CIRCLE THE WAGONS

• Cubs GM Jed Hoyer spoke with David Kaplan of CSN Chicago and said it’s “likely and definitely possible” that the team will spend on veteran players in free agency this off season. Said Hoyer: “We need to add veterans to the kids that are coming.”
  
  This is a sea change from the Cubs stated rebuilding goal. The management team has always said that in order to have consistent winning seasons, one needs a strong farm system that allows for new talent to come up year after year to the big league roster. It is the infusion of home grown talent that is the key for long term club viability.
  
  Now, the Cubs never said they would not spend on free agents after the rebuild process was complete, but said it would do so to fill in any gaps in the roster. Again, this approach is different from the Tribune-Hendry era where the team was constructed mostly through free agent moves and trading for veteran talent.  The Epstein-Hoyer plan was to do the exact opposite.
  
  "This off season" to spend on free agents is not part of the original plan. As it stands right now, the Cubs are 2 to 3 years away from minor league top prospects from making it to the majors. Kris Bryant is the closest, and he is still in AA. Javy Baez is at AAA but has not had the monster season people expected to be called up any time soon. The touted pitchers like Pierce Johnson or C.J. Edwards have had injury set backs in the low minors. And this year's draft choices, especially the high school pitchers, are 5 years away from major league consideration. 
  
  It is possible that the realization that the Cubs tanking in 2014 would be the final straw to break the attendance back bone of the franchise. The new TV deals won't be in place until 2020. The team cannot survive in a healthy state with 6 more years of near 100 loss baseball teams. So adding veterans "ahead" of schedule is a means of trying to bale water on a currently sunk ship.
  
  Now, many people have complained that the Cubs could have spent more on free agents (the non-flipping kind) and built a competitive roster WHILE re-stocking the minor league organization. There was no prohibition against doing a balanced player development program. Perhaps, this notion finally hit home in the front office. Better late than never.