July 21, 2018 • The Athletic, What it would take for the Cubs to do a big deal at the trade deadline https://theathletic.com/439818/2018/07/20/what-it-would-take-for-the-cubs-to-do-a-big-deal-at- the-trade-deadline/ • The Athletic, Jon Lester doesn’t concern himself with ‘analytics BS’ https://theathletic.com/439917/2018/07/20/jon-lester-doesnt-concern-himself-with-analytics-bs/ • Cubs.com, Lester tagged for 8 runs in Cubs' lopsided loss https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/jon-lester-struggles-in-cubs-lopsided-loss/c-286525352 • Cubs.com, Cubs tie record using 3 position players to pitch https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/cubs-use-3-position-players-to-pitch-vs-cards/c-286546674 • Cubs.com, Reliever Chavez's 'versatility' a boon to Cubs https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/jesse-chavez-a-great-addition-to-cubs-bullpen/c-286527626 • NBC Sports Chicago, Cubs set the wrong kind of history in blowout https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/cubs-set-wrong-kind-history-blowout-cardinals-maddon- caratini-la-stella-happ-carpenter • NBC Sports Chicago, Joe Maddon is liking the look of Cubs 'backwards' lineup https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/joe-maddon-liking-look-cubs-backwards-lineup-rizzo- bryant-zobrist-heyward-cardinals • Chicago Tribune, Column: Dodgers' big move puts ball in Theo Epstein's court to shore up Cubs pitching http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-pennant-race-sullivan-20180720- story.html • Chicago Tribune, Fan who survived heart attack at Wrigley Field returning to thank Cubs employee who helped him http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-haugh-nirav-thakkar-20180720- story.html • Chicago Tribune, Long day for Cubs as Cardinals' Matt Carpenter hits 3 homers and 2 doubles in 18-5 victory http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-cardinals-20180720-story.html • Chicago Tribune, A scoreless ninth inning leaves one Cubs position player Happ-y http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-ian-happ-pitching-20180720- story.html • Chicago Tribune, Cubs' Jon Lester tells the analytics crowd: 'Watch the game' http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-jon-lester-analytics-20180720- story.html • Chicago Tribune, 8 things to know about new Cubs pitcher Jesse Chavez http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-jesse-chavez-5-things-20180720- story.html • Chicago Tribune, MLB fighting an unwinnable battle with Mike Trout http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-mlb-mike-trout-marketing-20180720- story.html • Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs’ Jon Lester has worst outing of season as Matt Carpenter, Cards romp 18- 5 https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/cubs-jon-lester-has-worst-outing-of-season-as-matt- carpenter-cards-romp-18-5/ • Chicago Sun-Times, Is Cubs’ Tyler Chatwood running out of chances to get his act together? https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/is-cubs-tyler-chatwood-running-out-of-chances-to-get-his-act- together/ • Chicago Sun-Times, Dear Cardinals: We Chicagoans need your arrogance back in our lives https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/chicago-cubs-st-louis-cardinals-mike-matheny-theo-epstein- mike-shildt/ • Daily Herald, Carpenter hits 3 homers as Cards demolish Cubs 18-5 http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20180720/carpenter-hits-3-homers-as-cards-demolish-cubs-18- 5 • Daily Herald, Cubs look forward to adding new reliever Chavez to the mix http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20180720/cubs-look-forward-to-adding-new-reliever-chavez- to-the-mix -- The Athletic What it would take for the Cubs to do a big deal at the trade deadline By Patrick Mooney When Tommy La Stella, Victor Caratini and Ian Happ combine to get more outs than Jon Lester, you know the Cubs aren’t done adding to their pitching staff. “You all stuck around?” manager Joe Maddon said, walking into his Wrigley Field press conference after Friday’s 18-5 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals that lasted three hours and 54 minutes and featured the Cubs using multiple position players as pitchers in a game for the first time since 1884. “I thought I’d be talking to an empty room.” An ugly loss on a rainy afternoon doesn’t change the trajectory of a 56-39 team. It would still take a perfect storm for the Cubs to do a huge deal before the July 31 trade deadline. It’s possible — but not necessarily likely — that team president Theo Epstein could make another move that shocks the baseball world. These situations are always fluid. Yu Darvish responded well after playing catch late Friday morning on Wrigley’s outfield grass, but the Cubs don’t know how their $126 million pitcher will feel the next day and the day after that. The Cubs took a more pragmatic approach in targeting Jesse Chavez, knowing they are scheduled to play more games (69) after the All-Star break than any other team in the majors, starting with these five games in four days against the Cardinals. There are eight more games against the second-place Milwaukee Brewers, a 29-games-in-30-days stretch between Aug. 14 and Sept. 12 and major incentives to avoid playing in the National League wild-card game in October. In ending World Series droughts that lasted 194 years combined, Epstein famously traded away Boston Red Sox icon Nomar Garciaparra and traded for Aroldis Chapman. But the under-the-radar Chavez deal with the Texas Rangers announced late Thursday night also illustrates Epstein’s trade-deadline playbook. The Cubs have a realistic view of a bullpen that appears to be in better shape than it actually is because the team hasn’t played as many games. The Triple-A Iowa shuttle will probably break down at some point. There is an optimistic sense that closer Brandon Morrow (right biceps inflammation) only needs rest/recovery time on the disabled list — and will eventually return at 100 percent — but he also has a long medical history that’s made the Cubs very cautious with his workload. Chavez, 34, will be pitching for his ninth big-league team when he joins the Cubs this weekend. The Cubs project Chavez — who put up a 3.51 ERA in 30 appearances out of the Texas bullpen this season — has the command, pitch mix and know-how to use the team’s advance scouting reports/game-planning system and attack different kinds of hitters as a spot starter/multiple-inning reliever. “Chavy’s good people,” said outfielder Jason Heyward, who played with Chavez during his rookie season with the Atlanta Braves in 2010. “He’s going to fit in this clubhouse really well and he’s a guy that always wants the ball.” “Great guy, low-key, good pitcher,” said Morrow, who overlapped with Chavez during his time with the Toronto Blue Jays. “That’s why we picked him up. He’s got a rubber arm out of the bullpen and can be a swing guy and do a lot of things well. Really versatile.” Chavez only cost Class-A lefty Tyler Thomas, a seventh-round pick out of Fresno State in last year’s draft, and the balance of his one-year, $1 million contract, leaving the Cubs with the flexibility to make bigger moves. Epstein didn’t trade off the big-league roster to shake last year’s team out of a World Series hangover and kept the young core intact after a disappointing ending in the NLCS. The Cubs instead made sweeping changes to their coaching staff and committed $215 million to free-agent pitchers. On some level, holding onto those hitters reflected the reality of the marketplace more than any sort of organizational mandate or sense of loyalty. The Cubs aren’t philosophically opposed to trading from their position of strength. It might even become an inevitability at some point as all these players get more and more expensive through the arbitration system. But outside of discussing Albert Almora Jr. as part of last year’s Justin Verlander negotiations with the Detroit Tigers, the Cubs feel like they haven’t really been offered a compelling deal or fair value for one of their up-and-coming big-league players like Happ. Those positions could always evolve under deadline pressure, but Caratini, Triple-A infielder David Bote and top prospect Miguel Amaya are interesting trade chips to think about while the Cubs get linked to pitchers like Toronto’s J.A. Happ and Baltimore Orioles reliever Zach Britton. Blocked by All-Star catcher Willson Contreras for the next several years, Caratini just needs an opportunity to play after putting up a .334 batting average, 14 homers, 83 RBIs and a .933 OPS in 115 career games at the Triple-A level. Caratini — who will be 25 next month and remain under control through the 2023 season — could fit into another franchise’s long-range plans. Maybe a rebuilding team will have enough imagination to project Bote as the everyday player the Cubs envision. The Cubs think Bote has the swing and the versatility to have a nice career in the big leagues. It’s just that Bote has only shown it in flashes (.867 OPS in 20 games with the Cubs this year) and doesn’t have a clear path to regular playing time at Wrigley Field. Amaya hasn’t generated the same buzz Gleyber Torres and Eloy Jiménez created when they came out of the organization’s valuable pipeline in Latin America. But the Cubs see Amaya as a top-50 prospect within the industry and believe he could leap into the top 20 by this time next year.