Tom Ricketts Echoes Theo Epstein's Focus For Cubs In Coming Years: Add Pitching
(CBS) Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein's mantra of what the focus needs to be for the team's roster moving forward doesn't just trickle down to others in the organization. It has also caught on with his boss.
Looking ahead Monday before the Cubs raised their 2016 championship banner in the evening, chairman Tom Ricketts echoed Epstein's sentiments regarding what the Cubs need to add if they want to become a dynasty: pitching, pitching, pitching.
"If you asked our baseball guys, they'd say the depth in starting pitching as we project over the next few years is something they'd like to improve," Ricketts said in an interview with Mully and Hanley on 670 The Score. "They had some good trades ... that have helped us for the future, but we'll see. There are a lot of things that can go wrong in that department. Starting pitchers typically get hurt, and when they get hurt, they're typically gone a long time. So a little depth there will be a priority for Theo and Jed (Hoyer). But net net, we obviously wouldn't trade the cards we have for anybody in baseball and we won't for the next number of years. It's a long runway of really talented, high-character young guys.
"There are a lot of reasons to be optimistic. We were the younger team in the history of the World Series. We're the youngest team in baseball now. On paper, we're likely to be the best team in baseball this year. If we stay healthy, execute and focus, I think we're going to have just a fabulous summer."