Chicago Cubs Trying to Straddle Thin Line Between Contender and Buying Time

When Cubs owner Tom Ricketts fired GM Jim Hendry, he said he was looking for the next GM to be a player development guy who would build the Cubs the right way—through the draft.

Since then he got his guy and that man, Theo Epstein, certainly has the chops that Ricketts spoke of, but the rules have changed.

Teams can no longer spend an unlimited amount of money on the draft with the new CBA. Unlike before, when the Commissioner issued draft guidelines, now there are tangible consequences for teams that overspend in the draft.

Yet even prior to that happening, Ricketts and Epstein were dealing with a Cubs fan base that has been waiting such a long time for a championship that totally blowing off 2012 was never a viable option.

Now for me, personally, if I thought the Cubs were building for the future and that meant enduring a couple more lousy seasons, I would put my trust in Epstein and go along with the plan.

But the fear for Ricketts is that fans may continue staying away from Wrigley Field enough to hurt their cash cow. Not only would this cut into their profits, but it would impede their ability to put forth a decent payroll target.

Make no mistake, Ricketts wants to win, but he is a businessman who has accumulated a lot of debt with this purchase and isn't a martyr.

Recognizing that, he and his baseball experts are forced to walk the tightrope of wanting to trade off chips for young prospects while still putting forward a competitive club for next season.

If that reminds you of what Hendry used to do, well, you have a point. However, unlike Hendry, Epstein has won a couple of World Series titles.

Plus, two things favor not going young this year.

One, the Cubs don't have major league ready prospects to take over. And, they don't really have trading chips that would generate a lot of top young talent in return.

Tyler Colvin and DJ LeMahieu are probably never going to be regulars in the major leagues. Now, Ian Stewart may never be capable of playing at a high level either, but he at least has had some success in the major leagues.

Alfonso Soriano and even Carlos Zambrano wouldn't net the Cubs much in return due to their salaries.

Meanwhile, trading Carlos Marmol would normally be a smart thing to do, but the Cubs would be selling low. Marmol had a terrible season last year and will now start to make serious coin, so again, they wouldn't get much in return.

Among the marketable players, they have Matt Garza, who should net quite a bit in return. He has two seasons of control remaining.

But if they move him, who do they have in the rotation? Again, if you're not trying to win now, that doesn't really matter, but remember what we said about having to walk that tightrope with Cubs fans.

Geo Soto might be in demand given the dearth of catchers who can hit, but he is eligible for arbitration. Still, I would consider moving him for a good prospect or two.  

The only remaining Cubs on the roster besides the ones I've mentioned who could net a good prospect is left handed reliever Sean Marshall.

Sure, teams would love guys like Andrew Cashner and Starlin Castro, but they are young and should be part of the future—not mortgaged for the future.

Marlon Byrd has a reasonable contract, so I'm sure he could be moved to make way for Brett Jackson (if he is ready, which is a big if), but he's not going to get the Cubs a top prospect in return.  

So it's easy to see how tough of a project this is for Epstein and company. Unlike the team he took over in Boston—which had been a 93-win team the year prior—this current team is not ready to win now or in the near future without help from the outside.

Yet the Cubs need to continue selling that hope to its rabid fan base, so they must present a team that—on paper—has a chance to win now.

Yes, it certainly is a tightrope that Epstein and the Cubs need to tread. I hope they have circus experience.