2014 MLB transactions

[Sammy Sofa]

I don't think the FO was expecting to be as tied up for as long as they have been financially, but at the same time they've pretty clearly chosen to not spend a lot of the money they do have available to them. There's a middle ground beyond it simply being voluntary or not.

[weis21]

I don't think the FO was expecting to be as tied up for as long as they have been financially, but at the same time they've pretty clearly chosen to not spend a lot of the money they do have available to them. There's a middle ground beyond it simply being voluntary or not.

Right. It's just debatable whether that "middle ground" meant adding one or two players that would have possibly made a negligible difference in the standings. So, they chose to spend more of their resources on international signings, player development, DR facility, etc.

[Guest]

I don't think the FO was expecting to be as tied up for as long as they have been financially, but at the same time they've pretty clearly chosen to not spend a lot of the money they do have available to them. There's a middle ground beyond it simply being voluntary or not.

 

This year is the only year when that's been the case.

[Sammy Sofa]

They money thing is mostly on the Ricketts; I'm firmly convinced that Theo and co. were sold on the idea of an influx of resources based on the new signs and advertising and renovations and whatnot as part of the rebuild. All of that is, what, a good two years behind schedule? The whole baseball mogul theory is funny, but I just still can't believe that Tom Ricketts was all like, "hey, you can come here and have carte blanche to do WHATEVER just long as you don't spend any dollars. That cool, bro?"

[Sammy Sofa]

I don't think the FO was expecting to be as tied up for as long as they have been financially, but at the same time they've pretty clearly chosen to not spend a lot of the money they do have available to them. There's a middle ground beyond it simply being voluntary or not.

 

This year is the only year when that's been the case.

 

Disagree.

[dew1679666265]

I don't caaaaaare if it was voluntary or not.

 

Billy Beane doesn't need $130m payrolls to put together the best team in baseball.

 

Beane also doesn't typically have as much wasted money in years that the As contend as the Cubs had. Wasted money isn't a big problem if you can carry a $130-150 mil payroll as we were doing in the Hendry era. But if we have that type of wasted money with a payroll of less than $100 mil, it'll take things going just right to put together a contender.

 

If I remember right, most or all of the scenarios that had us contending also had us with a payroll over $100 mil in 2012.

[rawaction]

I don't caaaaaare if it was voluntary or not.

 

Billy Beane doesn't need $130m payrolls to put together the best team in baseball.

 

Beane also never has to get out of contract's like Soriano's, etc. while having payroll constraints.

 

Honestly, I lean toward your side of this argument. I understand the Cubs weren't going to be playoff contenders, but they didn't have to be this bad. I don't think it would have killed the organization to spend 8-10Mil more to NOT have waiver picks (Stewart, Coghlin, Sweeney, etc) getting a couple thousand PAs the last couple years. But who knows, maybe they felt, if they weren't going to be good enough, they might as well be really bad.

[dew1679666265]

They money thing is mostly on the Ricketts; I'm firmly convinced that Theo and co. were sold on the idea of an influx of resources based on the new signs and advertising and renovations and whatnot as part of the rebuild. All of that is, what, a good two years behind schedule? The whole baseball mogul theory is funny, but I just still can't believe that Tom Ricketts was all like, "hey, you can come here and have carte blanche to do WHATEVER just long as you don't spend any dollars. That cool, bro?"

 

I tend to agree that the past three years has been more on Ricketts than Theo, but I don't completely rule out the idea that Theo saw an opportunity to do a complete ground-up rebuild and try his all home grown talent fantasy.

[Sammy Sofa]

They money thing is mostly on the Ricketts; I'm firmly convinced that Theo and co. were sold on the idea of an influx of resources based on the new signs and advertising and renovations and whatnot as part of the rebuild. All of that is, what, a good two years behind schedule? The whole baseball mogul theory is funny, but I just still can't believe that Tom Ricketts was all like, "hey, you can come here and have carte blanche to do WHATEVER just long as you don't spend any dollars. That cool, bro?"

 

I tend to agree that the past three years has been more on Ricketts than Theo, but I don't completely rule out the idea that Theo saw an opportunity to do a complete ground-up rebuild and try his all home grown talent fantasy.

 

I think I simply refuse to accept that because if it's true I'm going to have a rage-stroke and die.

[davell]

I don't caaaaaare if it was voluntary or not.

 

Billy Beane doesn't need $130m payrolls to put together the best team in baseball.

 

You're right, he's had an excellent 3 year run after missing the playoffs for the 5 previous ones.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I don't caaaaaare if it was voluntary or not.

 

Billy Beane doesn't need $130m payrolls to put together the best team in baseball.

 

You're right, he's had an excellent 3 year run after missing the playoffs for the 5 previous ones.

 

But circa 2011, they had a bad MLB record and a low-ranked farm system. It should have been impossible for them to make the playoffs by 2013 without massive payrolls.

[dew1679666265]

I think I simply refuse to accept that because if it's true I'm going to have a rage-stroke and die.

 

Certain comments he's made in the past keep me from not believing it. I still think the money just wasn't there, though.

[Sammy Sofa]

I think I simply refuse to accept that because if it's true I'm going to have a rage-stroke and die.

 

Certain comments he's made in the past keep me from not believing it. I still think the money just wasn't there, though.

 

Just kinda going "[expletive] it" and diving into that once it became obvious that the Ricketts have the business acumen of a chalk-white dog turd when it comes to running a baseball team in Chicago I can kinda deal with.

Edited July 25, 2014 by Sammy Sofa

[dew1679666265]

Just kinda going "[expletive] it" and diving into that once it became obvious that the Ricketts have the business acumen of running a baseball team in Chicago of a chalk-white turd I can deal with.

 

I think the truth may be close to that. For example, Ricketts promised Theo money to spend when Theo first came in and Theo planned to build a winner relatively quickly. Then bad things happened and Ricketts no longer had any money. Instead of trying to patchwork together a longshot contender, Theo just decided to go all out with his deep down fantasy of a total rebuild.

[davell]

I don't caaaaaare if it was voluntary or not.

 

Billy Beane doesn't need $130m payrolls to put together the best team in baseball.

 

You're right, he's had an excellent 3 year run after missing the playoffs for the 5 previous ones.

 

But circa 2011, they had a bad MLB record and a low-ranked farm system. It should have been impossible for them to make the playoffs by 2013 without massive payrolls.

 

Yes, on occasions, things fall perfectly. A Josh Donaldson and Brandon Moss develop into All Stars out of no where. And you grab the right scrap heap pitcher like Colon.

 

So yes, ONE team out of 30 put things together perfectly and it wasn't us.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

So yes, ONE team out of 30 put things together perfectly and it wasn't us.

 

We never gave it a chance to happen, outside of the pre-2013 offseason.

[Guest]

I don't caaaaaare if it was voluntary or not.

 

Billy Beane doesn't need $130m payrolls to put together the best team in baseball.

 

You're right, he's had an excellent 3 year run after missing the playoffs for the 5 previous ones.

 

But circa 2011, they had a bad MLB record and a low-ranked farm system. It should have been impossible for them to make the playoffs by 2013 without massive payrolls.

 

Their farm system provided Donaldson, Gray, Chris Carter(who became Jed Lowrie), Griffin, Doolittle, and Straily since the start of 2012. They also used their young MLB pitching in trades to get Parker, Milone, Cook, Reddick, and Norris.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

So yes, ONE team out of 30 put things together perfectly and it wasn't us.

 

Both the Indians and Reds under .500 in 2011 and were lower than us on this list:

http://www.minorleagueball.com/2012/1/23/2728027/2012-baseball-farm-system-rankings-prospects

 

and have since made the playoffs with a payroll under $100m in their playoff year.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Their farm system provided Donaldson, Gray, Chris Carter(who became Jed Lowrie), Griffin, Doolittle, and Straily since the start of 2012. They also used their young MLB pitching in trades to get Parker, Milone, Cook, Reddick, and Norris.

 

While we used our young MLB pitching to get Ramirez, Edwards, Grimm and Olt.

 

We were shopping Garza the same time they were selling Gio Gonzalez the offseason of 2011-12. The different results are striking.

[davell]

So yes, ONE team out of 30 put things together perfectly and it wasn't us.

 

Both the Indians and Reds under .500 in 2011 and were lower than us on this list:

http://www.minorleagueball.com/2012/1/23/2728027/2012-baseball-farm-system-rankings-prospects

 

and have since made the playoffs with a payroll under $100m in their playoff year.

 

Good God. I'm sure glad we had our Votto, Latos, Chapman, Cueto and others already in tow.

[SouthSideRyan]

I don't caaaaaare if it was voluntary or not.

 

Billy Beane doesn't need $130m payrolls to put together the best team in baseball.

 

Beane also doesn't typically have as much wasted money in years that the As contend as the Cubs had. Wasted money isn't a big problem if you can carry a $130-150 mil payroll as we were doing in the Hendry era. But if we have that type of wasted money with a payroll of less than $100 mil, it'll take things going just right to put together a contender.

 

If I remember right, most or all of the scenarios that had us contending also had us with a payroll over $100 mil in 2012.

 

Well they just DFA'd their 2nd highest salaried player.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Good God. I'm sure glad we had our Votto, Latos, Chapman, Cueto and others already in tow.

 

Garza, Castro, Samardzija. All worthless pieces of garbage...

 

No matter how many examples are shown, people will always try to spin some difference. Because they are in denial about how much parity there is in modern MLB and how foolish it is to throw away seasons.

Edited July 25, 2014 by Hairyducked Idiot

[Guest]

Their farm system provided Donaldson, Gray, Chris Carter(who became Jed Lowrie), Griffin, Doolittle, and Straily since the start of 2012. They also used their young MLB pitching in trades to get Parker, Milone, Cook, Reddick, and Norris.

 

While we used our young MLB pitching to get Ramirez, Edwards, Grimm and Olt.

 

We were shopping Garza the same time they were selling Gio Gonzalez the offseason of 2011-12. The different results are striking.

 

Gonzalez was 26 and had 4 years of team control, Garza 28 and 2 years of team control. This is silly.

[SouthSideRyan]

I don't caaaaaare if it was voluntary or not.

 

Billy Beane doesn't need $130m payrolls to put together the best team in baseball.

 

You're right, he's had an excellent 3 year run after missing the playoffs for the 5 previous ones.

 

But circa 2011, they had a bad MLB record and a low-ranked farm system. It should have been impossible for them to make the playoffs by 2013 without massive payrolls.

 

Their farm system provided Donaldson, Gray, Chris Carter(who became Jed Lowrie), Griffin, Doolittle, and Straily since the start of 2012. They also used their young MLB pitching in trades to get Parker, Milone, Cook, Reddick, and Norris.

 

It's not fair they did stuff that made their team better.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Gonzalez was 26 and had 4 years of team control, Garza 28 and 2 years of team control. This is silly.

 

No, silly is forgetting about the existence of Castro and Samardzija.

 

Garza was also a better pitcher. I know Epstein's tried to convince us that "years of control" are more important than quality, but let's not forget about it entirely.

Edited July 25, 2014 by Hairyducked Idiot