CHICAGO — Post Malone’s “Circles” blared over the speakers before the finale of the Chicago Cubs’ homestand Thursday at Wrigley Field.
“Let go. I got a feeling that it’s time to let go. I say so. I knew that this was doomed from the get-go.”
It was an appropriate anthem for the 2021 Cubs, who enter another turning point in franchise history with three star players from the 2016 core available before Friday’s trade deadline.
Was this the end of an era?
“I don’t look at it like that,” manager David Ross said before the game against the Cincinnati Reds. “I don’t know how everyone wants to put it.”
That’s assuming one or more of the “Big 3″ — Kris Bryant, Javier Baez or Anthony Rizzo — gets traded, of course.
“I don’t assume anything in my job,” Ross continued. “You (media) can do that. I’d say the players that are here have done a really nice job of creating a championship mindset, championship expectations, high expectations and they’re all still here.”
After a week of muggy weather, a sharp pregame temperature drop and sudden wind shift boosted the comfort level of fans filing into Wrigley, many of whom came out to say goodbye to players who may not be back in a Cubs uniform.
But two of those, Rizzo and Bryant, were out of the starting lineup, one day before the trade deadline. Ross said the day off was “earmarked” for Rizzo, who hadn’t had a break since the All-Star break. Ross decided to also rest Bryant, based on the “length of the game” Wednesday and “issues with his legs.”
The decision was not deadline-related, Ross insisted, but that didn’t stop anxious Cubs fans from fearing the worst — that the team kept Bryant and Rizzo out so they wouldn’t risk spoiling a potential deal.
Ross understood that thinking, and said the two would be available off the bench.
“They’ll get a nice round of applause, I’m sure, if they get in there to pinch hit,” he said. “Everybody can hate me or blame me or whatever, but you’ve got to take care of these guys as well.
“Nobody has been traded yet. Let’s keep our heads about us and get ready to win a ballgame.”
Ross declined to handicap whether either of the so-called partners of the fictional “Bryzzo Inc.” would be dealt by Friday’s 3 p.m. deadline. He added that if the duo played Thursday, it would not be because he was giving them one last at-bat at Wrigley before leaving.
“I literally don’t come in to work on a daily basis thinking about who is going to be traded,” he said. “I try to still take care of myself players. My job is not to speculate (about) what might or might not happen. These guys understood thing was coming anyways. I’ve talked to both of them.
“They know the situation (that) it could be their last home game and all that. Everybody is fine with what’s going on. They need a break.”
Before the game, the Cubs made a series of roster moves, including putting second baseman Nico Hoerner on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain.