There’s Only One Question Jed Hoyer Should Be Asking

Jed Hoyer met with the media prior to Thursday’s series finale against the Padres to address his organization’s descent into putrescence and what it means moving forward. He gave David Ross another vote of confidence, which makes sense because a) it’s not like any manager could be doing much better, and b) losing is what the organization seems to want right now. The Cubs baseball boss also expressed a bit of dismay with the way things have gone.

“I talk to Tom (Ricketts) and Crane (Kenney) all the time,” Hoyer explained. “Everyone has questions. I have questions. Rossy has questions. You’d be sort of not paying attention or not doing your job if you’re not asking questions about why we’re struggling in certain areas.”

Pretty much everyone knows why the Cubs are struggling in certain areas and the first two names mentioned have no say in baseball operations, so there is really only one question Hoyer can be asking. And that is, How much money will I have to spend and when can I start spending it?

I could waste everyone’s time by digging into all the context behind it, but there’s really no point. The only answers Hoyer needs deal with the budget he’ll have to extend Willson Contreras and maybe even Ian Happ, then to pursue free agents this winter. It’s about how many players he’ll need to trade and whether Jason Heyward needs to stay on the roster.

That’s all the guidance Hoyer can get from Kenney and ownership. And by the way, where’s GM Carter Hawkins in all this? It’s like he disappeared right after he got the job. Oh well, he’s probably glad he doesn’t need to handle any of the press obligations at this point.

As for how this brutal season impacts his plans to turn the Cubs into a winner again, Hoyer took a pass rather than trying to polish the turd.

“I’d better answer that later in the season.”