Kyle Schwarber -- General News

During the 2015 season, Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein confronted 23-year-old Kyle Schwarber, who was recovering from a left knee injury on the team's training table. Epstein sought to address circulating trade rumors by directly reassuring Schwarber of his future with the organization. Epstein stated unequivocally that the Cubs would not trade Schwarber, emphasizing that he would return as a Cub and predicted he would hit a home run on Opening Day the following season.

Schwarber had participated in only 80 major league games before his injury and faced skepticism regarding his defensive capabilities at both catcher and left field positions. This had fueled speculation that he might eventually be traded to an American League team as a designated hitter. However, Schwarber himself believed he could excel defensively at both positions, and he had reason to believe the Cubs organization shared that confidence. Epstein's direct intervention and vote of confidence appeared to resolve Schwarber's doubts about his place on the team during what was clearly an uncertain period in his early career.