Chicago Cubs: Inevitable front office losses may be coming

The Chicago Cubs have built a struggling franchise into a perennial powerhouse through great scouting, trades and player development. They’ve dodged the bullet once, but might not be able to this time.

The Chicago Cubs have several qualified people in their ranks that deserve the opportunity at higher profile positions. Jason McLeod has been on that list for several seasons. Now the Cubs may have finally run out of time with him barring a miracle.

McLeod was a front-runner in San Diego before A.J. Preller got the job. But he wanted to see this effort through with the Cubs. Whether or not this is the year, I’d say he has done that. The Cubs have one of the best minor league systems in the game, even after seeing many of them make it to the big leagues. An eye for talent, as well as player development have helped build this system.

General manager Jed Hoyer and President of Operations Theo Epstein don’t have a new deal yet, but one is expected to come. Epstein would likely try to keep as many of his team together, but he won’t stop any of them from taking the next step in their own careers.

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Others on the radar

Assistant GM Shiraz Rehman has also been linked to the Twins opening. The good news? Only one of them can get that job. But there will undoubtedly be more opportunities to follow. Presidential candidate Donald Trump says he assembles “the best people”, but it’s clear that Epstein has already been doing that.

With such a great core, this was something to be expected. Epstein and Hoyer are likely to be paid very well with the new extension. Hoyer joked about his current status.

“I know I’m a lame-duck GM, but we’re both pretty happy, so I think we’ll be here,” Hoyer said.

From owner Tom Ricketts to Epstein, and now Hoyer, it sounds as if all sides are confident a deal will get done. This may be a case of seeing exactly where they stand at the end of the season. If it’s at the top? Someone will be rewarded handsomely.