Jed Hoyer Speaks: GM Meetings, Time Line for Moves, and the Best Use of Payroll

Today marks the beginning of the GM Meetings in California, which will be attended not only by Cubs GM Jed Hoyer, but also by President Theo Epstein, Scouting and Player Development Chief Jason McLeod, and Assistant GMs Randy Bush and Shiraz Rehman.

Hoyer spoke recently to the media about those meetings, and about a variety of other topics (the full quotes from which were graciously published by Bruce Miles). Among Hoyer’s thoughts between the two sessions:

  • On the nature of the GM Meetings: “I think the face-to-face at the GM Meetings, it just gives us a chance to further those discussions that you have already started. It’s always easier to deal with somebody in person and have a conversation in person rather than on the phone. But for the most part we have already started those dialogues and I think this is kind of a continuation of that …. You lay your groundwork and even things that are close to getting done there don’t get announced there just because of red tape or medicals. It’s pretty unusual to be able to announce something at the GM meetings. It almost has to be in the works before you get there.”
  • On how the earlier deadlines for qualifying offers to free agents (the former equivalent – arbitration offers – used to not come until the first week of December) will impact the GM Meetings and the offseason plan: “I would probably go in with the expectation that it’s groundwork with the possibility that things move a little faster [this year]. That would be pretty early. It’s a little earlier GM Meetings even by GM Meetings standards …. [The early qualifying offer deadline] speeds things up a little bit that people will have that information earlier. Dec. 7 was always that date and people would wait to see what would happen. But we don’t know if one player in a particular market will hold out and everybody waits for that guy to fall. That could happen as well.” In other words, on the one hand, the GM Meetings are happening a little earlier than in the past, which means not much might happen (in terms of announced stuff) this week … but, on the other hand, the moved up qualifying offer deadline could speed things up. So, I guess that means we don’t know what to expect. Anything could happen at any time! Chaos reigns!
  • On what the Cubs have done so far this offseason: “We’ve had a lot of dialogue with teams already. I think we always try to check in with every team in advance of the meetings. Obviously we’ve checked in with agents of free agents that we will target.” Well, we know they’ve dialoged with the Angels, at a minimum …
  • On the way the Cubs are viewing the role of their theoretical payroll advantage over other teams in the NL Central: “We talk a lot about payroll efficiency. A lot of that is getting to that point where you feel like it’s a payroll you’ve created based on contract lengths that you like. One of the things we’re very wary of is sort of jumping back in and muddying those waters because we know there’s a time in the future where it really becomes a lot more efficient. We’re not dealing with some of the contract issues we’ve been dealing with the last couple of years. I think our ability to have an efficient payroll is really important. You look at the amount of money we have to spend. I always use the bad analogy of the basketball center. If he keeps the ball over his head, it’s really hard to steal the ball. If he holds it down on his waist, it’s a lot easier. If you take a $120 million payroll and you put a bunch of bad contracts on it, the next thing you know, you’re not any different than a $70- or $80-million payroll team. It’s important for use to use our financial advantages correctly. I think a lot of that is by signing good contracts, being aware of contract length and being aware of the decisions we make going forward because we do have the opportunity to make that payroll more efficient in the future, and we don’t want to muddy that in the meantime.”
  • (That’s as good of an explanation as you’ll get for why the Cubs are reticent to splurge on big contracts before the young core is ready to go. And I’ll assume that he mentioned $120 million as a mere off-hand remark (and an undersell), because, long-term, that’s simply not going to be good enough. With the infusion of money from TV deals, and the transfer of dollars from the amateur side to the big league side, I wouldn’t expect $120 million to offer much of a payroll advantage over the rest of the NL Central by, say, 2015. Talk to me about $140 to $150 million. But we’ll get there when we get there.)
  • Hoyer then made his point about when/how to spend on big-time contracts a little more explicit: “We’re not against long-term deals. We’re not opposed to spending a lot on players. Given where we are, we want to make sure that when we have our young talent at the major-league level, when we’re ready to go on what we think is going to be an extended run, we don’t want to have a bunch of guys that are past prime that we signed in the past that are sort of hindering what we want to do. We’re not against committing to a player. We committed a lot to Starlin Castro. We committed a lot of years to Jorge Soler. We just want to be really smart with the contract length because so many times, you see these players, they reach free agency, and they’re 32 and 33 years old and buying ages 35 and 36. If you’re about to win a title or you’re one or two players away after the first couple years of that deal, that makes a lot of sense. But if you think your window may be more like those back two years, it does give you a little bit of pause.”
  • written by

    Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

    more cubs news

    Dansby Swanson with a First Inning Three-Run Homer

    For the second straight night, the Cubs are jumping all over the Astros in the first inning. After a couple hits from Nico Hoerner and Ian Happ to get things going, Michael Busch hit a sac fly, Christopher Morel walked,...

    Welcome Back to Iowa, Brennen Davis: Rocket Homer in His First Game Post-Rehab

    What a road it's been - continues to be - for Cubs outfield prospect Brennen Davis. The former top prospect was on a rocket ship to Triple-A in 2021, and then mostly lost the last two years to various injuries....

    CRAAAAAP: Cody Bellinger to the Injured List (UPDATES)

    So much for all those words of optimism and negative X-rays. After colliding with the outfield wall last night, Cody Bellinger fractured his rib (Update: It's actually TWO fractured right ribs) and will hit the injured list today. Chicago Cubs...

    Chicago Cubs Lineup: What is it, June 2023?

    CUBS LINEUP — The Chicago Cubs took Game 1 against the Houston Astros in convincing fashion last night. So tonight, they'll go for the quick series win against Spencer Arrighetti at Wrigley Field (it'd be a good idea to win...

    Bellinger Optimistic Post-Injury, Busch’s Defense, Almonte Stock Rising, Tauchman Slugging, and Other Cubs Bullets

    Ed. Note: Since this article was published, a CT scan revealed a rib fracture for Cody Bellinger, who is now on the Injured List. You can find all the details of that news in our most recent article right here....

    Cubs Outfield Prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong Coming Up

    With Cody Bellinger headed to the Injured List with a rib fracture, the Cubs are in need of another outfielder: center field prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong is coming back up to the big leagues for the second time. https://twitter.com/670TheScore/status/1783217891195625709 Crow-Armstrong, 22,...

    Is Mike Tauchman the Best Player in Baseball? An Exploration

    Hey, we're just having some early-season fun. So allow me to present the 'Mike Tauchman Is Clearly Better Than' list. As of this moment, Mike Tauchman has ... ... a higher wRC+ (151) than Pete Alonso, Fernando Tatis Jr., and...

    Cubs Farm Report | April 24, 2024: Kevin Alcántara Cannot Miss Right Now

    Name a player hotter than Kevin Alcántara right now. Go ahead, I'll wait. (He's already raking again today. Literally as I type this.) More on Alcántara's big day and the Smokies home run parade last night in today's Cubs Farm...

    Oof: Blake Snell to the Injured List Just Three Horrible Starts into His Giants Career

    Just three starts into his San Francisco Giants career, Blake Snell is heading to the injured list with a left-adductor strain. Oof. You hate to even say it — and who really knows if this was related — but early...

    It’s Gotten Impossible to Not Comment on the White Sox Making Futility History

    In 1997, I was a miserable Chicago Cubs fan. I mean, that was true a lot of the time, but I mean it in a very specific way that year: the Cubs had started the season 0-14. They had literally...

    Latest News

    Maple Leafs vs. Bruins NHL Playoffs First Round Game 4 Prediction: Live Odds, Stats, History and Picks – Saturday, April 27, 2024

    The bookmakers are expecting a close contest between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins on Saturday in Toronto, with the Maple Leafs given moneyline odds of -110 and the Bruins at -110.Maple Leafs vs. Bruins Favorite, Moneyline, TotalFavorite: Maple...

    Mariners vs. Rangers: Start Time, Streaming Live, TV Channel, How to Watch

    On Thursday, looking for a series sweep, Caleb Raleigh and the Seattle Mariners (12-11) face Adolis Garcia and the Texas Rangers (12-12), with first pitch scheduled for 2:35 PM ET at Globe Life Field.If you're planning on watching this game,...

    How to Watch Padres vs. Rockies: Live Stream or on TV

    The San Diego Padres (13-13), with Randy Vasquez on the mound, visit the Colorado Rockies (6-18) who will counter with Dakota Hudson, at 3:10 PM ET on Thursday.If you're planning on watching this game, keep reading for TV and streaming...

    2024 Las Vegas Raiders Big Board: Potential First-Round Fits Including Tackle & Cornerback

    The desert heat is rising in Las Vegas, and so are the expectations for the Raiders. The 2024 NFL Draft is rapidly approaching, and the Silver and Black hold the 13th overall pick. Will they prioritize shoring up the offensive...

    Twins vs. White Sox: Start Time, Streaming Live, TV Channel, How to Watch

    The Minnesota Twins (9-13), led by Ryan Jeffers, host Gavin Sheets and the Chicago White Sox (3-20) at 1:10 PM ET on Thursday.If you're intending to watch this game, keep reading for streaming and TV options for the Minnesota-Chicago matchup.When...

    Astros vs. Cubs: Start Time, Streaming Live, TV Channel, How to Watch

    Justin Verlander takes the ball for the Houston Astros (7-17) when they visit starter Javier Assad and the Chicago Cubs (14-9) at 2:20 PM ET on Thursday.Keep reading to see how to watch the Houston-Chicago matchup below.When is Astros vs....

    Royals vs. Blue Jays: Free Live Stream, TV Channel, How to Watch

    Cole Ragans will take the mound for the Kansas City Royals (14-10) when they host starter Jose Berrios and the Toronto Blue Jays (13-11) in a rubber match on Thursday, with first pitch at 2:10 PM ET.If you're trying to...

    Yankees vs. Athletics: Free Live Stream, TV Channel, How to Watch

    Juan Soto and the New York Yankees (16-8) host Abraham Toro and the Oakland Athletics (9-15) on Thursday in a rubber match, with first pitch at 7:05 PM ET.Find out how to watch the New York-Oakland matchup below.When is Yankees...

    Dansby Swanson with a First Inning Three-Run Homer

    For the second straight night, the Cubs are jumping all over the Astros in the first inning. After a couple hits from Nico Hoerner and Ian Happ to get things going, Michael Busch hit a sac fly, Christopher Morel walked,...

    Phillies vs. Reds: Free Live Stream, TV Channel, How to Watch

    Alec Bohm and the Philadelphia Phillies (15-9) visit Elly De La Cruz and the Cincinnati Reds (13-10) on Thursday in a rubber match, with first pitch at 1:10 PM ET.Keep reading to find out all the details on how to...

    more cubs news