Cubs News & Notes
I’m throwing darts with a birdbox blindfold on today. Really, I have limited control over my emotions and brain. It’s seriously an accomplishment that I’m not face down on some Metra train tracks running through Bridgeport. So in celebration of that accomplishment, we’re all going to do our very best to come together and recap some Cubs news. This is our next best shot at being happy Chicago sports fans and you’ll be damned if I don’t put my best foot forward.
The Bryce Harper market is so slow and in the process it’s exposing the Cubs’ financial constraints on a national scale. It’s a constant reminder the Cubs didn’t even have enough money to sign Jesse Chavez to a 2-year/$8m deal. Now, folks across baseball are broadly saying the Cubs front office has zero room from ownership and leadership to make a splash without freeing up payroll. That’s a near impossible task as we’ve seen by the mere fact that they haven’t done it yet. As it stands, we’re looking at practically the same squad as last year. Should definitely be good enough to win 90-something games, but again the goal is a World Championship. Could this team beat the Red Sox or Astros from last year?
Probably not, but then you have to account for the major downturn from Bryant, Darvish, Chatwood, Happ’s 2nd half. Etc. There’s a lot that contributed to our saltiness, but most of it is just premised on the Cubs not being good enough to close out the 2018 season. Whether it’s strange luck or rare coincidence or whatever the fact remains that last year happened, and it’s someone’s job to correct it. Again maybe that’s nothing, maybe it’s something, maybe it’s huge. But you imagine there’s a move to be made to improve and increase the Cubs’ chances. The fact that Theo & Co. are restrained from a couple of bad deals during an offseason we’ve all had circled makes me…. something. Not mad. Not disappointed. Just kinda empty. Like we waited all this time for Bryce and we can’t even offer him something because I’m still complaining about Heyward? Enough already. Put me out of my mysery and sign somewhere Bryce.
It’s not a problem if we don’t get Bryce. It’s a problem we couldn’t even try. I’m not beating a dead horse with a baseball bat here. Just stating facts. I’m hung up on not even having Bryce say no to the Cubs.
It’s also a good time to remind you I’m just a blogger. I’m just a guy with login credentials at barstool who is tasked with following this organization. There’s a lot of people out there with better and more access to decision makers that could entirely prove me wrong. Not that I’ve crossed them any time ever. Just that I know there’s better sources for the reasons and logic on the Cubs’ actions. That said, I think I speak for everyone who has any vested interest in the Cubs when I say it would be really, really nice to know that the 40-man roster is somewhat improved upon from what we had in the 2nd half last year. The weaknesses are notable and evident.
The Cubs hired Mark Loretta into the Bench Coach role and I love it for a lot of reasons. He’s local from his college days at Northwestern where he absolutely MASHED as a shortstop. Then a lot of steroids and some All Star games later, Mark Loretta became a somewhat household name in households that were obsessed with offensive minded infielders. Loretta is a holdover from the San Diego regime that currently makes up Theo & Co. He’s got more history in Boston with Theo when he brought him in for the 2006 season via trade and Loretta turned out to be a veteran All Star. So there’s good mojo here.
Another interesting thing about Loretta is that he isn’t a Maddon guy. Usually the Bench Coach is a manager’s buddy or someone they’ve worked with historically. This is not the case at all. Loretta is clearly a Theo/Jed guy which can’t mean good news for Joe Maddon. Not that we expect good news for his career prospects in Chicago, it’s just unique to see things so blatantly spelled out. Only time will tell how a presumably Lame Duck Joe Maddon will respond to the first wave adversity. And it will be more interesting to see how Loretta responds.
That’s it. I’m still remarkably despondent about the Bears and despondent is a word you use only in sincerely desperate and depressing times. Only time will heal that wound, but it’s safe to say the Cubs’ success can drastically accelerate the healing process. Here’s hoping the Cubs have done enough to be that club. If they haven’t then I’ll just see you guys in the bleachers 10 deep.