February 13, 2017

Cubs.com, Cubs eye another ring as Spring Training arrives http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/215764856/cubs-look-to-repeat-as-spring-training-begins/

Cubs.com, How will the 25-man roster shape up? http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/215697014/who-will-be-on-the-cubs-25-man-roster/

Cubs.com, Strop, Cubs strike one-year deal http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/215786242/cubs-sign-pedro-strop-to-one-year-contract/

Cubs.com, Minor Leaguer Andreoli embracing roots in Classic http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/215689304/cubs-john-andreoli-will-play-for-italy/

ESPNChicago.com, Cubs' marching orders for spring training: Take it easy http://www.espn.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/43302/cubs-marching-orders-for-spring-2017-take-it-easy

ESPNChicago.com, Chicago Cubs tinker with starting depth, but is it enough? http://www.espn.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/43291/chicago-cubs-tinker-with-starting-depth-but-is-it-enough

CSNChicago.com, Five Cubs Under The Microscope This Spring http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/five-cubs-under-microscope-spring

CSNChicago.com, How Cubs See Wade Davis Transforming Their Bullpen http://www.csnchicago.com/cubs-how-wade-davis-transform-bullpen-joe-maddon-pedro-strop-hector-rondon-chapman-world-series

CSNChicago.com, Cubs Make $5.5 Million Deal With Pedro Strop To Avoid Arbitration http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/cubs-make-55-million-deal-pedro-strop-avoid-arbitration

Chicago Tribune, Did Kyle Schwarber's World Series success make spring training obsolete? http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-spring-training-obsolete-kyle-schwarber-sullivan-spt-0213-20170212-column.html

Chicago Tribune, Cubs avoid arbitration with Pedro Strop, agree to 1-year, $5.5 million deal http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-pedro-strop-arbitration-20170211-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Timing's right for Cubs to bring Mark Grace back to organization http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-mark-grace-cubs-return-gonzales-spt-0213-20170212-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Cubs hope late-winter insurance protects rotation from rigors of season http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-brett-anderson-cubs-reinforce-rotation-spt-0213-20170212-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Buster Posey tempers some of Kyle Schwarber's eagerness to catch http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-buster-posey-kyle-schwarber-catching-spt-0211-20170210-story.html

Chicago Sun-Times, Epstein: Cubs’ character gives them chance to win it all again http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/epstein-cubs-character-gives-them-chance-to-win-it-all-again/

Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs, Strop avoid arbitration with $5.5 million deal http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/cubs-strop-avoid-arbitration-with-5-5-million-deal/

Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs spring-training guide down to a ‘T’ http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/cubs-spring-training-guide-down-to-a-t/

Chicago Sun-Times, Maddon could borrow from ‘Seinfeld,’ have a season about nothing http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/maddon-could-borrow-from-seinfeld-have-a-season-about-nothing/

Daily Herald, Strop, Chicago Cubs avoid arbitration http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20170211/sports/170219726/

Daily Herald, Lots to ponder as Chicago Cubs open spring training http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20170211/sports/170219734/

Daily Herald, Traveling to Chicago Cubs' spring training? Plenty to sink your teeth into http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20170212/sports/170219674/

-- Cubs.com Cubs eye another ring as Spring Training arrives By Carrie Muskat With Spring Training fast approaching, MLB.com will take a look at a different aspect of this year's Cubs squad each day this week. Today's topic: Spring Training is here. MESA, Ariz. -- The hometown parades, the trips to Disney World, and the late-night television appearances are over. The next mission for the Cubs is to try and repeat as World Series champions, and they'll get to work this week. After ending the longest drought in sports with their first championship since 1908, the Cubs were feted and celebrated across the country and in their hometowns this offseason. Manager Joe Maddon will bring them back to reality Wednesday when pitchers and catchers have their first workout. He'll be emphasizing fundamentals and the need to be a little uncomfortable. "I think we have our best opportunity to repeat by pitching and playing defense that we've done in the past," Maddon said. "This Spring Training, I want us to be uncomfortable and emphasize pitching and defense." The Cubs' nucleus returns from last season, including National League Most Valuable Player Award winner Kris Bryant. The young club believes it's ready for anything. "With the experience we've gained from getting swept by the Mets [in the 2015 NL Championship Series] to playing in Game 7 in one of the best World Series ever, I think anything that's thrown at us, we'll be able to handle, especially after going into spring last year with all the extra media and all the scrutiny," Anthony Rizzo said. "The way we were able to handle ourselves in the clubhouse and not worry about anything else was the biggest key, and I think that will be the biggest key this year." The World Series trophy will make an appearance in Mesa on Feb. 22 at the Cactus League lunch, and also Feb. 25 for the Cubs' first Spring Training game, when they play host to the Athletics. New faces

Most of the new guys are on the pitching staff, including new closer Wade Davis and starter Brett Anderson. Anderson underwent back surgery one year ago in March and, if healthy, he's projected as the fifth starter. If not, lefty Mike Montgomery could get the job. Caleb Smith was a Rule 5 Draft pick, and the Cubs need to determine if the lefty is ready to make the jump from Double-A to the big leagues. Chicago also wants to get a look at late additions Eddie Butler and Alec Mills, who could be insurance during the season. Koji Uehara, 41, brings experience to the 'pen. As far as position players go, veteran outfielder Jon Jay is the only addition, and he's been in camp for more than a week to get to know his teammates. Interesting non-roster invitees The Cubs will be looking at the non-roster list as insurance in case of injury. Infielder Munenori Kawasaki is a potential backup because of his versatility. He's also very entertaining in the clubhouse. Jim Henderson, 34, who saved 28 games for the Brewers in 2013 and appeared in 44 games with the Mets last season, will be prepping to pitch for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic. The Cubs will want catchers Taylor Davis and Carlos Corporan to get work with the Major League staff so they're ready if needed in-season. Prospects to watch Ian Happ, the Cubs' first-round pick in 2015, will be in his first big league camp along with infielder Chesny Young, who batted .303 at Double-A Tennessee last year and then shined in the Dominican League this winter. This also will be the first time Eloy Jimenez is in big league camp. The 20-year-old outfielder batted .329 at Class A South Bend last year, playing a personal-best 112 games. Third baseman Jeimer Candelario, who batted .333 at Triple-A Iowa, got a brief taste of the big leagues when he was called up last July. Duane Underwood Jr., a second-round pick in the 2012 Draft who is projected as a future starter, will be someone to watch. Happ, Jimenez, Candelario, Underwood and Young are ranked first, second, fifth, seventh, and 29th, respectively, on MLB.com's list of Top 30 Cubs prospects. -- Cubs.com How will the 25-man roster shape up? By Carrie Muskat With Spring Training fast approaching, MLB.com will take a look at a different aspect of this year's Cubs squad each day this week. Today's topic: Predicting the 25-man roster. MESA, Ariz. -- The defending World Series champion Cubs don't have any major roster decisions to make this spring, other than to figure out who will lead off and which relievers compose the bullpen. Versatility is a plus for manager Joe Maddon, who likes to move players around. Not everyone on the Cubs' roster will be asked to play three different positions in one game, which Kris Bryant did twice, but being able to play more than one spot could help in determining who will make the final 25. Expect to see Ben Zobrist return to his super utility role, moving from second to the outfield. The Cubs will have a new position player in camp, with the return of Kyle Schwarber, who has been rehabbing in Arizona since the end of November. Who will make the final 25? Here's a breakdown as the Cubs prepare to open camp. Catchers: Willson Contreras, Miguel Montero When the Cubs promoted Contreras in mid-June, they decided to carry three catchers for the rest of the season. It worked, as Contreras was able to play left field and got on-the-job training behind the plate. He'll be the regular catcher and continue to get lessons from Montero, 33, who started 64 games, his lowest total since 2008. Pitchers compiled a 3.18 ERA when Montero was catching and, according to Statcast™, he led Cubs catchers with the highest number of pitches outside of the strike zone that were called strikes (545 pitches out of 8,723). First base: Anthony Rizzo

This is Rizzo's job. Period. Now the longest-tenured Cubs player, Rizzo, 27, is coming off his first National League Gold Glove Award, first NL Silver Slugger Award, and you can expect more acrobatic catches. He finished fourth in the NL Most Valuable Player Award voting, behind Bryant, and he paced the team with a .341 batting average with runners in scoring position. If Rizzo needs a breather, Bryant or Javier Baez can sub. Second base: Baez, Zobrist Baez and Zobrist are projected to share second. Baez batted .318 and provided one highlight reel play after another during the NL Championship Series, sharing MVP honors with pitcher Jon Lester. Zobrist, 35, may have started in the outfield during the postseason, but Maddon likes the veteran's presence in the infield as well. Third base: Bryant After being named Minor League Player of the Year in 2014, Rookie of the Year in '15 and NL MVP last season, Bryant may be aiming for an NL Gold Glove. It's one of the few trophies he doesn't have. The 25-year-old is coming off a spectacular season and has said he's working on hitting the ball more to right field. Look out, NL pitchers. Shortstop: Addison Russell Russell turned 23 on Jan. 23. He's so young. In his second season, he set career highs in home runs (21) and RBIs (95), nearly giving the Cubs three players with 100-RBIs seasons. Russell is still learning. The Cubs would like to see him improve on his .238 batting average (he did post a .301 clip in the Minors). But because of how well he plays defense and the fact that he ranked second on the team with RBIs with runners in scoring position (74), the Cubs are very happy with Russell's performance. Baez can back him up. Utility: Matt Szczur, Tommy La Stella Szczur is versatile, well-liked by his teammates for his generosity (he loaned his bat to Rizzo during the postseason and his underwear to Russell) and out of options. Whether he makes the final 25-man roster could come down to whether the Cubs want to carry an extra infielder like La Stella or an outfielder. Outfield: Schwarber, Albert Almora Jr., Jon Jay, Jason Heyward Schwarber is back after tearing two ligaments in his left knee in the third game of the regular season, and he is projected in left field, while Almora and Jay will share center, and NL Gold Glove Award winner Heyward is in right. Expect the Cubs to be careful with the number of games Schwarber plays so as not to aggravate his knee. Zobrist can start in the outfield, and Maddon may move Bryant out there as well. Starting pitching: Lester, Jake Arrieta, Kyle Hendricks, John Lackey, Brett Anderson Four-fifths of the Cubs' stellar rotation from last season returns in Lester, Hendricks, Arrieta and Lackey. Anderson, a free agent who signed in late January, is coming off back surgery, which limited him to four games last season. His longest outing was five innings on Sept. 22. If Anderson is not ready, lefty Mike Montgomery can start. Bullpen: Wade Davis, Hector Rondon, Pedro Strop, Carl Edwards Jr., Justin Grimm, Koji Uehara, Caleb Smith, Montgomery This is the one area that will undergo the most change for the defending champs. The Cubs have hinted that they will carry 13 pitchers because of how Maddon likes to use his bullpen. Davis is the new closer but a familiar face to Maddon because of their time together in Tampa Bay. Will Smith, a Rule 5 Draft pick, stick? Settling on the right combination will be the main focus in Spring Training. --

Cubs.com Strop, Cubs strike one-year deal By Carrie Muskat MESA, Ariz. -- The Cubs avoided going to arbitration with reliever Pedro Strop, reaching an agreement on Saturday on a $5.5 million contract for the 2017 season. The Cubs had settled in January with their three other arbitration-eligible players, Jake Arrieta, Hector Rondon and Justin Grimm. The club has not gone to arbitration with any players since Theo Epstein took over as president of baseball operations in October 2011. Strop, 31, and the Cubs had exchanged figures, with the pitcher asking for $6 million and the team proposing $4.6 million. Strop tore the meniscus in his left knee in early August and returned Sept. 23. He compiled a 2.85 ERA over 47 1/3 innings in 54 games. The right-hander is eligible for free agency next offseason. Cubs pitchers and catchers report to Arizona on Tuesday, with the first workout scheduled for the next day at the team's complex. -- Cubs.com Minor Leaguer Andreoli embracing roots in Classic By Carrie Muskat MESA, Ariz. -- Some day, John Andreoli will travel to Florence, Italy, to learn more about his family's background. In March, he'll be representing Italy in the World Baseball Classic. The Cubs' Minor League outfielder was named to Team Italy, which opens play on March 9 against Mexico at Estadio de Baseball Charros de Jalisco. Italy is in Pool D, with the club also facing Venezuela on March 11 and Puerto Rico on March 12. Andreoli, an early arrival in Cubs camp, couldn't wait to talk to Anthony Rizzo, who played for Italy in the 2013 Classic. "For our sport, this is the Olympics, sort of," Andreoli said. "When you get the opportunity, as long as your body is cooperating and you can work with your affiliate club [to get permission], it's a no-brainer." Andreoli, a 17th-round pick in the 2011 Draft, got the invitation to play in mid-January and had to scramble to find birth and marriage certificates to prove how Italian he was. "On my dad's side, both my great grandparents are from Italy, and my grandmother is from Italy as well," Andreoli said. "It's a great opportunity to represent my Italian heritage." The 26-year-old doesn't speak Italian, but he understands the language a little, having grown up listening to it. His grandfather ran an Italian restaurant in Stafford Springs, Conn. "We grew up going there," Andreoli said. "I've always had homemade Italian food and love it." Andreoli knows a couple of the players on Team Italy, including infielder Chris Colabello, who led the team in home runs (two), RBIs (seven) and total bases (12) in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, and pitcher A.J. Morris, who was in the Cubs' organization from '12-13. "Our pool is extremely competitive, seeing the names on the teams," Andreoli said. "The guys on our roster, I've played against and with a couple, and I think we'll have a really good lineup and some pitchers who can throw

some quality innings. If you get hot at the right time, you can seriously make a run, and I think we have the guys to do it." Andreoli, who has hit .272 with 85 doubles, 31 triples, 20 homers and 171 RBIs in six Minor League seasons, had planned on reporting to Arizona on Feb. 1, so his offseason plans didn't change because of the World Baseball Classic. The Triple-A outfielder will just be playing games that mean something earlier than most of the other Cubs. He was hoping to see action in the Cubs' Cactus League games, which start on Feb. 25, to help prepare. "Looking at the rosters, it'll be phenomenal baseball," Andreoli said of the World Baseball Classic. "It's definitely a growing experience and an awesome opportunity to win a championship." -- ESPNChicago.com Cubs' marching orders for spring training: Take it easy By Jesse Rogers MESA, Ariz. -- If recent history is any indication, Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon likely will unveil his 2017 spring training slogan on Tuesday, when pitchers and catchers officially report. It will undoubtedly appear on a T-shirt, as so many Maddon-isms have over the years. As the Cubs begin after the shortest winter in team history, one saying that won't be inscribed on a shirt could be the most important: Less is more. “I’m going to be really aware of resting people,” Maddon said at the winter fan convention. “I am. You hear me say it all the time. There are natural reasons built in to rest people. I really want to be cognizant from the beginning of not stepping on anyone too hard.” That shouldn’t be hard for Maddon, as it plays into his overall theory regarding baseball. He believes -- more than most managers -- that players get worn out over the course of the season, and putting in more hours simply isn’t the answer. With the World Series just 104 days in the past, the message shouldn’t be difficult to deliver, especially for the pitchers. Maddon has said he won’t use his main guys very much early in the Cactus League season, which begins Feb. 25. With a stacked roster, the Cubs have little reason to go all-out. Not many jobs will be won or lost over the next six weeks. “The fewer positional battles you have in camp, the better,” general manager Jed Hoyer said on ESPN 1000 last week. “The fewer guys we have trying to air it out and trying to impress, the better we have it. They know it’s a long season, and it becomes really long when you’re airing it out in mid-February.” It’s possible that Mike Montgomery or Brett Anderson will push themselves, as the No. 5 starter spot isn’t set in stone, but overall, Hoyer’s point is a good one. The champs can ease their way into spring training knowing they have much bigger battles to fight than the Kansas City Royals in late February or March. That hasn’t stopped many players from showing up early, but it also doesn’t mean they’re going all-out. Pitchers are due on Tuesday and position players on Friday. Before and until then, it has been light workouts and some batting practice. “Given we played so late into the year, some guys are taking the attitude ‘I’m going to show up at the last possible minute because I want the full offseason,’ and some guys, their natural schedule brings them out here early,” Hoyer said. “We’ll have a pretty full house before the reporting date, but the shortness of the offseason [means] some guys are going to show up when they have to.” It wasn’t long ago that the Cubs were in the complete opposite mode and positional battles were the norm. With an All-Star at nearly every position and a top-heavy starting rotation, the organization knows what it has.

More importantly, the players know what it takes. They played late into October in 2015, then brought home a championship in early November 2016. That’s a lot of baseball. Repeating as champions will require a deliberate approach. -- ESPNChicago.com Chicago Cubs tinker with starting depth, but is it enough? By Jesse Rogers CHICAGO -- Addressing pitching depth was a major offseason goal for the world champion Chicago Cubs, and now that spring training is nearly upon us we can assess whether they’ve fortified themselves enough for the approaching marathon. Remember, the Cubs now view the season as a seven-month exercise -- not just the usual six months and 162 games. They expect playoff baseball again. With a farm system that is still attempting to churn out major league-ready starters, the front office picked up two more arms in recent days -- right-handers Eddie Butler and Alec Mills. Both were designated for assignment by their former teams, but the Cubs didn’t wait and traded their own prospects to acquire the pitchers -- an indication that other teams probably had interest in those players. "Both were getting phone calls," Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said Thursday on ESPN 1000. "They have options. They can make starts for you. Finding guys who can make starts for you is very difficult and very expensive. We showed the appropriate urgency to get those guys." "Options" is a key word, because the Cubs are pretty set at the major league level, but if there’s an injury to a starter, they need to turn to a reliable arm or two. They think Butler and Mills can join a handful of other Triple-A guys whom manager Joe Maddon can turn to if needed. Mills has impressed with a good changeup after being drafted in the 22nd round; to get him, the Cubs gave up a second-rounder, outfielder Donnie Dewees. Meanwhile, Butler was a highly touted prospect who never got to the next level with the Rockies. "He’s an excellent change-of-scenery guy," Hoyer said of Butler. "Our best example is Jake Arrieta. Sometimes a talented guy needs a change of scenery, and that was our logic with Eddie Butler." Hoyer indicated the Cubs have been interested in Mills for quite a while as his name came up in discussions with the Royals while the teams prepared an earlier offseason trade; the Cubs acquired reliever Wade Davis from Kansas City for outfielder Jorge Soler. The irony about Mills is that he became available when the Royals signed Jason Hammel this week. The Cubs let him go when they declined his option for 2017. "We think he can fit in nicely as a guy that provides depth," Hoyer said of Mills. "If we have injuries at the major league level, he can come up and help us out." Would the staff be better -- and deeper -- if Hammel were still in the rotation? The Cubs' stated goal all winter was to find reliable starters, yet they said goodbye to a serviceable pitcher who was going to make "only" $10 million. Though he had an elbow tweak at the end of the season, Hammel was pretty reliable during his time with the Cubs, making a total of 61 starts over the past two years. But the team did him a favor by letting him go, partly to allow him to test free agency and earn some more security, but also because it was time for a change of scenery. It became obvious -- and at times public – that Hammel and his manager didn’t see eye to eye. Maddon pulled the right-hander from several games earlier than the pitcher would have liked. Hammel didn't make any of the postseason rosters. So after the World Series, the Cubs gave him the choice. He chose to leave, and sources close to the situation say that choice was as much about Maddon as anything else. That can’t come as a big surprise to those who have followed the drama for two seasons. Hammel simply felt his manager lost faith in him, and at that point it was time to go.

Without Hammel -- and with Butler and Mills in the fold -- here is an unofficial look at the depth chart for Cubs starters Nos. 5 through 10 when camp opens Tuesday: Mike Montgomery, Brett Anderson, Rob Zastryzny, Butler, Mills and prospect Ryan Williams. After Nos. 5 and 6, it’s a toss-up as to who the Cubs would turn to in a pinch -- that’s what spring training and the early portion of the season is for. And changes to the plan are always possible. For example, if Zastryzny is needed in the bullpen, that could take him out of the starting mix. Will it be enough for a team attempting to repeat as champion? It’s obvious, even this late in the offseason, that the Cubs were not thrilled with their depth, but they’re better today than they were a week or two ago. Plus, pitching coach Chris Bosio has worked wonders these last few years, so the Cubs are counting on him to bring out the best in their new arms. Otherwise, they might be right back on the trade market before long. The search for pitching is never-ending. -- CSNChicago.com Five Cubs Under The Microscope This Spring By Patrick Mooney From chairman Tom Ricketts to team president Theo Epstein to manager Joe Maddon, the Cubs will have a ready-made answer to any questions this spring about the franchise's business operations, baseball decisions and in-game strategy: We won the World Series. That will wear off eventually, but the honeymoon period will continue on Tuesday, when pitchers and catchers officially report to Arizona and the Cubs ramp up preparations to defend their title. We already have a clear idea of what the Opening Day roster should look like, but even in a camp without much open competition for jobs or any of the 1908 anxiety, this team will never be boring, because there’s too much interest, personality and history. With that in mind, here are five Cubs who will be under the microscope in Mesa: • The Game 7 questions have been asked and answered, on WSCR-AM 670, the team’s flagship radio station, at a Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center event with Fox Sports insider Ken Rosenthal, at the winter meetings, at Maddon’s "Thanksmas" dinner for the Chicago homeless and again at Cubs Convention. There's absolutely no need to rehash those decisions. But it will be interesting to see how much repair work, if any, Maddon has to do inside the clubhouse, the way he reprograms his message and if some of the gimmicks begin to get a little stale. "Whatever he goes with, we go with," first baseman Anthony Rizzo said. "He's the one who makes this team what it is. He's the one who's come in and completely changed this culture, made us winning players, made us believe in ourselves. The clubhouse we have is not (the same) without Joe." • Except for a post-election "#beatit" tweet that he said was misinterpreted, Jake Arrieta purposely kept a low profile this winter, skipping the late-night talk-show circuit that promoted so many of his teammates. "My main concern was to get home and relax with my family," Arrieta said. "It was such an emotional rollercoaster that we wanted to enjoy the parade – and by the way that might have been the coolest part of the whole process for me. "But, yeah, I wanted to decompress and start to like reflect on some (stuff) and just enjoy it with my family. There were so many people pulling us in different directions and I just said 'no' to everybody. That's the way I wanted to do it. "The guys that did it (were) hilarious (and it was) well-deserved. I'm glad that a bunch of our guys did those kinds of things. But I just decided not to."

Given the stakes in his final season before becoming a free agent – super-agent Scott Boras has compared him to another Cy Young Award-winning client, $210 million Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer – every Arrieta bullpen session, simulated game and Cactus League start can be viewed through that prism. • Videos of Jason Heyward working on his revamped swing went viral this winter, and everyone around the team will be curious to see how he rebounds from the worst offensive season of his career and if the Cubs can salvage their $184 million investment. But beyond the Gold Glove defense, attention to detail and sense of calm that helped shape their identity, the Cubs may have discovered a more vocal presence – and not just a leader by example – when Heyward called a players-only meeting in a Progressive Field weight room during that Game 7 rain delay in Cleveland. "It was time to say something," Heyward said. "We all did a great job of stepping up, saying our piece and doing our part when it came to certain things in that season. Right there, it was kind of my time. "I felt moved to say something. It brought us together at that time. It allowed other guys to speak up, too, and say what they were feeling and kumbaya a little bit. "Just go play baseball and have fun and do what we're capable of doing." • The Cubs have pulled off the unbelievably difficult trick of winning now while still developing young talent for later and think they have options to replace Dexter Fowler – who signed a five-year, $82.5 million contract with the St. Louis Cardinals – in center field and at the top of their lineup. Will Albert Almora Jr. – who usually puts on a show in spring training – grab the job or settle into more of a center-field timeshare with Jon Jay? "That’s really Joe’s job," general manager Jed Hoyer said. "How the playing time is divided up is largely going to be based on how the guys are performing. We're a team that expects to win a lot of games (this) year and it’s a performance-driven game. "I love the balance of the two of them. And certainly with Albert, he's a guy that we see as our center fielder of the future. It's important for him to develop in the big leagues and get a chance to face all kind of pitchers. "But ultimately this game does come down to performance. And I think we've given Joe two really good options in center field." • Kyle Schwarber will be impossible to miss, as the World Series folk hero, unconventional leadoff hitter, wannabe catcher and the dude shattering windshields in the parking lot during batting practice. "How do you describe Schwarber?" catching/strategy coach Mike Borzello said. "A legend at 23 years old or whatever it is? He's the biggest name in Chicago. I mean, I don't know what to say about it. He's the greatest kid I've ever been around. He's wise beyond his years. And he's so in love with the game of baseball." -- CSNChicago.com How Cubs See Wade Davis Transforming Their Bullpen By Patrick Mooney Renaissance man Joe Maddon can see a closer like Wade Davis and remember a concept he once read about in Colin Powell’s autobiography: Force multiplier. This is how Maddon’s beautiful mind works, the Cubs manager going from pop-culture references to old stories from his years as a minor-league grunt to a retired four-star general and former Secretary of State.

Davis is the quiet type who sometimes likes to listen to Beethoven before games to help him relax. He doesn’t simply rely on brute strength, using the refined feel for pitching he developed through 88 starts in The Show, a learning experience that began while Maddon managed the Tampa Bay Rays. Unlike Aroldis Chapman, Davis also won’t simply be a half-season mercenary, though the 2017 Cubs will have the same mandate to win the World Series. The expectation is Davis will be an overpowering presence in the ninth inning, someone with the juice to change the complexion of this bullpen and the shape of entire playoff series. Maddon will open his shiny new toy on Tuesday, when pitchers and catchers officially report to Arizona and the Cubs begin their title defense. “It makes you thick, man,” Maddon said. “Having Wade there from Day 1 makes everybody else a little bit better. And when you win a lot of games in a row, that’s where you have the tendency to beat somebody up. “So by having this kind of depth, you don’t have to put the burden onto guys. You can spread it out a little more. Having Wade there at the end permits us to use these other guys differently.” Maddon clearly had trust issues with his relievers in October, which led to waves of first- and second-guessing this offseason. But the Cubs never really put together the dynamic bullpen they envisioned in late July when they made the controversial Chapman trade with the New York Yankees. By the middle of August, Pedro Strop (torn left meniscus) and Hector Rondon (strained right triceps) landed on the disabled list. “I look at Strop and Rondon really the same way,” general manager Jed Hoyer said. “I don’t think either guy was able to get back to where they were after their injuries. I don’t want to say we kind of rushed them back. I don’t think anyone was to blame. “The playoffs were going to start – we didn’t have the ability to delay them. But both guys probably didn’t have a chance to really get their legs underneath them and really get back to throwing well before we started the postseason. “To Joe’s perspective, the playoffs are not exactly a time when you can sort of put a guy out there to see what they have, gain confidence and allow them to get comfortable on the mound. Every inning in the playoffs is high leverage. So as a result, I don’t think either one of those guys was able to get back to their accustomed level of performance.” Of course, this also hinges on Davis staying healthy and recapturing the form that made him an All-Star closer with the Kansas City Royals. Before finalizing the Jorge Soler deal at the winter meetings, the Royals took the unusual step of allowing Cubs athletic trainer PJ Mainville to examine Davis at his home in New York’s Hudson River Valley and follow up on the flexor strain in his right forearm that twice put him on the disabled list last season. The Cubs are working backwards from Davis. But they also found three relievers off the scrap heap in the summer of 2015 – Clayton Richard, Trevor Cahill and Fernando Rodney – who helped spark a run to the National League Championship Series. And in the 10th inning of a World Series Game 7, the Cubs used a skinny kid (Carl Edwards Jr.) the Texas Rangers once drafted in a round that no longer exists (48th) and a guy whose career had stalled to the point where he actually thought he would be playing in Japan last year (Mike Montgomery). “Year to year, there are such wild swings,” Hoyer said. “That’s just the nature of bullpens. Sometimes you find guys that really click and they get hot for a moment in time and they can help you win. “If anything keeps you up at night – both in the offseason and during the season – it’s how to build a bullpen. Because I don’t think you ever get to a place where you feel great about it. The minute you feel great about it, someone gets hurt or someone’s performance falls off and now you’re back looking for solutions again. There’s really no way to ever feel like you’ve solved that riddle.”

-- CSNChicago.com Cubs Make $5.5 Million Deal With Pedro Strop To Avoid Arbitration By Patrick Mooney The Cubs avoided an arbitration hearing with Pedro Strop, settling on a one-year, $5.5 million contract with one of the National League's best setup guys. Strop has been a key part of the bullpen and clubhouse culture since coming over from the Baltimore Orioles in the franchise-changing Jake Arrieta trade in the middle of the 2013 season. Though a late-season injury limited his contributions during the playoffs, Strop has made 232 appearances for the Cubs, putting up a 2.68 ERA. In what will be his final season before hitting free agency, the Cubs expect Strop to regain his form and work in front of elite closer Wade Davis. Saturday's announcement came less than 72 hours before pitchers and catchers officially report to Arizona and Cubs management meets the press at the Sloan Park complex as defending World Series champs. Strop had filed at $6 million while the Cubs countered at $4.6 million. This continues a streak for Theo Epstein, who is entering his 15th season running baseball operations for the Cubs or Boston Red Sox and has so far never taken a player to an arbitration hearing. -- Chicago Tribune Did Kyle Schwarber's World Series success make spring training obsolete? By Paul Sullivan Spring training traditionally has been a slow, six- or seven-week crawl to opening day, with pitchers and hitters alike taking plenty of time to acclimate themselves for the marathon season ahead. It has been that way for over a century, and the leisurely, preseason routine remains one of the time-honored traditions of the game. So leave it to Kyle Schwarber to show us what a colossal waste of time it is. After blowing out his knee in his second game last April and missing the rest of the regular season, Schwarber returned in late October to hit .412 in five World Series games, igniting the Cubs' game-winning, 10th-inning rally in Game 7 in Cleveland. Schwarber made his Arizona Fall League debut on a Saturday, flew to Cleveland on Monday and was in the World Series opener lineup on Tuesday. In his first two games he went 3-for-7 with two walks and two RBIs. After the Cubs' Game 2 win in Cleveland, I asked Kris Bryant if Schwarber had made spring training obsolete. "Yeah, we'll skip spring training next year and be fine," Bryant said. "I mean, just jump right into the World Series and have success. No big deal." Bryant was being facetious, of course, and in truth, most players need the spring to get ready, especially starting pitchers building up their arm strength for 30-plus starts. Schwarber also didn't have to spend any time practicing his fielding, since he was used strictly as a DH in the road games, with a pinch-hitting appearance at Wrigley Field. But how long should it really take to get ready for a season?

Couldn't baseball cut 10-14 days off the spring training schedule, start the season a week or so earlier and end it by the third week of October instead of in early November? It's something to think about as the Cubs and White Sox open their camps Tuesday on opposite sides of the Valley. Or not. Cubs manager Joe Maddon has always argued that the six- or seven-week time frame for spring training is "perfect," and most of his peers seem to agree. No one likes to complain about spring training, expect perhaps for the rising ticket prices and the lack of autograph signing by star players. What's there to beef about? The weather is great, the atmosphere is mostly mellow — except for the rare Adam LaRoche-style drama — and every team can be optimistic because the stats don't count. Plus it breaks up the monotony during the slowest part of the sports calendar, between the Super Bowl and the NFL draft. Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby put it best when he said: "People ask me what I do in the winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring." The staring season is over, and soon we'll be treated to the beautiful sight of pitchers doing wind sprints in the outfield during meaningless games. I've always maintained that the spring training slog is more for mental preparation than for getting physically prepared, and that players could do just as well getting ready with a few weeks of "B" games under their belts. Most of them stay in shape during the offseason anyway. There's too much money on the line to be a sloth these days. In recent years, more and more pitching coaches are holding their starters out from early Cactus and Grapefruit League games to pitch on back fields against minor leaguers or in simulated games. They know it's a more controlled atmosphere, and all that really matters is getting their work in. Former White Sox ace Chris Sale was held out of the Cactus League until the third week of March last spring and said it helped him focus: "If I don't throw a two-seamer where I want it, I can throw two more. The focus is higher when we're doing what we're doing now." Closer David Robertson also spent much of the early spring games pitching on backfields, as he preferred. "I really save my bullets for the (regular-season) games," he said. Avoiding the Cactus League games didn't negatively affect their seasons, and they weren't alone. David Price, Felix Hernandez, Jake Arrieta, Sonny Gray, Phil Hughes and Scott Kazmir were among the other pitchers held out of starts in exhibition games to throw in minor-league or simulated games. Look for more of the same in 2017. Meanwhile, after going from zero to the World Series in only four days, Schwarber will go back to getting ready for baseball the old-fashioned way, whether he needs it or not. Rogers Horsnby would no doubt approve. -- Chicago Tribune Cubs avoid arbitration with Pedro Strop, agree to 1-year, $5.5 million deal By Mark Gonzales The Cubs and reliever Pedro Strop avoided an arbitration hearing by agreeing Saturday to a one-year, $5.5 million contract, according to a source.

The agreement extends Theo Epstein's record of never going to an arbitration hearing since becoming the Cubs' President of Business Operations prior to the 2012 season. Strop, 31, was 2-2 with a 2.85 ERA in 54 appearances in 2016. -- Chicago Tribune Timing's right for Cubs to bring Mark Grace back to organization By Mark Gonzales One of Mark Grace's most pleasant debates involved whether Ron Santo's 1969 Cubs were better than Grace's 1989 team that won the National League East. "Santo would argue how much better his team was," Grace recalled last week. "I guess he had a point because they had Hall of Famers in Ernie (Banks), Fergie (Jenkins) and Billy (Williams). "But I'd always tell him, 'How did you guys screw it up?' " Just as a World Series title cured more than a century of frustration, an official return of Grace to the organization would strengthen the link between the franchise's best players of the 20th century and the current cast. During this harmonious time for the Cubs, the return of Grace in an ambassador role would fit seamlessly. Grace, 52, a three-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove first baseman during his 13 seasons with the Cubs followed by three with the Diamondbacks, is out of a gig. He has considerable broadcasting experience and is under consideration as a pre and postgame television commentator for the Diamondbacks, who elected not to retain him as an assistant hitting coach after Torey Lovullo took over as manager. Grace emphasized that he would be working for Fox Arizona if hired for Diamondbacks telecasts, thus ruling out any conflict of interest if he works for another organization. "I've always kept plenty of doors and phone lines open," said Grace, who didn't solicit the idea of an official return to the Cubs. "I've been asked to attend the Cubs Convention, but it happens at the same time as (the Diamondbacks') fantasy camp. They also asked me to throw out the first pitch before a playoff game, but it was on one day's notice and I couldn't get out in time." The Cubs didn't respond to an inquiry about Grace. As the father of two teenage boys in Paradise Valley, Ariz., Grace knows family time is precious. At the same time, he notices how Diamondbacks legend (and former Cubs player) Luis Gonzalez relishes his special assistant role from evaluating major-league players to greeting sponsors and fans. Grace also seemed curious as to how smoothly Hall of Famer and former Cubs teammate Ryne Sandberg rejoined the organization as a special assistant after being bypassed for consideration to replace Lou Piniella as manager and spending 41/2 seasons in the Phillies organization as a minor-league and major-league manager. Sandberg, 57, stressed how important it was to stay in contact with the organization and appreciated that Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts gave his blessing to pursue managing opportunities with the Phillies with the option to rejoin the Cubs. "It takes two groups to get it done," Sandberg said before a panel discussion at the Cubs Convention last month. "If it's a good fit, it's a good fit. Obviously, I played next to Mark for (eight) years. He was fantastic. It's up to them to work something out if that's something everyone wants to do." Grace can offer plenty to an organization that has embraced several former players with shorter organization roots. A lifetime .303 hitter, Grace's habit of staying in the clubhouse to assess that night's performance can rub off on players at the minor-league level.

As a former assistant hitting coach, Grace is wise enough not to step on the feet of the Cubs' current instructors. Grace's two alcohol-related arrests can serve as a lesson to younger players as Grace has stayed out of trouble the last four seasons and remains in good standing with the Diamondbacks organization. Heck, the Cubs hired Manny Ramirez, who twice tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, as a hitting consultant two years ago and several pupils praised the former slugger. Grace's standing ovation during his first at-bat at Wrigley Field as a visiting player in 2001 reinforces that he left in good standing with fans — including many that might be curious to know if the 1989 Cubs could have reached the World Series if the Giants' Will Clark hadn't correctly read the lips of Greg Maddux before hitting a grand slam, and if Les Lancaster hadn't forgotten the count before grooving a home run to Robby Thompson in Games 1 and 3 of the National League Championship Series. "With (Rick) Sutcliffe, Maddux and (Mike) Bielecki, I truly believe we would have given Oakland a better test," Grace said. Cubs fans would love to hear that story in a large setting. -- Chicago Tribune Cubs hope late-winter insurance protects rotation from rigors of season By Mark Gonzales What was perceived as a luxury late in 2016 may become a necessity as the Cubs prepare to defend their World Series title. The late-winner acquisitions of pitchers Brett Anderson, Eddie Butler and Alec Mills serve as a strong indicator that the Cubs could opt for a six-man rotation sooner this season than last. "You go into the season with five," pitching coach Chris Bosio said Sunday morning at the Cubs training facility. "We had the luxury of going to a sixth man because we were trying to piece some things together for the playoffs and give some guys some rest. But just like last year and the previous year, we're going to have 12 to 13 starters starting in spring training. "Those guys will be piggybacking each other. This is an opportunity to rest these guys because camp is starting so early because of the World Baseball Classic, so we'll make sure we monitor everything. Health is of utmost importance to me. We'll make sure these guys are healthy leaving camp. So we'll get their feedback and play it day by day." After rigorous playoff runs the last two years, preserving the arms of their top starters will be a priority for the Cubs. Anderson will challenge fellow left-hander Mike Montgomery for the fifth spot in the rotation. Montgomery, 27, provided plenty of promise by posting a 3.28 ERA in seven starts as the sixth starter in late August and early September while giving an extended break to Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta, Kyle Hendricks and John Lackey. But Montgomery's starting experience is dwarfed by that of Anderson, 29, who has started 115 games over an eight-year major-league career. Anderson's health could be one of the biggest spring storylines for a team with very few roster battles. "He's said he's thrown three bullpens," Bosio said. "I've seen him throw a couple times. The biggest thing with him is just to keep him healthy."

The Cubs have yet to reveal a detailed spring script for their starters, but the structure of Anderson's contract — with includes a $3.5 million base salary with incentives based on starts that could bring the total value to $10 million — suggest he'll be compensated handsomely if he's injury-free and effective. Anderson, a second-round pick of the Diamondbacks in 2006, started 30 games and posted 11 wins during his rookie season in 2009, and he made 31 starts and won 10 games in 2015 with the Dodgers. But an array of injuries has limited him to no more than eight starts in four of the last five seasons. Thus, the Cubs have structured his contract based on incentives for games started. Anderson made only three starts last season because of a bulging disk in his back that caused him to make his eighth trip to the disabled list in eight seasons. Anderson underwent Tommy John surgery in 2011, and he missed four months in 2013 because of a stress fracture in his right foot. "He's battle-tested but injury-plagued," Bosio said. "So we got to do what we can, and the organization had had very good communication with all the new guys. Obviously Anderson, with the stuff he had, the swing-and-miss stuff, the weak contact, was very attractive. So we got to make sure we can keep him on the field." -- Chicago Tribune Buster Posey tempers some of Kyle Schwarber's eagerness to catch By Mark Gonzales While the Cubs' Kyle Schwarber maintains his desire to catch, Giants All-Star catcher Buster Posey offered a cautionary tale about returning to the position after suffering a serious leg injury. "I always told people it took me a solid two years before I felt back to some sense of normalcy," Posey said last month in Los Angeles, where he filmed a series of commercials with Schwarber. "For the year or two after my ankle injury, there was maintenance after every game and spring training workout, whatever it may be. I'm feeling pretty good (now) and can back off it a little bit." Schwarber is targeted to play left field for the Cubs but continues to push his case to catch despite missing nearly all of last season because of two torn ligaments in his left knee. In late May of 2011, Posey suffered a fracture and torn ligaments in his left ankle that sidelined him for the rest of the season. Posey said he benefited from a maintenance program that trainer Dave Groeschner established and that helped allow him to catch 114 games in 2012 while receiving an occasional break at first base. He won National League Most Valuable Player honors that year and led the Giants to a World Series title. "We had two different injuries, but it's important to build up strength," Posey said. "But if my ankle felt cranky, moving over to first base helped." Willson Contreras is expected to handle most of the catching duties for the Cubs. -- Chicago Sun-Times Epstein: Cubs’ character gives them chance to win it all again By Gordon Wittenmyer What’s the Cubs’ biggest need entering spring training? Ask team president Theo Epstein, and his first answer is the one he gave last year and likely will give for the next four: pitching.

The Cubs’ never-ending quest for pitching depth aside, Epstein is quick to add one potentially enormous challenge for the team this year, one as rare as its World Series championship last fall. “Generally speaking, teams that win it all sometimes face unique challenges, where a lot of things come up that pull everyone associated with the organization in different directions,” he said. “And locking back into that team-first, competitive, connected mindset is really important. “That’s where having such character guys is important, and I really trust our group to get locked back in again.” Epstein, of course, faced the same challenge as the Red Sox’ general manager in 2005 after their first championship in 86 years. But it’s hard to imagine that even his Red Sox experience will match the competing distractions for this long-suffering franchise and its wildly celebrated players. These guys did more than make the rounds on the national talk-show circuit, like those Red Sox did. They twerked on “Saturday Night Live,” where they also sang “Go Cubs Go” with Bill Murray. Jimmy Buffet crashed their White House visit last month. Anthony Rizzo was recognized by someone while vacationing in Thailand. Ben Zobrist signed autographs on his front lawn. National League MVP Kris Bryant and his bride received piles of wedding gifts from fans. Even rookie relief pitcher Carl -Edwards Jr., a South Carolina native, was honored this month by the South Carolina state legislature for his part in the Cubs’ championship. How does anyone top that? Maybe they don’t. But that doesn’t change the job they face. And it doesn’t make it any easier to win it all again as they enter a second consecutive spring favored to do just that. In 14 seasons running baseball departments for two franchises, Epstein has had eight playoff teams and three World Series champs, and he helped end the two most storied “curses” in American team sports. One thing his teams haven’t done is repeat, although the Red Sox won 95 games and reached the playoffs again in 2005. “The primary reason why it’s hard to repeat is just because it’s really difficult to win the World Series,” he said. “In any given year, if you’re any old team, you have a 3 percent chance. If you’re the best team, you might have a 10-12 percent chance. It’s just hard to do.” Throw in a post-title celebration of the century, and the challenges can increase. “When you win, you get pulled in a lot of different directions,” Epstein said. “And there can be a tendency to at some point, no matter how high the character, to start thinking about yourself a little bit more. “You have to work really hard — we all do — to avoid any kind of organizational arrogance, any sense of entitlement, to really understand that of all the great things that happened last year, the most special aspect was we all got to be a part of something bigger than ourselves.” Obviously, confidence and late-October experience are significant advantages the Cubs will take into the spring, along with one of the more talented rosters in the majors. But the Cubs need to take care of one order of business early in camp that has nothing to do with Jon Lester’s pickoff move or live batting practice.

“It’s important to opt back into that mindset, to buy back into being a team player, to being a team-centric player, a [team]-centric organization,” Epstein said. “To let the players bond, let them buy in, let them be unselfish and go do their thing and try to do it all over again. “I don’t worry about our group, but some teams, after winning, other things creep in and get in the way of that bonding.” -- Chicago Sun-Times Cubs, Strop avoid arbitration with $5.5 million deal By Gordon Wittenmyer The Cubs reached agreement with their final arbitration-eligible player, avoiding a hearing with right-hander Pedro Strop. Strop, the setup reliever slowed by knee and groin injuries late last season, signed a $5.5 million deal for 2017. Despite the injuries, he finished with a 2.85 ERA in 54 appearances (60 strikeouts in 47 1/3 innings). He has a 2.08 ERA in 16 career postseason appearance, including eight last year. The Cubs haven’t had a player reach an arbitration hearing since they beat shortstop Ryan Theriot in 2010. -- Chicago Sun-Times Cubs spring-training guide down to a ‘T’ By Gordon Wittenmyer What do you get the World Series champs who have everything, the team that has almost everything back from the most celebrated Game 7 in baseball history? If it’s the Cubs, it’s easy: more T-shirts. Just ahead of pitchers and catchers reporting for spring training Tuesday, manager Joe Maddon still was fine-tuning his slogans and theme for the season. For now, keep your eyes on these tees as the Cubs do their dotting and crossing the next few weeks in anticipation of their opener April 2 in St. Louis. TRY NOT TO KRUK “You go, we go’’? With leadoff man Dexter Fowler taking his .393 on-base percentage and All-Star production to the Cardinals as a free agent, the most intriguing question of the spring might sound more like: ‘‘If he goes, how much of the run production goes with him?’’ Maddon suggested repeatedly this winter he might use young left-handed slugger Kyle Schwarber in the leadoff spot. After all, the kid has a .368 on-base percentage in 85 big-league games, including playoffs (.429 in the minors). Then again, don’t bet the house on this plan just yet, if history means anything. For instance, three-time All-Star John Kruk was a lifetime .300 hitter with a .397 on-base percentage. But when the Padres tried him as a leadoff man early in his career, he produced a career-worst .214 average and a pedestrian .333 OBP from that spot. RESPECT 214 From the opener until a potential Game 7 of the World Series on Nov. 1, there are 214 days to keep a roster healthy and fresh.

That healthy/fresh effort is especially important to a starting rotation with an October-caliber front end but little depth after the first four spots. And that especially applies after back-to-back runs deep into the postseason. So look for a delay in some of the front-line starters’ spring bullpen work and don’t expect to see the big shots starting games during the first week of the spring schedule. The fifth-starter battle between Mike Montgomery and Brett Anderson and the progress of 2016 rookie Rob Zastryzny are worth watching because all might see time in the rotation this season. The Cubs are planning to use an intermittent sixth starter approaching the All-Star break and then again after it, as they did successfully last season. MAKE A MANGLED SWING GREAT AGAIN Or as great as it ever was. In the case of megabucks right fielder Jason Heyward, think 2012 — the season the four-time Gold Glove winner hit a career-high 27 home runs and had an .814 OPS. In deconstructing Heyward’s swing after an offensively miserable first season with the Cubs (.230 average, seven homers, .631 OPS), hitting coach John Mallee went back to the video from 2012 to reconstruct it during months of winter work. Mallee reports strong results, and this spring will be the first test of that work. IF IT FIELDS SEXY, WEAR IT Maddon dropped the term ‘‘D-peat’’ during his media briefing outside the White House after the Cubs’ visit with President Obama last month. He meant the Cubs’ top-flight fielding in 2016 might be even better in 2017, and that could be the key to the franchise’s second set of back-to-back titles. No? Consider that if Albert Almora earns the lion’s share of time in center field, the Cubs will go from good to Gold Glove-quality at that position. And consider that Gold Glove-caliber infielder Javy Baez might supplant Ben Zobrist as the primary second baseman and that Willson Contreras will get a chance to put his exceptional catching skills into the lineup four or five times a week. How exactly all the defensive pieces are assigned in April will be a big subplot of the spring. REPLACE THE TARGET As meaningful as the 2016 championship remains, that season is over. The quest to end the longest title drought in American sports floated away with the confetti under spectacular blue skies at Grant Park in November. After finally reaching the top in 2016, the Cubs face the hardest part in 2017: Staying there. Doing it again. Recapturing the magic without the aura and shared purpose created by 108 years of buildup. Having ‘‘embraced the target’’ of expectations last season, the target only will be bigger this season with a trophy to defend. And the burden might get heavier with even more attention this spring from national media wanting to revisit every detail of the historic run. The message Maddon devises this spring to reset his players’ minds on this entirely new and foreign concept of a Cubs repeat might play a big role in how they start this season, if not how they finish it. There’s no telling how many mimes it’ll take this time around. -- Chicago Sun-Times Maddon could borrow from ‘Seinfeld,’ have a season about nothing By Rick Morrissey

It might be hard for Chicagoans to believe, but professional sports teams often won championships without the benefit of motivational slogans. As far as I know, the 1927 Yankees did not “Embrace the Target,’’ although Babe Ruth did do a lot of embracing when he wasn’t playing baseball. Can you imagine a coach trying to tell Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics teams, “Don’t ever let the pressure exceed the pleasure,’’ as Cubs manager Joe Maddon has told his team via speech and T-shirt? My favorite Bird quote is: “I like being by myself.’’ That, friends, is a slogan around which a team can rally. And now, behind one of the greatest players in history, a guy who just wants to be left alone, let’s go out there and kick some butt! We fully expect Maddon to come up with a theme for this season because that’s what he does and because his team won the World Series with his “Embrace the Target’’ motto last year. He unveiled that one to Cubs players during spring training in 2016, and you can bet he’ll come up with another one when the team reports to Mesa, Ariz., this week. After all, why mess with success? I’d like to say “Don’t Mess With Success” could be the Cubs’ motto for 2017, but if I know one thing in life, it’s that the overly-hands-on Maddon will mess with something this season, for better or worse. There is something very high-schoolish about a motivational slogan. A football coach thinks of one before the heat and humidity of two-a-days arrives and then slaps it on T-shirts to be worn underneath pads during practices and games. There’s a smelly togetherness to it. Does it help? In high school, sure. We’re talking about not yet developed brains with raging hormones as their guide. Before Friday night’s big game, show a high school football player a photo of the guy who stole his prom date, a girl who, by the way, totally looks like Kate Upton, and watch the needle move. Do professional athletes pay attention to themes, mottos and slogans? I don’t think so. If you gave them truth serum, most would likely say they pay attention to motivational gimmicks the way they pay attention to the tiny print on the tags on their shirts. This is especially true of baseball players. Baseball doesn’t lend itself to rah-rah speeches. Baseball is a long spring training, a 162-game regular season and, if a team is lucky, a long postseason. If you wanted a slogan that really captured the physical and mental demands of a baseball season, it would be, “Hope I Die Before I Get Old.’’ Because, by the time the season is over, you feel 92. Maddon’s slogans are more like security blankets than adrenaline rushes, something for players to rely on when there is chaos or turmoil or a long hitting slump. The Cubs knew teams were going to be gunning for them last season. The year before, they had surprised everyone, including themselves, by winning 97 games and making it to the National League Championship Series. Maddon knew there would be a target on the team’s back in 2016, and he wanted his players to make peace with that. Also, he likes T-shirts. His “Try Not to Suck’’ shirt was brilliant because it laughed at all those other serious slogans, and it sent a message of humor and relaxation to players as they headed onto the field: Have fun. Don’t sweat it. We’re in this together, enjoying ourselves. I’d call it a wink at all the corny T-shirts, but I’m not sure Maddon is the winking type. He believes in his slogans. He has floated “uncomfortable’’ as this season’s buzzword, the idea being that good things often happen when we’re forced to adapt in ways in which we’re not familiar. But you could just as easily make an argument for the word “comfortable’’ as a theme – the Cubs are comfortable with who they are, comfortable in their own skin, comfortable with being hunted again. But comfortable too often is mistaken for its evil cousin “complacent.’’ The next coach who sells complacency to his team will be the next fired coach. There is another way to go, and lots of teams still do it. The players play. The manager or coach manages or coaches. And there are no themes. If a rallying cry worthy of a T-shirt comes up organically in the course of a season, wonderful. If not, wonderful too. But as sure as the sun will shine in Arizona, Maddon will have shirts printed with mottos and sayings before the first spring-training game arrives. He breathes in oxygen and exhales motivational slogans.

He’d really get people’s attention if he borrowed from a local band and made a statement with understatement: Plain White T’s -- Daily Herald Strop, Chicago Cubs avoid arbitration By Bruce Miles The Cubs have all of their arbitration-eligible players in the fold. The team on Saturday agreed with relief pitcher Pedro Strop on a one-year contract worth $5.5 million. Strop had been seeking $6 million, while the Cubs were offering $4.6 million. Since taking over before the 2012 season, the current Cubs management team has not had a player go to an arbitration hearing. Strop, 31, was 2-2 with a 2.85 ERA last year in 54 games. He suffered an injury to his left knee Aug. 10 and spent more than a month on the disabled list after undergoing arthroscopic surgery. Strop appeared in eight postseason games. -- Daily Herald Lots to ponder as Chicago Cubs open spring training By Bruce Miles The shortest off-season in the history of the Chicago Cubs is coming to an end. Those magical words, "pitchers and catchers report," will ring throughout Arizona and Florida this week as spring training begins. It was Nov. 2 when the Cubs took the field for the final time in 2016, and they won perhaps the most memorable seventh game in World Series history when they pulled out an extra-inning victory at Cleveland. The short off-season brings its own set of challenges, but playing into November is the goal of every team, and the Cubs will gladly deal with those challenges as they open spring training Tuesday in Mesa, Arizona. Many prognosticators like the Cubs to advance to the postseason and make another deep run. The journey begins now, and even though the Cubs are defending world champions for the first time since the spring of 1909, they face their own set of questions and issues. Here are a few: Monitoring the workload: Except for Kyle Hendricks, the Cubs have a veteran pitching staff. Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta and John Lackey have put some mileage on their arms in recent years, so it will be interesting to see how manager Joe Maddon and pitching coach Chris Bosio take care of those arms this spring and into the regular season. There are two built-in off-days in March during the Cactus League season, so that will help. Maddon and Bosio may limit the innings load of their veterans during the spring. Mike Montgomery and recently acquired Brett Anderson will be stretched out to start in spring training. Maddon went to a six-man rotation at times last season. Will he go to it earlier this season? The X-factor with any team is injuries, and nothing will derail a repeat bid faster than injuries to key pitchers. The swing is the thing:

Right fielder Jason Heyward won a Gold Glove for his play in right field last year, and his rain-delay pep talk during Game 7 of the World Series will become the stuff of legend over time. But the Cubs gave Heyward that eight-year, $184 million contract a year ago because they want him to hit, too. Last season was a nightmare at the plate for the 27-year-old Heyward, as he put up a line of .230/.306/.325 with 7 home runs and 49 RBI. His career line is .262/.346/.415. Heyward hit well in the past, with Atlanta and St. Louis, and the Cubs spent part of the winter with him in Arizona to retool his swing and get back to his good old ways. Game action is something different altogether, so we should get an early read on Heyward's progress when the Cactus League season opens Feb. 25. Where does Schwarber play? Speaking of legends, Kyle Schwarber added to his own last fall when he came back from major knee surgery to play in the World Series. Schwarber was the designated hitter in the four games at Cleveland. The Cubs can't use the DH except for interleague games on the road, so finding a place for Schwarber and his electric bat throughout the year poses a challenge. The Cubs' first-round draft choice in 2014 has always wanted to catch, but the knee injury may have put a crimp into those plans. The Cubs also have two bona fide backstops in Willson Contreras and Miguel Montero. It's a good bet Schwarber again will see time in left field, with Maddon replacing him for defense late in games. Who is the go-to guy now? During the previous two seasons, Maddon always told leadoff man Dexter Fowler, "You go, we go." Fowler did go this off-season: to the St. Louis Cardinals. Filling Fowler's center-field spot should not be a problem. The Cubs signed veteran Jon Jay in the off-season, and youngster Albert Almora is already a major-league-caliber outfielder despite his inexperience. The Cubs will miss Fowler is in the leadoff spot, where he indeed put the "go" in their attack. Fowler put up on-base percentages of .346 and .393 in his two seasons with the Cubs. Maddon is not lacking in leadoff options. He has talked of putting Schwarber there. Ben Zobrist, who may fight for playing time this season, is another option, as is Jay, who has a lifetime OBP of .344 out of the first spot in the order. The loose ends: Javier Baez went from part-time player to indispensable part of the defense during the course of the 2016 season. His fielding ability and quick-tag artistry are the stuff that GIFs are made of. The Cubs will want Baez's defense and his powerful bat in the lineup as much as possible. Wade Davis replaces Aroldis Chapman as the closer. Chapman replaced Hector Rondon, who moved somewhat uneasily to his new role as a setup man. Both Rondon and setup man Pedro Strop suffered late-season injuries and weren't quite the same after that.

World Series MVP Zobrist turns 36 in May. He still wants to play a lot, but the emergence of Baez and a crowded outfield may challenge Maddon to find playing time for Zobrist. -- Daily Herald Traveling to Chicago Cubs' spring training? Plenty to sink your teeth into By Bruce Miles MESA, Ariz. -- Just saying the words "spring training" can make any baseball fan feel warm in February. Pitchers and catchers for the Chicago Cubs report here Tuesday, and they'll hold their first formal workouts at the Sloan Park facility Wednesday. Fans who are sick of winter and are hungry for baseball begin flocking to Arizona even before the games begin just to watch the workouts. The Cubs open Cactus League play Feb. 25 with a home game against the Oakland Athletics and a split-squad game in Scottsdale against the Giants. Baseball and warm weather are just two of the attractions in Mesa and the neighboring towns of Tempe and Scottsdale. At some point, you gotta eat. In my first 19 years of covering Cubs spring training, I've come to love several local places in the Valley and one in the Superstition Mountains (or the "Superstitious Mountains," as former Cubs manager Lou Piniella called them) that sit east of town. Here's a glance at a few of my favorite places in no particular order of preference: The Blue Adobe, Mesa: Mexican cuisine is big in the desert Southwest, but one of the first things I learned in 1998 -- my first year on the Cubs beat -- is that New Mexican cooking is a great alternative. New Mexican cuisine makes delicious use of Hatch chiles (called "chilis" in some restaurants), and few do it better than the Blue Adobe on Country Club Drive in Mesa. This place doesn't look like much from the outside, but inside is where the good stuff happens, and the Blue Adobe is a favorite of Cubs fans and even team staffers. My favorite: the "stacked enchiladas." You can get them with red sauce or green sauce. If you can't decide, get them both -- the Blue Adobe calls it "Christmas style," with the red and green. Vito's, Mesa: Another favorite of Cubs fans and staffers, this place provides good Italian comfort food and Chicago-style pizza for those looking for a taste of home. The pizza is indeed really good. My favorites are the lasagna and the eggplant parmigiana. Vito's is on the corner of Lindsay and McKellips, a few miles east of Sloan Park. Be prepared to wait on the weekends unless you get there early. Vito's also has a location in Scottsdale. Superstition Restaurant and Saloon, Tortilla Flat: The town of Tortilla Flat is about as long as the Cubs' dugout at Sloan Park, but the drive through the Superstition Mountains is worth it.

Head east from Mesa and wind your way up the mountains through some great scenery. Be prepared to stop at the one-lane bridge -- picture yourself driving a red barchetta -- on the way. Once you get to the restaurant, you'll notice the dollar bills stapled to the walls and the saddle bar stools. The burgers and chili are the real attractions here. It will take you about an hour from Mesa to get there. The Chuck Box, Tempe: Pull up an orange crate and enjoy a charbroiled burger at this little hole in the wall in the heart of the Arizona State campus. They grill burgers over an open flame at the Chuck Box. The "Big One" is a one-third-pound burger, and the "The Great Big One" is a half-pound. Get it with jalapeño Jack cheese and then head to the "fixins bar" for whatever toppings you like. Black Mountain Coffee Shop and Cafe, Carefree: Yes, there is a Carefree Highway, and I dare you not to have that Gordon Lightfoot song going through your head as you travel north from Mesa and Scottsdale to Carefree. The Black Mountain Coffee Shop and Cafe is tucked away in the Spanish Village Shopping Center is open from 6 a.m.-2 p.m. The omelets are great, as are the burgers and chili. For best results, grab a table outdoors. Carlsbad Tavern, Scottsdale: Head up McClintock Road in Mesa as it turns into Hayden Road in Scottsdale and stop at this cave for some New Mexican food. I like the "Cowboy Meatloaf," which contains "ground veal, pork, chuck mixed with jalapeño bacon, smoked Gouda, roasted onion, garlic and Hatch green chile finished with red chile prickly pear BBQ." Of course, this meatloaf is served with mashed potatoes. Sample a local brew with your dinner. Los Dos Molinos, Mesa: Head south on Alma School Drive after a game at Sloan Park and take a gander at a storefront place with the words "Some like it hot" on the window. Los Dos Molinos is a longtime favorite of Cubs people, and, yes, the food is hot, hot, hot. The restaurant's website says they don't even know how to make mild sauce. Years ago, I remember a Cubs player fanning his mouth the morning after enjoying a Los Dos meal. My recommendation is the relleno de carne adovada, a green Hatch chile stuffed with carne adovado (think pulled pork). This place is really good, but you definitely want a cold beer and a pitcher of water to go with your food. T.C. Eggington's, Mesa: If you just want breakfast, head a little farther south on Alma School Road to T. C. Eggington's, a longtime favorite of Cubs Hall of Famer Billy Williams. The "Cheeses Galore" (with bacon) and "Western Union-Jack" omelets are favorites. If pancakes are your thing, try the "Cobble-Stone Trail," an "inventive blend of nuts and dried fruits all tucked into cakes to make a crunchy work of art." You won't be able to finish this one, so ask for a take-home box.

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