Frustrated Cubs GM Epstein: 'If this stretch of bad play continues ... a ton of change is in order'

Chicago Cubs president Theo Epstein took to the airwaves Wednesday to vent his frustrations about the current malaise afflicting his team.

Epstein threatened changes to the team if play does not improve. After the Cubs reached their high-water Mark of 29-18 on May 21, they went 14-23 entering Wednesday night's game at Pittsburgh.

"We're all really frustrated, obviously," Epstein told WSCR radio, the Cubs' flagship station, Wednesday afternoon. "It's a stretch of play nobody is proud of, nor should anybody be. It's hard. But you find out a lot about what people are made of during stretches like these. It obviously can't continue. It's not acceptable. There have been too many words about it and not enough action. There's nothing I can say, especially on a radio interview, to make it better.

"It's incumbent on all of us to find ways out of it. And obviously on our (front office) end, a big part of that is transactional. It's the time of year to do that. Change is obviously called for if we keep playing like this. But there's opportunities for everyone to do better - every player, every coach, everyone associated with what we're doing right now. It's not satisfactory."

The trade deadline of July 31 is fast approaching, and Epstein would not rule out changes to the roster via trades. The Cubs on Wednesday selected infielder Robel Garcia from Class AAA Iowa, but that may be a short-term fix. The Cubs have made the postseason the past four seasons, winning the franchise's first World Series title since 1908 in 2016.

"I don't think sitting on our hands is really a viable option," Epstein told the radio station. "We want to be in a position to have enough belief that we're looking to aggressively add and sort of polish up what we think can be a championship team. If we're not, that means this stretch of bad play has continued. And if this stretch of bad play continues, then certainly ... a ton of change is in order.

"Certainly between now and July 31, if we haven't started to play better and even if we have in some areas ... change to just change the environment might be called for, change as a catalyst," Epstein said. "There are lots of different areas.

"I actually am really optimistic about our ability to fix it."