Darvish to Cubs, 6/$126 Million + Incentives

[We Got The Whole 9]

I would hope this is a lesson for Theo and he doesn’t mention Rizzo’s contract at the Bryce Harper press conference.

 

It's obviously something Anthony's already thought about somewhat:

 

“It’s kind of fun to see all these guys breaking (salary) records...You can start dreaming: ‘Hey, if I keep this pace up, what can I make in a few years?’”

 

and

 

“I love playing here...This is like home to me. I’m very comfortable here. I love the fans. I love what we have going on and the Ricketts (family). I want to be here as long as I can be. I’d love to play here my whole career.

 

“But obviously there is a business side of it. You just never know what’s going to happen. That’s four more years away. That, I can’t control.”

 

Fortunately for the Cubs, he seems like the least likely person to be bitter, as long as he is respected and loved by the team and fans. It's a good idea for the front office to be tactful when speaking up about cost controlled players.

 

For reference, here's the article I took those quotes from: http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-anthony-rizzo-contract-sullivan-20180205-story.html

It'll be interesting to see what happens with Rizzo if he hits the market after his deal is up. He will be going into his age 32 season and teams aren't exactly falling over themselves to sign guys at his age and position to big deals. If his performance is steady for the next 4 years then he will get some decent offers, I would think. But if he has any injury or drop in performance in that time he will get severely low-balled. I'm not even sure he would get the supposed 5/125 deal that Martinez (who is 30) is allegedly upset with even if he holds steady from this point.

 

Do the Cubs tear up the current deal after 2019 and attempt to lock him in as a Cub for the remainder of his career? Let him walk after 2021 and see what the market will bear for him? It goes (seemingly, to me, at least) against our core principles of not paying for past performance and investing big $ in players past their prime at non-premium positions... But he's such a massive part of the team that I don't think anybody would complain if we did extend him a lifetime contract, so to speak.

 

He could be in for a rude awakening in FA, though. Seems like he would be getting 3 or at the most 4 year offers at around 20 per. Might want to rein in those dreams just a little, Anthony, as much as it pains me to say.

Edited February 14, 2018 by We Got The Whole 9

[Cubswin11]

Also where is the MsPaint of this we were promised?!?!??

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Also where is the MsPaint of this we were promised?!?!??

 

We have to go through four months of thinking it could come any day first.

[David]

I'm just about to buy a Darvish shirsey as soon as I find another item to get me over the free shipping threshold (they always get me with that)

[Bobson Dugnutt]

I'm just about to buy a Darvish shirsey as soon as I find another item to get me over the free shipping threshold (they always get me with that)

 

maybe you can pre-order your harper shirsey

[David]

I'm just about to buy a Darvish shirsey as soon as I find another item to get me over the free shipping threshold (they always get me with that)

 

maybe you can pre-order your harper shirsey

oh man i want to do that

[craig]

https://www.cubsinsider.com/2018/02/13/watch-yu-darvish-introductory-press-conference/

 

The two press conference, DArvish and then Theo/Jed/Maddon.

 

Very positive. They are very positive above Yu and his stuff, and seem to think both they and Yu have ideas for how he can be better.

 

Maddon is very enthusiastic about things, that everybody seems in great shape, attitude is positive, etc.. It does seem a different vibe. Last year, seemed like a lot of the spring talk was looking back at the World Series year. This year, seems very forward-looking.

 

Very little baseball-detail comments.

 

Re-emphasized that Monty will be in camp rotation, and the expectation that he'll start a lot of games. Maddon was all positive about MM, and had no concerns with his attitude or state-of-mind.

 

Some positivism about Chatwood, think he's got a lot to give and they'd ID'd him as a target early.

 

Hoyer reviewed the target on adding strike-throwers to the bullpen, and viewed Cishek, Morrow, and Duensing as having accomplished that goal. (Morrow has a career 3.9 walk-rate, so I'm a little nervous there.)

 

Theo mentioned that they might not need to do anything next winter, since everybody is under club-control; but of course acknowledged that things can change.

 

Darvish was all interpreter in press conference, but Maddon said he's talked to him and his English is good. (It was pretty obvious that for most questions, Darvish understood the question in English, even before translation. Probably hearing it twice and having extra time gives more chance to compose answers.)

 

They repeatedly emphasized the desire to have FA signed before camp, so he'd have time to fit in and go through everything with the rest of the team and not have disruption or awkwardness.

 

Maddon had no new plan for leadoff, sounded very prepared to platoon and improvise there.

[Butterscup]

Happy Valentines Day to all of Yu out there: (Skip to 2:42 or open in another link for the good part)

[bbvideo=560,315]

[/bbvideo]

 

 

Fiona Apple? There is no “good part”

 

WAIT THIS IS THE WORST POST IN THE HISTORY OF THIS DAMN WEBSITE

 

BAN MINNY, FDB

[We Got The Whole 9]

 

 

MESA, Ariz. -- Yu Darvish was expected to have his first side session on Thursday, and it's not clear whether Chris Gimenez will catch the new Cubs right-hander. Darvish greeted Gimenez with a big hug when the pitcher first arrived in Cubs camp on Tuesday, then poked fun at him.

 

"He told me to stop texting him every day," Gimenez said Wednesday of Darvish, who was his teammate in Texas. "I was on him for a little bit. I just felt this was a good place for him.

 

Solid work Mr. Gimenez

[David]

obligatory disclaimer that al yellon and bcb are very lame, but i kinda like this shirt

 

https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2018/2/14/17011538/yu-darvish-t-shirt

[Hairyducked Idiot]

obligatory disclaimer that al yellon and bcb are very lame, but i kinda like this shirt

 

https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2018/2/14/17011538/yu-darvish-t-shirt

 

What's the law on something like this?

[David]

obligatory disclaimer that al yellon and bcb are very lame, but i kinda like this shirt

 

https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2018/2/14/17011538/yu-darvish-t-shirt

 

What's the law on something like this?

 

says on there that it's licensed by the mlbpa

[Bull]

Happy Valentines Day to all of Yu out there: (Skip to 2:42 or open in another link for the good part)

[bbvideo=560,315]

[/bbvideo]

 

 

Fiona Apple? There is no “good part”

 

WAIT THIS IS THE WORST POST IN THE HISTORY OF THIS DAMN WEBSITE

 

BAN MINNY, FDB

 

Clearly he's saying the whole thing is good. Right, Minny?

[We Got The Whole 9]

Someone posted on PSD that Darvish has allowed 43/45 on stolen base attempts since 2014, which is the highest success clip in MLB and has a time of 1.7 seconds to home, which is just bad.

 

Just probably something to keep an eye on.

[Banedon]

Someone posted on PSD that Darvish has allowed 43/45 on stolen base attempts since 2014, which is the highest success clip in MLB and has a time of 1.7 seconds to home, which is just bad.

 

Just probably something to keep an eye on.

 

If there's a team that's able to mitigate that, it's gotta be the Cubs. I mean...Jon Lester....

[David]

Someone posted on PSD that Darvish has allowed 43/45 on stolen base attempts since 2014, which is the highest success clip in MLB and has a time of 1.7 seconds to home, which is just bad.

 

Just probably something to keep an eye on.

 

For context

 

Darvish has allowed 43 SB in 431 innings since 2014 (so about every 10 innings)

 

Jon Lester has allowed 107 SB in about 807 innings since 2014 (every 7.5 innings)

 

Arrieta has allowed 93 SB in about 750 innings since 2014 (every 8.1 innings)

 

Hendricks has allowed 43 in 590 innings since 2014 (every 13 innings)

 

Quintana has allowed 36 in about 1000 innings in that same span (every 27 innings - much better, perhaps like you'd expect from a lefty who is quick to the plate and can actually throw to first)

 

Obviously, none of that corrects for who is behind the plate, but the raw total doesn't seem all that alarming compared to what we've seen.

[We Got The Whole 9]

Someone posted on PSD that Darvish has allowed 43/45 on stolen base attempts since 2014, which is the highest success clip in MLB and has a time of 1.7 seconds to home, which is just bad.

 

Just probably something to keep an eye on.

 

For context

 

Darvish has allowed 43 SB in 431 innings since 2014 (so about every 10 innings)

 

Jon Lester has allowed 107 SB in about 807 innings since 2014 (every 7.5 innings)

 

Arrieta has allowed 93 SB in about 750 innings since 2014 (every 8.1 innings)

 

Hendricks has allowed 43 in 590 innings since 2014 (every 13 innings)

 

Quintana has allowed 36 in about 1000 innings in that same span (every 27 innings - much better, perhaps like you'd expect from a lefty who is quick to the plate and can actually throw to first)

 

Obviously, none of that corrects for who is behind the plate, but the raw total doesn't seem all that alarming compared to what we've seen.

 

Hadn't compared how he measured up against the rest of the staff that way. But 1.7 could be a bugaboo and something that teams will look to exploit more. You're really horsefeathering your catcher being that slow to the plate - 1.4 is the average for RHP. A scout mentioned that his side step is weak AF and even below average runners can take advantage because of his high leg kick.

 

Like I said, just something to monitor, not necessarily to worry about.

 

It also bugs me how Contreras is looked at in a little bit of a negative light as far as controlling base runners go because his total allowed was so high, mostly due to pitcher indifference IMO.

[Andy]

Who are you reading/talking to that looks at Contreras in a negative light regarding baserunners? Every time Lester pitches a national game, the broadcasters always make sure to at least briefly interrupt their obsessive yammering about the throwing yips to point out that Contreras is a magnificent thrower and helps mitigate the issue.

[We Got The Whole 9]

Who are you reading/talking to that looks at Contreras in a negative light regarding baserunners? Every time Lester pitches a national game, the broadcasters always make sure to at least briefly interrupt their obsessive yammering about the throwing yips to point out that Contreras is a magnificent thrower and helps mitigate the issue.

Just random articles that focus on raw SBs allowed without context. I've read countless articles this off-season so I can't exactly cite exactly where I read it but I've also seen writers mention his low CS% as something that he "needs to improve". Edited February 15, 2018 by We Got The Whole 9

[David]

Who are you reading/talking to that looks at Contreras in a negative light regarding baserunners? Every time Lester pitches a national game, the broadcasters always make sure to at least briefly interrupt their obsessive yammering about the throwing yips to point out that Contreras is a magnificent thrower and helps mitigate the issue.

Just random articles that focus on raw SBs allowed without context

 

Why are you reading crap content

[Transmogrified Tiger]

That's 43 steals in 70 starts. I don't want to be flippant, but I also don't care even a little bit.

[We Got The Whole 9]

Who are you reading/talking to that looks at Contreras in a negative light regarding baserunners? Every time Lester pitches a national game, the broadcasters always make sure to at least briefly interrupt their obsessive yammering about the throwing yips to point out that Contreras is a magnificent thrower and helps mitigate the issue.

Just random articles that focus on raw SBs allowed without context

 

Why are you reading crap content

I try to read everything I can get my hands on during the off-season

[Hairyducked Idiot]

That's 43 steals in 70 starts. I don't want to be flippant, but I also don't care even a little bit.

 

I hope it becomes like the Lester thing and teams keep running themselves into outs in key situations.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

That's 43 steals in 70 starts. I don't want to be flippant, but I also don't care even a little bit.

 

I hope it becomes like the Lester thing and teams keep running themselves into outs in key situations.

[tweet]

[/tweet]

[minnesotacubsfan]

That's 43 steals in 70 starts. I don't want to be flippant, but I also don't care even a little bit.

 

 

To put it further into context: by dropping Jake and signing Yu, we should see fewer stolen bases against us