Epstein on Trade Deadline: 'You have to be creative, you have to be patient'

A lot can change between now and July 31, but it looks like the Cubs will be buyers at the Trade Deadline for the first time in Theo Epstein's tenure in Chicago.

"You have to be creative, you have to be patient, you have to be understanding and you have to recognize that the trade deadline is not a panacea," Epstein said to CSN Chicago. "It just gets a ton of attention for natural reasons, but if you go back and look, rarely is it a defining factor.

"Maybe the trades in Boston in 2004 really helped. But more times than not, when we've made deals, it's just kind of hit-and-miss. The guys you get, sometimes they don't perform and then other players you've had all year step up and you play well.

"If you look at the history, teams that go to the World Series, it's very rarely a deadline deal. It's just an opportunity to address things, maybe for this year, areas of need or maybe do something to set yourself up for next year if you've got something that might be hard to address in the offseason.

"Yeah, we know what we'd like to do, but we're realistic about what we might be able to do."

The Cubs have been go so far and while adding a player at the deadline may seem like a good idea, Epstein was quick to point out that it's not always as great as it seems.

Adding a player is great, but there are often cons to the situation as well so it's important to be careful and keep the big picture in mind.

"You don't win any blue ribbons or gold stars for half a decent season," Epstein said. "We're just trying to get better, trying to see what we need to do to make sure that we're still relevant three, four months from now. That's what matters.”

(h/t CSN Chicago)
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