2014 Roster Discussion

[Cubswin11]

@CSNMooney: Theo looking ahead to offseason: “I don’t think we’re going to have the ability to add like multiple impact pieces in free agency.”

 

So at least one is on the table, I hope.

Hopefully it's because they blow their wad on Cano, one can dream

[davell]

@CSNMooney: Theo looking ahead to offseason: “I don’t think we’re going to have the ability to add like multiple impact pieces in free agency.”

 

So at least one is on the table, I hope.

Hopefully it's because they blow their wad on Cano, one can dream

Tanaka for me.

[SouthSideRyan]

Somebody to more than a 2 year deal for me. I fear what impact means in that quote.

[davell]

Somebody to more than a 2 year deal for me. I fear what impact means in that quote.

Nah, I'm confident Theo has the same definition as we do for that. There's another quote out there that makes it sound like they may trade for impact as well.

[Warpticon]

@CSNMooney: Theo looking ahead to offseason: “I don’t think we’re going to have the ability to add like multiple impact pieces in free agency.”

 

So at least one is on the table, I hope.

Hopefully it's because they blow their wad on Cano, one can dream

 

Cano makes by far the least sense of the available options.

[Guest]

They sure are setting the bar low in free agency.

[Guest]

I can't help but wonder if things might be different if Joe Ricketts hadn't given Rahm such an easy out(in public sentiment at least) for public funding, or even if Wrigleyville had an Alderman who we're 100% certain can read and do other normal brain-function things. If the team is getting shorted in payroll this offseason because they aren't able to realize any renovation revenues yet and/or they need to avoid spending big to make sure Tunney doesn't try to use spending as an excuse to blow up the whole renovation plan, I'm going to want to do even more terrible things to him than previously(not an easy task).

[SouthSideRyan]

Edwin Jackson (8-16, 4.75 ERA) has been a major disappointment, but the Cubs gave him a four-year, $52 million deal last winter thinking he could be a rotation piece for a rebuilding team and a contender on the North Side.

 

“We’re not necessarily in a position to do that (again), depending on the price tags and needs that we have, the way the market evolves,” Epstein said. “That would be nice if we could find the right guy and the right contract and drop him in.”

 

That's the vomit-inducing quote I'd seen prior that made me burn things.

[treebird]

Edwin Jackson (8-16, 4.75 ERA) has been a major disappointment, but the Cubs gave him a four-year, $52 million deal last winter thinking he could be a rotation piece for a rebuilding team and a contender on the North Side.

 

“We’re not necessarily in a position to do that (again), depending on the price tags and needs that we have, the way the market evolves,” Epstein said. “That would be nice if we could find the right guy and the right contract and drop him in.”

 

That's the vomit-inducing quote I'd seen prior that made me burn things.

 

yikes. at least we can delete the tanaka thread now (or move it to "Real Team Discussions").

[Sammy Sofa]

Edwin Jackson (8-16, 4.75 ERA) has been a major disappointment, but the Cubs gave him a four-year, $52 million deal last winter thinking he could be a rotation piece for a rebuilding team and a contender on the North Side.

 

“We’re not necessarily in a position to do that (again), depending on the price tags and needs that we have, the way the market evolves,” Epstein said. “That would be nice if we could find the right guy and the right contract and drop him in.”

 

That's the vomit-inducing quote I'd seen prior that made me burn things.

 

Who would have thunk that the glorious happenings of the Cubs being sold and Hendry being fired (and replaced by Theo Epstein, no less) would have actually been the path to Baseball Hell.

[treebird]

Edwin Jackson (8-16, 4.75 ERA) has been a major disappointment, but the Cubs gave him a four-year, $52 million deal last winter thinking he could be a rotation piece for a rebuilding team and a contender on the North Side.

 

“We’re not necessarily in a position to do that (again), depending on the price tags and needs that we have, the way the market evolves,” Epstein said. “That would be nice if we could find the right guy and the right contract and drop him in.”

 

That's the vomit-inducing quote I'd seen prior that made me burn things.

 

Who would have thunk that the glorious happenings of the Cubs being sold and Hendry being fired (and replaced by Theo Epstein, no less) would have actually been the path to Baseball Hell.

 

in fairness, given the debt deal he took, it's pretty questionable whether ricketts ever had good intentions

[Hairyducked Idiot]

You guys just don't appreciate the plan. Exchanging money for useful MLB players is something Hendry would have done. We're going in a different direction now.

[Sammy Sofa]

Edwin Jackson (8-16, 4.75 ERA) has been a major disappointment, but the Cubs gave him a four-year, $52 million deal last winter thinking he could be a rotation piece for a rebuilding team and a contender on the North Side.

 

“We’re not necessarily in a position to do that (again), depending on the price tags and needs that we have, the way the market evolves,” Epstein said. “That would be nice if we could find the right guy and the right contract and drop him in.”

 

That's the vomit-inducing quote I'd seen prior that made me burn things.

 

Who would have thunk that the glorious happenings of the Cubs being sold and Hendry being fired (and replaced by Theo Epstein, no less) would have actually been the path to Baseball Hell.

 

in fairness, given the debt deal he took, it's pretty questionable whether ricketts ever had good intentions

 

That doesn't seem very fair to us at all.

[Guest]

Good grief do you guys make it completely miserable to wade through any discussion about the Cubs and their future.

[SouthSideRyan]

Good grief do you guys make it completely miserable to wade through any discussion about the Cubs and their future.

 

I think it's the Cubs that do that.

 

I mean, I can only pore over so many lists of who's coming back from rehab, who had a bad year with good peripherals that will want to sign a make-good one year deal, and what mediocre talent is going to get shut out and have to settle for a 3/14M contract.

 

Trust me, I'd love it if somebody came along and refuted that quote in some meaningful way, something that pointed to Ricketts giving any sort of commitment to actually making the major league team acceptable next year, but until then, yeah I'm pissed off.

[jersey cubs fan]

Good grief do you guys make it completely miserable to wade through any discussion about the Cubs and their future.

 

Some fans of sports teams don't have positive reactions to their team being among the worst in their league. It tends to bum them out.

[Guest]

Like the previous quote from that article mentioned in this thread(that doesn't need a parenthetical to derive its meaning)?

 

Again, no one is saying to be super joyous about the situation, but the 5-10 posts of wailing and teeth gnashing(most of which have just become mad libs at this point) every time something comes out that could be interpreted in that light is so obnoxious.

[Sammys Boombox]

So, if I drop my season tickets this offseason can I buy them in 2017 without re-entering a waitlist?

[jersey cubs fan]

Like the previous quote from that article mentioned in this thread(that doesn't need a parenthetical to derive its meaning)?

 

Again, no one is saying to be super joyous about the situation, but the 5-10 posts of wailing and teeth gnashing(most of which have just become mad libs at this point) every time something comes out that could be interpreted in that light is so obnoxious.

 

Again, I find the holier-than-thou, this team being bad doesn't bother me like it bothers you uncivilized freaks talk to be so obnoxious.

[SouthSideRyan]

Like the previous quote from that article mentioned in this thread(that doesn't need a parenthetical to derive its meaning)?

 

Is this in regards to the "multiple impact" quote?

 

And I'm not sure what your issue is with the parenthetical. Is it that Theo doesn't address that he's talking about Jackson directly? Or is it the "(again)" that you take issue with?

 

Because, honestly, I don't see how either one tells a different story.

[Guest]

Like the previous quote from that article mentioned in this thread(that doesn't need a parenthetical to derive its meaning)?

 

Again, no one is saying to be super joyous about the situation, but the 5-10 posts of wailing and teeth gnashing(most of which have just become mad libs at this point) every time something comes out that could be interpreted in that light is so obnoxious.

 

Again, I find the holier-than-thou, this team being bad doesn't bother me like it bothers you uncivilized freaks talk to be so obnoxious.

 

I know nuance is a 4 letter word to you, but again, be as happy or as sad or as angry as you want. What I'm saying is that the half dozen unfunny variations on "this stinks!" that come along with every word that could be interpreted to fit that viewpoint are excessive.

[Guest]

Like the previous quote from that article mentioned in this thread(that doesn't need a parenthetical to derive its meaning)?

 

Is this in regards to the "multiple impact" quote?

 

And I'm not sure what your issue is with the parenthetical. Is it that Theo doesn't address that he's talking about Jackson directly? Or is it the "(again)" that you take issue with?

 

Because, honestly, I don't see how either one tells a different story.

 

Yes, you have to take that a very narrow way(especially in light of all the other quotes) to get to "well we probably can't afford to spend at Edwin Jackson levels this offseason". That doesn't mean it's objectively wrong, but it does mean that maybe the 4 millionth rendition of "no see this is the process now lol" is probably a bit much.

 

The clear theme from those comments is that Theo is saying that Free Agency isn't a cure-all to make the team competitive. It's a platitude, and not an incorrect one. The more specific conclusion is one that's subject to a ton of different factors. Does the renovation deal get inked soon? Same with WGN rights? Is the payroll going to be constant/similar to last year, or will the aforementioned factors drive it down depending on their outcome? How do this year's moves impact next year's budget(i.e. does the saved money from Garza/Feldman/Marmol/etc disappear, get rolled to next year, get applied to current dead money like Soriano's '14 salary)? We aren't going to get more than the tiniest inkling from what Theo is telling reporters in September, and maybe that number hasn't even been decided yet.

 

Personally, while I'm wary of the payroll dipping further from this year's number, I have too many reasons to think that it won't be taking a huge hit until I actually see that happen. Others don't have to agree, but can we agree it's not an obvious point?

[Hairyducked Idiot]

The "no multiples" and "can't afford Edwin Jackson again" were separate quotes, right?

[imb]

Edwin Jackson (8-16, 4.75 ERA) has been a major disappointment, but the Cubs gave him a four-year, $52 million deal last winter thinking he could be a rotation piece for a rebuilding team and a contender on the North Side.

 

“We’re not necessarily in a position to do that (again), depending on the price tags and needs that we have, the way the market evolves,” Epstein said. “That would be nice if we could find the right guy and the right contract and drop him in.”

 

That's the vomit-inducing quote I'd seen prior that made me burn things.

 

yikes. at least we can delete the tanaka thread now (or move it to "Real Team Discussions").

 

oh no what are we going to do without another no. 4 starter

[SouthSideRyan]

The "no multiples" and "can't afford Edwin Jackson again" were separate quotes, right?

 

Yes