Re: What would you deal Garza for?

[C.C.]

There's nothing to "cover," you loon.

 

Idiot.

[Backtobanks]

All we need to contend next year is:

1. Extend Garza

2. Sign Hamels

3. Sign Dempster to team friendly contract

4. Bring up Rizzo and Jackson and hope they both produce like Lahair has done this season so far

5. Put Lahair in LF and hope he keeps producing at a HOF pace

 

I suppose all of those could happen next year, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it.

[SouthSideRyan]

All we need to contend next year is:

1. Extend Garza

2. Sign Hamels

3. Sign Dempster to team friendly contract

4. Bring up Rizzo and Jackson and hope they both produce like Lahair has done this season so far

5. Put Lahair in LF and hope he keeps producing at a HOF pace

 

I suppose all of those could happen next year, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it.

 

BRING BACK HENDRY

[Sammy Sofa]

There's nothing to "cover," you loon.

 

Idiot.

 

The sad thing is is that you really seem to think it matters whether we're right or wrong about this stuff.

[Sammy Sofa]

The way I read it was more a case of conditional probability: GIVEN those things happen, the Cubs should be competitive. That exact scenario coming to fruition is unlikely, as CCP rightly points out the math involved. But what N&G is arguing is different. What he's saying is that it would not be at all surprising to find ourselves in a very good competitive position by the end of next year and that the original scenario is simply one way of getting there where there isn't a single element in there that would be surprising.

 

Right.

[C.C.]

There's nothing to "cover," you loon.

 

Idiot.

 

The sad thing is is that you really seem to think it matters whether we're right or wrong about this stuff.

 

Actually, I thought the same about you.

 

Edit: Except the idiot statement. I feel right about that.

Edited May 2, 2012 by C.C.

[C.C.]

All we need to contend next year is:

1. Extend Garza

2. Sign Hamels

3. Sign Dempster to team friendly contract

4. Bring up Rizzo and Jackson and hope they both produce like Lahair has done this season so far

5. Put Lahair in LF and hope he keeps producing at a HOF pace

 

I suppose all of those could happen next year, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it.

 

Right.

[Sammy Sofa]

Yup, that's all they need to be competitive next year. It's science. Good wagon to hitch your horse to, C.C..

[C.C.]

Yup, that's all they need to be competitive next year. It's science. Good wagon to hitch your horse to, C.C..

 

That's not what anyone was saying you dolt. We were discussing what the poster said a page ago and said that is an unlikely situation. That is all.

[sneakypower]

jesus, can we add a children's forum to this board where cc and b2b can be relegated to, to go wallow in their stupid ill-informed ignorant misery together?

[C.C.]

jesus, can we add a children's forum to this board where cc and b2b can be relegated to, to go wallow in their stupid ill-informed ignorant misery together?

 

How about getting back on the subject? Or adding to the thread besides nothing.

[davell]

Well crap, I was the one who brought up the original scenario, so I'm responsible for this mess. But, as N&G and Tim have mentioned, there's certainly more than one way we can be competitive next year. Truly, out of everything I mentioned, the only thing that's close to a definite is Castro needs to keep stepping forward. Everything else can be switched out with other possibilities. Maybe Rizzo does NOT step up. But, maybe Lahair is for real. Maybe Shark doesn't step forward, but Volstad or Wood does. Maybe we miss on Hamels, but get Annibal and he's lights out for us. There's plenty of scenarios here that could work, enough in my mind that I think Theo will spend some money this upcoming offseason, because he'll think we've got a legit chance as well.

[Sammy Sofa]

Yup, that's all they need to be competitive next year. It's science. Good wagon to hitch your horse to, C.C..

 

That's not what anyone was saying you dolt. We were discussing what the poster said a page ago and said that is an unlikely situation. That is all.

 

Baseball is practically nothing but a question of "if's" given the sheer amount of failure that dominates even the best players. If you needlessly oversimplify it like that then you've effectively turned every situation/scenario that presents possible success as an unlikely one. There's a vast number of possibilities that could occur to make the Cubs competitive next year, and the situation being discussed (a big market team signing a big FA, two highly touted prospects actually contributing, two good young players staying good) is pretty low on the totem pole of unrealistic scenarios. I mean, if the crux is your argument is that there are simply too many things that have to go right for the Cubs to succeed next year, fine, that makes more sense than just dismissing offhand a very realistic handful of developments as unlikely.

[C.C.]

Yup, that's all they need to be competitive next year. It's science. Good wagon to hitch your horse to, C.C..

 

That's not what anyone was saying you dolt. We were discussing what the poster said a page ago and said that is an unlikely situation. That is all.

 

Baseball is practically nothing but a question of "if's"

 

Agreed.

[C.C.]

Well crap, I was the one who brought up the original scenario, so I'm responsible for this mess. But, as N&G and Tim have mentioned, there's certainly more than one way we can be competitive next year. Truly, out of everything I mentioned, the only thing that's close to a definite is Castro needs to keep stepping forward. Everything else can be switched out with other possibilities. Maybe Rizzo does NOT step up. But, maybe Lahair is for real. Maybe Shark doesn't step forward, but Volstad or Wood does. Maybe we miss on Hamels, but get Annibal and he's lights out for us. There's plenty of scenarios here that could work, enough in my mind that I think Theo will spend some money this upcoming offseason, because he'll think we've got a legit chance as well.

 

 

There's a lot of "maybe's" in there. just saying...

[Sammy Sofa]

There's almost always a lot of maybe's and if's.

[Little Slide Rooter]

All we need to contend next year is:

1. Extend Garza

2. Sign Hamels

3. Sign Dempster to team friendly contract

4. Bring up Rizzo and Jackson and hope they both produce like Lahair has done this season so far

5. Put Lahair in LF and hope he keeps producing at a HOF pace

 

I suppose all of those could happen next year, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it.

 

BRING BACK HENDRY

 

I agree with Garza and Hamels. As for Dempster, I don't see him going as team friendly as you'd think. He's going to be 35 tomorrow, and a strong season could net him a 2/20 or even 2/24 contract. Sounds like a good price for him, but assuming we signed Hamels and extended Garza, I'd prefer spend that money elsewhere. A rotation starting with Hamels, Garza, Shark, and then 4-5 could be between McNutt, Wood, and Volstad. Then I think we could contend, but I'd love to add another bat. Maybe Upton or Ethier for RF making DeJesus a 4th OF and LaHair insurance plan or trade chip.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Assuming they want to, the biggest impediment to competing in 2013 would be the bullpen. The starting rotation is fine, and the lineup could probably get to fine pretty quickly once half our best players aren't being stashed at Iowa.

[C.C.]

Of course. It depends how many and how realistic your expectations are.

[C.C.]

Assuming they want to, the biggest impediment to competing in 2013 would be the bullpen. The starting rotation is fine, and the lineup could probably get to fine pretty quickly once half our best players aren't being stashed at Iowa.

 

If our only worry is our bullpen going into 2013 I'll be one [expletive] happy camper.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Assuming they want to, the biggest impediment to competing in 2013 would be the bullpen. The starting rotation is fine, and the lineup could probably get to fine pretty quickly once half our best players aren't being stashed at Iowa.

 

If our only worry is our bullpen going into 2013 I'll be one [expletive] happy camper.

 

Will you?

[C.C.]

Assuming they want to, the biggest impediment to competing in 2013 would be the bullpen. The starting rotation is fine, and the lineup could probably get to fine pretty quickly once half our best players aren't being stashed at Iowa.

 

If our only worry is our bullpen going into 2013 I'll be one [expletive] happy camper.

 

Will you?

 

probably not.

[Sammy Sofa]

All we need to contend next year is:

1. Extend Garza

2. Sign Hamels

3. Sign Dempster to team friendly contract

4. Bring up Rizzo and Jackson and hope they both produce like Lahair has done this season so far

5. Put Lahair in LF and hope he keeps producing at a HOF pace

 

I suppose all of those could happen next year, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it.

 

BRING BACK HENDRY

 

I agree with Garza and Hamels. As for Dempster, I don't see him going as team friendly as you'd think. He's going to be 35 tomorrow, and a strong season could net him a 2/20 or even 2/24 contract. Sounds like a good price for him, but assuming we signed Hamels and extended Garza, I'd prefer spend that money elsewhere. A rotation starting with Hamels, Garza, Shark, and then 4-5 could be between McNutt, Wood, and Volstad. Then I think we could contend, but I'd love to add another bat. Maybe Upton or Ethier for RF making DeJesus a 4th OF and LaHair insurance plan or trade chip.

 

Just say "no" to Ethier. He's going to cost way too much.

[davell]

Ethier's never going to hit the market. He'll be locked up within a month or so, is my guess.

 

We could keep the same staff, minus Dempster and add Sanchez, McCarthy, Peavy, or Marcum and be just as good, maybe even a tad better than what we've currently got. The bullpen will have to be sorted out, but we've probably got 3-5 answers in house for spots, so we'd probably be looking at adding 2-3 spots at the max. And with what we've got to project for next year out of our lineup, it's likely that 3B and/or LF would seem to be the biggest needs. We could add Youkilis and Nick Swisher, without having to hand out a gigantic contract, and be contenders. Hell, we could probably add one of those pitchers, and those 2 hitters and be considered the favorites within the division. And we've definitely got the ability to go and sign those types of guys.

[Guest]

All we need to contend next year is:

1. Extend Garza

2. Sign Hamels

3. Sign Dempster to team friendly contract

4. Bring up Rizzo and Jackson and hope they both produce like Lahair has done this season so far

5. Put Lahair in LF and hope he keeps producing at a HOF pace

 

I suppose all of those could happen next year, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it.

 

If those things all happened, we'd probably win like 120 games. I like where your head is at.