Sammy Sofa

Contreras is easily the second coolest person on the team behind Baez, and it's not even close, so it pains me that he and his sexy, sexy bat make the most sense to be traded to fix Theo's stinkeye for pitching. Sadly, he'll probably horsefeathers it up this time, too.

I don't know if there is already a successor in place, but San Francisco makes sense too. Veteran that is past his usefulness is a very Giants of the last couple of years move. I think SF goes younger as they finally enter the rebuild. For Maddon I’d say San Diego, Angels, Phillies, Rockies, Mets, or White Sox (to own the Cubs or something) as landing spots. He’ll have a job if he wants one. Yeah, White Sox are my #2 pick after SD as to where he likely ends up, then Phillies #3.

Right, and like I said, it's impressive that he still put up the year he did despite the knee issues and, IMO, the lingering shoulder issues he was dealing with (or whatever rust had to be shaken off via his very cruddy start to the season). But this is 2 seasons in a row now where he's had to deal with lingering injury issues and, again, I don't think it's unreasonable to be very wary of that as it's something that is more likely to get worse as a player gets older. Combine that with his slugging getting back to what it had been in the context of this juiced ball environment, and it makes me trepidatious. And I do genuinely think the Cubs need/expected him to be better than he has been these last 2 seasons. That, rightly, seems somewhat ridiculous to say about a 5 WAR player, but given the context of how this team is made up and their limited resources, I don't think it's a stretch at all to say that they were banking on the Bryant of 2016 and 2017 being either the norm or even preludes to what kind of seasons he'd put up (Kyle's naysaying that players peak by the age of 14 or whatever be damned). There's the, IMO, good SI article linked to in the general Cubs discussion thread that breaks down the holes in the Cubs lineup, and even in the approaches at the plate of a lot of their better players, and in those circumstances they arguably need Bryant to be even more than 2019 Bryant, who might arguably end up being peak/best case scenario Bryant going forward. Yeah, that's a lot of projection/guessing, but it's a big reason why I'm not tremendously optimistic about what the Cubs do in the (likely) final 2 seasons that Bryant is with them. I'd love to be wrong and he bounces back (again, LOL to bouncing back from a 5 WAR season, but that IS, as we agree, how good he has been and everyone hopes he can be) and kicks all kinds of ass to the tune of a 7-8 WAR season. Unfortunately that's what the Cubs need, especially since they're likely to trade of someone like Contreras or Schwarber (or both) to try and address the pitching, and since the money for outside help is likely going to be relatively minimal again.

Because I don't care to post enough. This is a weak ass response lol, I'm right and you don't have a rebuttal. No, it's a pretty good response to a weird, "I usually like you" post, Guy I Thought Was CubinNY until a minute ago. And I'm not sure how you can argue away, "I think Kris Bryant is going to be dealing with nagging injuries too often," like you think there's some kind of slam dunk response.

Yeah, this is 2 seasons in a row where he's had long, prolonged, nebulous injuries. Feel free to blame plenty of that on the Cubs' terrible medical staff, please, but it's the kind of thing that tends to not get better as players get older, and just the vague ongoing nature in both cases is worrisome. It speaks to how talented he is that he still put up the season he did (per Fangraphs; BR is not as much of a fan) as hurt as he was.

Pittsburgh was my guess. I mean, sure, if they offer the best deal, I don't see why he wouldn't go...I just have a feeling he'd rather go to a team with a young core trying to figure it all out, and those are the types of teams that would be most likely looking to bring him on. The Pirates are just kinda there in baseball limbo.

He's forever trapped in the Dead Zone of technically being too valuable to trade, but he's doomed to not actually be as great as the Cubs desperately need him to be. Also: his skeleton is an antique.

I agree with this. Maddon has some fault, but this mess isn't his doing. Anything less than Theo taking primary responsibility will be unacceptable. The only thing I want to hear him address in his end of season press conference is the mistakes he has made and what he plans to do to fix them. Maddon is almost certainly gone, but it is largely due to the mistakes that have been made above him. That partially includes ownership, but mostly lies square on the shoulders of Theo. I don't want to hear him place blame on anyone else. The players have proven they are who they are, and it is Theo who bought into them being better than that. I hope Tom Ricketts is furious, and he has every right to be. But does he really care, or is he counting his money and waiting for the new network to launch (which will very likely not even be carried by some of the major content distributors, Dish Network for example)? I generally agree with this, but the pen has been a huge issue and while part of that was Morrow related, I'm not sure who would have predicted that all three of Edwards, Strop, and Monty would completely forget how to pitch and be utterly useless all season. No, but you can predict pretty confidently that there are going to be pitching problems, especially in the bullpen, when the only pitcher of note you have developed in YEARS was Carl Edwards Jr..

I wouldn't be surprised to see Maddon end up in San Diego. Either as a the Padres manager or as a homeless lunatic.

I toss people into the list if they spot start in case they want to go again. If you don't want to, then JudasIscariotTheBird is up, with jersey on deck.

It's weirdly impressive for last season to end like it did...and then their response is blow the very next season in an even more horrendous fashion.

UMFan83 stepped up to start the thread that witness the Cubs' division chances get flushed down the toilet. Whoever wants to go next, hey, go nuts. Technically it's Bryant's Crystal Ball, but it's up for grabs.

He probably blinked for too long and lost track of where he was.

Man, how do you leave out Torre. Going with current. Also Torre wasn't a journeyman, he was a borderline HOF catcher. Yeah, but he's butt ass ugly, so he counts.

It's damn near scientific at this point is it not? Hinch Snitker Cash Melvin Ausmus Bochy Yost Servais Man, how do you leave out Torre.

I'd have to assume they'll take the buyout for Lester's final season, so thankfully we only have to see him for 1 more year.

Next 3 technically on the chopping block: Bryant's Disco Ball (0-1) JudasIscariotTheBird (3-4) jersey cubs fan (4-3)

#thatssopost2016cub

It's a damn shame Theo won't be sent packing in the back of Maddon's horsefeathers ass RV.

Agreed, BUT they should be safe from a mob trial (I don't know anything but some bird law) I want an arc of redemption for the FO, if not Theo who can go try and become governor of Puerto Rico or whatever these reptiles are planning. If Theo still remembers his human mother, the one that hosted him as a reptilian/human hybrid zygote through birth, maybe he can have a moment where he frees a bunch of rabidly hungry minor leaguers in an owners/reptilians meeting or something before destroying the reptilian base...Meanwhile the rest of the FO wins the last WS ever played because of Theo's actions. Stadiums are destroyed and replaced by farms or schools or hospitals or brothels or privately owned businesses completely unfunded by taxpayer dollars to replace sport teams etc etc Edit: They're winning! They're losing!

Nobody should be safe. Including in the FO.

Given the track record of the medical staff, this might actually means he literally explodes.

Oh, this grousing is all from Gameday alone; I'm finally rewatching The Shield, and right now Vic Mackey is, amazingly, coming across FAR more likable than Theo's smug bull horsefeathers.