Levine: Cubs Brass Evaluating Playoff Roster, Matchups
By Bruce Levine--
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Somewhere deep in the cavernous Wrigley Field underpinnings, an office with roster boards of the Cardinals, Giants and Mets exists. In this room, the Cubs' will decide how to fill out their 25-man roster for the NLDS.
As of Friday morning, all three of the aforementioned wild-card candidates were tied with 72 losses. All kinds of variables exist as to possible ties and extended wild-card playoffs as 10 days remain in the regular season.
The Cubs (97-55) know this much for certain: They'll host Game 1 of the NLDS at Wrigley Field on Oct. 7, and with a magic number of two to clinch home field in the NL playoffs, it's only a matter of time before Chicago knows it will officially play the wild-card survivor. With that in mind and two weeks before the playoffs begin, the team's front office and coaching staff are breaking down the three clubs that could be their first-round opponent.
The NL wild-card game will be played Oct. 5.
"We certainly have had some initial meetings about it," Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said. "We have had these meetings, now we let it marinate a little bit. We have plenty of time to make these decisions. We will keep revisiting this stuff over the weekend and over the next week and see where we are."
These Cubs' last 10 games are primarily about getting bullpen pitchers ready. Relievers like Pedro Strop, Joe Smith and Mike Montgomery will get important reps, which will give manager Joe Maddon a better feel for how to approach high-leverage matchups in the playoffs.
On Friday, the Cubs activated Strop off the disabled list after he'd been out for more than five weeks with a meniscus tear and groin injury. The goal is to have him have five outings in the final 10 games and likely pitch in a simulated game on Oct. 4.
"We had our preliminary meeting regarding the postseason," Maddon said. "We are trying to look through all kinds of (situations), and that is certainly one of them.
Hoyer and president of baseball operations Theo Epstein have been through all kinds of playoff roster calculations over the years. Metrics can help you decide on a few best options going forward, but the numbers aren't a true indicator of how players will perform under pressure, and there can be current physical maladies to consider as well.
"The meeting wasn't too complicated," Maddon said. "It was just about potential opponents and what it would look like. We talked about how many pitchers/position players we want, what the bench is going to look like."
From a scouting perspective, the Cubs must do advance work on all three potential wild-card teams. Within 12 days, that should be down one team.
"That fine balance between being rested and being sharp, we are trying to thread that needle," Hoyer said. "There is no guide book for it. We just want to try and thread that needle. Look, regardless, we are going to play a good team in the first round. We are gong to play a team that will feel like world beaters when they you get on the plane (because of the wild-card win). We were that team last year. We felt like world beaters after winning that game on the road (at Pittsburgh). That is why are focus has to be on us just playing good baseball."
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
