January 4, 2016

Cubs.com, Cubs embrace high expectations for 2016 http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/160094350/cubs-are-a-world-series-contender-in-2016

Cubs.com, Candelario soaks up wisdom on way to bigs http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/160121326/cubs-jeimer-candelario-making-most-of-chances

Cubs.com, Arrieta, fresh faces carry Cubs in 2015 http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/160060246/jake-arrieta-rookies-shine-in-cubs-2015-recap

Cubs.com, Ramirez makes life-changing trip to Haitian orphanage http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/159975992/cubs-neil-ramirez-visits-haitian-orphanage

Cubs.com, Cubs great Dawson embodies Scout's Dream Award http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/160398032/andre-dawson-named-scouts-dream-award-winner

Cubs.com, Cubs claim lefty Olmos, release Ryan http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/160330716/cubs-claim-edgar-olmos-off-waivers-from-os

ESPNChicago.com, The case for Joe Maddon as 'Person of the Year' for 2015 http://espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/story/_/id/14451057/joe-maddon-was-consideration-our-person-year-2015

ESPNChicago.com, The case for Jake Arrieta as 'Person of the Year' for 2015 http://espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/story/_/id/14451024/jake-arrieta-was-consideration-our-person-year-2015

CSNChicago.com, Cubs believe Jason Heyward still has room to grow as a power hitter http://www.csnchicago.com/cubs/cubs-believe-jason-heyward-still-has-room-grow-power-hitter

CSNChicago.com, Cubs stay active on the waiver wire, claim Edgar Olmos again http://www.csnchicago.com/cubs/cubs-stay-active-waiver-wire-claim-edgar-olmos-again

Chicago Tribune, Cubs, White Sox hoping to make 2016 a special season http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/ct-sullivan-cubs-sox-spt-1225-20151224-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Cubs release new acquisition Brendan Ryan http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-release-new-acquisition-brendan-ryan-20151223-story.html

Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs claim pitcher Edgar Olmos; release infielder Brendan Ryan http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/7/71/1203399/cubs-claim-pitcher-edgar-olmos-release-infielder-brendan-ryan

Chicago Sun-Times, It's more than OK if Jason Heyward doesn't want to be "The One'' for the Cubs http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/7/71/1203163/ok-jason-heyward-doesnt-want-one-cubs

Daily Herald, Imrem: Cardinals sure seem to have Chicago Cubs in their heads http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20151223/sports/151229471/

-- Cubs.com Cubs embrace high expectations for 2016 By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- The Cubs looked at the 2015 season as one more step in the rebuilding process, knowing the young players would get lots of at-bats and there could be some growing pains. Who could've predicted a 97-win season and a trip to the postseason? Well, maybe manager Joe Maddon. But at the time, he was still learning his way around Wrigleyville. What can fans expect in 2016? The Cubs don't want to just earn a trip to the postseason, they want to win the National League Central. The offseason was spent finding players like John Lackey, who brings an edge to the rotation, and Ben Zobrist, who can provide veteran leadership to the position players. Then the Cubs made a statement with the addition of outfielder Jason Heyward, who will make the switch from the rival Cardinals to the top of Chicago's lineup. After the success in 2015, Maddon knows it will be different in '16. "The target's going to be bigger, and I want us to embrace the target," Maddon said. "The pressure is going to be possibly greater, and I want us to embrace the pressure. The bigger target, the greater pressure, I think, equals a grander chance for success. So I'm all about that, and I definitely will bring that to our guys' attention." Here are five questions the Cubs will have to answer. 1. Can Heyward play center field? The Cubs signed Heyward to an eight-year, $184 million contract and want him to start in center field. Of his 781 starts in the outfield, all but 30 have been in right, and those were in center. The transition should not be tough: Wrigley Field has the fourth-smallest center field of any Major League park in terms of square footage (33,500 square feet). The Cubs may need to insert someone else in center in the bigger ballparks, and they do plan on having Javier Baez get playing time there in winter ball. One of the team's goals this offseason was to improve the outfield defense. Scouts say Heyward, a three-time Gold Glove Award winner, should have no trouble moving to center. 2. Where do Schwarber and Baez play? Speaking of Baez and Kyle Schwarber, where do they fit in the Cubs' plans? Zobrist is projected as the starting second baseman, which would seem to leave Baez on the bench. Schwarber would like to be catching, but he will likely spend more time in left field. The Cubs want his bat in the lineup as much as possible. Baez could become a young Zobrist, learning to play several positions, which would fit nicely into Maddon's style. 3. What will Arrieta do for an encore? After throwing a no-hitter at Dodger Stadium, leading the Major Leagues with 22 wins and winning the NL Cy Young Award, what's next for Jake Arrieta? He's certainly sticking to his Pilates/kale offseason workout/diet regimen, which should have resulted in pitchers flocking to his Austin, Texas, home to learn. Arrieta should be the Cubs' Opening Day starter in Anaheim.

4. How do the Cubs avoid a sophomore jinx? How do the Cubs' talented corps of rookies avoid a sophomore jinx? Maddon will deliver his formula early in Spring Training. He wants to make sure the young players don't take things for granted and simply believe that they'll have the same success. There's still work to do. Teams will be making adjustments, and the Cubs need to be prepared to adjust back, he said. 5. What's next? Cubs players were treated to a magic show in the clubhouse in New York, penguins, snow leopards and a flamingo on the field at Wrigley, plus a pajama party. What will Maddon do in Year 2? Zobrist told a story about how Carlos Pena had arranged for a mariachi band to perform in the clubhouse after a game at Tropicana Field, but the Rays lost that day. It didn't matter to Maddon, who invited the group in. Maddon has made one request for his office in the new 30,000-square foot home clubhouse at Wrigley Field: He wants a cockatoo. -- Cubs.com Candelario soaks up wisdom on way to bigs By Carrie Muskat Catcher Miguel Montero doesn't just help the Cubs pitchers. He deserves credit for inspiring prospect Jeimer Candelario, too. Candelario, 22, was one of the most talked-about prospects during the Arizona Fall League and did so well last season that he earned a spot on the Cubs' 40-man roster. He began the year at Class A Myrtle Beach, where he batted .270 in 82 games. He was bumped up to Double-A Tennessee and didn't miss a beat, hitting .291 with five home runs, 10 doubles, one triple and 25 RBIs in 46 games. His on-base percentage at Myrtle Beach was .318, and it improved to .379 at Tennessee. What was the difference? "In Double-A, I saw more pitches to hit," Candelario said matter-of-factly. He also got a boost from Montero, who was with the Minor League team for a few days in August as part of his rehab. "We had a good time with him," Candelario said of the veteran. "He told us a couple things about baseball and we learned a lot, too." Sometimes the message can mean more coming from a player than a coach or manager. "We talked about everything -- the world, baseball, everything," Candelario said of the conversations. "He told us some little details, and we took advantage of it, and it worked. He's a good person. We worked hard together." Candelario extended those lessons to the Arizona Fall League, where he batted .329 with five home runs, eight doubles and 15 RBIs in 21 games. He was named to the AFL top prospects team. "I'm taking advantage of this," Candelario said before a game in Mesa, Ariz. "There's good talent here. I'm working hard to do the best I can to help the team." Other Cubs youngsters have the AFL on their resumes, including Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Javier Baez, Jorge Soler and Albert Almora. "If you come here and do good, you kind of have a chance next year to get to the big leagues," Candelario said. "I'm going to take advantage of this. The Cubs gave me this advantage."

Candelario kept an eye on the big league team last season. "I saw those guys working hard and doing the best they could to win a ballgame," Candelario said. "That's what you have to do, is learn how to win and learn how to prepare yourself to get to the World Series. I like this team -- I think next year we have a chance to get to the World Series. They worked hard, they deserved it." He also saw the photos of the zoo animals at Wrigley Field, one of the diversions coordinated by Cubs manager Joe Maddon. Did Candelario ask Tennessee manager Buddy Bailey if he'd arrange for a visit by a penguin? "Maybe in the big leagues," Candelario said, laughing. Getting there is the goal of the young third baseman, who started playing with the Cubs at the age of 17 in the Dominican Summer League in 2011. "I'm working hard. The Cubs know I'm working hard," Candelario said. "They'll make the decision. They know I can help them win a championship there." -- Cubs.com Arrieta, fresh faces carry Cubs in 2015 By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- The year began on a sad note for Cubs fans with the passing of Hall of Famer Ernie Banks. During a memorial service on Jan. 31, the man known as Mr. Cub was celebrated on what would've been his 84th birthday. Hall of Famer Billy Williams came up with a rhyme to honor his longtime teammate and friend: "I know Ernie would put his stamp of approval on this: 'The Cubs will win as a team in 2015.'" Little did Williams know how prophetic that statement would be. Under new manager Joe Maddon, the Cubs won 97 games and reached the postseason for the first time since 2008. They advanced as far as the National League Championship Series, only to get swept by the Mets. It was a season of fresh faces as rookies Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Kyle Schwarber and Jorge Soler stepped into the spotlight. And Maddon didn't disappoint in terms of wackiness, beginning in Spring Training when he invited a DJ to liven up the early-morning stretch. The players wore pajamas for a flight home from Los Angeles. A magician, a penguin, a snow leopard and a cheetah stopped by the Cubs' clubhouse. After losing seasons and talk of rebuilding, the Cubs were relevant and competitive, finishing with the third-best record in the Major Leagues. Here's a look back at some of the highlights from 2015: Kid stuff The Cubs used Miguel Montero and Mike Baxter as the designated hitters during a two-game series in Detroit in June. They needed more oomph and gambled on promoting Schwarber, a 2014 first-round Draft pick, for five Interleague games, starting June 17 in Cleveland. "I like the idea of him getting his feet wet," Maddon said. "I asked him to take mental snapshots and really enjoy the moment, and if he's a little freaked out, it's absolutely normal." Schwarber wasn't freaked out at all, going 4-for-5 with a triple and two RBIs in his first Major League start and hitting his first home run the next day. He knew he was headed to Triple-A after the short stint, but was called back on July 17 when Montero was injured. He batted .333 in nine postseason games, hitting five home runs, including one that landed on top of the video board in right field and was preserved in a plexiglass case. Turning point

The defending champion Giants came to Wrigley Field Aug. 6-9, and the young Cubs posted a four-game sweep, with the rookies driving in 16 of the 22 runs scored. In the first game, Schwarber smacked a three-run homer in the first inning of a 5-4 victory, which moved Chicago a half-game ahead of San Francisco in the NL Wild Card race. Schwarber hit a two-run tiebreaking single and Soler added a two-run double the next day to back Jon Lester in a 6-1 win. On Aug. 8, it was Bryant's turn, as he hit a two-run homer and drove in another run in a 5-3 win. Jake Arrieta capped the series, combining with Justin Grimm and Hector Rondon on a six-hit shutout. Bryant and Russell each drove in a run. This series was also key because it's when Maddon decided to bench three-time All-Star Starlin Castro and move Russell from second to short. "It's big," Montero said of the four-game sweep against the Giants. "It builds up a lot of confidence, which I think we've got already. We're playing a good team, man. That's the world champions. You've got to respect that. You can never give up on those guys." Castro did rebound, and led the NL with a .426 batting average in September. On Dec. 8, he was dealt to the Yankees for pitcher Adam Warren and a player to be named (Brendan Ryan). Cy Young week On Aug. 24, the Cubs faced the Indians at Wrigley Field in a makeup game, kicking off what Maddon dubbed Cy Young week. First up was Corey Kluber vs. Lester, and the Cubs led 1-0 until the Indians' Carlos Santana hit a game-tying RBI single in the ninth. But with two outs in the Cubs' half, Bryant delivered a walk-off home run and was escorted to home plate by high-stepping reliever Pedro Strop, who had been warming up in the bullpen at the time. The Cubs then traveled to San Francisco and had to face Matt Cain, Jake Peavy, Madison Bumgarner, and went to Los Angeles to deal with Clayton Kershaw. They were 2-4 going into the Aug. 30 game at Dodger Stadium with Arrieta on the mound. And how did he cap the week? With a no-hitter, the first of his career, in a 2-0 victory. And how did Arrieta cap the season? By winning the NL Cy Young Award. Wild and crazy game Winning 97 games was good enough to get the Cubs to the postseason, but to advance, they had to take the difficult route of facing the Pirates in the do-or-die Wild Card Game. Arrieta, who led the Major Leagues with 22 wins, got the call and delivered a gem, striking out 11 in a five-hit shutout. Dexter Fowler and Schwarber each homered off Pirates ace Gerrit Cole, with Fowler finishing with three hits and three runs. Cubs players said they'd never heard a crowd as loud as the 40,889 at PNC Park that night. Rival Redbirds The Cardinals had spoiled Opening Day and Lester's Cubs debut with a 3-0 win at Wrigley Field. Then the Cards took three of four in a series at Busch Stadium, May 4-7, and swept the Cubs in St. Louis, June 26-28. But in the next two matchups, the Cubs won two of three, including Sept. 7-9 at Busch, and were five outs away from completing a sweep of the first-place Cardinals in the last game but blew a two-run lead in the eighth. The Cubs players were obviously miffed after the loss. "Most of the time, you'd be effusive -- 'We won two out of three,'" Maddon said. "We had a chance to go three out of three and we failed. Ultimately, you'll take the two out of three, but I'm happy we're upset that we didn't." And after saying that, Maddon turned on the music in his office, playing "Philadelphia Freedom" by Elton John. The Cubs then headed to Philadelphia. Of course, whom did the Cubs have to face in the NL Division Series? The Cardinals. For the first time, the two Central Division rivals met in the postseason, and John Lackey prevailed in Game 1, but the Cubs rallied to take the

series, with an impressive showing in Game 3 when Fowler, Soler, Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Castro and Schwarber all homered. Javier Baez made a statement when he crushed a three-run homer off Lackey in Game 4. -- Cubs.com Ramirez makes life-changing trip to Haitian orphanage By Carrie Muskat Cubs pitcher Neil Ramirez and his wife, Tiffany, got married last October and decided to travel to Haiti for their honeymoon. They didn't stay at a luxurious resort, but spent their time helping kids at an orphanage. And meeting the children there changed the couple's lives. Ramirez found out about the orphanage through Brad Henderson, who handles chapel in Pittsburgh for both the Pirates and Penguins, and is active with the Pittsburgh Kids Foundation. Henderson also guided Cardinals pitchers Adam Wainwright and Kyle McClellan to Haiti to help. "Kyle kind of challenged me and my wife early in our marriage," said Ramirez, who was a teammate of McClellan's in 2013 on the Rangers' Double-A Frisco team. "He said, 'I'm telling you, when you're young and you're married, it's a whole lot easier to go on these kind of trips and do this kind of mission work than when you have kids.' He challenged us to go." McClellan has hosted fundraising events to help the IDADEE Children's Home in Haiti, a Christian non-profit association. Wainwright has contributed to the facility, as well. Henderson travels to Haiti once a month. "Neil's a great example of somebody who went down there and was really transformed," Henderson said. As soon as Neil and Tiffany arrived at IDADEE in Cap-Haitien, the children rushed out to greet them. "When you show up, they're immediately jumping into your arms," Ramirez said. "We're complete strangers to them. The first time they see us, the younger kids, they were jumping off the steps and into our arms and trusting us to catch them. They had so much joy." Haiti is one of the world's poorest countries, and it was shaken in January 2010 by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake, which left more than 40,000 people dead and 80,000 homeless. The island is still recovering. "Seeing those kids and the joy they have in the face of extreme poverty, it's pretty overwhelming," Ramirez said. "You think about our society and all the stuff we have and the stuff we take for granted, like being able to have clean water, to go to the bathroom, to have food -- all these things we don't even think twice about. It's a struggle every day for these people to know whether they're going to get a meal and whether there will be a next meal after that." The orphanage recently added another floor to house more children. A nurse is on staff full time. They are working on having a doctor and clinic as well, which will help not only the orphanage but others in the area. "We got to go out into the community, too," Ramirez said of his trip. "These kids are so fortunate to have this orphanage with the food and stuff they get. When you go into the community, you see what it's really like, and it's just amazing to see how much of a struggle it is for these people to just get a meal." When the orphanage had enough money to build some latrines, the reaction was amazing, Ramirez said. "[Henderson] said it brought them to tears and you saw these people running into the streets praising God for the ability to have some place to go to the bathroom," Ramirez said. Ramirez had planned on returning to Haiti this offseason, but the Cubs' postseason push changed his plans.

"I'm not 100 percent sure when we're going back, but I am 100 percent sure that we are going back," the reliever said. "The impact it had on my wife and me, we want to get involved down there with something Brad thinks will help out the community the most." The orphanage wants to install a clean water system and improve the kitchen accommodations. The goal, Ramirez said, is not just to provide financial help but teach the Haitians how to improve themselves. "I think a lot of time, the handouts are great and they appreciate them, but these people have to learn how to dig themselves out of this hole, and a lot of it comes from building jobs and the infrastructure," Ramirez said. Ramirez could have easily written a check and never made the trip to Haiti. But he's glad they did. "Going down there and seeing it and hanging out with the kids was a huge part of [our involvement]," he said. "As far as being a Christian, God has blessed us with certain things. That doesn't mean we can't enjoy what we've been blessed with, but part of that is also giving back to others who are less fortunate. That's a big part of what we want to start getting involved with. The Haiti trip is the start of where my wife and I want to go with that." Ramirez isn't ready to start his own foundation. Going to Haiti and seeing the children at IDADEE was a first step, and a huge step. "We feel God has directed us to this certain area," Ramirez said. "There's a lot of things that need to happen in the United States, and not just overseas. There are a lot of avenues to go, and this is the start of giving back that we've been fortunate to get involved with." Ramirez and his wife sponsor two children at the orphanage. They want to do more. "The easiest and best way to get involved down there is to get on the website and sponsor a kid," he said. "The money pays for everything -- 100 percent goes to what the kids need and that orphanage. They want to be able to bring more kids in. They're building a hospital there, a school. It was one of the worst areas in Haiti before they started doing this, and now it's blossomed into one of the better areas in that part of Haiti." For the few days they were in Haiti, Ramirez and his wife were able to play with the children and help them forget their struggles. "[Going there] you're actually invested in their lives and they appreciate that so much," Ramirez said. "They appreciate everything they get, but being able to go down there and put a face with what you're helping was an incredible experience. "It was really life changing. When we came back from that trip, we were just blown away. It's not that you feel sorry for them -- you do feel sorry for them, but it's amazing how much good they have in the little things that they have. They have so much joy in having clothes and the little things that make a huge difference for them." Think about that this holiday season. "I feel privileged to have gone there," Ramirez said. -- Cubs.com Cubs great Dawson embodies Scout's Dream Award By Hal Bodley The baseball scouts are honoring Hall of Famer Andre Dawson next month with something called the "Scout's Dream Award for Outstanding Achievement in Baseball History." That's a mouthful, but when the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation decided to honor the "Hawk" at their Jan. 16 fundraiser in Beverly Hills, Calif., they would have been hard-pressed to find a better recipient.

Ferguson Jenkins, himself a Hall of Famer and former Cub, will make the presentation. Accolades, not to mention adjectives, will flow. Granted, Dawson, now 61, etched numbers during his 21-year career that are more than worthy of special recognition in baseball's storied history: 438 homers, 1,591 RBIs, .279 batting average and one of just eight players with at least 300 homers and 300 stolen bases. He also won the 1987 National League Most Valuable Player Award and the '77 NL Rookie of the Year Award. But this is a Scout's Dream Award, and nothing could be more accurate. The Hawk, despite aching knees that required 12 surgeries, had his greatest summers with the Chicago Cubs, including the year he won the 1987 NL MVP Award with a last-place team. And the fact that Dawson became a Cub is in itself a dream of sorts. Just the other day, the Cubs signed free-agent outfielder Jason Heyward to an eight-year, $184 million deal. And before that, the Red Sox gave left-hander David Price $217 million over seven years. And then there was pitcher Zack Greinke: six years, $206.5 million from the D-backs. Dawson signed with the Cubs in 1987 for $500,000 plus incentives -- $7,500 less than 2016's minimum salary. "Something like that, the way Dawson came to us, may never happen again," said Dallas Green, the Cubs' general manager who signed Dawson. Turned out to be a dream for both. Dawson, whose knees were ailing after 11 years on Montreal's artificial turf, became a free agent following the 1986 season. He and agent Dick Moss were having difficulty finding a suitable team with a natural-grass field interested in the outfielder. "I asked Moss what it was going to take to put Montreal behind, stay in the NL and move forward," Dawson told me during a recent interview. "I said, 'Sometimes I feel like I could play this game without being paid. It's not about the money.' That's how much I love the game." Dawson remembers offering two teams -- the Cubs and Braves -- a blank contract. A blank contract? Yes. "The Cubs were my first choice, but when we visited the Cubs in 1987 at the start of Spring Training, Green didn't know what to make of the blank contract. He looked at it and said, 'What's this?' I said, 'Fill in what you think I'm worth.' He went on to say he had younger players he had to provide an opportunity for. I said, 'You're two years removed from the playoffs, and you're not going to win with young players.' I told him we'd leave the contract on the table for 24 hours and we went home." "Big D," as Green is called, is known for his bluster. He's a baseball lifer and a tough negotiator. I can picture him laughing at Dawson and Moss, not really taking them seriously. But Green was in a bind. "I was out of money, and the Tribune Company [the Cubs' owner then] wasn't going to allow me to add to our payroll," remembers Green, who's managed the Phillies, Mets and Yankees and now is a Phils advisor. But Green said he had nothing to lose. Not for a player of Dawson's ability. Green called Dawson and said $500,000 was the best offer he could make -- a $700,000 cut in pay from the Hawk's 1986 salary. Dawson ultimately accepted and had his finest year.

The deal included $250,000 in incentives if Dawson made the All-Star team, started the All-Star Game and won the 1987 NL MVP Award. He did all three. "That says a lot about the character of Andre Dawson," Green said the other day as he looked over the recent free-agent signings. "That type of [contract] wouldn't happen today. No way." "There isn't a player in baseball history who worked harder, suffered more or did it better than Andre Dawson," said Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg, a Cubs teammate. "He's the best I've ever seen. I watched him win an MVP for a last-place team in 1987, and it was the most unbelievable thing I've ever seen in baseball." A dream, indeed. -- Cubs.com Cubs claim lefty Olmos, release Ryan By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- The Cubs claimed left-handed pitcher Edgar Olmos off waivers from the Orioles on Wednesday and released infielder Brendan Ryan, who was acquired from the Yankees in the Starlin Castro trade. Right-handed pitcher Yoervis Medina also was claimed off waivers by the Pirates. The Cubs claimed Olmos, 25, for the second time this offseason, this time off the Orioles' roster. The Cubs had claimed him off waivers from the Mariners on Dec. 4, and he was then claimed by the Orioles on Dec. 10. The lefty was 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA in six appearances with the Mariners last season, including two starts. He spent the majority of the season with Triple-A Tacoma, where he went 1-1 with a 3.55 ERA in 20 games. Medina, 27, was designated for assignment on Dec. 17. He went 1-0 with a 4.71 ERA in 17 relief appearances between the Mariners and Cubs last season. Ryan, 33, was the player to be named later in the Cubs' deal with the Yankees, which sent Castro to New York for pitcher Adam Warren. With the moves, Chicago's 40-man roster is at 40. -- ESPNChicago.com The case for Joe Maddon as 'Person of the Year' for 2015 By Buster Olney The Chicago Cubs had a terrible exhibition game early last March, a game typical of how they had played in the years leading up to the hiring of Joe Maddon, filled with mental mistakes. The folks in the Cubs' front office were nothing less than thrilled. They wanted Maddon to see the collection of Cubs at their absolute worst so that he could see first-hand what needed correcting, and so he could immediately raise the bar of expectations. The next day, Maddon strolled to the middle of Sloan Park, the Cubs' sparkling spring-training field in Mesa, Arizona, and with a smile he talked about how fixes were necessary. More to the point, Maddon explained that the fixes would be made, not the sort of words often uttered by a manager of the Cubs over the last century. Not only did the team clean up the mistakes, they finished the 2015 season with 97 wins, more than all but two other teams in the majors, and advanced past St. Louis into the National League Championship Series. That Maddon won NL Manager of the Year was a foregone conclusion. The real question now is whether some artist

should start designing a statue for him, given his immediate popularity in Chicago and the club's 24-win improvement over the 2014 season. The Cubs' front office is fluent in analytics, overflowing with numbers, and conventional wisdom among the spawn of Moneyball has been that managers aren't really as important as we had always thought. More and more, they have been marginalized. By the end of the 2015 season, however, Cubs staffers were reassessing that assumption because of the difference they believed that Maddon made. Place the same group of players in the hands of most other managers, they agreed, and the team simply wouldn't have won as many games. "Not even close," one coach said. Mike Borzello, part of Maddon's staff, had been a bullpen catcher with the Yankees when Joe Torre managed that team in New York. As he listened to Maddon work with the players all season, bringing in a magic act, zoo animals, and catering a meal before a workout, Borzello came to believe that Maddon was like some combination of Torre and Phil Jackson because of how he affected the players. "Has he raised the level of urgency?" I asked Borzello once. "No," Borzello said, smiling. "In fact, he's lowered it." By putting the players at ease, Borzello thought, by relaxing them and reducing the busy work a lot of teams tend to do over the course of a long season, Maddon was able to reduce the physical and emotional pressure the players put on themselves. By season's end, the Cubs had a 21-year-old shortstop in Addison Russell and a rookie third baseman in Kris Bryant, and they had moved All-Star shortstop Starlin Castro to second base on the fly. Incredibly, it all worked. Maddon made it all work. After the Cubs were swept by the Mets in the NLCS, Maddon emerged from the home dugout at Wrigley Field to walk to the postgame news conference. He bore the same smile that he had in March, seemingly the same cheery confidence. Cubs fans who had lingered in the stands stood and cheered him, and Maddon offered an affectionate wave of thanks. You couldn't help but think this was only a first step, and that eventually, Maddon and the Cubs would fix it and get October right. -- ESPNChicago.com The case for Jake Arrieta as 'Person of the Year' for 2015 By Christina Kahrl Because it's the game that gets played daily for six months -- more if you count spring training and the postseason -- baseball lends itself to stories documenting change -- tales of reinvention and rebirth -- as people take the things we think the rest of us know about them and stand them on their heads by achieving more than almost anyone else thought possible, day after day. Until suddenly we've learned something new: That this guy is something special, doing things nobody else has ever done before in the history of sports. Perhaps no player did a better job of capturing that sense of magic by redefining himself in the last year than Jake Arrieta did. As the Cubs motored to an unexpected and exciting run to the postseason as part of their great reboot and rebuild, Arrieta was the ace who provided them with a sure thing down the stretch, posting the best second half on the mound in the history of the game with an 0.75 ERA. Limit your split to his regular-season performance after Aug. 1 and his ERA was also a best-ever 0.41 while he was notching 11 wins as the Cubs won all 12 of his turns. He threw 20 straight quality starts to finish his season and then carried it forward to blank the Pirates in a dominating wild-card performance before he was tuckered out by the workload. Cy Young voters were suitably impressed with his performance, handing Arrieta the award over Zack Greinke. Arrieta's 22 wins with a 1.77 ERA and that unprecedented stretch performance were enough to top Greinke's ERA title (1.66) and MLB-leading 30 quality starts -- as well as Clayton Kershaw's 301 strikeouts and league-best 1.99 FIP -- for the Dodgers.

Call that a triumph of vibe or narrative, but as an experience -- something you live with and see building up as it happened -- Arrieta's season was more than just numbers, at least in the Windy City. Arrieta's dominance took on a life of its own, overheating Wrigleyville with a near-miss no-no against the Pirates in a tune-up for the wild-card game. He generated something perhaps not seen in Chicago since some point during the Bulls' last three-peat: faith and certainty, not just of victory but of overpowering dominance. To be sure, Arrieta didn't come out of nowhere. But what he did might be even more impressive: He didn't just double down on his breakthrough season in 2014, he also set a new standard for dominance through a fanatical commitment to his own fitness (he's so serious about Pilates, he might start his own facility) that helped him deliver even better command of an overwhelming three-pitch mix. He showed that the spike in his 2014 strikeout rate to north of 27 percent in a partial season wasn't an anomaly; it was the shape of things to come, as he did it again across 33 starts in 2015. Reliably getting great sink on mid-90s heat helped generate a career-best ratio of 1.7 ground-ball outs to caught flies, while he perfected the curve and slider to complete the hard stuff. Arrieta demonstrated not just that he is in the process of becoming great, he is great. He's the unpredicted ace in an age where we're supposed to know and expect everything. He's a pitcher so good that he has reshaped the future of a franchise that has invested years in scripting its own comeback, making it possible for the Cubs to opt out of bidding on the Greinkes or the Prices in a market rich in No. 1 options. Why? Because they already have their man, and they've already seen what he can do and what he makes possible: Beating the world, ending the curse and maybe even hoisting a flag to fly forever alongside the last one the Cubs won back in 1908. Is he my MLB "Person of the Year"? Absolutely. -- CSNChicago.com Cubs believe Jason Heyward still has room to grow as a power hitter By Tony Andracki If you thought fans were excited when Jason Heyward chose to sign in Chicago, just imagine how the Cubs must be feeling. Joe Maddon called Heyward "a beautiful man," throughout the 2015 season when he watched the dynamic 26-year-old outfielder star for the St. Louis Cardinals. Theo Epstein's front office took note of the way Heyward played against the Cubs all year, but it was a particular at-bat in the National League Division Series that really caught Epstein's eye. In Game 3 at Wrigley Field, Heyward got a breaking ball from Jake Arrieta - the best pitcher on the planet at the time - off the plate outside and drove it to the left-field bleachers. "It was a swing I hadn't seen from him up close in person before," Epstein said. "It shows a real sophisticated approach and an ability to make and adjustment like that against one of the best pitchers in the game. "A lot of our players and staff were buzzing about that swing in the clubhouse after the game. You couldn't help but envision maybe some of the damage he could do playing at Wrigley Field on a consistent basis." Heyward has had success at Wrigley Field throughout his career, sporting an .898 OPS (on a .311/.376/.522 line) in 25 games at "The Friendly Confines." He also enjoyed playing in Chicago during the postseason, going 3-for-6 with a double, that homer off Arrieta and a pair of walks in a limited sample size. That being said, Heyward only hit 13 homers in the regular season, after hitting 11 in 2014. In fact, he's only topped 18 homers one time in his career - clubbing 27 with the Atlanta Braves in 2012.

The Cubs are paying Heyward like a middle-of-the-order slugger ($184 million), but the fact of the matter is, he may never develop into more of a power hitter. That doesn't mean the Cubs can't hope, however. "I think it's in there," Epstein said. "He has hit 27 home runs before. There are a lot of players who don't find their consistent power stroke until they get to this age - 26, 27, 28." Epstein then compared Heyward to another right fielder - Dwight Evans - who didn't find his consistent power stroke until his late 20s with the Boston Red Sox. Up until age 26, Evans managed just 65 homers over six seasons in the big leagues, topping out at 17 in 1976 at age 24. However, Evans hit 24 homers in his age 26 season, launching a 12-year run where he hit 301 longballs, averaging 25 per season and hitting at least 20 in every year but one during that stretch. "Obviously for Jason, it's in there," Epstein said. "But his frame and his batspeed, how far he does hit the ball when he gets ahold of one and his ability to manipulate the barrel and opposite field home runs in parks that allow it like Wrigley Field, I think there's more power in there. "But the beautiful thing about this is he doesn't have to hit for more power than he already has to really help us win a lot of games because of what he brings to the table defensively, on the bases and his on-base skills. "Now, you add consistent power production into the mix and you're talking about one of the true, true elites in the game. We'll see how his career evolves. "But he doesn't have to do more than what he's already done. His approach and how hard he works and wants to get better and the growth mindset that he has, he could put it all together." Heyward was an interesting free agent, given that most players who hit the open market are on the wrong side of 30. But he is a young player with his prime years ahead of him and even though he isn't a consistent power threat yet, he was still considered the top position player in the free agent class. Heyward appreciates the way this game has developed and everybody can understand there's more to a player's skillset than just batting average, home runs and RBI. But he also believes - like the Cubs - that there's room for his game to grow. "I feel like I'm not done," Heyward said. "I feel like there's more in there. I said that at the beginning of spring training in 2015. "I feel like I took some strides going forward and getting back to some things that I used to do when I was 19, 20 years old. I want to see what I can do to make the most of that and continue to build off this past year." -- CSNChicago.com Cubs stay active on the waiver wire, claim Edgar Olmos again By Tony Andracki The Cubs made a series of roster moves before the Christmas holiday. The Cubs claimed pitcher Edgar Olmos off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles Wednesday, released infielder Brendan Ryan and had pitcher Yoervis Medina claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Olmos, a 25-year-old left-hander, came to the Cubs initially as a waiver claim on Dec. 4 from the Seattle Mariners, before the club put him right back on waivers and the Orioles scooped him up Dec. 10. Olmos is 1-1 with a 5.21 ERA and 1.789 WHIP in 11 career MLB games (19 innings). He posted a 4.44 ERA in the minors, making 73 starts and 126 relief appearances. Ryan came over as the player to be named later in the Starlin Castro-Adam Warren trade with the New York Yankees earlier this month. Ryan turns 34 in March and is known more for his defense than his bat (.610 career OPS). He was officially added to the Cubs' roster just last week. Medina was designated for assignment by the Cubs Dec. 17. The 27-year-old right-hander appeared in five games (nine innings) for the Cubs in 2015, putting up a 7.00 ERA and 1.778 WHIP. The Cubs acquired Medina from the Mariners in May as compensation for the trade that sent catcher Welington Castillo to Seattle. The Cubs' 40-man roster now sits at 40. -- Chicago Tribune Cubs, White Sox hoping to make 2016 a special season By Paul Sullivan It's the seventh-inning stretch of the offseason, a time to take stock of where teams are and who's still out there waiting for someone to stuff a few million dollars in their stockings. After binging by teams in early to mid-December, only crumbs typically remain on the free-agent market when Christmas rolls around and executives take a brief respite from their offseason maneuvering. But several big-ticket items remain available, including Chris Davis, Yoenis Cespedes, Alex Gordon, Justin Upton, Scott Kazmir and Dexter Fowler. Even Alexei Ramirez is still out there in case the White Sox are interested in bringing back an enigmatic shortstop who is one year removed from an All-Star season. "I don't think Alexei is totally out of the picture of where we're at," manager Robin Ventura said last week. Whether the Sox or Cubs will be adding remains to be seen. Both have made significant moves, and it wouldn't be surprising if either stood pat or made minor moves the rest of the winter. The Cubs have already filled holes with the signings of Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist and John Lackey, while ending the Starlin Castro era by dealing the popular infielder for pitcher Adam Warren and a player to be released later, namely Brendan Ryan. President Theo Epstein can now play wait-and-see with the raw and talented duo of Javier Baez and Jorge Soler, knowing either can always be dangled at the trade deadline in July if needed. "None of us are smart enough to figure out exactly what our ballclub is going to look like at the end of the season, let alone at the trade deadline," Epstein said. "But you learn and adjust as you go." The White Sox's offseason got off to a slow start, and for a while it looked like their biggest move was going to be the $1,400 they received in the auction of Nancy Faust's organ. They signed two new catchers in Alex Avila and Dioner Navarro, but it may be a minor upgrade over the old tandem of Tyler Flowers and Geovany Soto.

But then general manager Rick Hahn dipped into the old Sox playbook, snagging two players from teams that were looking to get prospects and dump some salary. A's infielder Brett Lawrie and Reds third baseman Todd Frazier will immediately improve the lineup and add some fire to a clubhouse that desperately needed a wake-up call. And the Sox managed to keep their top prospects, Tim Anderson and Carson Fulmer, while once again putting the onus on Ventura to get it done. Ventura had a similar focus on him last spring after Hahn added a new cast of characters that included Adam LaRoche, Melky Cabrera and David Robertson. All of them wound up struggling for various stretches. Asked if he was OK with having those same expectations on him, Ventura replied: "I'm just going to go with a blanket yes." The Sox still have holes to fill and reportedly have shown interest in Gordon, who is said to be seeking around $20 million per year for three or four years. Gordon would be a nice addition and allow them to move Cabrera to DH, but would the Sox pony up that kind of money for a solid defensive outfielder who gets on base but lacks power? One thing to remember is Jose Abreu can opt for arbitration after 2016 and probably will, knowing the $34 million he's guaranteed from 2017-19 will be chicken feed compared with what he'd get if he goes to arbitration those three years. The Sox have to factor Abreu's likely salary increases into their future budgets, which could prevent them offering anyone a huge multiyear deal. Of course, the Sox could follow the lead of the Cubs, who were able to get creative this offseason because of the TV network they're preparing to launch after 2019. "We were able to push some of the (Heyward) money back to the years we're going to have a robust TV contract," Epstein said after the $184 million deal was announced last week. The Sox's next TV deal, also set for 2020, isn't expected to be quite as robust as what the Cubs will get because their brand isn't as big as the North Siders. Epstein credited the Cubs' business operations department for making this offseason happen, noting "how flexible they were working with us to pack as much talent as we could onto this year's roster this winter ... knowing we were probably going to be a lot more restrained next winter. It will be a different marketplace, when the supply-and demand dynamic will be much different." No matter what else happens this winter, the Cubs will enter the 2016 season as one of the favorites to win it all, while the Sox should have enough talent, on paper, to at least compete for a wild-card spot in the American League, where the Astros made it last year with 86 wins. Neither team is perfect, but both have made enough improvements to create optimism in a half-glass-full kind of town. Now comes the hard part for Cubs and Sox fans — waiting for spring training to arrive. -- Chicago Tribune Cubs release new acquisition Brendan Ryan By Paul Sullivan The Cubs have released veteran infielder Brendan Ryan, who was acquired along with pitcher Adam Warren from the Yankees in the recent Starlin Castro deal. The 33-year-old Ryan was the player to be named later in the trade.

In two other moves, the Cubs claimed left-handed reliever Edgar Olmos off waivers from the Orioles, and lost right-hander Yoervis Media on a waiver claim by the Pirates. It was the team's second waiver claim on Olmos in three weeks. The Cubs originally claimed him off waivers from the Mariners on Dec. 4, but lost him to the Orioles on a waiver claim on Dec. 10. The Cubs' roster remains at 40. -- Chicago Sun-Times Cubs claim pitcher Edgar Olmos; release infielder Brendan Ryan By Dan Cahill The Cubs have claimed left-handed pitcher Edgar Olmos off waivers from the Orioles, the team announced on Wednesday. The 25-year-old pitcher went 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA in six appearances with the Mariners last season, including two starts. He spent the majority of the season with Triple-A Tacoma. The Cubs also released infielder Brandan Ryan, 33, who was acquired along with pitcher Adam Warren in the trade that sent shortstop Starlin Castro to the Yankees. The Cubs 40-man roster now stands at 40. -- Chicago Sun-Times It's more than OK if Jason Heyward doesn't want to be "The One'' for the Cubs By Rick Morrissey When St. Louis pitcher Adam Wainwright told a radio station that Jason Heyward didn’t want to be the player to carry the torch for the Cardinals, it was taken as criticism of the Cubs’ new outfielder. I’m not sure it was. Here’s what Wainwright said on 101 Sports on Tuesday: “He knows that we’re going to be in a position to win every year. And what it comes down to is this: He didn’t want to play there after myself, and Yadier (Molina) and Matt (Holliday) were gone, on such a long contract. “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. He needs to be a guy that wants to be the person, that after we leave, he carries on the tradition. And that’s just a personality thing, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But we’re looking for that guy who wants to be the Man.” You have to have a certain emotional makeup to want to be the face of a franchise. Some players simply don’t want that burden, and just because a team throws big money at them, it doesn’t instantly change such a basic personality trait. In today’s baseball, it’s possible for a player to be given $23 million a year to be a piece of a puzzle. That’s what Heyward will be with the Cubs, and the suspicion here is that he’s perfectly fine with it. Everything about his game, from stealing bases to laying out for fly balls, tells you he cares about his team first. With Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant as teammates, he won’t have to carry the Cubs by himself.

Wainwright was being honest when he said Heyward doesn’t want to be “The One, the cornerstone guy that you build a team around.” I wouldn’t be surprised if Heyward, in his heart of hearts, agreed with his former teammate’s assessment. The most important part? He can still be a great one, lower case, in Chicago. -- Daily Herald Imrem: Cardinals sure seem to have Chicago Cubs in their heads By Mike Imrem It's only winter but you already can feel the Cubs-Cardinals rivalry heating up to a summer sizzle. Twice in the last week, the Cardinals made the Cubs even more relevant than Las Vegas oddsmakers have. If the Cards don't dummy up, they're going to sound petrified of the Cubs and like they can't get that team up north out of their heads. The Cards doth protest too much over recent events, even if no one is quite sure what "doth" means. If Cubs fans wanted to, they could make fun of that team down south (yes, I'm dragging the rivalry into Michigan-Ohio State verbiage). However, the Cardinals do still inspire admiration and respect around here for the success they have sustained over decades. For their own good now, the Cardinals should stop mentioning the surging Cubs during interviews. First, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny expressed disappointment with Jason Heyward's comments after the former Cardinals outfielder signed with the Cubs. Heyward's rationale was that the Cardinals are aging while the young Cubs figure to endure over the course of his eight-year contract. Matheny took that personally, but the only response should be to go out and beat the Cubs on the field. OK, now for pitcher Mike Leake who, after signing with the Cardinals, said that he's excited to be a part of the rivalry. "Honestly, I wouldn't mind taking them down," Leake added about the Cubs. Maybe what really annoys the Cardinals is the rave reviews the Cubs are getting. The burr in Matheny's behind could be last week's headline on USA Today's website: "Jason Heyward gives Cubs the next great dynasty." The Cubs did beat St. Louis in the playoffs, but not even they are declaring themselves a dynasty before winning even one National League pennant, much less a World Series, much less a string of them. As for Leake, he might have seen the MLB.com piece declaring that the Cubs have "the best" starting pitching in baseball. At his introductory news conference in St. Louis, Leake insisted the Cardinals' five-man rotation is full of No. 1 and No. 2 starters. Leake said that makes them "the best" … and he might be right. Cardinals starters are a combined 112 victories above .500 for their careers. Also pointed out in the Leake article was that his career record is 9-2 against the Cubs and 8-3 against the Pirates, another NL Central contender.

Leake can make a great case for St. Louis having better starting pitching than the Cubs. Meanwhile, Matheny can make a great case for the Cardinals still being the team to beat in the division. But why would Leake and Matheny feel compelled to go public with their feelings if they aren't feeling at least a few degrees of Cubbie heat? All that Matheny and Leake did was further legitimize the Cubs, as if last season's postseason run wasn't legitimate enough. The normally smarter-than-thou Cardinals would be smart to stay above the fray and let others inflate the Cubs' egos. When the Cards talk about the Cubs, they sound like their rival has taken up permanent residence in their heads. Maybe the Cardinals simply are trying to convince themselves that they still hold the trump cards in the NL Central. Maybe they're talking big but just a little worried about defending their top perch in the division. How many days to spring training did you say it is and how hot will it be by then? --