President Theo Epstein marveled at the new video board at Wrigley Field before speaking of the need for more upgrades and the importance of generating more revenue.
“I don’t think you can really play here for another 10 to 15 years without making significant improvements,” Epstein said Sunday night. “So it would make all the sense in the world that they would add up a very broad, all-encompassing project that touches all the different aspects of Wrigley and make it better than ever.”
Delays during the first phase have extended the project timeline to five years. The baseball operations department used money saved from the previous season and this year’s budget to sign free agent Jon Lester to a six-year, $155 million contract and add catcher Miguel Montero ($40 million), manager Joe Maddon ($25 million) and Jason Hammel ($20 million) this winter.
But when Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber and Javier Baez arrive, more revenue will be necessary.
Epstein said the primary goals of the Wrigley project were to enable fans of many generations to watch games at Wrigley and to make the facility a better place for players, fans and the city to enjoy the game.
“The revenue generation side of it is important for us to get to where we want to go — payroll-wise — to capitalize on our market size and demand for Cubs tickets if we play well,” Epstein said.
He’ll manage: Joe Maddon, who has been involved in professional baseball for 41 years and won two AL Manager of the Year awards, admits he has a lot to learn about managing in the National League.
Maddon made his regular-season debut as the Cubs manager Sunday night, beginning the process of getting to know the quirkiness of Wrigley Field and the tendencies of the defending NL Central champion Cardinals.
He received a standing ovation and loud cheers from Cubs fans when he was introduced.
“I just know this field is like two different fields with the wind one way or the other,” Maddon said before the game. “I saw (the fickle wind) last year (as manager of the Rays), and we will see it tonight. And then again, I don’t even know what that means.”
Sunday night marked the beginning of his learning and discovery process, including batting Lester eighth and his second leadoff hitter, Tommy La Stella, ninth.
“I am wide open, believe me, I’m wide open. I am not here to say I know everything by any stretch of the imagination,” Maddon said.
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In 15,848 games from 1914 through 2014, the Cubs batted the starting pitcher in a spot other than the ninth spot only once, according to baseball historian Ed Hartig. That occurred on Sept. 8, 2012, when Jeff Samardzija batted eighth and went 0-for-3 but earned the complete-game victory.
Making the cut: Outfielder Matt Szczur and infielder Jonathan Herrera earned the final two spots on the roster, and outfielder Ryan Sweeney was designated for assignment.
“It feels great to hear them say I earned it, and it wasn’t given to me,” said Szczur, who batted .354 with five home runs this spring.
Herrera said he was informed he made the opening-day roster during batting practice Friday night.
“I’m really happy to be here, to be part of this beautiful team,” Herrera said.
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