I didn’t get to the Bullets yesterday. Just flat out didn’t get to them. I know that in the history of the morning Bullets era (started in early 2011, if I remember correctly), there have been five or six days without Bullets. As near as I can remember, though, each of those times was a conscious decision – either there wasn’t enough to swing it, I was sick, or I chose to do a Lukewarm Stove instead of Bullets. But yesterday, I had stuff for Bullets. I was ready to do it, even if it came much later in the day. And then it just became impossible because the Lester madness started so early and bled well into the afternoon, which was immediately followed by one of the transaction-heaviest stretches I can remember. (And it’s been crazythismorning, too!)
In the wake of the Jon Lester signing, and not to mention the Miguel Montero trade and the Jason Hammel signing, Chicago Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein is being very careful not to concede the rising wave of hype surrounding the Cubs in 2015. As he said before the offseason, Epstein told Patrick Mooney and Jesse Rogers that the Cubs are not selling out for 2015. The moves they’ve made so far will definitely help in 2015, but they don’t do anything to harm to the Cubs’ long-term trajectory, which is key. “People ask if we’re all-in for ’15,” Epstein told Mooney. “I think the best response is we’re all-in for the future, and the future starts in ’15.” Love it.
That all said, while the Cubs won’t be selling out for 2015, I still have no doubt that they would like to supplement the roster further – and not solely with a bench guy and a bullpen arm – now that Lester/Montero/Hammel are in the fold. Each of those players will be at their most useful and effective in the very near-term. To the extent the opportunity arises to add for 2015 without harming the long-term – and without adding a ton more payroll, because I’m not sure how much more room the Cubs have this year – I think the Cubs will jump at it. Otherwise, you can expect those lesser, complementary moves, too.
The BBWAA has voted to increase the Hall of Fame limit to 12 players from 10, which is a very small step in the right direction. It’s still up to the Hall to accept that recommendation, though.
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.
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