Imrem: Hammel news says Chicago Cubs in for difficult decisions
Ideally, the Chicago Cubs wouldn't have to change anything from their championship season.
Everybody would be back in 2017, everybody would be happy, and everybody would win another World Series together.
Doesn't work that way.
No team in any sport is the same year after year after year.
Managing change is crucial.
Two developments have made the Cubs different from the team that won the title just last week.
First, on the very day of the victory parade and rally, catcher Miguel Montero complained about how he was used during the World Series.
This represented trouble in paradise compared to how the Cubs' family had been humming along.
Montero wanted to play more, and if he couldn't he wanted Cubs manager Joe Maddon to communicate why.
Boohoo!
A couple of days later the Cubs surprisingly declined to pick up the 2017 option on pitcher Jason Hammel's contract.
Bye-bye!
Let's address the Hammel situation first.
This is a good pitcher whose 15 victories will have to be replaced.
Encouraging to Cubs fans should be the early indication that the front office won't be married to players until death do they part.
Too many teams, general managers and owners succumb to the temptation to keep players who helped them win a championship.
Emotion shouldn't play into these decisions. Practicality should. Relationships are important in pro sports, but, as cold as it sounds, winning is more important.
Nothing is guaranteed either way, of course. The Chicago White Sox boldly traded fan favorite Aaron Rowand for Jim Thome after winning the 2005 World Series and didn't even return to the playoffs the next season.
The Cubs could stay with Hammel but must think they can do better and perhaps more affordably.
Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer could do a lot worse than what the Blackhawks have done. Different sports in different leagues with different economic structures: salary cap in the NHL, no salary cap in MLB.
The Hawks were forced to identify a core of players and tweak the roster around them.
The Cubs can do that, too, with a core that includes the likes of Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Kyle Schwarber, Javier Baez, Kyle Hendricks, Jon Lester, Albert Almora Jr. and prospects to be named.
Epstein and Hoyer seem flexible, and the list could be fluid.
If the Angels decide to trade Mike Trout, who's to say the Cubs wouldn't give up Rizzo to get him?
But if Epstein and Hoyer wouldn't, it would be because they believe they can win more with Rizzo than with Trout. It wouldn't be because of the soft spot they have in their hearts for Rizzo.
Ruthless is a word with a negative connotation, but sometimes a pro sports executive has to be ruthless to keep his team in contention for titles.
Can you say Bill Belichick, boys and girls?
Back to Miguel Montero, who spent most of the World Series on the bench behind Willson Contreras and David Ross.
Some of Maddon's moves can be questioned, but stranding Montero behind Door No. 3 isn't one of them.
Winning is tough, and difficult decisions have to be made by strong people at the expense of good people.
Cubs fans should be thrilled to see that Maddon, Epstein and Hoyer aren't afraid to make them.
mimrem@dailyherald.com