Yankees Sign Masahiro Tanaka

[Guest]

So they're now 1/6* on signing FAs who are seem to fit their ideal description for FAs but they have been runner up on all of those 5 misses. The wells in Cuba and Japan are drying up.

 

* Darvish, Cespedes, Soler, Puig, Ryu and Tanaka

[Derwood]

so which Japanese pitcher do we get to do this with next year?

[Ryne Ween]

Wouldn't you think that Garza on an Edwin Jackson-type contract has a higher value to the Cubs than if they got Tanaka on the Yankees' terms? Although maybe Garza doesn't want to play for a losing team either.

 

I do think that Edwin Jackson on an Edwin Jackson-type contract is of no value to the Cubs.

[SouthSideRyan]

Surely Samardzija is going to be moved now. No sense in keeping him around for the next 2 years when the best we can realistically hope for is some fringe contention in 2015 if the young guys come up and are awesome

 

$25 million/yr should buy a pretty good FA pitcher next year. Doesn't have to change the timeline.

 

We also have #4 draft pick this year which could be turned into a better pitcher than Tanaka as well.

 

By the time that guy is a better pitcher than Tanaka, Tanaka will be a free agent again and we can slot him as the #2 behind him

[Guest]

Wouldn't you think that Garza on an Edwin Jackson-type contract has a higher value to the Cubs than if they got Tanaka on the Yankees' terms? Although maybe Garza doesn't want to play for a losing team either.

 

if they handed out $/WAR trophies, sure.

 

at least in the near term.

[Guest]

We still have Baez to look forward to. Remember? The #1 prospect in all of baseball? I don't think it's going to be all that long till we compete. At the start of 2015 we will have Rizzo, Castro, Baez and Bryant and Almora and Soler + others all knocking on the door.

 

Let's just make Tanaka regret he chose the team on the downslope.

 

Don't kid yourself. Buxton is the top prospect in baseball. Bogaerts should be #2 too.

[minnesotacubsfan]

Remember how I said a Japanese lady told me it would be the Yankees? Maybe next time sulley will [expletive] listen to me

[XZero771679666304]

I still suspect that the Cubs made the high offer but Tanaka chose the Yankees for subjective reasons. Not the least of which it the prospect of winning in the near term. And the presence of Kuroda and Ichiro no doubt played some role. And Tanaka's wife.

 

In a vacuum, I'd bet that Theo and Jed did all they could to sign Tanaka, but in context, the failure to do so is due, at least in part, to the fact that the major league team sucks out loud.

[KingCubsFan]

So they're now 1/6* on signing FAs who are seem to fit their ideal description for FAs but they have been runner up on all of those 5 misses. The wells in Cuba and Japan are drying up.

 

* Darvish, Cespedes, Soler, Puig, Ryu and Tanaka

How could you forget Gerardo Concepcion?

[Cubswin11]

I still suspect that the Cubs made the high offer but Tanaka chose the Yankees for subjective reasons. Not the least of which it the prospect of winning in the near term. And the presence of Kuroda and Ichiro no doubt played some role. And Tanaka's wife.

 

In a vacuum, I'd bet that Theo and Jed did all they could to sign Tanaka, but in context, the failure to do so is due, at least in part, to the fact that the major league team sucks out loud.

This is my feeling too. Not that it makes the situation suck any less or is a defending of our FO, but I think this is a reasonable though process on how the situation went down.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Wouldn't you think that Garza on an Edwin Jackson-type contract has a higher value to the Cubs than if they got Tanaka on the Yankees' terms? Although maybe Garza doesn't want to play for a losing team either.

 

No. And not particularly close.

 

I want something rather than nothing almost every time, but Garza's had three straight years of elbow injuries and 30 is pretty much the worst age ever for buying an FA pitcher. All the cost of prime with none of the prime years.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

It sure didn't take long to go from one pundit kinda hinting that one guy maybe told him he had Baez at No. 1 to it being stated as fact.

[Guest]

It sure didn't take long to go from one pundit kinda hinting that one guy maybe told him he had Baez at No. 1 to it being stated as fact.

 

Look at who did that tho.

[Guest]

I still suspect that the Cubs made the high offer but Tanaka chose the Yankees for subjective reasons. Not the least of which it the prospect of winning in the near term. And the presence of Kuroda and Ichiro no doubt played some role. And Tanaka's wife.

 

In a vacuum, I'd bet that Theo and Jed did all they could to sign Tanaka, but in context, the failure to do so is due, at least in part, to the fact that the major league team sucks out loud.

 

Just like Sanchez didn't sign. Just like Samardzija has no interest in re-signing with his hometown team. They're just making this rebuild so much harder on themselves.

[rocket]

the horry kow shirts probably didn't help

[jersey cubs fan]

Poop

 

I was this close to thinking this team would be worth following this year. Well, this is what happens when you put yourself in a 100 loss hole. It's tough to wipe the stink of that off the entire organization. People lose their jobs, guys want out and others don't want to come.

[Bobson Dugnutt]

I hope Renteria still has the receipt for his Rosetta Stone.

[treebird]

so frustrated. hopefully theo has learned his lesson and won't let his next team bottom out so hard.

 

i really hate rooting for this team.

[Tracer Bullet]

You guys still don't deserve Theo. None of you are invited to the WS parties.

[abuck1220]

yeah, in theory it's a great plan to lose 95 games/firesell every year and accumulate draft picks/prospects and then have all those prospects get good at the same time you sign a bunch of good free agents in one offseason and lookie there you're a 100 win team. in reality that appears to be a pretty tough sell to free agents.

[Wilson A2000]

You can have all the young outfield and infield talent you want, but I don't see a #1 or #2 pitcher in the system. I don't like the Cubs' chances of getting them in FA either. Teams re-sign those guys before FA. Edited January 22, 2014 by Wilson A2000

[jersey cubs fan]

You guys still don't deserve Theo. None of you are invited to the WS parties.

 

I will probably have my daughter's wedding as a conflict by then anyway.

[Brian]

Makes me wonder who would have won the old way, can we throw this on the list that the Cubs were one year late to the party on?

 

1. amateur draft spending sprees

2. uncapped international spending (though they seemed to have created the work around)

3. uncapped international posting fee

 

 

 

Still i'm not too upset, because I never thought it was going to happen.

[ConstableRabbit]

You guys should have known it was going to end poorly when we started comparing this to Roberts and Peavy.

 

This just joins a long list of potential high profile player acquisitions that I obsessed over only to be disappointed in the end.

 

Roberts (ok maybe not too high profile)

Peavy

Cespedes

Tanaka

LeBron

Amare (back when he was good)

Kobe

Probably another I'm missing

 

On the bright side, I was semi-obsessed over getting Soler and that one came through for the good guys!

T-Mac

[Guest]

[expletive]. I did not think Hal would do it.

 

I never thought the Cubs would be the mess they are when the Ricketts family bought the team. [expletive] it, I'm still going to watch or listen to every game.