PriortoTheoIhadWood

Zimmerman hit Hamels in the leg...for a reason...No chance in hell he goes higher, amd theres a reason why Harper got hit in the back by the ass...There is ZERO intent to injure...Come on some of you guys have to know baseball well enough to know that this is borderline tradition. The fact that Harper did what he did speaks of his talent and I'm sure someone like Hanels would merely have to tip his cap (mentally since a physical gesture just isn't happening). The 19 year old rookie didnt back down but rather delivered a [expletive] you...as a baseball fan I full appreciate every dynamic there. It's animal alpha/beta bs, but humans are animals and that kind of crap happens. It's great.

Yeah the pitching being solid with Maholm and JAGs behind Garza/Shark is nice. The team should look to get better, not complacent that Paul Maholm and Travis Wood have turned in solid outings. The giant POSSIBLY indicates some form of not entirely serious...I like Vitters but I'm not THAT optimistic about him. What's available...elite bat or elite arm?

lmao Wow that's funny, but does Rizzo really expect different? Veterans are not going to defer to Harper, and he'll be wearing a target on his back for pitchers all year. Sorry, but to me this is the kind of [expletive] a hardcore fan loves. It's so old school to do that...and there's plenty of those guys left in baseball. I don't think a single person think Harper can't take it...I really buy that talent (going out there i know). [expletive] he's good. Hrm, I know! I'll hit him in the back! Not only does that put a runner on base, but it will surely demoralize the batter to where he's nothing but a quivering, simpering mess the next time he's at the plate! And I won't get punished by the league or anything or face retaliation! This is the best plan I've ever had! 1) Tf are the Nats going to do? Send out Mike Morse to knock him in? 2) Zimmerman hit Hamels later on. Pitchers hit in the NL. IIRC Hamels made one out at the plate last night. The pussification of sport...They didn't just come up with this last night for Harper. Bonus babies have always gotten similar treatment....Call it tradition...Or just point out the logical fallacies as if no one gets that that's a free base runner. Simply put the only thing that can be said is that the 19 year old future superstar turned it around and scored a run. His team didn't touch Hamels the rest of the night. Such is the sport....I hope it never, ever goes away...Jah forbid the numbers don't dominate every single aspect of sport...as if the pitcher should crap his pants over a base runner being intentionally put on. No damn respeck for history and tradition.

lmao Wow that's funny, but does Rizzo really expect different? Veterans are not going to defer to Harper, and he'll be wearing a target on his back for pitchers all year. Sorry, but to me this is the kind of [expletive] a hardcore fan loves. It's so old school to do that...and there's plenty of those guys left in baseball. I don't think a single person think Harper can't take it...I really buy that talent (going out there i know). [expletive] he's good.

After his year last year and now this injury that's turning out to be an aboslutely terrible contract. Possibly the worst in baseball as of right now. Which sucks because Werth is a damn good player and most people will know him as "worst contract guy." Btw even then no one beats Soriano...

i really believe there's going to be a huge difference in contracts, which makes Anibal more appealing; you can probably fit him and BJ Upton into your budget for close to what it'll take to sign Hamels if teams really do go crazy for Anibal though, i'd be more than happy picking up Edwin Jackson; he'll probably be bargain basement again, and you can conceivably fit he, Upton, S. Drew all in for the price of just Hamels fWAR since 2009: C. Hamels: 13.6 M. Cain: 13.2 E. Jackson: 12.0 (19th-best) J. Shields: 11.1 M. Garza: 10.8 Drew Upton AND Sanchez for the price of Hamels? How much are you thinking here? Is it really inconceivable for a big money franchise like the Cubs going out and buying Hamels, Upton, and Drew? We have the FO and owner who, for the lake of les corny phrases, "want it." I forgot Drew is a FA....that is a nice player. Hell conceivably they can fit Hamels AND Sanchez, which makes a ton of sense as I would not trust Sanchez as anything but the third or fourth guy in an elite rotation.

So you ARE managing their money for them here based on one offseason where they we're clearly purging the roster as best they could...Good to see you can finally admit that, as indirect/passive as that was. Significantly better pitcher...Your lesser price was 100 million. 100 million. To a guy with multiple arm surgeries who isn't even all that much younger than this super risk that is Hamels to you. Your argument for Sanchez just doesn't make sense. As far as the points: 1) You really are just glossing over the injury history of a guy who's had MULTIPLE shoulder issues. That's 4-5 years of owning a MAJOR injury risk. 2) Perigree. Hamels destroys him there, and he's a MAJOR reason why the Phillies were better. Sanchez = role player. Hamels = star, is the point. 3) Good for him. Not the first guy to have a nice couple of years. Doesn't mean you hand him 100 million, which you actually suggested. 4) More spin? It's a guy with multiple shoulder and arm injuries in his past who even AT HIS HEALTHIEST didn't top 200 innings. What about this guy doesn't SCREAM risk/bad signing coming? 5) On top of it Hamels is the better strikeout pitcher throughout their respective histories....Which bodes very well for his future. You realize how big a deal it is that a lefty is putting up his kind of K rates? Sanchez is a nice pitcher who should get a ton of respect for what he's done for himself. That said, someone else can pay him he FA price. I want to be elite, and that requires signing better than second tier pitching with significant injury history. Can you name the elite bat available I should set my eyes on in place of the elite pitcher? I still insist that the only shoulder problem guy to pursue is Upton, no contest.

I think Stewart will finish up alright here this year and eventually be a valuable role player ala Eric Hinske. I wish I knew the league average numbers so I like make a projection...Oh well.

How did Carlos Beltranget lumped in with those fucks? It's a shock that he's playing well?

Sanchez doesn't need to be underpaid to be much less expensive than Hamels. He doesn't have the extended track record that Hamels has and his injury history, while concerning, will also keep his price and years down some. It wouldn't surprise me if Anibal's high-end price would be something like 5/100 while Hamels' low-end price would be something like 6/120. Holy...You think it's a GOOD idea to give Anibal Sanchez 5/100 when a significantly better buy is out there for another 1/20? That leaves me floored. You could knock 30 off of that and I'd STILL be extremely leery. The FO should be way too smart to do that....Btw how are you not pinching pennies here? Cheaper is the ONLY bonus.

Disagree. The "strength" of our farm system right now is bats. By next year, we should have three major young offensive pieces under team control for a long time. Pitching-wise, we have nothing in the upper minors. Our best pitching prospect is looking more and more like a reliever. And if this year's team has showed us anything, it's that good starting pitching 1-5 can keep a bad team competitive in most games. We have Garza as an elite arm in the rotation, Shark has shown signs of hitting the mid-top of the rotation arm potential he had, and Volstad and Wood can be decent mid-bottom of the rotation guys. The strength of our farm is our bats, but the strength of our major league roster is our pitching and most of it is fairly young. Wow you're really reaching here...Volstad? Even Wood is topping out as a 4-5... Cubs should be able to add Jackson, Rizzo, Castillo, and POSSIBLY even Vitters from the system. The rotation will get Travis Wood... There's a HUGE disparity there. If Shark is real then they'll still need one more stud, and that guy is not in the system right now. Hamels fits like a glove here to pair with Garza at the top.

Of course they need a big bat. Like I said, they need an elite anything. How many slit bats are available? Would Hamels REALLY stop them from pursuing BJ Upton or a trade? To me it just sounds like you're pinching pennies here. Sanchez would fit right in during the Hendry/Trib era as a second tier starter with significant injuries and surgeries in his past who saves a few bucks for that rainy day that never came, but right now the Cubs should be focused on elite and healthy. If they go after someone with a formerly wrecked shoulder I hope it's Upton and not a pitcher. Its begging for trouble.... The small difference in Fangraphs WAR does not overcome: 1 - Injury history. 2 - Hamels leading a WS staff while Sanchez plays #2-3 on the Marlins 3 - Being a short RH without spectacular velocity 4 - Never thrown 200 innings 5 - He's not even a groundball guy so can't even point to that I think just doing a quick glance that the ONLY statistical advantage Sanchez offers is price. Which you know......sounds like pinching pennies.

Anibal is a few months younger than Hamels, but both will be 28 all year this year and 29 all year next year. So their ages are very similar, but the contract years difference added to the total value difference likely will be rather large. Rather large also describes the difference in injury history. Not to mention that I can't name the last time a pitcher got underpaid in FA, AND the Marlins might just keep Sanchez since they don't have two other aces making big money.

Jason Hammel finally is a Cy Young candidate? Were you waiting for this? He was a decent prospect like a decade ago...This is probably a false alarm. Great to see their bat talents (Weiters and Jones) are standing out. Both of them have he talent to knock a season out of the park.

Big double post.

Wait now they don't have a need for an elite SP? One is enough? The Cubs can use an elite anything. All around disagree..Hamels is EXACTLY the type of pitcher I'd be as comfortable as possible with giving a 6 year deal to. I don't get how you're projecting injury for him when you don't have to project to call Sanchez an injury risk. It's not like a surgically repaired arm gets stronger as you use it more and get older...Sanchez suffered some pretty serious injuries that early on left his career in jeopardy. Also we're in the day and age where great pitchers are THRIVING in their 30's...Big meh on Hamels being 29, particularly when Sanchez isn't much younger (if he is, not in front of me) and has a significantly worse injury history.

So 29 with minimal injury history is more risky than similarly late 20's with plenty of injury history and surgery? Just don't buy it....29's not even old for a pitcher...especially one in Hamels' class.

Take a look at Lilly's numbers at the time...The ERA was nice but everything else said decline. Wallach bombed but at the time he was interesting with tools. Dewitt was a young former touted prospect/first round pick who put up a couple WAR at 22 or so. The other guy was there. Sometimes stuff just doesn't work out.

You went to the game? Sweet. Prudential is good stuff. How many times did you hear the f bomb from the Philly fan [expletive]?

Devils dominated the Flyers tonight. Still haven't even seen Kovy turn it on. Btw didn't post this the other day but Adam Larrson was all of 19 for his first goal in game 2. Just think he's going to be a stud in NJ....

I'm also mildly interested in the decision to keep Lake at SS rather than give him a shot at 2nd or 3rd. You don't just move SSs off SS willy nilly like that in the minors. There's no need yet.

Yeah, I never got that logic. You actually hurt yourself by putting a guy on base to prove some sort of stupid point. Male dominance...Bit him in the ass there but the Nats aren't going to do too much against Hamels anyway. Just a message to the hotshot 19 year old is all it is. It's to be expected when you art so much hype. If anything it's a sign of respect and acknowledgment that hes a possible new Alpha within the league. Stupid but human...I hope it never goes away.

As Desmond pops a triple off of him I come in to say that Hamels is nasty.

Oh and Hamels hut him on purpose...Old school baseball etiquette.

Holy crap is he good...Wow. I chose watching him/Hamels over seeing the Devils score twice.