Epstein claims `no hard feelings’ between Cubs, Bryant

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Theo Epstein claims there are “no hard feelings on either side” in the relationship between the Chicago Cubs and Kris Bryant.

Bryant’s grievance against the team was denied by arbitrator Mark Irvings, who ruled the players’ association did not prove Chicago’s reasons for holding the third baseman in the minors at the start of the 2015 season were a pretext to push back his eligibility for free agency.

“I’ve had a good text exchange with KB, checking in here recently, and whether it’s the trade rumors or the grievance matter, there are no hard feelings on either side,” Epstein, the president of baseball operations for the Cubs, said Tuesday. “He’s excited to report to camp later this week. He’s excited for the 2020 season… He’s looking forward to getting started and continue what’s been a great relationship.”

A three-time All-Star and the 2016 NL MVP, Bryant is eligible for free agency after the 2021 season.

Theo, why must you turn this Newsblog into a house of lies?

Dog Pee or Scorpions? Cubs Prez Theo Epstein’s Wild Landlord-Tenant Dispute

Chicago Cubs president Theo Epstein’s dog “left a terrible odor and urine-stained carpeting” in an Arizona home he stayed in for the 2015 spring training season, his landlords from that year claim.

Epstein denied his alleged tenancy fouls through a spokesperson and claimed his landlords failed to address a scorpion infestation that put his family in danger.

From February to March 2015, Epstein lived in a Paradise Valley home owned by John and Mary Valentino, a married couple based in Pennsylvania. Epstein stayed in the home with his wife, two children, and 10-pound rescue mutt.

According to a lawsuit filed Thursday in Maricopa County Superior Court, Epstein’s pup peed prolifically in the $1 million house, staining tile and stone flooring, wood door jams, cabinets, and furniture. In addition to urine stains, the Epsteins also allegedly left the home with drywall holes, broken cabinet handles, a torn shower curtain, a ripped grill cover, and other damages.

It’s been a while since we’ve dabbled in the surreal- how will now do for that?

Theo Epstein: Craig Kimbrel’s late arrival was the ‘single biggest reason’ for his struggles

Craig Kimbrel signed with the Cubs with plenty of fanfare in June. His on-field performance didn’t match the hype.

Kimbrel entered Thursday with a 6.53 ERA and a 1.6 WHIP in 20 2/3 innings with the Cubs. The highest ERA of his career before this season was 3.40. He hasn’t had a WHIP above 1.1 since his rookie year.

Theo Epstein has a theory why Kimbrel struggled, although there’s nothing surprising about it.

“We knew that given that he wouldn’t have a normal spring training, given that he was trying to do something that very few had ever done before, which was join the team midstream in a closer’s role, that there would be some risk,” Epstein said in an interview on 670 The Score on Thursday. “We felt it was certainly a risk worth taking. I think it’s impossible to pinpoint how much of his struggles have been because of that, but from my perspective it’s the single biggest factor. He’s never struggled like this before. He’s never even been close to having this type of performance before.”

This feels like a rather passive way of describing how that situation came into being, doesn’t it?

Theo Epstein speaks for all Cubs fans as he sums up the frustrating season to date

If you were listening to 670 The Score Thursday morning, nobody would blame you if you confused Theo Epstein for a random Cubs fan.

But that wasn’t Bob from Berwyn chatting with David Haugh and Mike Mulligan about the infuriating 2019 season the Cubs have played to date — it was the president of baseball operations for the club, who told it like it is and pulled no punches.

Like usual, Epstein was measured in his response, but his frustration was palpable, as he explained how there are simply no excuses for the way the Cubs have played this year and especially lately.

He did not point to the recent string of injuries as a reason or use any other potential excuse in the books to explain away the fact that this team woke up Thursday morning tied with the Milwaukee Brewers for the second Wild-Card spot.

On the bright side, there’s now an opening in Boston…..

IT’S THE CUBS’ WORLD NOW

Not to spoil the ending, but:

But the Cardinals aren’t doomed. They still have a solid lineup, a solid rotation and a solid bullpen, and you’d have to think they’ll add somebody. But for years, some fans have claimed, wrongly, that Cardinals-Cubs isn’t a real rivalry because the Cards have always been so much better than the Cubs. This, not coincidentally, is the same thing Yankees fans used to say about the Red Sox, before Epstein took over there as well. Now, some have said, in the wake of the Cubs’ signing of Heyward, that this ratchets up the rivalry.

But if anything, I believe it dampens it. Even before Friday, the Cubs were a better team than the Cardinals in just about every way. Now that the Cubs took the Cardinals’ best player, the gap between these teams have widened. If anyone needs to prove this is a rivalry, it’s the fading Cardinals.