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CHICAGO – The Cubs came out of a rebuild and emerged as contenders and World Series champions under the front office led by Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer. Now the team has reached a critical point in its schedule. Hoyer has now become president of baseball operations
CHICAGO – The Cubs came out of a rebuild and emerged as contenders and World Series champions under the front office led by Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer. Now the team has reached a critical point in its schedule.
Hoyer has now become the CEO’s president of baseball operations – after Epstein left last week – and he’s charged with a tough spot. The goal is to keep the Cubs among the annual October contenders, while working to build the team’s future.
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“We are facing a new challenge,” Hoyer said on Monday, “imposed by the reality of our players’ duty time and the realities of our world in 2020. As with all the challenges we have faced here, we have them. study, use our collective experience, and then act boldly to do what is in the best interests of the Cubs. “
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Here are three pressing questions facing Hoyer:
1. Is the objective to fight in 2021 or to build for the future?
Both, and it can be a difficult path for a team to take.
The realities of “player service time” referred to by Hoyer relate to the fact that
There’s also the fact that the Cubs come into 21 as Central National League champions and the division looks up to win again. Chicago had rotational injuries, dramatic bullpen issues early on, and extreme offensive issues from key players in 20. Still, the Cubs won the division.
So maybe the Cubs can take off their roster – meeting some future needs in the process – and still field a playoff-caliber team in 21. Hoyer said that’s what he would try to balance by assuming the main role of the front office.
“Making the playoffs is special, and it gives you a chance to win,” Hoyer said. “I don’t think every year you could build a favorite team to win the World Series. I don’t think that’s possible, and I think it’s probably a dumb race.
“But I think given our resources and level of talent, I think we should field a team that deserves a playoff every year. And I think we can do that and have a team positioned for the long haul. also.”
2. Do the Cubs have to take steps to free up the payroll?
Teams around baseball have been hit hard financially by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Cubs were no exception, and the losses contributed to layoffs in several departments at the ball club.
With so many uncertainties still at stake for the 2021 season, Hoyer said there is no firm budget cap yet. Instead, his talks with the property led to a “fork” in the payroll, although Hoyer does not go into the details of the drop in numbers.
“We have so many different questions about what life is going to be like in the summer of 21,” Hoyer said. “So we have a fork that we discussed. But we certainly haven’t been able to really spell anything out. And I think that goes for almost everyone.”
“It makes sense that given the realities of our world right now there has to be a range because of this uncertainty. So we have had discussions and will continue to have discussions as we get more ‘information. “
Hoyer wouldn’t comment on whether there could be a surprising no-bid decision or go into details on player trades. What Hoyer reiterated and pointed out was the need to keep an eye on the future, which seems to indicate moves could be looming for more profitable coins in the fold.
3. Will there be any significant changes in the attacking Cubs?
While a sample size asterisk should be placed on all 2020 numbers, the Cubs team slash line of .220 / .318 / .387 is hard to ignore. The core group struggled, while
Frustrations with training the Cubs are compounded by the fact that there has been little change in the squad in recent winters. And as the distribution has remained relatively the same, the contact rate has increased from 76% in ’18 to 73.8% in ’19 to 72.8% in ’20. Unsurprisingly, the withdrawal rate has also increased in each of the past two years.
Current roster building leaves few holes for 21 to fill except for some trades in the name of roster and payroll flexibility. Somehow, the Cubs need to shake things up with their offense, especially with a long-term vision in mind.
“We want to look and perform differently than the last few years,” Hoyer said. “So I can’t define ‘significant’ as you might define it, but do I think we have to be different as an offense? No question. And I think we have to identify some of the things that we did wrong and we must work to improve them.
“It’s that game. You always take on a new challenge. Nothing is ever perfect. You never have a perfect composition. You never have a perfect situation. And right now, what we’re trying to do is try. to understand, that’s why we’re fighting offensively, given the players we have. So, yeah, I think the attack will be different next year. “
Jordan Bastian covers the Cubs for MLB.com. He previously covered the Indians from 2011 to 2018 and the Blue Jays from 2006 to 2010. Read his Major League Bastian blog and follow him on Twitter @MLBastian.
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