2014 MLB transactions

[treebird]

if the cubs win a world series, i won't have a bad thing to say about them for several years at least (unless ownership sells the team or fires everyone responsible and i have new people to blame). i swear it.

 

if the cubs win 100 games multiple times but no world series . . . i'll probably be the biggest meatball who ever meatballed and blame everything on playoff choking and come to really, really hate baseball.

[Guest]

if the cubs win a world series, i won't have a bad thing to say about them for several years at least (unless ownership sells the team or fires everyone responsible and i have new people to blame). i swear it.

 

if the cubs win 100 games multiple times but no world series . . . i'll probably be the biggest meatball who ever meatballed and blame everything on playoff choking and come to really, really hate baseball.

 

 

i'd be really sad all those octobers but i'd be having a lot of fun for the duration of the baseball season

 

 

i guess I'd have to see if i'd get sick of annual regular season success followed by playoff losses like the braves (except they did still win one). i really don't know. with a sport like basketball, i would, but knowing how crapshooty it is in baseball, we'd have to really choke bad (like look like 07-08 teams every year) for me to get too meatbally.

[Guest]

I mean, take what most believe to be our two safest bats in Soler and Schwarber alone (some would say Bryant belongs there over Schwarber but the K issues freak me out), add to Rizzo and Castro, and that could very well be enough to have the basis of a pretty good lineup. The standard nowadays isn't that high.

 

I know I'm super late here but how did Schwarber pass up Addison Russell on this safest bat list???

[Guest]

Of relevance to this conversation: http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/history-indicates-cubs-competitive-cycle/?sm_id=social_20140725_28510716

 

I really appreciate you sharing that; very interesting read, and it gives me...*gulp*...hope.

 

how have the royals schruted things up so bad

 

Truffle had a post about that earlier this week: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=61925&p=3100767&hilit=moustakas#p3100767

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

if the cubs win a world series, i won't have a bad thing to say about them for several years at least (unless ownership sells the team or fires everyone responsible and i have new people to blame). i swear it.

 

if the cubs win 100 games multiple times but no world series . . . i'll probably be the biggest meatball who ever meatballed and blame everything on playoff choking and come to really, really hate baseball.

if the cubs win a world series I will probably die from alcohol poisoning

[treebird]

if the cubs win a world series, i won't have a bad thing to say about them for several years at least (unless ownership sells the team or fires everyone responsible and i have new people to blame). i swear it.

 

if the cubs win 100 games multiple times but no world series . . . i'll probably be the biggest meatball who ever meatballed and blame everything on playoff choking and come to really, really hate baseball.

if the cubs win a world series I will probably die from alcohol poisoning

 

SUICIDE PACT?

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

if the cubs win a world series, i won't have a bad thing to say about them for several years at least (unless ownership sells the team or fires everyone responsible and i have new people to blame). i swear it.

 

if the cubs win 100 games multiple times but no world series . . . i'll probably be the biggest meatball who ever meatballed and blame everything on playoff choking and come to really, really hate baseball.

if the cubs win a world series I will probably die from alcohol poisoning

 

SUICIDE PACT?

deal

[Guest]

Tree ditching heroin for alcohol?

[treebird]

if the cubs win a world series, i won't have a bad thing to say about them for several years at least (unless ownership sells the team or fires everyone responsible and i have new people to blame). i swear it.

 

if the cubs win 100 games multiple times but no world series . . . i'll probably be the biggest meatball who ever meatballed and blame everything on playoff choking and come to really, really hate baseball.

if the cubs win a world series I will probably die from alcohol poisoning

 

SUICIDE PACT?

deal

 

yessssssss

[treebird]

Tree ditching heroin for alcohol?

 

multi-sport athlete

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

how does heroin mix with alcohol?

[treebird]

how does heroin mix with alcohol?

 

pretty good so far why do you ask

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

just for future reference

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I get that everyone is(or should be) sick of losing, but I hope like all [expletive] when things get turned around, this [expletive] stops.

 

My guess is that it still flares up occasionally but not as often. If we win the WS, I'll still think it sometimes but probably won't feel like arguing it (kind of like how Epstein left Boston in a mess, but it's not worth arguing because they did win the WS the one time they made the playoffs).

 

I hope it never comes to this, but I'm more curious what happens if we plateau out at benign mediocrity. What happens if the following plausible scenario happens:

 

2015: Finish around .500

2016: Contend for playoff spot all year but finish outside the playoffs, something like the 90-72 2012 Rays

2017: Have one of those "every pitcher gets injured" years that good teams have sometimes, finish 84-78, out of playoffs

 

What will the fanbase's mood look like then?

[bukie]

I get that everyone is(or should be) sick of losing, but I hope like all [expletive] when things get turned around, this [expletive] stops.

 

My guess is that it still flares up occasionally but not as often. If we win the WS, I'll still think it sometimes but probably won't feel like arguing it (kind of like how Epstein left Boston in a mess, but it's not worth arguing because they did win the WS the one time they made the playoffs).

 

I hope it never comes to this, but I'm more curious what happens if we plateau out at benign mediocrity. What happens if the following plausible scenario happens:

 

2015: Finish around .500

2016: Contend for playoff spot all year but finish outside the playoffs, something like the 90-72 2012 Rays

2017: Have one of those "every pitcher gets injured" years that good teams have sometimes, finish 84-78, out of playoffs

 

What will the fanbase's mood look like then?

Probably "Damn, that sucks, but I'm glad our window isn't closed yet. since we have 7 hitters on the team under 27."

[Backtobanks]

if the cubs win a world series, i won't have a bad thing to say about them for several years at least (unless ownership sells the team or fires everyone responsible and i have new people to blame). i swear it.

 

if the cubs win 100 games multiple times but no world series . . . i'll probably be the biggest meatball who ever meatballed and blame everything on playoff choking and come to really, really hate baseball.

 

Theo was brought here to win a WS. He has complete autonomy over baseball operations according to PTR and Theo. As for the money situation, Theo has made gigantic offers (but not enough) to Darvish and Tanaka, so I assume there's money there to spend. The way it looks now there's a chance that we might make the playoffs in 2016 (the last year of his 5-year contract). Getting to the playoffs is fine, but it's not that great of an accomplishment with the 2-wildcard system. I'm tired of reading about real estate, law suits, and what cheap FAs we can sign and flip next year. The time is now (2014 offseason) to show that ownership and the FO is serious about building the Cubs into a WS winner or 100-win juggernaut.

[weis21]

There has been *some* money left on the table (at least last offseason). The point is there weren't any FA available to fit with the current roster at a price point that fit the assumed overall budget. Not any that would have made them a contender, only marginally improve the record to MAYBE mediocrity. That is, the weren't any mythical pre-prime FA that would have had a roster built around them that would have made any difference. By the time any expensive FA had a competitive team built around them (again, assuming financial constraints), they would be on the downswing of their careers. Not to mention, many, many of the big name FA signings the last few years have been huge busts.

 

And if they are in the playoffs in 2016 (though I'm not throwing in the towel on 2015), they have as good a chance as any other playoff team to win the WS.

 

Look, again, we're all sick and tired of losing. But, they have money to spend now and they've put themselves in the best position to be competitive for a long time. They've hedged their bets on some prospects flaming out by stockpiling a group of elite ones.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Limiting ourselves to imaginary perfect FAs who make us contenders by themselves is a good recipe to finish fifth three straight years.

[weis21]

Which is my point. The system lacked high-end MiLB talent. There wasn't enough there to supplement anything other than going out and buying talent to win games (at least enough to contend for the PO). Which, seems to have been impossible given finances.

 

If Theo has purposely been cheap for years then I'm as pissed as anyone. But, I don't believe that to be the case. If he had a payroll afforded to him as Hendry did, then I think it would have been truly "dual fronts" from the beginning.

 

But in the end, it's one person's opinion versus another. Right or wrong they are where they are. Which is an extremely cheap team for years with money to spend on FA even with financial constraints. And a "wave" of prospects that doesn't rely on any particular player becoming a star.

[Guest]

if the cubs win a world series, i won't have a bad thing to say about them for several years at least (unless ownership sells the team or fires everyone responsible and i have new people to blame). i swear it.

 

if the cubs win 100 games multiple times but no world series . . . i'll probably be the biggest meatball who ever meatballed and blame everything on playoff choking and come to really, really hate baseball.

 

Theo was brought here to win a WS. He has complete autonomy over baseball operations according to PTR and Theo. As for the money situation, Theo has made gigantic offers (but not enough) to Darvish and Tanaka, so I assume there's money there to spend. The way it looks now there's a chance that we might make the playoffs in 2016 (the last year of his 5-year contract). Getting to the playoffs is fine, but it's not that great of an accomplishment with the 2-wildcard system. I'm tired of reading about real estate, law suits, and what cheap FAs we can sign and flip next year. The time is now (2014 offseason) to show that ownership and the FO is serious about building the Cubs into a WS winner or 100-win juggernaut.

 

While the Cubs were second, it doesn't sound like the bid on Darvish was gigantic at all.

[Little Slide Rooter]

I get that everyone is(or should be) sick of losing, but I hope like all [expletive] when things get turned around, this [expletive] stops.

 

My guess is that it still flares up occasionally but not as often. If we win the WS, I'll still think it sometimes but probably won't feel like arguing it (kind of like how Epstein left Boston in a mess, but it's not worth arguing because they did win the WS the one time they made the playoffs).

 

I hope it never comes to this, but I'm more curious what happens if we plateau out at benign mediocrity. What happens if the following plausible scenario happens:

 

2015: Finish around .500

2016: Contend for playoff spot all year but finish outside the playoffs, something like the 90-72 2012 Rays

2017: Have one of those "every pitcher gets injured" years that good teams have sometimes, finish 84-78, out of playoffs

 

What will the fanbase's mood look like then?

 

They'll do what every fan base does when this happens. They'll gripe, and they'll get over it by training camp.

 

The whole point of this plan wasn't to win a World Series or to open a window. It was to position the organization to have the resources to win year after year after year. That doesn't mean win every year. It means that when there is an off year, they can get right back in it the following season without a massive splurge.

 

Even as they win, they'll continue to build the farm. They'll continue building depth with low risk acquisitions such as Luis Valbuena, Scott Feldman, Adrian Cardenas, Mike Olt, Ian Stewart, Jake Arrieta, Scott Baker, Arodys Vizcaino, Ryan Kalish, Lars Anderson, and Chris Coghlan with champaign hopes but box wine expectations, as opposed to filling the same spots with proven mediocrity.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Even as they win, they'll continue to build the farm. They'll continue building depth with low risk acquisitions such as Luis Valbuena, Scott Feldman, Adrian Cardenas, Mike Olt, Ian Stewart, Jake Arrieta, Scott Baker, Arodys Vizcaino, Ryan Kalish, Lars Anderson, and Chris Coghlan with champaign hopes but box wine expectations, as opposed to filling the same spots with proven mediocrity.

 

That sounds horrible. Thank goodness they won't really do that.

[davell]

I get that everyone is(or should be) sick of losing, but I hope like all [expletive] when things get turned around, this [expletive] stops.

 

My guess is that it still flares up occasionally but not as often. If we win the WS, I'll still think it sometimes but probably won't feel like arguing it (kind of like how Epstein left Boston in a mess, but it's not worth arguing because they did win the WS the one time they made the playoffs).

 

I hope it never comes to this, but I'm more curious what happens if we plateau out at benign mediocrity. What happens if the following plausible scenario happens:

 

2015: Finish around .500

2016: Contend for playoff spot all year but finish outside the playoffs, something like the 90-72 2012 Rays

2017: Have one of those "every pitcher gets injured" years that good teams have sometimes, finish 84-78, out of playoffs

 

What will the fanbase's mood look like then?

 

For me, I guess it'd depend on what the team looked like going forward. I'd be disappointed, but still excited for the future if its a pretty young team.

 

If they've sold off quite a bit of youth and the pitching is older and expensive.......Then I'll not be pissed. But I don't expect that to happen.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Peavy to the Giants

[Guest]

Peavy to the Giants

 

This should be good for my fantasy team (even though we use QS and not W)