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Chicago Cubs: Takeaways from Theo Epstein’s press conference
Oct 9, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein in attendance before game one of the NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein offered his take on several items of note in his end-of-year press conference Thursday afternoon.
First, and foremost, Epstein noted his team’s need to go out and add what he called “quality pitching” this offseason, which follows the Cubs’ 97-win regular season and subsequent NLCS appearance.
Despite a historic second-half performance, ace Jake Arrieta stumbled in the postseason and lackluster run support doomed veteran left-hander Jon Lester. Kyle Hendricks was decent come October, but there are certainly consistency questions about the starting rotation.
After that, Epstein pointed toward the team’s shortcomings on the field – including defense in the outfield and clutch hitting, while saying the club will continue to rely on defensive versatility, especially with players like Javier Baez and Kyle Schwarber.
This winter, the team has some big decisions to make – even some including players on this year’s club, namely outfielder Dexter Fowler, who Epstein said would get a sit-down with the front office in hopes of bringing the veteran back for a reunion tour in 2016.
So what does all this mean? Let’s dive in and make sense of it all.
Next: The free agent arms at-hand
Sep 30, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher
Jordan Zimmermann(27) delivers a pitch to an Atlanta Braves batter in the first inning of their game at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Free agent starting pitchers to be targeted?
This is what Epstein had to say Thursday afternoon about the Cubs’ need of quality arms heading into the 2016 campaign.
“The topic sentence is we would like to add more quality pitching. Anybody who follows the team knows that. We’ve been open and transparent about it, that we’re really building a foundation of young position players and that we’re going to trust ourselves to add pitching along the way and build really effective pitching staffs each year and over time add impact pitching.”
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Now, the list of arms that will (likely) be available this offseason includes several aces: the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Zack Greinke, the Toronto Blue Jays’ David Price, the Washington Nationals’ Jordan Zimmermann and the Kansas City Royals’ Johnny Cueto.
To be sure, each of those names have demonstrated varying levels of dominance during their big-league careers, but one thing is clear: adding any of these names would give the Chicago Cubs a lot more confidence in the starting rotation in 2016.
When you can add one of these names to the tandem of Arrieta and Lester, the Cubs’ staff goes from decent to outstanding in a single move. The one downside, as Epstein noted, with free agent arms is simple: they’re “inherently risky.”
More money is needed with these free agents seeking longer deals, as well – as the Cubs have proven under Epstein; the days of overspending for aging free agents without cause are long-gone.
Next: Bringing back a veteran leader
Aug 31, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jake Arrieta (49) high-fives Chicago Cubs center fielder Dexter Fowler (24) and teammates before the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field. Arrieta pitched a no-hitter the night before in Los Angeles. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports
What will it take to bring back Dexter Fowler?
The trade that sent former infielder Luis Valbuena to the Houston Astros last season netted the Cubs something they had lacked for some time: a quality lead-off man with speed.
Dexter Fowler brought that – and more – to the Chicago Cubs this season, swiping 20 bags and cracking a career-high 17 home runs while mentoring young players including Jorge Soler. In the second-half, he batted .272/.389/.463 – good enough for an .852 OPS, helping lead the club to 97 wins.
So after clearly re-establishing his value on a one-year, $9.5 million campaign with Chicago, Fowler is sure to have plenty of suitors this winter. With that in-mind, do the Cubs have a legitimate shot at re-signing him?
Here’s what Theo had to say about Fowler and bringing back the veteran for 2016.
Dexter Fowler had an unbelievable year. He fit in tremendously well in this organization, and I think really highly of him as a player and a person, as do we all, frankly. He made a wonderful impression. He’s a free agent. He’s earned that status. It’s not something I take lightly.
Clearly, Epstein understands what Fowler brings to the table for a club ripe with young talent. The only question will be what he’s hoping to get out of free agency: does the clubhouse chemistry and team outlook outweigh money?
Time to wait and see.
Next: Other notes from the press conference
Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Odds and ends from the press conference
As we all know, without Kyle Schwarber, the Chicago Cubs would have barely broken onto the score column in the books in the National League Championship Series. His five home runs set a franchise record, but late in the series, fans turned a bit on the young stud.
Schwarber misplayed a trio of balls hit at him in left field during Games 3 and 4, ultimately resulting in several New York Mets’ tallies in the process. However, Epstein said the plan is for the Indiana University standout to continue working both behind the dish and in left field, which makes sense.
This makes even more sense should David Ross decide to retire after the season, despite the fact that he’s signed for another year – but that’s for another time and place.
Even less surprising is Epstein’s statement that the team plans on sitting down with Jake Arrieta and super-agent Scott Boras this winter to see what progress can be made on a long-term deal.
Boras clients rarely forego free agency, but after struggling so much in Baltimore, staying in Chicago may be a clear priority for Arrieta, who could be en-route to an NL Cy Young Award after a 22-win campaign. This could very well be the top storyline to watch outside of free agency this winter for Cubs fans.