Bryants Disco Ball

Don't know you well enough to say, but it sounds like the scouting report on you is that you wouldn't tip your cap for the seven playoff seasons but instead would focus on how they didn't make the proper moves to make the playoffs in all eight. I'll admit I get really frustrated with people who try to bash Epstein. Maybe it's naive, but I have total trust in the front office for the first time as a Cubs fan. I want nobody in charge more than them. Yes, they will make mistakes. It's baseball. But the process behind their ways is magical and something I dread not having whenever he and his boys leave.

To me, it took three terrible years to be a playoff contender in the fourth year with the potential promise of a fun, kick ass future. I've been a supporter of this from the start and to see how well it has shaped up is awesome. Sorry, but three seasons is not that long. Blah blah blah let's try to win every season. Nah, the years go by pretty quick. Just like life. Then you blink and we've got all these players the original post documented. I would take a cycle of sucking bad to be awesome fun for seven seasons every single time. The best (worst) part is that with the small amount of money they had to spend, had they tried to win and be competitive, the Cubs probably still would have been average and now we'd be looking at a roster like the Brewers, always trying to win just to keep their fans interested even when they know they should rebuild.

If Dexter Fowler does somehow finish the season with a slash anywhere like the current .239/.319/.388 he has, I'd be all for bringing up Almora and let him suck just a little more than that while probably playing better defense and making $15 million less than what some want to give Fowler.

Not sure that will happen. With the core of the offense so young and inexperienced, consistency is the last thing we can expect.

Here's the thing though. It's possible to downgrade every rotation with possibilities. AJ Burnett can't keep it up and Lirano is streaky and Cole can't always be dominant, etc. I'd think the Cubs' top 3 have a good chance to be solid the whole way through.

Yup. Poor Starlin.

Its gonna take months for the media to forget about that one. Good.

Let people talk bad about Starlin. He deserves all of it.

also, don't bring up sosa because he played for zero of our rivals Eh, in the PR area, the White Sox are for sure a rival.

I think it also has to be pointed out that Fowler has played six of his 7 1/2 baseball seasons in Colorado. Which probably hurt his defensive ratings but for sure helped his offensive numbers.

what was that, 60/4? I'd be fine with that. Yikes, I would not be. this is what baseball players cost. $15M AAV is not a lot of money. that's going rate for a slightly above average season. slightly. Which happens to be all that Fowler has ever given in his prime. There isn't that much potential for upside, and there's lots of avenues for downside. He could easily do what Bourn did for example. Signing Fowler wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. But I think the wiser route is qualifying offer and likely pocketing the pick. I'm not a fan of locking in players who are on that sort of trajectory. It's too easy to have massive playing time questions if they decline even a little bit. Also, I understand that free agency costs money, but it doesn't mean you just have to give away big contracts because that's what it takes. If the guy isn't worth it, don't spend the money. You run into far more problems just throwing money at someone because you have it. I went to Cot's and did a search of NL teams, and to me, a $15 AAV still is pretty big for all payrolls. There are only going to be so many each team has, and I don't want Fowler being one of the Cubs' three or four. Here is a list of players making a $15 AAV between now and 2020. There will be a few more added over that time frame, when guys like Bryce Harper hit free agency. But guys like Jake Peavy also will fall off the list, so it might still even out. Number of current players from each team making $15 or more for at least one season between 2015 and 2020. Cardinals - 4 Reds - 2 Pirates - 0 Brewers - 1 Braves - 2 Miami - 1 Mets - 2 Phillies - 4 Nats - 4 D-Backs - 1 Rockies - 2 Dodgers - 5 Padres 3 Giants - 5

what was that, 60/4? I'd be fine with that. Yikes, I would not be. this is what baseball players cost. $15M AAV is not a lot of money. that's going rate for a slightly above average season. slightly. I guess I'm still not there yet, then. Because $15 to me on a four-year contract is still a nice investment in my eyes. Yes, the Cubs can get away with a few more $15 million guys because of the cheap labor of all these young guys, but I just feel they can use the $15 per on something much better than Fowler. And there is no way I'm giving him that kind of commitment unless he improves on his performance. If $15 million is what it takes to get the Dexter Fowler types, then that sucks.

what was that, 60/4? I'd be fine with that. Yikes, I would not be.

Not sure if this has ever been discussed or if people think it's overblown, but my only other concern with Fowler is his history of lower body injuries. He has missed a fair amount of games in his career because of injuries. I like Fowler. I do. I'm just not sure I'm that excited about going too many years for a lot of dollars for him. I'd probably be talking differently if he had a .370 OBP, though.

To me, there is no reason to do that. I'd rather they make him a qualifying offer, which would be pretty expensive at about 14.2 million, but it would be for one season only. And if another team signs him, take the first round pick and move on.

It's better to have had blue balls then to have never had them at all. Um......yeah, never mind.

If the Indians don't like it tell their pitchers to throw better pitches.

So will the rest of this board. ETA: what I wrote really didn't make sense.

I wish Marcum could pitch the whole game.

Oh God, Marcum takes one minute each time to throw a pitch.

Yeah, I do that too. But then I try to think about how they are going to have six full seasons with this group starting next year and that by the time they are free agents the revenue stream should be picking up with a new TV deal. (I think).

Don't they only have five games with the DH? Why six days and not five? ETA: oh he's here stating tomorrow. Never mind.

I guess most of the time he probably can get a barehand toss over that beats the runner. ETA: not sure why I keep saying barehand and not underhand.

hold on...you DONT think he has the yips? because he 5000% does. unless this is some brilliant long con that is gonna pay off when he picks a guy off to end game 7 of the WS. The yips for, what, 4 seasons now? It seems more likely to me that he's just not very good at it and doesn't like doing it so he doesn't do it because, for the most, part, he really doesn't have to. I never said there was anything badass about it; I just think it's ridiculous to think it's this crippling thing that teams could just take advantage off left and right if they wanted to. I was like that at the beginning, but I've gone from "he's not very good at it" to he "can't do it." Maybe there is not enough to go by for me to think that, but even when he fields a grounder off the mound, he runs toward first and underhands it. And, again, I really believe there have been a handful of times this season when he did not field a ball because he did not want to have to throw it. To me, those are concerns that make me believe he can't rather than doesn't want.

Thanks for the response and information.