Results tagged ‘ Theo Epstein ’
6/13 Dempster, Theo chat
Ryan Dempster, the subject of trade talks, had a long chat with Theo Epstein, Cubs president of baseball operations, in the stands at Wrigley Field prior to Wednesday’s game. The topic? Dempster told MLB.com they were talking about an upcoming fundraiser Epstein is involved in. But the two could have discussed Dempster’s future as the Trade Deadline approaches. The right-hander ranks third in the National League with a 2.31 ERA but is just 2-3 in his 11 starts. He has said he’s willing to waive his no-trade rights if the Cubs want to trade him to better the ballclub. Dale Sveum said he knows talks will intensify as the July 31 deadline approaches.
“It’s going to come up — that’s the way it is,” Sveum said. “The players know that. You talk to them individually and some guys maybe haven’t had their name out there before and all of a sudden it’s out there. Sometimes it’s a distraction to players, some understand it happens every year.”
– Carrie Muskat
6/12 Trade deadline approaching
Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer now shift their focus from the Draft to the upcoming July 31 Trade Deadline.
“It’s true that once the Draft is over with, there seems to be more of a focus on the trade market,” Epstein said Tuesday. “There are more phone calls being made now than 10 days ago. Certainly, that’s something we’ll evaluate. We’re in a position where any opportunity to get better, any opportunity to improve our future is something we have to take seriously, even if it means making difficult decisions about the product that we’re putting on the field right now. We’ll evaluate those things. That said, there are 25 guys in there working really hard and preparing hard to win each night.”
There are reports that the Dodgers are interested in Ryan Dempster, and other teams have been scouting Matt Garza, who will start Wednesday against the Tigers. Epstein said they will explore all options, with the goal being to build a solid foundation.
– Carrie Muskat
6/12 No comment re: Soler
Theo Epstein said he can’t comment on reports that Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler has agreed to terms with the Cubs. There were reports on Monday that Soler had agreed to a nine-year, $30 million contract.
“I saw those reports,” Epstein said. ”I can’t really address anything until it’s official, and in this case, there’s usually a process where there’s an agreement and a term sheet and then there’s a immigration process in getting visas and then there’s a physical and once the physical is done, the signing can be official.”
The process could take about a week.
– Carrie Muskat
5/8 Theo: “Good things are happening”
After a rough 3-11 start, the Cubs are 9-6 in their last 15 games and Theo Epstein sees some good trends.
“There have been some really good things happening,” said Epstein, the Cubs president of baseball operations. “It’s baseball, so you don’t get too high when things are going well or too low when they’re not. The effort has been there all year and we’ve been playing hard and trying to play the game the right way. It’s hard to see sometimes when you’re losing close games and when breaks are going against you like they were early but everyone can appreciate it when the results come with it as they have lately.”
Cubs pitchers have compiled a 2.64 ERA in the last 15 games, fourth best mark in the Major Leagues in that stretch, and the team was batting .262, which ranks seventh in the National League. Looking for positives? Third baseman Ian Stewart, for example, was batting .381 in his last seven games to raise his average from .160 to .208. Geovany Soto was batting .167 overall but was 5-for-17 in his last five games. Ryan Dempster entered Tuesday’s game with a 0.95 ERA yet has not won in four starts.
“I think Stewart and Soto both have been hitting into tough luck all year and it’s starting to turn for both of them,” Epstein said Tuesday. “They’ve really been having quality at-bats for weeks and now balls are starting to fall for them or being driven out of the ballpark, which is a way to take care of your own luck sometimes. ‘Demp’ has been as good as anybody. The won-loss record is out of your control sometimes but he’s done a great job for us every time he’s taken the ball.”
– Carrie Muskat
5/8 Sing along with Len, Bob, Theo, Billy Corgan
Tickets go on sale Saturday for the June 14 Hot Stove Cool Music concert at Metro in Chicago featuring Cubs fan Billy Corgan’s group, Smashing Pumpkins, plus the Figgs, Jenny Dee and the Deelinquents, members of Buffalo Tom and the Hot Stove All-Stars. Theo Epstein, Cubs president of baseball operations, is scheduled to perform as well along with Cubs broadcasters Len Kasper and Bob Brenly. Proceeds will support Cubs Charities and the “Foundation to be Named Later Serving Disadvantaged Youth.” Epstein and his brother, Paul, run the foundation.
– Carrie Muskat
4/19 Theo toasts Fenway
Theo Epstein will be skipping the Fenway Park celebration on Friday, celebrating the ballpark’s 100th anniversary. Instead, the Cubs president of baseball operations will be at Wrigley Field, the second oldest Major League ballpark, to watch the Cubs play the Reds.
“I hope tomorrow is a great day for Red Sox fans and for the whole organization,” Epstein said Thursday. “I have plans to be at the Cubs game tomorrow, but I will take a moment to toast Fenway along with everyone else who loves that ballpark.”
– Carrie Muskat
4/19 Theo: Look at the big picture
Theo Epstein, in Miami after scouting some players for the upcoming Draft, said fans need to look at the big picture rather than panic over the Cubs slow start.
“You never want to start off poorly,” Epstein said Thursday. “There are a lot of things we can improve upon and we will, but you also don’t want to read too much into one homestand and one road trip. Certainly, it crystalized some areas that we need to ascribe to be better.”
The Cubs have been lacking in terms of slugging percentage — Alfonso Soriano, for example, does not have an extra base hit — and also speed.
“Every team has stretches where they don’t hit and we’re in one of them,” Epstein said. “We have certain guys with offensive upside and it’s a continual process to have those guys reach that upside and start swinging the bat better and the way you score runs is by getting guys on base and swinging the bat well as the same time. We don’t have that right now.”
Dale Sveum hinted he may alter the lineup for Thursday’s series finale against the Marlins but did not. Brett Jackson and Anthony Rizzo are doing well at Triple-A Iowa. Any chance those two kids will join the big league team?
“Those guys are continuing their development at Triple-A and there are things they’re working on to continue to improve,” Epstein said. “We’re also not giving up on guys after a homestand and a road trip. Guys need time to get into a rhythm of the season and show what they can do. Baseball is best understood from bigger samples and from a distance sometimes. N0 one wants to get off to this kind of start and the lineup isn’t performing well but it’s a little early to be thinking about those kind of moves, specifically with your better prospects.”
What Epstein and the Cubs are looking at is the big picture, not short-term.
“[We look at] what will help us maximize our competitiveness in 2012 and the bigger picture is how do we build a championship caliber organization,” Epstein said. “That’s a longer term issue. When those two interests butt up against each other, we’ll defer to the long-term. There are things we can do, smaller moves we can make and probably will make over the course of the season to try to put together a club that can be more competitive. We’re also looking out for the best long-term interests of the organization.”
– Carrie Muskat
4/7 Garza to start Game 2
Matt Garza is animated, doesn’t hide his emotions and every day he’s not pitching, he’s on the top step of the dugout, cheering on his teammates. Theo Epstein, Cubs president of baseball operations, has noticed.
“He’s impressive,” Epstein said about Garza. “He’s a smarter guy than you’d think from across the field. I don’t mean that the wrong way. You watch him and how energetic and extroverted and fidgety he can be looking at him from across the field and you get an impression about him that maybe he’s not always thinking things through and the reality is he has a method to his madness.
“He knows himself really well and he understands the game really well,” Epstein said. “He knows how to prepare. I think there’s a lot more going on upstairs than some people give him credit for. He’s a really good teammate and a really good loyal member of the organization and someone who respects the game and the people of the game quite well. He cares a lot about winning. I’ve been impressed just getting to know him a little better and being around him more.”
On Saturday, Garza will make his first start for the Cubs as they take on the Nationals in Game 2 of the three-game series. The right-hander did make a bold move this year, taking over Carlos Zambrano’s locker space in the clubhouse. It seems appropriate.
“He walks a fine line,” Epstein said of Garza. “He can be in control or out of control. it works for him emotionally.”
– Carrie Muskat
4/5 Theo: Opening Day is like a holiday
Theo Epstein is well aware he’s been the focus this offseason. On Opening Day, he said, it should shift to the Cubs.
“That’s nice and a complement but I’m realistic to know if that’s the case, it’s because I’m a symbol,” said Epstein, the Cubs president of baseball operations, who took over the team last October. “It’s not me. There are dozens and dozens and dozens of people — the players first and foremost — who working extremely hard trying to push the organization forward.”
He included the Cubs ownership, manager Dale Sveum and the rest of the baseball operations staff.
“I’m one small person in a very big machine,” Epstein said. “Not only have I not done anything yet but I’m a small part of it.”
Opening Day is the perfect start.
“It’s a special day, one of the best days of the year and the feeling of renewal is amplified every time you’re with a new team,” Epstein said.
“Opening Day is the one day of the year that doesn’t feel like any other days,” Epstein said. “I really cherish the second day of the year because that’s when the baseball rhythms kick in, you see the people at the park who will be with you the whole year and you get into your routine. That’s when it feels like baseball. Opening Day feels like a holiday. That second day of the year is when it all kicks in.”
There are some who feel Epstein is powerful enough to have made the ivy on the outfield walls bloom in time for the season opener between the Cubs and Nationals. Actually, it’s because of the early summer-like weather in Chicago in March.
“I was telling someone last night, I hope that’s a good omen,” Epstein said of the ivy. “We’ll take it as a sign of good things to come.”
The red, white and blue bunting may be on the ballpark and optimism is high but there’s still work to do.
“Maybe this completes the transition phase for me personally coming to new surroundings,” said Epstein, who was with the Red Sox from November 2002 until he joined the Cubs. “But it’s just another day. Nothing stops on Opening Day as far as we’re concerned. We need to do something every day to better the organization.
“The best time for reflection is the morning after sipping champagne when you win a World Series,” he said. “Until then, you keep plodding forward and try not to look back too much.”
– Carrie Muskat
3/29 Cubs complete Theo comp
The Red Sox sent 19-year-old first baseman Jair Bogaerts to the Cubs to complete the compensation deal for Theo Epstein. Bogaerts has played the last two seasons in the Dominican Summer League. He’s a right-handed hitter.
The Cubs sent pitcher Chris Carpenter to Boston earlier, but Carpenter is headed for surgery on his right elbow to remove bone spurs.
“It’s certainly something we had no knowledge of,” Cubs GM Jed Hoyer said Thursday. “I don’t think he had any elbow issues for the last two years. It’s unexpected and unfortunate.
“It’s obviously something you never want to happen,” Hoyer said. “With any trade, you want both sides to feel good. It’s not a great thing to have happen both for Chris or the Red Sox.”
– Carrie Muskat
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