December 5, 2016

ESPNChicago.com, Three Cubs winter meetings questions: Is Tyson Ross a possibility? http://www.espn.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/43024/3-cubs-questions-as-winter-meetings-begin-is-tyson-ross-a-possibility

CSNChicago.com, How Cubs Are Setting The Expectations For Winter Meetings http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/how-cubs-are-setting-expectations-winter-meetings

CSNChicago.com, Winter Meetings Preview: Why Teams Will Find Trying To Copy A ‘Cubs Way’ Rebuild Is Easier Said Than Done http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/winter-meetings-preview-why-teams-will-find-trying-copy-cubs-way-rebuild-easier-said

CSNChicago.com, For Cubs, Winter Meetings Will Be All About The Hunt For Pitching http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/cubs-winter-meetings-will-be-all-about-hunt-pitching

Chicago Tribune, Cubs' depth could lead to deals that address pitching needs http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-trades-prospects-pitching-spt-1205-20161204-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Lucrative holiday gift looming for Cubs http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-lucrative-gift-cubs-20161205-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Winter meetings: Cubs expected to shop selectively http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-5-things-cubs-winter-meetings-spt-1204-20161203-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Cubs sign LHP Brian Duensing to 1-year contract http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-brian-duensing-20161202-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Cubs tender contracts to Jake Arrieta, Hector Rondon, Pedro Strop, Justin Grimm http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-jake-arrieta-hector-rondon-pedro-strop-justin-grimm-20161202-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Kris Bryant's future free agency unaffected by new labor deal http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-kris-bryant-free-agency-cba-20161202-story.html

Chicago Sun-Times, Stand pat to improve? That’s Cubs’ plan with their lineup http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/stand-pat-to-improve-thats-cubs-plan-with-their-lineup/

Chicago Sun-Times, Will Cubs stay quiet or pull off surprise at winter meetings? http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/will-cubs-stay-quiet-or-pull-off-surprise-at-winter-meetings/

Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs add LHP Duensing to bullpen on one-year, $2 million deal http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/cubs-add-lhp-duensing-to-bullpen-on-one-year-2-million-deal/

Daily Herald, Cubs looking forward to quiet winter http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20161203/sports/161209592/

Daily Herald, Cubs sign relief pitcher, tender contracts http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20161202/sports/161209672/

Cubs.com, Cubs enter Meetings with work left to do http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/210181066/cubs-aim-to-address-bullpen-depth-at-meetings/

Cubs.com, Arrieta among 4 Cubs headed to arbitration http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/209873688/jake-arrieta-headed-to-arbitration-with-cubs/

Cubs.com, Cubs sign lefty Duensing to 1-year contract http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/210134410/cubs-sign-pitcher-brian-duensing-to-deal/

Cubs.com, Maddon: 'Now we have the experience' http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/210171214/cubs-joe-maddon-talks-at-yogi-berra-museum/

-- ESPNChicago.com Three Cubs winter meetings questions: Is Tyson Ross a possibility? By Jesse Rogers WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Chicago Cubs head to the winter meetings as defending champs for the first time, and they are searching for depth in their pitching staff to ensure a good opportunity to repeat. Here are three questions to ponder as agents and team executives descend on the nation's capital. Will the Cubs pull the trigger on a deal for another young starter, and will they trade from their major league core to do so? Remember, after several attempts, the Cubs finally got a young, controllable pitcher in Mike Montgomery when they traded prospect Dan Vogelbach to the Seattle Mariners last season. But they undoubtedly want more, as Montgomery might be best used as a sixth man/hybrid who starts the season in the bullpen. Plus, the Cubs have soon-to-be free agents in Jake Arrieta and John Lackey, so planning for the future has always been a priority for the Cubs' front office. You can bet the Cubs and Tampa Bay Rays are talking about a number of pitchers, from Chris Archer to Jake Odorizzi to perhaps even closer Alex Colome. The Cubs have shown a propensity to bring in people they know, including personnel who worked with Theo Epstein in Boston and those who worked with Joe Maddon in Tampa Bay. Archer would be the prize, but you better believe the Rays would ask for players such as Javier Baez or top prospect Eloy Jimenez in return. A smaller deal is more likely, as Jorge Soler could be part of a trade for a less-heralded player. You can be assured that the Cubs aren't moving any of their top core players, so Baez could be the carrot -- though there's no reason to believe they're looking to deal him. Anything involving Baez would have to be something the Cubs couldn't refuse. Is Tyson Ross a possibility? On Jan. 21, 2004, the Cubs signed Ryan Dempster to a free-agent deal months after he underwent Tommy John surgery. He didn't pitch until August of that season but went on to play for the Cubs until 2012, when he was traded for Kyle Hendricks at the trade deadline. That signing paid off in a big way. The Cubs can use the same strategy with Ross, whom the San Diego Padres let go after not tendering him a contract for 2017. The Cubs sought him in a trade but can now obtain him for nothing -- though he's coming off surgery for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, the main reason he was let go. Who knows if Ross can return to the form that produced ERAs of 3.17, 2.81 and 3.26 in three seasons prior to his injury, but the Cubs are the perfect team to allow him to try at his own pace.

In other words, their hopes for 2017 don't hinge on Ross, but a potential multi-year contract with incentives makes more sense than the Cubs rehabbing him and letting him back on the market next winter. Dempster had a team option for Year 2; a similar deal for Ross would make sense. Is free agency an option after last winter’s spending spree? The Cubs said they did two offseasons worth of shopping last December, but that doesn't mean they don't have the means to sign a player at a decent rate. They already inked Jon Jay for $8 million and Brian Duensing for $2 million, but that's pennies compared to what the top free agents will receive. Dexter Fowler is off the books (for now), as is Edwin Jackson (remember him?), and the Cubs get savings on Travis Wood right now as well. With only four arbitration-eligible players getting modest raises, the Cubs should have the ability to sign one of the closers on the market, if they can get one at the right price. Other than that, there isn't a good reason to spend a large amount on anyone else. It's Aroldis Chapman or Kenley Jansen, or the Cubs will fortify with smaller deals. -- CSNChicago.com How Cubs Are Setting The Expectations For Winter Meetings By Patrick Mooney The billionaire owners and millionaire athletes wisely decided to not stop all that momentum after a World Series that beat the NFL’s “Sunday Night Football” in head-to-head TV ratings, attracted more than 40 million viewers for Game 7 and turned the 2016 Cubs into legends. The owners and the players’ union avoided a foolish labor war, crafting a new five-year collective bargaining agreement that should unleash teams that had been waiting to see the rules of engagement, spur the free-agent market, accelerate trade talks and ignite Major League Baseball’s signature offseason event. The Cubs can go viral seemingly anywhere now – “Saturday Night Live,” Disney World, “The Tonight Show,” the Latin Grammys, an Indiana-North Carolina basketball game, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” – but don’t expect them to own the winter meetings this time. As a $10 billion industry begins to descend upon National Harbor in Maryland on Sunday, Cubs officials won’t feel any of the urgency that fueled the spending spree that nearly totaled $290 million and helped end the 108-year drought. “We said at the time that we did two offseasons worth of shopping in one offseason last year,” general manager Jed Hoyer said. “We really liked the talent available to us last offseason. It was a very good free-agent market. We felt like building upon a 97-win team that got to the NLCS but was swept. We wanted to improve some of the deficiencies on that club and really push forward. “We were really aggressive with what we did last offseason. We told everyone at the time that we felt like we were kind of shopping for two offseasons. “So with that in mind, I don’t expect nearly the activity we had a year ago.” Sensing the pitching market might erupt at that point, the Cubs pushed to close John Lackey’s two-year, $32 million deal in early December, before the winter meetings in Nashville, Tennessee, and Zack Greinke’s anticipated decision between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants. Hours after the Lackey news broke, the Arizona Diamondbacks shocked the baseball world when word leaked out that Greinke had agreed to a six-year, $206 million megadeal. The perfect storm brought Ben Zobrist to Chicago, once the Cubs finally engineered a Starlin Castro trade at the winter meetings, with the New York Yankees being the only team willing to absorb $38 million, give up a useful

pitcher (Adam Warren) and take a chance on the former All-Star shortstop. Zobrist turned down $60 million guaranteed from the Giants and New York Mets, taking a four-year, $56 million deal and delivering a World Series MVP performance. The opt-out clauses within Jason Heyward’s eight-year, $184 million contract don’t seem so inviting anymore – and he said those weren’t important to him anyway – but he provided Gold Glove defense in right field, called that pivotal team meeting during the Game 7 rain delay in Cleveland and should rebound after the worst offensive season of his career. The Cubs have no expectations that Dexter Fowler’s market will again crater to the point that he will accept a $13 million guarantee in spring training, moving on with a center-field timeshare between Jon Jay and Albert Almora Jr. “The bulk of our heavy lifting is done,” Hoyer said. “But I think that was done 12 months ago. It will be a quieter winter than last offseason. “We’re always listening. If good ideas come to us – or we come up with good ideas – we’ll share them with other teams. But fans shouldn’t expect a flurry of things, because they got that 12 months ago.” Fans also won’t be getting crash courses on labor relations and lockout implications. A game that can be slow, boring and stuck in its ways can’t waste the energy and excitement that created crossover moments like LeBron James showing up at the United Center in a Cubs uniform. “There’s no doubt that it was an amazing postseason all around,” Hoyer said. “Baseball really showed itself in the best possible light, ending with a Game 7 that we happened to win. But win or lose, that was one of the greatest games ever played. Baseball is certainly going to be on a high going into spring training. “Baseball is definitely in a great place right now.” -- CSNChicago.com Winter Meetings Preview: Why Teams Will Find Trying To Copy A ‘Cubs Way’ Rebuild Is Easier Said Than Done By Patrick Mooney Add this to the long list of things the Cubs will have going for them when they defend their World Series title: All those teams that aren’t really trying to win in 2017. Tanking helped the Cubs become the third team in major-league history to win at least 100 games within four years of a 100-loss season, a stunning turnaround that became part of the backdrop during the labor negotiations. A copycat industry saw The Cubs Way and the Houston Astros launching into playoff contention, how the restrictions on spending in the draft and on the international market – and the dramatic disparities in bonus pools – heavily incentivized losing under the previous collective bargaining agreement. Listen to the party lines this week when Major League Baseball takes over National Harbor outside Washington, D.C., all the winter meetings talk about asset management, fiscal discipline and opportunity costs. “The way the front offices have evolved, and what owners are maybe looking for in their executives,” Cubs president Theo Epstein said, “it’s a ‘league of planners’ now.” “There’s not necessarily that like urgency to put a team on the field that can win right now. So that makes certain trades a little bit more difficult. But it maybe creates some opportunity, too. “Anything that gives you benefit can also be taken to an extreme. It should be a cycle where there’s a mix of teams with longer-term planning and some with some immediacy.”

The Washington Nationals are chasing the Cubs, reportedly in the mix for Chris Sale and Andrew McCutchen as the White Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates shop their face-of-the-franchise players. The New York Mets know who they are, already striking a four-year, $110 million deal to bring back Yoenis Cespedes and pair the dynamic slugger with all their young power pitchers. But look around the winter meetings and almost half of the National League will be focusing on 2019 and beyond. The Philadelphia Phillies have essentially no financial commitments for their 2018 Opening Day roster – and zero players left from their 2008 World Series championship team. The Atlanta Braves – once a franchise model for consistency – lost 188 games across the last two seasons as they lined up talent for their move into a new Cobb County stadium in 2017. The Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds lost 183 games combined this year and have general managers heading into their second full seasons on the job. But David Stearns and Dick Williams don’t have the instant credibility Epstein’s baseball-operations group did after winning World Series rings with the Boston Red Sox. Or the big-market resources to sign frontline pitcher Jon Lester to a $155 million contract, the way the Cubs did at the 2014 winter meetings, accelerating their process. The Arizona Diamondbacks are now on their fifth GM (Mike Hazen) since the middle of the 2010 season, which means starting over again in the desert. Except for the players the San Diego Padres are paying to play somewhere else – like James Shields and Matt Kemp – they don’t have any long-term financial commitments on their roster. It’s always nice to have a plan. But saying the White Sox should blow it up is so much easier than actually going through with a blockbuster Sale trade and building methodically for the future. “We feel fortunate,” Epstein said. “We had a lot of people in the organization who did a wonderful job – and we also caught some good breaks along the way. Looking back on it, we hit at a much higher rate on some trades and some picks than we reasonably could have expected to – and that made it happen quicker. “There were days in the beginning – and even like towards the middle of the process – where we’d stare up at the board, look at the 2015 roster, the 2016 roster a few years out and not know where all the impact talent was coming from. Or we’d have some real clear deficiencies on the club, even as we hoped it would come together. “Those weaknesses were gradually filled with really good players. We’re just lucky that we made plenty of mistakes, but were able to cover those up with some acquisitions who blossomed. To do it quickly, there’s not much margin for error. “I’m glad we’re in a different position now. But I’m also glad that we went through it, because it was a really fun, gratifying, unifying process.” Even The Plan had to be readjusted once Epstein began to realize some of the franchise’s spending restrictions from the Ricketts family’s leveraged partnership with Sam Zell’s Tribune Co. Epstein also had to fire three managers (Mike Quade, Dale Sveum and Rick Renteria) before hiring Joe Maddon, who only became a free agent because Andrew Friedman left the Tampa Bay Rays to run baseball operations for the Los Angeles Dodgers in October 2014. It took guts to draft Kyle Schwarber fourth overall in 2014 – and some luck the year before when the Astros passed on future MVP Kris Bryant with the No. 1 pick. Where would the Cubs be if the Randall Delgado deal with the Braves hadn’t collapsed in the summer of 2012? And Ryan Dempster hadn’t approved the trade to the Texas Rangers that yielded Class-A pitcher Kyle Hendricks? No one predicted Triple-A pitcher Jake Arrieta would someday win a Cy Young Award when the Cubs flipped Scott Feldman to the Baltimore Orioles in July 2013.

“The messaging in your clubhouse is really difficult,” Cubs GM Jed Hoyer said. “The messaging to your fan base is really difficult. Fans grow to like players on their team. And when you trade away the guy whose jersey they just got for Christmas – or you trade away a guy’s friend and mentor in the clubhouse, whoever that might be – that’s hard messaging. And I think you have to try to be transparent about it. “But it is difficult. And I don’t think every rebuilding situation is going to work. You’ve got to hit on a lot of different transactions. You’ve got to fix your culture after you’ve taken a step backwards. There are a lot of different steps to getting it right.” In this climate, even the game’s economic superpowers are turning conservative. The New York Yankees became trade-deadline sellers for the first time in a generation, moving closer Aroldis Chapman to the Cubs while collecting long-term assets like shortstop Gleyber Torres, who’s now the youngest MVP in Arizona Fall League history. The Los Angeles Times recently reported the Dodgers face a mandate to reduce debt to comply with MLB rules, leading to an austerity program that could slash payroll from around $300 million in 2015 to somewhere closer to $200 million by 2018. After years of living beyond their means – and winning four consecutive division titles between 2011 and 2014 – the Detroit Tigers are facing a financial reckoning that could lead to a teardown. The Cubs still need more pitching, but they already have: arguably the game’s best collection of young talent; a patient, stable ownership group; a creative front office that skillfully blends scouting and analytics; a three-time Manager of the Year; a strong coaching staff; an All-Star infield; a rotation stocked with Cy Young Award candidates; an iconic stadium anchoring the $600 million Wrigleyville development; and a new TV contract on the horizon. Once again, the Cubs should benefit from zigging while so many of their competitors are zagging. “A number of teams have done a good job of it and been successful,” Hoyer said. “I think we’re one of those teams. But the idea that you can rip the Band-Aid off, be bad for a couple years, make some trades and always end up on the positive side – I don’t think that’s realistic.” -- CSNChicago.com For Cubs, Winter Meetings Will Be All About The Hunt For Pitching By Patrick Mooney As the Cubs prepare for the winter meetings outside Washington, D.C., their messaging might as well be: It’s the pitching, stupid. This is an arms race that will never end, the Cubs trying to defend their first World Series title in 108 years, build out a bullpen that looked pretty thin by November and target the kind of young starter who could help anchor their rotation for years to come, ensuring Wrigleyville remains baseball’s biggest party. The Cubs signed Brian Duensing to a one-year, $2 million contract on Friday, placing a small bet on a lefty specialist who spent parts of last season on the Triple-A level but made a good enough impression during his 13-plus innings with the Baltimore Orioles. As executives, scouts, agents and reporters begin to flood into National Harbor on Sunday, the Cubs will intensify their search for pitching, everything from headliners to insurance policies to prospects. “That’s been the significant bulk of our efforts,” general manager Jed Hoyer said, “It’s definitely not going to be through lack of trying on our part to make that kind of deal. That’s now. That’s at the deadline.”

The Cubs are preparing for Opening Day 2018, when Jake Arrieta will probably be in a different uniform after signing his megadeal, John Lackey might be kicking back in Texas and enjoying retirement and Jon Lester will be 34 years old with maybe 2,300 innings on his odometer. The Cubs have unwavering faith in their pitching infrastructure at the major-league level, from the scouting and analytic perspectives that identified the right sign-and-flip deals during the rebuilding years to the coaching staff that helped mold Kyle Hendricks into a Cy Young Award finalist and a World Series Game 7 starter. Mike Montgomery notched the final out against the Cleveland Indians and the Cubs see him as their next big project. The lefty checks so many of their boxes, from age (27) to size (6-foot-5) to pedigree (former first-round pick/top prospect) to the change-of-scenery confidence boost/mental reset. Forget about the White Sox trading Chris Sale to the North Side and don’t just think about obvious names or trade partners. Maybe it’s making a deal for a guy you never heard of before and sifting through the non-tender bin. (As expected, the Cubs offered contracts to arbitration-eligible pitchers Arrieta, Hector Rondon, Pedro Strop and Justin Grimm before Friday’s deadline. Their 40-man roster stands at 35 after non-tendering lefties Gerardo Concepcion and Zac Rosscup, right-hander Conor Mullee and infielder Christian Villanueva.) Remember how team president Theo Epstein framed the Montgomery trade with the Seattle Mariners this summer – comparing him to All-Star reliever Andrew Miller – and that gives you an idea of how they can address their pitching deficit this winter. “If your scouts do a good job of identifying the guys who are trending in the right direction – and you’re willing to take a shot – sometimes there’s a big payoff at the end,” Epstein said. While the Cubs did Jason Hammel a favor by cutting him loose and allowing him to explore the market as one of the best pitchers in an extremely weak class of free agents, Montgomery has only 23 big-league starts on his resume. The Cubs had five starters make at least 29 starts this year, while four starters accounted for 30-plus starts in 2015, a remarkable run that led to 200 wins. “As we’ve talked about so many times,” Hoyer said, “we do have an imbalance in our organization – hitting vs. pitching – and we’re trying to make sure we can accumulate as much pitching depth as possible. “We were very healthy this year, which was wonderful and a big part of why we won the World Series. I don’t think you can always count on that kind of health every single year. Building up a reservoir of depth – preferably guys you can option (to the minors) – is something (we’re trying) to accomplish.” The Cubs have Jorge Soler stuck in a crowded outfield plus the types of interesting prospects who appear to be blocked – catcher Victor Caratini, third baseman Jeimer Candelario, infielder/outfielder Ian Happ – to make relatively painless trades for pitching (if not the kind of blockbuster deal that dominates coverage of the winter meetings). Lefty reliever Brett Cecil getting a four-year, $30.5 million deal and no-trade protection from the St. Louis Cardinals became another sign of how shallow this free-agent pool is for starting pitchers and a reflection of a postseason where the bullpen became a major storyline. The idea of Kenley Jansen intrigues the Cubs – and Aroldis Chapman made a favorable impression during his three-plus months with the team – but Epstein’s front office already made the major upgrades for 2017 by spending nearly $290 million on free agents after the 2015 playoff run. Philosophically, the Cubs also see smarter long-term investments than trying to win a bidding war for a guy who might throw 70 innings a year. With that in mind, the Cubs could get creative and have looked at free agent Greg Holland, a two-time All-Star closer with the Kansas City Royals who didn’t pitch this year after having Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.

Remember that Chapman left the New York Yankees and joined a team that had a 56-1 record when leading entering the ninth inning. If Hector Rondon, Pedro Strop and Carl Edwards Jr. can’t handle the late shifts, then the Cubs could always go out and trade for another closer in the middle of a pennant race. The Cubs have the luxuries of time, zero pressure from ownership, their fan base or the Chicago media and a stacked, American League-style lineup. “Right now, we could go play from an offensive standpoint and feel very good about our group,” Hoyer said. “We’re going to still continue to look to improve the depth in our bullpen, improve the depth in our starting rotation. Those are things that probably never go away. You probably never stop trying to build that depth.” -- Chicago Tribune Cubs' depth could lead to deals that address pitching needs By Mark Gonzales During the Cubs' five-year construction plan that brought them their first World Series championship since 1908, the organization took pride in building young depth designed to create a formidable nucleus for perennial postseason competition. The midseason acquisition of Aroldis Chapman from the Yankees helped the Cubs win their elusive title. It came at a cost, though, as top prospect Gleyber Torres was the centerpiece of a four-player package. The Cubs' needs entering the winter meetings aren't urgent, but they might have to move more prospects to add players who can help them achieve their twin goals of repeating as champions and becoming a perennial postseason power. That might not be so terrible considering the Cubs already have some young cornerstones. 2016 National League Most Valuable Player Kris Bryant, 24, is entrenched at third base (and can assist at other positions). Kyle Schwarber (23) and Willson Contreras (24) appear to be mainstays regardless of position. That young depth enables the Cubs to move some of their younger assets, such as 23-year-old switch-hitters Jeimer Candelario and Victor Caratini, for pitching help. It's virtually axiomatic that outfielder Jorge Soler will be included in any trade discussions because his injuries and inconsistency have offset his potential. The Cubs likely will need to trade multiple players to acquire a young, cost-controlled starting pitcher. A source confirmed last winter that the Cubs were engaged in talks with the Rays, who have several starting pitchers under team control. There's a strong case for the Cubs to add more young depth, considering Jake Arrieta can become a free agent after 2017 and John Lackey, 38, is entering the final year of his contract. Candelario made a favorable impression on manager Joe Maddon after hitting .350 (14-for-40) with three home runs in 2016 spring training and then batting .283 with 13 home runs, 39 doubles and 70 walks for Triple-A Iowa. Caratini batted .291 with 54 walks at Double-A Tennessee. Tennessee outfielder Mark Zagunis (.288, 52 walks) is another prospect who could be attractive. Pitchers Jose Paulino and Corey Black also are intriguing, but teams must protect them on their 40-man rosters if they're acquired prior to Thursday's Rule 5 draft. The Cubs have been reviewing a list of new free agents who were not tendered contracts by Friday's deadline. The Cubs were interested in Tyson Ross prior to the 2015 trade deadline, and the Padres recently non-tendered him. Ross, 29, is recovering from thoracic outlet syndrome, an ailment that occurs when blood vessels or nerves between the collarbone and first rib are compressed and ended the career of former pitcher Todd Stottlemyre. But

Ross is expected to return by late spring, and the Cubs would be in a position to bring him along slowly with their rotation of Jon Lester, Arrieta, Lackey, Kyle Hendricks and Mike Montgomery currently set. -- Chicago Tribune Lucrative holiday gift looming for Cubs By Mark Gonzales The Chicago Cubs players will find this month how lucrative their bonuses will be for winning the World Series. Major League Baseball is expected to announce the playoff shares from the 2016 postseason, with the Cubs potentially earning the largest pool of money in postseason history. Last December, the 2015 World Series champion Kansas City Royals awarded 58 full shares worth more than $370,000. The Cubs, who were eliminated in the National League Championship Series, awarded 60 full shares - the most of any of the 10 playoff teams in 2015 - worth more than $122,000 apiece. A few veteran major league staffers at the annual Winter Meetings believed the total pool of playoff money would exceed last season's mark of $69,882,149.26. The playoff money can come in handy. Anthony Rizzo said last spring the that postseason money was used for holiday gifts. Manager Joe Maddon said the money he received as a coach on the 2002 World Series champion Angels paid for his daughter's wedding. Players who spent the entire season on the major league roster were allowed to vote on how the shares would be distributed, and they automatically qualified for a full share. The Cubs conducted their shares meeting in late September in Pittsburgh. The pool of money comes from a portion of the gate receipts from the postseason. The 2014 San Francisco Giants awarded the largest fully share -- $388,606. -- Chicago Tribune Winter meetings: Cubs expected to shop selectively By Mark Gonzales The Cubs went on a shopping spree last December worthy of two offseasons of acquisitions. And the World Series champions want to continue replenishing their stock at this year's winter meetings this week. "You never stop trying to build depth, but I think the bulk of our heavy lifting is done," general manager Jed Hoyer said. "It will be a quieter winter than last offseason. If good ideas come to us, or we come up with good ideas, we'll share them with other teams. But I wouldn't expect a flurry of things." Nevertheless, here are five areas the Cubs' brain trust may address as it heads to National Harbor, Md., just outside Washington for the annual meetings that start Monday. Supplemental relief: Closer Aroldis Chapman will get the largest free-agent contract for a closer — likely with another team — and manager Joe Maddon had little faith outside of Mike Montgomery and Carl Edwards Jr. in the Series.

Edwards and Rob Zastryzny are expected to assume greater roles but could use some assistance in the manner that prompted the Cubs to sign Jon Jay to complement Albert Almora Jr. in center field. The signing of Brian Duensing, coupled with the recovery of Jack Leathersich (2.31 ERA in 17 appearances with the Mets in 2015 before suffering arm troubles) provides left-handed depth. But the Cubs could use protection for current closer Hector Rondon, who missed most of six weeks in the second half with an arm ailment. The Cubs are in a win-now mode, but a Rule 5 selection wouldn't be a reach to add depth for the future. Wanted: Young starting pitching: It's hard to spot trouble on the horizon for the top rotation in the National League. But the Cubs starters threw a league-high 989 innings during the regular season and pitched three layers of stressful playoffs. John Lackey, 38, could be entering his final season and Jake Arrieta will be a free agent after 2017. Duane Underwood Jr.'s development was stunted by a tender elbow and a 4.91 ERA in 13 starts at Double-A Tennessee, and the other top minor-league starting prospects haven't advanced past Class A. Hoyer said the Cubs could target young starters with minor-league options that would come in handy with the 10-day disabled list coming into effect. The Diamondbacks and Rays are potential matches. Depth at catcher: A small sample size of experience tempers optimism over the upside of 24-year-old Willson Contreras. Miguel Montero, 33, is entering the final year of his contract but coped with lower back issues in 2016. It hasn't been determined yet if slugger Kyle Schwarber will be cleared to catch after returning from left knee surgery. Signing an experienced catcher to a Triple-A contract could alleviate concerns in the event of a setback to Contreras or Montero. Outfield surplus: The expectation is Jorge Soler will be dealt at some point for young starting pitching. The acquisition of Jay and return of Schwarber will consume much of the playing time once allotted to Soler. A few teams were interested in Matt Szczur before the Cubs elected to keep him on the 25-man roster last April. A source said the Brewers were close to a deal for Szczur last season before talks dissolved. Leadoff man: Ben Zobrist and Jay are options, but they would be hard-pressed to replace Dexter Fowler's .393 on-base percentage in 2016. Acquiring a full-time leadoff hitter might require moving a significant part of the lineup, a risk that may be too great for the Cubs to explore. -- Chicago Tribune Cubs sign LHP Brian Duensing to 1-year contract By Mark Gonzales The Chicago Cubs addressed their left-handed relief needs by signing veteran free agent Brian Duensing to a one-year, $2 million contract. Duensing, 33, has limited left-handed batters to a .236 batting average and .286 on-base percentage over eight seasons with the Minnesota Twins (2009-15) and Baltimore Orioles (2016). Duensing has walked only 16 of the 946 left-handed batters he's faced. His signing comes in the wake of free agency to left-handers Aroldis Chapman and Travis Wood. Left-hander Mike Montgomery, who earned the final out of the World Series, currently is targeted for the rotation.

Over the past four seasons, Duensing has pitched exclusively in relief. He's posted a 14-6 record and 3.86 ERA in 204 outings (177 1/3 innings). Duensing underwent surgery last June to repair bone chips in his left elbow and returned to post a 2.70 ERA in seven appearances in September. Duensing is 42-37 with two saves, 45 holds and a 4.13 ERA during his career. The Cubs' 40-man roster is at 35. -- Chicago Tribune Cubs tender contracts to Jake Arrieta, Hector Rondon, Pedro Strop, Justin Grimm By Mark Gonzales The Chicago Cubs didn't make any surprises Friday night as they tendered contracts to arbitration-eligible pitchers Jake Arrieta, Hector Rondon, Pedro Strop and Justin Grimm. But they did clear space on their 40-man roster by not tendering contracts to four players who weren't eligible for arbitration. Those players who weren't tendered contracts were left-handed relievers Gerardo Concepcion and Zac Rosscup, pitcher Conor Mullee and infielder Christian Villanueva. Concepcion, 24, a Cuban native, signed a five-year, $6 million contract in 2012. Concepcion pitched in three games for the Cubs in June but had a 9.31 ERA in 16 appearances with Triple-A Iowa in the second half. Rosscup and Villanueva missed all of 2016 due to injuries suffered in spring training. Mullee was claimed off waivers from the New York Yankees last month. The Cubs may try to sign some of these players to minor league contracts. The Cubs' 40-man roster stands at 35, which allows them plenty of room for free agent signings and trades with the annual Winter Meetings starting Monday at National Harbor, Md. -- Chicago Tribune Kris Bryant's future free agency unaffected by new labor deal By Mark Gonzales National League most valuable player Kris Bryant will remain property of the Chicago Cubs through at least 2021, as requirements for a full year of service time remain untouched in the recently completed Collective Bargaining Agreement. Bryant, agent Scott Boras and several players were upset that Bryant was promoted to the Cubs in 2015 one day shy of the necessary 172 days needed to constitute a full season of service time. They planned to challenge that the Cubs' intent to promote Bryant from Triple-A Iowa was based solely to delay his free agency. But that claim didn't result in a change in the CBA. A player still needs six full years of service time to be eligible for free agency under the new CBA. The only change will occur in 2018, when players will continue to be credited with a full year of service for accruing 172 service days over 187 days, rather than 183. Those four extra days stem as a result of the regular season being expanded to provide rest for players.

-- Chicago Sun-Times Stand pat to improve? That’s Cubs’ plan with their lineup By Gordon Wittenmyer NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. – The Cubs head into this week’s winter meetings with less urgent business than they’ve had during any winter in recent memory in which they’ve had championship aspirations. It’s not just because they return much of their World Series roster. And it’s certainly not because they expect to repeat their 2016 success by showing up with the same mix. Mostly, it’s because they think they have a lineup even more potent than the 808-run, second-in-the-National League group from 2016 – even with the free agent loss of leadoff man Dexter Fowler. It’s also because they might have a better collective set of fielders to prevent more runs – even before the addition of veteran job-share center fielder Jon Jay last week. “Right now we can go play from an offensive standpoint and feel very good about our group,” general manager Jed Hoyer said just before traveling to the meetings, held just outside of Washington, D.C., starting Monday. The Cubs plan to continue to spend most of their time looking for pitching depth, in particular working the trade market for controllable starters and the free agent market for bullpen help (Brad Ziegler?). But their lineup could be getting better as they speak to agents and other teams about pitching. Just count the ways: 1. Kyle Schwarber is the first, big, 230-pound, homer-hitting reason. The 2015 rookie playoff hero, who outdid himself with a dramatic World Series return from a “season-long” knee injury (7-for-17 with three walks in four games as a designated hitter), likely opens next season as the Cubs’ No. 2 hitter. The lefty slugger with on-base skills could share playing time in left field, but barring another injury should start most games and – judging from his recent return – should provide a major boost of firepower after missing all but two games this year. Hoyer said the team is discussing the likelihood of sending Schwarber on a winter ball assignment to get much-needed at-bats now that he’s reached the significant eight-month mark since his reconstructive surgery. “Just his presence matters, how everybody feeds off him,” manager Joe Maddon said. “All those ancillary benefits are hard to evaluate in advance, but I think you’re going to feel them next year.” 2. Willson Contreras takes over the starting catching duties, which upgrades the position offensively and defensively over 2016, as backup David Ross retires and former starter Miguel Montero assumes a backup/mentor role. Excluding Contreras, who debuted in June, the Cubs’ three other 2016 catchers hit .219 in 438 at-bats with 35 extra-base hits. Contreras as a rookie in 252 at-bats: .282 with 27 extra-base hits and an .845 OPS. “He’s made progress in probably every area of the game,” said Maddon, who leaned on Contreras for five World Series starts. “He’s definitely the kind of a guy that’s going to handle a heavy workload behind the plate.” 3. The Cubs set a World Series record with six players in one game under age 25. One of them, Kris Bryant, won the National League MVP award. Another, Javy Baez, was the National League Championship Series MVP. A third, Addison Russell, was the NL’s starting shortstop in the All-Star game. You get the idea. “I’m telling you, these guys are going to keep getting better,” Maddon said. 4. Jason Heyward will not be as bad offensively as he was this year. At least it wouldn’t seem possible.

The Cubs’ emotional linchpin for their Series-winning, 10th-inning rally admitted late during his career-worst season offensively (.631 OPS) that he might have pressed under the weight of his desire to play well for the first team he was able to choose to play for. Despite the struggles, he won a Gold Glove in right field in the first year of his eight-year, $184 million deal. And he was scheduled to get with hitting coach John Mallee and rebuild his hitting mechanics. “He’s a big part of our future,” Maddon said. 5. The addition of promising Albert Almora Jr. in center field (with Jay sharing time) should be a defensive upgrade at that position, adding to the upgrade the Cubs expect behind the plate and the upgrade anticipated with increased playing time for Baez at second base. Who leads off? Assuming decent health and reasonable projections for most of the young guys, who cares? Maddon should have enough mix-and-match options. -- Chicago Sun-Times Will Cubs stay quiet or pull off surprise at winter meetings? By Gordon Wittenmyer When Blue Jays left-hander Brett Cecil, a 30-year-old setup man who once won 15 games as a starter, signed his free agent contract with the Cardinals two weeks ago, his $30.5 million, four-year deal caused a stir and a gasp among those with a stake in this year’s free agent pitching market. The Cubs are among those teams heading to this week’s winter meetings shopping for free agent relievers. And how Cecil’s signing and other market factors – such as a healthy trade market and newly struck changes to revenue-sharing and luxury-tax rules – affect the prices could affect how aggressive and active the Cubs choose to be. “I don’t think any one signing is going to have [a market-setting] impact,” Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said. “Brett Cecil’s a very, very good left-handed reliever. In general, the lack of starting pitching in the market has something to do with the interest in the relievers, and the way the postseason played out. What everyone saw was some really good bullpens heavily utilized, and I think that’s something that’s been a big focus. “But I expect that the relief market’s going to be really active in free agency, and obviously we’re going to monitor that market closely.” Will Cubs free agent closer Aroldis Chapman get the five-year, $100 million deal he seeks? Will Dodgers free agent closer Kenley Jansen get anything close? And what about Mark Melancon – and the keen interest the Giants are said to have? This Cubs front office historically has not had the appetite to spend big on closers, and early conversations this off-season suggest that thinking hasn’t changed much. And coming off their historic championship run, the Cubs are in the enviable position of returning 20 members of their 25-man World Series roster, including all four starting pitchers and all their power right-handers from the bullpen. The only starting position player who won’t be back is center fielder Dexter Fowler. But the Cubs expect impact slugger Kyle Schwarber at full strength for spring training after missing all but four at-bats of last season, and they signed veteran lefty-hitting outfielder Jon Jay as a complement/mentor for promising young center fielder Albert Almora Jr.

Unlike a year ago – when the Cubs signed $274 million of free agents – they already were expected to have a quieter winter this time around. And after the Jay signing, and adding lefty Brian Duensing for bullpen depth Friday, they figure to spend much of the next month or two continuing to troll for free agent bullpen depth and work the trade markets for younger, controllable starting pitching. One trade target from recent years, San Diego’s Tyson Ross, was just non-tendered by the Padres after undergoing shoulder surgery and could be a buy-low, roll-the-dice proposition for the Cubs. “We talked about this a lot at the end of the winter last year, that we felt we did two offseasons worth of shopping in one offseason,” Hoyer said. “We really liked the talent available to us last offseason. It was a good free agent market. “With that in mind, I don’t expect nearly the activity that we had a year ago. Right now we can go play from an offensive standpoint and feel very good about our group.” That doesn’t mean they don’t have the will or the resources to strike on an impact move if the deal presents itself – and they have trade resources in still young power hitter Jorge Soler and promising switch-hitting prospect Ian Happ. “We’re going to still continue to look to improve the depth in our bullpen, and improve the depth in our starting rotation,” Hoyer said. “Those are things that probably never go away. But fans shouldn’t expect a flurry of things because they got that 12 months ago.” -- Chicago Sun-Times Cubs add LHP Duensing to bullpen on one-year, $2 million deal By Gordon Wittenmyer The Cubs agreed to terms on a one-year, $2 million deal with free agent left-hander Brian Duensing to add depth to a bullpen that lost most of its left-handed strength since its World Series run. It’s their second free agent signing of the week, after outfielder Jon Jay signed a one-year, $8 million deal. Duensing, 33, opened 2016 in the minors with the Royals, elected free agency in May and after subsequently signing with the Orioles went on the Baltimore disabled list after experiencing elbow soreness while adjusting his bullpen chair (yes, that’s actually what he told the team). He later had surgery to remove chips from the elbow, returning to pitch in September and the playoffs – compiling a 4.05 ERA in 14 short-relief appearances during the regular season. A veteran of eight big-league seasons, all but one with the Twins, Duensing has a 4.13 career ERA in 368 games, including 61 starts (none after 2010). In his career, left-handed batters hit just .236 (.614 OPS) against him, compared to .292 (.814). The Cubs had three left-handers in their bullpen for the World Series. Two (Aroldis Chapman, Travis Wood) are free agents and Mike Montgomery is expected to get a chance to earn the fifth-starter job next spring. The timing could be particularly fortunate for Duensing. The Cubs are anticipating new bullpens and, presumably, state-of-the-art, injury-averse chairs. Of course, it’s not like the Cubs don’t have experience with relievers and chair injuries. Lefty Mike Remlinger purportedly suffered a disabling finger injury in 2005 when he caught his hand between a pair of chairs in the clubhouse.

-- Daily Herald Cubs looking forward to quiet winter By Bruce Miles The shortest off-season in the history of the Chicago Cubs figures to be one of the quietest, at least when it comes to spending money on high-priced free agents. We're now just more than a month removed from the Cubs winning the World Series, and lo and behold, it's time for the winter meetings. Baseball's annual confab officially gets under way Monday outside of Washington. With Major League Baseball and its players having just struck a new collective bargaining agreement, certainty rules their vast and rich land. No matter their successes or failures, the current Cubs have never been ones to stand still. This week, they signed veteran center fielder Jon Jay to a free-agent contract, with the anticipation that Dexter Fowler will take the free-agent route out of town. They also inked left-handed reliever Brian Duensing to a modest deal. Veteran catcher and eternal Cubs folk hero David Ross has retired, and the team allowed pitcher Jason Hammel to go his own way. Others, such as dependable reliever Travis Wood, soon may depart via free agency. Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer reminded the media this past week that the Cubs did two years of Christmas wish-list shopping last year, with the acquisitions of Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist and John Lackey. Fowler returned to the Cubs in February after nothing materialized on the free-agent market. So don't look for splashy free-agent signings. Trades are always a possibility. "We really liked the talent available to us last off-season," Hoyer said. "It was a very good free-agent market. We felt like building upon a 97-win team that got to the NLCS but was swept, we wanted to improve some of the deficiencies on that club and really push things forward. So we were really aggressive with what we did last off-season. "We told everyone at the time we felt we were kind of shopping for two off-seasons. With that in mind, I don't expect nearly the activity we had a year ago. I feel like right now we can go play from an offensive standpoint and feel very good about our group." The Cubs picked up closer Aroldis Chapman in late July to shore up the back of their bullpen. Chapman is expected to move on as a free agent, so Hoyer and team president Theo Epstein will have to decide whether Hector Rondon can go back to being the closer or if the Cubs look for another established ninth-inning man. Rondon didn't look the same after battling a late-season triceps injury. The addition of Jay gives the Cubs a crowded outfield picture, as he joins Heyward, Kyle Schwarber, Albert Almora Jr., Jorge Soler and Matt Szczur. So there's depth from which to deal, if the Cubs want to make a trade. "We're going to still continue to look to improve the depth in our bullpen and improve the depth in our starting rotation," Hoyer said. "Those are things that probably never go away. You probably never stop trying to build that depth. Yeah, I think the bulk of our heavy lifting was done 12 months ago. It will be a quieter winter than last off-season. "We're always listening. If good ideas come to us or we come up with an idea, we'll share them with other teams. But fans shouldn't expect a flurry of things because they got that 12 months ago."

The most under-the-radar, but important, move the Cubs made during the season was trading for left-handed pitcher Mike Montgomery. In a July 20 deal with the Seattle Mariners, the Cubs picked up a pitcher they control through 2021. Montgomery proved to be a valuable swing man for the Cubs, and he picked up the save in Game 7 of the World Series at Cleveland. He could slide into the starting rotation in 2017. Young, controllable pitchers will be attractive to the Cubs as they try to build an inventory of young arms. "You try to identify those kinds of starting pitchers, those kind of relief pitchers and how to match up with them, Hoyer said. "It's definitely not going to be through lack of trying on our part to make that kind of deal. As we've talked about so many times, we do have an imbalance in our organization, hitting versus pitching. We're trying to accumulate as much pitching depth as possible. "We were very healthy this year, which was wonderful and a big part of why we won the World Series. I don't think you can always count on that kind of health every single year. Building up a reservoir of preferably guys you can option, it's not going to be through lack of trying. We're going to keep on working to accomplish that." -- Daily Herald Cubs sign relief pitcher, tender contracts By Bruce Miles The Chicago Cubs added a relief pitcher Friday and tendered contracts to their key players eligible for salary arbitration. They signed left-handed relief pitcher Brian Duensing to a one-year, $2 million contract to add depth to their bullpen and possible insurance in case of the expected departure of Travis Wood via free agency. The Cubs did not tender contracts to left-handed pitchers Gerardo Concepcion and Zac Rosscup, right-handed pitcher Conor Mullee and infielder Christian Villanueva. Any or all can re-sign with the Cubs on minor-league deals and perhaps go to spring training as nonroster players. Four arbitration-eligible players have been tendered 2017 contracts: right-handed pitchers Jake Arrieta, Justin Grimm, Hector Rondon and Pedro Strop. Overall, 26 players from the Cubs 40-man roster were tendered 2017 contracts Friday -- the four arbitration eligible players and 22 players not yet eligible for arbitration. Those include the likes of Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, Addison Russell, Javier Baez, Willson Contreras, Kyle Hendricks and Carl Edwards Jr. The Cubs' 40-man roster stands at 35. Duensing, who turns 34 in February, pitched for the Minnesota Twins from 2009-15. He appeared in 14 games for the Baltimore Orioles this year, going 1-0 with a 4.05 ERA. For his career, Duensing is 42-37 with a 4.13 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP in 368 games. -- Cubs.com Cubs enter Meetings with work left to do By Carrie Muskat NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- The Cubs had a busy week, adding another reliever and signing veteran outfielder Jon Jay, but they still have work to do heading into the Winter Meetings, which officially open Monday.

MLB.com and MLB Network will have wall-to-wall coverage of the 2016 Winter Meetings from the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center outside Washington, D.C. Fans can watch live streaming of all news conferences and manager availability on MLB.com, including the Rule 5 Draft on Thursday at 8 a.m. CT. Who will close for the Cubs in 2017? Aroldis Chapman was a key reason the Cubs won the World Series this past season, but he's a free agent. Chapman says he'd like to return, but the lefty is being courted by other teams, including the Yankees. "I would love to come back to the Cubs, but it's not up to me, it's up to them," Chapman said through an interpreter at a charity event in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, on Friday. The Cubs did sign lefty Brian Duensing, 33, who has pitched in relief the past four years and was limited to 14 games last season with the Orioles before needing surgery to remove bone chips in his left elbow. Duensing is not in the mix to close, but with Mike Montgomery projected to start and Travis Wood gone via free agency, the Cubs need another lefty in the bullpen. Will Hector Rondon return to the closer's job? Or could Carl Edwards Jr. take over that role? Expect manager Joe Maddon to address that during the manager sessions. Last year, the Cubs signed Jason Heyward, John Lackey and Ben Zobrist and essentially did most of the heavy lifting regarding the roster. This offseason, the focus is to make sure they have enough depth. The Cubs were relatively injury free as they cruised to a Major League-best 103 wins this past season. With Jason Hammel now a free agent, do the Cubs have enough starting pitching? Chicago's 40-man roster was at 35 after they decided to not tender contracts to right-hander Conor Mullee, left-handers Gerardo Concepcion and Zac Rosscup and infielder Christian Villanueva on Friday. The four could still return to the Cubs if they sign Minor League deals. The Cubs not only are looking for players to fill needs, but also for the right personalities that can mesh well in the clubhouse. Jay, 31, fits that role. The veteran had a hectic week, signing a one-year contract with the Cubs and welcoming the birth of twin daughters. He'll be asked to play center and tutor Albert Almora Jr., who batted .277 in 47 games his rookie season. "From a makeup and leadership standpoint, he's got an off-the-charts reputation," general manager Jed Hoyer said of Jay. "We knew that losing David Ross would leave a big void for us, and bringing in a guy like Jon was something that was important to us. ... We didn't feel like there were too many guys who could come to a team that just won a World Series and be able to fit that seamlessly and be able to help lead this team. I really feel like he can, given his reputation." -- Cubs.com Arrieta among 4 Cubs headed to arbitration By Adam McCalvy As expected, the Cubs on Friday tendered contracts to all four of their arbitration-eligible players, including Jake Arrieta. But they non-tendered four pre-arbitration players to make room on the 40-man roster ahead of next week's Winter Meetings. Beginning Monday, MLB.com and MLB Network will have wall-to-wall coverage of the 2016 Winter Meetings from the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center outside Washington, D.C. Fans can watch live streaming of all news conferences and manager availability on MLB.com, including the Rule 5 Draft on Thursday at 9 a.m. ET. Besides Arrieta, the Cubs tendered contracts to relievers Hector Rondon, Pedro Strop and Justin Grimm, all of whom are now considered signed for 2017 at a salary to be determined via the arbitration process unless a deal can be reached prior to a hearing. Had they not been tendered contracts before Friday's deadline, they would have become free agents.

That was the case Friday for four players on the 40-man roster who were not yet eligible for arbitration: left-handers Gerardo Concepcion and Zac Rosscup, right-hander Conor Mullee and infielder Christian Villanueva. Those moves cut the Cubs' 40-man roster to 35 players, including lefty Brian Duensing, who signed a one-year free-agent contract earlier in the day. Of the players cut loose, Rosscup had the most experience, making 61 relief appearances with the Cubs from 2013-15. Concecpion made three appearances for the 2016 World Series champions, and Mullee appeared in the big leagues for the Yankees. -- Cubs.com Cubs sign lefty Duensing to 1-year contract By Cash Kruth The Cubs signed lefty reliever Brian Duensing to a one-year deal, the club announced on Friday. The team did not announce terms of the free-agent deal, but MLB Network insider Jon Heyman reported it was worth $2 million. Duensing, who turns 34 in February, posted a 4.05 ERA in 14 games for the Orioles in 2016. He began the year in the Royals organization before being released in May, and missed time with Baltimore due to an elbow injury. Duensing is 42-37 with a 4.13 ERA in 368 games (61 starts) in eight Major League seasons with the Twins and Orioles. He joins Rob Zastryzny and Gerardo Concepcion as the lone lefty relievers on the Cubs' 40-man roster, with Mike Montgomery expected to join the rotation. -- Cubs.com Maddon: 'Now we have the experience' By Lindsay Berra LITTLE FALLS, NJ -- There's never a dull moment with Cubs manager Joe Maddon, and Friday night's program at my grandfather's museum -- the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center in Little Falls, N.J. -- was certainly no exception. The event began with a cocktail hour, during which 100 lucky guests got to chat and mingle with Maddon and his wife Jaye. A lively and revealing Q&A with the World Series champ followed, moderated by Ken Rosenthal of MLB Network and Fox Sports. The interview was Maddon's first since winning the World Series on Nov. 2. Maddon and my Grampa became very close in the last 10 years of Grampa's life after meeting in 2006 at a dinner organized by their mutual buddy, Don Zimmer. They hit it off immediately. Though Grampa was 30 years Joe's senior, the two were kindred spirits. With regard to baseball, they were both simultaneously old-school and progressive, sticking to baseball fundamentals while also pushing the on-field envelope. The two would sit on the couch in Maddon's office and talk about everything from family and friends to the pros and cons of using heavy bats. The pair worked similarly off the field, too. Both were raised in Italian immigrant families and learned the importance of hard work and family early on. Both grew up to value teamwork, leadership, sportsmanship, respect and dignity, and later in life, both established foundations -- Grampa's Museum and Learning Center and Maddon's Hazleton Integration Project in his home state of Pennsylvania -- to pass those values on to future generations. Grampa was a chop-buster to the end, and he would have welcomed Maddon to his Museum with a few hearty jabs. I can hear him now: "OK, Joe, you won one World Series, now go win nine more." But he would have been

thrilled to introduce his friend to the full house that heard Maddon wax poetic on the Cubs' 2016 season. Here are some highlights from the program. On managing the pressure and expectations of the 2016 season: "You talk about it. I made that T-shirt, 'Embrace the Target.' I was an avid reader, I loved Tom Clancy. In 'Clear and Present Danger,' the President's friend is involved in a drug deal gone bad in the Caribbean. Right away, the spin doctors want to say the President hardly knew him, hadn't seen him in years. But no, Jack Ryan steps in and says, 'No, Mr. President, not only should you say he's your friend, you should say he's one of your best friends.' He ran towards the issue to diffuse the issue. I really have my Jack Ryan moments as a manager. "You have to give the full explanation. We needed to embrace the target, embrace the expectations and embrace the word 'pressure' and use them all in a positive way. These are good words. These are good moments to be in. That's the rhetoric. For me, pressure and expectations should never be a problem, because why would you want to participate in anything that did not have expectations or pressure attached to it? And I wanted my guys to get that. I made a T-shirt with a target on the back. That was the message from Day One. I thought it was important to really throw it out there and be Jack Ryan from Day One." On using Aroldis Chapman with a 7-2 lead in the 7th inning of World Series Game 6: "[The Indians] had two guys on, and I did not like who was coming up to hit. I wanted to get through that with that type of lead. If you don't, if I had brought someone else in and it diminished at all, I thought the number of pitches Chapman would have had to throw later would be even more impactful. And there was no Game 8. There was no Game 7 yet at that point. We could not afford to lose any more games. Some of the other guys in the bullpen who had been really good in the season had been hurt at the end of the year. [Pedro] Strop had the bad knee and [Hector] Rondon had the bad tricep. We had CJ [Carl Edwards Jr.] and [Mike] Montgomery to utilize also, but we could not lose any more games. So I wanted to keep the game in tow right there. It was the meaty part of the order, and I did not want to entrust it to anyone else. I think everyone who is a Cub fan should be really happy I brought Aroldis in in that moment and did not save him." On his Game 7 pitching plan: "[Kyle] Hendricks, Jonny [Lester], Aroldis. I didn't want to use anyone other than those three guys. Because Hendricks had a tough start, Jon Lester's clock started in the 3rd and I didn't want to get him going that early. Then Kyle had a nice 4th, but I can't keep Lester on the shelf too much longer without utilizing him or we'll lose his ability to pitch that night. You can't keep warming him up and warming him up and expect him to be good out there. I talked to David Ross and he said Jon was really sharp. Kyle had [Carlos] Santana up with two strikes and all of a sudden it was ball four and here comes [Jason] Kipnis, which I did not like at all, and I wanted Lester on Kipnis and I wanted [Francisco] Lindor hitting right-handed. So why wait? Jon was ready. It was all about timing. For me, it all worked out really well up until [Rajai] Davis hit that home run." On Davis' game-tying home run in the 8th inning of Game 7: "It was like, 'Did that just happen?' When you work a game as a manager, you have preconceived thoughts about how it's going to work, and when it doesn't, it kind of blows you up for a minute. But I had to focus on the next inning immediately. But it's a shot to the chin. It staggers you. Anyone who says otherwise is not telling the truth. It was awkward and unusual, but you have to re-gather yourself." On why Chapman was throwing fastballs to Davis: "The game started with Willson Contreras catching. I knew once I brought David Ross in, Willie was out, and I like catching Willson with Aroldis. David is fabulous, but a lot of it was because David had not caught Aroldis as much as Willson had. You saw when Aroldis went out to pitch the 9th inning with [Miguel] Montero catching, he threw a lot more sliders in that inning, and it wasn't because he wasn't feeling his fastball. It's just a different philosophy with the catcher. It's just the way it works. When it's hot like that, when stuff is going on and everything is spinning

very quickly, sometimes the pitcher will just go solely with what the catcher says and not shake him off to do something else. My concern at the beginning was going from Willson to David, knowing I wanted to finish with Aroldis. If Willson was catching, you would have seen more sliders to Davis. I think Aroldis threw 14 or 15 straight fastballs to David, and you saw Davis was choked up and Aroldis threw the fastball in the only spot he could have done what he did with it. So yeah, a slider might have been a better pitch there, but when you switch catchers up, that could be part of the issue." On team meetings, Jason Heyward and the rain delay: "I hate team meetings. I think it's a regurgitation of the same [stuff]. Guys sit on the floor and listen to the manager go on and on about the same old stuff you've heard a thousand times before. There might be a few rookies in the room that take it to heart, but the rest of the guys cannot wait to get out of that room and start making fun of you. Meetings are devastating. So I only have three all season: before the season, after the All-Star break and before the first playoff game. "Before the playoffs, I wanted them to understand that something bad was going to happen, and when it does, we have to keep our wits about us. You have to know and expect something bad will happen, and how you react to that is what will set you apart. And then Jason Heyward calls a team meeting after the home run. I was not involved, which I loved. Jason gets them together after that moment, during the most fortuitous 15-minute rain delay in the history of Major League Baseball. It allowed us to regroup, and no one has ever had that opportunity before. It really was the perfect storm. "It also allowed me to grab my dad's hat. He passed away in 2002, and he had an Angels hat with a big wing on it. I had that hat with me everywhere I go, so I took it out of my backpack and stuck it in the back of my pants under my hoodie. The rain delay permitted us to have a meeting, for me to check out the weather map, talk to Theo [Epstein] and Jed [Hoyer], and get my dad's hat. And during the rest of the game, it was such a comforting feeling knowing he was back there." On the Javier Baez bunt, on a 3-2 pitch with one out and Heyward on 3rd in the 9th inning in Game 7: "Javy strikes out over 80 percent of the time on a full count. And he's going to chase. You can throw him anything. And Jason Heyward is one of our best baserunners. There are two things I thought Javy had a better chance of doing: making contact on the bunt, and if it was a ball, he might actually take it. Because if it's a ball, he's just going to swing, that's just his M.O. The ball has to practically almost hit him for him to not swing. He did hit that home run off of [Johnny] Cueto [in Game 1 of the National League Division Series], but for the most part, when he gets to full count, it's not normally good, and Cleveland is great at scouting and they know all this stuff. And Javy is our best bunter in that situation. I thought there was a better chance for him to move the baseball as opposed to swinging away." On Kyle Schwarber's amazing comeback: "I knew only days before. I had been encouraging him all year, that Spring Training is around the corner and he's young and everything will be fine. Then we're in L.A., and Theo tells me the doctor has cleared Schwarbs. I thought, 'Really?' I had no clue. So we had to put together a program to get him ready. He flies from L.A. to Arizona. He stood alongside the batter's box while that pitching machine threw over 1,000 pitches, just so he could read location, velocity, movement. Nobody does that, veteran or kid. Nobody. You saw him in those first games back, and his timing was right on. He was not chasing. He was on time against guys who had been pitching all year. It was unbelievable." On the Cubs' victory parade: "We pulled out of Wrigley and made that turn from Clark onto Addison, and I was like, 'You've got to be kidding me.' I have never seen so many people in my life. We went down Addison to Lakeshore to go downtown and ended up in Grant Park. I was up on stage talking, and the horizon is actually all people. I called it Cubstock 2016. I

really thought before I got up there, this must be what Richie Havens saw at Woodstock back in the day. All it was was wall-to-wall people. This was when it really hit me that these people were what they said they were -- they were thirsty for this moment, and they all showed up. Even the perpendicular streets off Michigan had people lined up just to catch a glimpse." On why the Cubs will only get better: "One thing about the young Cubs, we can play defense. We run the bases extremely well. But the area you can see us getting much better in is offense. Everyone talked about how great we were offensively, and some of our guys had some great years, but I'll tell you, as they continue to learn what they're doing at the plate, we are going to be a really, really good offensive club, and that's the next level I see us achieving over the next couple years. I'd like us to be how the Yankees were in the mid-90s with Derek [Jeter] and Mariano [Rivera]. I think we have that kind of potential. The core youth, the dynamic personalities, the skill level, the finances, the city, the ballpark, the tradition, the background. And now we have the experience. Our kids are young and inexperienced, but they've been to the NLCS and the World Series the last two years. It's a level of excellence we are trying to achieve over a period of time, rather then getting caught up in one moment and just saying, 'OK, that's cool.' How do you become excellent for a period of time? That's the next step." --