If there has been a theme associated with the hoped-for extension for Chicago Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein, it’s that no one is concerned.
Epstein, whose initial five-year deal with the team expires after this season, has repeatedly said he’s not concerned about a deal getting done. Epstein’s boss, owner and chairman Tom Ricketts has repeatedly said the same. No one is concerned.
So why do I feel mildly concerned?
The answer, of course, is that I’m a paranoid Cubs fan. It’s what we do. We fret. We worry. We have concerns.
[adinserter block=”1″]The trick is being able to be honest with yourself about what concerns are rationally motivated by the evidence and situation, and what concerns are the product of attaching your heart so firmly to a team that regularly breaks it.
Being that Spring Training only just started, and being that this would be the ideal time on the calendar for the sides to come together on a new deal, I can talk myself down right now. This is still not the time to be “worried.” That time comes if there’s no deal by, say, mid-season.
So, then, when Epstein explained yesterday that there will be a time for talks with Ricketts, and that spring can be a good time for it (Cubs.com, Sun-Times, CSN), I relax a bit. Epstein added, though, that there’s no urgency, and everyone is still on the same page fundamentally.
I remain hopeful that a deal gets done soon that keeps Epstein, together with the top minds in his front office, here with the Cubs for a good long while yet. Until that formally happens, I won’t be able to entirely stymie those paranoid feelings of concern, but, for today, I’m mostly chilling out.