Epstein: Cubs won't 'force change' amid quiet offseason

Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein isn't fazed by the lack of high-profile moves his team has made over the winter after a disappointing 2019 campaign.

The Cubs were expected to be active during the offseason with stars such as third baseman Kris Bryant, catcher Willson Contreras, and shortstop Javy Baez reportedly on the trade market. No deals materialized, however, which is just fine with Epstein.

"I'll be honest, it hasn't been as much turnover as we expected," the 46-year-old executive said, according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. "All along, we weren't going to force change. We were seeking it in certain areas and seeking improvement in certain areas, but I feel like any time you go out there saying, 'We need to accomplish change just for change's sake,' you probably make bad deals and you make a tricky situation worse."

Epstein hinted that bringing in new manager David Ross to replace Joe Maddon could revitalize the Cubs' core players.

"I think the key is (to) preserve all the things that we've done well and have led to a lot of success over the last five years or so, but add new elements, new standards, and I think this new environment will help our guys get more out of themselves and will help us as a team certainly outperform where we ended up last year," Epstein said. "I think the raw performance of what we went out there and did, our base talent level, was a lot more than 84 wins.

"Now, we have to go prove it."

Chicago failed to make the postseason last year with the third-largest payroll in the majors and was reportedly hit with a $7.6-million penalty for exceeding the competitive balance tax.

The club has made a few minor moves since the end of the season, adding veteran outfielder Steven Souza Jr. and relievers Jeremy Jeffress and Ryan Tepera. Second baseman Jason Kipnis also reportedly joined the mix on a minor-league contract.

The Cubs lost starting pitcher Cole Hamels and outfielder Nick Castellanos in free agency.