The Cubs on Friday signed GM Jed Hoyer and Senior VP/Scouting & Player Development Jason McLeod to five-year contract extensions through '21, allowing the club to "maintain 10 years of continuity with its top baseball executives," according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES. President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein, Hoyer and McLeod "appeared close to getting broken up when McLeod interviewed for the Twins’ top baseball job this month." Manager Joe Maddon, who "repeatedly credits the front office with doing all the 'heavy lifting' in team building before he arrived, sees the extensions of the guys at the top as an extension of the vision for a lengthy run of success as well" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 10/1).
PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE: In Chicago, O'Connell & Bergen noted since purchasing the Cubs in '09, the Ricketts family has "overseen the club's rejuvenation on the field while embarking on an ambitious renovation" of Wrigley Field and its surroundings. Cubs Chair Tom Ricketts is "front and center" as the "frontman of the family and chief architect of the overhaul." After winning a "complicated bidding process to buy the club," the family laid out a "long-term plan for the team on the field and for the ballpark itself, tearing down the roster and remaking the creaky old stadium with an eye on the future." The plan meant "several years of dismal play on the diamond and countless political and neighborhood battles off of it." The family, for the most part, has "emerged triumphant by sticking to its blueprint, hiring keen baseball executives." As the Cubs have turned play around on the field, some of the franchise's "most persistent critics, in part soothed by the team's largesse, have faded to the background." Ricketts "emphasized the importance of hiring talented people, then allowing them to do their jobs." He has made "two signature personnel moves" in keeping President of Business Operations Crane Kenney and hiring Epstein. Ricketts: "From my standpoint, if I have any role in this, it was to bring in good people, and to be patient" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 10/1).
SIGN OF THE TIMES: Epstein last week signed a contract extension worth a reported $10M per year, and MLB Network's Vince Gennaro said, "We're in this era now where there's so much more information. ... (And) when you've got this kind of information-intense environment, the value of making the right decisions goes up immensely." MLB Net's Cliff Corcoran said when players sign lucrative deals, it helps other players, and "we're going to see that with GMs and team presidents as well." MLB Net's Carlos Pena said "every other GM in the league is very well educated in all the information" available to them, but "not everyone implements it the way (Epstein) does." Gennaro: "This is about building an entire infrastructure where the entire organization is empowered to think about the right way to do it" ("MLB Now," MLB Network, 9/30).
