WAITING GAME CONTINUES
Epstein being patient until right deal comes along
SAN DIEGO — For all the trade talk, extension efforts and big ideas, the Cubs haven’t ruled out the possibility of doing little more than standing pat this winter.
“I’d feel like we’d have one of the most talented teams in the league but that we’d have some areas of exposure where we’d need a lot of things to go right,” team president Theo Epstein said Wednesday on the eve of wrapping up the winter meetings with the Cubs’ offseason plans largely on hold.
“We’d have guys in place that have a lot of potential where things could really break our way and we could be fairly dynamic,” he added.
It’s not like the NL Central includes any super teams. Nobody won more than 91 games in 2019, and the Cardinals are about to lose their cleanup hitter (Marcell Ozuna) to free agency. The Brewers might take a step back. The Pirates are starting over. And the Reds don’t exactly intimidate anybody — even if they’re the smart-guy pick as division favorite.
“Status quo is not a bad option, but we’re obviously out there looking to make changes and change the dynamic and improve,” Epstein said.
Maybe some of that happens as soon as next week after what Epstein suggested were productive talks this week with teams and agents.
But make no mistake: The Cubs entered the final hours of the winter meetings watching the most active week of meetings in years. Team officials were privately bemoaning their inability to add before subtracting payroll obligations while publicly pledging to try to win in 2020 and simultaneously try to leverage some of their talented core to get younger and extend their competitive window.
Even their least complicated trade chip, former MVP Kris Bryant, remained in limbo — even after top free-agent third baseman Anthony Rendon signed a seven-year megadeal with the Angels Wednesday night.
Officials from two teams aggressively trying to fill third-base needs in that marketplace said the Cubs were asking too much for Bryant to seriously consider him while other options remained available — especially with a projected $40 million-$45 million due in arbitration salaries for Bryant over the next two seasons.
After Rendon’s signing, free-agent third baseman Josh Donaldson still was linked to at least three teams. And a report on Wednesday that the Rockies are willing to “listen” to offers for Nolan Arenado — maybe the best third baseman in the game — only exacerbated the Cubs’ efforts.
And that’s nothing compared to what the Cubs are asking if somebody wants All-Star catcher Willson Contreras and his three remaining years of club control.
“We have to be patient and try to find the right moves,” Epstein said. “And as the freeagent market continues along, I think that’ll open up for us.”
Some of that won’t be cheap — if it happens at all.
In their efforts to add a free-agent starter, the Cubs never planned to look at the upper tiers of a market that yielded a $324 million deal for Gerrit Cole with the Yankees.
But by Wednesday, even bounce-back candidate Michael Wacha got a one-year contract from the Mets that could pay him as much as $10 million.
“We’re waiting it out and looking in areas that are more realistic for us at the moment,” Epstein said, “while also staying apprised of other things that could become possibilities.”
Meanwhile, the Cubs are counting on Yu Darvish to continue a strong second half into 2020. They also remain hopeful aging veteran Jon Lester has another competitive season. Also, Tyler Chatwood is a candidate to return to the rotation in the fifth spot.
And good luck making substantive bullpen upgrades without a trade that moves salary, or finding a leadoff hitter in-house. Or rolling the dice on holdover center fielders.
“The makings of a very good team is currently under control on our roster, with a chance to win a division,” Epstein said. “And do that, and you have a chance to have a great October.”
“But at the same time we can’t just pretend that we can keep putting off making some important decisions for the future.”
SAN DIEGO — Former Cubs bench coach Dave Martinez reached the 2019 postseason, won the World Series the Cubs didn’t sniff the last two years and then survived the hot seat Joe Maddon couldn’t.
And now, after two seasons as a first-time manager for the Nationals, Martinez goes from the parade route to spring training trying to draw on one more Cubs’ shortcoming to win again.
Martinez said this week his message to players in camp will involve emphasizing the Nationals’ processes and approach that worked this year, but also with sober recall of some of the issues and mistakes that put the Cubs in a deep first-half hole during their failed 2017 championship defense.
“I learned a lot about what to do, how to come out of that and what we need to do,” said Martinez, whose final season with the Cubs was in 2017, when they were eliminated by the Dodgers in the NLCS. They haven’t won a playoff game since.
“We need to set a precedent early. We’ve got to come out ready to play,” said Martinez, who was hired by the Nationals after that season. “The message is going to be clear. We’re not going to sneak up on any team. A lot of teams are getting better. We’ve got to be prepared and be ready to play from Day 1.”
‘Shock’ therapy for Cubs?
The Cubs’ new manager plans to borrow from some of his predecessor’s methods and approaches, but his early ideas and plans for spring training might come as a “shock” to many of the core holdover players, David Ross said.
“I hope so,” said Ross, who remains close to Maddon (including joining Maddon for his Hazleton, Pennsylvania, charity event in the coming days.
“I hope it’s a shock for the players. I’m kind of relying on that,” Ross said. “I want to be different. As much as Joe brought to the table and all that, I respect what he’s done — I will keep a lot of the music on; I like the vibe that he created. [But] I think I will mix up some things early on.
“There will be a little bit more structure,” he added. “I want some guys working together, not guys on their own plan. I want to recreate that bond that goes with this group.”
That includes veterans in spring training work groups with young players to mentor and influence their habits, he said.
“We have a good group of guys that have a lot of experience about winning,” Ross said. “I want them infecting the whole organization . . . . Joe changed the culture around here, and there are a lot of great things I’m going to take from that and keep around here.”
No Rizzo extension talks, no alarm bells
A report Wednesday that said the Cubs declined to engage All-Star first baseman Anthony Rizzo in extension talks raised eyebrows on social media, but Rizzo was never considered a priority for such talks as the offseason of significant transition began.
Rizzo, 30, is under club control on a teamfriendly deal for two more seasons.
The Cubs suggested that talks became a non-starter when initial conversations of contract length couldn’t be resolved.
Team president Theo Epstein, who would not talk specifically about any contract discussions with Rizzo, downplayed the significance of the report.
“The way I look at him is he’s a special player and has done so much for the organization and the city that we value very, very highly, and we think highly of him as a person, and he’s closely associated with our organization and our brand and everything that we’re trying to do,” Epstein said. “He’s not a free agent. He’s not at risk of going anywhere right now.
“I know the story raised some alarms, but he’s under control here for two more years and we’re thrilled about that. And there will be lots of opportunities to talk about continuing the relationship.”