A bout of the flu sent Kris Bryant to the doctor’s office Friday, preventing the slugger from addressing his uncertain status before the opening ceremony at Day 1 of the Cubs Convention at the Sheraton Grand Chicago.
But team President Theo Epstein, overseeing a roster without a guaranteed free-agent signing this winter and no financial flexibility, reiterated his faith while the Cubs await an arbitrator’s decision on Bryant’s service-time grievance and potentially not signing any of his young, prized players to extensions before spring training.
“There’s significant upside with this group of players,” Epstein said before introductions. “We’re not going to whistle past the graveyard.”
But Epstein, who wasn’t afraid to trade All-Stars such as Nomar Garciaparra and Manny Ramirez during his time with the Red Sox, recognizes the uncertainty regardless of whether he trades Bryant or is eventually signs All-Star shortstop Javier Baez to a long-term contract before he’s eligible for free agency after 2021.
“It’s clear we’re going to carry more risk into this year than we want to, more risk into this year than we have in the past, and it’s our job to operate our way around it,” Epstein said.
“Last year there was tremendous risk in the bullpen, and we knew we had to have our guys step up to save us.”
Rowan Wick, Kyle Ryan and Brad Wieck — who all started the 2019 season in the minors — emerged as potential staples of a bullpen that lost veterans Pedro Strop, Steve Cishek and Brandon Kintzler to free agency.
“We’re going to carry risk in the pen this year, and we must have a repeat where we find value in guys and guys improve and step up,” Epstein said.
Epstein also acknowledged the rotation doesn’t have the depth he prefers, as well as depth questions at a couple of other positions.
“If things don’t break our way, we could have holes out there, and that’s on us,” he said.
The last two offseasons, Epstein tried to sign Bryant, Baez, Kyle Schwarber and Willson Contreras to long-term contracts that would buy them out of free agency and give the Cubs cost certainty. But only pitcher Kyle Hendricks signed a long-term deal (through 2024), and Epstein paused before assessing progress on negotiations this winter.
“I’d say we moved the ball forward, but it’s a long process,” Epstein said. “So we’re not sure what the outcome is going to be. We’ve had some productive talks but not to the point we got anything done yet.”
Epstein praised Bryant for his contributions but reiterated about listening to deals for all his players — including Bryant, the 2015 National League Rookie of the Year, 2016 NL MVP and three-time All-Star.
“We expect that (Bryant) would be our third baseman, but we’ve been open and transparent about the fact we’ll talk about all our players this year,” Epstein said. “We have to. We have to be more mindful of building a successful future — post-2021 for this group. We’re running close to that point where a lot of our best players will be in a position to leave and we’d get nothing in return.
“Because of that, we’re in a position where we’re going to listen to everybody. We value Kris. We respect everything he’s done. We appreciate everything he’s done. We look forward to many great days ahead and we hope he’s part of it.”
Moving Bryant’s $18.6 million salary would hurt the Cubs offense but would give them financial flexibility to address areas of need, such as a leadoff hitter. The Braves, who lost slugger Josh Donaldson to the Twins in free agency, could use Bryant and have young pitching that would suit the Cubs’ long-term needs.
Baez, meanwhile, declined to comment on negotiations on an extension, saying he agreed to a $10 million contract last week.
“It’s up to (the Cubs),” Baez said. “When the right deal comes, we’ll be ready for it.”
Baez was confident in leaving negotiations to his representatives, adding he would feel no pressure if he and the Cubs can’t reach an extension before the season.
And if someone gets traded, “I think Theo and the front office know what they’re doing for this team,” Baez said.
