Chicago Cubs management delivered on their offseason plan

To many, the Los Angeles Dodgers beating the Chicago Cubs in the NLCS marked the end. But for the front office and Theo Epstein, it was just the beginning.

From that moment, the focus had to shift from what was to what could be. The Chicago Cubs’ offseason plan must be framed and implemented. It must also be effective if the team is to sustain their recent success.

Nobody knows a family’s situation better than those responsible for running that family. Likewise, nobody knows a baseball roster as well as those charged with maintaining that roster. MLB teams usually keep their offseason plan and thoughts on free agency as closely guarded secrets. Fortunately, the Cubs front office offers considerable transparency, and their manager is similarly unguarded. Through this transparency, we can much better understand the approach.

It also gives us a metric by which to measure offseason progress. Shortly after the 2017 season ended, three key members of Cubs management offered their perspectives on the Cubs upcoming offseason. Comparing the actions the club took to the words from these three men tells the story of whether or not this offseason would be successful.

Clearly Pitching is the Priority

Cubbies Crib’s Jake Misener pointed out in this late 2017 article that pitching was the priority need the Cubs should address during the offseason. Beyond the mention of Chatwood, it is clear Maddon agreed with this take on many levels.

When asked about the bullpen situation, Maddon said, “You got to have that great bullpen to play the last game of the year and win it…that’s a big part of our conversation upstairs is talking about bullpen, trying to acquire the right guys.”

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Without a doubt, Maddon recognized that whatever roster changes were made would need to focus on this objective. He went on to mention Brian Duensing (a free agent at the time) by name. The subsequent resigning of Duensing framed just how valuable Maddon thinks the lefty reliever was to the Cubs and may, more importantly, demonstrate how locked in the skipper is with the Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer.

Duensing is exactly the kind of player – aging, bit-part contributor, craftily adjusting to a drop in pitch velocity – that managers love but front offices typically let walk away. Locking him in for another two seasons demonstrates the trust Epstein has in Maddon’s input.

Epstein and Hoyer went on to bring in a handful of additional veterans that figure to push for bullpen spots. Steve Cishek, Brandon Morrow, Shae Simmons and Dario Alvarez all figure to get a look as bullpen arms. In regards to targeting the relievers the team did get, it was Epstein who framed the desired profile best.

Epstein Talks Frankly About Pitching

In his postseason comments, the Cubs President of Baseball Operations offered these blunt thoughts on how the season ended.

“Come on, we have to be a lot better than that,” he said.

The Chicago Tribune went on to point out that Epstein had added that “pure strike-throwers” would be a priority. Any way you look at it, it is clear the writing was on the wall for the Cubs bullpen. The pen needed to be remade with the focus on not giving up free bases to opposing batters, particularly late in games.

To the end, the results can’t really be questioned. Theo and Co. hit the mark, identifying relief pitchers with track records of working the strike zone effectively. Simmons, Morrow and Cishek each boast career strike rates better than the balance of the Cubs relief staff. The three also excel with solid contact rates. Another new signing, Alvarez bests them all in this department. It is clear that the Cubs prioritized relievers who are in or around the strike zone while not getting hit around. The signings they made were very much in line with this approach.

Both Epstein and Hoyer Address Leadoff Need

Epstein spoke to the other glaring need for Chicago, filling the hole at the top of the batting order, as well. Cubs GM Jed Hoyer backed up Epstein’s remarks with some of his own in regards to the leadoff hitter situation in Chicago.

“We didn’t have a perfect leadoff guy last year and there’s not one clearly on the roster.” Hoyer said in a November interview with the Chicago Tribune. “Every team doesn’t have one, but we definitely saw last year that…some guys (are put in) the leadoff spot and changes their approach on offense. Some guys just don’t like to do it. So that’s an area we’ll keep looking at.”

While this isn’t exactly news – nobody doubts the need of a solid leadoff hitter – it does tell an interesting story.

The Cubs’ brass recognizes that they don’t have a true leadoff hitter on the roster. They also seem equally cognizant of the fact that perhaps they may have a player that can succeed in that role, though they haven’t yet proved that theory out.

This approach is further supported by Epstein himself.

“More important than identifying one guy as a leadoff hitter is the arc of the young hitters are (on to) have consistent, tough at-bats, team at-bats, grinding at-bats…perform well with situational hitting…”

The emphasis from Cubs management was on looking to fill this need internally. Rather than chasing a traditional leadoff hitter, both Epstein and Hoyer stress that finding one is a process. And this process is still very much ongoing within the Cubs. Considering the evidence that everyone is on the same page on this subject provides confidence that they will get it right.

Don’t Expect Heavy Workloads in 2018

Both Maddon and Epstein made it clear in their postseason statements that there are some concerns. Of particular note is the wear-and-tear caused by going deep into the playoffs in each of the past three years. Epstein called 2017 a “trying season” in regards to physical and mental well-being. He went on to stress just how important his gaining an understanding of his players’ well-being was to him.

Maddon, for his part, spoke to the prospect of players playing 162 games.

“KB’s going to want to be out there. Riz wants to be out there, but I think when we’re able to rest these guys and again, I’m talking about the latter part of the year when you don’t do well at the end, I think a lot of that is based on fatigue.”

Perhaps more than anything else, that point figures to carry the most weight in the Cubs’ approach to 2018. This awareness led the Cubs to add depth at starting pitcher. It also led to the signing of multiple relievers and veteran depth that will compete for roster spots at catcher and outfield. Depth that will help alleviate the strain caused by overusing players over the course of long season. These are necessary steps to sustained success in Major League Baseball

Wait ‘Til Next Year

Epstein generalized the Cubs offseason challenges, particularly in contrast to the longer term picture.

“We knew the 2017-18 offseason would be one of our most challenging. We’ve know that for a long time. There are maybe more opportunities presented next offseason.”

Through these words, Epstein intimated that the Cubs would not be pursuing bank-breaking signings in 2018. True to his word, only a pair of players (Chatwood and Darvish) were signed to deals spanning more than two years, and both were reasonable financial commitments.

Clearly, the Cubs know the likes of Bryce Harper will change the free agency game in 2018-19. These comments from Theo indicate that not only do the Cubs recognize this, but that they fully intend on jumping in with both feet. It’s all part of a thoughtful and measured plan. Best of all, there is no reason to believe that the Cubs will be any less effective in executing this plan than they have to this point.

All in all, Cubs leadership has delivered a product that very much addresses the needs they identified from the start. They’ve brought in pitching depth and introduced relief pitchers with more consistent track records for throwing strikes. They have invested wisely in top-tier players where it makes sense while leaving the offense largely intact. And they’ve put their trust in the growth process and evolution of their young core players.

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The measured approach has the team set up to continue to match their recent success as 2018 unfolds. It has them in a very good strategic position for future years as well.