4/26 Cubs (wood) @ bewers (estrada) 6 pm, CSN tv

[SouthSideRyan]

I blame them. A lot. They haven't been very good at finding good MLB plaers.

 

Actually, considering we have owners who can't even run the team like a small market one, I've enjoyed their work and the fact that they have been creative in trying to restock the system through signing guys and flipping them. Which they have done a strong job with. Not every GM would have even thought of the concept, much less be able to pull it off multiple times.

 

Obviously, the trade to get Travis Wood was nice. The pickup of Luis Valbuena for nothing was impressive. The signings of role players such as David DeJesus and Dioner Navarro were cool.

 

The list is never going to be standout impressive considering they have no real money to spend, but I wonder what another GM would have been able to do with the resources provided the last few years? I'm confident that without Theo and Jed, we are even worse off than we are now.

 

Edit to add: Again, I'm a Theo guy. So I realize I'm bias.

 

Signing And Flipping has been talked about as a strategy for at least like 10 years. This was not some revolutionary idea. And has Kyle points out, flipping has resulted in some bullpen pieces and an ok prospect

[d_money]

I'm actually one of the more positive guys toward the rebuild. But I was watching the Cards-Pirates game today, and when the Cards loaded the bases the fans all got up and started to cheer for a key moment in the game.

 

It made me realize we don't even have a chance to do that anymore, because none of these games or moments matter. And I did start getting bitter at ownership while watching it. They need to show big improvement next year. They have to.

Don't get your hopes up. One would think they'd try to improve this year. I was optimistic that they'd be better this but I'm not any longer.

 

I know this isn't right considering the Cubs have been popular forever and haven't won in a century, but I start to wonder if another horrid year, coupled with another horrid two months next year, would start to have a huge impact on the fan base coming out to games. Like, a very noticeable one. Not just the expected decrease.

 

I don't even know what I'm talking about. I hate the Brewers. I hate that the Cubs are so bad. I hate that the Brewers get to beat up on the Cubs 19 times a year and we just have to sit back and watch it happen.

 

What do you consider a "noticeable" decline? This year we will finish off our dropoff of 1 million plus fans since 08(and possiby 1M since 09)

When the season ticket wait list is whittling away and the FO starts [expletive] their pants. Until then, the drop in attendance will be from the walk ups and single game ticket purchasers

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Can we at least meet in the middle and agree that Theo and Jed have been damn good at the trading part?

 

They've adopted a policy of holding out on trades for extremely high prices until the last possible minute. This has burned them a few times, but it has meant that the trades they do make have mostly been very good.

[Bryants Disco Ball]

I blame them. A lot. They haven't been very good at finding good MLB plaers.

 

Actually, considering we have owners who can't even run the team like a small market one, I've enjoyed their work and the fact that they have been creative in trying to restock the system through signing guys and flipping them. Which they have done a strong job with. Not every GM would have even thought of the concept, much less be able to pull it off multiple times.

 

Obviously, the trade to get Travis Wood was nice. The pickup of Luis Valbuena for nothing was impressive. The signings of role players such as David DeJesus and Dioner Navarro were cool.

 

The list is never going to be standout impressive considering they have no real money to spend, but I wonder what another GM would have been able to do with the resources provided the last few years? I'm confident that without Theo and Jed, we are even worse off than we are now.

 

Edit to add: Again, I'm a Theo guy. So I realize I'm bias.

 

Signing And Flipping has been talked about as a strategy for at least like 10 years. This was not some revolutionary idea. And has Kyle points out, flipping has resulted in some bullpen pieces and an ok prospect

 

It might have been talked about but I don't remember it being executed.

 

And considering our bullpen sucks, those pieces might turn out be very important if Strop is what he has mostly shown us to be and Vizcaino's arm doesn't fall off. Plus, I still think Arrieta is going to prove to be a really solid pitcher who can have some success in the National League.

[gscool89]

I think Theo and Jed have done a pretty good job with what they've had to work with. I'm convinced this is 100% on Ricketts end and I don't know if Theo realized what he was getting into when he signed up for this job.

[SouthSideRyan]

I'm actually one of the more positive guys toward the rebuild. But I was watching the Cards-Pirates game today, and when the Cards loaded the bases the fans all got up and started to cheer for a key moment in the game.

 

It made me realize we don't even have a chance to do that anymore, because none of these games or moments matter. And I did start getting bitter at ownership while watching it. They need to show big improvement next year. They have to.

Don't get your hopes up. One would think they'd try to improve this year. I was optimistic that they'd be better this but I'm not any longer.

 

I know this isn't right considering the Cubs have been popular forever and haven't won in a century, but I start to wonder if another horrid year, coupled with another horrid two months next year, would start to have a huge impact on the fan base coming out to games. Like, a very noticeable one. Not just the expected decrease.

 

I don't even know what I'm talking about. I hate the Brewers. I hate that the Cubs are so bad. I hate that the Brewers get to beat up on the Cubs 19 times a year and we just have to sit back and watch it happen.

 

What do you consider a "noticeable" decline? This year we will finish off our dropoff of 1 million plus fans since 08(and possiby 1M since 09)

 

A decline in which it looks like a slightly better version than a Pirates home crowd from a few years ago.

 

The pirates bottomed out at 1.5M and change. Can't see paid attendance ever getting to that level, too many season ticket suckers. As far as fans through turnstiles, we might already be there

[treebird]

I think Theo and Jed have done a pretty good job with what they've had to work with. I'm convinced this is 100% on Ricketts end and I don't know if Theo realized what he was getting into when he signed up for this job.

 

if theo can't do anything without a top payroll he isn't special and we should've hired someone else who might have been.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

We're pretty close to the attendance floor, I think. Season ticket holders don't want to give up spots.

[gscool89]

“I told him: ‘It doesn’t matter, dude. You play in Chicago. I was there and I lost 30 wins in three seasons. So it’s not your fault. Just pitch your way out of it,’” Garza said.

 

Garza couldn’t resist zinging the Cubs after beating them on Friday night, saying how much he enjoyed playing for a team that expects to win, instead of one “constantly hoping. You kind of run out of hope.”

http://www.csnchicago.com/cubs/garza%E2%80%99s-message-samardzija-%E2%80%98pitch-your-way-out%E2%80%99-cubs

[Guest]

The Cubs are on pace for a 49-113 record.

Somebody tell Jed/Theo the Cubs only get 1 1st round pick (not 2) no matter how bad the record

 

What's crazy is there is actually a team with a worse record than them.

 

One we still couldn't win a series from

 

Well, they're only a game better than the Diamondbacks.

[Castros trade value]

I love me some 7-16 Baseball.

[gscool89]

I think Theo and Jed have done a pretty good job with what they've had to work with. I'm convinced this is 100% on Ricketts end and I don't know if Theo realized what he was getting into when he signed up for this job.

 

if theo can't do anything without a top payroll he isn't special and we should've hired someone else who might have been.

This isn't even an Oakland Athletics payroll right now. We'd be near the bottom of the league if we weren't still paying Alfonso Soriano money to not play here. Also he came into an organization that had no minor league system.

[ScrubMD]

I really think they'll start to spend after this season. They've been spending money on the organization, with stuff like facilities and IFA. Soriano's contract is up after this season, which I think is the last of the inherited contracts, and the actual impact prospects will start arriving. If they still don't start spending, then I'll start crying like a poopy baby like the rest of you, only I probably won't be as annoying.

 

Also, Braun didn't seem very concerned when he broke Segura's face. What a dick.

Edited April 27, 2014 by ScrubMD

[Castros trade value]

“I told him: ‘It doesn’t matter, dude. You play in Chicago. I was there and I lost 30 wins in three seasons. So it’s not your fault. Just pitch your way out of it,’” Garza said.

 

Garza couldn’t resist zinging the Cubs after beating them on Friday night, saying how much he enjoyed playing for a team that expects to win, instead of one “constantly hoping. You kind of run out of hope.”

http://www.csnchicago.com/cubs/garza%E2%80%99s-message-samardzija-%E2%80%98pitch-your-way-out%E2%80%99-cubs

 

Ricketts has to read this and just be flat out embarrassed. When attendance starts to dwindle to 10K territory on weekday games soon, when only 5 short years ago it was 35K, he will start feeling the heat.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

This isn't even an Oakland Athletics payroll right now. We'd be near the bottom of the league if we weren't still paying Alfonso Soriano money to not play here. Also he came into an organization that had no minor league system.

 

Myths and lies, myths and lies.

 

According to Cot's: Payroll without Soriano, $78.6m

A's payroll: $82m

 

And that's with Epstein insisting that he's not spending all his money this year.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I really think they'll start to spend after this season. They've been spending money on the organization, with stuff like facilities and IFA. Soriano's contract is up after this season, which I think is the last of the inherited contracts, and the actual impact prospects will start arriving. If they still don't start spending, then I'll start crying like a poopy baby like the rest of you, only I probably won't be as annoying.

 

Also, Braun didn't seem very concerned when he broke Segura's face. What a dick.

 

As they proved this year, they won't spend unless free agents magically start becoming five years younger. Having money isn't enough.

[Andy]

I think Theo and Jed have done a pretty good job with what they've had to work with. I'm convinced this is 100% on Ricketts end and I don't know if Theo realized what he was getting into when he signed up for this job.

 

if theo can't do anything without a top payroll he isn't special and we should've hired someone else who might have been.

This isn't even an Oakland Athletics payroll right now. We'd be near the bottom of the league if we weren't still paying Alfonso Soriano money to not play here. Also he came into an organization that had no minor league system.

Oakland had a worse system than we did after the 2011 season as rated by basically everybody, and had a team that was just as bad.

 

You might have heard, but they've won consecutive division titles since then (and in a division where, unlike the Cubs' division, there are teams that actually spend money) and are favored to do so again this year.

 

You don't HAVE to tank 3-5 seasons just because you don't have a battalion of top prospects available.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Technically, it was before the 2011 season that Oakland's minor league system was so bad (28th by Baseball America).

 

In the 2011-12 offseason, they trade Gio Gonzalez for a foundational trade that completely set up their turnaround. (Funny, why didn't they wait until the next deadline to trade him? That's the smart play, right?)

 

In that same offseason, we held out and held out on trading Matt Garza (one less year of control than Gonzalez, but coming off better seasons), then got nothing when he hurt his arm, then had to trade him the next deadline for a collection of (admittedly interesting) spare parts.

[SouthSideRyan]

We're pretty close to the attendance floor, I think. Season ticket holders don't want to give up spots.

 

This guy did. They clearly had a lower than expected renewal rate this year given the stories people have told on here about the team begging them to take them.

[ScrubMD]

I really think they'll start to spend after this season. They've been spending money on the organization, with stuff like facilities and IFA. Soriano's contract is up after this season, which I think is the last of the inherited contracts, and the actual impact prospects will start arriving. If they still don't start spending, then I'll start crying like a poopy baby like the rest of you, only I probably won't be as annoying.

 

Also, Braun didn't seem very concerned when he broke Segura's face. What a dick.

 

As they proved this year, they won't spend unless free agents magically start becoming five years younger. Having money isn't enough.

 

The farther you are from competitiveness, the less it makes sense to sign anyone over 30. I'm banking on them seeing 2015 as the beginning of possible competitiveness.

 

Plus with the barebones payroll they'll take into the offseason + the prospect timetable, it makes a lot of sense that this coming offseason would be the offseason. That's why, if it's not, I'll be very sad.

[SouthSideRyan]

I really think they'll start to spend after this season. They've been spending money on the organization, with stuff like facilities and IFA. Soriano's contract is up after this season, which I think is the last of the inherited contracts, and the actual impact prospects will start arriving. If they still don't start spending, then I'll start crying like a poopy baby like the rest of you, only I probably won't be as annoying.

 

Also, Braun didn't seem very concerned when he broke Segura's face. What a dick.

 

The money spent on the Dominican facility and the overage on IFAs is a piddling pile of piss

[ScrubMD]

I really think they'll start to spend after this season. They've been spending money on the organization, with stuff like facilities and IFA. Soriano's contract is up after this season, which I think is the last of the inherited contracts, and the actual impact prospects will start arriving. If they still don't start spending, then I'll start crying like a poopy baby like the rest of you, only I probably won't be as annoying.

 

Also, Braun didn't seem very concerned when he broke Segura's face. What a dick.

 

The money spent on the Dominican facility and the overage on IFAs is a piddling pile of piss

 

You are.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

So's your face.

[gscool89]

The Cubs have been outbid for Cespedes, Yu Darvish, Anibal Sanchez, and Tanaka. After awhile it gets embarrassing that the Chicago Cubs continue to get out-bid for talent that is actually contributing on a Major League team.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

But think of all the players we *didn't* get outbid on. Edwin Jackson, Ian Stewart, Gerardo Concepcion, Kyuji Fujikawa, Scott Baker, Jose Veras, Wesley Wright.