Chicago Cubs happy with team's depth
No Utley, no problem for the Cubs, as they see it.
With Philadelphia Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro saying he believes veteran second baseman Chase Utley won't be traded, the Cubs will have to look elsewhere or depend on what they have from within the organization the rest of the way.
That seems OK with them.
"We've said that; our depth is improving," general manager Jed Hoyer said Tuesday. "We talked all year about pushing guys probably too hard. We didn't get enough days off for guys like (Kris) Bryant and (Addison) Russell in June and July.
"We've got Javy (Baez) and (Tommy) La Stella in the minor leagues. (Jonathan) Herrera's done a nice job for us. I think our depth is improving."
Hoyer added it's still possible the Cubs could make a waiver trade before Sept. 1.
Either way, they've already begun discussions on whom to bring up from Class AAA Iowa or perhaps even Class AA Tennessee on or after Sept. 1, when rosters may expand.
"It's hard," Hoyer said. "You've got a lot of factors in play. You want to make sure that your innings are covered in case anything random happens, a rain delay or a blowout game. You never want to use high-leverage guys in those situations in September.
"You want to make sure you can match up really well off the bench. You want to make sure you have pinch runners."
He stressed another key aspect to call-ups.
"But you also want to make sure you don't ruin your clubhouse in September," he said." You guys are down there every day. You see how much space we have. The last thing you want is too many guys down there, and it kind of just (stinks) the vibe of what's been going well.
"You want to call up enough guys to cover all those factors I mentioned before. You don't want too many guys; you look up and you've changed the dynamic of your clubhouse. That's what we're weighing."
Keep on working:
Left-hander Jon Lester, who is scheduled to start Wednesday's finale against the Tigers, was out during the afternoon practicing his pickoff move to first base with catching coach Mike Borzello, pitching coach Chris Bosio and bench coach Dave Martinez all watching closely.
Throwing to first has been an issue for Lester, and the Cubs continue to work on it.
"That's something we've been doing since spring training," manager Joe Maddon said. "He does it all the time, and it's something we have to continue to do."
Rotation roulette:
The Cubs will adjust their starting rotation, and its effects will factor into next week's key road trip to the West Coast.
Jake Arrieta will stay on his normal rest and start Thursday night's series opener against Atlanta at Wrigley Field, with Kyle Hendricks being pushed back to Friday. That also will enable the Cubs to start Arrieta on Tuesday at San Francisco and the following Sunday at Dodger Stadium.