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Chicago Cubs GM Jed Hoyer was on 670 The Score Thursday morning and broke some news. He confirmed that Brandon Hyde will be Joe Maddon’s bench coach and that Jim Hickey will be the new Cubs pitching coach. He also got into some of the other offseason fun, trade rumors!
The biggest of which, Hoyer basically called bullshit, which we all basically thought when it first began to spread. Of course, we’re talking about the rumored Jason Heyward trade to the San Francisco Giants. Hoyer was asked about it on The Spiegel And Parkins Show and shot it down.
“Those are just the kind of made-up rumors that happen this time of year,” Hoyer said on the Spiegel and Parkins Show on 670 The Score. “This is not against you for asking me, because it’s news, but it’s just the nature of our job today, that someone throws an idea out on a blog or something like that and all of a sudden people get asked about it and it’s news. There’s no truth to that rumor whatsoever. I don’t know where that stuff comes from.”
On Wednesday, Giants reporter Alex Pavlovic said people with the team in San Francisco also put no credence into the Heyward speculation.
Giants people seem as baffled by Heyward/Cubs rumor as the rest of us. Zero chance of that deal. Welcome to the offseason.
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) November 8, 2017
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That came after MLB.com columnist and former Chicago Tribune reporter Phil Rogers said the Giants were interested in the Cubs outfielder.
@Giants have interest in @Cubs' Jason Heyward, w/Jeff Samardzija and Mark Melancon to offer. Very complicated deal but not impossible.
— Phil Rogers (@philgrogers) November 7, 2017
The Heyward trade rumor began in late October, when ESPN 1000’s David Kaplan said the Cubs could be looking into dealing Heyward and speculated the Giants as a possible option. On the same day, White Sox Dave of Barstool Sports, who broke the Jose Quintana trade in July and other deals, tweeted the following.
Hearing the Cubs and Giants have to some degree discussed a Heyward for Samardzija/Melancon trade FWIW #ScoopCity
— whitesoxdave (@barstoolWSD) October 27, 2017
From every step forward the same has been repeated. It makes sense for the Cubs and makes absolutely no sense for the Giants. So, I’ll go with the Cubs GM on this one.
Hoyer added this about Heyward.
“Jason, I’m really happy for him,” Hoyer said. “He won his second Gold Glove with us. I think he’s going to continue to work hard over the winter, and I think he’s trying to regain sort of where he was offensively a few years ago. But listen, he’s been a great teammate, a great defender. He’s helped us win in a lot of ways. Those rumors, I don’t have any idea where that came from.”
The Cubs GM also talked about John Lackey.
WAIT WHAT?!?!?
So, the other day Jon Heyman reported that Lackey, who appeared to be on his way to retirement, is actually planning to continue his career in 2018. The 39-year-old made 59 starts for the Cubs in the last two seasons and the Cubs do have a couple spots open in ther rotation, but does that mean they want Lackey back?
Jed Hoyer: #Cubs "will be in contact" with John Lackey, who intends to pitch in 2018.
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) November 9, 2017
I hope the extent of that phone call is thanks for the last two seasons and good luck in 2018.
But what if Lackey takes next to nothing and comes back as the fifth starter? That wouldn’t be too bad, right? STOP IT! GET THESE THOUGHTS OUT OF MY HEAD!
