Random Cubs Musings

[davell]

Other guys that kind of make sense would be Lockhart, he's already a utility type. Mark Malave was signed originally as a C. No clue if Rock would have the arm(or athleticism) but he'd make a bit of sense. Maybe BJ Rademacher? Definiteky has the arm anyway. Oliver Zapata, maybe? At any rate, if there are 3 targets, I bet its out of that group, plus Jeimer. I can't think of anyone else.

[Guest]

Other guys that kind of make sense would be Lockhart, he's already a utility type. Mark Malave was signed originally as a C. No clue if Rock would have the arm(or athleticism) but he'd make a bit of sense. Maybe BJ Rademacher? Definiteky has the arm anyway. Oliver Zapata, maybe? At any rate, if there are 3 targets, I bet its out of that group, plus Jeimer. I can't think of anyone else.

 

Doubt they'll move a big prospect like Candelario.

 

Guys who fit similar profiles as Clevenger and Bruno (utility IF ceilings) would be guys like David Bote or Ben Carhart.

 

Malave makes sense (like Willson Contreras). Has history catching and does not profile favorably offensively or defensively at 1B/3B.

[Guest]

Just when you thought Jesse Rodgers had hit his suck ceiling, he puts this out:

 

http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/19187/bryant-should-be-cubs-starting-3b-in-2014

 

and the poll results FFS

[jersey cubs fan]

ah who cares. It's harmless enough

[Hairyducked Idiot]

We will be aggressive and, when our day comes, we’ll have a payroll that’s in the 40s or whatever. … But we’re not going to do that so people will say, “Geez, they’re doing everything they can.” We’ll do it when it can pay off for us as a team. …

We used free agency in Minnesota, but only after we had a core to work with. … I didn’t come to Chicago to get a free agent this year so we can squeak over .500 and finish four games out again. If I leave here and this team has not appeared in a World Series, I’ll have failed. I don’t have any interest in being a game or two over .500 and finishing third.

 

Andy MacPhail, 1996

[davell]

We will be aggressive and, when our day comes, we’ll have a payroll that’s in the 40s or whatever. … But we’re not going to do that so people will say, “Geez, they’re doing everything they can.” We’ll do it when it can pay off for us as a team. …

We used free agency in Minnesota, but only after we had a core to work with. … I didn’t come to Chicago to get a free agent this year so we can squeak over .500 and finish four games out again. If I leave here and this team has not appeared in a World Series, I’ll have failed. I don’t have any interest in being a game or two over .500 and finishing third.

 

Andy MacPhail, 1996

All that proves is he didn't stay true to what he wanted to do. Helped out by the fact he hired a bunch of morons to help him carry out his plan.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

All that proves is he didn't stay true to what he wanted to do. Helped out by the fact he hired a bunch of morons to help him carry out his plan.

 

What really strikes me as the difference between MacPhail and Epstein is the competitive drive.

 

I think MacPhail knew how to build a good organization, I just don't think he cared enough to really want to put the work in. He was just in a holding pattern while he waited for bigger and better things to come along.

[jersey cubs fan]

We will be aggressive and, when our day comes, we’ll have a payroll that’s in the 40s or whatever. … But we’re not going to do that so people will say, “Geez, they’re doing everything they can.” We’ll do it when it can pay off for us as a team. …

We used free agency in Minnesota, but only after we had a core to work with. … I didn’t come to Chicago to get a free agent this year so we can squeak over .500 and finish four games out again. If I leave here and this team has not appeared in a World Series, I’ll have failed. I don’t have any interest in being a game or two over .500 and finishing third.

 

Andy MacPhail, 1996

All that proves is he didn't stay true to what he wanted to do. Helped out by the fact he hired a bunch of morons to help him carry out his plan.

 

How so? He stayed completely true to what he wanted to do. They focused on pitching on the minor leagues and were happy to trade prospects eventually to go after big leaguers, and acquired veteran bats from outside the system, plus consistently rose the payroll.

 

He ended up hiring boobs who hired other boobs and the focus on minor league pitchers idea was stupid as hell, but I don't see how he didn't stay true to his word.

[Guest]

I can't tell if I feel this way because I fear how true all of it might really be or what, but Wittenmyer really seems to have an axe to grind with ownership. How smug he is about it and how dumb some of his opinions are doesn't help, though.

 

http://www.chicagonow.com/cubs-den/2013/08/cubs-q-and-a-with-sun-times-gordon-wittenmyer-starlin-castro-jeff-samardzija-junior-lake/

 

http://www.chicagonow.com/cubs-den/2013/08/cubs-q-and-a-with-sun-times-gordon-wittenmyer-ricketts-2014-sveum/

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I believe his explanation for payroll falling mostly because it's the only one to come along that makes any sense.

 

It's roughly 18 billion times more plausible than "Ricketts has let the team be terrible four years in a row and slashed baseball spending while seeing attendance go down 700k per year from its peak because really that's the right way to build a baseball team and it was the only way to send us to long-term success" or whatever.

[jersey cubs fan]

Bruce Miles ‏@BruceMiles2112 23m

Shutouts killing #Cubs run differential. Now minus-47. Actual record is 52-68, and Pythagorean (expected) record now 54-66.

[neely crenshaw]

I can't see a "cub fan" buying this team and using his own money to re-build wrigley just to low ball spending and not try to win. There are too many better short term investments and he certainly could have pulled a "Loria" and held out for public funds for the stadium if he only wants to make money.

I have always said there is no way that Theo signs on for this job unless he knows he can spend the money he needs to be successful. He pretty could have had the pick of jobs and if he fails here, he might be out of baseball, or least way down the list for any decent job.

[Banedon]

if he fails here, he might be out of baseball, or least way down the list for any decent job.

 

This doesn't make sense to me. Theo had a very successful pre-Cubs career. If Andy MacPhail can find post-Cubs work, surely Theo can. It's not like he's had a lot of past Cubs success to measure up to. Baseball loves to recycle the same guys over and over again. Theo wouldn't be out of baseball unless he wanted to be.

[jersey cubs fan]

Yeah, it's pretty difficult to be a living former baseball executive who is actually shunned from all of baseball.

 

There is going to be a certain segment that wouldn't hire him out of fear that he'd be taking their job eventually. And a few organizations that probably scoff at his resume. But I'd bet at least a dozen would be all over trying to hire him.

[Backtobanks]

if he fails here, he might be out of baseball, or least way down the list for any decent job.

 

This doesn't make sense to me. Theo had a very successful pre-Cubs career. If Andy MacPhail can find post-Cubs work, surely Theo can. It's not like he's had a lot of past Cubs success to measure up to. Baseball loves to recycle the same guys over and over again. Theo wouldn't be out of baseball unless he wanted to be.

 

If he fails here, it certainly would limit his possibilities. Teams that are rebuilding or have budgetary constraints might think twice about hiring him.

[Banedon]

if he fails here, he might be out of baseball, or least way down the list for any decent job.

 

This doesn't make sense to me. Theo had a very successful pre-Cubs career. If Andy MacPhail can find post-Cubs work, surely Theo can. It's not like he's had a lot of past Cubs success to measure up to. Baseball loves to recycle the same guys over and over again. Theo wouldn't be out of baseball unless he wanted to be.

 

If he fails here, it certainly would limit his possibilities. Teams that are rebuilding or have budgetary constraints might think twice about hiring him.

 

No, they wouldn't.

[sneakypower]

by then he'll be too old to hold onto his BOY GENIUS appeal

[jersey cubs fan]

by then he'll be too old to hold onto his BOY GENIUS appeal

 

But he will be a BASEBALL LIFER by then.

[Banedon]

Plus he's won two World Series'.

[Backtobanks]

if he fails here, he might be out of baseball, or least way down the list for any decent job.

 

This doesn't make sense to me. Theo had a very successful pre-Cubs career. If Andy MacPhail can find post-Cubs work, surely Theo can. It's not like he's had a lot of past Cubs success to measure up to. Baseball loves to recycle the same guys over and over again. Theo wouldn't be out of baseball unless he wanted to be.

 

If he fails here, it certainly would limit his possibilities. Teams that are rebuilding or have budgetary constraints might think twice about hiring him.

 

No, they wouldn't.

 

If he fails here while tearing down a team and rebuilding it from scratch without the freedom to spend a lot of money, it most certainly would make a lot of teams think twice. His salary is huge and his resume would show success by making a very good team better while spending a ton of money while failing to develop a winner from scratch with limited funds. I'm sure he would interest the large market teams with deep pockets, but not too many others.

[Sammy Sofa]

Why does this possibly matter.

[MWV]

If he fails here while tearing down a team and rebuilding it from scratch without the freedom to spend a lot of money, it most certainly would make a lot of teams think twice. His salary is huge and his resume would show success by making a very good team better while spending a ton of money while failing to develop a winner from scratch with limited funds. I'm sure he would interest the large market teams with deep pockets, but not too many others.

What exactly did he "tear down"? Jim Hendry's bloated, 71-win colossus?

And what else was he (or anyone else) supposed to do "without a lot of money" upon inheriting a shitty roster worth over $125 million? I think most in baseball would acknowledge that rebuilding a terribly run organization (from the minors on up) with limited resources is a difficult thing to do. I also think that given those initial conditions/constraints, most would recognize that Theo and Co. have managed to leverage what resources they had in an efficient manner.

[Backtobanks]

If he fails here while tearing down a team and rebuilding it from scratch without the freedom to spend a lot of money, it most certainly would make a lot of teams think twice. His salary is huge and his resume would show success by making a very good team better while spending a ton of money while failing to develop a winner from scratch with limited funds. I'm sure he would interest the large market teams with deep pockets, but not too many others.

What exactly did he "tear down"? Jim Hendry's bloated, 71-win colossus?

And what else was he (or anyone else) supposed to do "without a lot of money" upon inheriting a [expletive] roster worth over $125 million? I think most in baseball would acknowledge that rebuilding a terribly run organization (from the minors on up) with limited resources is a difficult thing to do. I also think that given those initial conditions/constraints, most would recognize that Theo and Co. have managed to leverage what resources they had in an efficient manner.

 

If Theo fails, then apparently he didn't manage to leverage what resources they had in an efficient manner. As for the myth about the money, check out what they've spent on real estate, renovations, international signings, etc. He (and Ricketts) have chosen to spend money elsewhere and sit on a lot of it for future players (hopefully). If the plan works - great, but if it fails it's going to be a disaster.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Unless we're counting Ricketts' real estate transactions, I don't think there's any way you can get to the total that's dropped from the payroll by counting all those side expenditures.

 

We're not saving money for the future in some sort of brilliant gambit. We're just out of money because of debt payments and empty seats.

[Guest]

If Theo fails in Chicago people will say, "it's the Cubs, what did you expect." I could see him leaving baseball for some other business sector though.

 

Every team has a budget to live with. If the Ricketts cannot or will not fund the team to a level commiserate to a large market then they are fucked (rhymes with trucked).