PITTSBURGH – Cubs president Theo Epstein, now a month into his lame-duck season, said Monday contract extension talks with ownership are “status quo.”
It seems more an issue of the sides making time to finish a new deal than any snags in talks that were expected at one point to get hammered out by the season opener.
Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said during spring training he expects to make Epstein the highest-paid team baseball executive in the game.
“I’m sure we’ll talk again soon,” said Epstein, who’s in the final year of a five-year, $18.5 million deal. “It’s not at the forefront of my mind right now.”
Must be the Pilates
On the eve of his first start in May – his first at PNC Park since beating the Pirates in last year’s National League wild-card game – Cubs ace Jake Arrieta (5-0, 1.00) was named the NL’s pitcher of the month for April.
Arrieta, who also won the award each of the final two months of last season, the first National League pitcher to win it three consecutive months. In the AL, Pedro Martinez (1999) and Johan Santana (2004) each won it three straight months. The award has been presented since 1975.
“I just want to continue to pitch the way I have and continue to pile up good outings for the team and stack up wins,” said Arrieta, whose big month included a second no-hitter in 11 starts. “I think I’ll be able to do a good job of that moving forward.”
Notes: Top pitching prospect Duane Underwood made his much anticipated season debut over the weekend for AA Tennessee after spending his first big-league spring training sidelined with forearm tightness. He pitched four innings, walking just one and allowing one run on four hits (two strikeouts), with velocity at full strength for this point in the season, Epstein said. … The Cubs plan to be among the 20 or so teams attending Friday’s showcase of free agent right-hander Tim Lincecum, the two-time Cy Young winner trying to come back from hip surgery.