Cubs indeed playing for all the money
The Cubs are indicating they're more than willing to pay the price of high-stakes baseball poker.
Monday, the Brewers signaled "all in" with a blockbuster trade, and Tuesday the Cubs not only called but raised.
The Brewers traded for pitcher C.C. Sabathia, and the Cubs countered by trading for pitcher Rich Harden.
The Brewers said, "We're going for it," and the Cubs responded with, "We're trying to win this thing."
Clearly these aren't the same, old Cubs - yours, your father's, your grandfather's or your great- grandfather's.
Too often Cubs management looked for reasons to not do something instead of reasons to do something.
The Cubs were reluctant to trade good young players. They didn't want to take a guy with a history of health problems. They didn't want to spend money on a quality veteran.
Tuesday, the Cubs took all three of those risks, and general manager Jim Hendry declared about more possible upgrades, "We're still open for business."
The Cubs' old way is how a franchise goes since 1908 without winning a World Series and since 1945 without even playing in one.
Maybe Cubs fans and the local media were to blame for failing to demand better.
Regardless, this time these Cubs eagerly exchanged four prospects for two established Oakland pitchers.
The last time the Cubs were quite so bold was midseason of 1984, when Dallas Green traded for Dennis Eckersley and then Rick Sutcliffe.
Green was an aggressive general manager and Tribune Company was a relatively new owner that still thought it could make money in baseball by spending money.
The strategy drove the Cubs to within a few innings of the '84 World Series.
All these years later the Cubs' management-ownership dy- namic is in place for another run. Hendry is an aggressive GM. He has a huge budget to work with because the Trib is selling the Cubs and trying to make it attractive to buyers.
Business often is why major-league teams aim for the World Series. Sometimes it's because the club is for sale. Other times the goal is a new stadium.
Nothing wrong with either and nothing wrong with whatever reason the Cubs are trying "to win this thing" this year.
It's always said Chicago will tolerate mediocrity, or worse, as long as players give all they have on the field.
The same could, and should, be expected of front offices. All that fans of any team here can ask is management devote available resources toward winning a championship.
The White Sox have begun doing that under Jerry Reinsdorf and Kenny Williams. The Blackhawks seem to be now that Bill Wirtz is gone. The Bulls have a ways to go but maybe Derrick Rose's arrival will prompt them to forget luxury tax concerns.
The Cubs? Their payroll of around $120 million indicates they're serious about winning a World Series, and the Harden trade is further evidence.
No longer is it, "Let's get to the playoffs and see what happens." It's more like, "Let's get to the playoffs and make something happen."
If the Cubs don't win a World Series this season, at least the feeling will be that they gave it their best shot for a change.
mimrem@dailyherald.com