Chicago Cubs: In Theo Epstein we (sorta, kinda) trust

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There’s more than enough blame to go around for the Chicago Cubs disappointing second-half collapse – and that includes Theo Epstein.

Much has been made this offseason about failed coaches, Joe Maddon‘s status as a lame duck manager and, ultimately, the Chicago Cubs failure to get back to the World Series. While much of the blame has fallen on players and coaches, very little blowback seems to have hit the front office. Is it fair to say the blame should extend to Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer? You bet.

Chicago has experienced a renaissance of sorts (I say, “of sorts,” only because no one living has ever experienced this level of sustained success before) under Epstein and Hoyer over the past six years.

Cubs fans have come to expect excellence after three straight trips to the NLCS, four straight trips to the postseason and a World Series championship in 2016. Many fans, while they may be struggling with this newfound attitude and psychology of expecting the Cubs to win, are reluctant to place any blame regarding the struggles of 2017 and 2018 at the feet of the front office brain trust.

While it’s fair to give certain people in the organization a pass for the performance of 2017 and 2018, Epstein doesn’t seem to be willing to do so. In a poignant end-of-season press conference, he sent a clear message that the Cubs were now looking for production rather than potential out of their young core.

Add to that the expeditious Chili Davis firing and subsequent outré resignation of Jim Hickey, along with the non-starter of Maddon’s contract extension, and you have all the makings of a team in turmoil, rather than a team gearing up for another run at the World Series in 2019.

Granted, the Cubs’ bats struggled mightily down the stretch once again. But the question remains: Who is to blame for an ultimately unsuccessful 2018 season?

Chicago Cubs: Maddon did some of his best work this year

Joe Maddon, it would seem, is not wanted back after 2019. While Epstein has made it clear he is confident in Maddon and wants him back next season, his inaction in giving Maddon an extension also makes it clear that Epstein has other plans in 2020 and beyond.

While that’s all well and good, and may work out just fine for the Chicago Cubs’ future plans and aspirations, it’s also a very slippery slope that seems fraught with danger right now. Maddon is unquestionably the best Cubs’ manager in most fans’ lifetimes. He is also unequivocally one of the best managers in baseball right now.

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Sure, he’s idiosyncratic and expensive, but he has been worth every penny. He is a vehement defender of his players, knows how to push the right buttons to get the most out of them and helped to foster one of the best clubhouse atmospheres in all of baseball.

Maddon has guided the Cubs to a 387-261 regular season record, with 19 more wins in the postseason over the past four years. He steered the ship superbly this past season despite numerous injuries, failed free agent acquisitions and off-field distractions.

Sure, most of us would love to see him stick to a set lineup a bit more often, but statistics show that everyone in baseball does this same kind of thing in the modern game, and it has often helped the Cubs to have depth and freshness when injuries or long stretches of games arise.

Maddon keeps guys loose, expects them to play hard and has gotten successful results more often than not in his brief run as Cubs skipper. In short, he has enabled a positive atmosphere for the young core of this Chicago Cubs team to flourish and progress, while allowing veterans to lead by example. Ultimately, I put very little blame on Maddon for what transpired at the end of the 2018 season.

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Injuries happen. The Cubs can’t do much more about injuries than any other team. Yes, they can have depth pieces and prepare other guys in a “next man up” mentality, but it’s impossible to replace certain guys in your lineup, no matter how prepared you think you may be.

Such was the case in 2018, as Kris Bryant’s (and Addison Russell‘s to a lesser extent) nagging shoulders, Kyle Schwarber‘s bad back and Yu Darvish and Brandon Morrow‘s right arms put the Cubs in a hole for large portions of the season.

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To make matters worse, the Cubs’ young core (ages in parentheses) and grizzled veterans struggled at times, as Willson Contreras (26), Ian Happ (24), Albert Almora (24), Victor Caratini (25), Russell (24), Schwarber (25), Jason Heyward (29), and even Mr. Consistent himself, Anthony Rizzo (29), struggled for stretches of the season.

In fact, the only guys who didn’t seem to struggle at all were Javier Baez (25), on his way to a second place finish in the NL MVP race, and the elder statesman of the group, Ben Zobrist (37). Just as injuries are difficult to deal with, young teams can often be mercurial as well.

The Cubs could literally keep the same exact team around for next year and see a marked turnaround in production due to maturity and progression (And, to be fair, the Cubs did also get really good chunks of the season from Schwarber, Almora, Heyward and Rizzo – just not the whole thing). As fans, we don’t necessarily want to wait around and hope for that, but it’s a valid argument for not blowing up the team and not making a big splash in this winter’s loaded free agent class. Plus, you know, we did win 95 games last year – even slight improvement from a few regulars means we probably win 100 games in 2019.

So, while injuries and performance certainly had an effect on how 2018 turned out, I wouldn’t necessarily place a ton of blame on young hitters who aren’t always given consistent time or at-bats, a team that lost an MVP, a potential top-tier starter and its closer for a good part of the season.

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Chicago Cubs: Why is no one pointing the finger at Theo?

First thing’s first. Theo Epstein helped the Chicago Cubs break a century-old curse (he also did the same for the Boston Red Sox). I’m not saying I want him fired, nor do I want him to resign. However, he hasn’t hit a home run on every deal and with every player and coach the Cubs have brought in during his tenure. (Heck, Brian Matusz alone is enough to make one wonder… although you could make the case it was part of some brilliant and maniacal scheme that helped propel us to the World Series in 2016).

In fact, Epstein has had his share of bombs and missteps, just like everyone else.

My point here is not to say that he hasn’t done a great job on the whole while being at the helm for the Cubs; it’s merely to point out that the same guy who helped us go get Jake Arrieta, Addison Russell and Jason Heyward is also the same guy who let Jake Arrieta walk, Addison Russell play, and Jason Heyward cash checks in the same neighborhood of what Bryce Harper might get this offseason.

Epstein signed Yu Darvish, Tyler Chatwood and Brandon Morrow last offseason (All of them had either a past injury or performance question mark). None of those men appeared on the Cubs’ postseason roster for the Wild Card game. Epstein traded for Russell. He also did not appear on that roster, due to off-field issues which have been discussed and speculated on ad nauseum.

Granted, Russell helped us win a World Series, but he also was accused of domestic violence in 2017. Why didn’t Epstein get ahead of that situation rather than let it fester for another year and a half? He fired Chris Bosio, John Mallee, Chili Davis and Jim Hickey after those coaches helped Maddon guide the team to over 400 wins the past four seasons (Davis was probably the only one a Cubs’ fan wouldn’t make a case for continuing on in his position).

He let 2015 Cy Young winner, Jake Arrieta, go find his unlikely suitor in the Philadelphia Phillies after a very cold and harsh winter (yes, I know Arrieta rebuffed numerous attempts at an extension, however, Epstein could have played the waiting game for a known commodity and probably matched the Phillies in February or March). He also let Dexter Fowler walk after the 2016 season (admittedly, a shrewd statistical move, but an impossibly difficult clubhouse and leadoff-domino-effect move).

Chicago Cubs: Gambles didn’t pay off last season

If anyone deserves blame for the way 2018 turned out, it’s probably Theo Epstein, as his risky free agent signings, coaching staff changes on an already successful team and lack of decisive action with Addison Russell all seemed to backfire on him this season.

And, while Epstein has gone on the record saying that everyone (admittedly, himself as well) in the organization needs to take a look in the mirror, perhaps his look should be a bit longer if we’re discussing production over potential.

Epstein’s personnel decisions and financial burdens allowed the Cubs to win a World Series, but they’ve also hampered the team’s ability to win and put themselves in a position to continue doing so going forward. Chicago has $130 million tied up in seven players in 2018, project to be right around the $226 million second luxury tax threshold, and it’s anyone’s guess as to their Bryce Harper interest and viability due to financial constraints.

Suffice to say, along with all the players, coaches and managers he has called out through actions, inaction, or words in the past two months, Epstein needs a better 2018-19 offseason than he had last winter if he wants this team to return to another World Series.

In the big picture, because of the Cubs’ earning potential and status as a large market team, all of Epstein’s past mistakes can be overcome. Remember, he did go out and add Cole Hamels, Jesse Chavez, and even Daniel Murphy, whose collective contributions probably helped us into the playoffs and to 95 wins.

Next. What if Bryce Harper ends up with the Brewers?. dark

He will undoubtedly do whatever he feels is necessary to make the Cubs better in 2019, regardless of how he (or anyone else, for that matter) feels about certain players personally. After all, he wants the same thing all the fans want- a second Cubs’ parade in the Windy City. Despite the trials and tribulations of 2017 and 2018, that parade is still within reach with some minor adjustments and maybe, just maybe… a little bit of luck and some of that ’16 magic.

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