LAS VEGAS – Jon Lester, the longtime ace up the Cubs’ sleeve, read the hand as soon as it was dealt.
“I can kind of see where you’re going with the question as far as why haven’t we signed our guys,” the big left-hander said to the reporter asking about all those contract extensions young White Sox players and prospects have been signing.
“We have guys that are just betting on themselves,” Lester said. “Once you reach a certain point, it’s like, ‘Why not test free agency and see?’
“We wait to get that leverage, and when we do, sometimes it’s good to wait.”
The poker-faced Lester put those chips on the table on the eve of the Cubs’ annual spring training trip to Las Vegas over the weekend – at the time during its competitive window his team faces its longest odds of keeping the core together.
Unable to get long-term extensions done with anybody but Kyle Hendricks and David Bote the last few years has left Kris Bryant, Javy Baez, Kyle Schwarber and possibly even Willson Contreras and Anthony Rizzo in limbo when it comes to their not-so-distant futures with the Cubs.
“You have two different types of players,” Lester said. “I’m more of a guy that likes the security of it. You’ve got guys that don’t; they’ll bet on themselves and they’ll play it out to the end. I think there’s nothing wrong with either of those.”
And without a strong start by the team this season, all bets are off, and the last window for this group might be closed by the end of the July 31 deadline.
“There’s no secret that there’s a sense of urgency around here, and that’s how we’re preparing,” manager David Ross said.
Until then, here were the lines on all these guys betting on themselves as they headed out of Vegas Sunday night:
Odds Kris Bryant still a Cub for Wrigley Field opener March 30– 2/3
“Theo keeps asking for the moon for me, which is pretty cool, because I’m not going to get traded then,” Bryant said. “Keep doing that, Theo. ‘We want the team’s best player and their top two prospects.’ That’s all it’s going to take.”
Odds Javy Baez agrees to a contract extension before Cubs break camp in two weeks – 6-1
The All-Star shortstop said Christian Yelich’s below-market extension with the Brewers has no bearing on his ongoing talks with the team. “Hopefully, we get mine done,” Baez said. “We’re working on it.”
It’s been months of working on it, with little indication in recent days that a deal was imminent. “All we can do is make offers, make our intentions known and then see if we can get something done,” team president Theo Epstein said of extension efforts with players in general.
Odds Kris Bryant still a Cub the day after the trade deadline – 5-2
“Realistically, we’re a bad start away from this team being blown up by the deadline,” Anthony Rizzo said.
Odds Cubs keep roster together and add help at the deadline – 5-1
“We’re a good start away from adding onto a legacy,” Rizzo said. They’re also projected to exceed the luxury-tax threshold for the second consecutive year so borderline competitive or hanging-in-there probably won’t cut it when the front office and ownership makes the call whether to add or dump.
Odds Rizzo gets an extension offer before next season– 125-1
He turns 31 in August, and the Cubs have him under control for one more season on a $16.5-million option. No reason to talk until then – especially if the roster is in transition and luxury-tax concerns are still in play.
“[Baseball] is a business. It’s as cutthroat as ever now,” Rizzo said.
Odds Craig Kimbrel leads Cubs in saves in 2020 – Even
The seven-time All-Star closer who struggled after signing last summer is the $43 million question for the Cubs this season and could have a disproportionate impact on trade deadline decisions.
Odds Cubs ownership puts to rest to much of this uncertainty and spends on players in proportion to revenue increases – 208 million/1
As Rizzo said last month: “Money talks.”
