January 19, 2016

Daily Herald, 'Winning mode' won't change Chicago Cubs' plans to stockpile talent http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20160117/sports/160119005/

Daily Herald, Safety takes center stage for Cubs at convention http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20160116/sports/160119070/

Daily Herald, Winning leads to popularity for Ricketts family http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20160116/sports/160119080/

Daily Herald, Chicago Cubs, Arrieta far apart on salary http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20160115/sports/160119169/

Daily Herald, Rozner: Cubs' Epstein saving for rainy day http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20160116/sports/160119096/

Cubs.com, Edwards grateful to witness Cubs' 2015 run http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/162156078/cubs-carl-edwards-on-witnessing-2015-playoffs

Cubs.com, New Cubs already a hit with fans http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/162105718/new-cubs-like-heyward-already-a-hit-with-fans

Cubs.com, Cubs-Cards now 'a rivalry in more than name alone' http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/162192230/cubs-cards-rivalry-heats-up-for-2016

Cubs.com, Neither side backing down in Cubs vs. Cards http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/162242892/cardinals-cubs-rivalry-heats-up-entering-2016

Cubs.com, New safety measures focus of Wrigley talk http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/162113896/cubs-have-new-safety-measures-at-wrigley-field

Cubs.com, Adding ex-Cards not intentional, but not lost on Cubs http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/162111990/cubs-reflect-on-signing-former-cardinals

Cubs.com, Epstein carries out Ricketts' vision in Chicago http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/162102284/theo-epstein-owner-change-cubs-narrative

Cubs.com, What a difference a year makes for Maddon http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/162110272/joe-maddon-a-star-in-second-year-at-cubs-helm

Cubs.com, Back with Cubs, Sandberg embraces return 'home' http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/162103380/ryne-sandberg-embraces-return-home-to-cubs

Cubs.com, 2015 rookies bond with fans at Cubs Convention http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/162116358/cubs-fans-embrace-2015-rookies-at-convention

Cubs.com, 'Comfort' the keyword of 31st Cubs Convention http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/162070176/31st-cubs-convention-is-under-way

Cubs.com, Contract extension not a priority for Theo http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/162088562/theo-epstein-not-concerned-about-contract

Cubs.com, Arrieta headed to arb after Cubs sign 6 http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/162030514/jake-arrieta-cubs-headed-to-arbitration

Cubs.com, Dempster opens Cubs Convention with laughs http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/162086898/ryan-dempster-tells-jokes-at-cubs-convention

Cubs.com, Cubs have all the signs of a juggernaut http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/162071256/cubs-in-position-to-dominate-over-long-term

Cubs.com, Versatile Baez embracing switch to CF http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/162076236/javier-baez-embracing-switch-to-center-field

ESPNChicago.com, Love, tears and other observations from 2016 Cubs convention http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/36238/love-tears-and-other-observations-from-16-cubs-convention

ESPNChicago.com, New Cub Adam Warren: In the right place at right time http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/36233/new-cub-adam-warren-out-to-make-a-name-for-himself

ESPNChicago.com, Rookie season behind him, Cubs' Addison Russell ready for more http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/36224/cubs-addison-russell-ready-for-more

ESPNChicago.com, Cubs eliminate 3:05 p.m. Friday games for 2016 http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/36218/cubs-eliminate-305-pm-friday-games-for-2016

ESPNChicago.com, Cubs executive: TV network still the plan; in-market streaming is coming http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/36214/cubs-executive-tv-network-still-the-plan-in-market-streaming-is-coming

ESPNChicago.com, Cubs to increase security around Wrigley Field in 2016 http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/36209/cubs-to-increase-security-around-wrigley-field-in-2016

ESPNChicago.com, Buzz for 2016 already high as Cubs fan fest kicks off http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/36197/buzz-for-2016-already-high-as-fan-fest-kicks-off

ESPNChicago.com, Cubs 'surprised' by former C Taylor Teagarden's PED admission http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/36190/cubs-surprised-by-former-c-taylor-teagarden-admission

ESPNChicago.com, Jake Arrieta, Cubs believe deal will get done despite salary gap http://espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/story/_/id/14579447/jake-arrieta-chicago-cubs-55-million-apart-salary-negotiations

ESPNChicago.com, Cubs settle with six, but not Jake Arrieta http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/36179/cubs-settle-with-five-but-not-jake-arrieta

CSNChicago.com, Cubs called their shot with Jason Heyward signing http://www.csnchicago.com/cubs/cubs-called-their-shot-jason-heyward-signing

CSNChicago.com, Cubs still in position to make the big trade when they need it http://www.csnchicago.com/cubs/cubs-still-position-make-big-trade-when-they-need-it

CSNChicago.com, 'Try not to suck': Javier Baez takes his swag to center field with Cubs http://www.csnchicago.com/cubs/try-not-suck-javier-baez-takes-his-swag-center-field-cubs

CSNChicago.com, Cubs still planning to launch TV network (but not expecting Dodger megadeal) http://www.csnchicago.com/cubs/cubs-still-planning-launch-tv-network-not-expecting-dodger-megadeal

CSNChicago.com, Cubs owner: 'Mets fans are really, really obnoxious' http://www.csnchicago.com/cubs/cubs-owner-mets-fans-are-really-really-obnoxious

CSNChicago.com, Cubs strengthening security at Wrigley Field after Paris attacks http://www.csnchicago.com/cubs/cubs-strengthening-security-wrigley-field-after-paris-attacks

CSNChicago.com, Theo Epstein on DH in National League: 'We can't count on it' http://www.csnchicago.com/cubs/theo-epstein-dh-national-league-we-cant-count-it

CSNChicago.com, Next big Cubs free agent? Theo Epstein calls contract status a nonissue http://www.csnchicago.com/cubs/next-big-cubs-free-agent-theo-epstein-calls-contract-status-nonissue

CSNChicago.com, Cubs: Jason Heyward takes the high road in war of words with Cardinals http://www.csnchicago.com/cubs/jason-heyward-takes-high-road-war-words-cardinals

CSNChicago.com, Cubs and Jake Arrieta still need to make a deal http://www.csnchicago.com/cubs/cubs-and-jake-arrieta-still-need-make-deal

Chicago Tribune, Cubs have insurance policies to guard against pitching injuries http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-expectations-for-pitching-spt-0118-20160117-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Jason McLeod tempers hype on Cubs' international prospects http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-jason-mcleod-tempers-talk-20160118-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Cubs believe Albert Almora finally is ready to turn the corner http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-albert-almora-turning-corner-cubs-spt-0118-20160117-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Cubs planning more security at Wrigley Field and environs for 2016 http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-increased-security-wrigley-field-cubs-spt-0117-20160116-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Todd Ricketts reveals how he and his wife really dislike Mets http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-todd-ricketts-wife-mets-cubs-spt-0117-20160116-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Cubs need to plan TV network long before they could begin own broadcasts http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-tv-network-bits-convention-spt-0117-20160116-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Sammy Sosa reunion remains on Cubs' back burner http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-sammy-sosa-remains-away-20160116-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Metal detectors part of new safety measures at Wrigley Field http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-seek-better-fan-safety-20160116-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Cubs' Jason Heyward happy discontented Cardinals will miss him http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-jason-heyward-cubs-cardinals-spt-0116-20160115-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Cubs newcomer John Lackey relishes 'chance to make history' http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-john-lackey-cubs-convention-spt-0116-20160115-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Jake Arrieta and Cubs far apart on arbitration figures but not worried http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-jake-arrieta-arbitration-bits-cubs-spt-0116-20160115-story.html

Chicago Tribune, No big moves expected soon for Cubs http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-theo-epstein-likes-cubs-roster-20160115-story.html

Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs newcomer Jason Heyward: Cardinal critics entitled to opinions http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/7/71/1259524/cubs-newcomer-jason-heyward-cardinal-critics-entitled-opinions

Chicago Sun-Times, Cards’ GM says momentum shifting for DH in NL; Cubs could benefit most http://chicago.suntimes.com/baseball/7/71/1259498/cards-gm-says-momentum-shifting-dh-nl-cubs-benefit

Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs’ foundation in place, sustained success up to biz prez Crane Kenney http://chicago.suntimes.com/baseball/7/71/1259458/cubs-foundation-place-sustained-success-biz-prez-crane-kenney

Chicago Sun-Times, Kris Bryant: Grievance vs. Cubs about ‘supporting the players after me’ http://chicago.suntimes.com/baseball/7/71/1256790/kris-bryant-grievance-vs-cubs-supporting-players

Chicago Sun-Times, Jake Arrieta to make history in arbitration? ‘Well, I did during the season so why not continue that?’ http://chicago.suntimes.com/baseball/7/71/1256711/jake-arrieta-make-history-arbitration-well-season-continue

Chicago Sun-Times, Joe Maddon gets his 1:20 Friday starts and other Cubs Convention notes http://chicago.suntimes.com/baseball/7/71/1258189/joe-maddon-gets-120-friday-starts-cubs-convention-notes

Chicago Sun-Times, If past echoes, future beckons as John Lackey seeks 3rd title with 3rd team http://chicago.suntimes.com/baseball/7/71/1258066/past-echoes-future-beckons-john-lackey-seeks-3rd-title-3rd-team

Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs seek shutdown of Clark, Addison on game days, add metal detectors for security http://chicago.suntimes.com/baseball/7/71/1257915/cubs-seek-shutdown-clark-addison-game-days-add-metal-detectors-security

Chicago Sun-Times, Lame-duck Theo plans to finish player contracts before focusing on his own http://chicago.suntimes.com/baseball/7/71/1256805/lame-duck-theo-plans-finish-player-contracts-focusing

-- Daily Herald 'Winning mode' won't change Chicago Cubs' plans to stockpile talent By Bruce Miles The Chicago Cubs clearly have entered Phase 2 of the Theo Epstein era. Last year's 97-win season and appearance in the National League championship series signaled that the Cubs had emerged from their painful rebuild and now are expected to contend year in and year out. That was Epstein's mantra all along as president of baseball operations: build from within for "sustained success." All of the losing in the early Epstein seasons enabled the Cubs to stockpile high draft picks. Those high draft picks won't be there anymore, but Epstein said over the weekend at the Cubs convention that the commitment to young players is still there and still strong. It's just going to be more challenging and will require good scouting to get those good young players with lower draft picks. With Kris Bryant, Addison Russell and Kyle Schwarber now in the big leagues, the Cubs' ranking among farm systems may drop down a few notches from at or near No. 1. "I think we're pretty good still," Epstein said during the convention's baseball-managment session. "I'd say we're probably going to end up in that fifth-through-seventh range. "When you consider the prospects that we've graduated, most of our farm system is playing third base for the Cubs, shortstop for the Cubs, right field for the Cubs, left field for the Cubs. "I think we're still going to have a very good farm system. The important thing is now that we're transitioning into this winning mode at the big-league level, I promise you we will not abandon the pursuit of elite young talent. It's fundamental to what we do." TV deal on the horizon: The Wrigley Field renovations, coupled with a winning team in 2015, are helping the Cubs increase revenue streams. The next big step will be a new TV setup, but that won't come until 2020, after the current deals with Comcast on cable and WGN and WLS for over-the-air expire. It's difficult to say what a new deal will look like and how much money will be involved, but the Cubs say they remain committed to building a Cubs channel. "I can't predict what's going to happen in the next 3-4 years," said Crane Kenney, the Cubs' president of business operations. "One thing we can control is launching our own network. We're focused 100 percent on that. As we have conversations, which are ongoing with all sorts of partners, if somebody offers us something dramatically better, we'll of course look at it. "But at the moment, what we control is the idea of launching our own network in 2019 … We love the trajectory of sports rights. If you look at any of the recent deals that were done, they're still going up. We watch with a very wary eye what's going on in the cable universe.

"You'd have to be a fool not to pay attention." He's seen it before: The Cubs convention can be an intimidating experience for even the most seasoned of players or managers, with thousands of fans packed into a hotel. Recently acquired pitcher John Lackey didn't seem fazed, though. "I played for the Red Sox," he said. "They take their baseball pretty seriously there, too." -- Daily Herald Safety takes center stage for Cubs at convention By Bruce Miles Fan safety and security were two big topics Saturday at the Cubs convention. Crane Kenney, the team's president of business operations, said fans entering Wrigley Field this season would be subject to increased security checks. There also will be more netting in front of the stands to protect spectators from foul balls and bats, or pieces of broken bats, that fly into the stands. "I was on the air this morning, and I mentioned there is an owners meeting on Coral Gables next week," Kenney told fans during a session Saturday. "I never really thought that I'd see on the agenda that we're going to be briefed by the director of Homeland Security at a baseball owners meeting, but we are. "Maybe that says something about the times we live in, which is a sad thing. We take the security issue really seriously. We're going to install magnetometers for the first time at Wrigley Field. When you come to the ballpark, we are going to have to take you through metal detectors, no different from the office buildings and airlines and most of the arenas you probably go to today. "We are going to do everything we can to protect you, our fans, our players and the neighborhood, so magnetometers are something you'll see." Kenney also said the Cubs are working with the city to gain control of the perimeter around the park to 100 feet in every direction. That would shut down two busy streets, Clark and Addison, to all but emergency traffic during games. Inside the park, the Cubs will extend the protective netting (that's behind the home plate now) to the home-plate-side edge of both team dugouts. "We need to protect seats that are 70 feet from home plate," Kenney said. "The height of the nets will be dictated by where your seat is. Obviously, we can take the next lower as we move further away from where the existing nets are." Those 3:05 start times: Bowing to the wishes of the baseball people, the Cubs will schedule only two 3:05 p.m. games this season. The later starts were used extensively on Fridays and Saturdays last year, but field manager Joe Maddon talked often of wanting more consistent start times. All Friday home games will begin at 1:20 p.m., the customary start for day games. The two 3:05 p.m. starts will be on Saturdays: May 7 and Sept. 17. All other Saturday games, except for night games taken by the TV networks, are scheduled for 1:20.

Kenney said the Cubs had heard from fans that they like the 3:05 starts because it allowed them to put in most of a work day before leaving for the ballgame. "Our No. 1 goal is winning games," he said. "When Joe said, in his view, consistency of scheduling would help us win games, it became easy, not easy to tell fans we're not giving you what you want, but what they ultimately want is winning. So it's a trade-off." Clubhouse on schedule: The Cubs say the new clubhouse will be ready by Opening Day. The clubhouse will be the second-largest in the major leagues. The old clubhouse has been "gutted," according to the Cubs, so it's imperative for the new facility to be ready by Opening Day. Saying it ain't Sosa: Each year, the question of former Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa possibly attending the convention comes up. Sosa, who was traded in early 2005 after walking out on the team on the final day of the 2004 season, has not been to a Cubs convention since. The suspicion of Sosa using performance-enhancing drugs also seems to be playing a role in the Cubs not inviting Sosa. It also must be noted that Sosa was not a big fan of attending the convention when he was a player. The mention of Sosa coming back was met with mixed reaction from fans Saturday. "Obviously, I cheered for Sammy," said team chairman Tom Ricketts. "I appreciated him as a great player, a great Cub. Certainly, he was an important person in the history of this franchise. But nothing's really changed from the way I feel about this or we feel about this. "At some point, some things will happen that will allow us to welcome Sammy back, and I look forward to that day. Until then, I really don't have much more to add." -- Daily Herald Winning leads to popularity for Ricketts family By Bruce Miles Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts posed for selfie after selfie with Cubs fans following Saturday morning's ownership session at the team's annual convention. There's been quite a change in atmosphere at the convention. A 97-win season and an appearance in the National League championship series will do that. It's gotten to the point where Ricketts and his family are starting to rival Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz for popularity. Who'd have thought? "Well, if I could copy Rocky, I'd be pretty happy," said Ricketts, who chaired a panel discussion that included board members and siblings Laura and Todd Ricketts. "I think that people have always been pretty supportive. We've never had any real drama at conventions, but obviously, everyone sees what's happening, and a great young team and a great future, and everyone's pretty excited."

Many of the fans who asked questions during the session prefaced them with a "thank you" or three for the Ricketts family. Just a couple of years ago, many of those same fans were asking: "When are things going to get better?" In one key way, this is all a rather recent development in the history of the convention. Before the Ricketts family bought the Cubs from the Tribune Co. in 2009, there was one person -- a Mr. Tribune or Ms. Tribune -- whom the fans could direct their brickbats or bouquets. So the Ricketts had to hear about it after the poor seasons in 2010 and 2011 under the previous baseball-management team and after the "rebuilding years" of 2012-14 under current team president Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer. I started thinking about this after a fan during the following session asked Epstein about the differences between his running the Boston Red Sox and the early days of running the Cubs. There are some fans who weren't happy the Cubs put them through the suffering while rebuilding. Epstein insisted the way the Cubs have done it was the only way it could be done, that is, rebuilding the farm system with the high draft choices that came with losing at the major-league level. "I think the biggest difference, in my personal experience in Boston, I took over after the 2003 season, and as we looked to put the 2003 and 2004 teams together, there was already an elite core in place," Epstein said. "You had Manny Ramirez, Jason Varitek, Nomar Garciaparra, Pedro Martinez. What was needed in Boston was turning over the whole second half of the roster. "With the Cubs, I think one of the things we had to do was take an honest look at what was in the organization when we got here (in the fall of 2011). A lot people always ask us, 'We like what you've done, but couldn't you have done it quicker? Couldn't you have tried to compete more while you were rebuilding?'" There is no doubt some validity to those questions. Epstein remained firm in his conviction that the Cubs did it the right way, given the circumstances. "I honestly think, looking back, that this was the only choice we had to get to this point," he said. "There wasn't enough talent on the major-league roster. There weren't enough resources. There wasn't enough coming in the minor league system. So the biggest difference is that here, we had to be really single-minded over a three-year period about just acquiring young talent to build to the point we got to in 2015. "We're really sorry we put you guys through that. We appreciate the incredible patience that you showed. That was really the most rewarding part for us last year, getting to October, seeing the smiles on your faces because you had to live through it for three years." -- Daily Herald Chicago Cubs, Arrieta far apart on salary By Bruce Miles The annual Cubs convention is always the feel-good hit of the winter. So it was Friday, when fans began filling every corner and hallway of the Sheraton Grand Chicago hours before the evening's opening ceremonies. There was one bit of cold winter water thrown on the proceedings, however. The Cubs managed to reach contract agreements with six of their seven arbitration-eligible players. They did not do so with a seventh. and he's biggie: ace pitcher Jake Arrieta.

Speaking of big, the gap between Arrieta and the Cubs is just that. The team is offering the Cy Young Award winner $7.5 million while Arrieta and agent Scott Boras have come in at $13 million. Arrieta went 22-6 with a 1.77 ERA last season. "It's not going to be $7.5 (million)," Arrieta said before the opening ceremonies. "We're far apart. But that's kind of how these things go. This happens a lot. They have their number. We have ours. We like our case. But at the end of the day, something will get worked out. It doesn't take away from what the goal is, and that's to get ready for spring and ultimately to be ready to start our season." Neither side appears to be taking things personally. Team president Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer do not like to go to arbitration hearings -- where an arbitrator must pick one figure or the other -- so it's conceivable the two sides could meet exactly in the middle, at $10.25 million. "We have nothing but good things to say about him," Epstein said. "His performance last year and as a Cub speaks for itself. He'll be deservedly rewarded by the system, and we look forward to making it happen, preferably as a settlement. "If we go to a hearing, we go to a hearing. We wouldn't go in and pick holes in Jake Arrieta's performance, that's for sure. We think he had a historic season. We think he deserves a huge raise, and we're really proud of him." Nothing new on Theo: There was no announcement on a contract extension for Epstein, who is entering the final season of his five-year contract. The way Epstein put it, first things first. "Status quo," he said. "We're completely on the same page. We just haven't gotten around to hammering out an actual contract. But, again, I only really think about it when you guys ask. I see myself staying in the exact same role for a long time. I think Tom (chairman Ricketts) sees it the same way. At some point, we'll get around to doing a contract extension, but I think players deserve contracts first, before front-office guys. "Jake probably deserves a contract before I do. I know he deserves a contract before I do, so we'll take care of that first." Scary good Cubs: Pitcher Jon Lester was the Cubs' big free-agent signing last winter, getting six years and $155 million. This winter, the Cubs handed an eight-year, $184 million deal to outfielder Jason Heyward. They also acquired pitcher John Lackey and infielder Ben Zobrist. Lester said he knows expectations will be high this year after the Cubs won 97 games last year and advanced to the National League championship series, in which they were swept in four games by the Mets. "The scary part for everybody now is we know how good we can be," Lester said. "I think we were all a little disappointed and obviously happy about what happened last year. That's a good thing. We want to be disappointed. We want to be disappointed. We don't' want to be complacent of where we got. That shows an attitude of these guys and how committed they are to trying to win. These young guys got a taste of what it's like, and they got a taste of what the disappointment is like." Back in the fold: The Cubs agreed to 2016 contracts with six arbitration-eligible players. Pitcher Travis Wood gets $6.17 million. Others with deals are closer Hector Rondon ($4.2 million), reliever Pedro Strop ($4.4 million), reliever Justin Grimm ($1.275 million), pitcher Adam Warren ($1.7 million) and outfielder Chris Coghlan ($4.8 million).

-- Daily Herald Rozner: Cubs' Epstein saving for rainy day By Barry Rozner Theo Epstein knows what you're thinking. At least, he knew what I was thinking when I suggested it must be tempting to use the next month to improve the Cubs' 2016 roster. After all, they have the chips to deal, and they could add another starter, bullpen arm and center fielder. These are all moves the Cubs could make before they even pack the truck for Arizona, but Epstein is not looking -- right now -- to create the perfect team. "I've made that mistake in the past," Epstein said during a quiet moment at the Cubs Convention, referring to his time in Boston. "There's a real tendency to try to build an uber-team, and you can actually mess things up by trying to do that. "You think you have to address every single spot, you need double-redundancy, need a star player everywhere. You do that and you end up putting yourself in a bind, because you spend all your resources. "You become inflexible, you can't adjust midstream and there becomes kind of a hubris associated with the team at that point. "I prefer to build a really good team that we believe in going forward with flexibility and with certain guys challenged in certain roles, and see what comes of it." So the Cubs will head to the desert with a team that won 97 games and got better during the winter. They held onto all their best prospects and improved the offense, the defense, the outfield, the infield, the rotation and the bullpen. Seems like a pretty decent off-season for a team favored to win the World Series for the first time since Moses was in short pants, but that doesn't mean Epstein will rest easy at night once spring training begins. "It's baseball. It's life. So you know things are going to go wrong," said the Cubs president. "You just hope that the right things go wrong. It sounds funny, but you hope that if something goes wrong, the right things go wrong where you're in a position to address them and bounce back. "You hope that the depth we've built up will save us when key players get hurt or when things don't go our way. That's what you spend your time thinking about. "Like, OK, what happens when we lose a starting pitcher? What happens when we lose two? What happens when we lose three? What happens when we lose an outfielder? What happens when we lose all three? "You have to figure all that out. Who's your eighth starter? Who's your ninth starter? Who's the second outfielder to get called up from the minors?" If Epstein sounds frightened, he's not, but he'd be negligent if he didn't attempt to prepare a championship-caliber team for the disasters that can take down a team before Memorial Day. "We know we're gonna have to deal with that stuff during the course of the year," Epstein said. "One thing I don't worry about is how this club will handle -- psychologically -- being the favorite and having a target on its back.

"They're so connected with each other and so happy to be back together. They love it. They embrace that challenge. That's one thing that doesn't keep me up at night." Rather than deal right now for a defensive specialist in center so they can move Jason Heyward to right, or help at the back end of the bullpen or rotation, Epstein will save his chips and a few dollars for the summer and the unforeseen. "Part of the calculus is knowing that we'll need something significant, but also understanding we're not smart enough to know right now exactly what that will be," Epstein said. "So we need to see how our pitching shows up this year, see how healthy they stay, see how guys adjust to certain roles in the outfield. "We think we'll have the resources to address what may pop up during the course of the year, but we're not smart enough to know exactly what those will be." The truth is Heyward is a better right fielder than he is a center fielder. And the bullpen arms were taxed last summer. And the rotation could suffer injuries. And so on, and so on. There are no perfect teams and there are concerns. You're not telling Epstein something he doesn't know. But relative to the rest of the National League, the Cubs appear to be in very good shape. "I think the bullpen is really good. I think those guys were really good last year and I think they'll be really good this year," Epstein said. "If not, we'll have to make some adjustments like 20 other teams trying to adjust the bullpen midstream. But I like our guys. I think they're really underrated." As for right field, many see Jorge Soler as a powerful chip that could bring a big return, as is the case with Javy Baez. But to listen to Epstein and Joe Maddon, you get the distinct impression they have zero interest in moving either player. Of course, when the games begin there are always surprises and there are always injuries, which can change a team's approach to a season and to individual players. But at least for the next month, Theo Epstein intends to sleep rather well. -- Cubs.com Edwards grateful to witness Cubs' 2015 run By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- Carl Edwards Jr. was with the Cubs for the entire 2015 postseason, but he never pitched an inning. Instead, he had the opportunity to see what it was like to play October baseball, and the experience was priceless. "The crazy thing is, nothing changed," Edwards said of the Cubs' players approach during the postseason. "Nobody put pressure on themselves. It was the same baseball from when I first got called up." Edwards, 24, who spent the 2015 season making the adjustment from starter to reliever, did appear in five September games after he was promoted from Triple-A Iowa. In October, the right-hander, ranked No. 3 on MLBPipeline.com's list of Top 30 Cubs prospects, then became a cheerleader. "The whole playoff atmosphere was mind blowing," Edwards said Sunday. "It was to the point where every day, I'd walk out and just look around, and say, 'Wow, there's a lot of people. There's a lot on the table right now.' It was exiting to be there." Minors matters

• As of now, the Cubs won't have a pick in the First-Year Player Draft until No. 104. That's quite a difference from the last five years, when they've had a selection among the first 10. "It's very nice to not pick in the top five," said Jason McLeod, the Cubs' director of scouting and player development. The Cubs lost their 2016 first- and second-round selections after signing free agents Jason Heyward and John Lackey, who both received qualifying offers from the Cardinals. St. Louis, on the other hand, will have the 25th, 32nd and 33rd picks. The Cubs would get a higher pick if another team signs free agent Dexter Fowler, who received a qualifying offer from Chicago. This week, the Cubs will conduct the scouting session of their organizational meetings as all the amateur scouts gather in Chicago to discuss their strategy for the June Draft. "It doesn't change the way we go out and evaluate and the way we work," McLeod said Sunday during a question-and-answer session at the Cubs Convention. "For us, the process remains the same." McLeod remembers his first Draft in 2004 with the Red Sox, and their first pick that year was the 65th player overall. It worked out pretty well. They selected shortstop Dustin Pedroia, who went on to win American League Rookie of the Year Award (2007), AL MVP Award 9'08) and be selected to four All-Star Games. "Good things can happen if you stick to your process," McLeod said. • Jaron Madison, director of player development, projected shortstop Gleyber Torres, the Cubs' top prospect on MLB.com's list of top 30, will open the 2016 season at Class A Advanced Myrtle Beach, while outfielder Eloy Jimenez, ranked 14th, will begin the year at Class A South Bend. This week, Cubs infield coordinator Jose Flores will go to Florida to work with Ian Happ, the Cubs' 2015 first-round Draft pick, who is making the switch from the outfield to the infield. The early sessions are designed to speed up the process before Spring Training. "He's committed to being a second baseman, and we're committed to it," Madison said of Happ, ranked sixth on MLBPipeline.com's top Cubs prospects. • Madison also is eager to see outfielder Albert Almora, selected sixth overall in the 2012 Draft. He batted .272 last season at Double-A Tennessee and could open this year at Triple-A. "Albert really took control of his career [at the end of last year]," Madison said. "He's in a really good place mentally and feels really good. I think this will be a really good Spring Training for him." Almora, 21, is still young. "He's still understanding what it takes to be successful at the higher levels," Madison said. "Approach is big for him, and I think he started to buy into it at the end of the year -- getting pitches he can drive and not just put in play -- and not being afraid to get to two strikes [in the count]." -- Cubs.com New Cubs already a hit with fans By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- Jason Heyward and Ben Zobrist admitted they would like to have heard legendary broadcaster Harry Caray announce their names. John Lackey admitted he likes playing day games so he can have dinner with his family. Rex Brothers said he needed to study Wrigley Field's quirky conditions some more.

And all of the new Cubs said they came to Chicago to help the team win a World Series. Heyward, Zobrist, Lackey, Brothers and Adam Warren took part in a seminar titled "Meet the New Cubs" at the Cubs Convention, which gave fans a chance not only to ask questions but also apologize. One fan admitted to yelling at Heyward from the Wrigley Field bleachers during a game and said he was sorry. Heyward smiled, and said it was all good. Another fan asked Lackey and Heyward how they felt about leaving the Cardinals and now being with the "real best fans in baseball." "We chose you," Heyward said, trying not to add any more fuel to the Cubs vs. Cardinals rivalry. Another woman drew applause by saying, "Welcome to our family." Heyward, Lackey and Zobrist signed with the Cubs as free agents, while Brothers and Warren were acquired in trades. Brothers came over from the Rockies in a deal for Minor League lefty Wander Cabrera, and Warren was acquired in the Starlin Castro trade. None of the new Cubs said they had ever been part of a fanfest like the Cubs Convention. Zobrist was popular with Cubs fans from downstate Illinois since he grew up in Eureka and still has family there. He recalled the first time he saw Wrigley Field during an Interleague game between the Cubs and Rays. "I said, 'This is the way baseball is supposed to be,'" Zobrist said. "I'm so excited to try to win a championship here." There was good camaraderie among the new guys already. Lackey and Zobrist were asked how it felt to play in a World Series, and Heyward, who has yet to do so, quipped, "I'll just listen." Heyward also wanted to know how Zobrist got his nickname, "Zorilla." Cubs manager Joe Maddon gave the super utility player the moniker when they were together in Tampa Bay. However, Zobrist also discovered it's the name of an African skunk. Heyward, Lackey and Zobrist turned down more lucrative deals to sign with the Cubs. Why? "Money is a good thing," Heyward said. "Money is stability, money takes care of your family. "I didn't want any regrets. If I didn't chose Chicago at that time when I had a choice, I would always wonder 'what if.'" -- Cubs.com Cubs-Cards now 'a rivalry in more than name alone' By Phil Rogers Shortly after the Cubs were swept by the Mets in the National League Championship Series, Tom Ricketts met with Theo Epstein to go over the team's offseason wish list. At the end, Epstein added the obligatory word of caution, warning the team's owner that it was unlikely the market would behave the way they hoped it would. Then he ran the table, landing Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist and John Lackey while re-signing Trevor Cahill, who had revived his career in 2015. When Ricketts sat down with Heyward for the first time, he asked the former Cardinal why he had picked the Cubs over his other opportunities.

"I wanted to be part of a winning culture," Heyward said. Ricketts beamed. "Gee," Ricketts said. "Nobody has ever said that before." To the north of the New Madrid Fault Line, baseball's tectonic plates have shifted wildly. This should be to the delight of fans, especially if those who like fierce competition and pitched rivalries. While Cubs-Cardinals has always meant a lot to the fans in Chicago and St. Louis, it often paled in comparison to baseball's richest rivalries, Dodgers-Giants and Yankees-Red Sox. The teams were almost never strong at the same time, with the Cubs only sporadically fulfilling their end of the bargain. But with Joe Maddon arriving at Wrigley Field along with an enviable wave of young talent, that changed last season. When the teams played an intense weekend series in September, Joe Strauss, the St. Louis Post Dispatch columnist who recently passed away from leukemia, declared that Cubs-Cards was finally "a rivalry in more than name alone." Strauss hit the nail on the head. And that was before two turns of events that have given the Cardinals a pronounced mission in 2016 -- turn back the Cubs and demonstrate to a demanding fan base that the sky is not falling. Turning the rivalry on its head: • When the teams met in the postseason for the first time, the Wild Card-winning Cubs pounded nine home runs on back-to-back nights at Wrigley Field, including a monstrous shot onto the right-field video board by rookie Kyle Schwarber, to win the National League Division Series, 3-1. • Then Epstein poached Heyward and Lackey from the Cardinals in free agency. They were the WAR leaders on baseball's winningest team last year, helping a St. Louis team playing without ace Adam Wainwright win 100 games. Between them, Heyward and Lackey were worth 12.2 wins. They're joining a Cubs team that got 19.0 WAR from NL Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta, NL Rookie of the Year Award winner Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, the team leader who (like Heyward) will play at age-26 this season. You can see why the Cubs are the favorites of statistical analysts as well as sentimentalists this season. Fangraphs has the Cubs pegged for a Major League-best 95 victories this season in its Steamer projections. It has the Cardinals down for decline of 16 wins, to 84. If that's correct, they could miss the postseason for the first time since 2010, ending the longest run of postseason appearance in franchise history. But only the cold calculus of a logarithm or a dope could dismiss the competitiveness of Cardinals players like Wainwright, Yadier Molina, Matt Carpenter and Matt Holliday. And no one who knows anything about Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt Jr. and the franchise he oversees would expect it to cede control of the NL Central to its rivals. No team has played its best baseball in October more often than the Cardinals. Consider the most recent NLDS an exception to the rule. Also, don't forget that the Cardinals were missing young right-hander Carlos Martinez and pitching Wainwright and an ailing Lance Lynn (Tommy John surgery in November) out of the bullpen when the Cubs rode Arrieta and their young bashers to the series victory that Chicagoans believe shifted the balance of power in their favor. While the Cubs have been baseball's biggest spenders in the offseason, the Cardinals have maneuvered conservatively. They were outbid in efforts to land David Price and to retain Heyward but general manager John Mozeliak didn't just push that money over to the next best free agent -- a strategy that often blows up on teams.

The Cards' big investment was a five-year, $80-million deal to Mike Leake, who replaces Lackey in the rotation. He's counting heavily on his young hitters, Randal Grichuk and Stephen Piscotty, to improve a lineup that was 11th in scoring in the NL last season. They're probably not going to outslug many teams but have mastered the art of winning efficiently. Mike Matheny will have his team prepared when April comes around. Ditto Maddon. Luckily we won't have to wait long to see them on the field together, as they meet at Busch Stadium April 18-20. Every game between the rivals has a chance to turn into an epic. Recent developments favor the Cubs but history is with the Cardinals. The one thing we know is that ballparks will be jumping every time they meet in a rivalry that appears headed into its most intriguing chapter. -- Cubs.com Neither side backing down in Cubs vs. Cards By Jenifer Langosch ST. LOUIS -- It's a rivalry that brought us the Sandberg Game, Brock-for-Broglio and a larger-than-life home run chase; one that has shared Harry Carey and another 311 players, including, now, Jason Heyward and John Lackey. It's entertained for 123 seasons and one October, and it's featured a pull for power in central Illinois. And yet, perhaps never before have the stakes been so high, the stage so set for drama between the Boys in Blue and the Birds on the Bat, than now. If 2015 was the introduction, 2016 and beyond could be an epic encore for a Cubs-Cards rivalry that has quite literally expanded into an organizational battle, top to bottom. "I think it's great," Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter said of the enhanced stakes between the clubs. "A good, healthy rivalry is good not only for baseball, but it's great for St. Louis. It's great for Chicago. It's great for our division. … The fact that they're continually improving is motivation enough that we want to go after them and show them that this is our division to lose." The Cardinals, though National League Central winners each of the last three seasons, hear the chatter and sense the growing belief that their grip on the division may be loosening. It's why manager Mike Matheny, whose club won 100 games last season, said on Monday that he detects "an edge" to his club already. "You take talent and you mix that kind of fire," he cautioned, "and heads up." To that, the Cubs say bring it on. They've played the role of forgotten stepchild for far too long, initiating a rebuilding project that, while grueling, has the organization believing it's on the verge of something special. That's what attracted Joe Maddon to town a year ago, and it proved to be the Cubs' most effective selling point while luring Heyward, Lackey and Ben Zobrist away from offers that included more guaranteed money. "I didn't want any regrets," Heyward explained. "If I didn't choose Chicago at that time when I had a choice, I would always wonder, 'What if?'" While this is a rivalry that has had myriad personalities and special moments, it's one that has long lacked genuine stakes. Until last October, the Cubs and Cardinals had never met in the postseason. That's because rarely had the clubs peaked simultaneously. But their climbs are now crossing. The Cubs conceded the division to the Cardinals in '15 but got the last laugh, toppling them in a four-game NL Division Series. The Cardinals, exhausted by the push required to protect their division crown, were hardly at their best. But they also saw a spectacular show of youth that has left some to cite the Cubs as the foil to St. Louis' supposed aging core. That makes the Cubs, not the Cards, the popular division pick heading into 2016.

"Finish up NL Central champs last year, and if people think we're not going to win it this year, go ahead," Cardinals starter Michael Wacha said. "I think everyone else will react the same way I am and accept that chip on the shoulder." "Look, I'm not naïve," general manager John Mozeliak said. "I've been in St. Louis now, starting my 21st season. I get the Cubs-Cardinals rivalry is real. Now that they're playing at a very high level, it's going to be much more competitive." And if building a contender wasn't threating enough to St. Louis, the Cubs have done so by bringing two Cardinals into it. First it was Lackey, who signed a two-year contract with the Cubs after a career year with St. Louis. Heyward's decision to follow him -- and for less money than the Cards offered -- elicited an emotional response in St. Louis, where the Cardinals had made it no secret that Heyward was their primary offseason target. Reaction only further soured when Heyward suggested that his decision was made largely because he felt Chicago offered him a better long-term opportunity to win. The core of the Cardinals, he said, was getting old. It was to this comment that several Cardinals reacted, when asked, during the team's Winter Warm-Up event this weekend. "It's not something where we go home and we write on the wall and look at it every day as motivation," Cards ace Adam Wainwright said. "But we certainly relish the opportunity to go out every day and prove everybody wrong." Carpenter added that he was "pretty glad to be a part of this aging core." "I can promise you this," he said. "We don't have to take a clipping of a newspaper and pin it on the bulletin board to motivate these guys to want to beat the Cubs. There's nothing that Jason Heyward said where it's like, 'OK, now we're going to play hard.' We're going to go after them no matter what. Jason could be playing in New York, and we would go after the Cubs." Meanwhile, in Chicago -- yes, these clubs even scheduled dueling fanfests -- the Cubs subtly rubbed it in. Heyward and Lackey were introduced to Cubs fans, and Heyward even joined former Cub Ryan Dempster for a comedy bit in which the two read mean tweets sent to Heyward when he spurned the Cardinals. "We chose you," Heyward later told a fan who asked him how it felt for him and Lackey to be with the "real best fans in baseball" now. The rivalry came up again in a Cubs Convention question-and-answer session with management. "This offseason it happened [that] two of the players we targeted were Cardinals," general manager Jed Hoyer said. "Certainly, it was a nice added benefit, but we wouldn't have gone after those players if we didn't really like those guys." Cubs president Theo Epstein acknowledged during that same session that his organization did sell the Cubs over the Cards by remarking that they could offer the most unique payoff -- a chance to bring a championship to the North Side of Chicago. Epstein, of course, knows a thing or two about storied sports rivalries. He joined the Cubs after a tenure in Boston. This rivalry has even seeped into off-the-field matters, too. Not only did the clubs jostle for attention this past weekend, but they've continued to try and one-up one another in experience. As the Cubs were drawing up plans for stadium renovations a few years back, the Cardinals unveiled Ballpark Village, dotted with rooftop seating that has long been a staple of Wrigleyville. And after the Cubs debuted new videoboards last year, the Cardinals countered with their own HD upgrades this winter.

The Cubs will get to see them up close on April 18, the first of 19 games to be played between them this year. "We did get upset actually when the Cubs had a better videoboard than us," said Joe Abernathy, vice president of stadium operations for the Cardinals. "Especially with how it ended [in the NLDS] and all they're doing now, we don't want to be sitting behind the Cubs in anything." And so it will be. A punch answered with a counterpunch in a rivalry renewed. "There isn't any of them better than Cubs-Cardinals," former Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "But there's no doubt that when the teams are better and the stakes are higher, then not only are the players more passionate, but the fans get more excited. So what happened last year, and what's going to happen this year, is the best of all worlds for fans of both teams." -- Cubs.com New safety measures focus of Wrigley talk By Cash Kruth CHICAGO -- The business operations portion of the Cubs Convention has drawn a concerned crowd over the past few years as the club moved forward with Wrigley Field renovation plans, including the installation of video boards at the historic ballpark. The 2016 version featured no such angst. One year after most of the conversation focused on video boards and whether the many offseason construction projects would be complete, Saturday afternoon's session at the Sheraton Grand Hotel focused on fan safety and the promise that Opening Day 2016 won't be nearly as chaotic as 2015. That's not to say there won't be dust and "Cubstruction" signs throughout Wrigley Field. But unlike last season, the major projects -- including the home clubhouse and left-field terrace -- are on track to be completed. There still will be construction on the plaza, new office building, hotel and behind-the-scenes updates, but it shouldn't affect the game-day experience for fans. What will be noticeable are improvements to fan safety. The netting behind home plate will be extended to the inside edge of each dugout, high enough to protect seats that are 70 feet away from the action. In addition, and in response to the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, the Cubs will install metal detectors at each entrance. "We take the security issue really seriously. Large venues like Wrigley Field are targets," said president of business operations Crane Kenney, who encouraged fans to plan for longer waits to enter the ballpark. The Cubs also have asked the city to shut down street traffic on Clark and Addison Streets during games to heighten security. Waveland and Sheffield Avenues already are closed during games. "Our preference would be, let's control who's driving next to the ballpark," Kenney told reporters after the question-and-answer session. "Because as you know, on Addison you're six feet from the ballpark. We would love to know who's driving what and who's doing what as the game's going on." Kenney also told reporters the Cubs are "100 percent focused" on creating a Cubs Network once their current TV deals with WGN, Comcast Sports Net and ABC 7 end following the 2019 season.

"As we have conversations, which are ongoing with all sorts of partners, if somebody offers us something dramatically better, we'll of course look at it," said Kenney. "But at the moment, what we control is the idea of launching our own network." Kenney said the club would begin such a network in 2018 to create a two-year runway. It has not yet been decided if the Cubs would build studio space by Wrigley Field or share it elsewhere, but there is a showcase studio planned in the new office building that the Cubs' current TV and radio partners will use once completed. Other notable issues discussed: • Kenney said the club decided to do away with 3:05 p.m. CT Friday games this season after talking with manager Joe Maddon, who wanted more consistency in game times for players. "Our No. 1 goal is to win games, and when Joe said, in his view, consistency of schedule would help us win games, it became easy," Kenney said. "Not easy to tell our fans we're not giving you what you want, but what they ultimately want is winning. It's a tradeoff." • Fans who previously purchased bricks as part of the Cubs' paver program needn't worry about their investment. Carl Rice, vice president of Wrigley Field restoration and expansion, said the club has purchased new personalized bricks, which will be located outside the bleacher walls. The bricks already are installed and will be unveiled on Opening Day. • With recent progress by MLB and its cable partners, Kenney said he's "finally pretty confident we're going to have [in-market] streaming in 2016." • After a fan praised the Cubs for their video board content and asked if they intended to add a "Kiss Cam" or similar entertainment, senior director of marketing Alison Miller responded, to loud applause: "We do not have any plans in the near future to add any of that. ... Over 80 percent of you said you liked it, so you'll see more of the same." -- Cubs.com Adding ex-Cards not intentional, but not lost on Cubs By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- The Cubs weren't trying to weaken the Cardinals by signing two players who were with St. Louis last season. Free agents Jason Heyward and John Lackey were simply the best fit for the Cubs team. That topic came up during a question-and-answer session with four members of the front office Saturday at the Cubs Convention. "It's important to have a plan and be aggressive towards your plan and not be overly concerned with your rival," Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said. "When we were in Boston, the Yankees had the most money and you knew they'd put a great team on the field every year. You just had to worry about your team and your 40-man roster and not get overly concerned about [the Yankees]. "I think we take the exact same attitude with the Cardinals. They're going to be good every year, their tradition is amazing as far as winning year after year. So, assume that's a given and build your roster the right way." Heyward and Lackey turned down more lucrative offers to sign with the Cubs. "This offseason, it happened two of the players we targeted were Cardinals," Hoyer said. "Certainly, it was a nice added benefit, but we wouldn't have gone after those players if we didn't really like those guys. That happened as part of our plan. I do think it's important to focus on your guys and not get overly caught up and react to what another team does."

The fan persisted. "When you made your sales pitch to Heyward and Lackey, did you say, 'What can St. Louis give you for doing a good job versus coming to the Cubs and having them get to the World Series and winning it for the city of Chicago?'" the fan asked. Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein nodded and responded: "Yeah." The Cubs are hoping that someday soon, they won't need to lure players to be on that team that ends the 100-plus-year drought of winning a World Series championship. "We do have a somewhat ironic sales pitch," Hoyer said. "The fact that we haven't won in a long time is so alluring to our players. I'm hoping someday we can't use that sales pitch any more, but at the moment, it's certainly effective." -- Cubs.com Epstein carries out Ricketts' vision in Chicago By Phil Rogers CHICAGO -- Almost every day when he's not traveling, Theo Epstein spends time in a workplace he helped design. He walks into the Cubs' baseball bunker -- utilitarian in appearance on the outside; open, contemporary and insulated from distraction on the inside -- and schemes alongside the large, specialized operations team he assembled after being hired away from the Red Sox a little more than four years ago. The pulse of the building lies in collecting and utilizing information on players, those already in professional baseball and thousands more in colleges and high schools throughout the world. Before Epstein built this baseball think tank, it was envisioned by Tom Ricketts. He saw the need to improve the size and quality of the Cubs' baseball operations staff in his first two years as an owner, in 2010 and '11. Jim Hendry was the general manager then. When Ricketts made the inevitable change, Hendry was so loyal to the owner that he worked almost a month knowing he was going to be terminated. It was mid-season, and he didn't want to walk away in the middle of trade talks. Ricketts always was going to bring in his own guy after buying the team from Tribune Company, but he valued his relationship with Hendry. Ricketts wanted to be known as an owner who treats people well, believing that his reputation would play a role in determining if the organization was attractive to the best executives. Epstein delivered Boston's first two World Series championships since 1918. He has positioned the Cubs to end a drought that stretches to 1908. Epstein is entering the final season of the five-year, $18.5 million deal he signed after Ricketts' whirlwind courtship, which followed a Red Sox collapse that led to the exit of Epstein and manager Terry Francona from Boston. But this time Epstein's not going anywhere -- at least for now. Epstein says he only thinks about his status when reporters bring it up. "I see myself staying in the exact same role for a long time," Chicago's president of baseball operations said on Friday night at the Cubs Convention. "I think Tom sees it the same way. At some point, we'll get around to doing a contract extension. I think players deserve contracts before front-office guys." While keeping his own negotiations at arm's length, Epstein wrestles with how to get a long-term commitment from National League Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta. He'd love nothing better than to sit down with Ricketts

in February, as he's preparing to head to Arizona, after banging out a deal that keeps Arrieta in Chicago beyond 2017. Epstein, 42, hasn't gotten everything he's wanted since joining the Cubs. But it was clear early on that he would control his destiny more in Chicago than he ever did in Boston, where team president Larry Lucchino insisted on keeping "a seat at the table" on the baseball side of the organization while running the business side. While naming Epstein as president of baseball operations, Ricketts also signed off on hiring Jed Hoyer and Jason McLeod from the Padres as general manager and senior vice president of scouting and player development, respectively. At the time it was unusual to stack executives atop the chain of command, but the Cubs are now one of 12 teams that have a GM working below their president of baseball operations. Front offices have expanded around Major League Baseball in the last decade. The Cubs were slow to join the revolution, but they caught up quickly under Ricketts and Epstein. Since Epstein was hired, the Cubs have opened new facilities in the Dominican Republic and Arizona. The Spring Training complex, designed with Epstein's influence, opened in 2015 to record attendance and positive reviews from manager Joe Maddon and veteran players. The complex he inherited, Ricketts said on Saturday, was "a joke." With a new clubhouse and other improvements to Wrigley Field well under way, soon there will be nothing left to build, except the toughest part -- a winning tradition. There's no manifest destiny that says championships will follow this wave of construction. But it sure feels as if it is no longer a question of whether the Cubs will ever win the World Series again, but only a matter of if they win this season or next. When Ricketts and two of his siblings on the team's board of directors took questions from fans on Saturday morning at the Cubs Convention, the first of them was from a man wanting to know why the team hadn't already locked up a long-term deal with its architect. The owner promised "no holdup, no drama" in getting Epstein committed for a second term. "Theo's desires are the same as yours," Todd Ricketts said. "He's not going anywhere until he's fulfilled them." Epstein is being sincere when he says he feels it's inappropriate to worry about his contract when Arrieta is unsigned. "He deserves it more than me," Epstein said. He didn't spend the last four years working so hard to miss the World Series parades. The question to ask is, what will happen after Epstein's next contract? He'll still be in his 40s when that one ends, and he figures to have a world of opportunities before him. It's not a leap to think that he could land in the music business, try a new sport -- wouldn't he be a better general manager for the Dallas Cowboys than Stephen Jones? -- or just work full time on the foundation he formed with his twin brother after the Red Sox's championship in 2004. Maybe Epstein could be lured away from the Cubs to run another team. There may come a time when he simply feels the right move is to turn the keys over to Hoyer and McLeod. Epstein saw in Boston that there's a freshness about a team's first championship that is hard to duplicate. Maybe he will feel burdened down the road if the Cubs convert their young talent and recent success into a true powerhouse. But that concern lurks in the distance, a long way away. The challenge ahead is clear to Epstein. He hasn't won anything yet, and he won't assume anything. The real fun is just starting. --

Cubs.com What a difference a year makes for Maddon By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- Joe Maddon was late for his question-and-answer session with fans at the Cubs Convention on Saturday, and when he did arrive, it was clear the impact the manager has had in one year. Emcee Len Kasper had started the panel by asking the Cubs' coaching staff what they'd learned about Maddon. But before pitching coach Chris Bosio could actually start, Maddon arrived, and he was greeted by a standing ovation from the packed ballroom at the Sheraton Grand Hotel. Rock star, indeed. "I learned how to make an entrance," Bosio then quipped. At his first Cubs Convention a year ago, Maddon was asked about his lineup, who will play third base in 2015, and his Twitter account. On Saturday, fans wanted to know what bike Maddon rides -- he has a big tire Trek Farley and a light Hybrid Giant -- and his favorite episode of "The Office" (it's Jan's enhancement). Not only did Maddon win the National League Manager of the Year Award last year, but he's now "the most interesting manager the Cubs have ever had," at least according to one fan. Maddon said he's learned about the "severe interest" in the team, and he's OK with that. "Of course, you're going to have to get on us once in a while," Maddon said of Cubs aficionados. "It's every fan's right to freak out at the appropriate moment. But at the end of the day, good or bad, you're with us. And that's the separator with this particular group of fans." The first baseball question Maddon got was about Kyle Schwarber's role. Will he catch? Will he play outfield? Maddon deferred to catching coach Mike Borzello and outfield coach Dave Martinez. "As far as I'm concerned, he's a catcher," Borzello said. "I'm not letting that go until Joe or Theo [Epstein, president of baseball operations] say he's not a catcher." "I'm the outfield coach, and I want Schwarber in the outfield," Martinez said. "[Schwarber] wants to do both." Fans should know Schwarber has been asking new Cub Jason Heyward about playing the outfield during the Convention. But what does Schwarber's "daddy" think? Cubs assistant hitting coach Eric Hinske, 38, apparently has been mistaken often for the 22-year-old slugger. "Where does 'Dad' want to see him play?" Maddon said. "I want him to hit left-handed and I want him to hit home runs," Hinske said. And that's OK with everybody. -- Cubs.com Back with Cubs, Sandberg embraces return 'home' By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- Ryne Sandberg rejoined the Cubs as an ambassador to the team, and the best thing about the new deal, the Hall of Famer said, was that he's back "home." Sandberg, 56, who played 15 seasons with the Cubs from 1982-94 and again from 1996-97, took part in the Cubs Convention this weekend, and he said he was looking forward to his new role.

"I get to be home now," said Sandberg, before talking to fans on Saturday at a Hall of Fame seminar with Billy Williams at the Sheraton Grand Hotel. He received a standing ovation from the crowd when introduced at the seminar, which was attended by two of Sandberg's five grandchildren. That's part of the lure of coming back to Chicago, to be closer to his family. The other part is that he's always felt close to the Cubs. A nine-time National League Gold Glove Award winner and Most Valuable Player Award winner with the Cubs, Sandberg was back at Wrigley Field last October when he threw out a ceremonial first pitch before Game 3 of the National League Division Series against the Cardinals. "It felt right -- it was time," Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said of Sandberg's new role. "When you're the manager of the Phillies, you can't come to the Cubs Convention." Sandberg was named the Phillies' interim manager in August 2013 when Charlie Manuel was dismissed, and then given a three-year contract in September of that year. But Sandberg resigned last June after the Phillies posted a 26-48 record. Now, his role as ambassador will include making appearances at Cubs related corporate outings, greeting fans and suiting up at Spring Training to talk to the players. -- Cubs.com 2015 rookies bond with fans at Cubs Convention By Cash Kruth CHICAGO -- Kris Bryant, not surprisingly, made a young woman swoon. Kyle Schwarber persuaded a former Indiana University baseball player to shift his loyalty from the White Sox to the Cubs. But it was Addison Russell who made an impression on a couple of youngsters Saturday at the Cubs Convention. During a question-and-answer session with that 2015 rookie trio, as well as Javier Baez, a young boy approached the microphone wearing a jersey with No. 27, Russell's new number. "I love this little dude," Russell said. "He's been at my table all morning." The boy was, indeed, memorable -- he had Russell's face buzzed into the hair on the back of his head and was invited on stage to get a picture with his favorite player. Another young Russell admirer asked the 21-year-old shortstop an important question. "Now that you decided to give your number [22] to Jason Heyward, when are you buying new jerseys for me and all the other kids?" he asked. The crowed erupted in laughter, to which Russell could only respond: "Just leave it to kids to put you on the spot. … I'm sorry." It turns out Russell had always worn No. 27 while growing up -- in honor of his favorite football player, Eddie George -- and gladly switched to it after hearing that Heyward wears No. 22 to honor his late high school teammate, Andrew Wilmot, who was killed in a car accident in 2007. Schwarber, Baez and Bryant can't wear the numbers they prefer, either. Schwarber was No. 10 in college, but that is retired in honor of Hall of Famer Ron Santo. Likewise, Baez and Bryant always wore No. 23, which is retired for Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg. "Seventeen was my dad's number and he taught me a lot along the way," Bryant said of his current number.

The 2015 rookies also talked about key veterans who made their first season in the Majors a success. Veteran catcher David Ross, first baseman Anthony Rizzo, hitting consultant Manny Ramirez and former Cubs Starlin Castro and Dexter Fowler were mentioned. More than anything, the youngsters said they appreciated being accepted -- even with occasional rookie hazing such as dressing up as Disney princesses on a road trip. "We have some guys in our clubhouse who have some pretty good ideas for rookie hazing," Bryant said, "but they went easy on us and just let us do our thing." -- Cubs.com 'Comfort' the keyword of 31st Cubs Convention By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- Jon Lester remembers his first Cubs Convention, a year ago, when he was the new kid on the team. "I think the biggest thing now is just comfort," said Lester, who joined his teammates at the Sheraton Grand Hotel on Friday to kick off the 31st Cubs Convention. "I walked into this room last year and kind of stood over in the corner. I knew a couple guys, and that was really it. Now you walk in and you've gone through a season together, these guys are family, you meet a couple new guys, and they know guys already, which makes them more comfortable." What helps that comfort level -- not only for Lester but for the rest of the Cubs -- is that they're coming off a 97-win season and a trip to the playoffs, and that they have bolstered the roster with the addition of Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist and John Lackey. The Cubs won't be able to sneak up on anyone in 2016. "That's fine," Lester said. "I think the scary part for everybody now is we know how good we can be. We were obviously happy at what happened last year but disappointed at the same time. That's a good thing. We want to be disappointed. We don't want to be complacent. "These young guys got a taste of what it's like and a taste of what the disappointment is like of packing your bags and going home and not being the last team on the field. I think it'll be an exciting year. I love expectations, because it's what you make of it. You've got to back up what you did the year before. That's something I take pride in. You have to worry about doing your job, and I think that trickles down to everybody. These guys have good heads on their shoulders and they all work hard. It'll be an exciting year for us." During the opening ceremony, Cubs alumni were introduced first, then some prospects, then the current roster. The last four players to take the stage were Anthony Rizzo, who was greeted with "M-V-P" chants, then National League Rookie of the Year Kris Bryant, followed by NL Manager of the Year Joe Maddon and, finally, NL Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta. Bryant is well aware that teams will have better scouting reports on him and the other young Cubs -- Kyle Schwarber, Addison Russell and Jorge Soler. "I don't believe in [a sophomore jinx]," Bryant said. "I think any time you have a bad year, it's a result of something you did during the year that didn't help you. That phrase is kind of silly to me. I'm ready to go. I'm truly just focused on the team -- I could care less about what I do this year. We have a really good team this year, and I think we have a chance to go really far." He's heard the expectations and the projections that have the Cubs leading the Major Leagues in wins this season. "I'm not going to make predictions like Anthony did," Bryant said, referencing Rizzo's statement last year that the Cubs would win the NL Central. "I just think we should have a similar year."

It could be an even better year with such experienced players as Heyward in the mix. The free-agent outfielder signed an eight-year, $184 million contract with the Cubs for a reason. He wants a ring. "We don't show up for any other reason than that," Heyward said. "We'll see what's going to happen, but I feel like the front office, the organization, ownership has done a great job of giving us a great platform to go out there, play baseball and try to win a World Series." -- Cubs.com Contract extension not a priority for Theo By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- Theo Epstein, Cubs president of baseball operations, said on Friday that he and chairman Tom Ricketts are "on the same page" but that the two have yet to hammer out a contract extension. It's apparently not a top priority for Epstein, who said the only time he thinks about the topic is when it's brought up by the media. "I see myself as staying in the exact same role for a long time, and I think Tom sees it the same way," Epstein said. "At some point we'll get around to doing a contract extension, but I actually think players deserve contracts first, before front-office guys. We're not done with our players yet." The Cubs did reach agreements with six of their seven arbitration-eligible players, with National League Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta the only one unsigned. Epstein said Arrieta "deserves a contract before I do." "It's not the smallest concern to me whatsoever," Epstein said of his own deal, which ends in October. "I'm more worried about the team. Honestly, I want to take care of the players first, and then we'll go from there." The Cubs have spent $272 million this offseason on Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist and John Lackey, and Epstein expects that the team is finished making significant moves. "We know there will be adjustments needed at some point [to the roster], probably during the course of the season," he said. "I think we're fairly well positioned to see where the needs arise and have the ability to adjust midstream." -- Cubs.com Arrieta headed to arb after Cubs sign 6 By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- The Cubs avoided arbitration on Friday with six of their seven players who were eligible, but the club and Jake Arrieta appear to be far apart, as the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner proposed a $13 million salary for 2016, while the team countered with $7.5 million. Now that the numbers have been exchanged an arbitration hearing will be scheduled sometime between Feb. 1-21, at which point each side will present its case to an arbitrator, who will choose one of the proposals to be Arrieta's rate for the upcoming season. Negotiations can continue until that hearing occurs, however, and it's during this time when clubs and players often find middle ground. Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said the filing numbers "don't always represent the offers." "There's kind of an art to the filing numbers," Epstein said Friday. "We try to massage the midpoint to a number that makes a lot of sense, and I think in this case, if you focus on the spread, you're kind of missing the story, which is I think it provides a lot of room for further discussion.

"I would be extremely hopeful we'll get something done to avoid a hearing. Jake deserves a really big raise. Nothing but the best things to say about him. His performance last year as a Cub speaks for itself, and he'll be deservedly rewarded by the system and we look forward to making it happen, preferably as a settlement." Friday at noon CT was the deadline for clubs and arbitration-eligible players to exchange proposed salary figures. The Cubs had talked about a possible long-term deal for Arrieta, 29, who is coming off a stellar year in which he went 22-6 with a 1.77 ERA. He is scheduled to be a free agent after the 2017 season. "We weren't the least bit surprised by today's events and where it left the midpoint and where we can go from here to try to get it done without getting in a hearing room," Epstein said. "If we go to a hearing, we go to a hearing. We wouldn't go in and pick holes in Jake Arrieta's performance as a Cub, that's for sure. We think he had an historic season, we think he deserves a huge raise and we're really proud of him." The Cubs thought so highly of Arrieta's season that he was the last player introduced during the opening ceremonies of the Cubs Convention on Friday at the Sheraton Grand Hotel, and the right-hander followed Anthony Rizzo, NL Rookie of the Year Kris Bryant and NL Manager of the Year Joe Maddon. The Cubs did avoid arbitration with Chris Coghlan, Travis Wood, Pedro Strop, Hector Rondon, Justin Grimm, and Adam Warren, signing each to a one-year contract. Wood, who turns 29 next month, signed a $6.17 million contract. The lefty was 5-4 with a 3.84 ERA in 54 games last season, making a smooth transition from starter to reliever. He began the year in the Cubs' rotation and went 2-2 with a 5.06 ERA as a starter. He posted a 2.95 ERA in 45 games in relief. Wood made $5.685 million last season. Strop, 30, compiled a 2.91 ERA in 76 games as the Cubs' primary setup pitcher, striking out 81 over 68 innings. The right-hander made $2.525 million last year, and signed for $4.4 million for '16. This is the first year Warren, Rondon and Grimm were arbitration-eligible. Grimm, 27, signed a one-year, $1.275 million contract. He compiled a career-best 1.99 ERA in 62 games, striking out 67 over 49 2/3 innings. Rondon, who turns 28 next month, signed a $4.2 million deal. He posted a career-best 1.67 ERA in 72 games, converting 30 of 34 save opportunities. He lost his job as the club's closer, but called the move the "best thing that happened to me." The right-hander posted a 1.10 ERA after the All-Star break. Rondon made $544,000 last year. Warren, 28, was acquired from the Yankees in the Starlin Castro trade. The right-hander was 7-7 with a 3.29 ERA in 43 games, including 17 starts. He was 6-6 as a starter with a 3.66 ERA, and had a 2.29 ERA in 26 games in relief. He signed for $1.7 million. In his second season with the Cubs, Coghlan, 30, batted .250, and set career highs in games played (148) and home runs (16). He lost some playing time to rookie Kyle Schwarber. Coghlan made $2.505 million last season, and he signed a one-year deal for $4.8 million. -- Cubs.com Dempster opens Cubs Convention with laughs By Cash Kruth CHICAGO -- It was clear from the beginning of "Friday Night with Ryan Dempster" that the opening evening of the 31st annual Cubs Convention was going to be memorable. Dempster, the former Cub and current special advisor, hosted his second annual late night-themed talk show Friday night at the Sheraton Grand Hotel. For the second consecutive year, Dempster showcased his wit, Harry Caray impressions, creative videos and one-liners.

The Cubs' success last year was thanks in large part to youngsters such as first baseman Anthony Rizzo, left fielder/catcher Kyle Schwarber and third baseman Kris Bryant, who were together on stage. Bryant got engaged during the offseason. "I was told you wanted to do it earlier, but you wanted one more year of control," Dempster teased Bryant of his proposal, while making reference to the 2015 NL Rookie of the Year beginning the 2015 season in the Minors. Dempster also praised the versatility of Schwarber and Bryant while going over the team's depth chart, before making one astute observation: Rizzo was only listed at first base. "Could you be any less diverse?" Dempster asked Rizzo. "You're the anti-Ben Zobrist." Catcher David Ross also joined in jabbing Rizzo, calling him the worst dressed -- "You're Anthony Rizzo. You can't go out like that." -- and worst tipper, saying the young star can conveniently never find his wallet while out with the team. "It must be in my other car," Dempster quipped while pretending to be Rizzo. "I took the Range Rover. It must be in the Bentley." On the topic of Ross' offense, Dempster asked him if he ever thought he might be better off hitting left-handed. "Like if you watch [Jon] Lester try to pick off at first base, you'd think he's right-handed." Lester was on stage with right-hander John Lackey, who pitched with Lester in Boston and calls him one of his best friends in the game. Lackey said he got tired of hearing from Lester, who admitted he was like "a crazy ex-girlfriend," during the free-agent process. "It was like I had a little brother," Lackey said. "I said, 'Don't worry, I'll take a little less money to come to Chicago and everything will be on you this year.'" Other memorable moments from the night: • A Dempster video in which he shows the crowd the Cubs' old clubhouse, explains he prefers to shower in a bathing suit and is seen walking to the shower wearing a two-piece bikini. • President of baseball operations Theo Epstein on keeping up with 61-year-old manager Joe Maddon: "I don't know what kind of blue pill he's taking." • Heyward reading responses Dempster wrote to "mean tweets" the outfielder received after he left the Cardinals for the Cubs. • An exchange between Bryant and Dempster, in which Bryant jokingly claims he didn't have a poster on the front of Wrigley Field because of "the whole grievance thing." "Just a small billboard," Dempster said, referencing Bryant's Under Armour ad adjacent to Wrigley Field that was put up while he was still in the Minors. • Epstein on the real difference in last season: "[General manager Jed Hoyer] put together the team from 2012-14. I took over in 2015." -- Cubs.com Cubs have all the signs of a juggernaut By Phil Rogers

CHICAGO -- They've got a target on their backs, and they know it. Do the Cubs mind it? Not a bit. "I think it's nice to have a target on your back, because it means you're doing special things," Kris Bryant said at the Cubs Convention on Friday. "I think we signed some really good guys [as free agents]. Obviously, we had a good year last year, and we're hoping to just build off that. I think we'll all feed off it. We're all looking forward to this year. I can't wait." Maybe this will be "The Year." That's been the hope every year since the North Siders began gathering their fans for the annual Cubs Convention. But a year ago, there were few outside the organization who truly believed the Cubs were ready to join baseball's elite. Now they're as compelling as any franchise in pro sports. Their appeal within the game was clear during the Hot Stove season, when club president Theo Epstein seemingly had his pick of free agents. Jon Lester blazed a trail to Chicago last year and Jason Heyward, John Lackey and Ben Zobrist have followed this winter. The North Side has become a destination franchise for players. "Really, it's the chance to make history, the chance to win a world championship in this city," Lackey said Friday night. "At this point in my career, winning is the big thing with me. If this is my last couple of years in the big leagues, to go out like that would be pretty darn cool." With a core that includes 26-year-olds Anthony Rizzo and Heyward, along with 2015 rookies Bryant, Addison Russell, Kyle Schwarber and Jorge Soler and 23-year-old Javier Baez, the Cubs have time on their side. The franchise has emerged from decades of patchwork rosters by combining textbook player development with big-market resources. It's an operation that sweats the details, even when it is offered shortcuts. The Cubs are riding baseball's perfect wave, one that began 15 months ago when former Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman left Tampa Bay for Dodger Stadium. That move triggered an exit clause in Joe Maddon's contract, giving Epstein and Cubs GM Jed Hoyer a chance to hire the manager they most coveted. Maddon's affirmation of the Cub Way began a winning streak that Tom Ricketts' organization rode all the way to the National League Championship Series. Few are holding the Mets' sweep against the Cubs these days, in part because the future looks so bright. "The scary part for everybody now is we know how good we can be," Lester said. "I think we're all happy about what happened last year but disappointed at the same time. That's a good thing. You don't want to be complacent on where we got. I think that shows the attitude of these guys and how committed they are to trying to win. These young guys got a taste of what it's like to win and what the disappointment is like -- going home, packing your bags and not being the last team on the field." The Cubs have baseball's largest collection of young impact hitters and the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner in 29-year-old Jake Arrieta, and they have built around that core with $436.6 million in commitments to free agents, the bulk of that going to Heyward, Lester, Lackey and Zobrist. In the ongoing effort to reach the World Series, the Cubs have done everything except trade any of their best prospects. They won 97 games a year ago and are projected to win a Major League-best 95 games in 2016 by FanGraphs, which rates them 11 wins ahead of the Cardinals and 12 better than the Pirates. Because they continue to identify, acquire and hoard young players, it feels safe to say the Cubs are in the early stages of becoming what they haven't been since before prohibition -- a legitimate powerhouse with the ability to make the next decade one we'll remember as the Cubs Era.

On one hand, you should probably never say this about any team when it is still on the cusp, especially a team that hasn't even been to the World Series in 70 seasons. The Giants have won the Series three times in the last six years, and the Royals have been to two in a row, including a win over the Mets last October. There are strong franchises everywhere you look. But on the other hand, none of them are positioned better than the Cubs in terms of both their chance to be successful over the next few years and the potential to maintain that success even longer. There's work to be done and questions that remain. Arrieta is eligible for free agency after 2017, and no one knows how his arm will hold up after throwing 248 2/3 innings last season, including the playoffs. The success developing hitters hasn't carried over to pitching prospects, at least not yet, but pitchers take longer to mature and the Cubs have a lot of arms in the system they're excited about. Epstein believes a number of those prospects will break out in 2016, building hope that they can step in behind Arrieta, Lester and Lackey. He'll be paying close attention to his next generation of players, as always, but truth be told, he is as excited as anyone at the Cubs Convention about the opportunity at hand. "There's no doubt, every player who had to watch the Mets celebrate on the field is extraordinarily hungry to win eight more games this year," Epstein said. "We're unified by that common goal. It's the most important thing in the lives of a lot of people -- fans, players, front office alike -- and we're out to reach our goal this year and make a lot of people happy." -- Cubs.com Versatile Baez embracing switch to CF By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- Javier Baez says he doesn't mind making the switch from the infield to center field. All he wants to do is help the Cubs. Playing for Santurce in the Puerto Rican Winter League, Baez, 23, started four of his 15 total games in center field as part of an experiment. The hope is that he could become a versatile player and move around the diamond. Baez, attending the Cubs Convention on Friday, said the switch to center was easier than the one from shortstop to second base. "Back in center field, I can relax and worry about hitting," Baez said. "I thought it was going to be hard or different, but I had a game where they hit seven fly balls out there, and I caught all of them, routine. I feel really good." The Cubs sent Minor League outfield coach Doug Dascenzo to Puerto Rico to work with Baez, who has yet to talk to manager Joe Maddon or anyone in the front office about making the move permanently. Baez was back at second base during the round-robin playoffs. "Wherever I'm at, I'll just do my job," said Baez, who will rejoin Santurce and continue to play in Puerto Rico until Jan. 20. -- ESPNChicago.com Love, tears and other observations from 2016 Cubs convention By Jesse Rogers CHICAGO -- You probably had to be there to really feel it but the word to describe the 2016 Chicago Cubs fan convention this past weekend at the Sheraton Grand Chicago is emotional.

Normally Cubs fans express their love for their favorite team win, lose -- or rainout -- but for three days that love found a new level. Many fans had tears in their eyes as they approached microphones to ask questions of players in packed ballrooms. Some were visibly shaken meeting their heroes barely able to get their questions out. And everyone wanted a signature or selfie or a shout out to a girlfriend. “It’s nuts,” shortstop Addison Russell said with a smile after one session with some diehards. “These fans are really passionate.” And to think the Cubs still haven’t won a championship in 107 years. But in most of the last century optimism in January has mostly been wishful thinking. Not this time. The Cubs are loaded with talent and approachable players. That’s a good combination at a winter fan convention, the only place where bonding between players and the team can happen without a game. It’s become an important part of Cubs culture. “You have to have this trust built up among everybody,” manager Joe Maddon said. “You want to know them and you want them to know you.” The convention allowed for just that. Team and fan bonding over a successful past season with an eye toward an even better one in 2016. Just think about all the crying if they do win it all. Here are some other observations from the annual Cubs convention: Ryne Sandberg’s return after a managing stint with the Philadelphia Phillies garnered plenty of attention as the former MVP will be at Wrigley Field often while representing the team in the community as well. “It feels great,” Sandberg said. “Chicago is my home and I’m a Cub.” The former rookies looked at ease in their surroundings. Last season was supposed to be the year they got their feet wet with no expectation of winning but they made it to the postseason. In answering fan questions on Saturday they sounded as if they’ve only touched the surface of their abilities as Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Russell, Jorge Soler and Kyle Schwarber know their roles with the team. Baez may not be a full time starter right now but he sounds energized to play in the outfield when called upon. “I’m seeing the ball really good out there,” Baez said. “I love playing center field. I played there growing up and I thought it might be different now but it was the same.” Best friends Jon Lester and John Lackey detailed reuniting with the Cubs with a desire to win as they did in Boston together. Lackey is edgy as Lester is quiet and reserved. The two are avid fishermen and hunters. “He adds another dimension to our staff,” Lester said. “A different personality. We’ll have some more camouflage in the clubhouse that’s for sure.” New security measures at Wrigley Field were a hot topic over the weekend. The iconic ballpark won’t ever be the same with the addition of metal detectors and other new safety measures including an extension of the netting behind home plate. In some ways it’s a surprise the park has lasted this long into the century without more intrusive measures but it’s a sign of the times which fans and players will have to deal with. Ownership was in a good mood during its panel session with fans. Can you blame them? They’ve executed their rebuilding plan to near perfection in a fairly short amount of time while adding a personal touch to their ownership style. Remember, when the Tribune Co. owned the team there was no face to the franchise, no hand to shake up and down the aisles as Tom Ricketts does every game. Brother Todd even ripped into Mets fans after praising both Pittsburgh and St. Louis. "Mets fans are really, really obnoxious,” he said to an agreeable crowd. We’ll see if that becomes bulletin board material for what could be an emerging rivalry with the Mets. His wife isn’t a fan either.

“She really, really hates the Mets,” Ricketts stated. The newcomers all fell right in line with the team’s stated goal: It’s time to end the championship drought. Ben Zorbrist -- Zorilla as Joe Maddon dubbed him -- talks solely about winning in just about every interview he does. Jason Heyward reiterated his desire to “grow up” with the young Cubs while putting some of the Cardinals controversy about him leaving behind him. “I have no regrets,” Heyward said. The front office was happy to let the players have the spotlight. No longer do they need to sell their plan to the public; the plan is selling itself. The Cubs say they’re probably done making any major moves heading into spring training. “We talk to teams every day,” general manager Jed Hoyer said. “We like what we have now.” The only real lingering question from the weekend is when and for how much will Jake Arrieta sign. He’s the lone arbitration eligible player not to have agreed to terms. The Cubs presented a salary of $7.5 million for next season while Arrieta countered with $13 million. Maybe Arrieta takes this all the way to a hearing believing there’s no way he’ll only get a small raise from his $3.63 million salary of 2015. These observations were just a few things from a packed weekend of optimism. It will only grow as January turns to February and then the start of spring training. One theme in talking to players is the idea of enjoying the process and not thinking about October before the rest of the season is played. That’s the trap Maddon has to avoid. It will be hard to convince his Cubs they’re the underdogs. They will embrace being favorites instead. You won’t get an argument from anyone at the convention. They’re buying in. -- ESPNChicago.com New Cub Adam Warren: In the right place at right time By Jesse Rogers CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs front office says new right-handed pitcher Adam Warren will “open some eyes” when he dons his new uniform this spring. Warren was acquired from the New York Yankees for three-time all-star Starlin Castro during the winter meetings last month, and is getting his first taste of being a Cub at the fan convention this weekend. Castro was a beloved figure but Warren has some upside to his game, which fans will get a chance to see often in 2016. He's going to be a big part of the pitching staff. “They’re super loyal from what I hear,” Warren said of the fan base. “They’ll be with you through the good times and the bad.” Warren joined fellow newcomers Ben Zobrist, Rex Brothers, Jason Heyward and John Lackey for a panel discussion with fans on Saturday, revealing afterwards that he always had the Cubs in the back of his mind if he ever left the Yankees. "I was being honest,” he said. “Chicago was the top place on our list if we were going to be traded." Finding out about the deal as he was vacationing in St. Lucia was quite the experience considering Warren saw it first on television as his phone was back in his hotel room. He eventually got all the details. "It’s an exciting time to be a Cub,” Warren said. “You always picture yourself winning that elusive championship for the Cubs and hoisting that trophy.”

Warren came from a team that has won more titles than any other in baseball, though the Yankees bowed out earlier in the playoffs last season than the Cubs. In breaking in with New York he joined a veteran team, but the Cubs feel different to the 28-year-old. “Sometimes with veteran guys, they’re set in their ways,” Warren said. “Whereas with younger guys it’s a lot easier to socialize and be a team with each other.” If young and fun is what Warren wants, he’s found it in the Cubs. Add talent to the mix and a laid-back manager -- along with a rabid fan base -- and Warren may have found a home. “From what I heard (it’s) a lot of fun,” Warren said of his new team. Warren is the Cubs' sixth starter as spring training nears. He performed well both in the bullpen and in 17 starts last season, becoming the quintessential swing man. His career 3.39 ERA and 1.24 WHIP achieved in the hitter-friendly American League East should play well in the National League. His strength? He keeps the ball in the park, having given up just 26 career home runs in 147 appearances including 20 starts. The Cubs will be much more confident in their staff if a starter goes down this season, and Warren is one reason why. “I want to start but I’ve pitched successfully out of the bullpen as well,” he stated. The Cubs told Warren he was acquired to be a starter, but weren’t specific when he could break into the rotation. As always when there are more players than jobs, things simply work themselves out. The best five starters will emerge, but many more are needed to get through a season. The Cubs were pretty fortunate last year as their starting rotation missed minimal time due to injury. That may not be the case in 2016. As for hoisting that trophy in Chicago, Warren said he “wouldn’t be human if I hadn’t thought about it." “It would be a fun thing to imagine, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself at this point,” he said. -- ESPNChicago.com Rookie season behind him, Cubs' Addison Russell ready for more By Jesse Rogers CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs' star shortstop, Addison Russell, might be more comfortable in his skin than ever before. Now fully ensconced as the starter at his natural position, with nearly a year in the majors under his belt, Russell is ready for the next level. “Looking back, there’s a lot of things I can get better at, but I look back and know it was a good year, a good step forward,” Russell said Saturday after a panel discussion with fellow young players at the Cubs fan convention. More than just Russell's game has taken a step. His personality has emerged since he broke into the majors and then got married this offseason. He is comfortable and has a playful side, which isn’t a surprise, considering Russell is a kid. At just 21 years old, he’s younger than former college players Kyle Schwarber and Kris Bryant, though they all have about the same amount of experience in the big leagues. On Saturday, Russell seemed to relate best to the young fans in the crowd. He even invited one on stage after seeing his own face painted on the back of the kid’s head. This playful side comes out when Russell is confident -- both in his game and in himself. On the field, nothing gets him more excited than playing great defense. He says making spectacular plays is “addictive.” “It dates back to when I was a little kid. I watched ESPN top 10 [plays],” Russell said. “I always wanted to make the top 10 plays, and now I’m in a position where I can make it. Not for me, but for my pitcher.”

He flashed some of that defensive prowess last season, particularly after moving back to short from second base. At the plate, Russell took off in the second half, when he caught up to fastballs that had previously whizzed past him. His added leg kick led to more gap and home-run power, and his 29 doubles tied for third among Cubs, though Russell had many fewer at-bats than the team leaders. His goals for 2016 include staying healthy -- he missed the National League Championship Series because of a leg injury -- and strengthening his arm. His range is already there. “I’m working on getting my arm stronger and also my footwork,” Russell said. “Getting in the right position to throw.” There is more he can achieve. He is already good, but it feels like he has only scratched the surface and is just now starting to figure things out. “I can’t wait,” Russell said. “It’s going to be a big year.” -- ESPNChicago.com Cubs eliminate 3:05 p.m. Friday games for 2016 By Jesse Rogers CHICAGO -- After consulting with manager Joe Maddon, the Chicago Cubs have decided against starting Friday home games at 3:05 p.m. CT in the upcoming season. Citing "consistency" the Cubs will play all 13 Friday home games at 1:20 p.m. CT. "When Joe said consistency of schedule would help us win games it became easy," President of Business Operations Crane Kenney said Saturday at the Cubs fan convention. Maddon was annoyed at the many different start times his team endured last season which included several weekend series which would feature four different times in four days. Starting at 1:20 p.m. is more consistent with day games played on other days of the week. It's an even easier decision for the Cubs in 2016 because they don't return home from any road games on Thursday, making an earlier start time on Fridays more feasible. Kenney says the change actually goes against what fans have asked for in the past but has minimal financial impact on the team or attendance. "They (the fans) enjoyed the 3:05 p.m.'s," he said. "It gave them a chance to work longer and still get to the game." The Cubs schedule has been updated to reflect the recent decision. Previously, many of the Friday games were listed as TBAs. Kenney indicated they will revisit the Friday start times again before the 2017 season. -- ESPNChicago.com Cubs executive: TV network still the plan; in-market streaming is coming By Jesse Rogers CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs are confident that in-market streaming for some of their games in 2016 will be available while still keeping an eye on launching their own television network after their current deals expire. “Right now we control launching our own network in 2020,” president of business operations Crane Kenney said Saturday at the Cubs' fan convention. “As we have conversations, which are ongoing, if someone offers us something dramatically better we’ll look at it.”

Creating their own network could involve building studio space, which means they may have a decision on their future by 2018. Already available next season will be a “showcase studio” at the offices going up next to Wrigley Field where pregame and postgame shows can originate from. “We would really be looking to launch something in 2018,” Kenney said. “Depends on studio space.” The TV situation is fluid considering the changes in technology and watching habits. More people are getting rid of cable, for example. “We love the trajectory of sports rights,” Kenney said. “[But] we watch with a very wary eye what’s going on in the cable universe.” As for streaming games, Kenney believes a national deal with Comcast will pave the way for games on that station to be seen online though Major League Baseball blackout rules would still apply. In other words, if you’re able to watch Cubs games on ComcastSportsNet in your area you’ll be able to stream the games as well. “Pretty confident we’re going to have streaming in 2016,” Kenney said. “So local games will be available on mobile devices.” -- ESPNChicago.com Cubs to increase security around Wrigley Field in 2016 By Jesse Rogers CHICAGO -- With the Paris terror attacks in mind, the Chicago Cubs are stepping up security measures heading into the 2016 season. For the first time, fans will have to go through metal detectors to enter the park, and the team is trying to close several streets around the Wrigley Field on game days to create a “safe perimeter.” “The thing that used to keep me awake was the concrete and steel (falling) in our ballpark, which we’re fixing,” president of business operations Crane Kenney said Saturday at the Cubs fan convention. “The thing that keeps me awake now is thinking about the crazy times we live in.” Wrigley Field is located in a neighborhood with little room between the ballpark and street where cars drive by. The Cubs would like to allow for only “essential” vehicles to be moving next to the park. “We’re asking (the city) for 100 feet control in each direction of the ballpark,” Kenney said. “We would love to know who is driving what and what they’re doing while the ballgame is going on.” As for metal detectors, the Cubs say it will take more time to enter the ballpark but that it’s worth the increased safety they bring. “The only downside is people will need to allow themselves a little more time,” Kenney said. “We’re asking our fans to plan their day accordingly. “One of the downsides of a 100-year (old) facility is it wasn’t intended for 40,000 to come in and out." The Cubs will also extend netting within the ballpark to protect fans from foul balls. They’ll stretch it from behind home plate to the beginnings of both the home and visitor dugouts. “Protection level needs to be 70 feet,” Kenney explained. “The height of the nets will be dictated by where your seat is. It’s all physics.” --

ESPNChicago.com Buzz for 2016 already high as Cubs fan fest kicks off By Jesse Rogers CHICAGO -- By early Friday afternoon, the Sheraton Grand Chicago was packed with Chicago Cubs fans. Opening ceremonies for the 31st annual winter fan convention were still two hours away, but there they were, lined up outside the grand ballroom, ready to see their team for the first time since the Cubs were bounced from the National League Championship Series by the New York Mets in late October. That memory was long buried, replaced by the euphoric feeling the rest of 2015 brought to a hungry and rabid fan base. A video montage at the end of Friday's opening ceremonies brought chills to the room. So many walk-off victories, so many dramatic moments. But the real buzz this weekend is about what’s to come. Spring training can’t start soon enough, given the anticipation of another big year on the diamond and yet another chance to break the longest championship drought in professional sports history. “Every player who had to watch the Mets celebrate on the field is extremely hungry to win eight more games in October than they did last year,” Cubs president Theo Epstein said before the weekend festivities kicked off. “We’re unified by that common goal.” It’s a goal echoed by returning players and newcomers alike. A smiling Javier Baez is excited at the prospects of playing all over the field, including in center, which he says he “could play now” after working there this winter. Jon Lester wants to take his game to another level, and the left-hander now sees winning experience all over the place. “Everyone is ready to do it again,” he said. “And with a little sour taste in your mouth. If you go through it and win it the first time, you get spoiled a little bit. It’s good to experience some downs a little bit.” Maybe the best indication of the team's mindset comes from the newcomers. They shouldn’t be so in tune with the championship drought or the passion of fans who've waited so long to see the Cubs win the World Series. But there was Ben Zobrist talking again about winning a championship, and when John Lackey was probed on why he came to the Cubs, the right-hander said reuniting with former coach Joe Maddon and best friend Lester were just small parts of the equation. “The No. 1 factor is a chance to win and do something special in this city,” Lackey said. “The chance to make history. Bring a championship to this city. Winning is the biggest thing to me.” Winning is the biggest thing for everyone associated with the Cubs right now. As the crowd packed into the large banquet hall, owner Tom Ricketts repeated his family’s goals for the team. No. 1 was winning a championship. That’s always a crowd-pleaser, but for the first time since he bought the club, Ricketts can say it with a straight face. After all, the Cubs are the favorites -- which wins you nothing in January, of course. “We’re aware of the new expectations," Epstein said, "but we’re not concerned about it." That’s probably the best way he could put it. Manager Maddon has already said he won’t hide from those expectations, but acknowledging them is one thing and letting them affect his team is another. A year ago, the Cubs had nothing to fall back on, no foundation or understanding of what it took -- and still won 97 games. Now they’re stacked with experienced, winning players. “Last year changes the whole dynamic of our team,” Lester said. The only constant is the fans. This is their weekend. They get the chance to acknowledge their rookie of the year (third baseman Kris Bryant said he's working on hitting changeups from righties and curveballs from lefties), their Cy Young Award winner (Jake Arrieta said thinks he can be better) and their eccentric, award-winning manager. The fans saw Ryne Sandberg come home and got an up-close look at Jason Heyward in his new threads. The

outfielder said he's already feeling at ease after St. Louis Cardinals fans said goodbye to him via social media after he signed with the Cubs in free agency. They weren’t happy. And then there’s Lackey. Blunt and edgy. Lester says the two of them are the same “four of five days of the week,” but on that fifth day, Lackey has one thing in mind and isn’t afraid to show it. “I get a little more intense on my day, I guess,” Lackey said. “I’m pretty chill, pretty laid back on the other days. But when you only get 30-some chances to help your team, I take it pretty dang serious.” A fun team with a serious mindset. That’s what fans will see this weekend and heading into spring training. Epstein again downplayed his own contract situation -- “players first," said the exec whose deal expires at season's end. He’s right. The saying in a pennant race is it’s all about the team. The Cubs have that feel to them in January. If they take care of business, contracts will take care of themselves, legacies will be made and a thirsty fan base will find itself quenched. That’s the hope, anyway. “We’re out to reach our goals this year and make a lot of people happy,” Epstein said. Then he walked out into the ballroom and into a mass of Cubs fans. -- ESPNChicago.com Cubs 'surprised' by former C Taylor Teagarden's PED admission By Jesse Rogers CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs were surprised to see one of their former player in an undercover video recently admitting to taking performance-enhancing drugs. Catcher Taylor Teagarden was with the organization only in 2015, appearing in eight games in the majors and 63 more in the minors; he implicated himself in a report by Al-Jazeera made after last season. Teagarden says he used a banned substance “last year” and was “scared” because of an upcoming drug test, which he passed. The report was news to Cubs president Theo Epstein. “Completely surprised,” Epstein said Friday afternoon. “I don’t know anything about it other than what I’ve heard about the report. I don’t want to try a guy from afar, but if the allegations are true it’s really disappointing.” Teagarden was part of a larger story about doping in sports but was the only athlete seen in the video admitting to taking an illegal substance. The 32-year-old has spent parts of the past eight seasons in the majors and was on the Cubs' 40-man postseason roster in 2015 before being let go after they were eliminated. Major League Baseball is investigating the Al-Jazeera report. Teagarden’s lawyer didn’t return a call from ESPN.com after the news broke. The catcher is currently a free agent but could face penalties under the collective bargaining agreement. -- ESPNChicago.com Jake Arrieta, Cubs believe deal will get done despite salary gap By Jesse Rogers CHICAGO -- The Cubs and 2015 NL Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta are $5.5 million apart on a contract, but the sides believe a deal will get done before an arbitration hearing. The sides exchanged salary figures Friday after the Cubs to terms with six other arbitration-eligible players. The Cubs have filed for a $7.5 million salary for Arrieta, whereas Arrieta's agent, Scott Boras, put in for $13 million. It's a large gap, but Theo Epstein, the Cubs' president of baseball operations, was quick to point out the numbers represent negotiating tactics more than anything else.

"The filing numbers aren't offers, they're filing numbers used to either create a hearing ... or more likely a settlement," Epstein said. "These numbers provide room for a settlement." Jake Arrieta made $3.63 million last season and is seeking $13 million this season. Jerry Lai/USA TODAY Sports The sides can negotiate until a February hearing, and a middle ground of about $10 million might be the settlement Epstein was referring to. "It's not going to be $7.5 [million]," Arrieta said. "We're far apart, but that's how these things go. They have their numbers, we have ours. We like our case. At the end of the day, something will get worked out." The Cubs have never gone to a hearing under Epstein, although he has said the whole process yields some "awkward" moments. The team will need to find some negatives to make its case, and that might be hard after Arrieta went 22-7 with a 1.77 ERA last season. Most of the time it comes down to comparable players. "We weren't surprised or alarmed by what happened today," Epstein said. "We expect productive discussions." Said Arrieta: "I don't take it personally. It's business at its highest level. A lot of money is involved. They want to save money, we want a little bit more of it. Naturally, that's how it goes." If the sides do go to a hearing, the arbiter is bound to pick one salary or the other. Arrieta is in his second year of eligibility and has one more year of arbitration before becoming a free agent. He made $3.63 million last season. Agreeing to terms with the Cubs on Friday were Travis Wood ($6.17 million), Chris Coghlan ($4.8 million), Pedro Strop ($4.4 million), Hector Rondon ($4.2 million), Adam Warren ($1.7 million) and Justin Grimm ($1.275 million). -- ESPNChicago.com Cubs settle with six, but not Jake Arrieta By Jesse Rogers CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs settled on one-year deals for six arbitration-eligible players but have yet to sign Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta for 2016. Agreeing to terms on Friday were Travis Wood ($6.17 million), Chris Coghlan ($4.8 million), Pedro Strop ($4.4 million), Hector Rondon ($4.2 million), Adam Warren ($1.7 million) and Justin Grimm ($1.275 million). Arrieta, who is represented by Scott Boras, and the Cubs exchanged salary figures in preparation for an arbitration hearing to determine the pitcher's 2016 salary next month. The Cubs offered $7.5 million, while Arrieta is seeking $13 million. Between now and the hearing, the parties can continue negotiations. Arrieta made $3.63 million last season. For comparison, in 2013, Max Scherzer received a $9 million raise in his third year of arbitration after winning the Cy Young Award. Arrieta is in his second year of arbitration eligibility. -- CSNChicago.com Cubs called their shot with Jason Heyward signing By Patrick Mooney As part of the elaborate presentation during Jon Lester’s recruiting visit to Wrigleyville, the Cubs unveiled a diamond diagram projecting their 2016 lineup – with Jason Heyward playing center field.

At that point, Kris Bryant, Addison Russell and Kyle Schwarber hadn’t made their big-league debuts yet. Jake Arrieta hadn’t developed into a Cy Young Award winner. And Joe Maddon hadn’t managed a game in a Cubs uniform. Lester would have to take a leap of faith with Cubs executives Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer – who watched him grow up in the Boston Red Sox organization – to believe in a team that had finished in fifth place for five straight seasons and hadn’t won a World Series since the Theodore Roosevelt administration. This was November 2014 – the same month the Atlanta Braves traded Heyward to the St. Louis Cardinals – and 13 months before he would sign the biggest contract in franchise history. “They kind of broke down their ultimate plan,” Lester said. “(Heyward) was kind of their big guy they pitched to me.” Lester signing the richest contract in franchise history – at least until Heyward’s decision last month – marked a significant turning point in the rebuild. For $155 million guaranteed across six years, the Cubs would get an All-Star lefty to front their rotation, account for 200-plus innings and help a young team play meaningful baseball in September and maybe win around 84 games. The Cubs smashed all external expectations and internal projections for last season by winning 97 games and advancing to the National League Championship Series. “Really, this year was their plan,” Lester said. “We weren’t supposed to do what we did last year. (But) I think it put that (sense of) urgency into this year. “That’s what their ultimate plan was in 2016 – they were going to go all-in for this year. And they definitely have.” Heyward became an obvious target because of his age-26 potential, left-handed contact skills, .353 career on-base percentage and Gold Glove defense. That made the Cubs so much more comfortable with this eight-year, $184 million investment – and he wouldn’t have to be “The Man” in Chicago. “The biggest move we made this winter,” Epstein said, “didn’t feel like signing a free agent. He’s a day younger than Anthony Rizzo. It felt like adding another huge piece to our core of young players. “It fits our identity. That’s really what defines us right now – a group of young position players that we really, really believe in, on the field and off the field. He adds to that mix.” In the same way that Lester declined an offer from the San Francisco Giants in the range of seven years and $168 million, Heyward turned down a reported $200 million guarantee to return to Cardinals Nation, where at least one fan posted to Twitter an image of his red No. 22 jersey on fire. The Cubs also used 1908 to help convince two other big-name free agents – pitcher John Lackey and super-utility guy Ben Zobrist – who had bigger offers out there. Pitching coach Chris Bosio even said Trevor Cahill passed on a two-year offer to start for the Pittsburgh Pirates before accepting a one-year, $4.25 million deal to be a swingman for the Cubs. “There’s something special about what’s happening,” chairman Tom Ricketts said. “All these guys that came in this year – and some of the ones that came in last year – had more money somewhere else. But they all want to be part of this team. So having a good, young nucleus and a great manager makes it easier for Theo and Jed to recruit. “I had lunch with Jason Heyward the day he signed. I’m like: ‘Jason, so tell me, what about Chicago brought you in?’ And he’s like: ‘Well, I want to be part of a winning culture.’ And I’m like: ‘Wow, no one’s ever said that to me before.’” Epstein thinks of it as confidence when Lester calls him arrogant. Whatever. The Cubs aren’t all talk anymore.

“I like that,” Lester said. “You come in and you stand up tall. You stick your chest out and you go: ‘This is what we see. This is what we believe in. These are our guys.’ That blew me away. “It’s not, ‘Well, if this guy does this…’ No, everything was: ‘When this guy comes up, he’s going to do this.’ They couldn’t have been more right.” -- CSNChicago.com Cubs still in position to make the big trade when they need it By Patrick Mooney Plan A would be the best way to describe this offseason, the Cubs getting exactly what they felt they needed to augment a 97-win team in John Lackey, Ben Zobrist and Jason Heyward. That $272 million spending spree only cost money and two draft picks, meaning the Cubs will plan for worst-case scenarios and can still make the big trade when they absolutely need it. That day is coming. But the star-studded cast that needed security to move around the Sheraton Grand Chicago over the weekend will largely be the same group that reports to Arizona in February. This is Year 5 for the Theo Epstein administration and the Cubs still haven’t really sacrificed an elite prospect in assembling a team that advanced to the National League Championship Series last season. “We were trying to acquire as much young talent as we could,” said Jason McLeod, the senior vice president of scouting and player development, as Cubs Convention shut down on Sunday. “But I think we’re in that area now where we do have volume. “We have some prospects and we have guys that are blocked, so to speak, when you look at the corners with Kris (Bryant) and ‘Rizz’ (Anthony Rizzo). We’ve got a really good everyday lineup up there. (So) I think we certainly would be more open to it now.” Epstein called the odds of pulling off a major trade this month “pretty slim” and said: “It’s more likely than not that we’re done with any significant moves.” At least until the Cubs get past Opening Day and see how Jake Arrieta responds after throwing almost 250 innings during his Cy Young Award year, whether or not outfielder Jorge Soler can stay healthy and if Joe Maddon’s bullpen needs another power arm. “There’s no doubt we’ve transitioned,” Epstein said, “(from) that phase where we’ve been building through the minor leagues almost exclusively to get them to Wrigley and form a core that we can build around. “There are more players coming who are going to make an impact in Wrigley. But I do think we have surplus in certain areas. And as we get into the 2016 season, we know things are going to go wrong. We know guys are going to get hurt. We know needs are going to arise. “We like to have the ability to adjust midstream, because we’re not smart enough to know exactly how we’re going to have to fix the team. But we probably know we are going to have to fix certain areas. “We’re going to probably dip into our minor-league system, at times, and make trades and try to make the 2016 team better midstream, so we can win eight more games than we did last year.” The Cubs didn’t have the financial flexibility or the frontline pitching prospects or the stomach to make a huge trade before the July 31 deadline last summer.

The Cubs were a third-place team at that point and the reasonable position figured to be: Why go all-in for a coin-flip wild-card game? That group caught fire in August, September and early October and there are only World Series expectations now. So the Cubs continue to be linked in trade rumors, but as Epstein said: “That’s not our fault.” If the Tampa Bay Rays were that serious about making a deal, president of baseball operations Matt Silverman probably wouldn’t be talking about the Cubs on MLB Network Radio. It’s also fair to wonder how much the Rays would actually want to help the Cubs after pushing so hard for MLB to investigate the Maddon hire, turning the manager’s contractual opt-out right into a tampering case. “We’re very happy with our roster right now,” general manager Jed Hoyer said. “It fits our manager really well. We have tons of guys he can move all over the field. We have a lot of versatile pitchers. “If we had to go to Mesa tomorrow, we’d be OK with that. If something makes sense over the next month and makes us better, obviously, we’ll do it. But we’re not looking for big changes.” Lackey is the 200-innings workhorse with two World Series rings, a take-charge attitude and a sense of urgency at the age of 37. Zobrist is Maddon’s super-utility guy and the clutch hitter who helped turn the Kansas City Royals into champions after a midseason trade from the Oakland A’s. Heyward is a three-time Gold Glove outfielder whose teams have averaged almost 92 wins during his first six seasons in the big leagues – and he’s still only 26. But the Cubs can’t count on being as lucky and as healthy as they were last year, and all these young players won’t automatically stay on this upward trajectory. Willson Contreras – who won a Southern League batting title last year and will begin this season at Triple-A Iowa – is projected as a frontline catcher in the majors and essentially viewed as untouchable. Gleyber Torres – the 19-year-old shortstop who got a $1.7 million bonus out of Venezuela – would also probably be in that off-limits category. But scan the rest of Baseball America’s top-10 list and you see first-round picks Ian Happ and Albert Almora – plus outfielders Billy McKinney and Eloy Jimenez and third baseman Jeimer Candelario – in what Epstein still believes is at least a top-third farm system. Even after winning the offseason, the Cubs still understand they will eventually have to give up future assets to get the missing pieces for a World Series contender. -- CSNChicago.com 'Try not to suck': Javier Baez takes his swag to center field with Cubs By Tony Andracki When Javier Baez walked into Joe Maddon's office before his reintroduction to the big leagues in 2015, the Cubs manager had some simple advice for the young player: "Try not to suck." Baez told that story Saturday to an uproar of laughter from the thousands of Cubs fans in attendance at the "Rock star rookie" panel during the 2016 Cubs Convention at the Sheraton Grand Chicago.

That advice seemed to work out just fine, as Baez contributed maybe the biggest hit of the Cubs' 2015 season when he launched a three-run homer into the right-center field bleachers off Cardinals starter John Lackey in the clinching game of the NLDS. Baez pointed to that moment as the highlight of what was an up-and-down season fraught with personal loss and growth. After his sister died, Baez took a few weeks away from the game before returning to Triple-A Iowa, where he stayed until big league rosters expanded Sept. 1. Heading into 2016, the Cubs are trying to make Baez into a Ben Zobrist 2.0 with defensive versatility. Baez can already play second, third and shortstop, but now he's working in center field in winter ball and the Cubs will keep that experiment going in Arizona this spring. "I feel really good," Baez said. "I'm looking forward to start playing center field and we'll see how it goes in spring training." Baez said he's having fun playing in the outfield despite never moving beyond the infield in his professional career. Baez may only have six games under his belt in center field, but the 23-year-old kid with the MLB logo tattooed on the back of his neck is already feeling that sense of swagger. So much so that he already warned his peers on Twitter: “Just dont hit it to CF when im there” The backstory behind that, Baez said, was when nine balls were hit to him in center during a game in Puerto Rico and he tracked them all down, including a sliding stop to cut a hit off in the gap. Maddon has been talking up Baez's baseball IQ and defensive prowess since last spring and he wants to see what the kid can do in center. "I definitely think he can [play it at the big league level]," Maddon said. "He's one of the best on-field defenders I've seen, period. The way he plays the infield, he's never in trouble. He's very calm, he's got this really high baseball acumen - he sees things in advance. "I could go on and on. And he's only 23 years of age and he's got all this goin' on." Maddon loves to move his players all around the field and Baez is on board with whatever will help him get some playing time. "Obviously, I'm here to play," Baez said. "I'm ready to play. I want to play every day. "It doesn't matter what position, I just want to be in the lineup." -- CSNChicago.com Cubs still planning to launch TV network (but not expecting Dodger megadeal) By Patrick Mooney The Cubs are absolutely banking on the cable bubble not bursting before they can cash in with a new TV megadeal. There are so many variables within that equation, from a red-hot, DVR-proof team to Major League Baseball’s byzantine rules to Congress and federal regulators. It’s the rise of Netflix, Amazon and HBO Go, plus technology we’re not even thinking about now.

But Crane Kenney can survey the entire landscape and look back at the Dodgers and see what’s happening with SportsNet LA and say this much with certainty: “That deal will never happen again.” That would be Time Warner Cable’s $8 billion boondoggle and yet another cautionary tale for the entire industry. As president of business operations, Kenney is on the clock again, saying the Cubs are still “focused 100 percent” on launching their own network by 2020. But there’s no Dodger blueprint with a $300 million payroll on the horizon and a blank check to sign international players (and all those carriage issues in Southern California). “Remember, there is no sell the rights to someone else and they take all the risk,” Kenney said Saturday, speaking with reporters after his Cubs Convention presentation at the Sheraton Grand Chicago. “The world doesn’t work that way, with one exception: That’s what happened in L.A., where now Time Warner can’t clear the games in half the homes. And obviously it’s a huge loss for them. “Like everything we do, whether it’s Kiss Cams or anything else, we’re studying it to death to look at the pros and cons and weigh the risks of launching on our own, or launching with a partner.” This is a central part to the follow-the-money story in Wrigleyville. Team president Theo Epstein is waiting for that windfall to make sure this young core matures into a perennial contender. Outside of changing baseball leadership and hiring Epstein, chairman Tom Ricketts called this the biggest decision for his ownership group. “Got to get it right,” Ricketts said. Kenney also stressed there’s no scenario where the Cubs are getting 100-percent equity in a new channel. It’s always going to have to be working with another big media player, either a content producer and/or a distributor with the infrastructure to get the games into your living rooms. “The Dodgers are a one-off world,” Kenney said. “But the other deals you read about, whether it’s St. Louis or Seattle, where they got big equity pieces, they’re wearing the risk of cord-cutting and cord-shaving no different than we are at Comcast SportsNet.” The Cubs have an ownership stake in CSN Chicago, which keeps exclusive cable rights through the 2019 season. Kenney estimated the Cubs would need a two-year runway to build out their new network. “Can I predict exactly what 2019’s going to look like?” Kenney said. “No, I can’t. (But) we love the trajectory of sports rights. So if you look at any of the recent deals that were done, they’re still going up. “We love that trajectory. We watch with a very wary eye what’s going on in the cable universe, though. You’d have to be a fool not to pay attention.” Kenney did predict one smaller breakthrough for this season: authenticated in-market streaming. MLB recently made a deal with Fox Sports involving 15 teams, which will make games on regional networks available to local cable subscribers (without erasing MLB’s complicated blackout rules). “I’m finally pretty confident we are going to have streaming in 2016 (on) our mobile devices,” Kenney said. “All of the Fox RSNs will be up this year, (and) I think that’s going to give the league both the pressure and the momentum to get something done with Comcast.” -- CSNChicago.com Cubs owner: 'Mets fans are really, really obnoxious' By Patrick Mooney

If this rivalry really does heat up again, Cubs board member Todd Ricketts just created some classic bulletin-board material for Mets Twitter and the New York tabloids. Ricketts is probably best known for that “Undercover Boss” appearance and his right-wing politics. He doesn’t really have a buttoned-up personality — at least compared to brothers Tom (Cubs chairman) and Pete (Nebraska’s Republican governor). Ricketts had the Cubs Convention audience cracking up inside a Sheraton Grand Chicago ballroom on Saturday morning, telling a story about some of his favorite moments from an unbelievable 2015 season. “I don’t know if you guys know this, but Mets fans are really, really obnoxious,” Ricketts said during a Q-and-A session with ownership. Ricketts explained how his French-Canadian wife, Sylvie, is a huge hockey fan who tagged along for the playoff ride, watching the Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates in the wild-card game and eliminate the St. Louis Cardinals in the divisional round. “Even since she moved here, she’s been a bigger Blackhawks fan than a Cubs fan,” Ricketts said. “So she’s always understood the Cubs as like a family business, and she roots for the Cubs. But she didn’t have that level of emotional engagement. “So in any case, we go to Pittsburgh and we have a great time. The energy level is great. We go to St. Louis and the fans there — they were a little more confident — but still friendly and hospitable. “And then there was New York.” That line drew laughter from the audience of diehard Cubs fans. For years, the Cubs and Mets have been two big-market teams on a collision course. But power hitting versus power pitching became a blowout in the National League Championship Series, the Mets never trailing during their four-game sweep. “Obviously, that series ended disappointingly for everyone, but we continued to watch baseball,” Ricketts said, fast forwarding to the World Series and the Mets leading the Kansas City Royals in the ninth inning of Game 5. “My wife and I are sitting in our living room. It’s 10:30 at night. We’re in our pajamas. I don’t know if you guys remember — Matt Harvey refused to come out of the game. “He did a show on TV. He did his own little drama on TV to show that he was the tough guy and he was going to win this game for the Mets. He went back out on the mound — and I think three batters later the Royals had scored two runs.” The Royals would tie the game with Eric Hosmer’s heads-up hustle on a groundball, score five runs in the 12th inning and win their first World Series title since 1985. “When Hosmer’s left hand went across home plate,” Ricketts said, “my wife jumped up, pointed at the TV and she said: ‘Screw you, Matt Harvey! Screw you, Mets fans!’ “So I’m not certain that she’s adopted baseball as her favorite sport. And I’m not certain that she still would say that the Cubs are her favorite team because she loves the Blackhawks so much. But I know this for sure: She really, really hates the Mets.” -- CSNChicago.com Cubs strengthening security at Wrigley Field after Paris attacks By Patrick Mooney

The nightmare scenario for the Cubs at Wrigley Field would be the terrorist attacks that besieged Paris two months ago, when explosions went off outside Stade de France during the French national team’s soccer match against Germany. The agenda for Major League Baseball’s ownership meetings next week in South Florida includes a briefing from the Department of Homeland Security, trying to protect the business and prevent that kind of large-scale attack. President of business operations Crane Kenney said the Cubs are installing metal detectors for this season at Wrigley Field and working with City Hall to try to shut down Clark and Addison on gamedays and control the streets around the iconic ballpark. “Certainly, Paris got everyone’s attention,” Kenney said during a Cubs Convention presentation on Saturday at the Sheraton Grand Chicago. “Large venues like Wrigley Field are targets. And we got to do everything we can to protect our fans, our players and our neighborhood.” In another safety measure, the Cubs will also extend the netting to the inside edge of the home-plate side of the dugouts, trying to shield fans from foul balls. A stadium that had been literally falling apart in certain spots is getting something close to a $600 million facelift with this Wrigleyville project. The Cubs don’t know where the next threats might come from — Wrigley Field had to be evacuated postgame after a bomb threat last August — but the Paris attacks rattled Kenney. “The thing that used to keep me awake all night was the concrete and steel in our ballpark, which we’re fixing,” Kenney said. “The thing that keeps me awake all night now is the crazy times we live in. “The next morning, I rounded my team up and I said: ‘Listen, we got to talk about what we do next.’ We hired a consultant. We went to the league for help. Because we play in such a tight urban environment, we’re not surrounded by a sea of parking lots like a lot of (other) ballparks. “If you go to Dodger Stadium, they control their perimeter for hundreds and hundreds of yards. And they know who’s there and can really ring fence (to control) who gets close to the ballpark and who doesn’t. We don’t have that advantage.” Club officials are lobbying the city for control of a 100-foot perimeter in each direction of the ballpark at a time when the Cubs are becoming a version of America’s Team and anticipating regular crowds of 40,000, plus Wrigleyville’s carnival atmosphere. “We already have Sheffield and Waveland closed,” Kenney said. “We’re now talking about what we do on Clark and Addison and whether those should only be open to city traffic, meaning emergency vehicles, police and buses. “You’ve all been there on Addison — you’re six feet from the ballpark. That sidewalk’s six-feet wide. We would love to know who’s driving what and what they are doing next to the ballpark while the games are going on.” -- CSNChicago.com Theo Epstein on DH in National League: 'We can't count on it' By Tony Andracki Imagine a world where Kyle Schwarber's bat is in the Cubs' lineup every single day, yet there's no concern about what position he's playing. If the designated hitter came to the National League, that could be a reality. Schwarber is almost built for the DH spot - a supremely talented hitter without a true defensive position.

Even apart from Schwarber, the Cubs have plenty of reason to hope the designated hitter comes to the NL. They have so many young hitters already at the big league level, plus a slew of other prospects on the farm making their way through the system. Where would everybody play? It's a nice problem to have, but Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said he and his front office aren't anticipating a major shift on the DH front anytime soon. "We have so many hitters coming, who wouldn't mind a DH and an extra lineup spot to get another bat in there?" Epstein said on a panel during the Cubs Convention at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Saturday. "But it's above our paygrade. It's really an issue for the commissioner and the owners. "I just think we can't count on it. There are no indications the DH is coming anytime soon. So we're planning on building with the National League rules for years to come, emphasizing defense and versatility to be able to adjust." The Cubs have certainly built a versatile roster, with so many key players - Schwarber, Ben Zobrist, Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Jason Heyward - able to play multiple positions. But Cardinals GM John Mozeliak actually has the opposite stance of Epstein, saying Saturday that he believes there is "more momentum" for the DH coming to the NL: That would certainly help the Cubs' problem, but teams like the Cardinals are pushing for it because they saw firsthand how pitchers hitting can hurt a team when ace Adam Wainwright was lost for most of 2015 tore his Achilles running out of the box in April 25. No matter which way it works out, Cubs pitchers will still have to hit in 2016 - whether that be in the No. 8 spot in the lineup again is up to the "Mad Scientist" Joe Maddon. -- CSNChicago.com Next big Cubs free agent? Theo Epstein calls contract status a nonissue By Patrick Mooney Two years ago, Theo Epstein promised the social-media outrage over Clark the Cub would go away, that the new mascot introduced during the middle of a do-nothing offseason would eventually become “a blip instead of a cacophony, or Clark-ophony.” This franchise needed Epstein’s image as a rock-star executive during all those Cubs Convention rollouts, slick presentations to season-ticket holders and fuzzy features on national TV. The squirm factor, awkward silences and venting at the microphone just won’t be the same now during all those Q-and-A sessions this weekend at the Sheraton Grand Chicago. Epstein has already built the Cubs into a World Series contender, assembling arguably the game’s best collection of young blue-chip talent, hiring star manager Joe Maddon and upgrading a 97-win team with a $272 million investment in Gold Glove outfielder Jason Heyward, super-utility guy Ben Zobrist and veteran pitcher John Lackey. All that makes a new contract for Epstein – who’s now in the fifth and final season of his $18.5 million deal – feel inevitable. Except the Cubs haven’t gotten around to it yet.

Chairman Tom Ricketts – who takes a long-range view and allows Epstein to run his department – has described an extension for the president of baseball operations as just a matter of time. Just not as the surprise announcement on stage this weekend at Cubs Convention. “Status quo in that we are completely on the same page,” Epstein said before Friday’s opening ceremony. “We just haven’t gotten around to like hammering out an actual contract. But, again, I only really think about it when you guys (in the media) ask. I see myself as staying in the exact same role for a long time – and I think Tom sees it the same way.” By leaving the Tampa Bay Rays, Andrew Friedman not only triggered Maddon’s opt-out clause after the 2014 season, he also reset the market for the industry’s top executives with that five-year, $35 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The meter for Epstein could keep running from there. “At some point, we’ll get around to doing a contract extension,” Epstein said. “But I actually think players deserve contracts first before front-office guys. And we’re not done with our players yet. Jake (Arrieta) probably deserves a contract before I do. In fact, I know he deserves a contract before I do, so we’ll take care of that first. And at the right time, I’m sure we’ll address my situation.” Do you anticipate signing a new deal before spring training? “I haven’t thought about that,” Epstein said. “Honestly, I want to get the players taken care of first, and then we’ll see where it goes from there.” Epstein creatively worked with ownership and business operations to make this spending spree happen, and pretty much does his job without interference from above within those financial limits. That’s a dramatic change from the gorilla-suit exit from Fenway Park and the power struggles in Boston that led to Epstein’s resignation after the 2011 season. And Epstein clearly wants to be the executive in charge who helps finally end the century-and-counting drought and raises the World Series trophy at Wrigley Field. “We’re ready to roll,” Epstein said. “We’re ready to go into spring training and compete. It didn’t used to be a story when the GM was under contract for a year – I guess it is now – and I haven’t been very good at it in the past with some of the stuff in Boston. But it’s seriously not a concern at all. It’s going to take care of itself. Tom and I could not have a better relationship.” The Cubs might not need Epstein’s brand name for the same PR purposes anymore, and he doesn’t like being the center of attention anyway. But Theo’s still their biggest upcoming free agent. Imagine the cacophony – or Clark-ophony – if this doesn’t get done. -- CSNChicago.com Cubs: Jason Heyward takes the high road in war of words with Cardinals By Tony Andracki Jason Heyward doesn't want any part of a war of words with the St. Louis Cardinals. At his first Cubs Convention at the Sheraton Grand Chicago, the Cubs' biggest free agent acquisition of the offseason took the high road when asked about the comments the Cardinals had last month. After Heyward inked a $184 million deal with the Cubs in early December, the Cardinals took it as a personal slight and made public comments on the matter.

Heyward told Chicago reporters he chose the Cubs in large part because of the young core in place with players like Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo. St. Louis manager Mike Matheny didn't like that answer, saying he believed it wouldn't "ring too well with our club," and then continuing on by saying, "I don't blame him. But I don't like it." A couple days after that, Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright joined the onslaught on Heyward, saying the 26-year-old outfielder clearly didn't want to "The One" in St. Louis. With his first chance to comment publicly on the matter, Heyward admitted he didn't necessarily expect that reaction from the Cardinals. "I don't know about surprised. I didn't expect them to say anything one way or the other," Heyward said. "When it comes down to leaving a team, if they're happy to see me leave, then I didn't do my job right. "I'm just kinda happy that somebody's gonna miss me when I'm gone." Heyward admitted he didn't really get much of a reaction when he left the Atlanta Braves, though that was via trade to the Cardinals before the 2015 season, not a free agent decision. Regardless of what St. Louis fans Tweet at him or what the Cardinals say to the media, Heyward seems at peace with his decision. "I gotta do my job right," he said. "On a team where we won 100 games, now it's time for me to choose for the first time in my life where I'm gonna be and I had to make the best decision for me." -- CSNChicago.com Cubs and Jake Arrieta still need to make a deal By Patrick Mooney The headline-grabbing move out of Cubs Convention won’t be the megadeal that keeps Jake Arrieta pitching at Wrigley Field for the rest of his career. Theo Epstein’s front office and Boras Corp. couldn’t even agree on a one-year deal before Friday’s deadline to formally exchange arbitration numbers, with the Cubs filing at $7.5 million and Arrieta countering at $13 million. So far, Epstein has never taken an arbitration-eligible player to a hearing. That track record includes his first four years running baseball operations for the Cubs and his nine years as the Boston Red Sox general manager. On paper at least, this is a huge gap between Arrieta’s camp and an organization that helped him blossom into the National League’s Cy Young Award winner last year. “I know the spread seems big,” Epstein said at the Sheraton Grand Chicago. “But the filing numbers don’t always represent the offers. And there’s kind of an art to the filing numbers where you try to massage the number to a midpoint that makes a lot of sense. “In this case, if you focus on the spread, you’re kind of missing the story (because) it provides a lot of room for further discussion. I would be extremely hopeful that we could get something done to avoid a hearing because Jake deserves a really big raise. “I have nothing but the best things to say about him. His performance last year – and as a Cub – speaks for itself. He’ll be deservedly rewarded by the system.”

Super-agent Scott Boras could set a new arbitration record for his record-setting client after Arrieta went 22-6 with a 1.77 ERA and accounted for almost 250 innings (including the playoffs). Arrieta made $3.63 million last season, finally establishing himself at the age of 29 as a top-of-the-rotation starter. Realistically the Cubs are looking at a two-year window with their ace – and maybe their best chance to win a World Series with this nucleus – before Arrieta can hit the free-agent market. “With the number they filed, it seems like a long-term deal wouldn’t happen, but you never know,” Arrieta said. “Everything will work itself out. We have a really good case. I’m confident with it. So if it does get to the hearing, I think we’re in good shape.” The Cubs settled their other six arbitration cases, making one-year deals with left-hander Travis Wood ($6.17 million), outfielder Chris Coghlan ($4.8 million), setup guy Pedro Strop ($4.4 million), closer Hector Rondon ($4.2 million), swingman Adam Warren ($1.7 million) and reliever Justin Grimm ($1.275 million). But Arrieta’s final number is the one that could have enormous ramifications for the entire industry. “We’ll see where it leads,” Epstein said. “If we go to a hearing, we go to a hearing. We wouldn’t go in and pick holes in Jake Arrieta’s performance as a Cub, that’s for sure. We think he had an historic season (and) deserves a huge raise.” -- Chicago Tribune Cubs have insurance policies to guard against pitching injuries By Mark Gonzales Overflow crowds mirrored the optimism that swelled this weekend at the Cubs Convention. Although President Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer expressed their appreciation and even took time to pose for selfies with fans, the executives have guarded against assumptions that a young Cubs team that reached the National League Championship Series will fare even better in 2016. They know major injuries, which the Cubs avoided last year, could severely affect their postseason hopes. "Let's pray for health for that young bunch," former Cubs outfielder Bob Dernier told the crowd Sunday during one of the final convention sessions. Dernier, 59, knows about unfulfilled Cubs expectations as well as anyone. Dernier was part of the 1984 Cubs team that blew a 2-0 lead in the NLCS yet was expected to return to the postseason in 1985. But an array of injuries, particularly to the pitching staff, led to a 77-84 record and a fourth-place finish in the NL East. No Cubs starter made more than 25 starts, and Cy Young Award winner Rick Sutcliffe was limited to 20 starts because of hamstring and groin injuries. This winter, the Cubs added veteran free agent John Lackey to a rotation that returns four pitchers who made at least 31 starts in 2015. But the biggest insurance policies may be the re-signing of September sensation Trevor Cahill to a one-year, $4.25 million contract, the tendering a contract to left-hander Travis Wood, who agreed to a $6.17 million contract Friday, and acquiring Adam Warren from the Yankees. Cahill and Wood, along with left-hander Clayton Richard, were effective as relievers last season but have extensive experience as major-league starters. They will provide insurance to the starters as well as compensate for the shallow pool of starting pitchers at the upper minor-league levels.

That threesome also might be asked to throw multiple innings to take a load off closer Hector Rondon and relievers Pedro Strop and Justin Grimm, who have combined for 412 appearances over the last two seasons. "That's the biggest battle you're going to have, just trying to stay healthy," pitching coach Chris Bosio said. "Who knows what's around the corner? We're good at facing what's in front of us right now, and we'll adjust if we have to." Epstein cautioned eager fans over the weekend that the Cubs still finished third in the NL Central despite winning 97 games and that the preferred plan doesn't always follow the script because of injuries and underperforming that often result in midseason trades or promotions from the minors. "I think we'll have a lot of adjustments over the course of the season, but I believe pretty strongly in our pitching staff and pitching structure," Epstein said. If the Cubs need to reach to the minors for help, left-hander Eric Jokisch and Pierce Johnson have fully recovered from injuries that stunted their development last year. The Cubs don't intend to accelerate the development of many of their high-ceiling prospects who haven't pitched above Class A. That leaves Ryan Williams as a sleeper in the event of a midseason injury. Williams, 24, a 10th-round pick in 2014, walked only 18 in 1412/3 innings while posting a 14-3 record and 2.16 ERA at Class A South Bend and Double-A Tennessee last summer. -- Chicago Tribune Jason McLeod tempers hype on Cubs' international prospects By Mark Gonzales Jason McLeod expressed his appreciation at Cubs Convention when a fan praised the Cubs for landing six of the top 30 international prospects. But McLeod, the Cubs’ senior vice president of player development and amateur scouting, tempered some of the enthusiasm because of the youth of the players signed. “The fact remains, they’re 16 years old,” McLeod said Sunday. “And two years from now, we’re going to know a lot more about them, and we still won’t know that much about them until they’re 20 years old.” McLeod described Cuban outfielder Eddy Julio Martinez, 20, who was signed last October, as a line drive hitter with a strong throwing arm who is built like an NFL defensive back. Although general manager Jed Hoyer said he wouldn’t be surprised if Major League Baseball institutes an international draft soon, the hunt for talent continues. A showcase workout for Cuban left-handed hitting outfielder Yadiel Hernandez will be held Feb. 23 in Mexico City. Hernandez, 28, batted .369 for Mazanzas in 2014, has a .324 lifetime batting average in Cuba, a team can sign him without being subject to the international signing bonus pool rules, according to his representatives. Shortstop Alejandro Rivera Martinez and third baseman Luis Perez Tejada also are scheduled to participate in the workout in front of numerous scouts. -- Chicago Tribune Cubs believe Albert Almora finally is ready to turn the corner By Mark Gonzales

A strong finish could serve as a springboard to Albert Almora's career. "I think he's going to take a big step forward," Jaron Madison, the Cubs' director of player development, said of the outfield prospect. After batting .356 from Aug. 5 to the end of the 2015 season at Double-A Tennessee, Almora elected to work out at the University of Miami and built a batting cage near his South Florida home. "He's been getting after it," Madison said of Almora, 21, the Cubs' first pick in the 2012 draft. "He's in a good place mentally and feels good. I think it will be a good spring training for him. Spring training hasn't been an issue for Almora, who batted .345 in 29 at-bats in Arizona last year. But he was hitting only .237 at Tennessee before his late surge. Madison said Almora needs to attack pitches he can drive and not be content with putting the ball in play. Improvement in that department could allow Almora to start 2016 at Triple-A Iowa. "Now it's understanding where he is in his career and how close he is," Madison said. Quality control: The Cubs' signings of John Lackey and Jason Heyward means their first pick in the June amateur draft doesn't come until No. 104 overall. Jason McLeod, senior vice president of player development and amateur scouting, said the philosophy won't change as the Cubs' amateur scouts meet this week. McLeod recalled a similar situation in his first year as scouting director with the Red Sox, when they selected baseman Dustin Pedroia, now a four-time All-Star, with the 65th pick. "Good things can happen if you stick with your process," McLeod said. Extra innings: McLeod praised former special assistant and scouting director Tim Wilken, who left to become a special assistant with the Diamondbacks. "Tim is one of the most respected evaluators over the past 20 years," McLeod said. "If there's ever a scouts' wing in the Hall of Fame, I really think he should be there." ... Pitcher Dylan Cease, 20, who missed most of 2014-15 because of reconstructive right elbow surgery, continues to regain strength. "He looks like he's playing catch at 95-96 mph," McLeod said. ... Ian Happ, the Cubs' first pick in the 2015 draft, will spend most of his time at second base. Shortstop Gleyber Torres, ranked by Baseball America as the Cubs' top prospect, likely will start at Class A Myrtle Beach, with outfielder Eloy Jimenez (eighth) headed for Class A South Bend. Cubs' key dates Feb. 20: First workout for pitchers and catchers Feb. 24: First full-squad workout March 3: First spring training game vs. Brewers in Maryvale, Ariz. April 4: Opening night at Angels -- Chicago Tribune Cubs planning more security at Wrigley Field and environs for 2016 By Mark Gonzales Welcome to the Safer Confines.

In an effort to protect fans coming to their renovated relic, Cubs officials announced several additional security measures at Wrigley Field for the 2016 season. The biggest changes are that fans must go through metal detectors before entering the ballpark and that the Cubs are seeking help from the city to secure a 100-foot perimeter around the park on game days. The latter would mean sections of Clark and Addison streets would be open only to emergency and police vehicles and buses. Cubs business President Crane Kenney said he started thinking about additional safety measures after the Paris bombings in November. Kenney added that an official from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will address security with Major League Baseball officials this month. "What used to keep me awake all night was the concrete and steel, which we are fixing," Kenney said Saturday after informing fans of the changes during the Cubs Convention at the Sheraton Grand Chicago. "What keeps me awake now are the crazy times we live in." Kenney said the Cubs hired a consultant and are seeking addition help from MLB. "Security won't get any easier for us," Chairman Tom Ricketts said With congestion at the ballpark at an all-time high because of a massive $575 million renovation project and increased interest in the team, the Cubs elected to alert fans now so they can make plan to arrive at games earlier than usual. In addition, backstop netting will extend to the dugouts and will be designed to protect fans sitting as far as 70 feet away, with the location of fans sitting in that radius dictating the height. From bleachers to structural details, work to renovate Wrigley Field continues. Until the security measures were announced, much of the anticipation about ballpark updates concerned renovations. Many of the improvements for the park involve replacing steel and concrete, although among the more visible upgrades are the 7,000 grandstand-reserved seats that will be replaced and improvements to the center-field-bleacher area. A new entrance on the west side of the park, a new sound system, an increase of 40 percent or more of women's and men's restrooms, eight elevators and an expanded ticket area are scheduled for completion by 2017. The offices in the new plaza built above the new clubhouse should be completed by the end of 2016. Manager Joe Maddon, his coaches, players and training staff were ecstatic after their visit to the new spacious and circular clubhouse facilities that should be ready well before the April 11 home opener against the Reds. "You can just see the magnitude of the place," said Maddon, who watched the reaction of the players as they viewed their new digs. . The training room, for instance, will be 4,000 square feet and include more equipment. "It's unbelievable," reliever Neil Ramirez said. "From my standpoint, the recovery (equipment) is ridiculous." And players and fans will be on more of a routine schedule this season, as Maddon's request to play home games at more traditional starting times was granted with the elimination of 3:05 p.m. starts on Fridays. "Our No.1 goal is to win games," Kenney said. "And when Joe said in his view that consistency of schedule would help us win games, it became easy." That change will be revisited after the 2016 season.

-- Chicago Tribune Todd Ricketts reveals how he and his wife really dislike Mets By Mark Gonzales After watching the Mets sweep the Cubs in the National League Championship Series, board member Todd Ricketts and wife Sylvie got some redemption in the World Series. "Mets fans are really, really obnoxious," Ricketts told a Cubs Convention audience Saturday at the Sheraton Grand Chicago. Ricketts said he enjoyed mingling with Pirates and Cardinals fans during the playoffs, but he and his wife were just TV viewers when the Mets blew a 2-0 lead in the ninth inning of a 7-2 loss to the Royals in Game 5 of the World Series. "When (Eric) Hosmer's left hand crossed home plate, my wife jumped up and pointed at the TV and (screamed at) Matt Harvey,'" Ricketts said. "She really, really hates the Mets." Ricketts said his wife is a French-Canadian native who follows hockey closer than baseball. But she was just as excited as her husband over Harvey's inability to hold a lead. "(Harvey) did his little drama (in the dugout before the ninth) on TV to show he was a tough guy and (would) win this game for the Mets," Ricketts smiled. -- Chicago Tribune Cubs need to plan TV network long before they could begin own broadcasts By Mark Gonzales The Cubs believe they would need to start their own network two years before they telecast their games. "We would need a two-year runway," Cubs business President Crane Kenney said Saturday from the Cubs Convention at the Sheraton Grand Chicago. The Cubs continue to explore all options for when their agreements with CSN, WGN and WLS expire after the 2019 season. But they seem leaning to running their own network unless an offer overwhelms them, as was the case when they struck a deal with CBS Radio for their rights before the 2015 season. The Cubs will have a showcase studio in their soon-to-be completed new building but would need ample time to secure distribution and content partners if they elect to operate their own network. Kenney seemed optimistic Cubs fans will be able to watch local games on their mobile devices, pending an agreement with Major League Baseball and rights holders. DH delay: President Theo Epstein isn't optimistic the National League will adopt the designated hitter. "It's above our pay grade," said Epstein, who has a plethora of young hitters. "It's an issue with the commissioner and the owners, and we can't count on it. There are no indications the DH is coming (to the NL) any time soon. "We're planning on building an NL club and NL rules for years to come and emphasizing defense and versatility to be able to adjust."

As for fielding calls on teams interested in acquiring NL Rookie of the Year Kris Bryant or Kyle Schwarber, general manager Jed Hoyer dismissed the idea. "(Calls) end very quickly," he smiled. Extra innings: The Cubs are learning toward a switch to mobile ticketing in the future, with fans having the chance to receive replica tickets printed. Season-ticket renewals are at 98 percent from last year, the Cubs said, and spring training ticket sales have doubled. … Pitching coach Chris Bosio said Trevor Cahill turned down a two-year offer to start for the Pirates to return to the Cubs for a one-year, $4.25 million contract with no guarantee of a spot in the bullpen. -- Chicago Tribune Sammy Sosa reunion remains on Cubs' back burner By Mark Gonzales Owner Tom Ricketts cheered for Sammy Sosa long before Ricketts and his family bought the Cubs. But an invitation to return to the organization for the tarnished slugger remains at the bottom of the list of the Cubs' priorities. “I appreciated him as a great player, a great Cub,” Ricketts told a fan Saturday at Cubs Convention. “Certainly he was an important person to this franchise. I’m sure everyone in this room cheered for him at one point. “But nothing has really changed from the way I really feel about this. At some point, something will happen that will allow us to welcome Sammy back. I look forward to that day. Until that day, I don’t have anything to add.” Sosa, who hit 545 of his 602 home runs with the Cubs during an 18-year career, barely remains on the Hall of Fame ballot because of allegations of performance enhancing drugs and his decision to leave before the final game of the 2004 season. -- Chicago Tribune Metal detectors part of new safety measures at Wrigley Field By Mark Gonzales In an effort to ensure fan safety, the Chicago Cubs are installing metal detectors at Wrigley Field in time for the 2016 season. Crane Kenney, President of Business Operations, encouraged fans to arrive at home games earlier than normal. The Cubs also are seeking help from the City of Chicago to close Clark and Addison streets on game days to improve pedestrian traffic and secure better control of the area. "What used to keep me awake all night was the concrete and steel in our ballpark, which we are fixing," said Kenney, adding that a high-level official from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will speak at an MLB meeting this month. "What keeps me awake now is the crazy times we live in." Kenney elected to tell fans of the new security measures Saturday at Cubs Convention so they could prepare with slightly less than three months before the April 11 home opener against the Cincinnati Reds. Kenney said that after the bombings in Paris in November, he met with his executives to see what they could do about improving fan safety at Wrigley, which "is not surrounded by a sea of parking lots."

Kenney said the team is looking for a 100-foot perimeter of control in each direction of the ballpark. On game days, the Cubs would prefer that Clark and Addison would be open only to city traffic - emergency and police vehicles and buses." Under the new measures, fans would enter in single file lines and have their bags checked. There have been no discussions of opening the gates earlier than two hours before games. In addition, protective netting at Wrigley will be extended to the home and visiting dugouts, with the protection level at least 70 feet, Kenney said. "Wrigley been here 100 years with limited netting," Kenney said. "In the old days, all you did was keep score and focused on game." With fans now looking at their phones, "it's time we really studied this one," Kenney said. 'It was hard for us to do, but with the safety factor we move forward." -- Chicago Tribune Cubs' Jason Heyward happy discontented Cardinals will miss him By Mark Gonzales If the rival Cardinals remain bitter after Jason Heyward's departure, they should heed the words that Rams fans heard this week from the NFL that "it's just business." Before participating in the opening ceremony at his first Cubs Convention before an overflow crowd Friday night at the Sheraton Grand Chicago, Heyward didn't dwell deeply on sharp comments from Cardinals manager Mike Matheny and pitching ace Adam Wainwright. Those came last month after he said he chose to sign an eight-year, $184 million contract with the Cubs because of their youth and chance to attain greater success for multiple years. "I didn't expect them to say anything, one way or the other," Heyward said. "When it comes to leaving a team, if they're happy to see me leave, that means I didn't do my job right. "I'm just happy that somebody is going to miss me when I'm gone. I didn't get the same vibe when I left Atlanta the first time — not from necessarily the players and coaches. They were not happy to see me go. "But I feel like I did my job right on a team that won 100 games, and now it's time for me to choose for the first time in my life where I'm going to be, and I had to make the best decision for me.'' While Heyward's decision last month heightened excitement and expectations for Cubs fans, Matheny and Wainwright expressed their disappointment even though Heyward, 26, spent only one season with the Cardinals after his trade from the Braves. "I don't blame him, but I don't like it," Matheny told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch last month. "I thought we created a really good atmosphere." Wainwright told radio show host Bernie Miklasz that Heyward was a great teammate but wondered why he would take less money to leave. "He didn't want to play there after myself, and Yadier (Molina) and Matt (Holliday) were gone, on such a long contract," Wainwright said. "It really comes down to a personality trait to me." Heyward returns to Busch Stadium on April 18-20 and maintained the anticipated verbiage won't be worse than what he has heard in San Francisco and Philadelphia.

And while the Cardinals may feel like jilted lovers, Cubs assistant hitting coach Eric Hinske and Anthony Rizzo have a longer association with their adaptable center fielder and believe he will help the Cubs' chances of winning a World Series because of his unselfishness. "You won't hear him say anything bad," said Hinske, who served as a mentor during Heyward's first three seasons with the Braves (2010-12). "He's going to let his actions speak on the field, and that's what he always has done. "They called him the next Hank Aaron when he showed up in Atlanta, and he was 21. This guy has been dealing with a lot of pressure, and he plays his game." Rizzo said he has known Heyward since they played in high school tournaments and were drafted out of high school in 2007. "For him to have offers for more money, he could have gone for top dollar," Rizzo said. "But everyone knows winning a World Series in this city is everything in baseball. Everyone wants to see it, whether you're a Red Sox fan or Yankee fan. Heck, even some Cardinals fans would admit just to see it. It's history. To do it here is a great attraction." -- Chicago Tribune Cubs newcomer John Lackey relishes 'chance to make history' By Chris Kuc John Lackey practically beamed when talking about joining a Cubs team that included his "best friend in baseball," fellow starting pitcher Jon Lester. Certainly, then, Lester has to be equally as thrilled to have Lackey as his teammate. "No," Lester deadpanned on opening night of the Cubs Convention on Friday at the Sheraton Grand Chicago. "No, 'Lack' is like my brother, part of my family," continued Lester, who helped recruit the free-agent right-hander to sign with the Cubs. "I tried to play a part in helping him make a decision. I'm pretty sure he's pretty annoyed with me this offseason. "I'm glad he's here not only because of the friendship but what he brings to this team and just the presence he has in our clubhouse. On a personal level, it's a better addition for me and my family. We're pretty excited about it." So is Lackey, who signed a two-year, $32 million contract with the Cubs in December that should bolster their rotation. The money is nice, but Lackey said he had a bigger reason for signing with the Cubs. "Really, the chance to make history; the chance to win a world championship in this city," Lackey, 37, said. "At this point in my career … winning is the biggest thing to me. If this is my last couple of years in the big leagues, to go out like that would be pretty dang cool." Lackey has thrown 180-plus innings in nine of his 13 seasons in the majors, including last year when he went 13-10 with a 2.77 ERA in 218 innings with the Cardinals. If the two-time World Series champion (2002 with the Angels and '13 with the Red Sox) can continue to eat up innings, that will ease the burden on the Cubs' bullpen. "I work pretty hard at it," Lackey said of going deep into games. "It's something I take pride in. You definitely have to put the work in in between starts to get that done and hopefully it continues." With the addition of Lackey and his Cardinals teammate last season, outfielder Jason Heyward, Lackey said the Cubs have "absolutely" become a desired destination for free agents.

"You're seeing guys take less money to come here and you're seeing guys who want to be a part of something special," Lackey said. "It has become that." So has Lackey allowed himself to think about what winning a World Series would do for Chicago and die-hard Cubs fans? "One-hundred percent," he said. "That's the only reason I came." -- Chicago Tribune Jake Arrieta and Cubs far apart on arbitration figures but not worried By Mark Gonzales National League Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta made a quick declaration Friday after assessing the $5.5 million arbitration gulf between him and the Cubs. "It's not going to be $7.5 million," said Arrieta, referring to the Cubs' submitted figure. "I think we're far apart, but that shows how things go. It happens a lot. They have their number, we have ours ($13 million). We like our case. Something will get worked out." Arrieta was the only arbitration-eligible player among the Cubs' seven not to agree to terms before Friday's deadline. Arbitration hearings are scheduled for Feb. 1-21 if agreements aren't reached. The Cubs did agree to terms on one-year contracts with pitchers Travis Wood, Hector Rondon, Pedro Strop, Adam Warren and Justin Grimm, as well as outfielder Chris Coghlan. President Theo Epstein isn't alarmed by the wide gap between the club and Arrieta. "The filing numbers are not offers," he stressed. "They're (filed) to create either a hearing — which we hope to avoid and always avoided throughout my career — or more likely a settlement. These numbers provide a lot of room for a settlement." Epstein is just as optimistic about finalizing an extension for himself after chatting frequently with Chairman Tom Ricketts. "I see myself staying in the exact same role for (some) time, and I think Tom sees it the same way," he said. "Jake deserves a contract before I do." In the swing: Despite winning National League Rookie of the Year honors, Kris Bryant has made some adjustments in his swing. "I'm trying to make my swing a little flatter so I'm not fouling balls off or missing them," Bryant said. "It's important to realize what you do well and what you don't do well." New digs: Players and coaches were amazed after taking a tour of their soon-to-be completed new clubhouse and training room at Wrigley Field. "I'll have to put little tags on (players) so I know where they're at," coach Dave Martinez joked. "I'm not going to chase them around here. Don't be hiding on me." The old clubhouse will be transformed into a batting cage. --

Chicago Tribune No big moves expected soon for Cubs By Mark Gonzales The Chicago Cubs have been known to tinker with their roster right up to the start of spring training, whether it's signing super utility player Emilio Bonifacio two years ago or unsuccessfully trying to sign pitcher James Shields. But after signing marquee free agents Jason Heyward, John Lackey and Ben Zobrist by mid-December, it appears the Cubs are done - for now. “Pretty slim," President Theo Epstein said Friday night of the chances of making another significant move. "I think it’s more likely than not we’re done with any significant moves, and we feel great about how the offseason went. "More important, it's about the guys who are coming to camp with us and starting the grind to come together as a team and compete in the toughest division in baseball (National League Central) and try to earn our way back to the postseason." Epstein realizes there will be moves during the season to adjust to injuries and or performance. "We’re fairly well positioned to see where the needs arise and have the ability to adjust midstream," Epstein said. "We’re not smart enough to anticipate how things will go with our pitching staff, how our outfield will respond to some challenges. We’ll see how it evolves and do our best to adjust midstream if necessary." -- Chicago Sun-Times Cubs newcomer Jason Heyward: Cardinal critics entitled to opinions By Gordon Wittenmyer Newly signed Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward took the high road over the weekend when asked about critical comments made by his former manager and teammates in St. Louis after he said he chose to sign with the Cubs in large part because of the Cubs young core vs. an aging Cardinals core. “Everybody has their opinions and they’ve got a right to make them,” said Heyward, 26, who signed an eight-year, $184-million deal. “At the end of the day, nobody had a decision other than me. At the end of the day it’s my decision, and that’s the bottom line.” Cards manager Mike Matheny said after hearing Heyward’s reasoning said he respected the Gold Glove right fielder but added: “I don’t think it’s going to ring too well with our club. … I can’t say I’m in any kind of agreement with that core being better than any kind of core that we have.” Cards pitcher Adam Wainwright during a radio interview called Heyward a great teammate, then added: “It really comes down to a personality trait to me. The person that we want to give that kind of money to, that big money to, he needs to be a person that wants to be the guy that carries the torch. … There’s nothing wrong with [Heyward’s rationale]. But we’re looking for that guy who wants to be the man.” Heyward said teammates from that season in St. Louis remain his friends and facing them “will be like playing against your brother. You love them to death off the field, and it’s going to be great to see them. It’s going to make it that much more fun when you get to play against them [18] times out of the year.” If anything, it was a segment of the Cardinals fan base that vigorously, and at times viciously, lashed out at Heyward through social media when he turned down the Cardinals for the Cubs. “People are entitled to making their opinions and feel any kind of way,” he said. “Fans are fans, and that’s part of it for them. That’s all they can do is react to things that happen with the players or with teams and things like that.

We kind of hold them hostage when it comes to winning a ballgame or losing a ballgame. They’re going to be happy one way and they’re going to be sad the other.” -- Chicago Sun-Times Cards’ GM says momentum shifting for DH in NL; Cubs could benefit most By Gordon Wittenmyer Cubs president Theo Epstein said he’s not counting on it, but could the team with the overflow of young hitting talent get the benefit of the designated hitter rule they seem built for? At least one rival general manager suggested first-time “momentum” toward adding the DH to the National League. “I do feel like there were times I could look all of you in the face and say it’s a non-starter, [that] it’s not being discussed at the owner level or GM,” Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak told fans over the weekend during the Cardinals’ version of Cubs Convention (via St. Louis Post-Dispatch). “But over the past year it has. “I’m not suggesting you’re going to see a change, but I definitely think the momentum [has changed],” he added, saying a first step that’s been discussed is adding the rule for interleague games in NL parks. Epstein likes the idea but sounds less optimistic. “We have so many hitters coming we wouldn’t mind a DH,” he said. “But we can’t control that. It’s above our pay grade. It’s an issue with the commissioner and the owners.We can’t count on it. There are no indications that the DH is coming anytime soon. “So we’re planning on building National League clubs with National League rules for years to come, and emphasizing defense and versatility to be able to adjust.” Dan Vogelbach, the first-base prospect with perhaps the most at stake if he wants a big-league role with the club, said Sunday he tries to put that possibility out of his mind. “Obviously [Anthony] Rizzo’s the first baseman for the Chicago Cubs. That’s not going to change,” said Vogelbach, the former second-round pick who was added to the 40-man roster this winter. “I don’t know if [the DH] is coming or not. Obviously, if it [does], then that’s another chance for another bat in the lineup, but right now I’m just going to continue to try to be the best first baseman I can be.” -- Chicago Sun-Times Cubs’ foundation in place, sustained success up to biz prez Crane Kenney By Gordon Wittenmyer They have the must-see programming. The most boisterous, fawning Cubs Convention in years proved that much over the weekend. But do the Cubs have any idea on what channel anybody will be able to find that programming even two or three years from now? “All I know is that maybe aside from changing leadership in baseball, it’s the biggest decision we have,” chairman Tom Ricketts said during Cubs Convention over the weekend. “So we’ve got to get it right.”

Rough translation: Now that Theo Epstein has done his part to produce a baseball drama nobody can take their eyes off, it’s up to business president Crane Kenney to make it pay off with the kind of regional TV deal that can support a long-running show. If the remote is in Kenney’s hand, he’s still channel surfing. “Everything’s an option,” Kenney said of efforts to maximize the local TV-revenue potential in a fast-changing media-rights landscape. “Can I predict exactly what 2019’s going to look like? No, I can’t.” The option that has produced the most noise, especially in recent months, is the creation of a team-owned network for Cubs/baseball-only content. Kenney had spoken publicly of it in terms of concrete plans recently, but both he and Ricketts said over the weekend it remains just one of multiple options for their next move. “I can’t predict what’s going to happen in the next three or four years,” Kenney said. “We know one thing we can control is launching our own network, so we’re focused 100 percent on that. As we have conversations which are ongoing with all sorts of partners, if somebody offers us something dramatically better, we’ll of course look at that.” He said a Cubs network would be a joint venture with a distribution or content partner and would be projected to launch by 2018 “because you need a two-year runway.” Of course, one benefit of so publicly focusing “100 percent” on a team network is the potential for strengthening negotiating position on a more traditional deal with an existing outlet. The Cubs have talked extensively with the outlet perhaps best equipped to start the bigger revenues flowing much sooner than 2020: current rights-holder (for more than half the schedule) Comcast SportsNet. The Cubs own a 25-percent stake in CSN. A source familiar with the Cubs’ efforts say CSN has proposed deals “close” to what the Cubs seek but not close enough that a deal looks possible anytime soon. The Cubs may have missed the height of the regional-rights megadeal era that produced 17- to 25-year deals ranging in average total value from $900,000 to more than $2 million per game for teams such as the Phillies, Yankees, Angels, Rangers and – in particular — the Dodgers. Kenney said deals like the Dodgers’ no-risk $8.35 billion deal with Time Warner Cable “will never happen again” after the losses Time Warner absorbed through carriage issues that prevent two-thirds of the Los Angeles market from getting the games. Any direction the Cubs take will carry some risk, Kenney said, as the way people buy and consume mobile and home TV programming evolves. But that doesn’t mean there’s not a substantial enough rights deal out there that could still be considered the “game-changer” Epstein has been counting on for his baseball plans. “We love the trajectory of sports rights,” Kenney said. “If you look at any of the recent deals that were done, they’re still going up, so we love that trajectory. We watch with a very wary eye what’s going on in the cable universe, though, and you’d have to be a fool not to pay attention.” -- Chicago Sun-Times Kris Bryant: Grievance vs. Cubs about ‘supporting the players after me’ By Gordon Wittenmyer

Kris Bryant is more concerned with helping the Cubs beat another path to the playoffs than becoming a trailblazer for the players’ union. But it’s not lost on him how significant his role is in the union’s efforts to change service-time manipulation practices by teams as players and owners open negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement this year. “I’m just in it for supporting the players and the guys after me. I’m just going to bat for them,” Bryant said Friday, speaking for the first time publicly about his grievance against the Cubs – and downplaying any pride he might take in a potentially historical role. “I don’t think I’m that type of person.” It was revealed last month that the players’ union filed grievances on behalf of Bryant and Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco early last season over the common practice of service-time manipulation to delay arbitration eligibility or free agency. In Bryant’s case, he was kept in the minors in 2015 the exact number of days required by the CBA to assure an additional year of club control – then helped the Cubs to the playoffs with a Rookie of the Year performance. That success is what sources on the union side say makes their case most compelling in the unprecedented grievances. The Cubs and major league baseball stand behind the language of the contract. But it’s in labor negotiations that Bryant’s case seems to have the best chance to make a difference. “It really isn’t just me,” Bryant said. “Anthony [Rizzo] and Dexter [Fowler] and a lot of people before me have been through it. It just happens to be this year, and I had a good year and a lot of attention has been brought to it. “There’s flaws in every system,” he said. “I think it is one that could possibly be changed. And maybe it will. Who knows?” -- Chicago Sun-Times Jake Arrieta to make history in arbitration? ‘Well, I did during the season so why not continue that?’ By Gordon Wittenmyer Both sides say they believe they can reach an agreement before an arbitration hearing. But when the Cubs and their ace, Jake Arrieta, filed arbitration figures Friday $5.5 million apart, it raised eyebrows – if not the possibility Arrieta and his agent, Scott Boras, could be in a history-making position of strength to beat the Cubs in a hearing. Consider it the potential price of success for a Cubs team that won 97 games last season in large part because of Arrieta’s Cy Young Award performance – and that has already squeezed much of its available resources into efforts to build higher expectations this season. “I don’t sweat it too much,” said team president Theo Epstein, who has never taken a player to an arbitration hearing in 14 years running baseball departments. But on a day Houston’s 2015 Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel set a record for a first-year arbitration pitcher when he agreed to a $7.25 million deal, the Cubs’ $7.5 million filing for the Arrieta case Friday looks at first glance like a threat to at least smudge Epstein’s perfect record. The way the system works, an arbitration panel is allowed after a hearing to pick only the player’s or the team’s figure – no compromise number.

If they reach a hearing and Arrieta prevails, his $13 million figure would set a record for an arbitration award. (Mat Latos was awarded $9.4 million last year after losing his hearing to the Marlins, the record for a pitcher; Anibal Sanchez beat the Marlins for $8 million to set the record for an arbitration-winning pitcher in 2012). Even the $10.25 million midpoint would set the record for a one-year agreement with a second-year arbitration eligible pitcher. What about making that kind of history? “Well, I did during the season, so why not continue that?” Arrieta said. “We have a really good case. We’re confident with it. So if it does get to hearing I think we’re in good shape.” The Cubs reached deals with their six other arbitration-eligible players before Friday’s deadline for filing hearing figures and Epstein remained “extremely hopeful” he may still yet reach agreement with his best pitcher – who was expected to get something just above the $10.25 million midpoint of Friday’s figures. “I know the spread seems big, but the filing numbers don’t always represent the offers,” Epstein said. “And there’s kind of an art to the filing numbers, where you try to massage the midpoint to a number that makes a lot of sense.” Hearings will be scheduled from Feb. 1-21. Epstein said he didn’t consider Arrieta’s case unique and downplayed the risk of filing low enough to potentially make Arrieta’s number seem more reasonable by default in a hearing. “A lot always depends on the midpoint, and there’s always arguments on both sides,” Epstein said. “I’d like to think that the nature of both filing numbers provides a lot of room for further discussion. And our relationship is great with Jake, and I have a feeling it’ll continue to be so.” Arrieta made it sound like the feeling is mutual. But hearings often get contentious, and the player is required to attend, and listen to every argument the team makes against him. “We weren’t the least bit surprised by today’s events,” Epstein said. “If we go to a hearing we go to a hearing. We wouldn’t go in and pick holes in Jake Arrieta’s performance as a Cub, that’s for sure. We think he had an historic season. We think he deserves a huge raise.” And if he thinks he deserves an historic one? David Price set the second-year arbitration record for a pitcher when he settled on a $10.113-million deal in 2013 coming off his Cy Young season with Tampa Bay. Neither Arrieta nor the Cubs seem to expect any talks on a long-shot multi-year extension to start until a one-year deal is done. “With the number they filed it seems like a long-term deal wouldn’t happen,” Arrieta said. “But you never know. I know that things can transpire very quickly in these situations.” The cost of pitching has only gone up in the three years since Price’s deal. Just ask the Astros and Keuchel – or the Cardinals, who committed $5.6 million to first-year arbitration closer Trevor Rosenthal $5.6 million to avoid arbitration Friday. “Everybody wants to be compensated for their performance,” said Arrieta, who shrugged off the process as the routine business of baseball. But he added:

“I think the circumstances with me are a little different based on the year I had last year. So some things could change. History could be made. I guess we just have to let time tell us where this goes.” -- Chicago Sun-Times Joe Maddon gets his 1:20 Friday starts and other Cubs Convention notes By Gordon Wittenmyer Cubs manager Joe Maddon said he didn’t like the 3:05 p.m. Friday game times last year, and the team’s business side listened – moving all Friday games back to 1:20 p.m. starts this season. “Our No. 1 goal is winning games, and when Joe said in his view consistency of schedule would help us win games, it became easy,” business president Crane Kenney said of the decision, speaking with reporters after the business ops session Saturday at Cubs Convention. Kenney said the move in recent years to the 3:05 times was the result of surveying fans’ preferences. “It’s not easy to tell our fans we’re not giving you what you want, but what they ultimately want is winning,” he said. “It’s a tradeoff.” Other news and notes from Saturday’s convention sessions: –Co-owner Todd Ricketts told a story from the playoffs about his French Canadian, hockey-fan wife, who rarely gets impassioned about baseball but who made an exception after her experiences with Mets fans in New York. “I don’t know if you now this, but Mets fans are really, really obnoxious,” he said, before describing a quiet evening in his living room watching Mets pitcher Matt Harvey refuse to leave Game 5 just ahead of giving up the lead that gave the Royals the title. “I’m telling you when [Royals runner Eric] Hosmer’s left hand went across home plate, my wife jumped up and pointed at the TV and she said, `Screw you, Matt Harvey! Screw you, Mets fans!’ “ Ricketts said. –Chairman Tom Ricketts said the club is sensitive to the sound-system problems that plagued Wrigleyville after the new video board was installed last year and continues to work to improve the volume issues. A new sound system is scheduled to be ready for 2017. –Pitching coach Chris Bosio revealed that Trevor Cahill turned down a two-year offer of a starting job from the Pirates to stay with the Cubs’ bullpen on a one-year deal ($4.25 million). –Ballpark operations boss Carl Rice said seats being removed and replaced during the renovation will be offered for sale first to corresponding season-ticket holders and then to the rest of the public – a five-year process. –In the wake of Ryne Sandberg rejoining the organization, a fan asked former Sandberg teammate Davey Martinez a thinly veiled question about the long-standing rumor of a rift between the two dating to their Cub playing careers — and whether they’d buried the hatchet. “That was buried a long time ago,” the Cubs’ coach said. -- Chicago Sun-Times If past echoes, future beckons as John Lackey seeks 3rd title with 3rd team By Gordon Wittenmyer Four years and a league change later, John Lackey would still hear it occasionally from a random fan. “Something every now and then,” said the Cubs’ newest workhorse starting pitcher. “That was five years ago, and it was 100 percent overblown, and it’s not something I want to get into anymore to be honest with you.”

He’s referring of course to his reported role in the Red Sox’ beer-and-chicken controversy that followed Boston’s historic September collapse in 2011 — an episode connected to 2016 only by the sudden reunion of Lackey, pitcher Jon Lester and Cubs team president Theo Epstein. Of course, that reunion – expected to last for the two-year term of Lackey’s $32 million deal – probably says more about the rest of Lackey’s and Lester’s time together in Boston than the month they reportedly spent time during games they weren’t pitching drinking beer and eating chicken in the clubhouse with teammate Josh Beckett. Especially considering it was Epstein who presided over that Red Sox team and then targeted the two pitchers in back-to-back off-seasons. “The truth and the way it was blown out are two really different things,” said Lackey, echoing the comments of Lester – who went out of his way to praise the integrity and competitiveness of his teammate and close friend. One truth of that September: Lackey pitched hurt, making five starts that month, trying to keep Boston’s playoff hopes intact (he missed all of 2012 recovering from Tommy John surgery). Another truth: He and Lester won a championship together in Boston two seasons later – with Lackey beating the Cardinals in the World Series clincher. It was Lackey’s second career World Series clincher (Angels in 2002). “That was a byproduct, a reaction, a sort of narrative response to what happened in September in 2011,” Epstein, then the Red Sox general manager, said of the beer-and-chicken revelations that surfaced on his way out of Boston to take the Cubs’ job. “We won seven games that month [and were eliminated on the final day]. If we had won eight, the narrative would have been totally different. “I’ve never doubted who John Lackey is as a person or as a pitcher, as a teammate especially.” Coming off one of his better seasons to rejoin Lester and Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta in the Cubs’ rotation, the 37-year-old right-hander figures he has at least one more title run in him, if not another clincher. “That’s the reason I came here,” said Lackey, who lives near Arrieta in Austin, Texas, and has gotten to know him better since signing. “It looks good on paper, but we’ve still got to go out and perform and put in the work, and we’ll see where we end up.” -- Chicago Sun-Times Cubs seek shutdown of Clark, Addison on game days, add metal detectors for security By Gordon Wittenmyer Not even the feel-good vibes of October expectations and sunny July skies over Wrigley Field are strong enough anymore to make an increasingly lethal real world go away for even a few hours at the ballpark. Heightened security fears after recent terrorist attacks in such places as Paris and in San Bernardino, Calif., could result in all four streets around Wrigley Field being shut down on event days to all but a few authorized vehicles if the Cubs get what they want in talks with the city. “We’re asking them to extend the perimeter of our control 100 feet in every direction,” Cubs business president Crane Kenney said during a Saturday session at Cubs Convention. “That doesn’t mean we want to own 100 feet in every direction. But we do want to know who is there and what they’re driving and why they’re there.” Kenney also warned fans during Cubs Convention on Saturday to prepare for longer waits to get into the ballpark this year because everyone will be required to pass through metal detectors at every gate.

“The thing that used to keep me awake all night was the concrete and steel in our ballpark, which we’re fixing,” he said. “The thing that keeps me awake all night now is the crazy times we live in.” Kenney called large venues such as Wrigley Field “targets” for would-be terrorists and talked about the scant six feet of sidewalk between the park and passing traffic on Addison. He said the morning after the November attacks in Paris, he called a staff meeting to talk about security issues and hired a consultant, eventually leading to the request to shut down Clark and Addison Streets for events. Waveland and Sheffield already are closed to through traffic on game days. Major League Baseball increased security league-wide since 9/11 and in 2014 mandated at least hand-held metal detectors for every ballpark by last year’s opener. The policy was inconsistently enforced at most parks, including Wrigley. Kenney said that next week’s regularly scheduled owners meetings includes a session with an official from the Department of Homeland Security. “We take the security issue really seriously,” Kenney said. -- Chicago Sun-Times Lame-duck Theo plans to finish player contracts before focusing on his own By Gordon Wittenmyer As Cubs Convention opened at the Sheraton Grand Chicago on Friday, team president said it’s “status quo” on his lame-duck status as the team’s top baseball executive. He and chairman Tom Ricketts both say they’ve had at least general discussions about a contract extension for Epstein, whose five-year, $18.5 million deal expires after this season. “We just haven’t gotten around to hammering out an actual contract,” said Epstein, whose market value spiked in the past year with the Andrew Friedman’s five-year, $35-million deal to become the Dodgers’ team president and the Cubs’ sudden turnaround into a 97-win playoff team. “I see myself as staying in the exact same role for a long time, and I think Tom sees it the same way. At some point we’ll get around to doing a contract extension.” Hoyer also is under contract through this year. “I imagine that once my deal’s done, Jed’s will follow in short order,” said Epstein, who added he wants to get player contracts done before thinking about execs’ deals. Ricketts said earlier this week that, “it’s just a matter of time.” --