During a state-of-the-Cubs interview in March in his suite at Sloan Park in Mesa, Ariz., Cubs President Theo Epstein admitted he didn't explore any of the available closers in the offseason.
"No, we think (Hector) Rondon is underrated," he said. "I think our bullpen as a whole is underrated. Bullpens don't always show up year after year after year, but we like the mix we have.
"We thought we added to the depth and bringing (Trevor) Cahill and (Clayton) Richard back _ we only had those two for the last month _ and adding (Adam) Warren to it, we feel we've turned over enough of it and it's going to be really effective this year."
One thing the Cubs do best is audible, and the bullpen mix has since undergone a dramatic change, including a late-innings nip-and-tuck with Aroldis Chapman as closer and Rondon moving into a setup role. Joe Nathan, Mike Montgomery and now Joe Smith were added, while rookie Carl Edwards Jr. was called up in late June and never looked back.
The cosmetic surgery was necessary, and now the Cubs feel they have the right mix to take into the postseason. But while they focused on the pen, they did nothing to add to the offense.
On nights like Monday, when the Cubs faced subpar pitching in a 5-0 win over the Marlins, it's not a problem. But knowing they're certain to face strong starting pitching in the postseason, do the Cubs feel confident they have enough hitting to survive October?
"We do," manager Joe Maddon said. "The biggest thing is for our young hitters to continue to advance. I always talk about the two-strike approach, moving the baseball against better pitchers in moments situationally. We've got a couple more months to continue to improve upon that.
"Yeah, we do have enough. The hitting, there is enough here that we have to incorporate what we're learning."
Patience is a virtue. The Cubs stranded 11 baserunners in the first four innings Monday before pitcher Kyle Hendricks singled home a run for a 3-0 lead. They entered August fourth in the majors in runs scored (529) and second in the National League behind the Cardinals (533).
Yet the lineup has cooled considerably. In July the Cubs were 12th in runs (114) and 17th in hitting (.248) while going 12-14. We've seen good-hitting Cubs teams disappear when it mattered most in 2007 (Diamondbacks), 2008 (Dodgers) and last year (Mets).
It would be difficult to watch them cruise through the regular season only to struggle again in a playoff series. Maddon insists his young hitters are showing more plate patience, using Addison Russell as an example. The Cubs managed to work Mariners ace Felix Hernandez for 103 pitches through five shutout innings Sunday, then bounced back from a six-run deficit, scoring three in the ninth and winning in the 12th.
Was it a mirage, or the start of something big?
The Cubs haven't hit well in the clutch this year, batting .248 with runners in scoring position, 21st in the majors entering August. Outside of Anthony Rizzo (.342 with runners in scoring position), Kris Bryant (.267) and Russell (.257), the rest of the cast has come up short: Jason Heyward (.200), Miguel Montero (.224), Ben Zobrist (.243), Dexter Fowler (.241), Willson Contreras (.237) and Javier Baez (.247).
The Cubs made a run at A's outfielder Josh Reddick but weren't prepared to give up anything of value, so Reddick wound up with the Dodgers. Now the Cubs will scan the waiver wire for potential pickups and continue to mix and match in left field with Contreras, Bryant, Zobrist and Chris Coghlan, while hoping Jorge Soler eventually gets his groove back during his minor-league rehab stint.
Versatility played a factor in the Cubs' reluctance to overpay, according to general manager Jed Hoyer. He facetiously mentioned Travis Wood, the jack-of-all-trades pitcher who played the outfield Sunday night.
"One factor that was not ideal for us, given our situation, was we had two active sellers in our division (the Brewers and Reds) and one active seller in our city (the White Sox)," Hoyer said. "So it's really hard to do deals with those teams."
The Cubs should be fine with the status quo.
But one more bat wouldn't hurt.
