New GM/Cubs Future News Articles

[KingKongvs.Godzilla]

I'll say this about Sherman...he, more than any other sports reporter in NY, tried to understand what was going on in the game during the great Stats vs. Scouts debates in the early and mid-2000's. It made and makes me respect his work more, even if he does write for the crowned king of all rag "news"papers.

 

I don't know who the new GM is, but the amount of work Ricketts is doing has impressed the [expletive] out of me. He said he'd put money into the farm system, and it happened. I've defended Hendry in recent times, but he made the right choice in firing him. He kept the two best and most proven scouts in the organization. He's getting the ball rolling on Wrigley renovations, and seems to have huge (and mostly realistic) dreams in that area. He's shooting for the best of the best GMs. I know we're already hyping up new GM in our hearts and heads, but the real driving force behind what happens will be Tom Ricketts and the choices he makes (and has made ie Hendry). He'll be the one mostly responsible for who the next GM is. He'll be the one who (hopefully) pays up for big money FAs. This could (should?) be the offseason he chooses to put himself on the map as an owner.

 

Beyond working out the details with the big name FAs, new GMs biggest task and what will make him awesome is what happens with Soriano/Zambrano, if anything.

Edited October 1, 2011 by KingKongvs.Godzilla

[MSG T]

THEY'RE JUST SETTING US UP TO BE DISAPPOINTED YET AGAIN

 

i continue to anticipate the jim bowden era.

 

 

Bowden? There's no way they take him over Colletti.

[CyHawk_Cub]

THEY'RE JUST SETTING US UP TO BE DISAPPOINTED YET AGAIN

 

i continue to anticipate the jim bowden era.

 

 

Bowden? There's no way they take him over Colletti.

 

Crap, I just threw up in my mouth

[Rob]

THEY'RE JUST SETTING US UP TO BE DISAPPOINTED YET AGAIN

 

i continue to anticipate the jim bowden era.

 

 

Bowden? There's no way they take him over Colletti.

 

Crap, I just threw up in my mouth

 

I'd honestly be happy with either Bowden or Colletti. I'm anticipating Bill Bavasi.

[MSG T]

THEY'RE JUST SETTING US UP TO BE DISAPPOINTED YET AGAIN

 

i continue to anticipate the jim bowden era.

 

 

Bowden? There's no way they take him over Colletti.

 

Crap, I just threw up in my mouth

 

:P

[Splendid Splinter]

Who has a dump truck we can use?

 

 

Dump truck, hell, I've got three M88A2s. Those could tow Ft. Knox to where ever his house is.

 

You've got three M88A2's hanging around the house? geesh ... but man, my buddy told me those things can tow a ton. I could probably google up the specs for what it can handle, but I figured I'd ask anyways out of curiosity.

 

The recovery section in my unit has three of them, I don't think Uncle Sam would like me having them at my house.

 

With the winch set up for a 3:1 pull, it can handle around 200-210 tons fairly easily. That's around 400,000 lbs. That enough money for Theo? Even in $1 bills?

 

Impressive. I know a guy whose dad own a mining company and he has a couple Liebherr T 282B. Those suckers are awesome. It holds (it's a haul truck) something like 350 tons. Then again, it's not like you can drive these around anywhere. haha

[minnesotacubsfan]

http://boston.sbnation.com/boston-red-sox/2011/10/1/2462551/theo-epstein-rumors-boston-red-sox-chicago-cubs-mlb-news

 

but nothing on the Post. I think they got mixed up

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Larger article on the impact of homegrown players on the playoff teams, but a long section comparing the Red Sox and Yankees. The Red Sox have done very well in the draft, but they are getting crushed in free agency.

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/prospect-pulse/2011/2612417.html

 

Hitters

Carl Crawford: 0.0 WAR, $14 million

J.D. Drew: -0.5 WAR, $14 million

Mike Cameron: -1.1 WAR, $7.75 million

Marco Scutaro: 1.4 WAR, $5 million

Total: -0.2 WAR, $40.75 million

 

In other words, the Red Sox spent as much money on dead weight, replacement level free agent hitters as the Rays had on their 2011 Opening Day payroll. Yet even amidst the carnage, the Red Sox led the majors in runs scored. They had all sorts of problems preventing runs, though, ranking 21st in runs allowed as their pitching collapsed in September.

 

Pitchers

John Lackey: -1.2 WAR, $15.25 million

Bobby Jenks: -0.4 WAR, $6 million

Matt Albers: 0.2 WAR, $0.875 million

Alfredo Aceves: 2.9 WAR, $0.65 million

Scott Atchison: 0.4 WAR, $0.454 million

Dan Wheeler: 0.3 WAR, $3 million

Total: 2.2 WAR, $26.23 million

 

In all, that's $67 million on free agents down the drain for replacement-level performance—not even counting the $10 million the Red Sox paid Daisuke Matsuzka or Tim Wakefield's perpetually renewed contract—with Aceves the only real success story of the group. M.C. Hammer didn't blow through money like that.

[Guest]

I'm not sure any of the blame or credit should go to Epstein. His job is to put his team in the best position to win. I think he's done that. The collapse is on the players.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Please let this happen. Granted, as far as home grown talent goes, we don't have what the Red Sox had for Theo to build around, but what I would really like is that the hiring would signify Ricketts willingness to spend, as there's no way that Epstein would walk away from Boston where he had an open checkbook for a mess of a team that's unwilling to let him do whatever he wants to do to fix it.

[Guest]

Please let this happen. Granted, as far as home grown talent goes, we don't have what the Red Sox had for Theo to build around, but what I would really like is that the hiring would signify Ricketts willingness to spend, as there's no way that Epstein would walk away from Boston where he had an open checkbook for a mess of a team that's unwilling to let him do whatever he wants to do to fix it.

 

A lot of the relevant home grown talent on Boston was drafted under his watch anyway... Ellsbury, Pedroia, Bucholtz...

[Guest]

Larger article on the impact of homegrown players on the playoff teams, but a long section comparing the Red Sox and Yankees. The Red Sox have done very well in the draft, but they are getting crushed in free agency.

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/prospect-pulse/2011/2612417.html

 

Hitters

Carl Crawford: 0.0 WAR, $14 million

J.D. Drew: -0.5 WAR, $14 million

Mike Cameron: -1.1 WAR, $7.75 million

Marco Scutaro: 1.4 WAR, $5 million

Total: -0.2 WAR, $40.75 million

 

In other words, the Red Sox spent as much money on dead weight, replacement level free agent hitters as the Rays had on their 2011 Opening Day payroll. Yet even amidst the carnage, the Red Sox led the majors in runs scored. They had all sorts of problems preventing runs, though, ranking 21st in runs allowed as their pitching collapsed in September.

 

Pitchers

John Lackey: -1.2 WAR, $15.25 million

Bobby Jenks: -0.4 WAR, $6 million

Matt Albers: 0.2 WAR, $0.875 million

Alfredo Aceves: 2.9 WAR, $0.65 million

Scott Atchison: 0.4 WAR, $0.454 million

Dan Wheeler: 0.3 WAR, $3 million

Total: 2.2 WAR, $26.23 million

 

In all, that's $67 million on free agents down the drain for replacement-level performance—not even counting the $10 million the Red Sox paid Daisuke Matsuzka or Tim Wakefield's perpetually renewed contract—with Aceves the only real success story of the group. M.C. Hammer didn't blow through money like that.

 

I thought the part discussing the A's success with home grown talent was equally interesting:

 

A's homegrown WAR, wins by year

2000: 26.1 WAR, 91 wins

2001: 35.8 WAR, 102 wins

2002: 27.6 WAR, 103 wins

2003: 32.8 WAR, 96 wins

2004: 21.9 WAR, 91 wins

2005: 27.5 WAR, 88 wins

2006: 17.7 WAR, 93 wins

2007: 13.8 WAR, 76 wins

2008: 8.1 WAR, 75 wins

2009: 10.7 WAR, 75 wins

2010: 13.2 WAR, 81 wins

2011: 10.3 WAR, 74 wins

[toonsterwu]

It's also important to note that those early A's teams that were so strong had a core built from Grady Fuson's last drafts, before Beane started making bigger imprints on how he runs his organization. That said, Beane's a big enough man to admit his mistakes and brought back Fuson, so there is that going for him.

[UMFan83]

Now the story is going the other way...

 

RochieWBZ Dan Roche

Reports of Theo Epstein being given permission by #redsox ownership to speak to the Cubs are absolutely not true. #wbz

 

WBZ is a Boston station

[Guest]

I don't think it was actually reported that he was given permission by ownership. Just that they are likely to be willing to.

[UMFan83]

I don't think it was actually reported that he was given permission by ownership. Just that they are likely to be willing to.

 

I guy from ABC 7 in Chicago was reporting he had been.

[Guest]

I don't think it was actually reported that he was given permission by ownership. Just that they are likely to be willing to.

 

I guy from ABC 7 in Chicago was reporting he had been.

 

 

Probably misrepresenting the Sherman report.

[Guest]

That would be Giangreco, right? Shocker.

[KingKongvs.Godzilla]

It's also important to note that those early A's teams that were so strong had a core built from Grady Fuson's last drafts, before Beane started making bigger imprints on how he runs his organization. That said, Beane's a big enough man to admit his mistakes and brought back Fuson, so there is that going for him.

 

It wasn't much of a mistake...they never were on bad terms nor did Beane want to lose him...the Rangers simply offered him a better job (assistant GM).

 

See one of the truly negative effects of Moneyball was that way too many got convinced it was an us vs them thing. Fuson was more the Hunsicker/Baird to Beane's Epstein/Friedman, if you want to look at it that way and place those men as extremes one way or another. They're all too smart and forward thinking to be extremists in the first place...

 

Decent read on that situation:

 

http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/09/21/3386776/mac-engel-moneyball-paints-grady.html

[SouthSideRyan]

That would be Giangreco, right? Shocker.

 

He's getting cocky now that he's been vindicated about Payton.

[Butterscup1679666578]

I'm treating this in the same way that I treat Mizzou to SEC rumors. If the rumor benefits us, I believe it. If it's bad for us, I don't.

[toonsterwu]

You forget, when Fuson left, he was quite peeved about the dynamic. Maybe Beane wasn't peeved, but Fuson definitely was, and he made it known in some interviews. I'm pretty sure you can google that and find comments still about it (could be wrong, although I thought I saw them when I was googling up random stuff about the movie).

 

Edit: Don't have much time to google things up right now, but here's a read where Fuson was clearly unhappy with Beane from back in the day.

http://articles.sfgate.com/2003-05-14/sports/17491262_1_sports-illustrated-book-grady-fuson

 

Okay, here's a quote from Beane that notes that things had to calm down. Sounds like Fuson had a blow-up, they might've had issues for a little bit, but then things settled down fast.

In any event, he and Fuson reached a relatively quick rapprochement. "I don't know how long it took for everything to calm down, but it couldn't have been too long because I don't remember," Beane said. "I know we've kept in touch over the last eight years, and I always thought he'd feel comfortable here."

http://articles.sfgate.com/2010-02-21/sports/17954037_1_book-scouting-san-diego/2

 

All that said, yes, Moneyball, a book I was never really too keen on (read it once, never read it again) and a book that I think failed to articulate what Beane and Co. were really trying to do (at least, clear enough to the mass public ... it eventually became OBP, OBP, OBP in public, when it was really as much a philosophy about finding value), over-stated the dynamic between scouts and "sabrmetricians". Beane was an advance scout, IIRC, and his issues with scouts had more to do with his temper than any specific action/belief, from what I recall.

[Guest]

Yea, it's Rogers...but anyway.

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-1002-rogers-epstein-theo-cubs-chicago--20111002,0,7063428.column

 

One person close to Epstein said Saturday that the 37-year-old Boston-area native is "very interested'' in the Cubs' opening. But even the people who know the Red Sox best don't know what to make of the complicated dynamics involved with the team's multi-headed leadership, with owner John Henry and team President Larry Lucchino both playing major roles.

 

While Francona had only a club option for 2012, Epstein is under the Red Sox's control for one more year. It's unclear what will happen when Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts seeks permission to talk to Epstein, which seems likely, probably within the next few days.

 

New York Post columnist Joel Sherman set-off a wave of Epstein stories Saturday with a tweet that said: "I am shocked, but in last 36 hrs every exec (I) talk to say (they) believe Red Sox will give permission and Theo will go to Cubs to be GM."

 

Two people close to Epstein, both of whom know him well, say the situation isn't that clear.

 

"If they said to Theo, 'You have to stay and help fix it,' I wouldn't be surprised,'' one said. "Letting him walk wouldn't (surprise me), either. Strange times there.''

 

Another said he had sensed an organizational burnout even before September. "I think anything is possible,'' he said.

 

When Lucchino was asked about Epstein's status Friday, he essentially ducked the question.

 

"We're not prepared to answer that question here,'' he said. "This is a press conference about the contributions that (Francona) has made to this franchise. Besides, Theo is under contract with us, so it is an issue that has not been addressed or discussed."

[Magnetic Curses]

Yea, it's Rogers...but anyway.

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-1002-rogers-epstein-theo-cubs-chicago--20111002,0,7063428.column

 

"We're not prepared to answer that question here,'' he said. "This is a press conference about the contributions that (Francona) has made to this franchise. Besides, Theo is under contract with us, so it is an issue that has not been addressed or discussed."

 

sounds like he's trying to pretend like the situation doesn't even exist. tomorrow, he'll be denying that the cubs are even a baseball team, which isn't too far from the truth, actually.

[DivineBovine]

I wonder what the Cubs would have to give up as compensation to the BoSox if they were to hire Epstein. How about Castro and Garza?