Bruce Miles on Starlin Castro

[Wilson A2000]

there is absolutely no reason to debate this with someone that thinks a 20-year old can't learn anything else in the minors. that's so lolworthy i can barely stand it.

 

Then stop posting.

[17 Seconds]

he just better be playing every day if he comes up

[inari]

there is absolutely no reason to debate this with someone that thinks a 20-year old can't learn anything else in the minors. that's so lolworthy i can barely stand it.

 

Then stop posting.

 

Another way to put this; "yes my argument is ridiculous and based on nothing, so if you don't like that then don't respond."

[CubColtPacer]

Does Castro provide enough of a boost this year to overcome these questions? It's just not as simple as deciding if he's better than somebody currently on the major league roster. Maybe it would be that simple for a future bench/bullpen guy, but not somebody who you hope to be an important part of your team for years to come. There are financial and developmental ramifications that make it that the team needs to be absolutely sure before they make that move.

 

The Cubs window for winning a championship is shrinking very quickly. Soriano, Lee, Ramirez's careers are all beginning to decline.

 

The Cubs current window is closing. Bringing up Castro too early would be a possible hit to the next window.

 

The farm system is not stocked and there are not enough prospects to recover the loss these guys will leave behind.

 

The farm system is not stocked but it is hardly bare either. The Cubs have a pretty good core down there. Is it enough to sustain a medium or high payroll team? Absolutely.

 

The days of $120 million dollar payrolls are over with Ricketts. That means you have to develop your own talent which the Cubs can't do very well.

 

What makes you think Ricketts is going to dramatically lower the payroll? He has stressed that all the money he makes on the team is going back into the team. And I doubt the Tribune was losing large amounts of money on the team.

 

And if you believed that Ricketts was going to lower payroll, then why would you want Castro to cost millions more than he should for 3-4 years straight? Wouldn't that hurt a lowered payroll? Isn't 1 month a small price to pay for a better budget for all that time?

 

As for the developing talent question, the Cubs have been very good at developing pitchers over the years. And wouldn't the Cubs have to get credit for developing Castro if he's this player who is going to help the team? The Cubs are starting to both draft and develop talent better than they have in the past. If Castro becomes a starter, the Cubs will have 3 homegrown position players in their lineup who have all joined the lineup in the last 5 years.

 

Screw the future, especially when you haven't won a WS in over 100 years.

 

I can sympathize with this argument, but that's a fan's argument and not a GM's. A GM has to be above that and do what's best for the team.

 

 

 

Castro can improve more, but only in the bigs. He cannot develop anymore in the minors. He has seen enough.

 

What are his specific improvements he can make that can only be done in the majors?

[imb]

ironically that stupid "get them up here as soon as you can" attitude is a major reason why we haven't won a world series in a trillion years.

[inari]

This is all running under the assumption that Castro actually provides an improvement for the Cubs this year, which given his age and lack of development... well, that's far from a sure thing.

[Guest]

Does Castro provide enough of a boost this year to overcome these questions? It's just not as simple as deciding if he's better than somebody currently on the major league roster. Maybe it would be that simple for a future bench/bullpen guy, but not somebody who you hope to be an important part of your team for years to come. There are financial and developmental ramifications that make it that the team needs to be absolutely sure before they make that move.

 

The Cubs window for winning a championship is shrinking very quickly. Soriano, Lee, Ramirez's careers are all beginning to decline. The farm system is not stocked and there are not enough prospects to recover the loss these guys will leave behind. The days of $120 million dollar payrolls are over with Ricketts. That means you have to develop your own talent which the Cubs can't do very well. Screw the future, especially when you haven't won a WS in over 100 years.

 

Castro can improve more, but only in the bigs. He cannot develop anymore in the minors. He has seen enough.

There are so many things wrong with this, but I'll focus on a few things:

 

1) We have no idea what the Ricketts are going to do with the payroll. But by their word (repeated time after time), every penny that comes in as revenue is going to get spent on the team. Which would say that the payroll will at least hold steady and probably move up over time

2) The payroll from the guys leaving will be available to bring in younger players to form a new core

3) The minors may not be "stocked", but there are quality players down there to fill some of the roster spots over the next few years

4) As has been pointed out by many, there are a LOT of things Castro can still work on to improve down in the minors

[Wilson A2000]

there is absolutely no reason to debate this with someone that thinks a 20-year old can't learn anything else in the minors. that's so lolworthy i can barely stand it.

 

Then stop posting.

 

Another way to put this; "yes my argument is ridiculous and based on nothing, so if you don't like that then don't respond."

 

How many more years would you like before a championship is won? Tell the Twins how much one measley game means to a team the last two years.

[Wilson A2000]

Does Castro provide enough of a boost this year to overcome these questions? It's just not as simple as deciding if he's better than somebody currently on the major league roster. Maybe it would be that simple for a future bench/bullpen guy, but not somebody who you hope to be an important part of your team for years to come. There are financial and developmental ramifications that make it that the team needs to be absolutely sure before they make that move.

 

The Cubs window for winning a championship is shrinking very quickly. Soriano, Lee, Ramirez's careers are all beginning to decline. The farm system is not stocked and there are not enough prospects to recover the loss these guys will leave behind. The days of $120 million dollar payrolls are over with Ricketts. That means you have to develop your own talent which the Cubs can't do very well. Screw the future, especially when you haven't won a WS in over 100 years.

 

Castro can improve more, but only in the bigs. He cannot develop anymore in the minors. He has seen enough.

 

 

1) We have no idea what the Ricketts are going to do with the payroll. But by their word (repeated time after time), every penny that comes in as revenue is going to get spent on the team. Which would say that the payroll will at least hold steady and probably move up over time

2) The payroll from the guys leaving will be available to bring in younger players to form a new core

3) The minors may not be "stocked", but there are quality players down there to fill some of the roster spots over the next few years

4) As has been pointed out by many, there are a LOT of things Castro can still work on to improve down in the minors

 

There are so many things wrong with this, but I'll focus on a few things:

 

1) Yes we do know what general direction Ricketts will take. He has publicly said that the current salary for Cub players is unsustainable because they get their players through free agency and they end up paying through the nose. He has strongly encouraged the farm system to improve to lower costs because a few of the contracts are backloaded. They need to take in more just to pay for what they have.

2) Soriano isn't leaving any time soon. Neither is Zambrano. Ram has a few years left. The big money contracts are still there for some time.

3) Yes the minors can fill some of the spots (Castro at 2B), but when it comes to getting guys to fill the big power hitting and expensive positions (3B, 1B, corner outfield), I am not aware of any up and coming prospects.

4) He could become a switch hitter maybe.

 

I can't give up on my argument now. I'm all in.

[TruffleShuffle]

This is all running under the assumption that Castro actually provides an improvement for the Cubs this year, which given his age and lack of development... well, that's far from a sure thing.

 

exactly. the fontenot/baker platoon really hasn't been bad when used properly (when baker faces RHP, though, he's awful). theriot has been fine. this isn't some finished product who's drawing walks, playing near-perfect defense, hitting for power and stealing tons of bases; he's starting to show some power, the walk rate is still fairly low, he still makes a good number of errors (like you'd expect from a young guy) and has been caught stealing a few times already. his numbers are other-worldly mostly because his BABIP is like .900. castro really isn't going to come up and be hanley ramirez, so how much are you really gaining by possibly rushing his development and starting his arby clock a year early? not too much.

[Guest]

I can't give up on my argument now. I'm all in.

However, I can give up arguing with someone who insists the sky is orange and won't back down from his ridiculous claim.

[Sammy Sofa]

There are so many things wrong with this

 

Yes, everything you've brought up so far.

 

1) Yes we do know what general direction Ricketts will take. He has publicly said that the current salary for Cub players is unsustainable because they get their players through free agency and they end up paying through the nose. He has strongly encouraged the farm system to improve to lower costs because a few of the contracts are backloaded. They need to take in more just to pay for what they have.

 

Ridiculous. You made a declarative statement as if it's a given that under Ricketts the Cubs will no longer have a payroll of at least $120 million. You're spinning statements about a focus on developing players from within as well as making smarter FA signings to mean that the payroll is going to be drastically slashed. The Ricketts very well may opt to cut the payroll drastically down the line, but as it stands right now they have given little indication that that is the case. Your declaration that "the days of the $120 million payroll are over" is something, for the time being, that you have made up.

 

2) Soriano isn't leaving any time soon. Neither is Zambrano. Ram has a few years left. The big money contracts are still there for some time.

 

Soriano and Zambrano's contracts aren't these crippling albatrosses that people love to paint them ass. Within the next two years the Cubs shed Lee, Lilly, Fukudome and Dempster's contracts. Aramis is not necessarily someone they're stuck with. His NTC makes it difficult for him to be moved, but far from impossible, and there is still a decent chance he opts out.

 

3) Yes the minors can fill some of the spots (Castro at 2B), but when it comes to getting guys to fill the big power hitting and expensive positions (3B, 1B, corner outfield), I am not aware of any up and coming prospects.

 

Vitters potentially could end up being their 3B. The Cubs don't need to replenish the corner IF and OF spots all with prospects. You're presenting this as some either/or scenario that hinges on your fantasy that the Ricketts are slashing the payroll and will refuse or be unable to sign any big FA's in the coming years.

 

4) He could become a switch hitter maybe.

 

Hmmmm, maybe that's the kind of thing best served by letting a very young player have more time to develop in the minors instead of starting their arb clock early, something which flies in the face of the scenario of the cash-strapped Cubs you've created.

Edited May 1, 2010 by Sammy Sofa

[davell]

Ricketts has said that we will continue to be a top 5 in all of baseball type payroll. He DOES want to emphasize the minors more(as he should, since we aren't the Yankees) but that certainly doesn't mean that we're changing into a middle of the pack payroll team either. He's brought up the Red Sox a few times and if they want to model their team building after them, I'm all for it.

[dew1679666265]

Ricketts has said that we will continue to be a top 5 in all of baseball type payroll. He DOES want to emphasize the minors more(as he should, since we aren't the Yankees) but that certainly doesn't mean that we're changing into a middle of the pack payroll team either. He's brought up the Red Sox a few times and if they want to model their team building after them, I'm all for it.

 

Yeah, the Red Sox are probably the perfect big market team to model yourself after.

[A New Era]

Does Castro provide enough of a boost this year to overcome these questions? It's just not as simple as deciding if he's better than somebody currently on the major league roster. Maybe it would be that simple for a future bench/bullpen guy, but not somebody who you hope to be an important part of your team for years to come. There are financial and developmental ramifications that make it that the team needs to be absolutely sure before they make that move.

 

The Cubs window for winning a championship is shrinking very quickly. Soriano, Lee, Ramirez's careers are all beginning to decline. The farm system is not stocked and there are not enough prospects to recover the loss these guys will leave behind. The days of $120 million dollar payrolls are over with Ricketts. That means you have to develop your own talent which the Cubs can't do very well. Screw the future, especially when you haven't won a WS in over 100 years.

 

Castro can improve more, but only in the bigs. He cannot develop anymore in the minors. He has seen enough.

There are so many things wrong with this, but I'll focus on a few things:

 

1) We have no idea what the Ricketts are going to do with the payroll. But by their word (repeated time after time), every penny that comes in as revenue is going to get spent on the team. Which would say that the payroll will at least hold steady and probably move up over time

2) The payroll from the guys leaving will be available to bring in younger players to form a new core

3) The minors may not be "stocked", but there are quality players down there to fill some of the roster spots over the next few years

4) As has been pointed out by many, there are a LOT of things Castro can still work on to improve down in the minors

 

I agree Tim. And most importantly I want to add. The money has to be spent WISELY in the future. That's why Hendry really needs to go. If some of your minor league guys end up being above average to even really good players (Soto, Wells, Castro, perhaps peeps like Jackson, Carpenter, Vitters, Colvin etc). And then you spend the money WISELY around young players who are underpaid, then you can put up a really great team, and keep it going without any downtime. Ala the Redsox which Tom Ricketts has mentioned he likes to model the Cubs after.

[inari]

there is absolutely no reason to debate this with someone that thinks a 20-year old can't learn anything else in the minors. that's so lolworthy i can barely stand it.

 

Then stop posting.

 

Another way to put this; "yes my argument is ridiculous and based on nothing, so if you don't like that then don't respond."

 

How many more years would you like before a championship is won? Tell the Twins how much one measley game means to a team the last two years.

 

That has literally nothing to do with Castro.

[TruffleShuffle]

there is absolutely no reason to debate this with someone that thinks a 20-year old can't learn anything else in the minors. that's so lolworthy i can barely stand it.

 

Then stop posting.

 

Another way to put this; "yes my argument is ridiculous and based on nothing, so if you don't like that then don't respond."

 

How many more years would you like before a championship is won? Tell the Twins how much one measley game means to a team the last two years.

 

the twins didn't win a championship either.

[shnsajax]

Wouldn't Strasburg make the Nationals better right now?

[Guest]

Wouldn't Strasburg make the Nationals better right now?

 

Not better than the Phillies. :P

[Wilson A2000]

there is absolutely no reason to debate this with someone that thinks a 20-year old can't learn anything else in the minors. that's so lolworthy i can barely stand it.

 

Then stop posting.

 

Another way to put this; "yes my argument is ridiculous and based on nothing, so if you don't like that then don't respond."

 

How many more years would you like before a championship is won? Tell the Twins how much one measley game means to a team the last two years.

 

That has literally nothing to do with Castro.

 

That has literally everything to do with Castro. Little things matter.

[Wilson A2000]

Wouldn't Strasburg make the Nationals better right now?

 

Yes, but the Nationals aren't close to winning a championship this year. The Cubs are which is why they need to do everything within their power to make their team better.

[Sammy Sofa]

It's very debatable as to whether or not the Cubs are "close" winning a WS this year (they're not), and it's very debatable whether or not Castro would make the team better at this point.

[Wilson A2000]

It's very debatable as to whether or not the Cubs are "close" winning a WS this year (they're not), and it's very debatable whether or not Castro would make the team better at this point.

 

Well they are a borderline Wild Card team. Once you are in and have a good starting staff, anything can happen.

[Sammy Sofa]

And again, it's very debatable whether the Cubs have a staff that can accomplish much in the playoffs or whether they're going to even be able to compete for the WC. You're talking about Castro like he's likely to be some kind of difference maker, and that's probably not the case at this point.

[Wilson A2000]

there is absolutely no reason to debate this with someone that thinks a 20-year old can't learn anything else in the minors. that's so lolworthy i can barely stand it.

 

Then stop posting.

 

Another way to put this; "yes my argument is ridiculous and based on nothing, so if you don't like that then don't respond."

 

How many more years would you like before a championship is won? Tell the Twins how much one measley game means to a team the last two years.

 

the twins didn't win a championship either.

 

Getting in the playoffs by winning the one game playoff at least gave them a chance.