Cubs Sign 19 year old Cuban LHP Gerardo Concepcion

[jersey cubs fan]

Nice acquisition, but I can't help but think this is a spend the money because it's there situation.

[C.C.]

Yeah, sounds like it. 7M? That's pretty damn steep.

[abuck1220]

who cares. unless they're putting all the money saved this offseason into a "2015 free agent spending" savings account, shouldn't you want them to spend all the money from this year's budget?

[jersey cubs fan]

it is quite risky to have a guy this young need to stick in the majors in 4 years, it almost seems like he's here to get as much early hype as possible and be traded in a couple seasons. If he's not ready by then the team should be poised to contend and I don't see them forcing him into the roster.

[jersey cubs fan]

who cares. unless they're putting all the money saved this offseason into a "2015 free agent spending" savings account, shouldn't you want them to spend all the money from this year's budget?

 

Yes I wanted them to spend the money from this year's budget. I'm not against it, but it's not particularly efficient to spend because it's there. I'm more concerned about a major league contract than the money though.

[CubColtPacer]

it is quite risky to have a guy this young need to stick in the majors in 4 years, it almost seems like he's here to get as much early hype as possible and be traded in a couple seasons. If he's not ready by then the team should be poised to contend and I don't see them forcing him into the roster.

 

If he's polished as the reports say he is, I don't think it is a huge concern. 3 full years in the minors, then the next year in the majors with the possibility of going to the minors if he needs it, and then the 5th year he has to stick. It's certainly not ideal, but it's not a bad scenario also unless he really isn't advanced for his age.

[jersey cubs fan]

it is quite risky to have a guy this young need to stick in the majors in 4 years, it almost seems like he's here to get as much early hype as possible and be traded in a couple seasons. If he's not ready by then the team should be poised to contend and I don't see them forcing him into the roster.

 

If he's polished as the reports say he is, I don't think it is a huge concern. 3 full years in the minors, then the next year in the majors with the possibility of going to the minors if he needs it, and then the 5th year he has to stick. It's certainly not ideal, but it's not a bad scenario also unless he really isn't advanced for his age.

 

However polished he may be from scouting reports based on his limited career to date, it's still going to be tough to be worthy of sticking in the majors immediately after reaching it. Any setback to his development would be create a huge problem with how the team will be able to utilized him.

[Guest]

I don't like the MLB contract, but I'd rather have him on a MLB deal than not have him. From what I can gather, the biggest area where he has room for development is not in refining pitches at increasing levels of the minors, but rather to see if he can improve physically(from conditioning, training/nutrition, age, etc) to get his stuff to play up further. That makes it a better gamble than the average 18 year old prospect to me.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

It's a risk, sure. But he's a teenage pitcher. There's a 20% chance he's too good to have to worry about this, and a 75% chance he won't end up being good enough to worry about it.

[Lefty]

Good news, wonder what the money is, though. How do you pronounce his last name?

 

So you're too young to remember Dave Concepcion? Wow! Were you actually born in 1991?

[jersey cubs fan]

It's a risk, sure. But he's a teenage pitcher. There's a 20% chance he's too good to have to worry about this, and a 75% chance he won't end up being good enough to worry about it.

 

But even if he's an eventual flameout, you'd prefer to not have to potentially rush him and maintain his value as a prospect for trade purposes. If he's still chugging along through the system in three years his value would pale in comparison to the same prospect without the major league contract because other teams are going to frown upon needing to force him into their roster if necessary.

 

I'd rather they paid him a $7m bonus and treated him like a regular prospect.

[jersey cubs fan]

I don't like the MLB contract, but I'd rather have him on a MLB deal than not have him. From what I can gather, the biggest area where he has room for development is not in refining pitches at increasing levels of the minors, but rather to see if he can improve physically(from conditioning, training/nutrition, age, etc) to get his stuff to play up further. That makes it a better gamble than the average 18 year old prospect to me.

 

Obviously I'm not talking about preferring they didn't have him at all, just pointing out there's real downside here.

[Guest]

I don't like the MLB contract, but I'd rather have him on a MLB deal than not have him. From what I can gather, the biggest area where he has room for development is not in refining pitches at increasing levels of the minors, but rather to see if he can improve physically(from conditioning, training/nutrition, age, etc) to get his stuff to play up further. That makes it a better gamble than the average 18 year old prospect to me.

 

Obviously I'm not talking about preferring they didn't have him at all, just pointing out there's real downside here.

 

Absolutely, and I don't think anyone preferred that he sign a MLB deal. But as a cost of doing business? I don't think there's a ton of risk involved. As Kyle mentions, if you're left with a tough choice on rostering him, then odds are he hasn't developed as hoped and he's just a long reliever without dynamite stuff. In which case, it's really not a decision of much importance.

[jersey cubs fan]

I don't like the MLB contract, but I'd rather have him on a MLB deal than not have him. From what I can gather, the biggest area where he has room for development is not in refining pitches at increasing levels of the minors, but rather to see if he can improve physically(from conditioning, training/nutrition, age, etc) to get his stuff to play up further. That makes it a better gamble than the average 18 year old prospect to me.

 

Obviously I'm not talking about preferring they didn't have him at all, just pointing out there's real downside here.

 

Absolutely, and I don't think anyone preferred that he sign a MLB deal. But as a cost of doing business? I don't think there's a ton of risk involved. As Kyle mentions, if you're left with a tough choice on rostering him, then odds are he hasn't developed as hoped and he's just a long reliever without dynamite stuff. In which case, it's really not a decision of much importance.

 

If he's 22/23 and not quite up to snuff yet it doesn't mean he's just somebody you'd willingly toss aside.

[Guest]

If he's 22/23 and not quite up to snuff yet it doesn't mean he's just somebody you'd willingly toss aside.

 

At which point, he's essentially Chris Rusin. That guy is not without value, but if making a rostering decision on that caliber player is the worst case scenario, then I'm not going to be overly worried.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Yeah, sounds like it. 7M? That's pretty damn steep.

 

That really is steep. But like I said before, it could make teams who were thinking that Cespedes or Soler would cost about 8 mil/year think twice about the extent of ther pursuit of them.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

We've talked about the value of a prospect who hits all offseason. Getting six cost-controlled years of useful MLB players can be worth tens of millions of dollars.

 

Multiply potential value by the percentage chance of reaching it, and $7 million doesn't seem steep at all to me for a nice prospect.

[C.C.]

I guess we will see. I'm calling it a bust right now. Bookmark it.

[Careless]

Goldstein thinks money is too high. Of course, with this being the last chance to spend, it's going to get wacky.

 

I don't know the numbers, but from what I've heard it's much higher than expected and possibly a major league deal. Could drive up the price of Cespedes and Soler. Could this be a swallowed the cat to catch the dog situation in which it may have pushed Cespedes and/or Solers prices high enough that it could turn off most teams other than those with available money to burn, such as the Cubs? Over flexing our financial muscles so to speak?

 

What a terrible expression - it implies that folks would rather have the dog. I'm only sort of kidding.

I'm just trying to figure out what the hell it means. :-k

There was an old lady who swallowed a fly

Except WSR is the only person Google has as ever suggesting swallowing a cat to catch a dog.

[SouthSideRyan]

[

There was an old lady who swallowed a fly

Except WSR is the only person Google has as ever suggesting swallowing a cat to catch a dog.

 

Maybe it was dressed up in women's clothing.

[RammyFanny]

edit Edited February 3, 2012 by RammyFanny

[jersey cubs fan]

I never read the "perhaps she'll die" line in that book to my daughter. Then last month she saw Lion King and when Mufasa dies she said, "oh noooooo, the daddy died." So much for self censoring.

[Little Slide Rooter]

[

There was an old lady who swallowed a fly

Except WSR is the only person Google has as ever suggesting swallowing a cat to catch a dog.

 

Maybe it was dressed up in women's clothing.

 

I thought it was the cat to get the dog. It starts with the smallest(fly) and works its way up(horse). Perhaps we should break this intense debate off into it's own thread like the price haggling one.

[Little Slide Rooter]

I never read the "perhaps she'll die" line in that book to my daughter. Then last month she saw Lion King and when Mufasa dies she said, "oh noooooo, the daddy died." So much for self censoring.

 

You probably shouldn't show her Bambie, Up, or Full Metal Jacket then.

[jersey cubs fan]

[

There was an old lady who swallowed a fly

Except WSR is the only person Google has as ever suggesting swallowing a cat to catch a dog.

 

Maybe it was dressed up in women's clothing.

 

I thought it was the cat to get the dog. It starts with the smallest(fly) and works its way up(horse). Perhaps we should break this intense debate off into it's own thread like the price haggling one.

 

Think about what you said again.

 

It starts with the smallest, and then sends in the next biggest to get the previous one.