SEATTLE — Javier Assad has to wear it. A major-league clubhouse is a unique workplace, but like any job, it comes with answering to bosses, making compromises and dealing with personnel decisions that might seem unfair. It all matters because the Chicago Cubs are built to win the World Series this year.Assad has been a glue guy for an overachieving pitching staff wracked by injuries, going 6-1 with a 3.46 ERA over 83 1/3 innings. Within those 22 appearances, the Cubs are 9-1 in his starts, and the Mexican right-hander has also notched two saves, covering all sorts of situations in his hybrid role.The Cubs still optioned Assad to Triple A as the corresponding roster move to activate hard-throwing reliever Daniel Palencia before Friday’s 6-5 walk-off loss to the Seattle Mariners in the 10th inning at T-Mobile Park. Rather than cut a pitcher loose, the Cubs are using the third of their five in-season contractual options to send Assad to Iowa.“Look, the way Javy’s pitched definitely doesn’t warrant going to the minor leagues,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “The other decisions mean we lose the pitcher forever.”Who should win NL MVP?Joe CrisalliThis is essentially the same call the Cubs made last weekend, preserving depth when Assad was optioned to Iowa and David Peterson was moved to the bullpen to accommodate Edward Cabrera, whose blister issue resurfaced during a noncompetitive start against the St. Louis Cardinals.When Cabrera returned to the injured list the next day, the Cubs recalled Assad, and Peterson got four key outs in a comeback win over the Chicago White Sox in 10 innings. The following night at Wrigley Field, when Cubs starter Kevin Gausman exited with a cramp in his left/non-pitching hand, Assad entered and threw three scoreless innings, helping position his team for another walk-off win over the White Sox.“Giving the players the direct information — whether it’s good news, bad news — has always been the most effective way for me,” Counsell said. “They know how I’m thinking, how the team is thinking, and then they get to choose their response. The vast majority of players want to do the right thing. They know they have to earn the things that they get.“They know there’s rules that we all have to operate within. You don’t always get the exact news that you’re going to want to get. They’re used to that. If you get to this place, you’ve experienced that. You’ve gone through it. You’ve overcome it. It’s part of being a good competitor. It’s part of being a professional athlete.“We’re also getting to a point in the year where you understand that we’re trying to do something that’s really hard to do. It’s going to require some kind of special effort from each one of us.”The consensus from the public projection systems is that the Cubs will be a playoff team. Entering this weekend, Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Prospectus set Chicago’s chances to make the postseason at 98.5 percent, 98.7 percent and 98.9 percent.Pete Crow-Armstrong’s MVP campaign has elevated the entire group. Seiya Suzuki looks like he’ll be the No. 1 hitter on the free-agent market this offseason. Alex Bregman, who hit two home runs against the Mariners, is living up to his big contract. With Gold Glove winners all over the field, the Cubs feature the sport’s best defense.