Cubs offseason chit chat...

[Rcal10]

1 hour ago, 1908_Cubs said:

Oh yeah, that wasn't at anyone in particular, just the general. 

Oh, I know. I am basically agreeing with you. Not sure they add a second full time bat. But my question still stands, does adding Bellinger, either Belt or Polanco and then a decent pen arm(maybe a 7th inning guy-not sure there is still an 8th inning guy) improve the team from last year. Do they go into the season as favorites for the division? I think they do, but not by much. I think the team is better than last year and they won 83 games last year. And should have won more. 

[17 Seconds]

Just now, Rcal10 said:

Oh, I know. I am basically agreeing with you. Not sure they add a second full time bat. But my question still stands, does adding Bellinger, either Belt or Polanco and then a decent pen arm(maybe a 7th inning guy-not sure there is still an 8th inning guy) improve the team from last year. Do they go into the season as favorites for the division? I think they do, but not by much. I think the team is better than last year and they won 83 games last year. And should have won more. 

that offseason makes them the clear favorites in the division

[Rcal10]

Just now, 17 Seconds said:

that offseason makes them the clear favorites in the division

Oh, great. Like the positive thinking. I think they can do what I suggested and that wouldn’t be Jed with a miracle save. It could be an actual realistic plan. 

[LBiittner]

The Cubs finished 23 on the outside of the playoffs looking thru dirty glass. They've since made 1 free agent signing and one trade.

The Dodgers won their division with 100 wins, something around 18 more wins than the beloved.

Since then the Dodgers have made 19 free agent signings and a dozen trades. And have added 26 billion in salaries.  (Exaggerations on purpose)

I wonder who stands the better chance of making the playoffs in 24?

[Ding Dong Johnson]

1 minute ago, LBiittner said:

The Cubs finished 23 on the outside of the playoffs looking thru dirty glass. They've since made 1 free agent signing and one trade.

The Dodgers won their division with 100 wins, something around 18 more wins than the beloved.

Since then the Dodgers have made 19 free agent signings and a dozen trades. And have added 26 billion in salaries.  (Exaggerations on purpose)

I wonder who stands the better chance of making the playoffs in 24?

I feel like you want me to say Dodgers so I'm going to say Cubs.

[squally1313]

2 minutes ago, LBiittner said:

The Cubs finished 23 on the outside of the playoffs looking thru dirty glass. They've since made 1 free agent signing and one trade.

The Dodgers won their division with 100 wins, something around 18 more wins than the beloved.

Since then the Dodgers have made 19 free agent signings and a dozen trades. And have added 26 billion in salaries.  (Exaggerations on purpose)

I wonder who stands the better chance of making the playoffs in 24?

What's your plan to having a better chance to make the playoffs than the Dodgers in 2024

[LBiittner]

1 minute ago, Ding Dong Johnson said:

I feel like you want me to say Dodgers so I'm going to say Cubs.

Hope springs eternal by Jeff MacNelly should be your avatar, lol

[LBiittner]

1 minute ago, squally1313 said:

What's your plan to having a better chance to make the playoffs than the Dodgers in 2024

An owner who hasn't read the peter Angelo's book on "Having Deep Pockets but Short Hands"

[Bertz]

I love how everyone always says they want to be more like the Dodgers and then proceed to recommend a course of action that would make Andrew Friedman recoil in terror. 

[Rcal10]

8 minutes ago, LBiittner said:

The Cubs finished 23 on the outside of the playoffs looking thru dirty glass. They've since made 1 free agent signing and one trade.

The Dodgers won their division with 100 wins, something around 18 more wins than the beloved.

Since then the Dodgers have made 19 free agent signings and a dozen trades. And have added 26 billion in salaries.  (Exaggerations on purpose)

I wonder who stands the better chance of making the playoffs in 24?

This isn’t about the Dodgers. Cubs are not ever going to be the Dodgers. This is about the Cubs. Right now they have not done enough, IMO. But they very well can do enough to be a division winner. Which is all we can hope they do. 

[LBiittner]

1 minute ago, Bertz said:

I love how everyone always says they want to be more like the Dodgers and then proceed to recommend a course of action that would make Andrew Friedman recoil in terror. 

Bertz, you have to admit when Jed came out with guns blazing by stealing Craig counsell, you had visions of grandeur sprinkled in with expectations of katy-bar-the-door spending like we've never experienced here in Chitown. 

[LBiittner]

4 minutes ago, Rcal10 said:

This isn’t about the Dodgers. Cubs are not ever going to be the Dodgers. This is about the Cubs. Right now they have not done enough, IMO. But they very well can do enough to be a division winner. Which is all we can hope they do. 

Actually Rcal, this is about me, my age, and me feeling my mortality. I'd like just one more time to go into the season knowing the Cubs are the team to beat. I want them to be a monster in the NL. I want them to have the advantage one more time before I find myself drooling in my oatmeal, only to be told it was actually steak and eggs

[squally1313]

20 minutes ago, LBiittner said:

An owner who hasn't read the peter Angelo's book on "Having Deep Pockets but Short Hands"

The gap isn't about spending money. 

https://sports.yahoo.com/inside-dodgers-juggernaut-farm-system-130041487.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAKFnhGxf8IUM_JlImpYtATMbTvAeAfaMDyKYy1S6nJyB_7PDDeIDp_aciDUo0e84xNyJ8lncD5W0kNipyBrtr4C5h8_GENSvsd2FN5vJPsG_HVxxNLR0qIfaKwAeL1-7tR7GXaQSlA9VfbRA-cg1VvF_GSl_WpyqTBkk02O0eY4l

Quote

The club has ranked among Baseball America’s top 10 farm systems for nine straight years, the longest active streak. They have eight prospects in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 player rankings, tied with Baltimore for most. They have accumulated the third-most wins above replacement from players they’ve drafted since 2015, according to the Down on the Farm newsletter.

Nothing Jed or Tom does now is going to go back in time and get us the kind of elite, cheap, team controlled production they've gotten over the last 10 years. 

[Bertz]

7 minutes ago, LBiittner said:

Bertz, you have to admit when Jed came out with guns blazing by stealing Craig counsell, you had visions of grandeur sprinkled in with expectations of katy-bar-the-door spending like we've never experienced here in Chitown. 

Honestly I expected one of Soto/Glasnow and then basically this.  I didn't think the offseason would drag this much, but my expectations going back to the payroll thread right at the start of the offseason was just one, maybe two, FA deals longer than 1-2 years.  There was always going to be some opportunistic "let's see who we can nab on a short term deal" play because Ricketts is too cheap to let us live perpetually above the LT.

But my point is that the Dodgers never sign mid tier or even upper middle tier FAs.  They sign legitimate superstars, short term signings and trades, and otherwise rely on development.  "We should be more like the Dodgers!" and "We should sign Bellinger and Chapman!" are COMPLETELY incongruous statements.  It's wild to me how many baseball fans completely miss the forest for the trees.

[Rob]

1 minute ago, Bertz said:

Honestly I expected one of Soto/Glasnow and then basically this.  I didn't think the offseason would drag this much, but my expectations going back to the payroll thread right at the start of the offseason was just one, maybe two, FA deals longer than 1-2 years.  There was always going to be some opportunistic "let's see who we can nab on a short term deal" play because Ricketts is too cheap to let us live perpetually above the LT.

But my point is that the Dodgers never sign mid tier or even upper middle tier FAs.  They sign legitimate superstars, short term signings and trades, and otherwise rely on development.  "We should be more like the Dodgers!" and "We should sign Bellinger and Chapman!" are COMPLETELY incongruous statements.  It's wild to me how many baseball fans completely miss the forest for the trees.

A good chunk of this board had deluded themselves into the belief that Bellinger is a no-doubt superstar.

To be sure, he could be a superstar. He could also be worse than PCA straight up. There's just a huge range of outcomes there -- and with the exception of Glasnow, I don't recall seeing the Dodgers signing many guys like that. And at least Glasnow is basically a sure bet to be elite when he's on the field.

[Rcal10]

27 minutes ago, LBiittner said:

Actually Rcal, this is about me, my age, and me feeling my mortality. I'd like just one more time to go into the season knowing the Cubs are the team to beat. I want them to be a monster in the NL. I want them to have the advantage one more time before I find myself drooling in my oatmeal, only to be told it was actually steak and eggs

How old are you? I get wanting to win again. So do I. My dad died in Feb of 16. Big Cubs fan. After they lost in 15’ he told me he doubted he would ever see them win and wasn’t sure I would. They are not going to be that sort of team anytime soon. But if you get to the playoffs you can win. 

[thawv]

1 hour ago, Rcal10 said:

Oh, I know. I am basically agreeing with you. Not sure they add a second full time bat. But my question still stands, does adding Bellinger, either Belt or Polanco and then a decent pen arm(maybe a 7th inning guy-not sure there is still an 8th inning guy) improve the team from last year. Do they go into the season as favorites for the division? I think they do, but not by much. I think the team is better than last year and they won 83 games last year. And should have won more. 

As it stands right now, the Cards are favorite to win the division, with the Cubs close behind.  Vegas has the Cubs win total at 84.5

[LBiittner]

9 minutes ago, thawv said:

As it stands right now, the Cards are favorite to win the division, with the Cubs close behind.  Vegas has the Cubs win total at 84.5

Wow, Vegas is gambling Juan Soto gets lost on his way to Steinbrenner Park this spring and somehow ends up at Sloan Park? I want some of that action

[SABR Gamer]

16 minutes ago, LBiittner said:

Wow, Vegas is gambling Juan Soto gets lost on his way to Steinbrenner Park this spring and somehow ends up at Sloan Park? I want some of that action

Have you even bothered to look at projections, or are you just ranting aimlessly right now?

[LBiittner]

Thanks all, for the responses.

I guess I'm in panic frustration mode 

[LBiittner]

3 minutes ago, SABR Gamer said:

Have you even bothered to look at projections, or are you just ranting aimlessly right now?

Nope and yep

[Backtobanks]

2 hours ago, 17 Seconds said:

that offseason makes them the clear favorites in the division

The NL Central is so weak that any tiny move basically puts you in contention, which is why I'm so frustrated.  Spend a little money, make a serious trade or two and you're in the driver's seat for the next 4-5 years instead of putzing around trying to show how fiscally responsible you are while waiting (hoping) that prospects and question marks will deliver amazing results.

 

[SABR Gamer]

10 minutes ago, LBiittner said:

Nope and yep

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/2024-zips-projections-chicago-cubs/

"There’s still a lot of winter to go, but ZiPS sees the Cubs as most likely finishing in the 83-88 win range or thereabouts."

12 days ago. So, this is without adding Bellinger or anyone else they still might add, and they likely will add him. If you ever expected the Cubs to have a powerhouse NL favorite roster, you were never being realistic with yourself. Even if they had gotten Soto and Ohtani, they still wouldn't have been NL favorites. The Braves project for over 100 wins, and the Dodgers are right behind them. 

The good thing is you don't need to be the favorite to win the World Series (it certainly helps, but this isn't the NBA). Baseball is a bit of a crapshoot, just get in the playoffs and spin the wheel. 

Edited January 24, 2024 by SABR Gamer

[LBiittner]

41 minutes ago, Rcal10 said:

How old are you? I get wanting to win again. So do I. My dad died in Feb of 16. Big Cubs fan. After they lost in 15’ he told me he doubted he would ever see them win and wasn’t sure I would. They are not going to be that sort of team anytime soon. But if you get to the playoffs you can win. 

65,

my dad died in 08. Always thought it was a good season if they could get to 500 or better. He loved to say "Cubs don't have to get better, the other teams just have to get worser"

[SABR Gamer]

3 minutes ago, LBiittner said:

65,

my dad died in 08. Always thought it was a good season if they could get to 500 or better. He loved to say "Cubs don't have to get better, the other teams just have to get worser"

You're the same age as my father, and like him, you shouldn't be letting sports stress you out anymore. They aren't important enough. Take care of yourself, and enjoy whatever happens.