Top 5 Cubs Extension Candidates

[CubinNY]

Kyle Schwarber was better than everyone on the Cubs. He's not a "complimentary player"

Everything is relative. The Cubs don't have a lot of stars, or any for that matter now that Willson is gone. This year they have a lot of complementary players and a lot of hope for some breakout performances. I think they will be close to .500, maybe better if they get some breakouts and everyone stays relatively healthy.

This whole approach is so self-fulfilling. Don't slightly overpay for good players unless you are rich and also in contention already. Probably won't be in contention because you don't have any of those good players. The idea that teams at or below the spending habits of the Cubs (15th, 10th, 6th, 2nd, 4th the last 5 years in opening day salary based on some sketchy website) shouldn't pay market value for the dude who hit 50 home runs last year is absurd. You're basically just hoping for some perfect storm of prospects arriving collectively at the same time and then hopefully having the right players available to supplement.

I don't disagree with anything you wrote. I also think they should extend Nico. It's a must-do.

[Tim]

...I also think they should extend Nico. It's a must-do.

It's really not.

[Guest]

Kyle Schwarber was better than everyone on the Cubs. He's not a "complimentary player"

Everything is relative. The Cubs don't have a lot of stars, or any for that matter now that Willson is gone. This year they have a lot of complementary players and a lot of hope for some breakout performances. I think they will be close to .500, maybe better if they get some breakouts and everyone stays relatively healthy.

This whole approach is so self-fulfilling. Don't slightly overpay for good players unless you are rich and also in contention already. Probably won't be in contention because you don't have any of those good players. The idea that teams at or below the spending habits of the Cubs (15th, 10th, 6th, 2nd, 4th the last 5 years in opening day salary based on some sketchy website) shouldn't pay market value for the dude who hit 50 home runs last year is absurd. You're basically just hoping for some perfect storm of prospects arriving collectively at the same time and then hopefully having the right players available to supplement.

 

I don’t mean to be a broken record but Schwarber is the very best example of the biggest problem not even being stinginess, but rather, inconsistency in hitting instruction and player development that left you unable to value him properly or feel comfortable committing to him after 2020. There was room for an extension at well under $20MM per year for him; they just didn’t ever get to the point where they (let alone he) could justify signing one.

[squally1313]

Everything is relative. The Cubs don't have a lot of stars, or any for that matter now that Willson is gone. This year they have a lot of complementary players and a lot of hope for some breakout performances. I think they will be close to .500, maybe better if they get some breakouts and everyone stays relatively healthy.

This whole approach is so self-fulfilling. Don't slightly overpay for good players unless you are rich and also in contention already. Probably won't be in contention because you don't have any of those good players. The idea that teams at or below the spending habits of the Cubs (15th, 10th, 6th, 2nd, 4th the last 5 years in opening day salary based on some sketchy website) shouldn't pay market value for the dude who hit 50 home runs last year is absurd. You're basically just hoping for some perfect storm of prospects arriving collectively at the same time and then hopefully having the right players available to supplement.

 

I don’t mean to be a broken record but Schwarber is the very best example of the biggest problem not even being stinginess, but rather, inconsistency in hitting instruction and player development that left you unable to value him properly or feel comfortable committing to him after 2020. There was room for an extension at well under $20MM per year for him; they just didn’t ever get to the point where they (let alone he) could justify signing one.

 

Outside of him turning into a GB hitter for 60 games in 2020 and getting overly punished BABIP-wise for it (.219), his career trajectory isn't all that strange. Not giving him $8m or whatever it was is pretty unforgiveable, especially when they turned around and signed Schwarber-lite for 75% of it later that offseason.