January 26, 2018

 NBC Sports Chicago, Cubs confident they'll see the real Justin Wilson in 2018 http://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/cubs-confident-theyll-see-real-justin-wilson-2018-hoyer- epstein-cubs-bullpen

 NBC Sports Chicago, Cubs’ invite list includes some intriguing names http://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/cubs-spring-training-invite-list-includes-some-intriguing- names

 Chicago Tribune, Hall of Fame voters give Kerry Wood a reason to party http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-kerry-wood-hall-of-fame- 20180125-story.html

 Daily Herald, invite 19 nonroster players to spring training http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20180125/chicago-cubs-invite-19-nonroster-players-to-spring- training

 The Athletic, Theo Epstein's Almanac: A fallow winter could still lead to a prosperous spring and summer for the Cubs https://theathletic.com/221674/2018/01/25/theo-epsteins-almanac-a-fallow-winter-could-still- lead-to-a-prosperous-spring-and-summer-for-the-cubs/

 The Athletic, and Anthony Rizzo think change will be good for Cubs https://theathletic.com/222231/2018/01/25/kris-bryant-and-anthony-rizzo-think-change-will-be- good-for-cubs/

 Cubs.com, Prospect Hatch, vet Gimenez among Cubs' NRIs https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/cubs-announce-spring-non-roster-invitees/c-265318784

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NBC Sports Chicago Cubs confident they'll see the real Justin Wilson in 2018 By Tony Andracki

Justin Wilson is proof that not everything Theo Epstein touches immediately turns to gold.

Though, that's not to say it's the fault of Epstein or the Cubs' front office.

Who could've possibly predicted Wilson's epic struggles in Chicago after pitching well with the earlier in the season?

When Epstein and Co. traded for the dynamic left-handed reliever, he was one of the top high-leverage in — sporting a sparkling 0.94 WHIP, 2.68 ERA, 13 saves and 55 against only 16 walks in 40.1 innings.

But in Chicago, Wilson was suddenly ineffective. He managed just 53 outs in 23 appearances, walking 19 batters and serving up 18 hits in 17.2 innings. His strikeouts actually went up a tick, but the lack of control was alarming.

Things got so bad, Wilson was used to get just two outs in the postseason and wasn't even active for the Championship Series against the .

Yet none of that has scared the Cubs off from counting on Wilson to be a big part of the 2018 bullpen.

"I think you will [see a rebound]," GM Jed Hoyer said. "Sometimes guys come to a new place, they get off to a rough start and that kinda snowballs on them. When you look at his track record, there's no reason in the world to think he won't be pitching late in the game or won't have a big role.

"That's what he's done his whole career except for the blip with us and I think he'll get right back to doing that again."

But Wilson wasn't the only Cubs reliever who struggled with walks. It was a bullpen-wide issue in 2017 — a problem the Cubs hope to correct in 2018, in part due to a new pitching coach (Jim Hickey) providing a different voice.

Dig deeper, however, and it's clear to see Wilson's issue wasn't only that he forgot how to throw strikes.

In Detroit, 36.9 percent of pitches Wilson threw were balls. In Chicago, that number rose to 42 percent, which is only a difference of 5 extra balls every 100 pitches thrown.

That's not enough to account for such a huge increase in walks. So what gives?

A huge part of the problem was a precipitous dip in batters swinging at pitches Wilson threw out of the zone. Over his career, Wilson has hovered around batters swinging at his pitches out of the zone around 1/3 of the time. In Chicago batters swung less than 1/4 of the time at pitches out of the zone.

That may be because he started throwing his fastball a lot more with the Cubs and relied less on his breaking stuff (slider and cutter). He has rarely thrown his changeup in his career, but never even tried it with the Cubs.

What it boils down to is fastball command, which Joe Maddon typically points to first whenever a is experiencing inconsistency on the mound. Wilson didn't always know where his fastball was going, which means his breaking stuff didn't play as well in conjunction with that and he was thus forced to throw his fastball more often just to try to get more strikes.

Now that they're not in the middle of a pennant race, both Wilson and the Cubs have had time to digest what went wrong. The organization is optimistic good times are coming, mostly because they see the issues as clearly fixable.

"Oh sure. No question," Hoyer said. "We saw some glimpses at the end. You've seen it happen enough times that a guy gets off to a bad start.

"It's all fixable. We still feel the same way about the player. I think coming into a new season, a new spring training, a new pitching coach — I think that's all positive."

The "new season" part may be the biggest factor working in Wilson's favor.

There's no doubt his struggles last fall got inside his head. How could they not?

But a new year means time to hit the reset button on the confidence and mental side of the game, which can make all the difference.

"If things don't get off on the right foot, they probably try too hard," Hoyer said. "They want to impress their teammates and it can go south on them. It's not the first time [this has happened].

"I have a ton of confidence in him. This guy's had a really good career — pitched late in the game for a long time. There's no reason to think he won't come in and be good for us next year."

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NBC Sports Chicago Cubs’ spring training invite list includes some intriguing names By Tim Stebbins

For all intents and purposes, the Cubs have few open roster spots for the 2018 season. With a deep bullpen, a youthful position player group and a veteran starting rotation, there are not many openings up for grabs for 2018.

Be that as it may, the Cubs invited 19 non-roster players to major league spring training. Pitchers and catchers will report Feb. 14, followed by the team's first full squad workout on Feb. 19.

Notable invitees include right-handed pitchers Anthony Bass, Craig Brooks and Thomas Hatch, as well as left-hander Kyle Ryan. The team also invited catchers Taylor Davis and Chris Giménez, infielders Ryan Court, Mike Freeman and Chesny Young and outfielder Jacob Hannemann.

Bass, 30, has made 131 appearances (18 starts) across parts of six MLB seasons with the Padres, Astros and Rangers. He has never made more than 33 appearances in a season, but he did make 15 starts in 2012. His best season came in 2011, when he posted a 1.68 ERA along with a .236 batting average against in 27 appearances (three starts).

Brooks, 25, and Hatch, 23, are two of the Cubs' recent early-round draft picks. The Cubs drafted Brooks in the seventh round of the 2015 MLB Amateur Draft and Hatch in the third round of the 2016 Amateur Draft.

Brooks has a 3.85 ERA in 99 career minor league games (all relief appearances), including a 0.44 ERA across 12 appearances with Single-A Myrtle Beach in 2017. He struck out a combined 88 batters in 60 2/3 innings with Myrtle Beach and Double-A Tennessee in 2017, with opponents hitting just .181 against him.

Hatch is the Cubs' seventh best prospect, according to MLB.com. He posted a respectable 4.04 ERA in his debut minor league campaign with Myrtle Beach in 2017. He also struck out 126 batters compared to 50 walks in 124 2/3 innings. While anything can happen, Hatch will likely not make his big league debut until at least the 2019 season.

Ryan is a potential low-risk, high-reward add for the Cubs. He only made eight appearances with the Tigers in 2017 following his 2016 campaign in which he posted a 3.07 ERA in 55 2/3 innings. If he has a good camp, he could make the big league roster or eventually be called up to replace any potential struggling relievers.

Court, 29, was born in Elgin, ILL., and attended Illinois State University, though Cubs fans are likely more familiar with Freeman, who played 15 games with the Cubs in 2017 during Addison Russell's late-season absence due to injury.

The Cubs drafted Young in the 14th round of the 2014 Amateur Draft and Hannemann in the third round of the 2013 Amateur Draft. The odds are against both players making the Cubs' Opening Day roster, as Young plays second base, third base and shortstop, while Hannemann is an outfielder. The Cubs, of course, are deep at both positions.

Davis became an internet sensation in 2017 due to his tendency to be found staring at television cameras mid-game. Unless he has an outstanding camp, the catcher and corner infielder will likely begin the season with Triple-A Iowa, where he hit .297 in 102 games last season.

The Cubs signed Giménez on Monday to compete with Victor Caratini for the backup catching job. The signing made waves due to the journeyman's link to free agent starting pitcher .

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Chicago Tribune Hall of Fame voters give Kerry Wood a reason to party By Phil Thompson

The party’s on, if Kerry Wood meant what he said.

Last month, the retired Cubs pitcher quipped that he would throw a “blowout party” if he got a single vote in support of his National Baseball Hall of Fame nomination.

Well, he got two.

He also joked about the fate of any members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America who cast a ballot for him: “If I get one vote, we’re having a blowout party. I’m going to call the guy who voted for me, whoever voted for me, and apologize. If they voted me they’re probably losing their credential.”

Maybe Wood should invite the other Chicago greats who were either inducted into the Class of 2018 or received at least one vote.

Jim Thome, White Sox: 379 votes (inducted) Sammy Sosa, Cubs: 33 votes Jamie Moyer, Cubs: 10 votes Carlos Lee, White Sox: 1 vote

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Daily Herald Chicago Cubs invite 19 nonroster players to spring training By Bruce Miles

A few days ago, social media was all atwitter over news that catcher Chris Gimenez had signed a minor- league deal with the Cubs and snagged an invite to big-league spring training.

Because Gimenez caught 12 games pitched by Yu Darvish with Texas, many put 2 and 2 together and came up with much more than 4.

The Cubs may indeed sign Darvish to a big free-agent contract before the 2018 baseball season starts, but they were going to add veteran catchers anyway, and Gimenez happens to be one of them.

On Thursday, Cubs officials announced they have invited 19 nonroster players to spring training. Pitchers and catchers hold their first formal workouts Feb. 14, with position players working out Feb. 19.

Gimenez, 35, has nine years of major-league experience. He spent part of 2014 and all of 2015 with the as a teammate of Darvish. He also has played for Cleveland, Seattle, Tampa Bay (for current Cubs manager Joe Maddon) and Minnesota. He has a lifetime hitting line of .218/.309/.345 with 22 homers.

In 74 games with the Twins last season, Gimenez had a .350 on-base percentage.

The Cubs' No. 1 catcher is Willson Contreras. Victor Caratini, who played in 31 games for the Cubs last year, also is on the major-league roster, but the Cubs may prefer a veteran backup to Contreras while allowing Caratini to get more seasoning at Class AAA Iowa.

Taylor Davis, who appeared in 8 games for the Cubs in 2017, is another nonroster catcher, along with Ian Rice and Ali Solis, who has big-league experience with the Padres in 2012 and with the Rays in 2014.

There is some local flavor to the Cubs' list of nonroster invitees. Infielder Ryan Court of Dundee-Crown High School will be among those in big-league camp. Court, 29, attended Illinois State University and was a 23rd-round pick of the in 2011. Last year at Boston's Class AAA Pawtucket club, he went .263/.347/.410 with 10 homers and 44 RBI.

The Cubs will welcome outfielder Jacob Hannemann back to spring training. A third-round pick of the Cubs in 2013, Hannemann was claimed off waivers by the last September. He went 3- for-20 with a homer for the Mariners, and was claimed right back off waivers by the Cubs later that month.

Infielder Mike Freeman, who played in 19 games for the Cubs last year, also is among the nonroster invitees.

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The Athletic Theo Epstein's Almanac: A fallow winter could still lead to a prosperous spring and summer for the Cubs By Jon Greenberg

Theo Epstein is a lot like you. Well, he’s smarter, wealthier, more successful and he spends a lot more time with Eddie Vedder than you do, but you and Epstein do have something in common.

You each have spent a lot of time this winter thinking and talking about why nothing’s happening in the free agent market.

Of course, Epstein is in the position to do something about it — while you just tweet — but that doesn’t mean that even he, the ultimate baseball insider, isn’t fascinated about the slowdown in baseball’s free agent offseason that has people talking about fundamental shifts in the baseball economy and stage- whispering about collusion.

“It’s definitely the topic of conversation internally,” he said in a phone conversation with The Athletic on Wednesday. “We’re all saying to each other, ‘I can’t believe nothing has happened’ and we’re discussing reasons why. When you’re on the phone with agents or players, we’re talking about it. Not just free agents, but our current players. They’re interested in the situation, giving different takes and opinions. It’s unusual. It’s something people haven’t seen.”

Epstein said he usually checks in with every player on his roster at least once an offseason and he spoke to a good number of players at the recent Cubs Convention. No one is gossiping about the weather or the Oscars.

“Everyone is wondering what’s going on,” he said. “They empathize with both sides, but it’s the No. 1 question on everyone’s mind. When is it going to end and how is it going to shake out?”

Epstein, of course, talked about all of this with reporters and inquisitive fans at the team's convention two weeks ago. He gets questioned about it on the street, out at dinner, you name it. Six years ago, it was “When are you going to trade ?” Now it's “When are you signing Yu Darvish? I heard he was getting a physical downtown.”

Epstein is a veteran in acid-tongued analysis — rarely for attribution — but while this free agent market is actually to the Cubs’ advantage, the human in him sees the unfairness of it all for labor.

“A thing that gets lost in the analysis is how tough this is on individual players and their families,” he said. “We’re all lucky to work in baseball. We make good money — everybody in the game does really, if you put it in perspective. But that said, a lot of guys have worked their whole life to get to free agency. Most of the time, they only get to do it once in good standing. There’s generally the expectation that if you produce at a certain level, you’ll get rewarded the way players have been rewarded in past markets. If it doesn’t work out that way, it’s a tough pill to swallow, regardless of how well-off people in the game are. It’s tough, the uncertainty, the waiting. Those are dynamics that shouldn’t be overlooked on a certain level.”

The Cubs are one of a handful of teams (Dodgers, Yankees) hoarding future money and luxury tax space to make a run at very pricey free agents like and Manny Machado next season. Other teams that are usually big spenders are either focused on position players (Boston), starting a rebuild (Detroit) or somewhere in limbo (San Francisco). That's left a handful of pitchers expecting big paydays in the lurch, along with some talented position players seeking commas and zeroes and the under- discussed free agent middle class that is getting squeezed.

Front offices around baseball have worked longer schedules than anticipated as calls and texts with agents linger into the new year. Holidays were spent with the phone close by, annoying family members and friends alike. You think you check Twitter a lot? Try being an assistant GM for a major league team.

Epstein reads a lot — they all do — and he’s stuck perusing our stories speculating about why nothing has happened. The joy of watching things happen in December has been replaced by the ennui of refreshing feeds with no reward.

“I tend to read the whole article if it’s informed speculation,” Epstein said. “If it’s just baseless speculation, 'Why doesn’t this team do that or that player take that?' then it’s not worth that much.”

As for the fan reaction to the lack of name-brand moves…

“Most fans feel like their team is the only one that hasn’t done anything,” Epstein said. “It’s not something that’s easily put into context.”

That being said, they were busy early. It feels like Tyler Chatwood has been a Cub for years already.

“We’ve been one of the more active teams,” Epstein said. “But there’s still this sense we haven’t done anything.”

That’s because three starting pitchers the Cubs have been linked to remain on the market. While Epstein wouldn’t talk about Darvish, Alex Cobb or , I didn't get the sense there's any need to stay glued to your phone for that imminent Darvish confirmation. Chris Gimenez might not be Epstein's gun. He could just be a backup catcher.

The Cubs will almost certainly sign another starting pitcher before the season begins — sorry, Mike Montgomery — but it might not be one of these names.

Of course that could change in a few text messages. This is, as Epstein said, uncharted territory for him.

The common sense theory that the depressed market could allow the Cubs to sign any one of these three at a lower price remains in play. Arrieta is an interesting case, because while Darvish has suitors — if not sky-high projected offers — you really haven’t heard of many teams linked to Arrieta.

Arrieta, I imagine, is the kind of player Epstein is talking about in regards to the person who’s worked his whole career to get to this point, only to find out free agency is just a mirage in the distance. Could he return? Hey, they surprised us once with Dexter Fowler.

Interestingly enough, the Cubs targeted Chatwood, the former pitcher, early and they forecasted they could get him at an even cheaper deal than the three years, $38 million he signed for.

“He was really popular,” Epstein said. “A lot of teams saw beyond his basic performance stats and looked deeper into his ability. He was at the right price point and had a ton of suitors, so that drove the price up. We’re obviously happy he’s here and we’re fine with the deal we signed with him, too.”

The Cubs didn’t go into the offseason only hunting for a big-game ace like Shohei Ohtani. But they’ve accomplished their goals of beefing up their bullpen by signing Brandon Morrow (for two years and at least $21 million) to close, adding Steve Cishek and recently re-signing Brian Duensing, who gave up a little money to pitch for a winning club.

And yes, the Cubs are done looking for a . Cishek and Carl Edwards Jr. are the backups at that spot, if necessary.

“When we signed [Morrow], we told him, in our minds, he was our closer unless somehow, we were able to bring back Wade Davis,” Epstein said. “It’s the best role for him.”

Like Davis last year, the Cubs plan on using Morrow exclusively in the ninth inning or later. (Davis entered with two outs in the eighth one time in the regular season, on Sept. 15.) If you're the kind of person who argues about old-school baseball vs. new-school analytics, Epstein explains how tradition wins out in how the Cubs still relate to closers.

“With Wade going exclusively in the ninth, that structure allowed him to stay healthy and thrive,” Epstein said. “That should serve Morrow well also. This is one of the areas where optimal analytical usage butts against reality. The best way to play someone like Morrow is matching up against different parts of the order in different innings. That’s where you can get the greatest impact from a shutdown guy. But in reality, using him the way we used Davis should allow him to thrive over what we expect is a seven-month season. I’ll take suboptimal usage on a nightly basis for a better chance to stay healthy over the course of seven months.”

While Chatwood came with a slightly inflated price tag, the Cubs got a bargain in Duensing signing for two years and $7 million. It turns out he likes it here.

“We were really happy in the end that we were able to bring Duensing back,” Epstein said. “We made a strong run at him early in the offseason and it didn’t look like it would work out. But he made a tough decision to leave a little more money to come back and be happy with us. That really completed our bullpen moves.”

After a disappointing, but not unexpected end to the season, the Cubs went into the winter with a clear idea of what they needed to do — from coaching changes to pitching additions — even if they didn’t think free agency would still be going on as they packed for spring training.

“We knew this was going to be an offseason of significant pitching turnover,” Epstein said. “We knew this would be the offseason before a really deep, impactful free agent market next year, so we knew it was going to be a bit of a puzzle going in. We started early and prepared different strategies to try and solve that puzzle. Of course we thought it would be more of a six-week sprint than a three- or fourth- month marathon.”

Puzzles, marathons, it's been going so long Epstein is stuck talking to me and mixing metaphors.

At his end-of-season press conference, Epstein made headlines, all-but announcing he was open for business on trading a young position player to acquire pitching. (Think, Chris Archer.) At the very least, he was amenable to serious conversations, which the Cubs had in December with a number of teams.

But any trade of a player like Addison Russell, , Jr. or even Javy Baez looks very unlikely to happen until next offseason, if it happens at all.

“I wasn’t going to rush into anything, but it was something we were open to,” he said. “We have two extra starting-caliber position players on any given night and we were going into the offseason short on pitching. If it was something we weren’t open to, we wouldn’t be doing our jobs. We explored a lot of a different possibilities, but in the end there just wasn’t a deal available that would give us a fair return back. We didn’t want to take less talent or control just to add a pitching prospect. Balancing the roster wasn’t that fundamental to make a bad deal happen.”

The reality is Russell and Schwarber, to name two tradable players, had uneven seasons that suppressed their value. Given their age and contracts — not to mention the Cubs’ payroll space — there’s no reason to sell low.

But there’s more to it than negativity, Epstein said.

“Our position player core is a big part of identity and we really believe in them,” he said. “It’s not a coincidence the Royals, us and the Astros all developed a position player core that came up together, went through adversity together, learned to win at the big league level, lost in the postseason and then came back in the postseason to win a championship.

“Trading away too much of the core would have chipped away at that identity a little bit and left us in a weaker position because these guys are a big part of who we are. Building around them and making the pitching work from year to year makes sense for us.”

As Epstein likes to point out, for all the grief the Cubs catch for not developing pitching in their system, the pitching numbers are working out pretty well in the major leagues.

“Living on a tightrope with our pitching as we work to fortify is a price we’re willing to pay,” he said. “We’re sticking with our identity rather than do deals we didn’t like.”

In talking with Epstein, I thought back to their last big victory of 2017. The visiting clubhouse at Nationals Park was winning-the-lottery ebullient after a marathon Game 5 in the NLDS. That's where Epstein, boozy and goofy, referred to his mood during the game as “nervous as fuck and bemused.” Beating the Nationals in that silly, sloppy game pushed the Cubs past the point of exhaustion, making them easy marks for a crisp Dodgers team in the NLCS.

But in that moment, it was a victory to savor, because it meant more than a series.

“It said a lot about the group and the year,” he said. “We were laughing during the game about the positions we put ourselves in during the season, the imperfections, the sloppiness, and how good and talented the players are when their backs are against the wall. It was a validation of this group. Three straight championship series. In that moment, it was a triumph.”

Last spring, the Cubs substituted the weight of a curse for the burden of a defending champion. This spring, whether or not the Cubs add another top-flight starting pitcher, they will still report to Mesa, Arizona, saddled with the weighty expectations of a contender.

Can the Cubs do it again? Pretty soon, that will be the only conversation worth having.

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The Athletic Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo think change will be good for Cubs By Patrick Mooney

Where the Bears now seemingly make every major decision at Halas Hall with Mitch Trubisky in mind – the new head coach and offensive coordinator, a contract extension for the general manager and a No. 8 draft pick to pair with their young quarterback – the Cubs take a hands-off approach to their franchise players.

Kris Bryant is a low-maintenance superstar, someone who learned about “The Science of Hitting” from his father, Mike, an old prospect with vivid memories of Ted Williams. Avoiding all the temptations while growing up in Las Vegas and hitting in The Bryant Man Cage became part of the origin story for the future Rookie of the Year/MVP.

Anthony Rizzo is 28 years old and has already played for three different organizations, four big-league managers and enough hitting coaches that Cubs president Theo Epstein has likened the job to “Spinal Tap” drummer. Driven by an intense competitive streak and a charitable spirit, Rizzo matured into a champion and winner of the prestigious Roberto Clemente and Marvin Miller awards.

But the Cubs do have to account for the Cheeseheads in Wisconsin, with the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday showing just how serious they are about taking down the defending division champs in 2018, acquiring Christian Yelich from the in a five-player deal and signing Lorenzo Cain to a five- year, $80 million contract.

The top of Milwaukee's lineup and the Miller Park outfield will look dramatically different for a team that won 86 games and spent 69 days in first place last season. The Cubs know they have to get better and can't afford to go on cruise control for another half-season again.

Whatever you think of the sweeping changes to a coaching staff that went to the National League Championship Series three years in a row – and how manager Joe Maddon handled the transition – know that even two faces of the franchise have mixed feelings about it.

“Sometimes change is good,” Bryant said. “But the guys that we lost, I mean, I can’t say enough about them. I would not be where I am today without having some help.”

Bryzzo didn’t have their fingerprints on the Cubs firing hitting coach John Mallee, third base coach Gary Jones and pitching coach Chris Bosio. Their success helped position bench coach Dave Martinez to take over the as a first-time manager and allowed assistant hitting coach Eric Hinske to get the lead job with the .

Yu Darvish would bring a new level of media spectacle to Mesa. But whatever free agents the Cubs sign during the frantic run-up to spring training, it’s already guaranteed to feel different around the Arizona complex, further and further removed from the storybook ending to 2016.

“Obviously, I’m going to miss Mallee and Hinske tremendously,” Rizzo said. “They were like family to me, how much they developed me and (helped) my career. I can’t say enough good things.

“I’m so happy for Hinske to get that job in Anaheim. And he gets (Shohei) Ohtani and (Mike) Trout and (Albert) Pujols, so I don’t really know how much work he’s going to be doing over there.”

Hinske helped Rizzo become an elite hitter, suggesting he crowd the plate as a way to beat left-handed pitchers and defensive shifts. Mallee – who delivered the exact data-driven approach the front office wanted – oversaw an offense that scored 1,630 runs across the last two seasons. The Philadelphia Phillies hired Mallee – the hitting coach while the prepared for liftoff in 2013 and 2014 – hoping for similar results.

“It’s a young team, so I’m really happy for (Mallee) as well,” Rizzo said. “But I’m really excited for Chili Davis.”

“Renteria’d” isn’t a formal term in the Cubs Way manual. But what happened to Rick Renteria when Maddon became a free agent after the 2014 season is pretty much what happened to Mallee and Jones when Davis and Brian Butterfield became available in the wake of the Red Sox firing manager John Farrell.

Davis has already begun working extensively with Jason Heyward in Arizona and won’t be talking much about launch angles. Davis brings instant credibility and a sense of swagger as a switch-hitter who played 19 years in the big leagues and won three World Series rings.

Assistant hitting coach Andy Haines is tight with Mallee and well-versed in analytics and the young hitters’ personalities after getting promoted from minor-league hitting coordinator. Butterfield is viewed as an outstanding infield instructor and an energetic presence in the clubhouse.

Bosio will be a tough act to follow, but new pitching coach Jim Hickey will have a different voice, a fresh set of eyes and a much better rapport with Maddon after their time together with the . The Cubs think so highly of catching/strategy coach Mike Borzello and run prevention coordinator Tommy Hottovy that being able to work with them is essentially a prerequisite for the pitching coach job.

For all the talent on paper – and nearly $90 million spent on free agents so far this offseason – the Cubs still don’t have a replacement for Jake Arrieta at the top of their rotation or an established closer at the level of an Aroldis Chapman or a Wade Davis.

“I’m super excited,” Bryant said. “It feels a little weird, just because there are so many changes on the coaching staff. But it’s nice to know that the group of players that we have is still kind of the same.

“Jake’s been up in the air. We’d love to have him back as a competitor. But the core group that we’ve had here the last two years is (still intact). It’s just really nice to continue to grow with them.”

There is still a cutthroat element to The Cubs Way, which means the same impulses that led to the coaching-staff shakeup at will drive Epstein to improve the roster as late January turns into early February. The Brewers are coming.

“We could not have done what we had done without them,” Maddon said. “I really wish them all well. It’s just a tough moment. It’s just a matter of other people became available. The new dynamic is these are kind of dynamic guys.”

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Cubs.com Prospect Hatch, vet Gimenez among Cubs' NRIs By Carrie Muskat

CHICAGO -- Thomas Hatch, the Cubs' first pick in the 2016 Draft, is one of 19 non-roster invitees to the team's Spring Training camp, it was announced Thursday.

Veteran Chris Gimenez is one of four catchers on the list, joining Taylor Davis, Ian Rice and Ali Solis.

Hatch, 23, ranked No. 7 on MLB Pipeline's list of top 30 Cubs prospects, went 5-11 with a 4.04 ERA in 26 starts last season at Advanced Myrtle Beach.

Cubs pitchers and catchers will have their first workout in Mesa, Ariz., on Feb. 14, with the first full- squad workout scheduled for Feb. 19. The Cubs open Cactus League play on Feb. 23 against the Brewers and play their first home game at Sloan Park the next day against the Rangers.

Other pitchers invited to Spring Training include right-handers Anthony Bass, Craig Brooks, David Garner, Justin Hancock and Williams Perez, and lefties Alberto Baldonado, Daniel Camarena and Kyle Ryan.

The Cubs have an opening for a backup catcher if they decide Victor Caratini needs more regular playing time in the Minor Leagues. Gimenez, 35, has played for the Indians, Mariners, Rays, Rangers and Twins, and has a career .218 batting average over nine seasons.

Four infielders were invited, including Ryan Court, Mike Freeman, Jason Vosler and Chesny Young, who is ranked 16th on MLB Pipeline's Cubs top 30 list. Vosler, 24, played at Double-A Tennessee last season and finished the year in the .

Outfielders Jacob Hannemann and Bijan Rademacher also were invited to camp.

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