Five takeaways from Craig Counsell’s blunt assessment that the Cubs aren’t good enough
CHICAGO — Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell delivered a message that was both so direct and vague enough that it sounded like he called out his entire organization. "We should be trying to build 90-win teams here" instantly landed as a line that will be repeated throughout another long winter.
The Cubs don't consistently spend money like the Los Angeles Dodgers or New York Yankees , and they don't regularly do more with less, the way the Milwaukee Brewers created that "big gap" in the National League Central. Year after year, though, the big crowds keep showing up to Wrigley Field, win or lose.
Counsell didn't specifically mention Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer, general manager Carter Hawkins or president of business operations Crane Kenney. But the business and baseball sides of the franchise would ideally create some sort of synergy. Raising the expectations and instilling a greater sense of urgency will be a group effort.
"We have to push each other in these situations," Counsell said. "That inevitably is going to make for hard decisions. Because it's hard. The thing we want to do is hard. That's going to require hard decisions. But the things worth doing are hard. That's where we got to get to. It's going to be difficult. We're not there."
It's more about process than personnel
"Absolutely," Counsell said. "I would jump to process."
Counsell didn't mean that everyone should be fired and the team has to start over. His power, even with a five-year, $40 million contract, isn't unlimited. Parts of the roster are locked into place. But his vast knowledge of the inner workings of Milwaukee's system has given him a different perspective. And the process of evaluating could lead to personnel changes.
"It entails everything," Counsell said. "You're looking for details. I don't think it's appropriate for me to share some of the details. But it requires us to look in every area, for sure."
Don't focus on the positives
Key questions in spring training revolved around: How would Shota Imanaga handle his adjustment to MLB ? When would the young talent arrive? And who's on third? The Cubs had already retained the nucleus of an 83-win team and hired one of the best managers in the game, giving them a solid floor.
Imanaga, who threw seven scoreless innings in Sunday's 5-0 win over the Washington Nationals , is 15-3 with a 2.91 ERA. Pete Crow-Armstrong emerged as a dynamic center fielder. Michael Busch (21 homers, .783 OPS) proved himself as an everyday first baseman. Isaac Paredes , an All-Star third baseman, was added around the trade deadline. Yet the division race still was not close.
"Seasons like this, there are successes, and there are things that aren't good enough," Counsell said. "That leads to your record. That's earned. And none of those are promised — the successes or the failures — moving forward. That's one of the difficult parts about evaluating teams as well. Obviously, we've got to maximize those successes again. We've got to create more successes. Clearly, there wasn't enough."
Young pitching can't be trusted yet
The Cubs are planning to add an established starting pitcher to a group that includes Imanaga, Justin Steele , Jameson Taillon and Javier Assad . There's ample room for a free agent who would be expected to make 30 starts and could be trusted in a playoff game. It's a clear way to improve one of the team's strengths while also creating options for the bullpen and more depth at Triple-A Iowa. Names like Ben Brown , Jordan Wicks , Hayden Wesneski and Cade Horton should factor into next year's plans, but more as reserves or in supporting roles.
"In one sense, you feel like you're in a solid position because we have a number of young pitchers (who) have had success in the big leagues," Counsell said. "Now with all of them, there's been injuries. And it's not a big sample as of yet. But that's also kind of the nature of pitching. It's the nature of young pitching. So we're in a good spot in terms of that area of depth. But as we saw this year, it disappeared quickly."
Building around Wrigley Field's unpredictability would be a mistake
Counsell won't overreact to how the Friendly Confines played this season, turning into one of the worst ballparks for hitters, almost on par with Seattle's T-Mobile Park: "I don't know what the weather's going to be next year. Until we know that, just get good players."
There are only theories — such as all the construction around Wrigleyville in recent years — but no concrete answers about the wind patterns and future conditions. Counsell clearly believes this roster needs significant changes, but Wrigley Field alone is not a reason to seek out different types of offensive players.
"Who knows what the weather's going to be?" Counsell said. "It led to a lower run-scoring environment (this year). We pitched really, really well here. It was hard to score runs at Wrigley Field this year for both sides. It was the nature of the weather this year. That played a part in it. But making personnel decisions on that at this point doesn't seem logical."
Prospects can wait until next year
With the Cubs mathematically eliminated from the playoff race, the final week of the season could have been a chance for the club to take a look at Kevin Alcántara and Owen Caissie . Counsell, however, said, "There's no plans for that right now."
Alcántara, the 6-foot-6 center fielder acquired in the Anthony Rizzo trade, is already on the 40-man roster. Caissie, the left-handed slugger who was packaged in the Yu Darvish deal, will be added this winter to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Alcántara and Caissie are part of a strong group of position players who ended this season at the Triple-A level. Counsell has been trying to maintain an all-162 mentality.
"Nothing changes," Counsell said. "You just go out and you play the game. You respect the game. You respect your teammates. That's it."
(Photo of Craig Counsell: Isaiah J. Downing / Imagn Images)
