07/10 white sox (Rodon) @ CUBS (Hendricks) 3:05 CDT, CSN TV

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I'm not saying it is wrong, but "we can't upgrade during a pennant race because we are pot committed to non-producing players" is yet another tilt-inducing facet of the stupid rebuilding idea.

[Sammy Sofa]

I'm not saying it is wrong, but "we can't upgrade during a pennant race because we are pot committed to non-producing players" is yet another tilt-inducing facet of the stupid rebuilding idea.

 

Teams are often apprehensive to go out and replace players all the time. It doesn't just have to be wanting to see new guys play it out; guys get the benefit of the doubt in that regard because of money or veteran status and the like all the time. That's hardly a mindset exclusive to a team with several young players.

[TruffleShuffle]

On the point of a couple people (myself, admittedly included) saying the Cubs aren't fun to watch, it's because this team doesn't hit many home runs, doesn't hit with runners in scoring position, and doesn't blowout other teams. Every game we're hanging on by the skin of our teeth. That isn't fun for me.

 

then go do something that you enjoy, preferably something that involves not whining pathetically on this message board.

[ARCubsFan]

I think the worst part is Starlin's trade value has been completely shot to worse than 2013 levels

[sontensei]

I think the worst part is Starlin's trade value has been completely shot to worse than 2013 levels

 

Hindsight is 20/20 but yah he should been moved at the winter meetings

[rawaction]

I'm not saying it is wrong, but "we can't upgrade during a pennant race because we are pot committed to non-producing players" is yet another tilt-inducing facet of the stupid rebuilding idea.

 

Yeah, I agree. But because of the stupid rebuilding idea, this won't be the only pennant race this team is in, because those non-producing players should start producing.

[sontensei]

GG, lets go into the break with a 46-41 record!

 

Maybe you should take another 6 years off

Na. Too late for that thank kris bryant

[sontensei]

I'm not saying it is wrong, but "we can't upgrade during a pennant race because we are pot committed to non-producing players" is yet another tilt-inducing facet of the stupid rebuilding idea.

 

Yeah, I agree. But because of the stupid rebuilding idea, this won't be the only pennant race this team is in, because those non-producing players should start producing.

 

The frustrating thing is that the offense was supposed to be better than this.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I'm not saying it is wrong, but "we can't upgrade during a pennant race because we are pot committed to non-producing players" is yet another tilt-inducing facet of the stupid rebuilding idea.

 

Yeah, I agree. But because of the stupid rebuilding idea, this won't be the only pennant race this team is in, because those non-producing players should start producing.

 

Some of them probably won't. And while I agree that they will probably be in more pennant races, I don't think it is a gimme putt they'll be in enough to justify the rebuild. There are still plenty of paths to mediocrity from here.

[rawaction]

I think the worst part is Starlin's trade value has been completely shot to worse than 2013 levels

 

Hindsight is 20/20 but yah he should been moved at the winter meetings

 

No he shouldn't have. He had a solid year last year, a team friendly contract, and was the 2nd best hitter on the team. There was no reason to trade him this winter. Russell wasn't up. Baez wasn't good enough. There weren't any options better than what 2014 Castro projected to provide the Cubs in 2015.

[ceres]

I'm not saying it is wrong, but "we can't upgrade during a pennant race because we are pot committed to non-producing players" is yet another tilt-inducing facet of the stupid rebuilding idea.

 

Yeah, I agree. But because of the stupid rebuilding idea, this won't be the only pennant race this team is in, because those non-producing players should start producing.

 

The frustrating thing is that the offense was supposed to be better than this.

 

You call into sports talk radio , don't you?

[rawaction]

I'm not saying it is wrong, but "we can't upgrade during a pennant race because we are pot committed to non-producing players" is yet another tilt-inducing facet of the stupid rebuilding idea.

 

Yeah, I agree. But because of the stupid rebuilding idea, this won't be the only pennant race this team is in, because those non-producing players should start producing.

 

Some of them probably won't. And while I agree that they will probably be in more pennant races, I don't think it is a gimme putt they'll be in enough to justify the rebuild. There are still plenty of paths to mediocrity from here.

 

Can't argue with that. But what other choice did they have (lack of money) and what other choice do they have now (talent is in majors)?

[UMFan83]

GG, lets go into the break with a 46-41 record!

 

Maybe you should take another 6 years off

Na. Too late for that thank kris bryant

 

Ok at least he next 2 games then since you already know the outcome

[DiamondMind]

sadness

[Bryants Disco Ball]

lololol truffle and i just made the exact same post

 

And both of you were spot on.

[Bryants Disco Ball]

My irrational take on the season is how this doesn't "feel" like a team that has been able to hover 6-10 games above .500. That really doesn't make any sense, but ultimately I really have no fondness for the type of winning in any sport where a team has to really grind it out most of the time. Obviously teams like that can still be very good, but I'm lazy; I want my teams to beat the holy piss out of other team more often than not not even have to think about it. This season has just felt like they've had to fight a lot more to win than they should.

 

None of that really makes any sense upon re-reading, but that's the only thing that "really" bugs me. I don't just want good; I want easy good. Hopefully it's a growing pains kinda situation and we're just building up to seeing easy good.

 

Makes perfect sense, actually.

[TruffleShuffle]

well the cubs were easy bad the past few years, so battling to be several games over .500 is a pretty big improvement over that.

[Sammy Sofa]

well the cubs were easy bad the past few years, so battling to be several games over .500 is a pretty big improvement over that.

 

Oh, obviously, and I'm very happy to see them doing so much better. It definitely was a case of a switch being flipped in terms of them not being terrible, but I guess I was thinking/hoping it wasn't going to be quite this much of a battle this often once they were a team able to stay this far above .500. It's not likely to stay this way, but right now it does make a lot of the games a lot more frustrating or even somewhat less enjoyable than what might expect from a team that was just 10 games over .500.

[Little Slide Rooter]

My irrational take on the season is how this doesn't "feel" like a team that has been able to hover 6-10 games above .500. That really doesn't make any sense, but ultimately I really have no fondness for the type of winning in any sport where a team has to really grind it out most of the time. Obviously teams like that can still be very good, but I'm lazy; I want my teams to beat the holy piss out of other team more often than not not even have to think about it. This season has just felt like they've had to fight a lot more to win than they should.

 

None of that really makes any sense upon re-reading, but that's the only thing that "really" bugs me. I don't just want good; I want easy good. Hopefully it's a growing pains kinda situation and we're just building up to seeing easy good.

 

Makes perfect sense, actually.

 

It does. Which brings me back to my A's comment. And I was being serious. In recent memory, we've had 4 serious contenders; 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008. And while their paths and fates were very different, what they had in common was that they were loaded with established superstars; and when they were on, they were a blast to watch.

 

This team has a few stars, but also a lot of guys who are still taking their lumps, and it's being done by design. Addison Russell, for example. A lot of teams would have sent him down by now. But our front office has the mindset that what he's going through right now is more valuable than what a replacement could offer. In other words, we have a team that's not quite built to win now, but they're doing it anyway. Just not the way we want to see.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

If we aren't built to win now, signing Lester would have been a huge mistake.

[Sammy Sofa]

I think they are definitely built to win now, and it shows by how much they have won despite their stretches of struggling.

[TruffleShuffle]

they are built to be at the front end of their window to win. they still have three regulars on offense who haven't even reached 500 plate appearances. those players are likely to improve in the next 2-3 years whereas none of the regulars should decline much, with the possible exception of montero.

[Gilby]

I think the worst part is Starlin's trade value has been completely shot to worse than 2013 levels

 

Eh, I think he still has value. It's obviously not what it was this past offseason (and no, it didn't make sense to trade him then), but he's not immovable. His WAR totals over the last 3 years is a tad worrisome, true, but he did put up a .777 ops last year (and a ~3.5 WAR w/o that injury), and the shortstop numbers this year around the league are a total [expletive] show. He's only 25, and I think there are teams out there that would buy the "change of scenery" thing and take him if Theo really wanted to move him. Thing is, there's not much of a point to trading him unless we get a good player in return since the other options are Herrera and Alcantara (who has a .308 OBP and a ~27% K rate in AAA).

Edited July 11, 2015 by Gilby

[sontensei]

I'm not saying it is wrong, but "we can't upgrade during a pennant race because we are pot committed to non-producing players" is yet another tilt-inducing facet of the stupid rebuilding idea.

 

Yeah, I agree. But because of the stupid rebuilding idea, this won't be the only pennant race this team is in, because those non-producing players should start producing.

 

The frustrating thing is that the offense was supposed to be better than this.

 

You call into sports talk radio , don't you?

 

na but i've tweeted with those dudes before.

[Little Slide Rooter]

they are built to be at the front end of their window to win. they still have three regulars on offense who haven't even reached 500 plate appearances. those players are likely to improve in the next 2-3 years whereas none of the regulars should decline much, with the possible exception of montero.

 

Yes, this. Only the mindset isn't so much the front end of their window to win so much as the start of a tradition of winning.

 

Long version:

 

Lester was a long term investment, so signing him was more a win soon than a win now. Fowler and Montero kind of fell into their laps from teams looking to dump salary. Rizzo, Arrieta, and Castro were just plain good, young, players, so nothing necessarily win now about them. Obviously, one of the three has not been like the other lately.

 

My point is that 2012 was about throwing [expletive] at the wall, hope something sticks, and then trade it for better [expletive]. 2013 was pretty much the same, only they were better at it, and they had better old [expletive] to trade for better new [expletive]. And they made their first big free agent signing. Who also ended up being..not very good.

 

By 2014, while most of the [expletive] had been flushed, most of the players they had to show for it weren't quite ready for the big show. But this didn't stop them from calling them up, because winning was not a priority, and taking big league lumps was more valuable than handing them out at AAA. So they were striking out a ton, but they were also seeing a lot of big league pitches.

 

 

This year, The cornerstones are set; and quite impressive. The foundation is looking good, though there's plenty of smoothing to do in certain areas. And of course, keep on building off it it.

 

The goal is to win now, but not WIN NOW! If that makes sense.