"It is not true that the front office has fallen in love with the players they brought into the system, and have refused to trade them. They traded away their best young prospect for Chapman. They traded away their best hitting prospect, as well as their best young pitching prospect for Quintana. Candelario went for Wilson. A couple of younger ones went for Chavez and de la Rosa."
Dave, I agree with your whole post back on October 4, except the above paragraph. From the get go, the Cubs wanted to create a different culture, a family, a fun atmosphere that still knew how to win. As a result, players who helped create a solid clubhouse are treasured, those didn't, got shipped out. You offer as a counter that they have shipped out young players like Torres and Eloy for other players. Those players were not already IN Chicago, embraced by all the fans. You can't name many players or any players who became part of the Cub family, accepted and embraced by both front office and the fans, who've been traded. Schwarber, Russell, Almora, Happ, Baez, Contreras, Bryant, Rizzo, Hendricks, Edwards...all still here, though Russell may not be for long, and I think a few of those guys may have to go in a trade of some kind. Arrieta, Wilson, Lackey, Fowler, FA's, allowed to leave. Interesting that some like the atmosphere so much, Duensing and Fowler, they come back for less. When I say, the FO loves their players, that's not necessarily a bad thing. If they have a core that they believe in and creates the kind of team they want, why shouldn't they love them and hesitate to trade them? But I think there has been a genuine affection expressed for the guys on the field, including guys like Lester and Zobrist who were brought in. I interpret Theo's comments to mean that they need to work on overcoming those feelings as they strive to put a more dominant team on the field.