Offseason Rumors

[Hairyducked Idiot]

The FO is clearly telling us what they're doing, but a majority of us are still not hearing.

 

I hear it, I think it sucks, and I think there's a good probability it never leads the results they hope for.

 

And I am not sure whether it's that we don't get it or that we don't want to get it. I've been away 5 years. Back then, it was all about Hendry being too short-sighted and not doing the right things for the future. Now, I am hearing fixing this is taking way too long, let's cut a corner, pay Jacoby Ellsbury $100M and let's get to .500. "Cyclical ironies" is a phrase my previous President used to utter - it's appropriate here.

 

:roll: There are more than two ways to build a baseball team. The constant need to compare to Hendry makes me think that some who believe in the front office have a sliver of doubt. We know Hendry sucked. We need to see that the current front office won't suck just as badly but for different reasons.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

You should feel free to question and express your opinions. I'm not 100% correct - never claimed to be. But unless you have engineered a business turn-around for a distressed situation or been tasked to fix a festeringly damaged P&L for a multi-million dollar business as many on this board have, you just will not appreciate the short term challenges this FO is facing.

 

For the record, my objection has nothing to do with the timeline for winning, I think most everyone here would agree I've been more forgiving/"appreciative" of the front office than the average poster. My point is that even the most MLB ready draft picks are so far away that making contingencies for your MLB roster based on who you might draft 6 months from now is just a waste of time. Especially when we're talking about a pick who is very far from being considered a finished product at the moment, and if he does take a big step forward there's 3 teams who have a shot at him before the Cubs. I'm pretty sure there will be very few moves made with clearing a spot for Kris Bryant in mind in the next 6 months, and he's a far faster riser than Turner will likely be, plus he's already been in the system for half a year.

 

At this point, I'm so punch-drunk on this front office I would believe just about anything. Does making contingency plans about whether to trade your MLB shortstop on whether or not you draft some non-elite college SS sound crazy? Yes. But no crazier than a $95m payroll and an offseason where our primary goal is to add "veteran leadership."

[SouthSideRyan]

The problems, hoops is that you're about 3% right and have no idea how to build a successful tean

[Backtobanks]

I highly doubt that anyone's plan was just to just shrug off three or more entire seasons of baseball

 

Sure could've fooled me.

 

 

The Cubs have been talking to Scott Kazmir's agents over the last few days. Cubs are interested in a 1 year deal + option. Kazmir wants a 3 year deal.

 

After he signs with another team, we'll hear that the FO made a "serious bid".

[ctcf]

Wait.... Hoops is back? wtf is going on?

[Sammy Sofa]

I highly doubt that anyone's plan was just to just shrug off three or more entire seasons of baseball

 

Sure could've fooled me.

 

Not a difficult thing to do.

 

You really think the Ricketts weren't planning/hoping to have the renovations underway at this point and the new ad revenue in place?

[ScrubMD]

I highly doubt that anyone's plan was just to just shrug off three or more entire seasons of baseball

 

Sure could've fooled me.

 

Not a difficult thing to do.

 

You really think the Ricketts weren't planning/hoping to have the renovations underway at this point and the new ad revenue in place?

 

The league should really look into this sabotage. Bad for the game. Purposefully making less money? Something doesn't smell right.

[Guest]

The FO is clearly telling us what they're doing, but a majority of us are still not hearing.

 

I hear it, I think it sucks, and I think there's a good probability it never leads the results they hope for.

 

And I am not sure whether it's that we don't get it or that we don't want to get it. I've been away 5 years. Back then, it was all about Hendry being too short-sighted and not doing the right things for the future. Now, I am hearing fixing this is taking way too long, let's cut a corner, pay Jacoby Ellsbury $100M and let's get to .500. "Cyclical ironies" is a phrase my previous President used to utter - it's appropriate here.

 

:roll: There are more than two ways to build a baseball team. The constant need to compare to Hendry makes me think that some who believe in the front office have a sliver of doubt. We know Hendry sucked. We need to see that the current front office won't suck just as badly but for different reasons.

 

Plus there are a bunch of people on this site with different opinions, so it should come as no surprise to hear different things 5 years ago (and hear them now, too).

 

And the issue with Hendry wasn't that he signed good players to big contracts. It was that he ran the front office like a small mom and pop shop, didn't value OBP properly, had stupid ideas about how to "fix" the team and a crappy understanding of analytics (i.e. the justification for the Burnitz signing), wasted money at times (in smaller increments) on backups/relievers, etc.

[HoopsCubs]

I wrote it on the Samardzija thread, but Colby Rasmus is being discussed by the Cubs and Blue Jays as part of a Samardzija blockbuster.

[davell]

Morosi says slightly over 4/52 for Peralta. Love the fact they're paying him that much, but hate fact they've still got all their trade assets.

[Proven Veteran]

Morosi says slightly over 4/52 for Peralta. Love the fact they're paying him that much, but hate fact they've still got all their trade assets.

 

Not sure why you would love that. It just means they also have more money than the Cubs, to go along with their much better team, and just as good (if not better) young players.

[Guest]

That's exactly right that almost anyone could build a good minor league system by sucking balls for three years. I'm always reminded of a Billy Beane quote (paraphrase), "You're either special or going to be special. Any thing else is a waste of time.". Maybe that's their thinking, however, it doesn't absolve them of anything. There have been players with the potential to help them get special for the long term that they either missed on or weren't interested in. To me, as well as they've done in the draft and international signings, they've done as poor (if not worse) with the big club. I'm not just talking about wins/losses either.

[imb]

RT @TomLoxas: Hearing Samardzija is possibly gone before winter meetings.

 

WOW REAL BREAKING NEWS THERE LOXAS

[Beer Kaese]

Sell . . . Hold . . . Buy

 

I was reading a blog last night and post after post of what has been agitating me was made clear. There are some who just want something to happen now, to heck with the future.

 

It is not possible to keep trading one player and get two or three in return while drafting high. Eventually, you have no way to protect them from loss via rule 5. As you approach that point you must reverse course.

[Guest]

RT @TomLoxas: Hearing Samardzija is possibly gone before winter meetings.

 

WOW REAL BREAKING NEWS THERE LOXAS

 

 

Here's a template so you can now say you've read every blog post Loxas has done or will do:

 

Linkbait title

Allusion to other media reports, making sure to mention you tweeted about it first

Vague references to a potential trade, never mentioning more than one team or player, and never one that hasn't been mentioned before

Tweet link to article under various titles 8 times in the next 24 hours

[marc_foust]

Just a thought, but Garrett Jones dfa. Seems redundant with Shierholtz on the roster, but we could trade Shierholtz for pitching or a right handed hitting outfielder then bring in Jones. Jones set to make 5.3 according to mlbtr so he would cost a little more than Shierholtz. Jones would be under team control till 2016 however. Jones not really a back up 1b unless Rizzo were to get hurt as neither is strong against lefties.

[Clem Fandango]

5.3 million for a replacement level part time player? No thanks.

[SouthSideRyan]

5.3 million for a replacement level part time player? No thanks.

 

There's no way he gets that. He isn't a fit for us, but he's a nice bargain 1B for some team. Plus him and James Adduci are my only tangential ties to the big leagues, so I'm still pulling for him.

[HoopsCubs]

According to Peter Gammons, Dioner Navarro is about to sign a deal. Gammons is speculating that it's either the Twins, Jays or Marlins.

[bukie]

According to Peter Gammons, Dioner Navarro is about to sign a deal. Gammons is speculating that it's either the Twins, Jays or Marlins.

The official tweet from Gammons is

 

@pgammo nvarotwnsblajysmirlns

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Homer Simpson reacts to the Cubs' offseason so far:

 

[apete6]

According to Peter Gammons, Dioner Navarro is about to sign a deal. Gammons is speculating that it's either the Twins, Jays or Marlins.

The official tweet from Gammons is

 

@pgammo nvarotwnsblajysmirlns

 

I thought it also included accusing someone of being a terrorist?

 

Gammons is awful at Twitter.

[Guest]

Not sure where else to put this.

 

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/83841/bargain-hunting-baseballs-five-best-free-agent-values-this-offseason

 

• First baseman/outfielder Corey Hart: Amid a leaguewide drop in power, Hart might have more pop than anyone on the market other than Robinson Cano and Mark Reynolds. From 2010 to 2012, Hart averaged 29 homers per year and slugged better than .500 in all three seasons. He’s a bargain now because he hit zero home runs in 2013. Hart missed the entire season because of injuries to both knees; he missed the first part of the season while recovering from microfracture surgery on his right knee, then injured his left knee while rehabbing. The good news? Baseball isn't basketball, where players need resilient knees. Hart was a 20-20 player earlier in his career, but at this stage, teams will be paying him for dingers and respectable defense, most likely at first base, where he won't have to run to chase down fly balls. Carlos Beltran has chronic knee issues and he seems to be doing just fine.

 

Hart's knee injuries bring risk, but they also offer opportunity. There's no guarantee that he'll approach 30 homers or play in 140 to 150 games after missing an entire season, but as a result his asking price is reduced. Hart has said he'd take a discount to re-sign with the Brewers, but shrewd teams should consider making superior offers to try to land him instead. A three-year deal for Hart's age-32, -33, and -34 seasons could cost half as much as Nick Swisher’s four-year, $56 million deal with the Indians and net similar or maybe even better results. Hell, Hart might even prefer a one-year deal that would allow him to reestablish his value before going after a bigger deal next offseason. If that's the case, he'd be an even bigger bargain for 2014.

 

Consider that Shin-Soo Choo is seeking a nine-figure contract, then ponder this:

@ByDavidMurphy

Corey Hart 2010-12: .857 OPS, 127 OPS+, 87 HR, 1787 PA. Shin-Soo Choo 2011-13: .826 OPS, 131 OPS+, 45 HR, 1756 PAs. Hart one year older

3:18 PM - 19 Nov 2013

 

Starting pitcher A.J. Burnett: While Hart has said he’d be open to returning to the Brewers at a discount, Burnett has taken a more extreme position, saying he’ll either play for the Pirates or retire. Bucs general manager Neal Huntington offered comments Monday that could complicate that stance, but the facts remain: Burnett was overshadowed by Liriano's massive comeback campaign last season and demoted in some minds because of his October struggles, but Burnett's larger body of work points to a pitcher who still ranks among the league's best.

 

Over the past three seasons, Burnett has averaged 195 innings pitched, a 3.98 ERA, and a 2.7-to-1 strikeout-to-walk rate. Those numbers don’t tell the whole story, though, as Burnett posted one of his best seasons ever in 2013: 3.30 ERA, 2.80 FIP, and a career-best 26 percent strikeout rate.

 

Burnett is a two-pitch pitcher entering his age-37 season. He also owns what might be the best curveball in the game, and he's riding a streak of six straight seasons with 30 or more starts that most pitchers five years younger would kill to have.

 

If the market allows, the Buccos should lure back Burnett. A full year of Liriano, Burnett, and Gerrit Cole could be extremely productive and set up another playoff run. If Pittsburgh isn't willing to pay, another team should be. Then it's up to Burnett.

 

Starting pitcher Scott Kazmir: Kazmir tossed 1⅔ big league innings in 2011 and zero in 2012, spending time pitching in independent leagues while trying to make his way back to the Show. He was nothing more than a scrap-heap flyer for the Indians last season, but he turned in his best fielding-independent numbers in six years.

 

Kazmir struck out more than a batter per inning, whiffed three and a half batters for every one walk allowed, and posted the lowest walk rate of his major league career. He also rediscovered his fastball velocity, which, at 92.5 mph, was his highest average speed for that pitch since his rookie season way back in 2005. Kazmir wasn’t perfect, yielding a 23.1 percent line drive rate that was the 15th-highest among all starting pitchers with 150-plus innings pitched. And his ability to eat innings also remains in question; even in his best seasons, Kazmir often struggled to get through six innings, going deep into counts against hitters and running up big pitch totals early in games.

 

Still, everything’s relative. Kazmir turns 30 in January, and how many 30-year-old lefties with mid-90s fastballs and his strikeout-to-walk rate are out there for the taking? If suitors are spooked by the fact that Kazmir is only a year removed from being out of the majors, the asking price could be startlingly low in terms of both years and dollars. It's not a matter of figuring out which teams could use Kazmir's skills at rock-bottom prices; it's a matter of whether there are any clubs that couldn't.

[HoopsCubs]

Cubs have inquired about Texas OF Craig Gentry's availability. Cubs envision him as having a good right-handed bat and playing decent defense to man CF or RF in a platoon role. No details given to me on what the Rangers asked for in return.

[Post Count Padder]

Cubs have inquired about Texas OF Craig Gentry's availability. Cubs envision him as having a good right-handed bat and playing decent defense to man CF or RF in a platoon role. No details given to me on what the Rangers asked for in return.

I've liked him for a bit as a 4th outfielder. Great defense. Good patience at the plate. Steals bases at a good rate. Was worth a 3.6 WAR in fewer than 250 at bats this year. I'll take it if the cost isn't much, but I'd imagine the Rangers value him, especially after losing Cruz and Murphy.