Chicago Cubs team president Theo Epstein may say that the 2013 season will be considered a failure if the team doesn't qualify for the playoffs."Postseason or bust" is the sort of ambition every fanbase wants to hear from its favorite team's front office. As Epstein himself said to reporters, including the Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan, there's no reason to bother building a team without setting that kind of goal. Every team aims to play in the postseason.But realistically, the Cubs aren't going to be one of the National League's five playoff teams this season. The team might avoid 100 losses ...
Wrigley Field and Fenway Park are the last old-time, classic ballparks left standing. Perhaps the most amazing legacy of Bud Selig's 15 years as baseball commissioner has been the boom of ballpark building around MLB. Virtually every one of the 30 clubs are playing in a new or significantly renovated stadium. But Fenway Park in Boston has undergone significant changes over the past 10 years. Seats were added atop the Green Monster in left field. Concourses and clubhouses were expanded. Luxury seats and suites were added behind home plate. New HD and LED scoreboards were installed. Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts, team president ...
The Chicago Cubs could draw more headlines for which players they might deal away at the 2013 trade deadline than whomever they might acquire.The season to come will be the second year of team president Theo Epstein's rebuilding project on the North Side of Chicago. As a result, outfielder Alfonso Soriano and pitcher Matt Garza could both be traded to playoff contenders looking for some middle-of-the-lineup power or an upper-rotation starter. But the Cubs will obviously be looking to improve and perhaps have designs on not finishing last in the NL Central this year, now that the Houston Astros have moved to ...
One of the most surprising developments of the MLB offseason was the Chicago Cubs' pursuit of free-agent pitcher Anibal Sanchez.The Cubs' interest didn't result in signing Sanchez and adding him to the top of their starting rotation. But offering a five-year, $77 million contract did make a statement of purpose to the other 29 MLB teams and any players deciding where to take their talents. While the Cubs may be rebuilding under Theo Epstein, the team intends to be competitive and become a playoff contender again. Ownership and the front office will pay top dollar for the best available players who ...
Going into the offseason, it wasn't clear what sort of approach the Chicago Cubs and team president Theo Epstein would take. In the second year of Epstein's rebuilding project on the North Side, would the Cubs continue to sell off higher-priced veteran players for younger, developing talent?Or, might the team begin to spend some money on free agents to fill some holes on the roster and possibly accelerate the process of constructing a playoff contender?We got our answer when reports leaked out from Wrigley Field of the Cubs making an offer to free agent Anibal Sanchez, viewed as the second-best starting ...
The Chicago Cubs added the starting pitcher that team president Theo Epstein was looking for, inking Edwin Jackson to a four-year, $52 million contract on Thursday (Dec. 20).The deal was first reported by CSN Chicago's Patrick Mooney.Previously this offseason, the Cubs tried to get Dan Haren from the Los Angeles Angels before they had to pick up his option for 2013. The teams actually had a deal in place, with the Cubs agreeing to send reliever Carlos Marmol to Anaheim in exchange.But before the trade could be completed, Epstein apparently changed his mind after getting a look at Haren's medical ...
Had the Chicago Cubs succeeded in outbidding the Detroit Tigers for the services of pitcher Anibal Sanchez, that would have been the team's most controversial move this offseason.Was signing a free-agent pitcher to a five-year contract worth $15.5 million per season really the best move for a club undergoing a rebuilding project like the Cubs? Would Sanchez in the starting rotation prevent a last-place finish for the Cubs in the NL Central next season? If the belief is that a baseball team can never have enough pitching, then at least Cubs general manager Theo Epstein was ready to take a chance ...
Theo Epstein's first season as team president of the Chicago Cubs began what looks to be a long-term rebuilding project on the north side of the city. Veteran pitchers Ryan Dempster and Paul Maholm were traded for prospects, as was catcher Geovany Soto, as Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer attempt to bolster the talent level and depth of pitching in their minor league organization. The Cubs have young talent to build around in Starlin Castro, Anthony Rizzo and Brett Jackson. On the pitching side, Jeff Samardzija, Matt Garza and Travis Wood give the team some strong young arms as well. Epstein isn't ...
Chicago Cubs president Theo Epstein beat out his former team in one key acquisition last offseason when he hired Dale Sveum to be his manager.Sveum was reportedly the preferred choice of Boston Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington, but ownership (particularly team president Larry Lucchino) pushed to bring in Bobby Valentine. Valentine is on his way to getting fired after his first season in Boston, but Sveum looks like he'll be sticking around for a while with the Cubs. Epstein apparently views as him as a long-term solution to provide some stability in the dugout during his rebuilding project.But is Sveum ...
Big things weren't expected from the Chicago Cubs this year. The 2012 season has been a rebuilding project.Patience is called for on the north side of Chicago as team president Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer implement their plan to improve the depth of pitching talent in the minor league system. But the major league product has to be improved as well. The Cubs committed to Starlin Castro as their shortstop with a seven-year, $60 million contract. Anthony Rizzo looks like a future star at first base, which has to be encouraging after his first stint in the majors with ...
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