dew1679666265
-
Posts
20,547 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Joomla Posts 1
Chicago Cubs Videos
Chicago Cubs Free Agent & Trade Rumors, Notes, & Tidbits
2026 Chicago Cubs Top Prospects Ranking
News
2023 Chicago Cubs Draft Picks
Guides & Resources
2024 Chicago Cubs Draft Picks
The Chicago Cubs Players Project
2025 Chicago Cubs Draft Pick Tracker
Blogs
Events
Forums
Store
Gallery
Everything posted by dew1679666265
-
You were the one promoting giving him 8 years. I simply said it's borderline ludicrous to give a pitcher 7-8 years and you responded that you thought it was a good idea to give Hamels 8 years. Then we debated that. I don't know that Hamels will get 8 years, but I think if he hits FA (still don't think he will) the teams will start at 5, Hamels will start at 8 and they'll meet at 6-7. I don't think 8 is out of the question at all, though.
-
On Darvish: As mojo said, he's 25 and as you said, he was never even rumored to be getting 7-8 years. He was almost certain to get fewer years than what Hamels is seeking and was likely going to be far less expensive, even if you take the posting fee and extrapolate it out over the entirety of his deal). Hamels is probably looking for $23-25 per for 7-8 years, Darvish is getting $9 mil per if you don't spread out his posting fee and $18 mil per if you do. And while there's less production-certainty with Darvish, the upside is certainly there to be just as good as Hamels. On Anibal: I'm less pushing for Anibal than I am giving him as a preferred alternative to Hamels. If we sign a high-end FA pitcher and guys get what I expect, I'd prefer Anibal (because I think he'll end up with 4 years and maybe a 5th option of some type and I think Hamels will get 6-7 years). That said, I'd have a clear limit in pursuing any of the top FA pitchers who may be on the market. I think I've been very consistent in my arguments: Stay away from very long term, mega-money commitments to pitchers deep into their 30s. Spend the money on the hitters who, in general, are a much less volatile commodity than pitchers.
-
Some do, while many, many others break down in their early-mid 30s. I'm the guy who would have been fine with giving Pujols 10/300 this past offseason. I wanted Cespedes, I wanted Darvish and his massive posting fee. I have major commitments to pitchers jitters, not FA jitters.
-
I don't think I'd want either at either number of years. I'd probably top out at 4 years for Anibal and, at very most, 6 for Hamels. And mid to late 30s is still old for a pitcher, no matter what year it is. And again, you're correct that Hamels is less volatile than a lot of pitchers, which is what I've said multiple times. But he's still a pitcher and is still a very volatile commodity. I like Hamels a lot and would love to have him on the team, I'm just very uncomfortable with locking into a very long term commitment for a pitcher, even an athletic, healthy one, through most of his 30s.
-
Josh Hamilton
dew1679666265 replied to DivineBovine's topic in MLB Draft, International Signings, Amateur Baseball
Yeah, if it wasn't for the drug past and current fragile body, I'd be all for going after Hamilton. But it's just not a smart gamble. -
Josh Hamilton
dew1679666265 replied to DivineBovine's topic in MLB Draft, International Signings, Amateur Baseball
I'd rather have Upton myself. -
It clearly is an inexact science, which is why I'm not arguing he's a certainty to get hurt. But, we do know that pitching is a very unnatural motion, the more you do it the more wear and tear your arm suffers, and the more likely you are to get hurt. Hamels is a better bet than most pitchers because of his skillset and his general health, but he's still a pitcher, he'll still be 29 when he opens the 2013 season, and he'd still be 35-36 when a 7-8 year contract ran its course. He might be fine over the course of the deal, but that's a really huge commitment to make to such a volatile commodity. This is not advocating sitting out free agency or not spending money by any stretch. I'd much rather make lesser commitments on the pitching side and commit the money to offense where the risk is much lower, even on a long term, big money commitment.
-
I am taking context into account. Hamels is a better risk than most pitchers, but he's still a pitcher and it's still nearly insane to pour that much money into such a high-risk product. Keep in mind as well that Hamels having the long track record he has only increases the amount of innings he's thrown over his career and the more mileage a pitcher has, in general, increases the risk. I'm not saying he will get hurt, but the risk is far higher even for a healthy pitcher than it is for most any position player. And I'm not sure why you mentioned Beltran. I didn't say anything about offensive players in FA, just pitchers. I'll give certain position players 7-8 years without thinking twice, not sure I would ever give that many years to any pitcher.
-
I'm certainly not FA averse or even close to it considering I was pushing very hard for Pujols this past offseason, but 7-8 years for a pitcher, any pitcher, is borderline ludicrous.
-
Re: New GM/Cubs Future News Articles
dew1679666265 replied to ArizonaGM's topic in Chicago Cubs Talk
Exactly. And it's not like precedent meant anything in the Theo comp talks either. It wouldn't surprise me if nothing came of this. -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_O%27Brien_%28sportscaster%29 Interesting.
-
Agreed. Wasn't he rumored to have been offered the Cubs job--and although he was interested, ESPN wouldn't let him out or something? I remember really hoping for him at the time. EDIT--maybe I am thinking of Shulman. Shulman's good. I don't remember him being up for the Cubs job (or O'Brien for that matter, must just be my bad memory), but that would've been a good hire. I'm really happy with Len, though.
-
Guess I just don't hear him enough to tell. I usually only listen to him a couple of times a year (the random time(s) he does a Cubs game on Fox and the very few times I've flipped over to a DBacks game when I had EI). For as much crap as they get, ESPN actually has some pretty good mid-tier baseball announcers. Thorne, O'Brien (think he does baseball games), and a few others are pretty good, I think.
-
Gus Johnson is the same way as Sutton, but he's still one of the best broadcasters in the game. Overemphasis is one of the least significant weaknesses an announcer can have, I think. There's really nothing about Brenneman calling a game that I like, it's incredibly grating listening to him. I don't really mind Vasgersian.
-
Doesn't surprise me. Too bad.
-
Really? I can think of a bunch of PBP guys just off the top of my head who I like less - Buck, Brennaman, Stockton, Ensberg, pretty much every announcer employed by Fox. Sutton's really not bad, though I've not heard him much.
-
I really want Campana to learn some patience, he's a really fun player to watch.
-
I had no clue Sutton or Brenly even did national FOX games. I'm convinced they just get lazy and throw a paycheck at the closest PBP and color guy that at one point worked for FOX. that's exactly what they do. Started last year. Better than Buck/Brennaman. Are they still even doing games? I kind of like the Sutton/Brenly duo.
-
I still disagree with this idea that Z had to go. I've been pleasantly surprised with how well Volstad has pitched outside of the big inning each start, but still think dealing Z at that point was selling needlessly low. Still wasn't some terrible deal or anything by any stretch, but it wasn't something that had to be done.
-
I wonder if it's a mental thing at this point. It's gone on too long to be some weird fluke, he's a decent to good pitcher the rest of each start, and you'd think if it were a mechanical thing that Sveum/Bosio would notice it at some point. Whatever the reason, it's really weird.
-
BJax/Upton/DeJesus would be a pretty fantastic defensive OF. WHAT ABOUT CAMPANA?!?!?!?!?! Even the best defensive OFs need a great defensive guy on the bench.
-
BJax/Upton/DeJesus would be a pretty fantastic defensive OF.
-
I might be wrong, but I think he means more valuable than any other left fielder in our organization. I hope that's what he means, at least.
-
I realize we have DeJesus, but would signing Upton and having an OF of (from LF-RF) LaHair/Upton/BJax be enough to mitigate some of the potential defensive disaster LaHair might be? If a couple very rangy players in CF and RF plus Sveum's shift magic could take some pressure off LaHair's bat staying awesome, it seems like there's a chance this could work.
-
He played all of 12 games in the OF last year, out of 129 total minor league games. He didn't play that much OF last year. He did play OF in 48 games in 2010, so that's probably the most recent significant sample. He's not got the athleticism to just stick him out there and hope for the best. His best shot at being given a real chance in the OF is to work with him in the offseason and then try him. I still don't think it would work, but if we're going to experiment with him in the OF, I think we should do it in earnest then. If we want to stick him in LF in the meantime, ok I guess. It's not like it's going to keep us from contending this year. I agree with this.