Renteria hopes to change fortunes from Day 1

MESA, Ariz. -- The Cubs expect everyone, including newly acquired infielder Emilio Bonifacio, to be present on Wednesday for the first full-squad workout under manager Rick Renteria.

Renteria addressed the pitchers and catchers when they reported last week, and he will give the same message to the full squad prior to its workout. It won't be the last time players get this pep talk.

"Many of the things I'll say, I'll say over and over during the course of the spring, over the course of the season," Renteria said Tuesday. "It'll be redundant, but what we're trying to do is change the way we think and view things. We're trying to change the mentality and to understand you shouldn't fear having expectations, high expectations."

The Cubs have had four straight losing seasons, and not much success in the postseason, and Renteria is well aware of that.

"It'd be nice over the next however number of years for the Cubs to constantly be in the playoff hunt," Renteria said. "That's my mentality. That's my mentality today, it was my mentality when I took the job. I'm not afraid to say it.

"My only challenge is quite frankly just getting to know everybody so I can do the best I can with all the individuals here before me."

Which means developing a level of trust with the players.

"I just got here," Renteria said. "I can understand that I need to know and understand the past. I need to formulate my approach and foundation for which I'm going to lay my relationship with each player."

Bonifacio, a free agent who signed a Minor League contract on Saturday with the Cubs, and Starlin Castro appeared to be the only position players who have yet to check in at the new complex.