Ryan Theriot's Arbitration Hearing

The Cubs are showing little interest in Ryan Theriot long term.

The club avoided arbitration hearings with five players on Tuesday, but failed to sign Theriot, and that should be a wakeup call for the second baseman.

Theriot is seeking $3.4M. The Cubs counter offer is $2.6M, which is a surprisingly small gap to be settled by a hearing, and something Chicago has avoided all together since Mark Grace’s case in 1993.

Arbitration is never pretty, which is why compromising, and not hearings, is the smart approach to building long-term player relationships.

The Cubs, however, appear disinterested in Theriot beyond this year, as evident by their reluctance to pay the man who led the league in singles the past two years.

It’s clear the Cubs want Theriot for one more year, and it’s clear they want him on the cheap, too. Otherwise, this situation would be moving in a different direction.

As it is, the Cubs direction is pointed at top-prospect Starlin Castro…Ryan Theriot and his money be damned.