Chicago Cubs: Will Theo Epstein throw a lifeline to Joe Maddon?

As the Chicago Cubs approach the July 31st trade deadline, the organization has many glaring needs to address within their roster.

The Chicago Cubs once again find themselves at the top of their division standings in late July, yet despite being in first place on paper, this team rarely acts like they’re one of the top teams to beat within the National League.

The maddening up-and-down play has become a familiar theme for the Cubs since their 2016 World Series Championship. Blame seemingly gets thrown at every direction nowadays when the team struggles, yet no one is under more scrutiny than manager Joe Maddon, deservedly so.

Maddon’s quirky managerial style was fun to watch in the beginning when the Cubs’ expectation to win a championship was lower than usual, but now it’s gotten to a point where his baffling lineup cards submitted and in-game substitutions are just painfully stunning to watch.

Remember when the Cubs won the 2016 World Series in spite of Maddon? Everyone does, including the players. Just as players struggle breaking out of bad habits, so do managers. Which is unfortunately why Maddon is now on the hot seat despite all of his previous success.

Maddon, despite being a grizzled veteran manager, has often hurt is team’s growth and continuity by benching players who are performing well, while starting others who would be better off receiving at-bats in the minors given their struggles. He’s labeled as a players coach, but acts more like a mad scientist who’s lineup experiments go bad before the first pitch is even thrown.

Theo Epstein, the architect of the Cubs’ prominent rise to becoming a championship contender again, knows his team needs to play a lot better moving forward if they are to win the World Series this season. Teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves have only gotten better as the season has progressed, making the Cubs’ task to break out from the National League even more challenging than winning their tough-fought division.

Epstein might want to start displaying a “Help Wanted” sign right about now, because the Cubs’ roster has so many issues to address in such a short amount of time. The bullpen is a glaring weakness, given that Pedro Strop is struggling, Mike Montgomery got traded, young pen-arms such as Carl Edwards Jr, and Dillon Maples among others haven’t panned out, and Craig Kimbrel is still kicking out some rust from missing the first couple months of the season.

On a more positive note, the Cubs’ offense has been mostly good this season. “Mostly”… given that since Maddon became manager four seasons ago, the Cubs have consistently struggled to hit well with runners in scoring position. All why receiving little contribution at the plate from perceived role players that include Albert Almora and Addison Russell, the latter being demoted to Triple A.

Additions to the roster are needed just about anywhere. Some of these additions (Ian Happ immediately comes to mind) are currently coming from the Cubs’ minor league system. The game-changing ones though will likely come from Epstein facilitating a trade or two with teams who are out of playoff contention or organizations who are looking to trade away players with expiring contracts.

Given that this is make-or-break season for Maddon, Epstein must not be afraid to make aggressive deals if it means putting the Cubs on top of the pyramid once more. Look no further than 2016 and 2017 when Epstein gave up top prospects in exchange for closer Aroldis Chapman and Jose Quintana. The Chapman trade worked out perfectly for the Cubs, while the Quintana trade is still up for debate, given his up-and-down performance to date.

Epstein has demonstrated over the years that he is not afraid to make a bold move in order to breath new life into his team. What complicates this scenario is the fact that the Cubs’ farm system isn’t nearly as highly regarded now as it was in previous years. As a result, in order to get an impact player or two, the front office might have to part ways with players who are already on the 25-man roster.

Expect Epstein to improve the roster in the coming days rather than staying pat. Epstein knows that he has to put Maddon and his team in the best possible situation to win a championship this year so that there are no excuses to be made at the end of the season if the Cubs fall short of winning it all.

This will in all likelihood prove to be the ultimate test for Maddon to navigate through. Epstein can choose to make it easier or much more difficult for Maddon depending on what moves are made.

The reality though is that Maddon is a manager who unfortunately doesn’t make his players better on the diamond, but rather needs them to often cover up all his managerial mistakes. Usually through a pleasant scoring out-burst occurring for the Cubs at the plate early on where a win is all but fully guaranteed so it won’t really matter what Maddon does the rest of the game.

Like the Cubs’ roster, Maddon has many flaws that refuse to correct themselves. If you don’t surround Maddon with a surplus of talent, he can’t manage his team to victory on a consistent basis, given his ill-advised decision-making.

Epstein is keenly aware of this, which is why he’ll have to throw Maddon what could be his last lifeline of support.