NEWSLETTER
A day after an NL Central competitor went hog wild in the outfield, Cubs GM Jed Hoyer hopped on Spiegel and Parkins on The Score to talk about the fallout from those Brewers moves, where things stand with the Cubs, and more. I’d imagine a replay version will be available later today on The Score’s website, but I’ll give you a quick rundown and discussion for now if you missed it.
As for those Brewers moves, Hoyer has the right perspective, noting that the Cubs weren’t caught off guard, and saying that the Cubs can’t get caught up trying to react to a specific move by an opponent:
Jed Hoyer and the #Cubs weren't surprised by the Brewers' big moves Thursday. He compares them to an up-and-coming team like the 2015 Cubs, ready to win now.
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) January 26, 2018
Jed Hoyer on #Cubs' approach after Brewers' big moves: "When you get in the game of reacting to what your opponents do, you can make a lot of mistakes."
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) January 26, 2018
Instead, the Cubs remain focused on their own needs, where are apparent on the pitching side of the ledger, especially with respect to depth (although adding a top arm would necessarily improve the depth, too). Hoyer says the right guys are still available, and, contrary to prevailing speculation, it’s not as if the Cubs are just digging in their heels and holding fast to a specific offer:
Jed Hoyer knows #Cubs need more pitching depth but doesn't express much concern: "Nothing has changed from the supply side. They're still out there."
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) January 26, 2018
There's consistent dialogue and negotiation on middle ground between #Cubs and some free agents, Jed Hoyer says. It's not like the two sides are just dug in on their own numbers.
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) January 26, 2018
That’s encouraging to hear, and – to the extent that we can speculation he’s including Yu Darvish in there – that probably speaks to the “active talks” that were reported on the Darvish front earlier this week. It may, then, be the case that the sides aren’t just dug in and not budging … but instead are just really far apart right now.
Something you sensed throughout the season, even as the Cubs were scoring runs at a nice clip overall (second in the National League) is that the offseason wasn’t quite as consistently effective as it had been the year before:
A candid comment from Jed Hoyer on @Spiegel_Parkins: "It didn't feel like our at-bats were quite as difficult last year as they were in 2016."
— Luis M. (@lcm1986) January 26, 2018
Hoyer: "In '16, I feel like we were an exhausting offense. I feel like what we really want is a grinding team that gets on base."
— Luis M. (@lcm1986) January 26, 2018
Jed Hoyer says the #Cubs didn't like the "shape" of their run-scoring in 2017 even though they were one of MLB's best offenses. He cites some big blowout victories and lack of ability to grind at-bats.
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) January 26, 2018
To that end, though, you should not expect to see the Cubs go out of their way to acquire a “natural” leadoff hitter. That move probably isn’t out there right now, and, even if it were, the Cubs have such a full positional slate that coordinating another addition is complicated. The Cubs will have to make due like they did last year, mixing and matching in the leadoff spot based on match-ups. We’ve looked at Kyle Schwarber redux and Kris Bryant for the job, though obviously neither is a “natural” fit.
Yo, I’ll wear it for you, dude:
Jed Hoyer explains why he and Theo Epstein never wear their World Series rings: "It feels like you're celebrating something in the past … It's a nice thing to have on your shelf. But it's on your shelf. The focus has to be on going forward."
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) January 26, 2018
