Miles: Rizzo's 'swagger,' optimism fine with Epstein
What's all the fuss over that brave talk about the Cubs winning the division?
It's OK. It's really OK, according to team president Theo Epstein.
The Cubs' annual fan convention kicked off Friday to near-frenzied levels of excitement. Much of it had to do with the off-season signing of pitcher Jon Lester and the hiring of manager Joe Maddon.
And some of it may have been stoked by first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who this week predicted a National League Central title for the Cubs.
“I love where Anthony's coming from, his attitude,” Epstein said. “You want your players to be optimistic. You want them to have a little bit of swagger. We want them excited. So I think it's a good thing.”
Rizzo's proclamation also played well with new manager Joe Maddon, who was given the rock-star treatment from fans during the opening ceremonies.
“First of all, I'm really happy that Anthony feels that strongly about it because I feel the same way,” Maddon said. “I'm here to support everything he said.”
Maddon also was informed the Sporting News has the Cubs winning the World Series this year.
“Regarding the publications, that's another thing,” he said. “When I took the job originally, I talked from the beginning that you have to aim high always. The threat is if you don't aim high enough, you might hit your mark. So I really like what Anthony said, and I'm all for it.”
The last several years of the Cubs convention were on the lackluster side, but with the heightened expectations and the organization's young players bubbling toward the top, there was no shortage of energy at the opening ceremonies.
Team chairman Tom Ricketts noticed.
“This one has a little different attitude, a little different vibe,” Ricketts told the crowd. “It's that tone that gives us the confidence for our 2015 marketing slogan, which is simply, 'Let's go.' ”
Castro on the move:
Shortstop Starlin Castro met the Chicago media for the first time since being questioned by authorities last month over his proximity to a shooting incident in the Dominican Republic.
Castro, who was cleared of any wrongdoing, said he is thinking about moving to the United States — he has been in Arizona working out at the Cubs' spring-training facility.
“I'll just say that I was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he said. “I want to let everybody know that I don't even know what happened. I'm in Arizona, started working, just try to let everybody know that I'm not that kind of person that does all those negative things. It's not me. I feel bad that this happened.”
Epstein said Castro has made a good first step.
“I think he has to take some responsibility for the situation he found himself in and 'own' that,” Epstein said. “I think he does. Oftentimes when you face adversity in life or when you get knocked down, it's almost more important how you respond. He has responded the right way. Moving is a pretty significant step. He's prepared to spend a lot of time away from his hometown getting ready for the season.
“It's a situation where it was a wake-up call of sorts for him. It's important he be the one getting the wake-up call, not someone making it for him. We didn't mandate that he move. We didn't mandate that he make changes. We gave him our perspective on it. As a mature person, I think he came to the right conclusion.”
Roster machinations:
Epstein said the Cubs could “conceivably” make a significant roster move before spring training but that he didn't foresee adding another big-name player.
“It's really more involved with the shape of the roster and addressing areas where we don't have quite as much depth,” he said.
The Cubs did take care of business Friday, agreeing to terms with arbitration-eligible players Jake Arrieta ($3.63 million) Chris Coghlan ($2.505 million), Travis Wood ($5.685 million) and Luis Valbuena ($4.2 million).
The only remaining arbitration-eligible player not signed is reliever Pedro Strop, but there is plenty of time to settle before a hearing is needed next month.