After unveiling their first mascot in team history to a polarizing response, the Cubs’ decision to quietly waive core players Starlin Castro, Jeff Samardzija and Anthony Rizzo has been largely ignored by most major media outlets. While this bold move would likely have caused an uproar among the Cubs fan base, it has flown under the radar thanks to the strong, largely negative, reaction to Clark the Bear, a slightly terrifying giant bear with a backwards baseball cap.
“First of all, I hate to see us breaking with tradition to bring a mascot in,” said Chicago fan Tom Simmons, who owns and often proudly wears a Castro jersey. “And on top of that, Clark is just so creepy looking, I think it really was a poor choice.”
Sources close to the organization speculated that the money they saved with these cuts would be used to try to bring Alfonso Soriano back to the organization, a move which will hopefully be ignored once the Cubs announce their plans to change the name of Wrigley Field.
