Welcome to the Cubs bandwagon, baseball world. I’ve been here all along, but it’s nice to know that the sports writers across the country are now ready to realize just how good the Cubs could be next season and into the future.
There is plenty of work to be done, though. The starting pitching is weak, the position players are talented but very young and inexperienced, and the free agent market requires a smart mind, rather than a happy trigger finger. Throughout the whole Theo Epstein era, fans have been told that this is a long-term situation and that the Cubs are going to do what it takes to be contenders not for one year, but for many years to come.
Russell Martin just turned the free agency field upside down by forsaking the front-runner Cubs to go for a home-town contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, who were willing to massively overpay for a Canadian star. All of a sudden, a type of panic set in: maybe the Cubs won’t be as much of a player this year in free agency as we thought.
The Cubs did not get into this position as a young, exciting team by making rash decisions and overpaying veterans. As a matter of fact, that’s exactly the situation Theo inherited from a Jim Hendry team that tried to use one free agent signing to fix an overwhelmingly bad team (yes, I’m looking at you Alfonso). I know I’m going to get in trouble for making a Packers reference to Chicago fans, but everyone needs to listen to Aaron Rodgers and “R-E-L-A-X”. One catcher was not the thing standing between the Cubs and a World Series title.
The biggest area where Cubs fans and sports writers are working themselves into a tizzy is with Starlin Castro. The free agent market for shortstops is incredibly thin. The demand is extraordinarily high, though, meaning the Cubs, a team with a stockpile of young middle infielders, could be a huge player. Everyone wants to see Starlin traded for pitching, helping to ease the log-jam, while also adding to the weakest area on the Cubs.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, though, folks. Castro is a three-time all-star, returning to form after having a very rough 2013. He is the longest tenured Cub, and has an incredibly team-friendly contract for the next 5 years. While he is a valuable trade chip, the Cubs just might get more value out of him on the team than they would getting rid of him. Castro has the opportunity to be a leader with Anthony Rizzo, the stable core of an otherwise very inexperienced roster. Even with Javier Baez already in the majors and Addison Russell not far behind, the Cubs would rather have a bird in the hand than two in the farm system (not exactly the saying, but ya know).
Another important piece of the puzzle is the possibility for a long-term outlook. If the Cubs can get a catcher, a stud pitcher, and/or a veteran outfielder, they should be in a pretty good place to get started for 2015. Now, if we were to only get one or two of those pieces, we could very well be in position to make a move at the trade deadline. Then, teams will be all the more desperate for a player like Castro, who could be the difference between a division winner and a October couch surfer. By holding on to Castro, the Cubs have the opportunity to see how he develops, and watch the teams line up, willing to blow good long-term talent for short-term wins.
The future looks bright for the Cubs, and it looks bright for many years to come. While some may be tempted to call for $300 million in free agent signings and four or five big trades this offseason, the Cubs need to stay the course. Patience and scouting got the Cubs to where they are now. It would be a terrible time to change the plan.
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