Ricketts' List of GM Candidates (Chicago Tribune)

[KingKongvs.Godzilla]

I like Gerry Hunsicker, I think he's had a great deal to do with Friedmans success.

 

it does seem to be consistently ignored that he was the other half of Tampas braintrust. Not to mention he built those pretty decent Houston teams from the late 90s/early 2000s.

[Have a seat, Neifi]

Not sure where to post this (or if it's even worth posting), but in underscoring how far between Hendry was in utilizing advanced metrics or statistical analysis in building the current Cubs roster, Mark Simon just mentioned on the ESPN podcast that the Cubs are averaging 2.4 walks per game this season, the lowest rate for our franchise since 1921. Especially for a franchise that hasn't won a whole lot in those years in between, that's pretty effing bad.

[Clem Fandango]

Has anyone started pinning blame on Rudy Jaramillo yet?

[KingKongvs.Godzilla]

Has anyone started pinning blame on Rudy Jaramillo yet?

 

Yes, and I don't agree with it. I like Rudys philosophy, especially when the hitters are good and talented enough to make it work.

[WilcoFan]

Has anyone started pinning blame on Rudy Jaramillo yet?

 

Yes, and I don't agree with it. I like Rudys philosophy, especially when the hitters are good and talented enough to make it work.

 

Virtually every hitting coach in baseball would have a "great philosophy" if they had good and talented hitters.

[Vinestal]

Anyone know much about Larry Beinfest, would he be a good candidate? The Marlins have had some success in terms of player development but honestly I don't know anything about his stance on statistical analysis. Peter Gammons threw his name out there, not that I really put a lot of stock in much of anything Peter says these days but it was a name I had not heard come up before.

[Clem Fandango]

I'm sure Beinfest would love to not have to build a winner from nothing over the course of several years and then be forced to destroy it the next

[17 Seconds]

Am I the only one that would think signing Cashman would be a failure? The Yankees made some solid moves but nothing to write home about when you factor in the amount of money they spent on free agents year per year. They've also had a lot of bust free agents and how is their minor league system doing these days?

 

The minor league system sucks because they always give away their picks in compensation for signing Type A/B free agents.

 

There was always kind of a disconnect between the Steinbrenners and Cashman. Cashman is more player-development orientated than casual fans think. He manages the Yankees, so they just assume his philosophy is to spend blindly, and that's not really true.

 

Didn't he almost leave the Yankees a few years ago because he wanted to build up the farm system and George wanted to keep spending on whatever was avilable each offseason?

[17 Seconds]

Tampa fans seem pretty confident that Friedman is super-best-friends with a bunch of people in their organization and that he has Unfinished Business there.

 

Yea, I'm near St. Pete and thats one everyone says. Doesn't mean much though. The Cubs position is just a signficantly better opportunity all around.

 

The Rays this year are a pretty good example of why he's eventually going to have to leave, pretty much. The Rays are a very good team this season and still aren't remotely close to the playoffs.

[shnsajax]

Tampa fans seem pretty confident that Friedman is super-best-friends with a bunch of people in their organization and that he has Unfinished Business there.

 

Yea, I'm near St. Pete and thats one everyone says. Doesn't mean much though. The Cubs position is just a signficantly better opportunity all around.

 

The Rays this year are a pretty good example of why he's eventually going to have to leave, pretty much. The Rays are a very good team this season and still aren't remotely close to the playoffs.

 

How much does Friedman make right now? I'm sure doubling it wouldn't be an issue.

[KingKongvs.Godzilla]

 

The minor league system sucks because they always give away their picks in compensation for signing Type A/B free agents.

 

There was always kind of a disconnect between the Steinbrenners and Cashman. Cashman is more player-development orientated than casual fans think. He manages the Yankees, so they just assume his philosophy is to spend blindly, and that's not really true.

 

Didn't he almost leave the Yankees a few years ago because he wanted to build up the farm system and George wanted to keep spending on whatever was avilable each offseason?

 

Yep, and ever since the Soriano contract where Hal and Hank overrode him Cashman has been loose lipped. I dont think the Yankees approve, but nothings been said publically.

 

Cashman finally seems to be growing On the fans here in the Tri state area. As the Yankee GM he's dealt with haters hating from day 1.

[javy knows my name]

he looks like a character from Guess Who?

 

This got lost, and it really shouldn't have

[Vinestal]

Well apparently someone finally asked Friedman about the Cubs job... he declined comment. Hey at least he didn't say he wasn't interested.

that's via Marc Topkin's twitter he's a writer for the St. Pete times.

Edited August 23, 2011 by Vinestal

[mookie]

Well apparently someone finally asked Friedman about the Cubs job... he declined comment. Hey at least he didn't say he wasn't interested.

 

 

Ooooooooooooooooooooooh. I like it. I like it a lot.

[Banedon]

Well apparently someone finally asked Friedman about the Cubs job... he declined comment. Hey at least he didn't say he wasn't interested.

that's via Marc Topkin's twitter he's a writer for the St. Pete times.

 

http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/rays/content/friedman-declines-comment-cubs-gm-job

[Elrhino]

On first reaction, I was rather bleh about Cashman, but admittedly didn't know much detail about his background. I dug up this article from 2004 New York Magazine about him, and have a better opinion of him. Perhaps, at least for me, he might have been undervalued because he works for the Yankees and doesn't lend itself to feel good Cinderella rags-to-riches Hollywood narratives like Moneyball and The Extra 2%.

 

http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/sports/features/9611/

 

“The A-Rod deal was brilliant,” Billy Beane says. “And it wasn’t just about having the money, because the Red Sox had the money, too. The Yankees can be in the game for someone like A-Rod because they have the resources. But the art of the deal in that one was the way Brian went about it. He has incredible intelligence, but he’s got these Machiavellian skills as well, which you need in that town. I always tell him he’s slumming it in baseball. He should be running some big television network or some corporation.”

 

 

Friedman is still my first choice. My only question is Ricketts has stated he wants someone proven in a winning front office, while someone who is also on the cutting edge of statistical and player development methods. If candidates start dropping out and that becomes a mutually exclusive choice, which is Ricketts going with ... the retread or the up and comer?

[mookie]

If it is a retread Ricketts will immediately smell like doo doo.

[jersey cubs fan]

If candidates start dropping out and that becomes a mutually exclusive choice, which is Ricketts going with ... the retread or the up and comer?

 

Not sure why retread is being used. Jim Bowden is a retread. Brian Cashman is not. Just because somebody already is or has been a GM doesn't make them a retread.

[Guest]

If candidates start dropping out and that becomes a mutually exclusive choice, which is Ricketts going with ... the retread or the up and comer?

 

Not sure why retread is being used. Jim Bowden is a retread. Brian Cashman is not. Just because somebody already is or has been a GM doesn't make them a retread.

 

 

I think he's asking if guys like Cashman and Friedman bow out of the race and the choice comes down to a Bowden or Phillips type vs. a Rick Hahn or Kim Ng.

[jersey cubs fan]

If candidates start dropping out and that becomes a mutually exclusive choice, which is Ricketts going with ... the retread or the up and comer?

 

Not sure why retread is being used. Jim Bowden is a retread. Brian Cashman is not. Just because somebody already is or has been a GM doesn't make them a retread.

 

 

I think he's asking if guys like Cashman and Friedman bow out of the race and the choice comes down to a Bowden or Phillips type vs. a Rick Hahn or Kim Ng.

 

But that doesn't make sense when talking about a proven guy from a winning front office.

 

I doubt it'll come down to such a situation, but I also doubt that Ricketts will stick to some specific criteria like that. He's looking for the best candidate overall, not one description over the other.

[MrCub14]

@Buster_ESPN:

 

It will be very interesting to see if the Cubs ask for permission to talk to Red Sox GM Theo Epstein;they could offer him a team presidency.

 

:shock: I have a chubby.

[CubInOK]

@Buster_ESPN:

 

It will be very interesting to see if the Cubs ask for permission to talk to Red Sox GM Theo Epstein;they could offer him a team presidency.

 

:shock: I have a chubby.

Olney keeps dropping names of proven, stathead GMs for the job. I'm really excited to see who the Cubs get.

[Vinestal]

These 2 threads about GMs should really be merged. I dont think most people have even brought up Theo because he's under contract for another year and there's probably 0 chance Boston lets him go.

[MrCub14]

@Buster_ESPN:

 

It will be very interesting to see if the Cubs ask for permission to talk to Red Sox GM Theo Epstein;they could offer him a team presidency.

 

:shock: I have a chubby.

Olney keeps dropping names of proven, stathead GMs for the job. I'm really excited to see who the Cubs get.

 

@Buster_ESPN:

 

Cubs will be able to get a big name for GM job, if that's their choice. Casual fans see flaws in job; execs view it as a really attractive.

 

Also just tweeted that. I'm very excited as well!

[davearm2]

@Buster_ESPN:

 

It will be very interesting to see if the Cubs ask for permission to talk to Red Sox GM Theo Epstein;they could offer him a team presidency.

That would be a short talk, if the Sox allow it.

 

"Hi Theo, it's Tom. Wanna come break our drought too?"