The Cubs are being aggressive in free agency, but there’s gotta be a line, as well as a balance between the desire for a particular player and the realization that having a singular mentality about that particular player is an easy way to get burned. As always, the Cubs want to improve in the near-term without torching the long-term health of the organization, especially considering the upward trajectory we’re seeing.
That said, Epstein did indicate – without specifics – that when you land an impact player that can shape your short-term approach, because you will want to shape the roster more around that player. I’m not going to put any words in Epstein’s mouth here, but I’ll just add my own thinking: if the Cubs spend huge money on a guy like Jon Lester, knowing full well that his best years are likely to be the next two or three, then there’s going to be a little added urgency to supplement the roster sooner rather than later. If, however, the Cubs don’t get an impact player very soon this offseason, the Cubs may be a little more patient, knowing what else is out there in the coming 15 months (especially at the Trade Deadline and next offseason on the pitching front). I don’t take it from Epstein’s comments that the Cubs are going to shut down their offseason approach if they don’t get an impact piece like Lester soon. Instead, I took it the other way – the Cubs have a plan to add some useful pieces this offseason because they can see the team competing in the NL Central in 2015, but if they land a pricey impact piece, they may need to be a little more aggressive in adding in the nearer-term. (Why not do that anyway, you ask? Well, it’s a debatable point, but the idea is that if you don’t get the impact guy(s) near term, you don’t want to commit quite as much on second tier guys (either in money or in trading away young assets to get them), because that puts you in a worse position to get an impact guy (or multiple impact guys) next year.)
… all that said, and, again, this is just me speaking: if the Cubs don’t get Lester, I still think you see some very interesting back-up plans explored, which will, one way or another, put the Cubs in a good position to be competitive in 2015 (even if that is not, as the front office has said repeatedly, is not the absolute peak of where the Cubs can be, in terms of the strength of their roster). It’s not a “Get Lester, otherwise just go back to accumulating long-term assets” situation.
Speaking of which, Epstein said the Cubs have been asked about the availability of Luis Valbuena – presumably because other teams see what’s coming in Kris Bryant. But Epstein indicated that the Cubs won’t be trading Valbuena for a stop-gap-type price tag. Dude has real value, and it would cost something significant to get him. Here’s where I bro-fist-bump Epstein and remind you of my thoughts on Valbuena’s value.
Although the Joe Maddon tampering investigation by MLB is proceeding, Epstein did not express any concern. Semi-relatedly, Epstein said some nice things about Dave Martinez, who was brought in to resume his role as Maddon’s bench coach, and about how Doug Dascenzo handled his change from first base coach to a coordinator role.
Epstein told Jesse Rogers that everyone is comfortable going forward with Welington Castillo as the team’s starting catcher, though it’s a position where the Cubs could add an not block an impact prospect in the near-term. Castillo came in for praise on his defensive ability (blocking, throwing, fielding his position), but Epstein noted that his receiving and framing skills were an area where he could improve. No surprise there. As Rogers mentions, the Cubs could stand to add someone like Miguel Montero – a lefty bat with excellent receiving skills – to platoon with Castillo. Done properly, it’s conceivable that could wind up a better, and much more cost-effective setup than just signing Russell Martin. I’ve previously discussed Montero here and here.
In any case, it does seem like the Cubs are going to have to add a solid back-up catcher, at least, because right now they’ve got only Castillo and Rafael Lopez.
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.
In the top of the seventh inning of today's 8-3 win over the Miami Marlins, Alexander Canario trotted out to left field in place of Ian Happ. At first, we thought (or maybe just hoped) that Craig Counsell was giving...
And just like that the Chicago Cubs are the first team in the NL Central to reach 12 wins! They're not technically in first place yet because the Brewers (11-6) have played fewer games, but we're talking about a matter...
With a lefty Marlins starter on the mound this afternoon, Nico Hoerner lead off today's game for the Chicago Cubs. And he did it in style, ripping a leadoff double to the left-center field wall, before coming into score a...
*The Cubs were rained out yesterday, but today? Today, we've got a Friday 1:20 start at Wrigley Field, and that means all is right in the world. Before you take a look at the Cubs lineup against Miami, check out...
Happy Friday! Well, for everyone except for the pilots who were supposed to be manning the Colorado Rockies flight last week but instead allowed a member of the Rockies coaching staff to hop in the pilot's seat for a fun...
Justin Steele, arguably the single most irreplaceable player on the Chicago Cubs 2024 roster, went down with a hamstring injury just 4.2 innings into his Opening Day start against the Rangers on March 28. In his place, the Cubs sixth...
If you do this job long enough, it's really wild to see the range of topics that can somehow become attached to sports. That is to say, I did not envision myself at some point writing about flight safety, cockpit...
The Iowa Cubs were rained out, but the rest of the farm was in action, and so was Kevin Alcántara, who picked up four hits and now has seven in his last three games as he breaks out of an...
Well, the rain stole one from us yesterday, which is a blessing and a curse. On the bright side, the bullpen gets an extra day of rest (on top of the day Hayden Wesneski bought them). But on the flip...
The Chicago Cubs are against theft. Of bases: https://twitter.com/codifybaseball/status/1781046629103231339 The Chicago Cubs this year have stolen just three bases, the fewest in all of baseball. Dansby Swanson has stolen two bases, Nick Madrigal has stolen one. That's it. I don't...
After winning four games in a row, the Philadelphia Phillies (12-8) play at home against the Chicago White Sox (3-16) at 6:05 PM ET on Saturday.This contest's pitching matchup is set, as the Phillies will send Zack Wheeler (0-3) to...
The Cleveland Guardians (14-6) host the Oakland Athletics (8-12) at Progressive Field on Saturday, beginning at 6:10 PM ET.The probable pitchers are Logan Allen (2-0) for the Guardians and Alex Wood (0-1) for the Athletics.Guardians vs. Athletics Pitcher Matchup and...
It's that time of the year again – playoff season in the NBA kicks off TODAY, promising months filled with relentless excitement! New users are in for a treat with an amazing FanDuel promo code offer. By signing up today,...
In Game 1 of the opening round of the NBA Playoffs, the New York Knicks will go up against the Philadelphia 76ers.In their last time out, the Knicks won on Sunday 120-119 against the Bulls in overtime. The 76ers' last...
Following a four-hit effort last time out, Harrison Bader leads the New York Mets (11-8) into action as +156 underdogs against the Los Angeles Dodgers (12-10). The game gets underway from Dodger Stadium at 4:05 PM ET on Saturday, live...
The Arizona Diamondbacks (10-11) will look to Ketel Marte, red hot after a four-hit game, to lead them in a matchup with the San Francisco Giants (9-12) on Saturday at 4:05 PM ET on ARID. The Diamondbacks are -122 favorites...
The Houston Astros will take the field against the Washington Nationals (8-11) on Saturday. The game begins at 4:05 PM ET on SCHN, with the Astros listed as -181 favorites on the moneyline.Houston's Ronel Blanco gets the start, and he'll...
The Pittsburgh Pirates (11-9) will try to put a stop to their current four-game losing streak when they host the Boston Red Sox (11-10) at 4:05 PM ET on SportsNet PT Saturday. Bookmakers consider the Pirates to be -121 favorites...
The Washington Nationals (8-11) play at home against the Houston Astros (7-14) at Nationals Park. The matchup is set to start at 4:05 PM ET on Saturday.This contest's pitching matchup is set, as the Astros will send Ronel Blanco (2-0)...
The Arizona Diamondbacks (10-11) visit the San Francisco Giants (9-12). The matchup at Oracle Park starts at 4:05 PM ET on Saturday.The probable pitchers are Zac Gallen (3-0) for the Diamondbacks and Kyle Harrison (2-1) for the Giants.Diamondbacks vs. Giants...