Pick 1 FA to sign this offseason

[shnsajax]

Naming the usual suspects.

[OleMissCub]

went with CJ. We need pitching more than anything else imo.

[KingKongvs.Godzilla]

Tyne obvious answer is Pujols.

[Guest]

Tyne obvious answer is Pujols.

 

Correct. If it's only 1, it has to be Albert.

[UMFan83]

I don't care how much you need pitching, you gotta sign Pujols, arguably the best player in baseball over Wilson, arguably a very good number 2 starter coming off a career year. Also Wilson will be 31 next year so its not like he's someone you can pencil in for the next 8 years barring injury. Neither is Pujols, but again, he's the best player in baseball.

[mookie]

This is what happens when you don't read other things. This is what happens when you wake up from a Nyquil daze.

 

 

btw...Albert Pujols

[Guest]

Tyne obvious answer is Pujols.

 

Yep

[17 Seconds]

there's only one guy on that list i want the cubs to pay for, and it's not the 31-34 year old Pujols

 

i don't care if he is albert. i'm not too keen on giving anybody on the wrong side of 30 a 200 million dollar contract or whatever it will take to get him.

[KingKongvs.Godzilla]

I wanted to come back to this thread to say Sabathia is also an obvious answer. Ace/hoss/badmamajamma...Tons left in the tank.

[17 Seconds]

giving sabathia a big contract seems like a disaster. weren't we all saying that when he signed with the yankees? and now he's 31. hellllll no

[Little Slide Rooter]

I chose Fielder over Pujols simply because he's a more realistic target.

[mookie]

I chose Pujols, but he isn't really going to be available so Prince it is!

[KingKongvs.Godzilla]

giving sabathia a big contract seems like a disaster. weren't we all saying that when he signed with the yankees? and now he's 31. hellllll no

 

Yeah look how right that turned out....All they did was win a WS on that arm that was so thoroughly abused by the Brewers, amirite?

 

Any big contract can "seem" like it's a disaster in the making. You're really going to have to get over that at some point if you want to see the Cubs play with the big boys...hopefully this offseason.

[17 Seconds]

giving sabathia a big contract seems like a disaster. weren't we all saying that when he signed with the yankees? and now he's 31. hellllll no

 

Yeah look how right that turned out....All they did was win a WS on that arm that was so thoroughly abused by the Brewers, amirite?

 

Any big contract can "seem" like it's a disaster in the making. You're really going to have to get over that at some point if you want to see the Cubs play with the big boys...hopefully this offseason.

 

i'm fine with big contracts. just not big contracts to players who are over 30.

 

this is exactly the kind of contract the cubs need to avoid right now, and im sure theo knows that.

 

i'm definitely in the "we could possibly compete next year" camp, but at the same time i realize that the focus should be on the future and what we'll look like a few years from now. that's the priority. when we start to get really good i don't want to be burdened with a 34 year old sabathia who is still owed like 80 million bucks or something like that.

[KingKongvs.Godzilla]

i'm fine with bog contracts. just not big contracts to players who are over 30.

 

this is exactly the kind of contract the cubs need to aovid right now, and im sure theo knows that.

 

What's the big deal about 30? Especially for someone the caliber of CC or since he'd fall into it too, Pujols. I'm against a Jason Bay or Alfonso Soriano like any other sensible fan, but avoiding elite talent over 30 seems a bit extreme.

 

The Cubs could do much worse than walk out of this FA period with a CC or Pujols headlining it. Their future would be much better off.

[17 Seconds]

well, there's a reaosn more people picked cj wilson over cc despite sabathia being a better pitcher.

 

also, sabthia is always among the leaders in pitcher abuse points

 

i just don't understand why you'd want to give huge money to a pitcher who is past his statistical prime when our priority is the future. this seems like a no brainer to me.

[KingKongvs.Godzilla]

well, there's a reaosn more people picked cj wilson over cc despite sabathia being a better pitcher.

 

also, sabthia is always among the leaders in pitcher abuse points

 

i just don't understand why you'd want to give huge money to a pitcher who is past his statistical prime when our priority is the future. this seems like a no brainer to me.

 

Not thinking clearly? Is that proof of something anyway?

 

2 - Always among the leader in alot of things. One of those things is not DL trips.

 

3 - I think we've seen that many very good pitchers can pitch well into their 30's. Just because he's past his statistical prime doesn't mean he suddenly loses the ability to pitch really well. Plenty of guys just in the past ten years have pitched very well into their 30's...

[17 Seconds]

when giving out big contracts, you want to minimize the risk. giving a 31 year old cc sabathia 100+ is extremely high risk.

 

it just doesn't fit with the way this organization is going to be headed once theo is in charge. if we're giving out big contracts, it should be to younger guys in the 25-28 range

 

prince fielder

matt kemp

matt cain

cole hamels

zack greinke

john danks

 

the oldest guy in that list is greinke (turns 28 friday), and all of those guys will be free agents this offseason or next.

 

those are the guys i want to spend money on.

[KingKongvs.Godzilla]

when giving out big contracts, you want to minimize the risk. giving a 31 year old cc sabathia 100+ is extremely high risk.

 

it just doesn't fit with the way this organization is going to be headed once theo is in charge. if we're giving out big contracts, it should be to younger guys in the 25-28 range

 

prince fielder

matt kemp

matt cain

cole hamels

zack greinke

john danks

 

the oldest guy in that list is greinke (turns 28 friday), and all of those guys will be free agents this offseason or next.

 

those are the guys i want to spend money on.

 

Signing Sabathia/Pujols doens't stop them from signing any of those other guys...Hell only one of them is a FA this year anyway, so door's still open to resigning with the old team.

[17 Seconds]

i just dont understand allocating a good chunk of resources to a player right now when better/safer options are going to be available a year from now.

 

i mean, if the cubs do sign an "ace" type pitcher in the next 2 offseasons (including this one), it's only going to be one. they arent going to give sabathia 100+ million and then pay another one a similar contract next offseason. if they do 2 big contracts, it would be a pitcher and a hitter.

 

so yeah, i'd rather have hamels, cain, or greinke over sabathia without question.

[KingKongvs.Godzilla]

i just dont understand allocating a good chunk of resources to a player right now when better/safer options are going to be available a year from now.

 

i mean, if the cubs do sign an "ace" type pitcher in the next 2 offseasons (including this one), it's only going to be one. they arent going to give sabathia 100+ million and then pay another one a similar contract next offseason. if they do 2 big contracts, it would be a pitcher and a hitter.

 

so yeah, i'd rather have hamels, cain, or greinke over sabathia without question.

 

Being younger doesn't necessarily mean safer, it means younger.

 

Hamels has dealt with injuries in the past, though I want the Cubs to sign Hamels more than any other pitcher in FA over the next 3 years. Cain is a flyball machine with a career ERA on the road over a half run higher than at home as well as an unsustainable 3.7% HR/FB in 2011. He's pitching exactly where he should be pitching, and if not then it should be somewhere like SafeCo, Citi, Petco, or other giant park. Greinke is a strange person by many accounts, and pitched like crap these playoffs (I realize this doesn't mean too much).

 

To top it off: You're paying them to pitch into their mid-30's anyway.

 

Oh, and Sabathia is the best pitcher of the bunch. The only one really on his level there is Hamels, who also carried a pitching staff to a WS win. I'd like Greinke if he's willing to do the big city thing...he's got some Mike Mussina in him that makes me a fan.

[17 Seconds]

Being younger doesn't necessarily mean safer, it means younger.

 

correct. and younger is better.

 

though I want the Cubs to sign Hamels more than any other pitcher in FA over the next 3 years.

 

then why do you want sabathia? signing sabathia would pretty much eliminate any chance we have of signing hamels next year. there's no way theo gives sabathia 100+ million and then does the same for hamels next offseason.

 

Oh, and Sabathia is the best pitcher of the bunch.

 

based on what? wins? innings pitched?

Greinke is a strange person by many accounts, and pitched like crap these playoffs (I realize this doesn't mean too much).

 

it means literally nothing.

 

To top it off: You're paying them to pitch into their mid-30's anyway.

 

yup, and you'll be paying sabathia into his late 30's.

[KingKongvs.Godzilla]

correct. and younger is better.

 

Again, no. It's younger.

 

then why do you want sabathia?

 

The very obvious answer is because he's an elite talent.

 

signing sabathia would pretty much eliminate any chance we have of signing hamels next year. there's no way theo gives sabathia 100+ million and then does the same for hamels next offseason.

 

No way? Where's Theo btw?

 

I don't think it eliminates any chance. It significantly hurts it, but if the Cubs want both they could get both.

 

based on what? wins? innings pitched?

 

Those help. WAR...FIP (tied with Greinke at 3.51)...He's got a longer track record than any of them...

 

it means literally nothing.

 

No, the fact that he's stated he doesn't want to play in a big market means way more. The fact that he's suffered from depression and anxiety to the point he considered retiring is also somewhat significantly. Possibly more significant than being 3 years younger than Sabathia.

 

yup, and you'll be paying sabathia into his late 30's.

 

Which means far more to you than it does to me. Either way you're paying a talent into his traditional decline years, and this is a pitcher who has shown no signs of significant wear and tear on his body or arm. I don't believe in your arbitrary age line, nor do I think it has to apply to everyone. Some talents, like a Sabathia or a Pujols, are very obviously not your ordinary, everyday talent and should be viewed as such.

Edited October 20, 2011 by KingKongvs.Godzilla

[pitchcs]

I went Fielder

 

2) CC

3) Pujols

4) Wilson