General Cubs Chit-Chat

[Hairyducked Idiot]

 

It went full worst case in terms of health (possibly thanks to maddon ignoring usage orders) and he was still worth like 5.5 mil last year. It wasn't some disastrous signing. And the injury risk was baked into the modest cost. If he had no injury history, he would've cost a lot horsefeathering more.

 

If you wanna be mad at some horsefeathers in hindsight, the Heyward deal is right there.

 

I’m pretty sure being legit mad about the Heyward signing would be revisionist history for most Cubs fans. Everyone I know was pretty pumped about it.

 

I mean, we have the receipts

 

As much as I enjoy the doom bonering that's been going on lately and how frustrated everyone is with Theo, it's still true that we *have* made the playoffs every year since the signing and probably will this year too. It's disappointing to see the gap that has emerged between us and the Dodgers/Astros, and but it hasn't actually burned us yet (I guess outside of blowing the divsion last year)

[ConstableRabbit]

 

I’m pretty sure being legit mad about the Heyward signing would be revisionist history for most Cubs fans. Everyone I know was pretty pumped about it.

 

I mean, we have the receipts

 

As much as I enjoy the doom bonering that's been going on lately and how frustrated everyone is with Theo, it's still true that we *have* made the playoffs every year since the signing and probably will this year too. It's disappointing to see the gap that has emerged between us and the Dodgers/Astros, and but it hasn't actually burned us yet (I guess outside of blowing the divsion last year)

There are 6 teams in MLB that have made the playoffs 5 straight years in the past 40 seasons, even if you include streaks that bled into this timeframe: Braves, Yankees, Indians, Cardinals, Phillies, Dodgers. We're about to join that list. Wild card expansion or not, that's a big deal.

[Cubswin11]

 

I’m pretty sure being legit mad about the Heyward signing would be revisionist history for most Cubs fans. Everyone I know was pretty pumped about it.

 

I mean, we have the receipts

 

As much as I enjoy the doom bonering that's been going on lately and how frustrated everyone is with Theo, it's still true that we *have* made the playoffs every year since the signing and probably will this year too. It's disappointing to see the gap that has emerged between us and the Dodgers/Astros, and but it hasn't actually burned us yet (I guess outside of blowing the divsion last year)

Grinch Heart Growing.GIF

[Thed Hoyerstein]

 

Assuming Morrow isn't also an avid Trump supporter

 

IIRC Morrow is pretty vocally liberal. It's basically him and Sean Doolittle.

 

All the damn liberals want to get paid for not working!

 

Yes, I am joking.

 

hell yeah

 

[tweet]https://twitter.com/2Morrow23/status/827993065126129664[/tweet]

[Wharfrat1976]

It is insane how wrong I was about Heyward being primed to get better as a hitter. Like I thought we were getting a five tool monster in his prime, ready to make me forget they just straight up said no to Beltran and then yes to Soriano and like 40 other guys for the same job. Instead he became a 28 YO locker room dad and honorary team captain type. Hopefully Lindor goes alot better

 

In hindsight it's not crazy hard to guess what went wrong - Heyward's groundball oriented offense worked well during the deadball era in the first half of the decade but didn't translate once teams stopped using so much sinker/slider...Maybe like LHPs have aged better over 7 figure contracts in the past than RHPs, at least pre-Scherzer, probably stud hitters who handle a position up the middle are the best to give a big contract to?

We paid $184M for a Frank Robinson we got a Frank n Beans

 

He hits like a utility infielder.

 

Sure injuries, his wrists, etc.

 

It's the worst FA signing in the history of baseball. Worse than the Josh Hamilton, Carl Crawford and Barry Zito signings times 10.

[Cubswin11]

It is insane how wrong I was about Heyward being primed to get better as a hitter. Like I thought we were getting a five tool monster in his prime, ready to make me forget they just straight up said no to Beltran and then yes to Soriano and like 40 other guys for the same job. Instead he became a 28 YO locker room dad and honorary team captain type. Hopefully Lindor goes alot better

 

In hindsight it's not crazy hard to guess what went wrong - Heyward's groundball oriented offense worked well during the deadball era in the first half of the decade but didn't translate once teams stopped using so much sinker/slider...Maybe like LHPs have aged better over 7 figure contracts in the past than RHPs, at least pre-Scherzer, probably stud hitters who handle a position up the middle are the best to give a big contract to?

We paid $184M for a Frank Robinson we got a Frank n Beans

 

He hits like a utility infielder.

 

Sure injuries, his wrists, etc.

 

It's the worst FA signing in the history of baseball. Worse than the Josh Hamilton, Carl Crawford and Barry Zito signings times 10.

Well that’s just not true

[Clem Fandango]

It is insane how wrong I was about Heyward being primed to get better as a hitter. Like I thought we were getting a five tool monster in his prime, ready to make me forget they just straight up said no to Beltran and then yes to Soriano and like 40 other guys for the same job. Instead he became a 28 YO locker room dad and honorary team captain type. Hopefully Lindor goes alot better

 

In hindsight it's not crazy hard to guess what went wrong - Heyward's groundball oriented offense worked well during the deadball era in the first half of the decade but didn't translate once teams stopped using so much sinker/slider...Maybe like LHPs have aged better over 7 figure contracts in the past than RHPs, at least pre-Scherzer, probably stud hitters who handle a position up the middle are the best to give a big contract to?

We paid $184M for a Frank Robinson we got a Frank n Beans

 

He hits like a utility infielder.

 

Sure injuries, his wrists, etc.

 

It's the worst FA signing in the history of baseball. Worse than the Josh Hamilton, Carl Crawford and Barry Zito signings times 10.

Well that’s just not true

 

No, he's right. It's definitely worse than all those, as well as Ryan Howard, BJ Upton, Mike Hampton, Chris Davis, Pablo Sandoval, Homer Bailey, Vernon Wells, Yasmany Tomas, Rusney Castillo, and pretty much every other contract on this list here: https://www.sportsbreak.com/mlb/the-20-worst-contracts-in-baseball-history/

[Sammy Sofa]

Yeah, the Howard contract is my go-to whenever someone jumps immediately to "X HAS THE WORST CONTRACT EVAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR." Even though it likely isn't THE truly worst one of all time, it's such an easy recent example of a truly wretched deal that was, hilariously and obviously, doomed from the moment it was inked. It's especially funny to see Phillies fans already griping about Harper's like it's this historically terrible deal when they have the Howard example RIGHT horsefeathering THERE IN-HOUSE.

 

I mean, Heyward's deal sucks, but it sucks more in one of those, "horsefeathers, baseball is cruel and weird sometimes" ways. Given his track record to that point and his age, it's absurd to think that was a bad deal as constructed. Sure, you can criticize (rightly so, IMO) that the Cubs effectively destroyed their investment via however the horsefeathers they destroyed his approach at that plate, and how badly they botched the rest of the OF, necessitating him to play more CF and weaken what value he's been able to claw back...but this is a "bad contract" in the unfortunate and rather unlikely way that played out, and not at all in the numbers and circumstances under which it was signed. On paper, it was a horsefeathering amazing deal.

[champaignchris]

David Wright was paid $115MM to play 211 MLB games from 2014 to 2018 and would still have another $27MM left over this season and next if he hadn’t finally given up the ghost and retired.

 

Prince Fielder had $96MM left on his contract when he broke his neck. If he hadn't been forced to retire, that one would have gone down a lot like Howard’s did.

[jersey cubs fan]

Yeah yeah yeah the contract stuff, but y’all just skipped over the best part

 

Did he mention the Frank Robinson comp specifically for the frank n beans wordplay?

[Bull]

Prince Fielder is still being paid $9Million to not play baseball.

[CyHawk_Cub]

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[Sammy Sofa]

That is a HoF-terrible tweet. What an idiot.

[champaignchris]

OPS rising in each of the last two months = “going in the wrong direction?”

[Clem Fandango]

Related video to Joe's crush on Washington's lineup:

 

[Sammy Sofa]

OPS rising in each of the last two months = “going in the wrong direction?”

 

"My point is that their runs per game is going down, so here's a chart that shows everything else instead."

[BigSlick]

The saddest thing to watch is the Cubs Vaunted Run Differential decline into mediocrity, and now the Cardinals are within 8 runs of our RD

 

We have not only lost a bunch of games like a bunch of idiots, but now I can't even comfort myself with the soft warm pillow that is Run differential. They're just bad

[Sammy Sofa]

Run differential is the pitching W/L of team-based offensive numbers.

 

DON'T THINK ABOUT IT AND JUST AGREE WITH ME.

[BigSlick]

Run differential is the pitching W/L of team-based offensive numbers.

 

DON'T THINK ABOUT IT AND JUST AGREE WITH ME.

they reveal the truth however, that the cubs are mediocre

[Cubswin11]

Jesse just said on MLB Radio that Willy is back in the September 5th-7th range, first time I’ve heard hard dates on him. But that’s good, that’s potentially next weekend.

[squally1313]

Fun (and a little concerning) stat: Of the top 40* active leaders in pitcher fWAR, the Cubs have 6 of them on their staff.

 

7. Cole Hamels 51.4

8. Jon Lester 45.5

16. Jose Quintana 28

25. Yu Darvish 20.9

37. Kyle Hendricks 17.9

39. Craig Kimbrel 17.6

 

* I had to manually add Hamels because he didn't show up on the 'Active Roster' list, presumably because he's on paternity leave. So I assume there are probably a couple other ones missing (though Morrow did show up at 69th (nice), so who knows). Just noticed Sale at 44.4 is missing, so not sure how the list is being generated.

[champaignchris]

Fun (and a little concerning) stat: Of the top 40* active leaders in pitcher fWAR, the Cubs have 6 of them on their staff.

 

7. Cole Hamels 51.4

8. Jon Lester 45.5

16. Jose Quintana 28

25. Yu Darvish 20.9

37. Kyle Hendricks 17.9

39. Craig Kimbrel 17.6

 

* I had to manually add Hamels because he didn't show up on the 'Active Roster' list, presumably because he's on paternity leave. So I assume there are probably a couple other ones missing (though Morrow did show up at 69th (nice), so who knows). Just noticed Sale at 44.4 is missing, so not sure how the list is being generated.

 

Per bWAR, it’s 6, 8, 19, 25, 30, 31. Same order. Cishek at 74th is the next on BR.

[UMFan83]

Thought this was semi interesting

 

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[Cubswin11]

He’s made an appearance or two in Iowa and rookie ball, wonder if they throw him in the pen at some point this year. But definitely good to see for next year at the least.

 

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[Andy]

Thought this was semi interesting

 

 

That's way more than semi interesting. Don't think we've heard an admission like that about anything before.

 

Since I'm a complete Astros-are-somehow-cheating truther, I choose to believe Verlander wouldn't have done what he's doing there were he in Chicago, but man, if he could've.