The Cubs arent going to overreact to the empty green seats at Wrigley Field. The business of baseball is booming. The bailout money will be coming soon enough with the new national and local television deals.
And of course nobody is untouchable. The Cubs can lose 101 games with or without them. But that doesnt mean theyre about to trade Starlin Castro.
It almost certainly wont stop the rumors from bouncing around the lobby of the Gaylord Opryland and getting recycled in cyberspace. Castro for Giancarlo Stanton? Justin Upton? Mystery Player X? What about Josh Hamilton on a short-term deal? But the Cubs have a very clear idea of what they want to accomplish at next weeks winter meetings in Nashville, Tenn.
Nothings changed philosophically, general manager Jed Hoyer said Friday. Were still trying to build to a point where we have a ton of young talent and a lot of available money to spend to really have that team (with) sustained success.
How the Cubs find the middle ground for 2013 will be the big question. Kyuji Fujikawa recently visited Wrigley Field, and the Japanese closer was believed to be most interested in the Cubs and Los Angeles Angels (with the free-spending Los Angeles Dodgers lurking as a wild card).
The Angels just signed Ryan Madson, which could eliminate the opportunity to close in Anaheim. Hoyer confirmed a meeting with Fujikawawe came away very impressedbut wouldnt comment on the state of negotiations or an anticipated timetable for the decision.
Before Friday nights deadline, the Cubs non-tendered third baseman Ian Stewart, who could still return as a free agent. Four arbitration-eligible players were tendered contracts: pitchers Matt Garza, Jeff Samardzija and James Russell; and infielder Luis Valbuena.
Pitchers Zach Putnam and Jaye Chapmanwho were not eligible for arbitrationwere not tendered contracts while Casey Coleman has cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A Iowa, leaving the 40-man roster at 37.
Some pitchers cut loose elsewhereJair Jurrjens, Mike Pelfrey and John Lannan could be intriguing options for the rotation. But the front office also wants to impact the endgame.
Fujikawa is 32 years old and has notched 220 saves during his time with the Hanshin Tigers. The right-hander has posted a career 1.77 ERA, with 914 strikeouts against 207 walks, the kind of ratio you wont get with Carlos Marmol.
Fujikawa has competed in the World Baseball Classic, as well as the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Marmol was nearly traded to the Angels four weeks agountil the Cubs had concerns about Dan Harens medicals. Assuming Marmol makes it to camp, the Cubs would like to see someone push him.
Whenever you build a bullpen, you want as many guys that have a chance to pitch late in the game as possible, Hoyer said. Carlos had a great second half (1.52 ERA). He struggled in April. He lost the job and to his credit he worked really hard to get it back and pitched really well. If we bring in someone that has closing experienceor a number of guys that have that kind of experiencethats no knock on Carlos.
Every team in baseball wants to have an assortment of guys back there thatif the need arisescan pitch in the ninth inning. Hopefully, we can do that. Our bullpen put too much pressure last year on (Shawn) Camp and Russell and Marmol and we have to avoid that. We need to bring in a really good number of arms to make that goal a reality.
Team president Theo Epstein has said that the Cubs have very narrow fits for possible trades. They will listen to just about anything, and would have no problem moving a short-term asset like Marmol, but they are planning to stockpile core players like Castro, Samardzija and Anthony Rizzo.
We lost 101 games last year, Hoyer said. I dont think were in a position to say we have enough talent or to say that any one player on the rosters untouchable. We certainly have several players that we would have a hard time parting with, and it would take a heck of a package to make it happen.
So far, the Cubs have been largely quiet, signing pitchers Scott Baker and Scott Feldman to one-year deals while continuing to look for possible rotation pieces. But most of the big names are still on the board.
Hoyer talked about the cascading effect once a certain player signs. With the entire industry gathering in the Music City, all it could take is one powerful agent or one bold front office to get everything flowing.
The Cubs wont be setting the market, but they realize they need a veteran outfielder. Brett Jackson is already ticketed for Des Moines. Junior Lake has gone to the outfield in winter ball, and the Cubs think his superior athleticism could play well there, but hes far from a finished product. Albert Almora and Jorge Soler are nice prospects, but they will probably start next season at Class-A Kane County.
It is always a balancing act when you have prospects you like a lot and theyre (that) far away, Hoyer said. You cant really think too much about those guys. You have to think about your team now. The idea of blocking when a guy is in the low minors is kind of ridiculous.
Well look to improve our outfield. We know thats an area we need to improve upon and theres a number of players that well be talking to across the next few weeks.
The Cubs will keep selling their vision for the future, but they still need something for the here and now.