On New Year’s Eve 1972, a 38-year-old Roberto Clemente passed away in a plane crash, and his final act was an attempt to deliver supplies to victims of an earthquake in Nicaragua when the plane went down. It was just one of the many ways that Clemente used his platform to support others, and forever remains a symbol for how far someone can go trying to help fellow humans. MLB’s highest humanitarian award is named after Clemente, and you can understand why Anthony Rizzo was so moved to be its recipient this year.
I also think it’s worth reminding everyone just how good Clemente was, even in that final season at age 38. He had plus value on defense and on the bases, and hit .312/.356/.479, with a 135 wRC+. Clemente was a superstar in every sense of the word, and his talent on the field was surpassed only by his efforts off of it.
MLBTR takes an interesting look at the managers and executives who are in the final years of their deals, something you don’t see too often playing out without a firing, an extension, or a move to another organization before the deal is up. Theo Epstein, you’ll recall, was a rare exception who took his negotiation right up to the cusp of free agency just before the Cubs won it all in 2016. He got a new five-year deal then, making him the best-paid executive in the game, at nearly $10 million annually. Given that he stayed in Boston just 10 years, making comments at the time about that being the right length to stay somewhere before moving on, you should probably already begin bracing yourself for after the 2021 season, when Epstein is a free agent again and probably moves on. To that end, it’s not entirely a coincidence that Epstein himself suggested the Cubs were entering year four of a seven-year competitive window, when a whole lot of guys can leave after the next four years.
Joe Maddon’s initial deal with the Cubs will be up before then, though. He signed a five-year contract before the 2015 season, which means he’s got just two more years left before free agency. Maddon turns 64 next year, but has not definitively indicated that he wants to hang ’em up after this deal. I’d tentatively expect some extension negotiations to take place over the next year or so, and it may even be the case that he gets a couple years tacked onto his deal so that everything lines up.
(If it actually plays out like that after 2021, here’s hoping the Cubs have a new head of baseball operations lined up and ready to take over with a ton of advance notice (Jed Hoyer?), with a managerial search pre-planned.)
The White Sox ZiPS came out, and in addition to be hilariously woeful, they including one thing that will jump out at you: the 110 wRC+ projection for Eloy Jimenez at the big league level. Jimenez, who just turned 21, has barely played above A-ball, but is going to be a monster in the big leagues, and soon. We have all known this from the moment the Cubs traded him, together with Dylan Cease, back in July for Jose Quintana. I’m at peace with it, and I hope Jimenez wrecks all comers. I’ll still have pangs of wistfulness, though, wishing it was happening with the Cubs. Oh. Does that mean I’m not at peace with it?
And speaking of end-of-year deals, it’s not too late to get the Echo Dot at Amazon for just $29.99. I’m not sure when it’s going to bump back up to its normal $49.99 price, but after the holidays seems a logical guess.
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.
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...
Even with tonight's rainout, the Chicago Cubs are still making some roster moves. When Patrick Wisdom was removed (perfectly healthy) from the I-Cubs game in the 4th inning on Wednesday, we had an idea of what was coming next. When...
The weather wasn't going to cooperate for Jameson Taillon's season debut, and tonight's Cubs-Marlins tilt has been postponed. The game will instead be part of a split-doubleheader this Saturday, with the first game at 1:20pm CT and the second at...
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 Toronto Blue Jays (10-9) will look to Daulton Varsho, who is coming off a two-homer game, to lead them in a matchup with the San Diego Padres (11-10) Friday at 9:40 PM ET on SDPA. The Blue Jays are...
Jung Hoo Lee will look to extend his 10-game hitting streak when the San Francisco Giants (9-11) take on the Arizona Diamondbacks (9-11). The Giants are listed as -130 favorites on the moneyline for the contest, which starts at 10:15...
The New York Mets (10-8) will vie for their fifth straight victory when they visit the Los Angeles Dodgers (12-9) on Friday at 10:10 PM ET on MLB Network. The Dodgers are listed as -200 favorites to stop the streak,...
At 9:30 PM ET on Friday, in the NBA Play-In Tournament, it'll be the New Orleans Pelicans against the Sacramento Kings -- with Jonas Valančiūnas needing to score just once from beyond the arc to beat his 3-pointer over/under.Jonas Valančiūnas'...
Brandon Ingram's New Orleans Pelicans face the Sacramento Kings on Friday at 9:30 PM ET in the NBA Play-In Tournament, and to beat his 3-point prop, he must make two from beyond the arc.Brandon Ingram's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the...
CJ McCollum needs to make four 3-pointers to beat his prop when the New Orleans Pelicans face the Sacramento Kings on Friday at 9:30 PM ET, in the NBA Play-In Tournament.CJ McCollum's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the KingsCJ McCollum's over/under...
The Sacramento Kings meet the New Orleans Pelicans at 9:30 PM ET on Friday, in the NBA Play-In Tournament, and one of the 3-pointer props available for this matchup requires only one make from Domantas Sabonis.Domantas Sabonis' Three-Pointer Prop Odds...
De'Aaron Fox must make three 3-pointers to beat his prop when the Sacramento Kings face the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday at 9:30 PM ET, in the NBA Play-In Tournament.De'Aaron Fox's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the PelicansDe'Aaron Fox's over/under for...
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...
NEWSLETTER
