Re: New GM/Cubs Future News Articles

[sneakypower]

http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/team/front_office.jsp?c_id=chc

 

I can't wait to see what this looks like in a couple months

Wow, that really is an insanely small front office.

now look how large Boston's FO is, particularly Baseball Operations

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/team/front_office.jsp?c_id=bos

 

though the Assistant Director/Florida Baseball Operations does have a rather unfortunate name

[mookie]

[expletive] Keith Law

[XZero771679666304]

It was reported earlier that John Henry was drunk and eating fried chicken in the club house during compensation negotiations.

 

also hopped up on painkillers

 

And banging Francona's wife.

[17 Seconds]

keith law is actually pretty good.

 

and i think most people here would ultimately agree with what he said, considering how excited everyone is about theo.

 

he's not saying they'll trade jackson (or that thew'll need to). he was asked if he would give up jackson for theo if he HAD to.

 

i don't know how anyone could honestly say no to giving up jackson if it was the determining factor in whether or not theo comes here. theo is exciting enough to warrant a 67 page thread (before he's even signed), but we'd throw that away if it meant we'd lose jackson? c'mon

[Shilzzz]

i am going to agree with dextermorgan on law. i'll take a guy who can draft and develop four or five brett jacksons, or maybe better versions of him like, say, ellsbury, (not to mention every other position on the baseball field) than one brett jackson.

 

also, nsbb has blown the pierre/sczuczr way out of proportion. i mean it's obviously an overtly uneducated opinion, but, really, sczusczzzz is a fringe guy on any team's farm system not belonging to the team of the fan himself. the power thing is glaring, but pierre was also a productive major league baseball player, which is more than most fringe prospects become.

[17 Seconds]

whats the pierre thing about? did law make that comparison?

[SouthSideRyan]

Calling Szczur a fringe prospect might just be crazier than comparing him to Juan Pierre.

[rocket]

let them take whoever they want.

 

theo will get them back a few weeks later while simultaneously dumping soriano's contract on them

[dew1679666265]

whats the pierre thing about? did law make that comparison?

 

Yep - Law said that Szczur would be lucky to become Juan Pierre. When asked on numerous occasions whether he really meant that, he's very strongly re-stated it. He's described Szczur as a slap hitter who will do well to develop Pierre's power.

[Rob]

Calling Szczur a fringe prospect might just be crazier than comparing him to Juan Pierre.

 

He's 22 and struggled at Daytona. I imagine plenty of folk will jump to the conclusion he's a bit fringy.

 

Those people are probably forgetting he hasn't really focused on baseball till this year. And of course, Daytona was only 40 some games and his BABIP was around .270 (which is a good deal lower than I'd expect given his skillset). The walk rate dropping there is a bit scary, but he could have just been pressing after a slow start. At any rate so as long as he continues to do a good job of avoiding strikeouts, he should hit for average. Between that and his defensive skills and speed, I'd say the only way he's "fringy" is if there's no power. That said, the power to this point in his career has been more than adequate, and it's more likely to get better than regress.

[EpsteinCubs]

I'd give up Jackson for Theo in a heartbeat. Even though players never get traded for GM's, that's a good deal if you think about it. Brett Jackson is a nice, young player but is he that special?

[Omar]

I'd give up Jackson for Theo in a heartbeat. Even though players never get traded for GM's, that's a good deal if you think about it. Brett Jackson is a nice, young player but is he that special?

 

Yes. Have you even looked at his stats? He has shown a tremendous amount of patience: http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=jackso003bre

[TruffleShuffle]

Calling Szczur a fringe prospect might just be crazier than comparing him to Juan Pierre.

 

He's 22 and struggled at Daytona. I imagine plenty of folk will jump to the conclusion he's a bit fringy.

 

well if the reason they're jumping to that conclusion is because "he's 22 and struggled at daytona" then those people are fools. it was his first full season of minor league ball and he spent the previous offseason playing football. he's been a two sport athlete for his whole life and villanova isn't exactly known as a college baseball powerhouse. if a baseball-only guy out of vanderbilt or ucla struggles in his first full-season ball at high A, maybe you can guess that he's fringy. saying the same thing about a guy who played football for half the year and played small-time college baseball the rest of the time is moronic.

[A New Era]

Now we know EpsteinCubs isn't actually Theo. Because Jackson is a Theo type of prospect. I'd imagine secretly he is hoping the Cubs don't lose Jackson because he probably sees him filling in for the Cubs in the near future, giving them great production at such a low cost which will allow them to spend all the savings on drafting and smart moves for the major league roster.

[EpsteinCubs]

I'm not Theo at all. Hopefully we can work out a deal for a lesser prospect or two but if it comes down to Jackson, you can't let that get in the way of getting a GM like Theo. Giving up Jackson is worst case.

[A New Era]

That's how I view it. Jackson would be worst case in my book. We know Boston isn't getting Castro or Garza, that was just ridiculous speculation by dim witted reporters. But Jackson is a deffinate possibility.

 

I trust Ricketts probably doesn't want to give him up either, and Jackson is probably a prime target for Boston. Ofcourse I value Epstein over Jackson, I just don't want to see him go.

 

Guys like Castro, Cashner, Garza, Jackson. Those are the guys I want to see as the new core of players as the Cubs begin to rebuild over the next few years.

[North Iowa Cub]

http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/team/front_office.jsp?c_id=chc

 

I can't wait to see what this looks like in a couple months

Wow, that really is an insanely small front office.

now look how large Boston's FO is, particularly Baseball Operations

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/team/front_office.jsp?c_id=bos

 

though the Assistant Director/Florida Baseball Operations does have a rather unfortunate name

 

What's wrong with Ethan?

[North Iowa Cub]

I see two sides of the coin to all of this.

 

I'm not going to dance around and get all drunk because we signed a GM. Teams sign GMs all the time. Yes he's had tremendous success but who knows what's going to happen. I will dance around and go nuts when the Cubs win divisions, NLCSs and maybe a WS or two.

 

That said, I have been living on NSBB to get updates and info. I have also changed my firstborn's name to Theo Epstein. She's pissed.

[Laura]

It was reported earlier that John Henry was drunk and eating fried chicken in the club house during compensation negotiations.

 

also hopped up on painkillers

 

And banging Francona's wife.

 

I wonder when the trashing of Theo will begin in earnest. I figure they'll wait until the deal is finalized. Maybe they'll try to make the splash the day of the presser?

 

I don't think smear campaigns are subject to the announcement rules of MLB.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I'm not going to dance around and get all drunk because we signed a GM. Teams sign GMs all the time. Yes he's had tremendous success but who knows what's going to happen. I will dance around and go nuts when the Cubs win divisions, NLCSs and maybe a WS or two.

 

You can only dance and get drunk so many times in one life. You wouldn't want to waste one, I understand.

[C.C.]

I see two sides of the coin to all of this.

 

I'm not going to dance around and get all drunk because we signed a GM. Teams sign GMs all the time. Yes he's had tremendous success but who knows what's going to happen. I will dance around and go nuts when the Cubs win divisions, NLCSs and maybe a WS or two.

 

That said, I have been living on NSBB to get updates and info. I have also changed my firstborn's name to Theo Epstein. She's pissed.

 

 

I'd wait on the name change until the news conference and\or a WS or two.

[illiniguy]

whats the pierre thing about? did law make that comparison?

 

Yep - Law said that Szczur would be lucky to become Juan Pierre. When asked on numerous occasions whether he really meant that, he's very strongly re-stated it. He's described Szczur as a slap hitter who will do well to develop Pierre's power.

In defense of Law, he has a really small penis.

[Guest]

Calling Szczur a fringe prospect might just be crazier than comparing him to Juan Pierre.

 

He's 22 and struggled at Daytona. I imagine plenty of folk will jump to the conclusion he's a bit fringy.

 

well if the reason they're jumping to that conclusion is because "he's 22 and struggled at daytona" then those people are fools. it was his first full season of minor league ball and he spent the previous offseason playing football. he's been a two sport athlete for his whole life and villanova isn't exactly known as a college baseball powerhouse. if a baseball-only guy out of vanderbilt or ucla struggles in his first full-season ball at high A, maybe you can guess that he's fringy. saying the same thing about a guy who played football for half the year and played small-time college baseball the rest of the time is moronic.

 

 

I'm actually asking this...not trying to be argumentative. I don't follow minor league and amateur baseball much at all, so I only know of prospects once they're pretty close to reaching the big leagues and have had some actual statistical success in AA or higher...and maybe snippets here and there when I decide to read up on BA (which is very sporadically).

 

Anyway, you give a bunch of good reasons to explain his lackluster performance. What actually makes him good, though? What makes you inclined to give him those excuses and look past the mediocre performance? I'm guessing the scouts like him and I'm just wondering what they, then, project him to be and how likely he is to be it.

[KingCubsFan]

Is player compensation somehow built into an agreement between clubs, or is this just some old baseball unwritten rule? If it's the latter, I don't see how much farther the Red Sox can keep pushing this.

[Guest]

Is player compensation somehow built into an agreement between clubs, or is this just some old baseball unwritten rule? If it's the latter, I don't see how much farther the Red Sox can keep pushing this.

 

 

I'm not sure exactly what you're asking or what you mean by "built into an agreement between clubs" but Theo is still under contract with the Red Sox. Yes, there is a multitude of reasons why they don't have much leverage in this matter, but in terms of their ability to demand compensation, he is under contract with them and they decide whether he can go or not. For him to come here, they (technically) have to let him go.