CubinNY

The best thing you can do is stop the MAGA nonsense and just don't respond. You have agency in all this too. But playing the victim is not going to get you what you want unless that is negative attention. If someone makes a post about the Ricketts and then you say, "boy am I glad they gave money to Trump", something that happened. That's a tell.

Yes. But I don't think they are sending a message to Boars about anything. The message has been sent by 30 clubs.

Love it. His problems have been throwing not fielding. They appear to be mechanical and correctable. Hopefully it works out.

4 posts up I'm liking the way you think,

The thing that scares me most about Williams is his tendency to hold on to the ball. If he doesn't do that, the Bears should be a very good team next year.

I'm thinking more of match ups. Wesneski can't get lefties out and Smyly can't get righties out. In a multiple inning role, they are going to have to be able to do that.

Canario taking control of CF absent Bellinger, with PCA in the PCL

Not for nothing, I'd trust Asad a hell of a lot more than the other two guys to go more than one inning.

I'm looking forward to seeing his progress this year. Hopefully it will calm all the people who want to trade him for a middle releiver.

The Athletic (Jim Bowden) had the Cubs ranked 14th and the Reds (12th) as the highest-ranked NL Central team. Bowden said they reminded him of the 1999 team that won 96 games. NL Central Rankings Reds (12) Cubs (14) Brewers (18) Cardinals (20) Pirates (24) -------------------------- In terms of hype based on high level prospects making a mark, I'd say the Reds are in a really good position. I'm also surprised that they haven't traded India for some pitching. Anyway, I don't know about the exact numbers, but the order looks right to me in terms of how I think things may shake out.

I don't think it is necessarily an indictment of the Ricketts or Jed as much as I think they really believe that they can get trapped in bad contracts and that the way to win is to stay flexible and develop players. It's easier to live with a bad deal if you have cheap talent elsewhere. I think Heyward scared them silly.

This take is absent from almost everything that has happened this offseason.

Yes. I think the Cubs may get one if the value is right. I don't think Jed is not interested in longer-term contracts for any of them. A short deal with high salary is probably more to Jed's liking.

there is no hole in the budget.

At the beginning of the offseason, all the smart people talk on NSBB was about how much money the Cubs have and how much they'd go over teir 1 of the luxury tax. Then they fired Ross and maybe sort of appeared to be in on Ohtani. And all the smart people were talking about how much money the Cubs had to spend to get other targets too. Then when Ohtani did what everyone expected him to do, the focus switched to waiting in the cue for the mythical rank order of free agents to get their deal to see who fell to the Cubs. In the meantime, Jed apparently has done nothing. But it's not nothing. He staying true to his philosophy and his and the Ricketts long-term plans for the Cubs. The idea that the Ricketts are giving Jed a pile of money to use and he's not using it is to me ridiculous. The Ricketts would not have him in that position if their ideas and behaviors were not in alignment. They can say whatever they want to placate the fans. They believe the way to winning is through the draft and development process. They are not bothered by losing or mediocrity to the extent that it is going to take them away from their vision and mission. I do think Jed was disappointed in Ross and knew that they left several wins on the table through bad management. But I also think that Ross would still be managing this team if Counsel didn't become available. Counsel's availability is exactly the type of low-risk/high-reward bet that Jed loves. It's his MO and can be seen in every part of this team. They do not care that they are not spending, because they think spending is not related to winning long term. Or perhaps secondary to it. They are spending on R&D and spending on the draft. They want to be the Dodgers, except they don't want to be the Dodgers as much as they want to be some hybrid mixture of Tampa and I don't know, Toronto? Jed is about value. He's betting value is the path to winning. He's betting that they have many of the pieces to the next great Cubs team in place in the minor leagues. It's a low-risk high-reward bet. The reason for that is that it's what the Ricketts want and expect. If he fails, he can get new development people. But there is always another draft or veteran to flip. I do not ever expect them to regularly be in the running for the best free agents.

that is so funny. Scott: Hi this is Scott Boras, I'd like to speak to Mr. Ricketts please. Condescending secretary: I"'m sorry Mr. Ricketts is in Rhodesia killing an endangered white rhino right now. Scott: Do you have a number where he can be reached? Condescending secretary: There are no phones. Scott: Do you know when he'll be back? Condescending secretary: February 31st, Scott: Ok, than..... There is no February 31st Condescending secretary: Exactly. <click>

last I heard the only one who was offered a contract was Snell who turned it down without a counter.

In the grand scheme of fighting for wins and the costs involved, It was a pretty cheap investment. I know I keep saying this, but Jed is getting his chessboard set and Counsel is part of those moves. He's an upgrade and then some over Ross, how many wins that translates to is anyone's guess and is probably really hard to quantify though.

I'm always a win-now guy, but I'm not going to get real angry about this offseason. Soto is a one-year and a costly rental Bellinger, Chapman, etc. is a commitment in years that may not make sense Ohtani was myth The one that bothers me is Yammamoto -- There are 0 reasons for them not to make the best offer, if he didn't want to come it's on him. The rest, they did ok with the guys they did target. I'm not a strong advocate of the Busch trade though.

the sarcasm in post was clearly too understated. But seriously, I think they believe that they are approximately the 2014/15 Cubs version of a team and are not going to make commitments they think will harm the future. We can agree or disagree with the strategy. I think they are not close to a really good team unless a few of PCA, Horton, Wicks, Shaw, Caissie, Alcantara, Ferris, Busch turn out to be the best version of their prospect status.

I think Jed and his team are going to develop PCA the way they think is correct regardless of the record of the team. They've shown no indication that they are invested in winning this year at the potential cost of the future.

Since pitchers and catchers reported today is it still considered the offseason?

Tom, I think people can be sympathetic to your sentiment but at the same time, this change doesn't appear to support an overarching malevolent intent. There appear to be good reasons for why the change was made.

Agreed. He uses a lot of scoutspeak too. He's a really smart guy. The Cubs are lucky to have him.

Total runs scored is not a measure of consistency