January 26, 2016 Cubs.com, Cubs shut down Venezuelan summer team http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/162800450/cubs-pull-out-of-venezuelan-summer-league ESPNChicago.com, Good news for Cubs' Joe Maddon: DH not likely coming to NL soon http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/36264/good-news-for-cubs-joe-maddon-dh-not-likely- coming-to-nl-soon CSNChicago.com, Why Cubs spent big this winter (and won't be major players next offseason) http://www.csnchicago.com/cubs/why-cubs-spent-big-winter-and-wont-be-major-players-next-offseason -- Cubs.com Cubs shut down Venezuelan summer team By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- The Cubs have signed talented prospects such as Gleyber Torres, Willson Contreras, Gioskar Amaya, Jeffrey Baez, Jonathan Mota and Carlos Penalver in recent years from Venezuela. But the difficulties in the country have forced the Cubs to drop their Venezuelan Summer League team this year. Jason McLeod, senior vice president of player development and amateur scouting, said Monday the Cubs are currently looking at their options on how to best operate in Venezuela at this time. The Cubs will continue to run their academy there and use it for scouting purposes as well as a base for the Parallel League, which is a shortened fall league for young players. The Cubs joined the Tigers, who confirmed Monday that they are pulling out of the VSL this year. There were only four teams in the VSL: the Cubs, Tigers, Phillies and Rays. When the Cubs opted out, leaving the league with three teams, the VSL announced it was cancelling the 2016 season. To make up for the loss of the VSL team, the Cubs will have two teams in the Dominican Summer League. There is plenty of baseball talent in Venezuela, but it's a difficult and sometimes dangerous situation for players, scouts and team personnel as the country deals with political unrest, inflation and a lack of basic goods. Torres, a shortstop who turned 19 in December, was the top Venezuelan prospect when the Cubs signed him in 2013. He is ranked No. 1 on MLB.com's list of Top 30 Cubs prospects, while Contreras, a highly touted catcher who batted .333 at Double-A Tennessee last season, is ranked No. 10. -- ESPNChicago.com Good news for Cubs' Joe Maddon: DH not likely coming to NL soon By Jesse Rogers CHICAGO -- There’s at least one person happy baseball commissioner Rob Manfred clarified his stance on the designated hitter coming to the National League: Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon. On Monday, Manfred told ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick that his recent comments on the subject were misinterpreted. In other words, the NL isn’t necessarily on the verge of -- or even close -- to getting the DH. Maddon couldn’t be more thrilled in keeping things the way they are. “I like NL rules,” he said via text on Monday evening. “Always have. Never been worried about pitcher hitting or not.” Remember, Maddon spent his entire baseball career in the AL until 2015, but one year was enough for him to embrace the NL style. He likes the different aspects of the pitcher batting -- and that includes Jon Lester, who is 4 for 98 at the plate in his career. “It permits different components of strategy that will be eradicated,” Maddon said. “There may be an edge depending on how a team manages those differences.” Maddon’s view is a minority one within his own club, and seemingly among Cubs fans as well. Many point to a farm system heavy in hitters, including DH-looking players in Kyle Schwarber and minor leaguer Dan Vogelbach. Maddon’s boss, Theo Epstein, is a proponent of the designated hitter too but echoed Manfred’s most recent comments. “It's above our pay grade,” Epstein said at the recent Cubs Convention. “It's really an issue for the commissioner and the owners. We can't count on it because there are no indications that the DH is coming any time soon.” For Maddon it’s about strategy; for others it’s about tradition. At this moment in time the designated hitter might help the Cubs, but there is no guarantee it won’t help other clubs even more. If the Cubs own the market in young hitters right now maybe they’re better off dominating the eight non-pitcher lineup spots instead of allowing other teams to potentially catch up. Besides, after waiting 107 years for a championship under one set of rules, it might be strange for the Cubs to switch gears now. At least that's what the manager thinks. “For me, much more interesting in the dugout,” Maddon said. It might be a moot point. Unless it becomes an issue in the next round of collective bargaining -- which begins very soon -- then the decision will be put off until at least the next set of contract negotiations. “The most likely result on the designated hitter for the foreseeable future is the status quo," Manfred told ESPN.com. "I think the vast majority of clubs in the National League want to stay where they are.” -- CSNChicago.com Why Cubs spent big this winter (and won't be major players next offseason) By Patrick Mooney The Cubs are always trying to stay ahead of the curve, picturing the lineup five years out, recalibrating their financial position and preparing for worst-case scenarios. When Jon Lester made his recruiting trip to Wrigleyville in November 2014, the Cubs showed the All-Star lefty their projected defensive alignment across the diamond for 2016 — with Gold Glove outfielder Jason Heyward playing center. Heyward would eventually sign the biggest contract in franchise history, an eight-year, $184 million commitment to a player who won’t turn 27 until August. Between that megadeal — and the guarantees to super-utility guy Ben Zobrist, veteran starter John Lackey and swingman Trevor Cahill — the Cubs lead the majors with more than $276 million spent on free agents this offseason, according to ESPN’s tracker. The Cubs needed all the stars to align for the Plan-A offseason. President of baseball operations Theo Epstein ruled out the idea of signing two $100 million players back in November — and made it sound like that kind of offseason binge would have to wait for the new TV money to kick in first. But this team earned the reinvestment after winning 97 games and two playoff rounds and turning Wrigley Field into a destination again. Chairman Tom Ricketts and president of business operations Crane Kenney worked with the baseball side to get creative. Plus some of the market forces that left Yoenis Cespedes unsigned in late January — and pushed the Cuban outfielder back to the New York Mets over the weekend — also drove the Cubs to think big this winter. Cespedes, who transformed New York’s lineup after a July 31 trade from the Detroit Tigers last summer, reportedly agreed to a three-year, $75 million deal that includes an opt-out after this season, allowing him to become a headliner in a weak class of free agents. “Next winter doesn’t look that great,” Epstein said. “(That’s) one of the reasons (why) we were aggressive this winter with bringing in the free agents that we did.” Stephen Strasburg might never live up to the unrealistic hype with the Washington Nationals — and he’s already had Tommy John surgery — but he will be a 28-year-old free agent next winter with an All-Star/No. 1-overall-pick pedigree. When healthy, Carlos Gomez has played Gold Glove defense in center field, stolen 40 bases and blasted 24 home runs, all in the same 2013 season. He just turned 30 and will get paid with a good walk year for the Houston Astros. Outside of those types of premium players, “there really aren’t many talented free agents out there,” Epstein said during a recent Cubs Convention panel. “It’s really dry, and there’s going to be a lot of demand,” Epstein said. “So as we looked at it, we realized we almost needed to do two offseasons worth of shopping in one offseason. Ownership and our business side were fantastic to work with, trying to figure out how we could strategize and structure some things financially to be aggressive now. “I think it put us in a really good position for the next couple years. Maybe next offseason will be more active in the trade market than we are in free agency (or we do) some lower-profile free-agent signings.” Remember, payroll is always relative to where the Cubs were when the Ricketts family took over the team (around $145 million on Opening Day 2010) and the rest of a booming industry (even the Kansas City Royals will be in the range of $130 million when they defend their World Series crown). It’s also getting harder to see where the Cubs can realistically add another core player to their everyday lineup with first baseman Anthony Rizzo (26), shortstop Addison Russell (22), third baseman Kris Bryant (24) and outfielders Jorge Soler (24 in February) and Kyle Schwarber (23 in March) already locked into place. At the same time, the Cubs can see a two-year window to win a World Series before Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta becomes a free agent, Lackey probably retires and Lester starts to decline in his mid-30s. Right when all those young players will start to get expensive through the arbitration system, winning closes off access to top-of- the-draft talent and the cable bubble might burst.