Hold On, Theo Epstein May Not Be As Active As Expected

As the Chicago Cubs continue to make a playoff push, many expect Theo Epstein to be busy buying at the July 31 trade deadline. He cautions, however, that he may not be as busy as experts expect.

Chicago Cubs /

Chicago Cubs

Well, here we are in the first week of July, and the Chicago Cubs are still playoff contenders. Even though they are 8.5 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals for the National League Central lead, they do own the second Wild Card spot, 2.5 games ahead of the San Francisco Giants.

After their struggles of the past five seasons, seeing the Cubs in a playoff fight is a welcome change. Their young prospects are starting to strut their stuff in the majors and things are happy at the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field again.

With the Cubs in this position, many experts expect club president Theo Epstein to be aggressive at the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. He has the most assets (in terms of prospects) of any team in the league, so he could plug some of the holes on the roster.

Hold on, though. Epstein may not be as busy at the deadline as many expect.

“If you look at the history of teams that go on and play in the World Series, very rarely is it (because of a) deadline deal,” he said, adding: “We know what we’d like to do, but we’re realistic about what we might be able to do.”

There are a few things going on that go into Epstein’s statement.

Epstein and the Cubs do not want to mortgage the future just to make a run this season, a run that may not end up with a title. He doesn’t care about a playoff run, he wants to win titles.

Last season, Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland Athletics was in the same position as Epstein is in now. He traded away Yoenis Cespedes and Addison Russell, and received Jon Lester, Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel in return.

What happened to Oakland? They had an early exit in the playoffs, and this season they are last in the American League West.

Epstein has a plan, and that plans involve the Cubs being contenders for the foreseeable future, not just a one-and-done like they usually do.

The second part that involves that statement is the parity caused by the second Wild Card.

In the National League, there are six teams who are within seven games of the final Wild Card spot. In the American League, it’s even closer. EVERY TEAM is in contention for a Wild Card spot. The Athletics have the worst record in the American League, yet they are just 6.5 games out of the last Wild Card spot.

With all this parity, there are a lot of teams that think they have a legitimate chance of making it into the playoffs. Making a deal, then, is difficult.

“But for teams that are more clearly in wild-card contention than division contention, it adds an element of caution, too,” he said. “There’s sort of a natural inclination not to go too hog wild on the short-term rental stuff, because you may be only looking at one game.

“You don’t let that dominate your thoughts, but it’s in the back of your mind for most clubs that are clear wild-card contenders but not division contenders. And I’m not saying we’re in that boat, just speaking generally.”

So, do the Cubs move precious prospects for a one-game playoff, or do they save them for the offseason to build a stronger team that can contend for years?

It will be interesting to see what happens between now and the deadline. If Epstein stands pat, does Cubs Nation accept that? We shall see.

Next: Is Jason Motte The Chicago Cubs Closer Now?

More from Da Windy City

Home/Chicago Cubs