On becoming a buyer in July if the Cubs are surprisingly “in it”: “I think the key is what kind of start we get off to. If you look up in July and we’re in it, we’re gonna go for it. We talked about it before – every chance to make the playoffs is sacred.” I think that, if the Cubs are floating around .500 in July, just a few games out of a Wild Card spot, they might not sell off, but I’m not convinced they’ll go on a buying binge at the expense of the long-term vision. And, even a touch below .500, I think they sell again. Not that I’m complaining.
On becoming a seller in July if the Cubs are not so surprisingly out of it: “If we look up in July and take a cold assessment of our club and we’re not in it, then we have to address our future. And then it could get ugly for the last couple months the way it did last year. A lot depends on that fork in the road, so nothing would surprise me either way.” I can’t tell you how much I love that answer. Of course I don’t *want* that to happen. But I also don’t want the Cubs to tread water in 2013 at the expense of 2014 and beyond, simply because they’re afraid of finishing with a bad record again. It is, however, a delicate balance: if the record sinks too much, the difficulty in attracting free agents next year increases beyond what it was this past offseason. Just something to remember.
On payroll level: “I don’t have much concern about where the payroll was in the past. My concern is building up the organization so we get healthier and healthier and we have that core of talent so then we can justify when it’s the right time to put the hammer down. Getting the payroll to a level where we can keep all the players that we develop, we can add from the outside and we can look down on paper and have a team that should win 90-plus games every single year. With the business plan that we have to complement our baseball plan and the timing the way that those two plans are synced up, I don’t think we’ll have a problem getting where we want to go.” Keeping all the players you develop plus adding outside help when the team is good = high payroll. In other words, Theo seems to be expecting that the Cubs will have a high payroll in the future as a byproduct of their plan for having the best possible team, not as the method for having the best possible team. That’s fair.
On achieving, and sustaining, success: “You have to always be thinking one step ahead and have all your bases covered and create organizational redundancy to withstand the eventual adversity that you face through injuries and through unpredictable performance. We’ll know when we get there and you should too because you should then be complaining that we only look like a 90-win team on paper and not a 95-win team. That’s how we are going to get there. If you do it by chasing that one player who’s going to take you to the promised land or by trying to chase that one season that’s going to make up for a decade of failure, that’s a fool’s errand.” That’s the money quote. How nice would it be to be debating, year-in-year-out, whether this roster looks like a 95-win team or a 90-win team?
On the Cubs’ farm system being consistently ranked highly, including Keith Law placing them fifth: “I think five is a little bullish. We definitely made progress and are probably in the top third of baseball now, so somewhere in the Top 10. We made significant progress from last year and there were individual prospects like Javy Baez who took big steps forward. We added a deep draft class – which helps – and the Boise team was full of prospects at just about every position. I think over a third of the top prospects in that league all belonged to the Boise club.” Another great draft (and maybe a trade or two), and the Cubs will be solidly in the top five, assuming normal development from the current prospects.
On the Draft: “It’d be nice if there was an obvious, can’t-miss college arm who could impact our big-league team in the next couple of years, but if you try to force it, that’s how you end up regretting your pick for years to come. History does show that there is a better probability for impact up high in the draft with position players, but if the right arm is there, we’ll take him. You cannot dictate the draft. You have to go through the process and see what’s there. At the end of the draft, we will have attacked pitching with volume and you can get pitching all over the draft. If you want elite position players, you have to be willing to pop that guy up top.” So, it sounds like the Cubs are currently thinking college pitcher or elite positional guy, with a slight preference for the latter. But, I mean, as I always say: there’s an entire amateur season to be played still. Lots can change.
There’s quite a bit more in Kap’s piece, as well as a video. Check it out if you just can’t get enough Theo.
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.
Once a month since August of 2016, my friends and I get together for "Supper Club." It's like book club, but instead of reading books, we go to a different restaurant in the city. Last night, we hit our 77th...
The Cubs did all their scoring in the first, and made it stand up for the win with generally good pitching and generally good defense. Jameson Taillon looked solid again in his second start, locating well, giving up no barrels,...
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,...
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....
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...
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...
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....
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,...
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...
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...
The Oakland Athletics (9-16) and the New York Yankees (17-8) square off at Yankee Stadium on Thursday at 7:05 PM ET.The probable starters are Nestor Cortes Jr. (1-1) for the Yankees and Alex Wood (0-2) for the Athletics.Yankees vs. Athletics...
As the 2024 NFL Draft unfolds tonight, the sports betting landscape is buzzing with anticipation. Fans and bettors alike are gearing up for one of the most exciting events in the football calendar, with a plethora of draft specials, prop...
One of the most popular bets in all of sports betting is the spread. What is it? A spread bet is a wager on the margin of victory in a game. Let's dive into the popular bet type and break...
What does one back-to-back Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs team do the next year in the NFL Draft? It’s highly speculated that they will fill their pass-catching holes with an elite wide receiver, or possibly bolster the offensive line...
In a Thursday NBA playoff schedule that includes three competitive matchups, the Denver Nuggets versus the Los Angeles Lakers is a game to see.Searching for NBA player prop bets for today's games? This article features NBA player props for every...
Once a month since August of 2016, my friends and I get together for "Supper Club." It's like book club, but instead of reading books, we go to a different restaurant in the city. Last night, we hit our 77th...
Today is the day we've been waiting for since the NFL regular season ended. It's NFL Draft Day! The Chicago Bears have the first pick. Unless something unexpected happens, it'll be USC quarterback Caleb Williams getting the nod. Now that...
After a four-hit game last time out, Will Smith leads the Los Angeles Dodgers (15-11) as -197 favorites against the Washington Nationals (10-13). Action gets underway from Nationals Park at 4:05 PM ET on Thursday, live on MLB Network.Los Angeles'...
The Cubs did all their scoring in the first, and made it stand up for the win with generally good pitching and generally good defense. Jameson Taillon looked solid again in his second start, locating well, giving up no barrels,...
Two of the league's top power hitters meet Thursday when the Seattle Mariners (12-12) and Texas Rangers (13-12) take the field at 2:35 PM ET, live on BSSW. Caleb Raleigh has six home runs for the Mariners (-122 favorites on...