The Chicago Cubs are clearly in a rebuilding mode during their first year with Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer at the top of the organization, and with the July 31 non-waiver deadline rapidly approaching everyone is wondering which veterans will be dealt and what types of players the Cubs are pursuing. On Wednesday, Epstein told Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune that he is looking to add a lot of pitching to the minor league system, but that top position player prospects are still in play if trade partners lack blue chip pitchers:
"You can express a preference for pitching, but if you're dealing with a club that has better position player prospects and you feel the position players in a certain system are a safer bet or offer higher upside, I don't think it's right to pigeonhole yourself to one situation."
"As a whole, not specifically regarding potential deals, we need to add a lot of pitching to the system. It's not enough to have a handful or two. You need waves and waves coming through your system, and we don't have that. We hardly have even one wave coming, so we need to rebuild a lot of pitching depth."
With rumors swirling around veteran pitchers like Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza it will be very interesting to see how many young assets Chicago can acquire prior to the trade deadline.
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