The Chicago Cubs have won five of their first six games after the deadline and have one more home series at home before hitting the road. They also have a narrow first-place lead and several roster needs (as today’s lineup more than reveals) as the trade deadline approaches.
Here to talk about all of that and more is Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein, who jumped on 670 The Score earlier this morning. What follows is a best-faith recap of everything Epstein said (the I’s and we’s are from him). The full audio is embedded at the bottom of this post. Enjoy.
Epstein enjoys the Cubs winning ways right now, but notes that this is just the nature of baseball – especially this Cubs team, who has a history of limping into the break, before coming back out hot.
We’ve been able to make [three catchers] work in the past, though this deal for Martin Maldonado was different – we decided to pull the trigger at the time because Willson Contreras got hurt and we knew he’d miss some time. On top of that, the deal was done because of the lack of August waivers. You have to anticipate needs more than ever, and this is an area of depth we wanted. We have to make sure Victor Caratini doesn’t get squeezed out though, because he’s been a huge part of this team.
People read too much into the additional dialogue with the Royals comments [Brett: Who, me?]. We’re probably talking to 25 teams around this time of year – and they were close to moving Maldonado to another team, so we pounced.
In Yu Darvish’s case, he’s come a long way. I’m so happy to see the narrative change. He’s put in a lot of work, and he’s finally gotten the physical, mental, and emotional aspect of the game under control all at once. It’s just about finding consistency now.
I don’t really know how Robel Garcia changes our trade deadline approach – there’s a chance the roster looks a little different on August 1st … but there’s a chance it looks pretty similar. And in the meantime, these guys are all complementary: Garcia is a good fastball hitter, Addison Russell is the superior defender (he’s trying to pull the ball more and lift it more), Bote is growing his game as well, especially at third base, but he is an option at second base, too, Descalso gave a good at-bat off the bench the other day [Michael: LOL … oof that that’s the best thing he could say about Descalso right now]. There’s no opposition to any one of them taking second base and running with it, but in the meantime Joe Maddon will just have to mix and match based on the matchup.
When Kyle Hendricks is pitching, you’re going to see a lot of left-handed hitters and a lot of ground balls, so that’s why you might see Addison Russell at second base, regardless of the offensive matchup. Similar stories go for other pitchers in the lineup. Lesson being: the lineup decisions are not all about offense.
With someone like Jason Heyward, even when he’s struggling, he sees the ball extremely well. He sees the ball really well. So when he’s scuffling, it’s more about his mechanics/swing. That’s why he’s always been just a small adjustment away from being a productive hitter. So now that he has a better feel at the plate – particularly his swing path – you see more than gradual gains. He’s comfortable with his swing right now, he’s more in control of his at-bat. He’s a really reliable guy lately – especially lower in the order – and has been saving a lot of rallies.
For what are the Cubs shopping: I’d rather not get into our shopping list. A lot of it depends on internal moves and health, as well as the landscape of available players. There’s sorta a dream list of players, but many of those guys either won’t be moved or the acquisition cost is just too high. Then there’s a more realistic tier of targets, which are more likely to happen. And then there’s the depth moves, that you’ll need to make no matter what, because of the unified trade deadline.
We currently have only one left-handed reliever on the roster. If the right guy is there, that’s a really nice area to improve, because we’ve been hurt by lefties too much this season. We also could use a hitter, but that can be addressed internally or smaller improvements, but obviously we’ll always keep an open mind towards a bigger addition.
Michael Cerami began covering the Chicago Cubs for Bleacher Nation as a part-time contributor in 2015. One year later, he joined Bleacher Nation full-time, covering the Chicago Cubs and Major League Baseball. Today, Michael runs Bleacher Nation, contributing as a writer (Cubs, MLB) and an editor for all sections of the site, including the Chicago Bears, Bulls, and Blackhawks, as well as MLB, NBA, NHL, and NFL.
In 2019, Michael was the co-host of NBC Sports Chicago's Cubs Post-Game Show Outside the Ivy.
You can find him on Twitter/X @Michael_Cerami
As I typed this, news broke that the Cubs were promoting Matt Mervis from Iowa to Chicago. So, we'll start this week's Studs and Duds on the Cubs farm with Mervis, who has been impressive this season. Plus, Kevin Alcántara...
This afternoon's forecast in Chicago calls for afternoon rainstorms, which means I need to tweak my schedule to get my regularly scheduled walk in without getting soaked. Wish me luck! The Chicago Bears are reportedly set to announce lakefront stadium...
Cubs vs Astros — Splitting a four-gamer against the current, badly-struggling Miami Marlins is unquestionably a bad outcome, especially when one of those two losses was a win-in-hand that slipped away into the seats. But the typical, and maddeningly correct,...
I was literally in the middle of an article asking "What Are the Cubs Going to Do with Matt Mervis," when this news came across the wire. The Cubs first base picture is fully settled with the left-handed Michael Busch...
It's going to be a really good year for Horror movies. Late Night with the Devil was good (just saw it the other night). And I've got my eyes on Long Legs, Cuckoo, The First Omen, Immaculate, MaXXXine, In a...
A couple injuries to note among other NL Central contenders, as each of the Brewers and Reds have taken a hit to their rotation. The presumption for now is short-term on each, but I suppose we'll see. First, you have...
A very scary scene in Pittsburgh, where Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jakob Junis, currently on the IL with a shoulder impingement, took a batting practice ball off the neck and went down. Junis was apparently on the ground for a long...
On April 9, I took an early look at Nico Hoerner's apparently evolving approach at the plate, which featured a lot more patience and a lot more big hacks. Effectively, it seemed like he was trying for a little more...
There's been much debate about pitcher arm injuries lately, much of it sparked by Spencer Strider's season-ending Tommy John surgery, and Strider spoke to the media for the first time since the injury on Friday. Spencer Strider on pitcher arm...
A new signing popped up on the Chicago Cubs' transaction log: lefty Mitchell Tyranski. Tyranski, 26, put up a 3.83 ERA over 42.1 innings at High-A last year in the Dodgers organization, striking out 47 and walking 21. Were you...
The San Francisco Giants (11-13) are set to take on the New York Mets (12-10) Tuesday at 9:45 PM ET, airing on NBCS-BA. The Giants are listed as -137 favorites by oddsmakers, while the underdog Mets have +115 odds for...
The Baltimore Orioles (15-7) will vie for their fourth straight victory when they visit the Los Angeles Angels (9-14) on Tuesday at 9:38 PM ET on BSW. The Orioles are listed as -161 favorites by bookmakers, while the Angels are...
At 8:30 PM ET on Tuesday, in Game 2 of the opening round of the NBA playoffs, it'll be the Indiana Pacers versus the Milwaukee Bucks, with Myles Turner needing three treys to beat his 3-pointer over/under.Myles Turner's Three-Pointer Prop...
At 8:30 PM ET on Tuesday, in Game 2 of the opening round of the NBA playoffs, it'll be the Indiana Pacers versus the Milwaukee Bucks, with Pascal Siakam needing two treys to beat his 3-pointer prop.Pascal Siakam's Three-Pointer Prop...
Tyrese Haliburton's Indiana Pacers meet the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday at 8:30 PM ET in Game 2 of the opening round of the NBA playoffs, and to beat his 3-point over/under, he must make three from beyond the arc.Tyrese Haliburton's...
The Milwaukee Bucks face the Indiana Pacers at 8:30 PM ET on Tuesday, in Game 2 of the opening round of the NBA playoffs, and one of the 3-pointer props available for this matchup requires two trifectas from Bobby Portis.Bobby...
On Tuesday at 8:30 PM ET, the Milwaukee Bucks meet the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 of the opening round of the NBA playoffs, and Damian Lillard's 3-pointer over/under for this clash requires four trifectas.Damian Lillard's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs....
Caleb Williams will be the starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears next season. We've known that for some time, and it will become official on Thursday. The only question that remains is who's joining him? There's a strong chance that...
The San Diego Padres (13-12) are favorites (-152) on the moneyline when they take on the Colorado Rockies (5-18) Tuesday at 8:40 PM ET, live on COLR.San Diego's Michael King and Colorado's Ryan Feltner have been named the starters for...
The Los Angeles Angels (9-14), who lost their previous five games, take on the Baltimore Orioles (15-7) at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on Tuesday. First pitch is at 9:38 PM ET.This contest's pitching matchup is set, as the Orioles will...
NEWSLETTER
