Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer and White Sox general manager Chris Getz engaged in trade talks over the winter, Hoyer said Tuesday, before their teams faced off for the first time this season. And though those conversations didn’t materialize in the form of an offseason deal, Hoyer can empathize with Getz’ position.
“It’s a hard job to take over, to have to make really difficult trades, to have to effectively lose on purpose for a while in order to to get better,” Hoyer said. “But I respect the fact that he’s going right at it. He’s not cutting corners, he’s traded the right guys. I think they’ve got a lot of pitching in their minor-league system now because of that.”
Hoyer and his predecessor Theo Epstein went through a rebuild when they first came to Chicago. And after Epstein left, Hoyer orchestrated a less extreme version of the process, trading away the core the pair had assembled to win the 2016 World Series.
“If I can offer encouragement at times or shoulder at times, I think that’s great,” Hoyer said. “Because I do think that we’ve been through it. And the concept of rebuilding is one thing, but the reality of driving home a lot of nights having lost the game, and sometimes in a cruel way, I think is real. And so trying to humanize that a little bit.”
Though both teams were struggling heading into the first iteration of the Crosstown Classic this season, in a big picture sense, they’re supposed to be headed opposite directions. The White Sox are tearing down — though, like the Cubs in recent years, they shied away from the term “rebuild” — and this Cubs team was built with the postseason in mind, after a narrow miss last season.
This spring, the two teams traded minor-league pitchers, with Bailey Horn going back to the White Sox and Matthew Thompson joining the Cubs organization, when the Cubs needed to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.
“It’s not the easiest thing to get deals done,” Hoyer said of the crosstown relationship. “There’s always the politics that go on between the two teams, and so it’s not the easiest trade partner. But it’s a pretty open relationship. We definitely talk about that stuff. And maybe at some point, we’ll get a significant deal done.”
Bellinger in right
Cody Bellinger started in right field on Tuesday, giving right fielder Seiya Suzuki a chance to serve as the designated hitter. It was Bellinger’s second time starting in right this season and his first when Suzuki was also in the lineup.
Against White Sox right-hander Chris Flexen, the Cubs had left-handed hitters Bellinger, center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and first baseman Michael Busch all in the starting lineup.
Hoyer likened Bellinger’s defensive versatility to the value Kris Bryant provided in 2015 and 2016 as then-manager Joe Maddon moved him around the field.
“For [manager Craig Counsell] with Cody, it’s the ability to move him around and keep his bat right where it is in the lineup but be able to move guys around,” Hoyer said. “Who else in the game can play center, play first, play right? He does it so well, and he’s been critical to our offense. So it just really underscores his value as a baseball player.”
Injury update
Cubs top prospect Cade Horton was diagnosed with a moderate strain of the subscapularis in his right shoulder. He’ll likely be shut down from throwing for three to four weeks before the team evaluates his next step.
Cubs lefty Jordan Wicks (strained left forearm) is set to throw a bullpen session Wednesday. That will line him up to make his next start this weekend, but the Cubs have not yet announced whether that will be another rehab start, or if he’ll be activated from the 15-day IL.
