Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
As the Chicago Cubs turn the calendar over to 2017, there’s still a list of things to do for President of Baseball Operation Theo Epstein. What should he focus on heading into next year?
Following their amazing 2016 season, the Chicago Cubs have not only lifted a lifetime of curses but now have people talking about a potential dynasty in Chicago. That’s getting ahead of ourselves a bit, but the potential for said dynasty does exist with this organization. But with that, there’s still some work to be done by Theo Epstein, GM Jed Hoyer and the rest of the front office.
Are there any surprises ahead of us before the Cubs begin Spring Training? A new face, possibly? Epstein probably has much of this list sitting on his desk, but we here at Cubbies Crib just want to do all we can to make 2017 as great as this season–and a little bit easier for Epstein.
Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
A contract extension for Bryant
Is there anything else that Kris Bryant can do to surprise us? His growth as a player continues, and there’s no question he’s everything the Cubs hoped for and more. Bryant isn’t eligible for free agency until 2022. But why wait? Epstein and the organization identified Starlin Castro and Anthony Rizzo as the young players they hoped to build around. And while Castro didn’t work out, the foresight to sign Rizzo was a tremendous move.
More from Cubbies Crib
The Cubs need to do the same with Bryant. According to a piece by Fox Sports in 2015, a player who gets four trips through arbitration makes around $20 million a year by the time they hit free agency. With the trajectory that Bryant is on, that might be a bargain. So the Cubs will have the choice of paying out in arbitration or helping decide Bryant’s worth on their own.
There will come a time for the Cubs when keeping all this young talent together will become a difficult task. But to have players like Rizzo and Bryant to build around? There’s not a team in baseball that wouldn’t take that. This needs to be one of the top priorities for the Cubs in the coming year.
Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Make a decision on what to do with Schwarber
Let’s not forget, Kyle Schwarber hasn’t even played a full season yet. He’s simply amazed us with what he’s done at the plate, especially in the playoffs the last two seasons. With the unfortunate injury, the Cubs never had to decide what to do with him in the field. But that time is coming for the Cubs. Even with Dexter Fowler leaving, the outfield is full. So what is Schwarber? Is he an outfielder? Or is he a catcher?
Entering last season, I was content with the plan the Cubs had for Schwarber. David Ross was retiring, and Miguel Montero would have just two years left with the Cubs. The thought that Schwarber could continue to learn from two veterans gave me some hope. I didn’t–and I still don’t–believe he will ever be a great catcher. But an admirable one? Yes, I do. But that was before the arrival of Willson Contreras.
With Contreras, the Cubs appear to have their catcher of the future in place. And now they have Victor Caratini in the wings working his way up and could be the next in line behind the plate in the next couple of years. So where will that leave Schwarber? It will leave us asking the same question unless the Cubs make a definitive decision on his future in the field.
Finalize the rotation before Spring Training
This isn’t an easy task, as things can happen in Spring Training that can change a team’s direction. But the Cubs seemed to have a plan once they didn’t pick up Jason Hammel‘s option for next season. Mike Montgomery–who pitched well for the Cubs–would slide into the final spot in the rotation. Then Tyson Ross was non-tendered and things seemed to “cloud” a bit.
The Cubs had pursued Ross the previous season, but couldn’t make a deal work. Ross had thoracic outlet syndrome surgery this year, which can be a difficult thing for a pitcher to fully come back from. Ross immediately became the most intriguing name in a pool of free agent pitchers.
I won’t say that Ross is the right option. But if the Cubs don’t re-sign the veteran free agent Travis Wood, Montgomery would be best left in the Cubs bullpen. If Wood chooses to pass on a potential starting gig and return to the bullpen for the Cubs, Montgomery will be a fine No. 5. There’s a lot of dominos that need to fall in a certain way, but the Cubs need to have this situation in order before heading to Mesa.
Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Where does Baez get most of his at-bats?
This is a situation complicated by a “good” problem. Schwarber. And hopefully another one in an improvement from Jason Heyward. The Cubs were able to shuffle Bryant and Ben Zobrist into the outfield to get Javier Baez his at-bats throughout the year. 450 of them, to be exact. For a guy who wasn’t an “everyday” player, it felt like he was on the field every day. But a healthy Schwarber and an improved Heyward would make these moves a little trickier.
But if there is a manager in the game of baseball that can find a way to do it, Joe Maddon is that man. This one falls on Maddon more than it does Epstein, but there isn’t a move that goes on in Chicago that Epstein doesn’t have his thumb on. This is the one place that the Cubs versatility sets them apart from the rest of baseball. The Cubs can shuffle around the talent to get a guy like Baez 400+ at-bats, and he doesn’t even have his “own” position. Not too bad for a player that could honestly compete for a Gold Glove at three different positions on the infield.
Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
In no way everything that needs to be done, but it’s a start
Epstein has already established himself as one of the greatest front office guys in the history of baseball. He ended two of the longest droughts in baseball history. And now he has the Cubs on the edge of a potential dynasty. These were just a few of the things that I see that need to be done in the coming year.
Have some more that you see as a priority? Let us know in the comment section! We love interacting with our followers, and we’re all fans that have some opinion on what the Cubs need to do to be better in 2017.
