Theo Epstein Plans To Stay With Cubs
For the first time since 2014, the Cubs aren’t going to qualify for the postseason. They were in the driver’s seat for a playoff spot for most of the season, but a September collapse has doomed the club to a bitterly disappointing finish. The Cubs’ late-season demise will not lead president of baseball operations Theo Epstein to exit the organization, however.
Epstein shot down any speculation to the contrary Wednesday, saying (via Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com): “I’m here [with the Cubs]. We have a lot we need to work on to get back to the level we’re accustomed to. I’m invested in that. That’s what I’m focused on.”
Epstein added that the idea of “waking up and trying to build the next Cubs championship team” still excites him. The architect of Chicago’s curse-breaking title-winning team in 2016, Epstein has been enormously successful since he stepped down as Boston’s general manager in 2011 to run the Cubs. However, thanks to the unhappy ending to the Cubs’ season and the Red Sox’s need for a new leader in their baseball department, speculation arose of a possible Epstein-Boston reunion. If we’re to believe Epstein, though, the Red Sox will have to find Dave Dombrowski’s replacement elsewhere.
As things stand, Epstein still has another two seasons remaining on the five-year, $50MM extension he signed with the Cubs in September 2016. While Epstein’s immediate future in Chicago is secure, the same surely doesn’t apply to a fair amount of this year’s roster. He and the rest of his front office cohorts will spend the next several months trying to construct a team that doesn’t fall apart in crunch time, which figures to lead to quite a bit of offseason turnover. Even championship-winning manager Joe Maddon may not be safe. Maddon has made it known that he wants to manage the team for a sixth season in 2020, though he doesn’t have a contract beyond this year. Epstein declined to reveal when he’ll decide Maddon’s future, per Rogers.
Whether or not Maddon returns next season, he likely won’t have either of the Cubs’ top two players – third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant or shortstop Javier Baez – for the rest of 2019. Maddon said Wednesday (via Tony Andracki of NBC Sports Chcago) that it’s unlikely either will play again until next season. Bryant has been out since he sprained his right ankle last Sunday, while Baez has taken just two at-bats this month (none since last Saturday) after suffering a hairline fracture in his left thumb. The futures of both players will be on the minds of Epstein & Co. during the winter, when Bryant and Baez are each scheduled to go through arbitration for the second-last time.
Boras Dishes On Opt-Outs, Upcoming Free Agents
The upcoming free agent market will be shaped to an unusual degree by agent Scott Boras and his clients. That’s true not just because he represents so many of the top players heading to the open market, but because several of his clients have opt-out opportunities this fall. It’s all reading tea leaves at this point, but Boras did offer at least a few subtle hints in the course of an interview with Jon Heyman and Josh Levin on the Big Time Baseball Podcast (audio link).
He was asked first about Stephen Strasburg, who just turned 31 and is presently polishing off an excellent and healthy campaign. Given a chance to chat about the talented righty, Boras was muted. Indeed, he began by pointing out that Strasburg can opt out either this winter or next — which is true, and notable, but isn’t exactly a patented Boras sales pitch.
So, does that mean that Strasburg is leaning against an opt out and/or that Boras will recommend he hang onto his four-year, $100MM commitment? That’s impossible to say. And Boras made clear we shouldn’t assume any such thing, saying: “I make it a practice to not discuss anything with players about their contracts until they’re done performing and certainly we’ll have time to address that and I’m sure Stephen will give me direction on it.”
Boras was not similarly restrained when the hosts raised the topic of Red Sox slugger J.D. Martinez, another prominent opt-out candidate. Though he didn’t specifically address the opt-out decision (three years, $62.5MM in his case), Boras left little doubt that he has begun compiling talking points on the slugger.
Martinez, per Boras, is “one of the top 5 offensive players in the game … and that is the vision of J.D. Martinez that I believe all teams have.” But the premium hitter is not a bat-only player, says his agent. He’s in the lineup every day and “plays forty or fifty games in the outfield,” says Boras. “I don’t think teams would in any way view J.D. Martinez as a DH,” adds the always-entertaining player rep, who also emphasized Martinez’s leadership and provision of hitting information and “intensity” to teammates.
Whether it’s fair to read anything into these comments is up for debate. Strasburg is famously quiet and may simply prefer his agent support that low profile. But those decisions are of critical importance to the respective teams and the overall market landscape. While their names were at least mentioned, Boras unsurprisingly passed on the chance to highlight Elvis Andrus and Jake Arrieta — two other clients who don’t seem to be in position to strongly consider opting out of their deals.
Boras also largely passed when asked to comment on two key Nationals players, Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto. Boras says the team has made clear its “strong interest” in retaining Rendon. Having previously sputtered, contract talks won’t start again until the Nats wrap up the 2019 campaign. It still seems unlikely that a deal will be made before Rendon has a chance to test the market, though that’s not written in stone.
As for Soto, Boras acknowledged some recent comments from president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo regarding the team’s obvious interest in a long-term deal with the exceptional young hitter. But he did not read more into them than was intended or give any hint that there was particular interest or disinterest in dealmaking on the part of the 20-year-old Soto. “Those are things that we kind of leave in the space of the offseason before we ever begin discussion,” said Boras.
If there was another topic that really seemed to pique Boras’s interest — aside from the need to protect the health of players, in relation to the recent Kris Bryant injury — it was the upcoming free agency of Nicholas Castellanos. The outfielder has been aflame since landing with the Cubs, with Boras explaining that his talent has finally been freed by “getting into a lineup where people really can’t work around him and have to throw to him and they also have situational pressure.”
With Castellanos having “taken advantage of that situation to illustrate his skills,” and shown the defensive chops of one of the “ten to twelve best right fielders in the game,” Boras obviously feels he’s got a significant piece to market. Castellanos is still just 27 years of age and has certainly impressed in Chicago, but it remains less than clear just how robust his market will be. Boras says he believes “everyone understands now what kind of ballplayer that Nick Castellanos is.” And that may be true. But what isn’t clear is whether teams really believe Castellanos to be more than a 2.5 to 3 WAR range of performer — and whether they’ll be willing to commit big money over a lengthy term to acquire such a player.
Latest On Kris Bryant
Cubs star Kris Bryant suffered a concerning ankle injury recently, placing his availability over the final week of the season in doubt. While it seems clear he’ll be limited, if he’s able to make it back at all, Bryant does not appear to have suffered an injury with long-term repercussions.
MRI results have yet to be announced formally by the Cubs. But Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com hears that Bryant has been diagnosed with a grade 2 sprain (Twitter link). That’s enough to sideline a player for a decent stretch, depending upon specifics and pain tolerance. But it shouldn’t hamper Bryant’s offseason efforts.
Losing Bryant at this juncture of the season certainly stings. But the tide had already turned on the Cubs’ season when he exited over the weekend. And it’s not at all likely his presence would impact the outlook in a material way. The Cubs need a miracle with a four-game deficit in the Wild Card race.
If this is the end of the year for Bryant, it has been quite a good one. He’s carrying a .282/.382/.521 slash line with 31 home runs through 634 plate appearances. That’ll set him up for a big raise on his $12.9MM arbitration salary in what will be his second-to-last season of arb eligibility.
Kris Bryant Exits With Right Ankle Sprain
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.
MLBTR Poll: Superstars For Sale?
ESPN scribe Jeff Passan floated a very interesting tidbit in his latest column Wednesday: There’s a belief among rival executives that the Red Sox, Indians and Cubs will at least be willing to listen to trade offers for their franchise players during the upcoming winter. That means any of Boston’s Mookie Betts, Cleveland’s Francisco Lindor or Chicago’s Kris Bryant could change hands once the offseason rolls around. It’s far from a guarantee anyone from the group will wind up on the move, but the idea that they might should make hot stove season all the more interesting.
The only member of the trio with fewer than two years of team control remaining is Betts, who will enter his final season of arbitration eligibility over the winter. The 26-year-old right fielder is just a season removed from earning AL MVP honors, which helped him land a historic $20MM payday to avoid arbitration last winter. The 2019 version of Betts hasn’t been as stellar as the MVP-winning player, but that’s not a knock on his performance this season so much as a compliment to what he did a year ago, when he amassed an eyebrow-raising 10.4 fWAR. Betts is up to 4.8 in that category this year, having slashed a strong .282/.384/.494 with 21 home runs and 13 stolen bases across 622 plate appearances.
Just a year from winning their latest World Series title, why would the Red Sox possibly move Betts? They’re unlikely to make the playoffs this year, though a trip back to the postseason in 2020 hardly looks out of the question. However, Betts has indicated on multiple occasions that he’d like to test free agency after next season, when he could reel in one of the all-time richest contracts in the sport. For the Red Sox, trading Betts a year before a potential journey to the open market would help the club replenish its farm system to some degree. The Red Sox only came in 22nd place in Baseball America’s most recent talent rankings.
The Indians, on the other hand, boast the game’s 10th-best system, though they’re incapable of spending to the extent the Red Sox can. That means Lindor is quite likely to end up elsewhere in the coming years. Mr. Smile will be a free agent after 2021, but it would behoove the Indians to get something for him prior to then. In the meantime, the 25-year-old Lindor is sure to collect a notable raise over his current $10.55MM salary when he reaches arbitration for the penultimate time during the offseason. Lindor perhaps hasn’t been quite as great as he was in 2018, a career-high 7.6-fWAR campaign, but his 4.3 mark and .300/.353/.532 line with 24 homers and 19 steals through 522 PA are mighty impressive nonetheless. Needless to say, teams will line up for the elite shortstop if small-market Cleveland goes with the agonizing decision to make him available in the coming months.
And then there’s Bryant, yet another former MVP. The Boras client joins Lindor as another all-world performer who’s slated for his second-last trip through arbitration in a few months. Bryant, 27, is well on his way to another raise (he’s currently on a $12.9MM salary), having batted .282/.379/.521 and smashed 29 dingers over 552 trips to the plate. Whether the Cubs would truly consider parting with Bryant is up in the air, but they are amid their second somewhat disappointing season (albeit one that looks as if it will culminate in yet another playoff berth), and waving goodbye to the third baseman/outfielder would go a long way toward aiding them in bolstering their system. It’s definitely a below-average group, according to BA, which places it 29th in baseball.
We’re still a couple months from the offseason rearing its head, but if anyone from this trio hits the block, it should make for an incredibly interesting winter of rumors. Do you expect any of them to actually change teams after the season?
(Poll link for app users)
Will any of these three be traded in the offseason?
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Francisco Lindor 39% (3,089)
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Mookie Betts 34% (2,690)
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Kris Bryant 26% (2,080)
Total votes: 7,859
Poll: Recent No. 2 Picks
With the first round of the Major League Baseball draft in the works, teams are angling to land long-term cornerstones as we speak. The Royals, for instance, tabbed high school shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. second overall on Monday. If things go according to plan, he’ll evolve into a franchise player the way other recent second overall selections have. The best No. 2 choices over the past several years have been Kris Bryant, who joined the Cubs in 2013, and 2015 Astros pick Alex Bregman. The two have become stars since their respective draft nights, but whom would you rather have?
Bryant, now 27, exploded on the scene in 2015, winning NL Rookie of the Year honors with a 6.1-fWAR season, and hasn’t looked back since. The third baseman/outfielder added an NL MVP and a World Series to his list of accomplishments in 2016, the season he helped the Cubs break a 108-year title drought. Bryant’s now a two-time All-Star with a career slash line of .284/.386/.518 (141 wRC+), 120 home runs and 25.3 fWAR in 2,715 lifetime plate appearances.
Bregman’s also a world champion, having aided in the Astros’ victory in 2017. That was the year after Bregman debuted in the majors. Since then, the 25-year-old infielder – whose primary position is third – has earned an All-Star nod and batted a Bryant-like .280/.369/.507 (140 wRC+) with 75 long balls, 31 steals and 14.8 fWAR across 1,804 trips to the plate.
Beyond the fact that they’re two of the most valuable players in baseball, Bryant and Bregman are each under control for at least the next couple seasons. Bryant, who’s on a $12.9MM salary, has two more years of arbitration eligibility left after this one. The Astros, on the other hand, will avoid the arb process with Bregman as they move forward. Houston locked Bregman up to a five-year, $100MM extension prior to the season, meaning he’s under wraps through 2024.
Age and team control may play a factor as you choose between Bryant and Bregman. Regardless of which player you prefer, though, it’s obvious these are two of the premier first-rounders in recent history. They give hope to every downtrodden franchise that had a high pick Monday.
(Poll link for app users)
Who's the better building block?
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Alex Bregman 66% (4,998)
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Kris Bryant 34% (2,632)
Total votes: 7,630
Cubs Injury Updates: Bryant, Baez, Strop, Montgomery
There are a variety of open health issues for the Cubs, though thankfully it seems most are heading in a generally positive direction. Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times rounded up the latest updates.
Kris Bryant and Javy Baez aren’t far from returning to the Cubs infield. The former has been out of the lineup for two games after a collision, while the latter has been in the DH slot to help rest a minor heel injury. Both could get back to their regular duties as soon as today.
Keeping those star players healthy is all the more important with Ben Zobrist‘s status in question. Still, the Cubs have ample infield/utility depth, particularly with Addison Russell joining a roster that already included David Bote and Daniel Descalso. It’s worth remembering that Ian Happ remains marooned at Triple-A, as well.
With some recent bullpen hiccups, it’s also notable that reliever Pedro Strop is on the mend and nearing activation. He seems to be on the fast track back now that his hamstring is back in good working order. Strop made it through a rehab appearance last night and will work another frame Thursday. Wittenmyer says that the veteran hurler could be activated thereafter.
Strop had served as the Cubs closer before he went down. Whether he’ll take that job back from Steve Cishek remains to be seen. Regardless, it’s good news for the depth of the late-inning mix.
There was also a positive update on the team’s most flexible hurler, swingman Mike Montgomery. He was unable to pitch in Monday’s contest due to a finger issue that arose while he warmed up. The southpaw says he was likely dealing with a popped blood vessel, but wasn’t bothered as much when he picked up a ball yesterday. It’s not clear precisely when he’ll be available, but it seems reasonable to hope for a rather speedy return.
Quick Hits: Jeter, DeShields/Gallo, Bryant
Derek Jeter recognized the social divides that developed in the clubhouses of his playing days between Spanish-speaking players and native English speakers, but since taking over the Marlins in Miami, where Spanish is omnipresent, Jeter has made it a priority to develop the language skills of everyone in the organization – including himself, per James Wagner of the New York Times. While emphasis is often placed on international players developing their English-language skills, Jeter’s programming ensures that the education highway runs in both directions. Major league players cannot be mandated to take language classes because of the collective bargaining agreement, but players in lower levels of the organization are now required to take classes, as are some coaches and Jeter himself, who attends a 90-minute weekly class with the executive team. The branding here is positive for Jeter, who has yet to make much headway in terms of fan engagement in Miami, but the internal benefits of a growing language program will have no end to its usefulness. Tangible effects may not reach the playing field for some time, but it’s encouraging nonetheless to see the Marlins taking a proactive approach to community engagement, emphasizing relationships with players from Latin America, and broadening avenues of communication within the organization. Let’s take a look at a couple of on-field situations throughout the league…
- After another lackluster start at the plate for Delino DeShields, he finds himself back in Triple-A to work on developing a more line drive approach at the plate, per Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Deshields is one of the fastest players in the league, fifth overall with 16 Bolts this season (individual run times of 30+ ft/sec sprint speeds) and ninth in Sprint Speed, per Statcast. His speed is obviously an asset in the field as well, where Statcast has him tied for 7th with three Outs Above Average this season (three four-star catches). None of which was enough to keep him in Texas after hitting .182/.321/.284 through 108 plate appearances. How much time the 26-year-old spends in Triple-A may have as much to do with his ability to drive the ball as it does Joey Gallo‘s ability to stick in center. It’s certainly uncommon for a third baseman-turned-corner-outfielder to transition into center, but the hulking 6’5″ Gallo hasn’t looked wholly out of place for the Rangers thus far, -1 DRS and -0.3 UZR through 88 innings this season, but over 188 career innings as the outfield captain, Gallo grades out at 1 DRS, 1.4 UZR. Replacing DeShields, a career 77 wRC+ hitter, with Gallo’s 115 wRC+ upgrades center field offensively for Texas, but this is a head-to-head battle worth tracking as the season moves along.
- Chicago’s Kris Bryant finally found his power stroke for the Cubs, with credit going to his new Axe Bat, per The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma. Bryant never tapped into his power after returning from a shoulder injury last season as he finished the season with an uncharacteristically low, but still solid .188 ISO. He has hit four home runs in his last six games, raising his 2019 isolated power to .268, and while that would be a career high if he keeps it up all season, it’s closer to his career average of .232 ISO than his numbers from 2018. This season’s power surge tracks back to a broken bat on April 26th, when Bryant switched to an Axe Bat and promptly homered. An Axe Bat’s defining feature – you might guess – is a handle shaped more like the handle of an axe, though this particular handle is unique to Bryant, christened as the “Bryant Handle” as it was geared specifically towards Bryant’s rather unique grip. Whether it’s the bat, or something mental, or simply the strength in his injured shoulder finally being built back up to normal levels, a maintained resurgence of power from Bryant could make the difference for a Cubs lineup that has struggled at times since Bryant’s shoulder injury last season.
NL Central Notes: O’Neill, Brewers, Cubs
As things currently stand, slugging outfielder Tyler O’Neill is expected to make the Cardinals‘ Opening Day roster, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes. The Cards “have reserved a spot for him as a spare outfielder, for now,” Goold writes, noting that poor health in the shoulder of Marcell Ozuna and/or continued struggles for Dexter Fowler could eventually thrust him into a larger role. And with Ozuna set to hit free agency at season’s end, a more natural path to everyday at-bats for the 23-year-old O’Neill isn’t hard to see. As Goold highlights in chatting with hitting coach Jeff Albert, O’Neill has worked diligently to improve his contact skills as he seeks a more well-rounded offensive profile. O’Neill slugged 35 homers between Triple-A and the Majors last season but punched out in a quarter of his plate appearances in Triple-A and more than 40 percent of his 142 PAs in the Majors.
More from the division…
- Brewers president of baseball ops David Stearns chatted with MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand and discussed his club’s patient approach in free agency, as well as the decision not to bring in any rotation help from the free-agent market. “I’d say we explored various opportunities on the starting pitching market, but in the backdrop of all of that was the depth and comfort level that we have with our young starters,” said Stearns. “We rode a lot of these guys deep into the playoffs last year, whether it’s Brandon Woodruff, Freddy Peralta or Corbin Burnes. They were in slightly different roles; we’re going to be asking more of them throughout the course of the year this year, but we think they have the potential to do it.” Asked if the team would have the financial wherewithal to make in-season additions after signing Yasmani Grandal and Mike Moustakas, Stearns voiced confidence that owner Mark Attanasio is “willing to support this team and stretch the limits,” pointing to the very additions of Grandal and Moustakas as evidence of that mentality.
- Although the Cubs didn’t make any kind of significant splash in free agency, they’re also not viewing the current roster as a finished product, writes Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. Part of the team’s lack of spending stems from a desire to make sure there are ample resources in place this summer to address in-season needs via the trade market. “We don’t know what it’s going to be, but certainly there’s going to be a major focus to make sure we’re in position to improve the team in the middle of the season,” said general manager Jed Hoyer of potential summer activity.
- Perhaps the biggest additions the Cubs could see in 2019 would be healthy versions of Kris Bryant and Yu Darvish. Bryant said today in an appearance on 670 The Score that his shoulder feels “completely healed,” stressing that he’s not feeling any lingering effects of the injury that slowed him in 2018 (Twitter link). Darvish, meanwhile, spoke with confidence following his most recent spring outing, with particular excitement over the fact that his fastball reached 97 mph in that game (link via Wittenmyer). Obviously, only time will tell whether either former All-Star can rebound to something resembling peak form, but the fact that neither appears hampered by lingering effects of last season’s health struggles is nonetheless a positive sign for Cubs fans early on in camp.
Kris Bryant: No Extension Talks With Cubs But Willing To Listen
Star Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant discussed some largely hypothetical contractual matters today with reporters including Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. Notably, he has not been approached by the organization about a potential long-term deal.
Bryant, 27, saw his productivity dip in an injury-limited 2018 campaign. But that’s only against his own lofty standards. Bryant, who’ll earn $12.9MM this year with two more arb seasons still to come, still rates among the best all-around players in baseball.
There was perhaps some reason to wonder whether the Cubs might see an opportunity to explore an extension, but that hasn’t happened yet. Bryant says he’d “be dumb not to hear anything they have to offer,” so it seems he’d be receptive to holding talks, though it also stands to reason that he’d put a lofty asking price on his future rights.
From a broader perspective, Bryant suggested that the recent extension of Nolan Arenado was a promising development in a player market that is still adjusting to the current collective bargaining agreement. “It’s nice to see another third baseman sign for that much,” he said.
Though Bryant is in quite a different situation than Arenado, who’s only ten months older and would have been a free agent after the coming season, the just-inked contract certainly bears on a hypothetical extension for the former. Bryant is arguably a slightly superior player, after all, and both sides would likely see the AAV on Arenado’s bought-out free-agent seasons as a highly relevant comp.
Zooming out yet further, Bryant also emphasized the fact that smaller-market teams have given out some of the biggest contracts in recent years. Players, he suggests, are well aware of teams’ spending capacities: “Everybody has money. We’re not stupid.”