Ricketts respected amongst peers

[UMFan83]

I do agree that if the Cubs really don't expect to compete next year we should definitely trade Marmol. He has one of the higher trade values on the team.

[davearm2]

If anyone wants to hear an incredibly depressing outlook on the next 3-5 years of Cubs baseball, turn on The Score right about 5 minutes ago.

 

Details?

 

Basically that the Cubs will suck for the next 3-5 years if not longer. We should trade Marmol because a team like the Cubs has no use for a closer. Also, that team is broke and will probably be lowering payroll to 90-100 mil if not 75 and then farm system sucks and the "pipeline is dry". These guys are far from experts, and anything they say is to be taken with a grain of salt, but its depressing stuff to hear none the less.

It's only depressing until you realize that these guys get paid to paint the extreme ends of the cup-half-full and cup-half-empty scenarios.

 

If all they said was "The Cubs will probably be OK in a year or so" nobody would listen. But in an honest moment, that's quite likely what they really think.

[Guest]

That and their station has a very large incentive to give a dim outlook on the Cubs' future.

[SouthSideRyan]

If anyone wants to hear an incredibly depressing outlook on the existence of Earth in a few days, stay away from the corner of Adams and Wells.

 

Basically a meteor is heading for Earth as we speak and we have at most 36 hours left to live. Now this guy was far from a sane person, but it was depressing to hear nonetheless.

[TruffleShuffle]

If anyone wants to hear an incredibly depressing outlook on the existence of Earth in a few days, stay away from the corner of Adams and Wells.

 

Basically a meteor is heading for Earth as we speak and we have at most 36 hours left to live. Now this guy was far from a sane person, but it was depressing to hear nonetheless.

 

yeah basically.

 

the cubs are a big market team with lots of revenue streams; anyone who thinks their payroll will be dropping to $75 million is a moron who should be catapulted into the surface of the sun.

[Little Slide Rooter]

If anyone wants to hear an incredibly depressing outlook on the existence of Earth in a few days, stay away from the corner of Adams and Wells.

 

Basically a meteor is heading for Earth as we speak and we have at most 36 hours left to live. Now this guy was far from a sane person, but it was depressing to hear nonetheless.

 

yeah basically.

 

the cubs are a big market team with lots of revenue streams; anyone who thinks their payroll will be dropping to $75 million is a moron who should be catapulted into the surface of the sun.

 

Yes, I understant this, and I like to think it as well. My problem is that pretty much everything Ive heard on the radio and read in articles seems to point to this drastic cut in payroll. 75 mil is very unlikely, but 90-100 is possible. Yeah, the likes of Rosenthal, Olney, and the Sox friendly WSCR people are easy to pass of as meatballs, and do like to paint a drastic picture to lure people into reading their garbage, but everyone out there seems to think that the Cubs wont be going the big free agent rout, and the only people who seem to think they will are here on NSBB. I see my self as level headed enough to know that while there is a decent chance that they open up the checkbooks in the off season, its far fom a guarantee, and looking at what this team and system have going for it right now, as is, it would easily be 2015 before we can compete with our small market rivals. Theres really no reason to flame this post, because to state as fact that The Cubs are going to sign a Pujols or Fielder is no more rational to state as fact that they wont. This team needs a lot of help in the offseason, and I sincerely hope that they can get that help, but at the same time, we should be bracing ourselves for a few more years like this if they dont.

[TruffleShuffle]

well it's really up to the ricketts; if they definitely want to lose money on their super-expensive purchase, and become villians by reducing the cubs' payroll to the level of teams like the orioles and astros, then that's their right. but i think most owners would prefer to be successful and not hated.

[Little Slide Rooter]

well it's really up to the ricketts; if they definitely want to lose money on their super-expensive purchase, and become villians by reducing the cubs' payroll to the level of teams like the orioles and astros, then that's their right. but i think most owners would prefer to be successful and not hated.

 

Im not saying they wont spend, but what if we miss out on Pujols or Fielder, be it the price, or were simply outbid? Whats next? Theres Jimmy Rollins, Jose, Reyes, and Carlos Beltran, all whose price might not be worth their injury histories. Maybe Sabathia will opt out, but I really dont see us outbidding the Yanks their, nor would I want to considering the money and years that Boras will likely demand. Other than that, flipping through my 2012 free agent catalog, I see Kelly Johnson, Ryan Ludwick, Jason Kubel, Michael Cuddyer, Edwin Jackson, Scott Kazmir, Coco Crisp, and a handfull of other guys who might make decent stocking stuffers, but arent exactly going to give us a holly jolly christmas on their own.

 

Basically, in the current state iof this team, if they are going to spend money, they better make it count, because another Jacque Jones or Jeromy Burnitz will do nothing for us. Im definitely willing to say that the Cubs will be OK IF they sign Pujols or Fielder, but we just cant say they'll be OK WHEN they sign them.

[TruffleShuffle]

don't get outbid. the red sox, yankees and phillies are unlikely to be players for pujols/fielder, the mets are a mess financially, and the cubs can outbid just about everyone else.

[Little Slide Rooter]

I just hope its that simple. I know that as a businessman, Ricketts knows that you have to spend money to make money. I also know that the farm system seems to be built around players who can be used to build around a big star or 2, and not guys who will be able to sustain a winning team on their own. I really hope that he choses to go after them now, because if their is a time to strike, this is most certainly it. I also hope that nobody convinces him otherwise and its wiser to build a team that will be ready compete in 3 years or so, because weve all seen what happens when they try to go that route.

[Guest]

Missing out on Pujols/Fielder doesn't mean you're forced to pay Coco Crisp 8 figures or slash the payroll. Being able to take on the entirety of a contract or contracts can get you much better returns in trades, for example. Think about how some of the Cubs' best talent over the last decade was acquired. Lee, Ramirez, Barrett, to a lesser extent Garza, these are all guys who probably would've been kept if not for their pricetag. The same thing still applies. Billy Butler might become available, Miguel Cabrera might get another DUI and wear out his welcome, David Wright and Matt Kemp are rumored to be casualties of unstable ownership situations because of their pricetag, etc.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Miggy would definitely be the kind of gouy who could help get us where we want to be, but DUIs or not, moving him would take the Tigers from a perenial contender in their division to the celler, so I don't see that happening. As for Kemp, Wright, or Butler, all would be a good start for a rebuuilding process, but it wouldn't be a particularly quick one without a lot more help.

[BeerHere]

That and their station has a very large incentive to give a dim outlook on the Cubs' future.

This is precisely what bothers me about The Score. ESPN1000 is terrible these days. My only option is to get XM.

[E.J.]

I'd be more than willing to take a couple years of crappy teams if that meant Ricketts finally put some quality energy into the draft and started building an actual winning franchise instead of this makeshift overspending that Hendry has done in his time here. I don't know if the average fan would be willing to see that though. Right now it's just more of the same, so my interest level in this team is zero.

[jersey cubs fan]

I'd be more than willing to take a couple years of crappy teams if that meant Ricketts finally put some quality energy into the draft and started building an actual winning franchise instead of this makeshift overspending that Hendry has done in his time here. I don't know if the average fan would be willing to see that though. Right now it's just more of the same, so my interest level in this team is zero.

 

We're in the middle of a couple crappy years, so you really don't have that choice. There's really no need to tank 2012-2013 to get back into contention. This isn't Oakland and Tampa.

[SouthSideRyan]

I'd be more than willing to take a couple years of crappy teams if that meant Ricketts finally put some quality energy into the draft and started building an actual winning franchise instead of this makeshift overspending that Hendry has done in his time here. I don't know if the average fan would be willing to see that though. Right now it's just more of the same, so my interest level in this team is zero.

 

What makeshift overspending has been done since Ricketts has been around?

[C.C.]

I mean are we that far away to contend next year? Especially if Pujols leaves the cards and Fielder is a goner in Milwaukee.

[E.J.]

I'd be more than willing to take a couple years of crappy teams if that meant Ricketts finally put some quality energy into the draft and started building an actual winning franchise instead of this makeshift overspending that Hendry has done in his time here. I don't know if the average fan would be willing to see that though. Right now it's just more of the same, so my interest level in this team is zero.

 

What makeshift overspending has been done since Ricketts has been around?

 

I'm not talking about since Ricketts has been around. Honestly, I'm just hoping Hendry is gone after this year. We are hamstrung by some pretty bad contracts.

[UMFan83]

Miggy would definitely be the kind of gouy who could help get us where we want to be, but DUIs or not, moving him would take the Tigers from a perenial contender in their division to the celler, so I don't see that happening. As for Kemp, Wright, or Butler, all would be a good start for a rebuuilding process, but it wouldn't be a particularly quick one without a lot more help.

 

Perrenial contender? 0 playoff appearancs with Miggy, 1 division tiebreaker loss, and a 272-273 overall record with him on the team.

 

They are a team that could easily decide with another DUI that having him on a .500ish team with him isn't getting them over the top and trade him for top prospects and rebuild.

[Guest]

I'm not talking about since Ricketts has been around. Honestly, I'm just hoping Hendry is gone after this year. We are hamstrung by some pretty bad contracts.

 

After this year we are hamstrung by a bad contract, Soriano. Z would be hard to trade I guess, but he pretty much earns his money, and there's no one else save maybe Dempster that would be considered a detrimental contract.

[jersey cubs fan]

I'm not talking about since Ricketts has been around. Honestly, I'm just hoping Hendry is gone after this year. We are hamstrung by some pretty bad contracts.

 

After this year we are hamstrung by a bad contract, Soriano. Z would be hard to trade I guess, but he pretty much earns his money, and there's no one else save maybe Dempster that would be considered a detrimental contract.

 

Unless Hendry is allowed to stick around.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Miggy would definitely be the kind of gouy who could help get us where we want to be, but DUIs or not, moving him would take the Tigers from a perenial contender in their division to the celler, so I don't see that happening. As for Kemp, Wright, or Butler, all would be a good start for a rebuuilding process, but it wouldn't be a particularly quick one without a lot more help.

 

Perrenial contender? 0 playoff appearancs with Miggy, 1 division tiebreaker loss, and a 272-273 overall record with him on the team.

 

They are a team that could easily decide with another DUI that having him on a .500ish team with him isn't getting them over the top and trade him for top prospects and rebuild.

 

Key word. We dont have such a creature. Hes 28 years old and a top 10 player in baseball, maybe better, and the only way that wed be able to get him would be a deal centered around Castro or completely emptying out the farm system, and I dont see either option happening.

 

Cabrera alone has made the Tigers an above .500 team for the past 3 years now. Take him out of their equation, and they're probably on the bottom of the division.

[davearm2]

Miggy would definitely be the kind of gouy who could help get us where we want to be, but DUIs or not, moving him would take the Tigers from a perenial contender in their division to the celler, so I don't see that happening. As for Kemp, Wright, or Butler, all would be a good start for a rebuuilding process, but it wouldn't be a particularly quick one without a lot more help.

 

Perrenial contender? 0 playoff appearancs with Miggy, 1 division tiebreaker loss, and a 272-273 overall record with him on the team.

 

They are a team that could easily decide with another DUI that having him on a .500ish team with him isn't getting them over the top and trade him for top prospects and rebuild.

 

Key word. We dont have such a creature. Hes 28 years old and a top 10 player in baseball, maybe better, and the only way that wed be able to get him would be a deal centered around Castro or completely emptying out the farm system, and I dont see either option happening.

 

Cabrera alone has made the Tigers an above .500 team for the past 3 years now. Take him out of their equation, and they're probably on the bottom of the division.

Cabrera can't be viewed in the same light as any other elite player.

 

For one thing, he's got an enormous contract, so he's not a bargain. But more importantly, he's viewed by many as a ticking timebomb due to the repeated off-field incidents.

[Brett]

I just hope its that simple. I know that as a businessman, Ricketts knows that you have to spend money to make money. I also know that the farm system seems to be built around players who can be used to build around a big star or 2, and not guys who will be able to sustain a winning team on their own. I really hope that he choses to go after them now, because if their is a time to strike, this is most certainly it. I also hope that nobody convinces him otherwise and its wiser to build a team that will be ready compete in 3 years or so, because weve all seen what happens when they try to go that route.

 

I hope Ricketts isn't thinking like a businessman.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Miggy would definitely be the kind of gouy who could help get us where we want to be, but DUIs or not, moving him would take the Tigers from a perenial contender in their division to the celler, so I don't see that happening. As for Kemp, Wright, or Butler, all would be a good start for a rebuuilding process, but it wouldn't be a particularly quick one without a lot more help.

 

Perrenial contender? 0 playoff appearancs with Miggy, 1 division tiebreaker loss, and a 272-273 overall record with him on the team.

 

They are a team that could easily decide with another DUI that having him on a .500ish team with him isn't getting them over the top and trade him for top prospects and rebuild.

 

Key word. We dont have such a creature. Hes 28 years old and a top 10 player in baseball, maybe better, and the only way that wed be able to get him would be a deal centered around Castro or completely emptying out the farm system, and I dont see either option happening.

 

Cabrera alone has made the Tigers an above .500 team for the past 3 years now. Take him out of their equation, and they're probably on the bottom of the division.

Cabrera can't be viewed in the same light as any other elite player.

 

For one thing, he's got an enormous contract, so he's not a bargain. But more importantly, he's viewed by many as a ticking timebomb due to the repeated off-field incidents.

 

Theres 2 reasons why The Cubs probably wont go after him even if he was available.