Offseason Rumors

[Guest]

The brains behind the fortune? Young Tom spent a whole summer answering phones for daddy before being named a Director, around the time he was 30 or so. Silver spooned his way into the Cubs.

 

He also served as a VP of two other companies and co-founded a 3rd in between those two roles.

That was certainly easier to do based on who daddy was.....He had connections far in advance of what the normal guy would have had.

I'm not a fan of the apparent way in which the family acquired the team, but I don't think Tom or the rest of the kids are dolts. Didn't Tom go to Northwestern? I think they have a business model to maximize profit.

[jersey cubs fan]

The brains behind the fortune? Young Tom spent a whole summer answering phones for daddy before being named a Director, around the time he was 30 or so. Silver spooned his way into the Cubs.

 

He also served as a VP of two other companies and co-founded a 3rd in between those two roles.

That was certainly easier to do based on who daddy was.....He had connections far in advance of what the normal guy would have had.

I'm not a fan of the apparent way in which the family acquired the team, but I don't think Tom or the rest of the kids are dolts. Didn't Tom go to Northwestern? I think they have a business model to maximize profit.

 

He went to UofC, BA and MBA.

[Guest]

The brains behind the fortune? Young Tom spent a whole summer answering phones for daddy before being named a Director, around the time he was 30 or so. Silver spooned his way into the Cubs.

 

He also served as a VP of two other companies and co-founded a 3rd in between those two roles.

That was certainly easier to do based on who daddy was.....He had connections far in advance of what the normal guy would have had.

I'm not a fan of the apparent way in which the family acquired the team, but I don't think Tom or the rest of the kids are dolts. Didn't Tom go to Northwestern? I think they have a business model to maximize profit.

 

Daddy paid his way in.

 

/davell

[Guest]

The brains behind the fortune? Young Tom spent a whole summer answering phones for daddy before being named a Director, around the time he was 30 or so. Silver spooned his way into the Cubs.

 

He also served as a VP of two other companies and co-founded a 3rd in between those two roles.

That was certainly easier to do based on who daddy was.....He had connections far in advance of what the normal guy would have had.

I'm not a fan of the apparent way in which the family acquired the team, but I don't think Tom or the rest of the kids are dolts. Didn't Tom go to Northwestern? I think they have a business model to maximize profit.

 

University of Chicago.

 

And of course Tom had opportunities that others didn't because of his background, he's also made a lot of those opportunities. He's not one of these guys like "answered phones and got promoted to Director" implies.

[davell]

Look, I have no doubt that Tom has intelligence. But he's also been given many, many more opportunities than most anyone. And I'm sorry, but you can certainly see things in how things have gone so far in his ownership that he wasn't even closely prepared for.

 

Using the type of loan configuration he did, that no one else was going to do. Yes, it got him the Cubs. But at what price? Is anyone going to say they're happy right now with where things are at? He underestimated the attendance dropping off as much as it has. It's one thing to spend a few years re-tooling. But the drop in attendance has a direct correlation with how much money the damn loans will allow us to spend on the on-field product. It's dropped to the point we're being ran as if we're the Brewers. Theo hasn't had much of a choice but to take it in this direction, unless they wanted to field older, consistent 70-75 win teams. It's now honestly starting to look like 2016 or so is when the Cubs may be competing. That would be 7 years after his takeover, before maybe putting a contender on the field.

 

Now, I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt here actually, in assuming he actually WANTS to put a winner on the field. If not and he's just praying on stupid fans and a tourist attraction to line his pockets, while hoping an intelligent FO can work some magic-I'll take it back, he's the smartest guy in sports.

 

But thats not what I think is going on. I think he convinced his dad the Cubs were a great money-making investment(which they are) got himself into these loans with his family trust, that can't be touched evidently, and Joe is making very solid money. While Tom is sitting on his hands, waiting for the renovations to get going and for the time to come they can maximize revenue from a TV deal that may or may not be around when its finally available. Which would be one of the most Cub things ever.

 

He misjudged Chicago politics, thinking that because Reinsdorf got money, he would too. That alone has set things back a few years. They switched up from that, but never left themselves any real wiggle room with leverage of leaving, so now the rooftops have them in a slight mess, to say the least.

 

Why were the renovations just talked about when they bought the team? Why weren't they more of an immediate "lets get this done" thing? Partly because Ricketts tippytoed into it. The wrong way too, by buying up buildings and showing his hand before even beginning negotiations. In my mind, it was a gesture of good will, that just wasn't well thought out. Did he go into with an idea of what the worst case scenario was? I doubt it, to be honest, because we're there right now. Misjudging how this was going to go down is a giant red flag, one that shows how green he is. One that I truly believe someone working with their actual money and not the families could have saw coming. No way to prove that obviously and if it seems harsh, so be it.

 

Not sure how many of you guys own your own businesses, we don't talk about that stuff here really. But it hits home with me on many levels. I do myself and I deal with people everyday that do and I certainly see a distinct difference between guys who came up on their own and guys who had an easier time with things. There can be a sense of arrogance and entitlement there that quite frankly, can be exposed, if handled correctly. Not saying they're assholes either, usually far from it, just that in quite a few cases, its easier to find holes in them that can be used against them while negotiating. Guys that have done it completely on their own seem to be much more protective and harder to deal with, as a general rule. Of course, there ARE exceptions that go both ways, I just haven't seen many. Am I wrong to lump a guy I don't know into the mass group of these types I do know? Absolutely. I'll admit that. But does it mean I'm wrong that he's too green to have been put into this position? No, it doesn't mean that. Nor does it mean I'm wrong to think it's highly possible that he came into this thing overconfident and is scraping some egg off right now. Can he learn and bounce back in a few years and become a great owner? Of course he can. But the jury is still very much out as to whether his heart is truly in the right place or not, if its just words, or if its not even known by him as of yet.

 

Sorry for the rant, don't want to turn an offseason thread into my own possibly misbegotten feelings of what I "think" I'm seeing out of our owner, get in the way of normal baseball discussion. Especially when everything I just said is my own spin and truly hope I'm wrong about. We can look back a few years from now and hopefully see I'm completely wrong on him.

[jersey cubs fan]

Dudes who build their own business can be just as, if not more, arrogant than people born with a silver spoon. Just look at Tom's dad.

 

It probably should be noted that he wasn't born a billionaire, that business was tiny when they were little and grew into the behemoth it became while Tom was of working age.

[pitchcs]

Who cares if he got more opportunities? It's normally not how much you know but rather who you know.

 

If you care so much, I suggest you come up with a great idea, make a billion dollars and give it to your kids.

[davell]

Who cares if he got more opportunities? It's normally not how much you know but rather who you know.

 

If you care so much, I suggest you come up with a great idea, make a billion dollars and give it to your kids.

My point is he's been a gigantic disappointment as an owner thus far. Care to argue that? The rest was my personal belief as to why. Even prefaced with a "just my thinking" attached. I have no kids as of yet, but you're right, it is my responsibility to take care of them, if we do. I'll manage just fine, thank you. Not an issue.

[pitchcs]

Just really sick of the bitching.

[TruffleShuffle]

Just really sick of the bitching.

 

i agree that it would be nice to have a catchall "hate on tom ricketts" thread rather than have every transaction thread devolve into griping about how we won't sign ____ because #poortomricketts

[davell]

Hey, I'm fine with that too. Personally. I got it all out of my system though. :D

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Well, right now, the hottest offseason rumor *is* that we won't sign anybody of importance.

[davell]

I really want to see a prospect for prospect trade, like Heyman mentioned. Just not one of our big 4. Wouldn't expect Heaney back obviously, but with hitting being worth inherently more than pitching, due to risk....Maybe something like Christian Villanueva straight up for Justin Nicolino? Top 300 overall hitter versus top 200 pitcher? Maybe not of interest to a lot on here, but we need LHP and Villanueva isn't all that likely to get a real shot at 3B for us.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I would probably trade Soler for a top-50 pitching prospect if we weren't eating any contract.

[davell]

I would probably trade Soler for a top-50 pitching prospect if we weren't eating any contract.

I wouldn't. I think his season last year was pretty remarkable after as long a layoff as he had prior, especially coupled with the new country, atmosphere, etc. The plate discipline really stuck out big time to me. On my own list, I think I've got him 3rd, over Almora(not a slight). Just think Soler has .350-.375 OBP upside with 30+HR.

 

If Soler is considered a top 35ish prospect and I'm moving him for pitching, I guess it'd take a top 20-25 pitching prospect for me to do it. Guess I'd eat the contract, if I had to.

[Tryptamine]

Personally I feel like Soler is well behind the other 3 and I even favor CJ over him. If you could move him for someone in the Zimmer/Sanchez/Syndergaard level of pitching then I'm game.

[XZero771679666304]

Soler has so much potential that I'd like to see a full season of play before I start dropping him too far down my list. His performance has been a disappointment, but that's more a result of his injury than an inherent lack of talent/polish, imo. I think he could be a beast, and I certainly wouldn't trade him off for pitching prospects at this point.

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

In a theoretical Soler for pitching prospect trade, the only way I'd do it if the guy coming back was Archie Bradley, Taijuan Walker, or Noah Syndergaard.

[Warpticon]

I just want Syndergaard for the name.

[Boris]

Just really sick of the bitching.

 

Archie Bradley

[Clem Fandango]

Relax guys, we're good...

 

Cubs signed C Eli Whiteside to a minor league contract.

The 34-year-old backstop will receive an invitation to spring training as well. He spent the entire 2013 season at Triple-A Round Rock where even in the offensive-rich PCL he slashed a putrid .187/.242/.280 with five homers and 25 RBI. He'll function as organizational depth for the Cubs.

[Backtobanks]

Well, right now, the hottest offseason rumor *is* that we won't sign anybody of importance.

 

Kyle, your memory is failing. We've already signed Rick Renteria. :lol:

[rawaction]

I really want to see a prospect for prospect trade, like Heyman mentioned. Just not one of our big 4. Wouldn't expect Heaney back obviously, but with hitting being worth inherently more than pitching, due to risk....Maybe something like Christian Villanueva straight up for Justin Nicolino? Top 300 overall hitter versus top 200 pitcher? Maybe not of interest to a lot on here, but we need LHP and Villanueva isn't all that likely to get a real shot at 3B for us.

 

Villanueva is about the only player of interest I'd be open to trading at this point. Havent seen enough from Soler and Almora to give them up. Baez and Bryant are too good and too close to helping the ML team. Everyone else in the top 10ish prospects is either too far away (Vogelbach) or too close (Alcantara) or valuable as a SP (CJ, PJ). I'd do that trade for Nicolino.

[imb]

Just really sick of the bitching.

 

there's no such thing as a bitching prospect

[Sammy Sofa]

Just really sick of the bitching.

 

there's no such thing as a bitching prospect

 

Bitchin':

 

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