Cubs Plan To Divest Stock
CHICAGO—The Cubs spent four years building a farm system that helped them reach the top of the heap. Now they plan to use it to acquire what they need to stay there.
“Look, we knew this day was coming,” president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said after the Cubs traded one of this front office’s original core prospects, young slugger Jorge Soler, to get acquire closer Wade Davis at the Winter Meetings.
“One of the reasons we’ve invested heavily in position players in the draft, international markets and trades is because they’re good bets to return value,” he said. “We’ve identified a core of guys we really believe in, who have gotten here and helped us win a championship already.
“And we feel like some of our prospects have a chance to join that core, but other ones we’re going to end up trading. That was part of the plan all along.”
The 2017 Opening Day lineup could include five young position players either acquired as prospects or drafted by the Cubs: first baseman Anthony Rizzo, third baseman Kris Bryant, left fielder Kyle Schwarber, shortstop Addison Russell and center fielder Albert Almora.
But the system hasn’t come close to producing an impact pitcher. Following the 2017 season, Jake Arrieta, John Lackey and Davis could be free agents.
Chicago parted with top prospect Gleyber Torres in July when they traded him to the Yankees for Aroldis Chapman. Prospects such as outfielder Eloy Jimenez and 2015 first-rounder Ian Happ could be on deck.
“You can’t necessarily develop all your position players and all your pitchers both homegrown,” Epstein said. “And the plan all along was to take some of the position players and turn them into pitchers . . .
“Over the next couple of years, we’ll certainly make more trades where we say goodbye to some position players who are hard to part with but bring us the pitching we need.”
CUBBYHOLE
• Ben Carhart, a catcher and first baseman who was part of Epstein’s first Cubs draft class in 2012, has retired and will become rehab coach in the Rookie-level Arizona League.
• Former big leaguers Desi Wilson and Mariano Duncan move up from Double-A and high Class A hitting coach jobs, respectively, to share Triple-A Iowa hitting coach duties.
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