November 4, 2015

Cubs.com, Contreras has come a long way as a catcher http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/156366290/cubs-willson-contreras-improving-as-catcher

Cubs.com, Wrigley marquee temporarily removed for renovations http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/156351488/wrigley-field-marquee-removed-for-renovations

Cubs.com, Cubs in AFL: Contreras' call may come soon http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/156077718/cubs-prospect-willson-contreras-playing-in-afl

Cubs.com, Minor Leaguer Chambers suspended 50 games http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/156379678/adron-chambers-suspended-50-games

ESPNChicago.com, Dexter Fowler leads Cubs' free-agent class http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/35653/dexter-fowler-leads-cubs-free-agent-class

CSNChicago.com, Cubs got their money’s worth with Joe Maddon at the microphone http://www.csnchicago.com/cubs/cubs-got-their-money%E2%80%99s-worth-joe-maddon-microphone

Chicago Tribune, Cubs position-by-position analysis: Catcher http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-catching-analysis-20151104-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Cubs position-by-position analysis: Relief pitching http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-seek-relief-20151102-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Diminished power of managers in baseball echoes Cubs' early-'60s 'college of coaches' http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/la-sp-dodgers-college-of-coaches-20151104-story.html

-- Cubs.com Contreras has come a long way as a catcher By Carrie Muskat MESA, Ariz. -- The best catcher in the Cubs organization didn't start catching until he was bored one day. Willson Contreras was taking part in instructional league activities in the Dominican Republic and saw some catcher's gear on the floor. He put it on, and went down to the bullpen "just for fun." Oneri Fleita, who was the Cubs' player development director at the time, saw Contreras in the pads and mask. Was the third baseman serious about making a switch?

"I said, 'If you want me to play as a catcher, I'll be a catcher,'" Contreras said. "I said, 'I'll play wherever you want. I can play anywhere.' [Fleita] said, 'Get ready for the next Spring Training because you'll be a catcher.'" In 2012, Contreras made the conversion, and he hasn't looked back. The 23-year-old, ranked 10th among the Cubs' top prospects by MLBPipeline.com, is currently playing in the Arizona Fall League with the Mesa Solar Sox. He was named to the Fall Stars Game, to be played Saturday (7 p.m. CT on MLB Network and MLB.com). "The transformation has been fun to watch," said Mesa manager Mark Johnson, who was Contreras' skipper in 2011 and '12 at Class A Boise. "He's an interesting guy with incredible tools." Contreras was named the Cubs' Minor League Player of the Year this season after batting .333 with eight home runs, 34 doubles, four triples and 75 RBIs at Double-A Tennessee. He made his first trip to a Major League ballpark in September when he was presented the award at Wrigley Field. "That was an amazing experience," Contreras said last week prior to an AFL game in Mesa. "My first thought was, 'I don't want to be back in the Minor Leagues.' I said that to [Cubs chairman] Tom Ricketts, I said to all the bosses, 'I don't want to go back to the Minor Leagues.' They said, 'Keep working and doing what you're doing.'" That's one of the reasons Contreras is participating in the AFL. "He's the best player on the field," Johnson said. "He always has been the best player on the field. It's just been a matter of him harnessing it and playing under control. That's where he's [progressed] the most, is being able to slow the game down and control his actions and thoughts and minimize his movements. "He's always been super strong, super fast as far as quick twitch muscles and his swing, throwing," Johnson said. "He's off the charts when it comes to physical attributes. The first thing I noticed was his calmness and maturity. He still has a way to go as far as running a staff and calling a game. That takes years and years." Contreras' teammates have seen the progress as well. Pitcher Pierce Johnson was Contreras' teammate in 2013 at Class A Kane County and again this season at Tennessee. "He is night and day better than when I first threw to him," said Johnson, who also is on the Solar Sox roster. "When I threw to him in Kane County, obviously his arm stands out and his power with the bat. He was a good player for us back then. Now, he's excellent and he's fun to watch. Every time he comes up to the plate, he's got that power and that persona. He can do really well up there [in the big leagues]." The biggest improvement Mark Johnson has seen is Contreras' throwing mechanics. "Over time, he's shortened and minimized his movements," said Johnson, who managed the Cubs' Class A Advanced Myrtle Beach team this season. "He's had the strength and hand speed and bat speed. His body always kind of got in his way because he tried to do too much. That's Willson, and that's why you love him because he tries so hard and wants to do so well and wants to play so hard all the time. You always want guys like that on your team." Contreras enjoys the responsibilities that come with being a catcher. "I'm in charge of the game calling, I have to work with the pitchers," Contreras said. "I love being a catcher. I have to be focused every game, every at-bat, every pitch." As eager as Contreras is to get to the big leagues, there are a couple obstacles. Both Miguel Montero and David Ross are under contract for 2016 with the Cubs, and Kyle Schwarber will continue to work on his catching skills, although he may wind up with more at-bats in the outfield. Schwarber and Contreras played together at the beginning of this season at Tennessee. "He'd play two [games] and I'd play one," Contreras said of Schwarber. "When he went up to the big leagues, I was so happy for him because he's a good guy, a good person."

Contreras is just waiting for his moment. He got a boost of confidence from Montero when the veteran joined Tennessee in early August on a rehab assignment. Montero took Contreras and some of the other Latin players to lunch. Naturally, the players wanted to know what they needed to do to get to the big leagues. "[Montero] said everything is mental," Contreras said. "Baseball is the same everywhere. You just have to be smart and get focused every game. You have to work with the pitchers." Montero inspired Contreras. He went 12-for-20 (.600) during the five games the veteran was with Tennessee. "Somehow, he helped with my confidence, helped with my mind," Contreras said. "[Montero] said, 'Have fun with the game and see what happens.'" The reality is, Contreras is trying to take Montero's job. "He knows that," Contreras said. "He said, 'I'll be happy if you take my job. I want to be your backup catcher to help you.' "When I went to Chicago to get the award, I was talking to Tom Ricketts, and [Montero] came up and said, 'Hey, I don't want to blame myself if he takes my job but you have to keep me as a backup because I want to help him.'" All Contreras needs is experience. Once the AFL season ends Nov. 19, he'll return to Venezuela and hopes to play for a Winter League team there. "He's got a plus bat, he's a plus defender," Mark Johnson said. "He just needs more games behind the plate to understand the dynamics of calling a game and running a staff." Most important, Contreras wants to catch. "He's hungry," Mark Johnson said. "He's always been hungry, but now he understands he needs that extra edge, whatever that is. He's getting it. It's cool to see." -- Cubs.com Wrigley marquee temporarily removed for renovations By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- The famous Wrigley Field marquee was missing on Tuesday. The sign, first installed in 1934, was removed on Monday as part of the renovation and restoration work at the Cubs' ballpark. This offseason is the second phase in the team's $575 million ballpark renovation plan. Because the plan includes structural work in the concourse area near the main gate at Clark St. and Addison St., where the marquee was located, the sign was removed. The work includes improving the ticket office near the Clark and Addison entrance. Cubs officials said the marquee will return in time for Opening Day, which is April 11 against the Reds. The marquee was commissioned by the Federated Sign Company of Chicago and was installed in 1934. It's initial purpose was advertising, and it was used to promote that day's game. The marquee wasn't painted red until the mid 1960s, and the electronic message board was added in the early 1980s. The marquee is protected under the City of Chicago's landmark ordinance, which also includes the outfield wall bricks, the ivy on the outfield walls and the center-field scoreboard. This offseason, the majority of the renovation work at Wrigley will be on the Cubs' new 30,000-square-foot clubhouse, plus the open-air plaza and office and retail building on the property adjacent to the ballpark. Last offseason, the focus was the bleachers and the installation of two video scoreboards.

The Cubs also are replacing the sod at Wrigley, and the club was giving away chunks of grass to fans on Monday and Tuesday. -- Cubs.com Cubs in AFL: Contreras' call may come soon By Jim Callis The Cubs have amassed the best collection of young hitting talent baseball has seen in recent years. They began to reap the benefits at the big league level in 2015, as Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Kyle Schwarber and Jorge Soler graduated to Wrigley Field and helped the club reach the postseason for the first time in seven seasons. That's only the first wave, however. Shortstop Gleyber Torres successfully navigated low Class A at age 18 and looks like a star in the making. He'll add to the infield logjam that already exists in Chicago, while another brews in the outfield with Billy McKinney, Albert Almora, Ian Happ, Donnie Dewees, Mark Zagunis, Eddy Martinez and Eloy Jimenez lurking in the Minors. At the one position where the Cubs don't appear to have multiple long-term options for the future, they may not need them. Willson Contreras broke out in 2015, and he can make a case for being the best catching prospect in baseball and for being maybe less than a year away from Chicago. Contreras isn't worrying about accolades or timetables. For now, he's concentrating on improving his game in the Arizona Fall League. "Communicating with the pitchers, getting better at game-calling and working on my strike-zone hitting," Contreras said when asked to describe his AFL to-do list. "I'm going to keep working. Those are a few things they told me to work on and I will do that." Signed for $850,000 as a 17-year-old in 2009, the Venezuela native took a while to get going in the Minor Leagues. Originally a third baseman, Contreras converted to catcher in 2012 and didn't reach full-season ball until '13. He brought a career .254/.320/.369 batting line into this year after going unprotected and unpicked in the 2013 and '14 Rule 5 Drafts. Suffice it to say that the Cubs will add Contreras to their 40-man roster this November. They named him their 2015 Minor League Player of the Year after he hit .333/.413/.478 at Double-A Tennessee, leading the Southern League in batting average and extra-base hits (46). Contreras, 23, attributed his surge at the plate to getting his first extensive taste of Venezuela Winter League action last offseason, as well as to getting more playing time than ever before. He raised his career highs for games from 86 to 126 and for plate appearances from 345 to 521. "Definitely, it was the time I had in Venezuela, playing with a lot of veteran guys, facing a lot of big leaguers," Contreras said. "I was talking to a lot of them and they gave me some tips that I put into play. And then getting the opportunity to play every day here, it was my first year playing every day. That was the big difference." Contreras is continuing his strong play with the AFL's Mesa Solar Sox, batting .298/.370/.574 with three homers in his first 12 games. With his improved plate discipline and his strength, he should continue to hit for average and power. He shows a plus arm and impressive agility behind the plate, and he's making progress with his receiving. Cubs hitters in the Fall League • Cael Brockmeyer, C: A 16th-rounder from Cal State Bakersfield in 2013, he has no standout tool, but earns praise for his grinder makeup. Brockmeyer saw action at four levels (mostly in low Class A) this year, batting .251/.338/.389 in 111 games.

• Jeimer Candelario, 3B: Signed for $500,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2010, he's a switch-hitter with some of the best offensive upside in the Cubs' system and a strong arm to boot. Candelario hit .277/.339/.431 with 10 homers in 128 games between Class A Advanced and Double-A in 2015. • Mark Zagunis, OF: Chicago had hopes of making him a full-time catcher when he signed as a third-rounder out of Virginia Tech in 2014, but he prefers playing the outfield and has the tools to make it there. Showing solid hitting ability and speed, Zagunis batted .271/.406/.412 with 12 steals in 115 Class A Advanced games during his first full pro season. Cubs pitchers in the Fall League • Corey Black, RHP: The Yankees drafted him in the fourth round out of Faulkner (Ala.) in 2012 and traded him a year later to Chicago for Alfonso Soriano. Using a 92-95 mph fastball that has reached 100 in the past, Black had a 4.92 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 86 Double-A innings this year. • David Garner, RHP: A 2013 seventh-rounder from Michigan State, he can flash a plus fastball and breaking ball, but lacks consistency. Garner recorded a 3.72 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 55 2/3 innings between two Class A stops in 2015. • Pierce Johnson, RHP: Though he has been sidetracked by a series of minor injuries since turning pro as a supplemental first-rounder out of Missouri State in 2012, he has shown a plus fastball and curveball when healthy. Johnson went 6-2 with a 2.08 ERA with 72 strikeouts in 95 innings this year in 16 Double-A starts. • Rob Zastryzny, LHP: When he's at his best, the 2013 second-rounder from Missouri can mix four averagish pitches, including a solid fastball and changeup. Zastryzny spent most of 2015 at Double-A, where he went 2-5 with a 6.23 ERA in 14 starts. -- Cubs.com Minor Leaguer Chambers suspended 50 games By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced Tuesday that Cubs Minor League outfielder Adron Chambers was one of three players suspended after violating the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Chambers received a 50-game suspension without pay following a second positive test for a drug of abuse in violation of the Program. Chambers was on Triple-A Iowa's roster. The suspension will be effective at the start of the 2016 season. Chambers, 29, batted .280 with 18 doubles, two triples and one homer in 88 games with Iowa. The other Minor League players suspended were Braves pitcher Steve Borkowski and Giants pitcher Alvaro Diaz. -- ESPNChicago.com Dexter Fowler leads Cubs' free-agent class By Jesse Rogers CHICAGO -- Led by center fielder Dexter Fowler, eight Chicago Cubs declared for free agency on Monday, though pitcher Dan Haren has already stated he will retire.

In addition to Fowler, outfielders Chris Denorfia and Austin Jackson along with pitchers Trevor Cahill, Tommy Hunter, Jason Motte and Fernando Rodney will be available to sign with any team beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday. The Cubs have exclusive negotiating rights with the players until that time. The team also has until Friday to extend a qualifying offer to any of the free agents which means if they leave for another team the Cubs would get an extra draft pick next summer. If the player accepts the offer he automatically receives a one-year deal with the Cubs worth $15.8 million. Only Fowler is expected to be extended the qualifying offer though no player has ever accepted it opting for more security. Fowler had a big second half, getting on-base about 39 percent of the time, leading to speculation he’ll get a long-term contract after earning $9.5 million last season. The Cubs have stated their offseason goals are to land more pitching which might not leave room in the budget for Fowler’s return. The other free agents all have some possibilities of coming back but are mostly secondary players. The most intriguing are Jackson and Cahill. The former could be a stop gap in center field, or at the very least a fourth outfielder, while Cahill’s late-season performance could earn him a new deal with the Cubs. -- CSNChicago.com Cubs got their money’s worth with Joe Maddon at the microphone By Patrick Mooney Exactly one year ago, Joe Maddon killed it at The Cubby Bear, immediately talking playoffs, comparing Wrigley Field to a computer-generated scene from “Gladiator” and grabbing the microphone and offering to buy the first round. The Cubs haven’t been the same since that shot-and-a-beer press conference on Nov. 3, 2014, when Maddon took over a team that had sunk to fifth place for five years in a row, finishing an average of 25 games out of first. The Cubs won 97 games and two playoff rounds this year, and everyone around the team agreed that doesn’t happen without Maddon’s influence. While it might be a stretch to say Maddon misses his daily media sessions before and after every game, he clearly enjoys playing to the cameras and hearing the sound of his own voice. Even if there’s an expiration date to Maddon’s act, the Cubs still feel like that deal, which has four years remaining and guarantees at least $25 million over the life of the contract, will go down as a franchise-altering investment. (Compare that to the way the Nationals reportedly lowballed Bud Black and hired Dusty Baker as their fallback option.) On Opening Day 2016, the National League will feature at least six new managers from the year before, while a Cubs franchise that had been unstable and dysfunctional will be a trendy pick to win the World Series. One year after Maddon sipped a Guinness can at the bar opposite the Wrigley Field marquee, a look back on some of his best material, in the same free-association style that drives his press briefings: Zen Master • “I do vibrate on a different frequency, man.” • “I never want to be dictatorial regarding the way I teach or suggest. When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” • “You might have seen the body for a couple years, but the brain has not arrived yet.”

• “You don't have to go to an Ivy League school to overthink it. You could go to a state school, too.” Bathroom Humor “One time I overreacted as manager in Midland, Texas, in 1986, when I actually went to a local newsstand and bought newspapers from throughout the country and took the classified ads and pasted them all over my locker room, because I told my players those were your alternatives to not playing baseball well and hard. “I learned from my own mistake there – had them on the back of the stalls in the bathroom. So the guy would sit down there, and all of a sudden he’d close the door and there would be classified ads in San Antonio. “I did all that. I was wrong. But as you go forward, I’d never seen an uptight moment be beneficial to any group. Never. Never. So I thought if I ever got an opportunity to do this, I’d really work against that concept. “Baseball, you play every day. Football, you have a once-a-week gig. You can go through the whole week and there are different ways to get through the week and a different mindset entirely. In baseball, man, you’ve got to be in the present tense and be tension-free. I learned that, I think, and in a roundabout way.” Gimmicks • (Pajama trip): “It works both ways. If you’ve won, it always makes it even better. And if you’ve lost, it’s kind of like: ‘Let’s put this behind us and let’s move on.’ So I see it as a ‘win-win-win,’ as Michael Scott would say.” • (Simon the Magician): “It’s hard to grab a zoo animal on the road. You can do it at the last minute at home. You always have the home connection when it comes to animals. It’s much easier to acquire a magician on the road than it is a 20-foot python. I’ve always felt that way.” • (Talking to a zoo animal in Wrigley Field’s interview room/dungeon): “My goal is life was to eventually own a bar named ‘The Pink Flamingo.’ If that ever happens, then I’ve made it. And if that ever does happen, Warren’s going to be at the opening night. Thank you, Warren, you did not disappoint.” Outcome Bias “The fans should always worry. It’s always the prerogative of a fan to worry. I absolutely believe in that. That’s what barrooms are for. That’s what little forums are for online in this 21st-century stuff. The fans should always worry. I’m always about fans worrying. Go ahead and worry as much as you’d like. “From our perspective, we have to just go out and play the game like we always do. I’m here to tell you, man, I just can’t live that way. The line I’ve used is I don’t vibrate at that frequency. It has nothing to do with anything. “The process is fearless. If you want to always live your life just based on the outcome, you’re going to be fearful a lot. And when you’re doing that, you’re really not living in a particular moment. “I’m 60, I’ll be 80, and if by the time I’m 80 20 years from now I’ve just been worried about outcomes, I’m going to miss a lot. So you’ve really got to get involved in the process. And from our players’ perspective, that’s all I talk about. I’ve not even mentioned about winning one time to these guys during this whole time. “If you take care of the seconds, the minutes, the hours in a day take care of themselves. So for our fans back home, please go ahead and be worried. That’s OK. But understand that from our perspective in the clubhouse, we’re more worried about the process than the outcome.” The Geek Department “I had one of the first laptops ever. I was like roundly laughed at and criticized: ‘How is a computer ever going to win a baseball game?’ I said: ‘No, no, no, no, it’s about organizing your information.’

“If Branch Rickey in the 40s had all this information, this stuff would have been done 50, 60, 70 years ago, if it was available. It wasn’t available. It’s new stuff. It’s color TV. It’s air conditioning. It’s power brakes. When it wasn’t invented, you could never miss it. “But it’s been invented, and now you utilize it, so to run away from technology and change and advancement…why? “(That’s) an archaic form of thinking. It was definitely rooted in old-school, which I really respect. But for me, old-school has nothing to do with being stuck.” @CubsJoeMadd “The social-media component – I don’t know if that’s going to keep getting bigger – or honestly is it going to become less? At some point, it’s oversaturated with nonsense. “How much nonsense do you want to hear? I don’t really want to know about everybody else’s thoughts all the time. I really don’t. That would be the next level, like if I eventually become a mind reader. “At that point, that would really suck, because if you know too much, man, that would be awful. It’s good that you don’t know everything. So all this stuff is getting to the point now where I don’t even know – what would be the next level of communication, outside of reading someone else’s mind? “And I don’t want to read any of your minds at all under any circumstances. Because once you get in there, you may never get out, and you could be contaminated for the rest of your life.” Pre-tay, Pre-tay Good “There’s also ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm,’ which I’m a big fan of. I got a photograph. Actually, there was a common friend. There was that one episode when he picked up a hooker to go in the diamond lane to go to the ballgame at Dodger Stadium. There’s a picture of her draped over the front seat and he wrote on her butt: ‘How bout that for a strike zone?’ Signed, Larry David.” On Personal Grooming • “I don’t like when it gets puffy on the side. Remember Paulie from ‘The Sopranos?’ I feel like Paulie. I get into that Paulie mode and it really bothers me. So whenever I start looking like Paulie, I get a haircut. That’s the indicator.” • “I’m a product of the 60s and the 70s. Every generation has its own little gig going on. Back in the day, I had long hair. It was down to my shoulders. I was very proud of it. It was actually brown at that time, too, from what I remember. So why do you always want to impose your will on everybody else?” Classified Information “If you get it on your own, then what am I going to do? I’ve already told you: I can’t tell you everything right now. And I’ll say I can’t tell you. Your job is to do what you do. And my job is to not give it up. “Your job is to find it out. And that’s cool. At the end of the day, what does that mean? I keep going back to the barroom. It’s great barroom banter, man. “And also at the end of the day, we’re not trying to conceal weaponry being sold to Iran.” Don’t Ever Change “If I change, I want you to slap me in the face.”

You got it. “If you do it to me one day and just go – boom! – I’ll know why.” You won’t see it coming. “I won’t see it coming, then I’ll say thank you.” -- Chicago Tribune Cubs position-by-position analysis: Catcher By Mark Gonzales The Tribune will be writing position-by-position analyses for the 2015 Cubs. Today we look at the catchers. 2015 statistics Miguel Montero: .248 batting average, 15 home runs, 53 RBIs, .345 on-base percentage, threw out 15 base stealers in 86 attempts (17.4 percent), two pickoffs, three passed balls, 12 errors, 3.36 ERA. David Ross: .176 batting average, 1 home run, 9 RBIs, .267 on-base percentage, threw out 14 base stealers in 61 attempts (23 percent), five pickoffs, four passed balls, one error, 2.66 ERA. Kyle Schwarber: .246 batting average, 16 home runs, 43 RBIs, .355 on-base percentage, threw out two base stealers in 15 attempts (13.3 percent), two passed balls, four errors, 4.70 ERA. Contract status for 2016 Montero: Signed through 2017 Ross: Signed through 2016 Schwarber: Under team control Breakdown Defense became a hot topic after Montero took responsibility for a wild pitch that allowed the go-ahead run to score in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series and the Cubs said htey plan for Schwarber to continue to work at catcher next spring after his struggles in left field. Montero’s inability to block an errant pitch from Trevor Cahill overshadowed two exceptional stops before the critical wild pitch, and he often wasn’t afraid to call for breaking pitches with the trying or winning run at third base throughout the season because of the confidence in his blocking skills. The same can't be said of some catchers who have played in this town. Montero also played the final two months with a left thumb injury. Montero played through the pain, but it might have hurt the Cubs at times. His batting average actually went up by 44 points after he returned Aug. 7, but he admitted the pain in his thumb persisted after getting jammed on certain pitches. “I thought (Montero) had an outstanding first half on both sides of the ball,” President Theo Epstein said. “And then he didn’t quite have the same performance in the second half. He always was in the middle of what we had going on, with our game planning, pitch calling, his attitude, and he was an important part of the team.” The one point of emphasis for Montero -- and the rest of the catchers and pitchers in the organization -- will be controlling opponents’ running game. The Mets were successful on seven of eight stolen base attempts during their four-game sweep in the NLCS, and Montero’s 2015 caught stealing percentage was well below his career 25 percent success rate.

At some point, the Cubs would be wise to have Jon Lester, who has five years left on his contract, work with other catchers because Ross, 38, is entering the final year of his two-year contract. In addition to keeping rookies comfortable and fellow veterans accountable, Ross’ best work came at the expense of careless or tardy base stealers. Ross picked off five runners and threw better in the second half. Unfortunately for the Cubs, their lineup was vulnerable with Ross batting seventh and Lester eighth. With two seasons left on Montero’s contract, the Cubs will remain patient in giving Schwarber all the time and resources he needs to develop into a dependable catcher. Starting with the selection of Schwarber as the first pick in the 2014 draft, the Cubs have gradually collected more left-handed hitters. So the speculation that they would consider trading him this winter is ludicrous, especially because of his power in an industry desperately searching for young sluggers. The Cubs could receive a boost if the National League adopts the designated hitter in the next collective bargaining agreement, as Epstein has endorsed strongly. But other NL executives aren't warm to the idea. In order for the Cubs to consider dealing Montero and the remaining $28 million on his contract, they must have assurances that Schwarber could handle at least half the catching duties. That doesn’t seem likely now, especially since Schwarber’s development as a catcher took a back seat during the summer to getting his left-handed bat in the lineup as a left fielder. In the Instructional League in the fall of 2014, Schwarber showed a knack for getting rid of the ball quickly on throws to second base but will need to polish his pitch-blocking skills. Willson Contreras’ offense caught up to his defense last summer at Double-A Tennessee, and he has continued to hit well in the Arizona Fall League. Contreras will have the benefit of his first major-league spring training under the supervision of major-league coaches Mike Borzello (who will continue working with Schwarber) and Henry Blanco, as well as field/catching coordinator Tim Cossins. There is no need to rush Contreras, but he presents an interesting option assuming he continues to progress while Schwarber tries to sharpen his skills. Especially with Ross entering what is likely the final season of his career and Montero seeking a healthy rebound season. Despite these issues, the Cubs are in a better state than they were at this time last year when they were looking for takers for Welington Castillo with no other serious in-house options. -- Chicago Tribune Cubs position-by-position analysis: Relief pitching By Mark Gonzales With the regular season over, the Tribune offers position-by-position analysis for the 2015 Cubs. Here we take a look at the relief pitching. 2015 statistics Hector Rondon: 72 games, 6-4 record, 1.67 ERA, 30 saves, 70 innings, 69 strikeouts, 55 hits allowed, five wild pitches, .212 opponents’ batting average. Pedro Strop: 76 games, 2-6 record, 2.91 ERA, three saves, 68 innings, 81 strikeouts, 39 hits allowed, six wild pitches, .167 opponents’ batting average. Fernando Rodney: 14 games (with Cubs), 2-0 record, 0.75 ERA, 12 innings, 15 strikeouts, eight hits allowed, one wild pitch, .186 opponents’ batting average.

Justin Grimm: 62 games, 3-5 record, 1.99 ERA, 49 2/3 innings, 67 strikeouts, 31 hits allowed, eight wild pitches, .178 opponents’ batting average. Travis Wood: 45 games (as reliever), 3-2 record, 2.95 ERA, 58 innings, 71 strikeouts, 43 hits allowed, one wild pitch, .207 opponents’ batting average. Clayton Richard: 20 games (as reliever), 2-2, 4.44 ERA, 24 1/3 innings, 14 strikeouts, 30 hits allowed, two wild pitches, .294 opponents’ batting average. Neil Ramirez: 19 games, 1-0 record, 3.21 ERA, 14 innings, 15 strikeouts, 12 hits allowed, two wild pitches, .231 opponents’ batting average. Jason Motte: 57 games, 8-1 record, 3.91 ERA, 48 1/3 innings, 34 strikeouts, 48 hits allowed, two wild pitches, .255 opponents’ batting average. Trevor Cahill: 11 games (with Cubs), 1-0 record, 2.12 ERA, 17 innings, 22 strikeouts, eight hits allowed, one wild pitch, .143 opponents’ batting average Tommy Hunter: 19 games (with Cubs). 2-0 record, 5.74 ERA, 15 2/3 innings, 15 strikeouts, 20 hits, .303 opponents’ batting average. Yoervis Medina: five games (with Cubs), 0-0 record, 7.00 ERA, nine innings, seven strikeouts, 12 hits allowed, .308 opponents’ batting average. Carl Edwards Jr.: five games, 0-0 record, 3.86 ERA, 4 2/3 innings, four strikeouts, three hits allowed, .188 opponents’ batting average. Zac Rosscup: 33 games, 2-1 record, 4.39 ERA, 26 2/3 innings, 29 strikeouts, 26 hits allowed, one wild pitch, .252 opponents’ batting average. A wave of rookies vaulted the Cubs to the NLCS and validated the team's mission for sustained success. Their sooner-than-expected arrival may come at the expense of free agents or a glut of young infielders who may be used as trade chips to address much-needed impact pitching. Here's a look at the Cubs roster and their projected futures, via the Tribune's Mark Gonzales. Contract status for 2016 Rondon: Arbitration eligible Strop: Arbitration eligible Rodney: Free agent Grimm: Arbitration eligible Wood: Arbitration eligible Richard: Arbitration eligible Ramirez: Club control Motte: Free agent Cahill: Free agent Hunter: Free agent Medina: Club control Edwards: Club control Rosscup: Club control Breakdown: The entire organization can take great satisfaction in producing a retooled and effective bullpen in the second half that was necessary because of injuries and early failures. But there are some yellow flags heading into the offseason. Five relievers, led by Rondon and Strop, are arbitration eligible. Strop (76 games) and Rondon (72) set career-highs in appearances, and Grimm pitched in 62 games despite missing the first four weeks because of right forearm inflammation.

The makeup of the bullpen could change if the Cubs can acquire at least one front-line pitcher who can consume close to 200 innings and not cause manager Joe Maddon to use an array of relievers to get through a game. Wood flourished as a reliever but would like to return to a starting role if given the chance. His potential raise in arbitration (around $6.5 million) could be too pricey. But his fastball had more zip as a reliever. Richard presents an attractive option because of his ability to start as well as relieve, and he’s a much cheaper option than Wood. The expectation is that they’ll get a healthy full year from Ramirez, who may be able to regain his 96 mph fastball with the help of a strong off-season shoulder strengthening program. Edwards could be used in the same role as Ramirez performed in 2014 if he can limit his walks. Workers dismantle the historic Wrigley Field marquee so renovation work can be done. The marquee will be refurbished and replaced once the work is completed. Look for the Cubs to seek a reliever who fulfilled the role that Motte performed during the first four months and Rodney in the final month unless they can sign either one at a team-friendly rate. Motte had an 0.93 ERA in June – after Rondon struggled and temporarily lost his full-time closer duties. Armando Rivero dealt with a family issue last winter and failed to make an impact in spring training. This spring could be his last shot, considering that he’ll turn 28 before next spring, struck out 53 but walked 32 in 57 innings at Triple-A Iowa last season after signing a $3.1 million bonus after leaving Cuba before the 2013 season. From the time he was hired, Maddon stressed he didn’t want to carry a left-hander just for the sake of carrying a left-hander. The Cubs and several media members (including yours truly) were misled when left-hander Phil Coke didn’t allow a run in 10 spring training appearances but allowed left-handed hitters to go 7-for-23 and right-handers 7-for-18 that led to his subsequent release during the third week of May. The market for Cahill bears watching, considering he has been a starting pitching most of his career but found a niche in relief with the Cubs and limited opponents to a .143 batting average – including a .105 mark (2-for-19 with nine strikeouts) against left-handers. -- Chicago Tribune Diminished power of managers in baseball echoes Cubs' early-'60s 'college of coaches' By Zach Helfand Dec. 21, 1960, readers who turned to the sports section of the Chicago Daily Tribune found on its cover an usual baseball article. Their beloved Cubs were taking a turn toward baseball analytics, only it wasn't called that yet. "The Cubs have installed an IBM system which gives instantaneous information on all players on National League rosters," the article said. It was a brief mention in a story about an even bolder experiment by the club. The banner headline: "CUBS TO USE 8 COACHES NEXT SEASON!" Team owner Philip K. Wrigley had decided that using one manager was inefficient. Instead, he'd rotate his coaching staff throughout the season. As the Dodgers prepare to hire a manager to preside over baseball's most expensive roster, the game is undergoing its biggest shift in game management philosophy since what became known as the Cubs' "College of Coaches."

The analytical league Wrigley perhaps foresaw has blossomed. The Dodgers, whose front-office staff mushroomed last year with the addition of president of baseball operations Andrew Freidman and General Manager Farhan Zaidi, supplied Manager Don Mattingly with a wealth of information. The power has shifted from the dugout to the front office. At the World Series last week, New York Mets Manager Terry Collins spoke about how even the training of minor league managers had changed. He raised a question: who is making the decisions? "Lineups are being written for them," Collins said. "This guy has to pitch today, at this amount. You can't pinch-hit, because these guys have got to hit the whole game. "They don't manage any more." A modern manager, Collins noted, is expected to sacrifice some authority. How much still isn't always clear. Wrigley began probing the question after another dismal season. He'd been cultivating a analytics-style operation since 1938, when he began assembling the Cubs' "Experimental Laboratories," and the returns were just starting to come in. (For example, the Cubs once offered a raise to a pitcher who had a record of 14-18 — because he had a 2.55 earned-run average, and Wrigley's numbers crunchers told him run prevention was more important than record.) By late 1960, Cubs employees were busy readying the new IBM system. Wrigley had grand plans. "Instead of going fishing or hunting after the season ends, they'll be in the office tabulating and working on a scientific system which we hope will be reflected in winning teams," Wrigley said. There was no time to waste: the Cubs hadn't won a World Series in 52 years. Wrigley saw one area particularly in need of disruption. Managers, Wrigley told reporters, were like "dictators." "Heavens," Wrigley said, "we don't need a dictator." Wrigley went with "head coaches," who took turns running the team and rotated through the organization, even to the minor leagues. At the time, Tommy Lasorda was a first-year scout for the Dodgers. The idea, he thought, echoing other traditionalists, had no chance. "What are you going to do, have four chefs make the soup?" he said recently. "Every one of them would make it different." Wrigley considered it "business efficiency applied to baseball." It was a disaster almost immediately. A month and a half into the 1961 season, the Cubs had gone through four head coaches — one for two stints — none with a winning record, and the players were frustrated. The team leaders, Don Zimmer and Richie Ashburn, called a meeting. "Every time they named a new head coach, we had a different lineup," Ashburn recalled to the Chicago Tribune. "The players started rooting for certain guys to be named head coach because each guy had his own favorites." The Cubs lost 90 games that season, and 103 the next.

Ned Colletti, the former Dodgers general manager and current senior advisor, was 7 years old, living in Chicago and experiencing his first baseball memories that first season. The problem, he said, was confusion. "People were constantly asking, 'Well, who's in charge?'" Colletti said. Fairly or not, similar questions surrounded Mattingly's final season with the Dodgers, with one major difference: the Dodgers won 92 games. After his departure, Mattingly was asked what role the increased front-office involvement had in his decision to leave. Mattingly said he felt "very comfortable" about the input he received. "I think the information is really good," Mattingly said. "Do I agree 100% on all of it? Uh, probably not." Freidman and Zaidi declined through a club spokesman to be interviewed for this story, but Colletti cautioned that the Cubs' experiment bore little resemblance to the environment today. "I think it's a totally different dynamic," he said. "If you were saying that a team in 2016 was going to have five different managers or head coaches going through it, then there might be reason to look at it closer." That's unlikely. Even Wrigley learned his lesson. By late 1965, when Wrigley picked Leo Durocher to manage the team, one quality stood out. "The primary reason," Wrigley said, "is that he's a take-charge guy." --