Caveat Emptor

With all due respect to the people out there who don’t believe in curses, Cubs’ president Theo Epstein must be wondering if somebody didn’t put one on him.  Epstein announced yesterday that team closer Brandon Morrow had arthroscopic elbow surgery and won’t be available for the start of the 2019 season.  Either the Cubs are dealing with Billy Goat II, or Epstein made a series of disastrous pitching signings last offseason.   

Consider the $185 million given to Morrow (two years) starters Yu Darvish (six) and Tyler Chatwood (three).  The starters were good for all of five wins.  In comparison, Morrow was pure gold, for half a season.  He saved 22 games with a 1.47 ERA before going down for the season in mid-July with some sort of bone bruise.  Like I said, it’s a curse or Epstein knows bupkis about pitching.

Ironically, Morrow’s injury may benefit manager Joe Maddon, or at least his reputation.  The Cubs’ front office let it be known they weren’t happy with Maddon’s use of Morrow; why, he once had his closer pitch in three straight games!  Only it’s doubtful that Morrow’s surgery to fix damaged cartilage and remove bone chips had anything to do with those three games.  In the first eleven years of his career, the 34-year old right hander recorded eighteen saves total.  And all of a sudden he’s going to be a closer good for thirty or forty or more saves a season?  Talk about wishful thinking.

The Cubs have definite pitching problems going into the winter meetings next week that signing Bryce Harper or Manny Machado will do nothing to solve.  Unless those needs are addressed before the start of spring training, I know of at least two White Sox fans, father and daughter, who will start dreaming about the South Side team winning more games than the North Side team next season.