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Ben Zobrist On Future Plans

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Longtime utilityman extraordinaire Ben Zobrist may be in his last week with the Cubs, but these won’t necessarily be the final days of his major league career. Zobrist, a pending free agent who will turn 39 next May, believes he’s physically capable of continuing his career in 2020, per Tom Musick of the Chicago Sun-Times.

“I feel like I can keep up,” Zobrist said.

However, that’s only one part of the equation, Musick notes, writing that “the mental grind, as well as outside interests and family commitments” all figure to play a role in whether Zobrist will keep going next season. The family aspect seems especially notable in Zobrist’s case, as he has spent most of this season on the restricted list while dealing with a divorce.

Zobrist got off to an uncharacteristically poor start this year before his off-field situation kept him away for most of May and all of June, July and August. Despite the Cubs’ September slide, though, they’ve gotten something resembling vintage Zobrist during his return this month. The switch-hitter has slashed .296/.377/.426 in 61 September plate appearances, which should make for an opportune bounce-back effort if he does take aim at another guaranteed contract over the winter.

As things stand, Zobrist’s on the cusp of wrapping up a four-year, $56MM free-agent payday that has largely worked in the Cubs’ favor. The former Ray, Athletic and Royal has given the Cubs a pair of highly productive campaigns, including a 2016 season in which he played an instrumental role in the franchise’s first World Series title since 1908. Still, it’s undetermined whether the Cubs will make an earnest attempt to bring back the aging Zobrist (or several of their other players) during what looks increasingly likely to be an offseason of notable changes.

Having slashed .263/.356/.321 with almost no power (.058 ISO, one home run) in 160 trips to the plate this year, Zobrist probably won’t be in line for anything better than a cheap one-year deal in his next trip to the market. But Zobrist still has a discerning eye that helps him reach base, evidenced by his almost identical K:BB ratio (21:20), he remains versatile enough to man the keystone and the corner outfield, and he’s a well-respected veteran. With those factors in mind, Zobrist should be able to find a job – whether in Chicago or elsewhere – in the coming months.

MLBTR Poll: Joe Maddon’s Future

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To say Cubs manager Joe Maddon’s stint with the franchise has been a success would be a massive understatement. Since the Cubs hired the former Tampa Bay skipper in November 2014, they’ve amassed a sterling regular-season record of 469-335 and made the playoffs four consecutive times. Undoubtedly, though, the greatest triumph during Maddon’s days atop the Cubs’ dugout has been the World Series title they won in 2016, ending a 108-year drought for the North Siders. It’s likely Maddon will always be a beloved Cubs figure as a result of that victory and the rest of his accomplishments with the organization, but after a half-decade, the 65-year-old’s tenure may be winding down.

Although he’s in the last year of his contract, Maddon said just last month that he expects to manage the Cubs again in 2020. However, that was before a late-season collapse by Chicago, which led the NL Central race by two games over Milwaukee at the time of Maddon’s comments. Now, not only are the Cubs out of contention in the division with a week left in the season, but they’re very likely to miss the playoffs for the first time during the Maddon era. At 82-74, they’re seven games back of the archrival Cardinals in the Central and four behind the Brewers and Nationals in the wild-card hunt. With the season on the line, the Cubs have dropped six straight games, all but knocking themselves out of the race in the process.

Thanks in large part to their recent skid, the Cubs have gone a dismal 9-12 in September. It would surely be unfair to solely blame Maddon for that – they’ve dealt with injuries to the likes of Javier Baez, Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Cole Hamels, after all, and big-money closer Craig Kimbrel can’t seem to buy a save – but the Cubs could nonetheless elect to go in a different direction at manager. Barring a last-second surge (plus a horrible finish for the Brewers or Nats), president of baseball operations Theo Epstein at least figures to seriously make over the Cubs’ roster during the offseason. Do you expect a change in the dugout to accompany that?

(Poll link for app users)

Will Joe Maddon manage the Cubs in 2020?
No 75.58% (9,040 votes)
Yes 24.42% (2,921 votes)
Total Votes: 11,961

NL Notes: Zobrist, Sierra, Inciarte

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The Cubs have, amazingly, lost five consecutive one-run decisions after another gut-wrenching loss to the Cardinals this afternoon. While much of the conversation regarding the end of their season will focus on this incremental collapse, the Cubs final games are also significant in that they may mark the last occasions on which Ben Zobrist will suit up for the team. A star of the club’s curse-breaking 2016 World Series team, Zobrist spoke at length with The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma about what may be his last days in Cubbie blue–and about the struggles his team has faced in 2019 (link).

“I think so much of it has to do with momentum,” Zobrist told Sharma. “I’m a big believer in momentum. If you get it early in the season, you can be 10 games up at the All-Star break. When I look at every year, there’s this ebb and flow. It just seems like no matter how good the team is, if you don’t start out fast like that, and kind of push ahead in the division early on, it’s hard to keep that momentum and get to a point where you clinch on Sept. 15.”

The Cubs began this year 2-7 and were without the help of the 38-year-old Zobrist for a sizable chunk of the season as he tended to family matters. Since returning to action on Sept. 3, the versatile former Ray has hit .320/.404/.460 across 57 plate appearances–production which should, if nothing else, entice rival front offices considering him for a contract next season.

More notes from around the National League…

  • Outfielder Magneuris Sierra had been in the midst of his first extended success in a Marlins uniform, but it appears that a hamstring strain suffered in today’s game will cut his campaign a bit short, according to a tweet from Wells Dusenbury of the Sun-Sentinel (link). The 23-year-old Sierra, who a lifetime ago was a key component of the Marcell Ozuna trade, did some nice things in 14 September games for Miami, with a .324 batting average across a small sample of 38 plate appearances. That came on the heels of an uneven 2019 minor league campaign, in which he amassed a .282/.337/.365 line in 48 Double-A games before Triple-A exposure mellowed him out a bit (.271/.304/.399 line in 81 games). He did log 36 steals across three levels this year, which should aid him in trying to crack Miami’s outfield mix in 2020.
  • Braves outfielder Ender Inciarte was previously said to be expected back this Tuesday, but the veteran may instead return this Friday, per Mark Bowman of MLB.com (link). It’s fair to wonder if the Braves are feeling a little less urgency now that they’ve clinched the NL East, but Inciarte will nonetheless be a welcome component of Atlanta’s postseason roster. Inciarte, who has been downed with a bad hammy since August, has only logged a -1 DRS figure in 63 games on the grass this year–a far cry from the +17 DRS he recorded for the Braves last year. Speedster Billy Hamilton, Inciarte’s replacement as of late, is 8-for-29 at the plate for Atlanta this year.

Kris Bryant Exits With Right Ankle Sprain

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4:48pm: Per Rogers, Bryant will undergo an MRI tomorrow to determine the severity of the sprain.

3:12pm: In a worrisome scene at Wrigley Field today, Cubs star Kris Bryant was helped off the field after suffering an apparent ankle injury that occurred when he slipped on first base trying to beat out a ground ball. Cubs fans can breathe a sigh of relief, with Jesse Rogers of ESPN reporting that initial X-rays did not reveal any broken bones, as Bryant has been diagnosed with a sprained right ankle.

The injury looked awfully similar to the one suffered by Bryce Harper in 2017 when he hyperextended his knee after slipping on the first base bag. However, it looks as if Bryant has escaped the worst-case scenario—though a sprained ankle certainly isn’t a favorable outcome, either. Similar to Harper’s injury, the base was we because of light rainfall in Chicago.

The situation was made more nerve-wracking in light of Bryant’s nagging troubles with knee soreness throughout the season. He was able to put very little weight on the right leg as he was helped off the field, replaced by Ian Happ.

As the Cubs see their playoff chances diminish by the day, another injured star would only be a fitting nail in the coffin, given what has happened to Javier Baez and Anthony Rizzo in recent weeks. The Cubs entered the day three games behind the Brewers, who are in line for a Wild Card berth. With only seven games to play (including Sunday) the margin for error is only shrinking in Chicago.

Front Office Notes: Epstein, Red Sox, Orioles

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With recently returned Cubs closer Craig Kimbrel having issued another ninth-inning meltdown today–against the NL Central-leading Cardinals, no less–Chicago fans may feel disinclined to read today’s piece from Chicago Sun-Times scribe Gordon Wittenmeyer, which doesn’t pull any punches in evaluating the job done by team president Theo Epstein and his staff this year. In Wittenmeyer’s view, blame for the Cubs 2019 underachievement should be directed at ownership and Epstein’s front office–not underperforming players or maligned manager Joe Maddon. Wittenmeyer writes: “What’s clear is that the onus of this season’s shortcomings falls on the shoulders of Theo Epstein’s front office for free agency and player development failings and Ricketts ownership for failure to exercise the market advantage of franchise-record revenues to increase spending during a seize-the-moment competitive window.”

Wittenmeyer leaves little earth unscorched in this column, citing the club’s inability to develop impact pitching, unwillingness to spend beyond ownership-established thresholds, and in-house pressure regarding the need for early-season “urgency” as factors that dragged down this year’s Cubbies. The Cubs dropped today’s 9-8 decision to St. Louis and now fall to 6.0 games back in the NL Central race.

More notes concerning FO leaders and PD staffers from around the game…

  • When Dave Dombrowski was relieved of his post by the Red Sox on Sept. 8, many cited the club’s thinned-out farm system as a potential impetus for the leadership change. For those interested in investigating that theory first-hand, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe took the time to explore Dombrowski’s effect on the Boston farm in a subscriber-only piece today (link). Recent farm system rankings from Fangraphs and Baseball America have placed Boston’s system as 30th and 22nd in the game, respectively.
    In more Sox-related news, Jen McCaffery of The Athletic spoke with Red Sox assistant GM Eddie Romero regarding the organization’s decision to retain front office staffer Tony La Russa in the wake of Dombrowski’s ousting (link). La Russa’s title under Dombrowski had been “Special Assistant and Vice President of Baseball Operations”, but the club is in the process of how the club can augment the baseball legend’s role moving forward: “We think it will evolve into a lot more overall staff development, not just major league-focused,” Romero told McCaffery. “But those are things we’re still talking about and we’re excited with the prospect of Tony continuing to bring his vast experience and knowledge.” 
  • Former big leaguer B.J. Surhoff was one casualty of Orioles GM Mike Elias’ midsummer front office shakeup, and Surhoff, for one, does not appreciate the way Elias handled his dismissal. In a candid interview with Dan Connolly of The Athletic, Surhoff claims that he was relieved of his duties as special assignment instructor after only having spoken with Elias on one other occasion–the day Elias was introduced as O’s GM back in November. “Am I pissed? Yeah. I’m unhappy about what happened,” Surhoff told Connolly. “Do I have sour grapes toward the organization? Well, I don’t like the way things are being handled. I just don’t like how they’re treating people. I want that to be known.” Surhoff stressed to Connolly that he could not speak for the other 30-plus employees who were issued non-renewals by Elias this summer. One of those non-renewals, longtime Baltimore scout Dean Albany, has been hired as a special assignment scout by the Phillies organization after spending 20 years in the Orioles org, per a separate tweet from Connolly (link).

 

Cole Hamels Dealing With Shoulder Fatigue

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The Cubs received some welcome news Thursday when first baseman Anthony Rizzo, closer Craig Kimbrel and shortstop Addison Russell returned from injuries. But everything isn’t great on that front for the Cubs, who have scratched left-hander Cole Hamels from his Saturday start because of fatigue in his pitching shoulder, per Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. Fellow southpaw Jose Quintana will take his place in that game – an enormous matchup against the archrival Cardinals.

There’s no word on whether Hamels will be able to pitch again this season, but his shoulder issue is one that has troubled him “for several weeks,” Bastian writes. It’s the latest health problem in what was already an injury-shortened season for Hamels, who sat out more than a month earlier in the summer because of an oblique strain. It may also help to explain the recent struggles the normally steady Hamels has endured of late. The 35-year-old hasn’t thrown more than 4 1/3 innings in any of his three September starts, during which he has yielded eight earned runs on 16 hits and 11 walks (with 13 strikeouts) in 11 frames.

Thanks in part to his woes this month, Hamels currently owns a 3.92 ERA (his highest since the end of May) with 8.83 K/9 and 3.66 BB/9 in 137 2/3 innings on the season. The fact that the longtime workhorse hasn’t held up throughout this year, not to mention his age, should bode poorly for him when he enters free agency after the season. In the here and now, though, a limited Hamels is a less-than-ideal development for Chicago, which is fighting for its life in a heated NL playoff race.

Anthony Rizzo, Addison Russell Return For Cubs

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In extremely relieving news for the playoff-contending Cubs, star first baseman Anthony Rizzo is already returning from an injury that looked as if it would prematurely end his regular season. Rizzo’s leading off for the Cubs on Thursday in their crucial matchup against the NL Central-leading Cardinals, Chicago announced. The Cubs also activated shortstop Addison Russell from the seven-day concussion injured list, as Jordan Bastian of MLB.com was among those to report.

Rizzo, who hasn’t played since Sept. 15, is back from an ankle sprain that initially limited him to a walking boot. The fact that he’s back this soon is an enormous boon for the Cubs, who will fall a half-game behind the Brewers for the wild card if Milwaukee hangs on to the late-game lead it boasts over the Padres as of this writing.

Overtaking the Brew Crew (or the Cardinals, who lead the Cubs by three games) obviously would have been all the more difficult without the accomplished Rizzo, who has posted yet another impressive campaign in 2019. The 30-year-old has slashed .289/.404/.516 with 26 home runs in 592 plate appearances. The Cubs used catchers Willson Contreras and Victor Caratini at first base during Rizzo’s absence, but they’re now back to full strength at the position as the regular season nears a conclusion.

Russell hasn’t played since Sept. 8, and injuries to him and standout shortstop Javier Baez led the Cubs to promote high-end prospect Nico Hoerner from the minors. The 22-year-old Hoerner has more than held his own since his debut, and he – not Russell – will man short on Thursday as a result. Russell, 25, was amid yet another subpar season at the plate before his IL placement, and between that and his off-field issues, his Cubs tenure may be winding down.

Cubs Activate Craig Kimbrel From Injured List

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The Cubs have activated closer Craig Kimbrel from the 10-day injured list, the team announced.  Kimbrel is set to pitch for the first time since September 1 (with an IL placement on September 5), after being sidelined with right elbow inflammation.

Reinforcements couldn’t come at a more welcome time for the Cubs, who are locked in a pitched battle with the Cardinals and Brewers for both the NL Central title and an NL wild card berth.  Chicago is three games behind St. Louis as the two rivals begin a critical four-game series tonight, and are also set to meet in a three-game series on the final three days of the regular season.  The Cubs and Brewers are tied for the second NL wild card spot, and with an increasingly comfortable cushion on other wild card contenders such as the Mets (three games back), Phillies (3.5 games), and Diamondbacks (4.5 games).  Chicago and Milwaukee are also both 1.5 games behind the Nationals for the top wild card position.

While missing close to three weeks of this pennant race surely isn’t what Kimbrel had in mind, his injury absence could serve as something of a potential reset on his tenure with the Cubs.  Kimbrel’s well-documented free agent sojourn kept him from signing until early June, and the former seven-time All-Star hasn’t shown anything close to that form in Wrigleyville.  Over 19 innings this season, Kimbrel has a 5.68 ERA, a number inflated by both walks (5.2 BB/9) and homers (2.8 HR/9, four times’ Kimbrel’s career average).

If Kimbrel can recapture any of his past form, he’ll strengthen a Cubs relief corps that is pitching its best baseball of the season.  Cubs relievers have a cumulative 2.35 ERA in September, the best of any team this month.

NL Notes: Carpenter, Phillies, Pirates, Cubs

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The Cardinals look to be on their way to an NL Central title, but their 2019 success has come in spite of an uncharacteristically pedestrian year from third baseman Matt Carpenter. With the Cardinals trying to hold on in their division, Carpenter has taken a backseat to rookie Tommy Edman at the hot corner. While Carpenter did start there Wednesday in the Cardinals’ win over the Nationals, Edman has made twice as many starts this month (12 to six). Carpenter discussed his decrease in playing time with Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, acknowledging that Edman’s “got to play every day.” Although Carpenter went on to admit that dropping in the pecking order has been difficult, he added: “I understand part of what’s happening. Guys have played well and deserve to be in there. We’re winning and, at the end of the day, that’s ultimately what’s most important.” There’s still time for Carpenter to reemerge this year, but it’ll be interesting to see how the Cardinals handle him in the offseason if they’re convinced Edman’s the answer at third. A trade would be tough to put together, as Carpenter has two guaranteed years and $39MM coming his way after signing an extension in April. The three-time All-Star’s deal also includes a no-trade clause.

More from the NL…

  • Outfielder Nick Williams’ time with the Phillies seems likely to end when the Phillies’ season concludes, Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. It’s clear Williams, once a touted prospect, has fallen out of favor with the organization. Even though the Phillies have been facing multiple injuries in their outfield, Williams still hasn’t been able to crack their lineup, as his most recent at-bat came Sept. 2. While Williams did thrive at the Triple-A level this year, he has stumbled to a dreadful.157/.204/.255 line in 108 major league plate appearances in 2019. Williams will still have a minor league option remaining after this season, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Phillies remove him from their 40-man roster then. It would be an unceremonious ending to a once-promising Philly tenure for Williams, who joined the club in 2015 as part of the package it received from Texas for Cole Hamels.
  • Injured Pirates Josh Bell and Starling Marte are hoping to return this season, though it’s unlikely either will be ready until next week, Adam Berry of MLB.com writes. Bell has been out since Sept. 13 with a left groin strain, while Marte hasn’t appeared since the 10th on account of a sprained left wrist. In what has turned into a nightmare of a season for the Pirates both on and off the field, Bell and Marte have been among their few bright lights. If the 27-year-old Bell does come back in the season’s final days, he’ll try to make a last-second run at the 40-home run mark. Bell’s sitting at 37 dingers and a .277/.367/.569 line over 613 trips to the plate. Marte, 30, has posted his sixth season with at least 3.0 fWAR, thanks in part to a .295/.342/.503 line through 586 PA. This is also the second 20-20 campaign in a row for Marte, who has swatted 23 HRs and racked up 25 steals.
  • Cubs reliever Brandon Kintzler has dealt with a mild oblique strain for a month and hasn’t pitched since Sept. 10. However, Kintzler said he had a “great day” throwing from a mound Wednesday, and pitching coach Tommy Hottovy indicated the right-hander could return as early as Sunday (via Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times). If true, Kintzler (as well as the returning Craig Kimbrel) could help bolster the Cubs’ bullpen as the team tries to earn a playoff spot. Chicago’s relief corps took the loss against Cincinnati on Wednesday, leaving the Cubs in a tie with the Brewers for the NL’s second wild-card position.

Craig Kimbrel Nearing Return

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WEDNESDAY: The Cubs expect Kimbrel to return Thursday or Friday, according to Maddon (via Wittenmyer).

MONDAY: Winners of five consecutive games, the Cubs have sizzled over the past several days as they attempt to earn their fifth straight playoff berth. A few of those victories came in blowout fashion, which means Chicago has largely been able to get by without the services of injured closer Craig Kimbrel. The club probably won’t be able to cruise to all of its wins over the next couple weeks, though, making it imperative for Kimbrel to return. It appears that’s close to happening, as president of baseball operations Theo Epstein and manager Joe Maddon suggested Monday that Kimbrel could be back for the Cubs’ crucial series against the division-rival Cardinals this weekend, per Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. In the meantime, he’ll throw a simulated game Tuesday.

The Cubs have been sans Kimbrel since he landed on the injured list Sept. 5 (retroactive to Sept. 1) with right elbow inflammation. The normally stellar Kimbrel had endured a rough season even before then, as he surrendered 12 earned runs on 18 hits and 11 walks (with 26 strikeouts) over 19 innings.

The 5.68 ERA, 6.64 FIP, 5.21 BB/9 and 2.84 HR/9 Kimbrel have posted this year aren’t the type of numbers the Cubs had in mind when they signed the 31-year-old to a three-year, $43MM guarantee in June, thus ending a long standoff in free agency between him and the league. At that point, Kimbrel was coming off yet another more-than-respectable season. The former Brave, Padre and Red Sox entered 2019 with a 2.04 ERA/2.13 FIP, 14.58 K/9, 3.52 BB/9 and a .67 HR/9 across 551 2/3 lifetime frames.

With the Cubs just a game up on the Brewers for the NL’s second wild-card spot and two back of the Cards in the NL Central, it would be a boon for a wobbly bullpen if Kimbrel were to revisit his vintage form as September nears a conclusion. Otherwise, more blowups from the Cubs’ prized summer signing down the stretch could help lead to a premature ending to their season.

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