January 20, 2016

 ESPNChicago.com, Salary gap is large, but still likely to settle http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/36251/salary-gap-is-large-but-jake-arrieta-still-likely-to- settle

 CSNChicago.com, Do Cubs still see catching as part of ’s future? http://www.csnchicago.com/cubs/do-cubs-still-see-catching-part-kyle-schwarber%E2%80%99s-future

 Chicago Tribune, Cubs outfield prospect Billy McKinney healthy for 2016 http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-billy-mckinney-healthy-20160120-story.html

 Chicago Tribune, City Hall turns thumbs down on closing Clark, Addison for Cubs games http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-wrigley-field-security-measures-response-met- 20160119-story.html

 Chicago Tribune, Pearl Jam announces 2 Wrigley Field shows http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-pearl-jam-announces-2-wrigley-field-shows-20160119- story.html

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ESPNChicago.com Salary gap is large, but Jake Arrieta still likely to settle By Jesse Rogers

CHICAGO -- The lone arbitration-eligible player yet to sign a contract with the also happens to be the National League Cy Young award winner.

Standing just feet away from each other this past weekend at the fan convention, Theo Epstein and Jake Arrieta said all the right things about getting a deal done and it’s very likely they will before an arbiter hears the case. But since Arrieta is as high profile as it gets, let’s review what this all means.

Friday deadline: Last Friday was the day teams and players had to exchange salary figures for one-year deals in 2016, which will be used in arbitration if it gets that far. It’s why you heard so many players around the league signing that day. Once they both file then the sides have to prepare as if they will go to a hearing, which would take place in the first couple of weeks of February. It becomes a laborious exercise, especially if they settle ahead of the hearing -- then a lot of that preparation is for nothing.

Arbitration rules: There are two key points to remember: By rule an arbiter can only choose the salary submitted by the team or the one by the player. He can’t split the difference. And the sides can still negotiate all the way up until the hearing -- that’s for a one-year deal or a long-term commitment.

Most players get up to three chances through arbitration before becoming a free agent. This is Round 2 for Arrieta as he settled before a hearing last season at $3.63 million. As a player moves through his first six years in the majors his salary continues to rise, especially in those arbitration years when the key is who came before him. Teams, agents and arbiters base everything on comparable players at a similar point in their careers.

Arrieta’s case: Last Friday the Cubs submitted a salary of $7.5 million, while agent asked for $13 million. That's a large gap but as Epstein noted the numbers are used strategically, not as offers. In other words, in negotiations with Arrieta before Friday the Cubs undoubtedly offered in the $10 million range, but in order to find a middle ground the sides submit more extreme figures to get the process moving.

“The filing numbers aren’t offers, they’re filing numbers used to either create a hearing ... or more likely a settlement,” Epstein said. “These numbers provide room for a settlement.”

Going by just those numbers, Arrieta is in line for either a $3.87 million raise or a $9.37 million raise. That’s a wide range, which means it’s probably a good idea for the sides to settle. Both sides may not want to take a chance at going to a hearing.

Comparable players: Max Scherzer won the Cy Young in 2013 but was entering his third year of arbitration, so he doesn’t fit as well as David Price from 2012. Like Arrieta, Price won the Cy Young before his second year of arbitration and his salary increased $5.76 million from $4.35 million to $10.11 million. So that’s the blueprint for Arrieta, with two exceptions: It’s three years later and Arrieta had a better season, producing a 1.77 ERA compared to 2.56 for Price. ERA is a big part of the equation when it comes to arbitration and Arrieta had the lowest second- half mark in the game.

So how much more of a raise does Arrieta deserve? That’s the debate, which involves more parties than just the team and player. The players' association undoubtedly wants Arrieta to receive more than Price (he’s starting $700k behind). The team wants to keep his raise in line with Price as much as possible.

Arrieta’s strategy: On the surface you might think it would be a good idea for Arrieta to become the first player since Epstein took over to have an arbitration hearing, considering he pitched more like a $13 million player than a $7.5 million one in 2015. Common sense would tell you that. But it’s more complicated than that, because an arbiter isn’t necessarily deciding between $7.5 million and $13 million.

The arbiter only has to decide if Arrieta deserves one penny more or less than the midpoint between the two figures, which is $10.25 million. If the arbiter thinks Arrieta should get, say, $10 million then he/she will rule in favor of the team and he’ll receive $7.5 million. If the arbiter believes Arrieta deserves closer to $11 million, then he/she will rule in favor of Arrieta and he'll receive $13 million. And as agents will tell you, arbiters are as unpredictable as juries in a trial. Arrieta’s strategy should be to settle.

What will happen: Given his historic season, combined with the price of inflation since Price signed his deal, expect Arrieta to make better than the midpoint of $10.25 million if and when the sides settle on a salary. He’ll beat Price, but by how much? Think closer to $11 million, maybe just under.

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CSNChicago.com Do Cubs still see catching as part of Kyle Schwarber’s future? By Patrick Mooney

The Kyle Schwarber question doesn’t have a simple, yes-or-no answer.

Can he catch in the big leagues? Sure, maybe, probably not.

It all depends on a team with expectations, a learning curve that’s incredibly demanding and a player who didn’t have a single professional at-bat above the Class-A level at this time last year.

The Cubs have always been more bullish on Schwarber than the industry consensus, getting the last laugh after draft experts wondered why they reached for a designated hitter with the fourth overall pick in 2014.

Schwarber made his big-league debut the following June, slugging 16 home runs in 69 games last season and then hitting five more bombs in the playoffs, including the ball that landed on a Wrigley Field video board (which turned into a goofy story for the Chicago media).

The Cubs still owe $28 million across the next two years, is about to begin his farewell tour and has emerged as a frontline catching prospect. A strong season at Triple-A Iowa could have Contreras ready for Chicago by 2017. The Cubs can’t afford to let Schwarber work on the art of catching in Des Moines.

“As far as I’m concerned, he’s a ,” catching/strategy said. “I’m not letting that go until Joe (Maddon) or Theo (Epstein) says he’s not a catcher. That’s where I see Kyle Schwarber being the most impactful on this team – behind the plate at some point. I think he’s capable of it. I think he wants to do it. And his baseball IQ is off the charts.”

Maddon’s coaching staff and Epstein’s front office love Schwarber for his energy, enthusiasm and blue-collar attitude. He’s spent most of the offseason working out in Tampa, Fla., doing yoga to increase his flexibility and agility drills to create more explosiveness.

Yes, there were times where Schwarber looked awkward trying to play left field during a National League Championship Series the never trailed in and swept by a 21-8 aggregate score.

But it also takes unbelievable rhythm, timing and hand-eye coordination to bash like Schwarber, who had been a second-team All-Ohio linebacker in high school before going to Indiana University.

“It’s no secret, the kid can hit,” said bench coach , who works with the team’s . “We love putting him in the lineup, there’s no question about that. What you guys don’t know is this kid is unbelievably athletic.

“He wants to steal bases. He comes up to me all the time and says: ‘Hey, let me steal, let me steal, let me steal.’ Relax, baby steps. But this guy is a team player. He’ll do anything we ask him to do. Of course, he wants to do both. He thinks he can catch and play the outfield.”

During last week’s Cubs Convention events, Martinez noticed how Schwarber shadowed the three-time Gold Glove with the new $184 million contract.

“I watched Schwarber hang with and pick his brain about playing the outfield,” Martinez said. “(Schwarber) knows he’s got a lot of work to do. He’s willing to put in the time, both in catching and the outfield.”

Is there enough time for on-the-job training with a team that FanGraphs projects will finish with the best record in baseball?

Borzello worked on ’s teams that won four World Series titles between 1996 and 2000. , a premier offensive catcher in The Bronx, didn’t really begin to contribute until his age-25 season in 1997, when still caught 111 games. It took three more years before Posada blossomed into an All-Star who would get 600-plus plate appearances and play more than 112 games.

“Yeah, I think he can catch,” Borzello said of Schwarber, who will turn 23 during spring training. “He just needs the reps. And it’s up to Theo and (general manager) Jed (Hoyer) to decide what they want to do as far as the wear and tear from that position, and (how) they think that will effect the long-term offense.

“Can he do it? Yeah, he can certainly do it cerebrally. And physically, we would have to find out.”

This is an interesting big-picture question. But the reality is no one will care about Schwarber’s UZR or pitch- framing finesse when he’s crushing the ball out toward the Allegheny River, the way he did during that unforgettable wild-card win over the at PNC Park.

“I love the work, man,” Schwarber said. “Whatever the team wants me to do – that’s going to be what it comes down to. I feel like (I) have to get better at those positions to continue on and help this team win. So whatever it is – whatever they want me to do – I’m all-in and all for it.”

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Chicago Tribune Cubs outfield prospect Billy McKinney healthy for 2016 By Mark Gonzales

It took a knee injury last August to slow Billy McKinney's development.

But the Chicago Cubs' left-handed hitting outfield prospect said he has fully healed and is ready for the 2016 season.

"Feeling well and heading out to Arizona on Sunday," McKinney wrote in an email. "Should be ready for spring training and excited for baseball to start!"

There's plenty for the Cubs and McKinney to be excited about. McKinney batted a combined .300 at Class-A Myrtle Beach and Double-A Tennessee last summer. McKinney is the Cubs' seventh top prospect by .

McKinney, who was acquired with as part of the five-player trade that sent and to the on July 5, 2014, suffered a hairline fracture of his right knee cap after fouling off a pitch on Aug. 13 - 10 days before his 21st birthday.

McKinney was batting .285 with three home runs and 39 RBIs prior to injuring his knee.

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Chicago Tribune City Hall turns thumbs down on closing Clark, Addison for Cubs games By John Byrne

The Cubs' idea of closing Clark and Addison streets to automobiles on game days is a non-starter, according to Mayor Rahm Emanuel's office.

Cubs business President Crane Kenney floated the idea at the Cubs Convention last weekend of shutting down the main thoroughfares to allow the team to create a 100-foot security perimeter around Wrigley Field.

But mayoral spokeswoman Kelley Quinn shot down the idea, which would exponentially worsen already brutal traffic in congested Wrigleyville when the Cubs play.

"Of course we are not going to close Clark and Addison," Quinn said in an email. "Safety and security are everyone's top concern, and we will work with the community, Ald. (Tom) Tunney and the Cubs to achieve that without having to shut down two major roads in a neighborhood."

Cubs spokesman Julian Green said the team is trying to comply with new security requirements, including a zone around each ballpark within which vehicles get screened. "This wasn't just a trial balloon," Green said of Kenney's talk of closing the streets. "This was a way to try to meet the security mandates."

Green said the team plans to work with the league and the city to meet the standards, hopefully by Opening Day. But he would not say whether there's a plan to do so without closing the streets. "We're going to keep talking and working with the parties, but at this point there aren't any specifics," he said. "If there are other ways to meet the mandates, we will listen."

Kenney said the team began considering tighter security around the historic stadium after the November Paris terror attacks. Starting this season, fans entering the park will have to pass through metal detectors.

Waveland and Sheffield avenues, the other two streets that abut Wrigley Field, already are closed to cars when the team plays so that fans can mill about. Those are side streets, while Clark and Addison are key roads for moving traffic through the area.

A City Hall source said the Cubs have not made a formal request to the mayor's office for the street closures. Kenney's comments come at a time of heightened tension in the always-fraught relationship between the Cubs and people living near Wrigley Field.

The team has been granted more night games and summer concerts as the Cubs owners, the Ricketts family, try to squeeze more revenue out of the ballpark. A new sound system that accompanied video boards installed in the bleachers last season angered some people living in Wrigleyville who said they could hear music and the public address announcer from blocks away.

And the planned team-owned outdoor plaza on Clark Street west of the stadium has drawn the ire of some nearby residents who worry they will be forced to contend with what amounts to a big beer garden at the spot.

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Chicago Tribune Pearl Jam announces 2 Wrigley Field shows By Tracy Swartz

Pearl Jam will perform two shows at Wrigley Field in August, the band announced Tuesday.

Pearl Jam is scheduled to play Aug. 20 and Aug. 22 at the Cubs ballpark. Information about ticket sales has not yet been announced. The concerts are part of Pearl Jam's North American tour set to kick off in April in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

The band played Wrigley Field in July 2013 in a concert delayed by storms.

Wrigley Field's summer concert lineup also includes Billy Joel, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter James Taylor and country music star Luke Bryan.

Foo Fighters and Joel performed at the ballpark last August, while the Zac Brown Band and AC/DC played there in September.

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