Listen: Theo Epstein On Trade Talk, Starlin Castro & Not Drinking When Making Important Decisions
(CBS) All this time, we thought Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein had accomplished so much in the business on the strength of his smarts, ability to exploit market inefficiencies and keen eye for identifying talent on the field and in his front office.
Turns out, much of the battle is just staying patient.
Responding Friday to a question from 670 The Score's Jason Goff about how often he has to ignore his inner "college Theo with a couple of beers in him" when making the decision nowadays whether to chase a championship in the present perhaps at the risk of mortgaging the future, Epstein responded smoothly.
"You do have to put some of those checks and balances and safeguards on yourself, a restrictor plate," Epstein said. "First of all, don't drink when you make decisions is a pretty good rule of thumb, to answer your question.
"As a rule of thumb, I don't like to travel with the team around the team around the trade deadline, because when you do travel with the team, you tend to spend a ton of time in the clubhouse around all the players and coaches, and you feel the weight of the short-term needs disproportionately. You're not able to step back and see the big picture."
Epstein went on to explain how he keeps perspective in the chase for a championship. He built two World Series champions in Boston and is trying to do the same on Chicago's North Side, which has waited 107 years since its last title. The Cubs have played solid baseball this season and, at 39-32, would be the second wild-card team in the National League if the playoffs started today.
Epstein and the Cubs are intent on adding a starting pitcher. How talented and costly that acquisition will be remains to be seen.
"It's important to step back and remind yourselves about certain things you know to be true and keep repeating those things," Epstein said. "That helps guide you, if you lean on principles you know are true -- principles like, 'Yeah, every year that you have a chance to win is really valuable and really sacred and you can't take it for granted. You can't say, 'Yeah, we might have a chance to win this year, but we look a lot better two years from now.' Because you just don't know. Two years from now, you might lose half your team to injury and you don't have a good year.
"So you have to remind yourself, 'Don't take it for granted.' It is important to capitalize when you have a legitimate chance to win and win the whole thing. Getting in gives you a chance to win the whole.
"But on the other hand, you still have to remind yourself of the big picture."
Listen to Epstein's full interview below. He also talks about manager Joe Maddon's influence, the need for another starting pitcher, Starlin Castro's future at shortstop and much more.
