team charity event. But the embattled owner also asked if Selig might do another favor.
“He said, ‘You’ve got to have a press conference. We’re getting killed.’ And they were,” recalled Selig. “So, I had a press conference, and it was angry.
“I’ve had some tough press conferences in my day, particularly in New York during all the labor confrontations. This one was really bad. (People were saying) ‘They don’t know what they’re doing. They’re not spending money. The Cubs are going nowhere. This is pathetic.’
“I said, ‘Someday you’re going to be sorry (for doubting). They’re on the right path. They’re just starting. It’s his first year.’ I had a lot of faith (in
Epstein). He did what he had to do. It’s painful. I understand that.”
It continued to be painful for three more years. The Cubs bottomed out with 101 losses in 2012, then dropped 96 games in 2013. By the next season, there were signs of progress with a 73-89 record.
Then came the big breakthrough. In 2015, Chicago won 97 games, claimed one of the National League wild-card berths and made it all the way to the NLCS before bowing to the New York Mets. Energized by that finish, Epstein added more veterans that winter, setting the stage for a historic 103-win season in 2016 and the franchise’s first World Series title in 108 years.
The folks at Forbes magazine were so impressed, they named Epstein their No. 1 leader. Not in baseball. In the world! Somebody call the United Nations.
That Cubs team pays its first visit of the 2017 season to Miller Park on Friday to take on the Brewers, who are in a much earlier phase of their rebuild. So, exactly what stage of the Cubs’ process should Milwaukee be compared to at present, you ask?
That’s a bit difficult to gauge because the Brewers are actually 21⁄2 years into their rebuild, including the half season of tearing down the roster in 2015. David Stearns replaced Doug Melvin as general manager after that season and accelerated the process, turning over half of the 40-man roster spots before opening day 2016.
The Brewers went 68-94 in ’15 and improved to 73 victories last season, a bit better than most folks expected. So, they appear in position to avoid the 100-loss season the Cubs experienced along the way but that’s merely a number. Losing is losing. You’re either in playoff mode or rebooting.
“Branch Rickey was right,” said Selig, referring to one of his biggest heroes in the game. “He always said it would take three to five years (to build a contender). And he was right. And he’d be right today.”
If that’s the case, Brewers fans should look forward with anticipation to 2019, give or take. Considering the number of highlytouted prospects they have in their burgeoning farm system, that sounds about right, though there are no guarantees. Each rebuild proceeds at its own pace.
When Selig was commissioner, the Brewers founder had to pretend not to favor his former club, even though his office was in downtown Milwaukee. Now, as commissioner emeritus, he can let his guard down a bit more and isn’t hesitant to endorse the Brewers’ plan.
“They are doing exactly the right thing. There was no alternative,” Selig said.
“I think David Stearns is off to a very impressive start. I talk to a lot of other clubs. I talk to a lot of other people. The farm system, by everyone’s criteria, has come back brilliantly. You’ll see it. It doesn’t happen overnight.
“As my father used to say, if it was easy, everybody would do it. I’m proud of what they’re doing and I think the fans will respond well.”