Chicago Cubs have a lot of reasons to like Jon Jay

If there's anything we've learned about the Cubs management team over the past five years, it's that team president Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer value team chemistry about as much as they do the stats.

One day after the Cubs signed free-agent outfielder Jon Jay to a one-year, $8 million contract, Hoyer provided some insight as to why.

"Jon was a guy we targeted right away going into the off-season," Hoyer said Wednesday. "He seemed like an excellent fit for us from a makeup and leadership standpoint. He's got an off-the-charts reputation. We knew that losing (backup catcher and leader) David Ross would be a big void for us.

"He can come in and complement the really good core of young leaders that we already have. We didn't feel there was that many guys that could come into a team that just won the World Series and be able to fit that seamlessly and be able to help lead this team. I think he really can, given his reputation. A lot of comments we've gotten from his now-teammates indicate that his reputation definitely precedes him."

Of course, there are the stats, too. Jay, who turns 32 in March, has a lifetime batting line of .287/.352/.384 in seven seasons, six with the St. Louis Cardinals and this past year with the San Diego Padres.

A broken right forearm limited Jay to 90 games in 2016, when he went .291/.339/.389.

Hoyer expects Jay to help the development of young center fielder Albert Almora, calling Almora the team's "center fielder of the future."

"He's a really good left-handed-hitting outfielder," Hoyer said of Jay. "He can play center field very well and really is an excellent complement to Albert Almora. For us, Jay fits from a baseball standpoint. He's good from a makeup standpoint."

It's also likely Jay and Almora will team up to replace center fielder Dexter Fowler, who put the "go" into the Cubs' engine from the leadoff spot the past two years. Fowler was a free agent last winter, too, but he ended up back with the Cubs at the start of spring training.

Hoyer knows the marketplace, so he knows getting Fowler back looks unlikely.

"Dexter has been such a wonderful member of the Cubs the last two seasons," Hoyer said. "He's always welcome here. Obviously, last off-season, we didn't anticipate him returning, and he did. We would never close the door on a reunion with Dexter. He's a guy that's going to live in Cubs lore for a long time.

"We would never close the door on Dexter, but we are aware it's something that may not happen for us."

No intracity deals?

One national report making the rounds this week was that the Chicago White Sox would not want to deal with the world-champion Cubs.

Hoyer was circumspect about that, saying the Cubs have "very good and very long relationships" with Sox executives Kenny Williams and Rick Hahn.

"We actually talk to them on a fairly regular basis," Hoyer said. "I would just say that I wouldn't expect a deal to get done between the two teams. I think they would always listen to a deal and think through the merits of it.

"People talk about deals in-division, and they're very difficult to do. And people talk about deals done within different cities. You don't see a lot of deals done between the Mets and Yankees or Oakland and San Francisco. I think deals within your own city are difficult to make because you've got a lot of writers covering the same things, and there's a lot of scrutiny.

"They're (the White Sox) in the business of getting better, and they're in the business of doing the best deal. I don't think anything that has been written is the least bit surprising. I don't expect a lot of deals to be done between the White Sox and Cubs. I don't think I'm saying anything surprising when I say that."

The Schwarber reset:

It has been almost eight months since Kyle Schwarber suffered a serious knee injury during a game. Schwarber was able to play and contribute in the World Series. Epstein said back then the eight-month mark would be key in Schwarber's rehab.

Schwarber has had some rest since the Series, and now the Cubs are considering whether to send Schwarber to winter ball for some at-bats.

"He's doing well right now," Hoyer said. "I haven't had an update the last week or so. I don't want to talk out of school about exactly what he's doing. Certainly everything has been positive. We had a medical-review meeting last week, and everything was positive on his front. We're hopeful the little rest he's had the last month, which he deserves, will help him, and he'll get back to his rehab.

"He played in the World Series and showed he can run a little bit. We're expecting him to be full go, going into spring training."