Tim

How so many very good to great players can have such rotten luck on babip, I have no idea. But they're all up for grabs with the exception of Hosmer. Looking for exempt, minor leaguers & picks. No outlandishly great offer will be refused. All others will be carefully considered. :)

I refuse to read the game thread. Rationally, I realize this is a really good team that ran into awful luck in the playoffs. At the moment, however, it feels like this team needs to get massively reconstructed to reach the next level.

First game of the year is on 3/28. Please have your rosters legal by then! Also, no trades or free agent signings until then, either. I'll start waivers as soon as the draft completes.

Needs Tommy John. Looks like Marshall may be their closer this year.

C'mon people! if you're up soon in the draft and know you're going to be away from the computer for a while, set up a queue and turn on the autopilot.

One member has expressed to me that he didn't think Martin should be eligible under our IFA rules. I'm looking for consensus here since I'm obviously biased and don't want to use commish powers to favor myself.

Can someone post the draft order for me and I'll get it set up on CBS asap?

Roady Quakers

Rob wrote a new article for the front page taking a look at what Geo has done to date and taking a swing at what to expect in 2012. Do him a favor and post some comments there!

official presser:

I posted a quick wishlist for the Cubs this holiday season. What would be on your lists this year for the Cubs?

I'm working on an article on fixing the rotation for the coming season. I usually outline what I'm thinking so the article is a bit more coherent. I found that the tool I use for that has the ability to output things as an interactive PDF that can be uploaded. Thought it was pretty cool and figured I'd share... http://www.northsidebaseball.com/images/stories/rotation.pdf Think of it as an article preview. :D

courtesy of Lee Sinins: Braves--SSs Alex Gonzalez and Jack Wilson, CF Nate McLouth, Ps Scott Linebrink and George Sherrill Diamondbacks--1B Lyle Overbay, 1B-OF Xavier Nady, 2B Aaron Hill, Ps Zach Duke and Jason Marquis Baltimore Orioles--SS Cesar Izturis, DH Vladimir Guerrero Red Sox--1B-LF Conor Jackson, RF J.D. Drew, C Jason Varitek, DH David Ortiz, Ps Scott Atchison, Erik Bedard, Trever Miller, Jonathan Papelbon, Tim Wakefield and Dan Wheeler Cubs--1B Carlos Pena, 3B Aramis Ramirez, LF Reed Johnson, Ps John Grabow, Rodrigo Lopez, Ramon Ortiz and Kerry Wood White Sox--3B-SS Omar Vizquel, LF Juan Pierre, C Ramon Castro, P Mark Buehrle Reds--SS Edgar Renteria, C Ramon Hernandez, Ps Francisco Cordero and Dontrelle Willis Indians--CF Grady Sizemore, RF Kosuke Fukudome, DH Jim Thome, P Chad Durbin Rockies--2B Mark Ellis, Ps Aaron Cook, Kevin Millwood and J.C. Romero Tigers--INFs Wilson Betemit, Ramon Santiago, RF Magglio Ordonez, utilityman Carlos Guillen, RF Magglio Ordonez, Ps Brad Penny and Joel Zumaya Marlins--3B Greg Dobbs and Jose Lopez, P Javier Vazquez Astros--SS Clint Barmes, LF Jason Michaels Royals--C Jason Kendall, Ps Bruce Chen and Jeff Francis Angels--1B Russell Branyan, Ps Joel Pineiro, Horacio Ramirez and Fernando Rodney Dodgers--INFs Jamey Carroll and Aaron Miles, 3B Casey Blake, LF Juan Rivera, C Rod Barajas, Ps Jonathan Broxton, Jon Garland, Hiroki Kuroda, Mike MacDougal and Vicente Padilla Brewers--1B Prince Fielder, SS Yuniesky Betancourt, INF Craig Counsell, CF Mark Kotsay, utilityman Jerry Hairston Jr., Ps LaTroy Hawkins, Francisco Rodriguez and Takashi Saito Twins--RF-1B Michael Cuddyer, RF Jason Kubel, Ps Matt Capps and Joe Nathan Mets--SS Jose Reyes, OFs Scott Hairston and Willie Harris, Ps Miguel Batista, Chris Capuano, Jason Isringhausen and Chris Young Yankees--3B Eric Chavez, LF Andruw Jones, DH Jorge Posada, Ps Luis Ayala, Bartolo Colon, Freddy Garcia, Damaso Marte and Sergio Mitre A's--LF Josh Willingham, CF Coco Crisp, RF David DeJesus, DH Hideki Matsui, P Rich Harden Phillies--1B-OF Ross Gload, SS Jimmy Rollins, LF Raul Ibanez, C Brian Schneider, Ps Brad Lidge, Ryan Madson and Roy Oswalt Pirates--1B Derrek Lee, SS Ronny Cedeno, LF-RF Ryan Ludwick, Cs Ryan Doumit and Chris Snyder P Paul Maholm Padres--1B-OF Brad Hawpe, Ps Heath Bell, Aaron Harang and Chad Qualls Mariners--INF Adam Kennedy, OF Wily Mo Pena, C Josh Bard, Ps David Aardsma and Jamey Wright Giants--SS Orlando Cabrera, OF Cody Ross, LF Pat Burrell, RF Carlos Beltran, utilityman Mark DeRosa, P Guillermo Mota Cardinals--1B Albert Pujols, SS Rafael Furcal, INF Nick Punto, OF Corey Patterson, C Gerald Laird, Ps Octavio Dotel, Edwin Jackson and Arthur Rhodes Rays--1B Casey Kotchman, LF Johnny Damon, C Kelly Shoppach, P Juan Cruz Rangers--OF Endy Chavez, C Matt Treanor, Ps Mike Gonzalez, Darren Oliver, Brandon Webb and C.J. Wilson Blue Jays--2B Kelly Johnson, C Jose Molina, Ps Shawn Camp, Frank Francisco and Jon Rauch Nationals--INF Alex Cora, LFs Jonny Gomes and Laynce Nix, CF Rick Ankiel, C Ivan Rodriguez, Ps Todd Coffey and Livan Hernandez

New article is up! The article summarizes what options are available for third base to fill Aramis' shoes next year.

Anyone remember the free agent contests from the old days? I'm thinking about creating that again. I'd then spam the heck out of it to get traffic and new members. Would there be interest in participating in such a contest here? I'd gather the names and WAR of the top 50 free agents, then create a form on the front end of the site for people to enter their guesses. The entries would be weighted on WAR. I'd also create a scoreboard to track the results. Thoughts? I'm considering offering up a gift certificate as a prize, but I'm not sure about legal ramifications, having to verify participants are 18 years of age, etc. I don't know if that's even required if there's no entry fee.

I'm corresponding with a Seattle writer who thinks it may be possible to get "King Felix" for a "King's ransom". It makes sense because they are a long way off from being even a decent team. The question here is what everyone would be willing to part with to get him.

With a bunch of caveats, of course. Here's the article.

If you can please go to the front page of the site and like NSBB on Facebook, it would be appreciated! Also, if you have any suggestions on how I should be using facebook/twitter/ etc. to get the word out about nsbb, please let me know here. Thanks!

I mentioned this in the manager thread, but thought the concept deserved attention of its own. Theo specifically stressed "grinding the at bats", during his recent interviews. He absolutely does not mean this to advocate small ball, sacrificing, etc. When the White Sox (and others) talk about grinderball or a guy being a grinder, they mean that guy puts maximum effort into the game at all times. It denotes a guy who works really hard. When Theo is talking about grinding at bats, he doesn't mean the same thing. What he's talking about is making the other team work harder. Be patient at the plate, make the opposing pitcher throw more, work harder and leave the game sooner. Same word...entirely different concepts. Personally, I can't wait to see the Cubs adopt this approach as a team. I'll finally be a grinderball fan, "the cubs way".

He's in control as he's the one holding the option for 2012. To my knowledge, he has yet to exercise that option. My feelings are mixed on whether or not I'd want him to do so. The new leadership may have an opportunity to go to him and encourage him to look elsewhere. If I felt confident in our ability to sign Wilson, it would be a perfect transition to take Demp's money and redirect it to CJ. It would give us much more predictability at the top of the rotation while not really increasing payroll much at all. It wouldn't plug a gap in the rotation - it would just upgrade the #2 spot while holding costs pretty steady. I guess what I'm looking for are opinions on how much Demp has left in the tank at this point.

Is this the most optimistic you've ever felt about the Cubs? If not, please say when you felt better about the future of the team.

Can some people please post in this thread and let me know what happens? Thanks!

Hello, all I'm attempting to add some functionality to the site to autotweet posts to the nsbbcom twitter account. Please beware that there may be occasional errors as I get this working. Thanks!

I was looking ahead at my pitching starts for the finals (no offense Shane!) and noticed that week 25 is 10 days long. I was wondering how everyone thought we should handle this...

I just had an idea that I really want to pursue. I want out community here to compile a list of questions for potential GM candidates out there, as well as a list of candidates. I'll throw as much weight as I can behind it and send it out to the various candidates to see if we can get any / all of them to respond. Ground rules: 1) Most of these candidates are going to be employed right now, so we can't specifically ask if they are interested in the job or any such question. 2) Let's think this through from the point of view of the 10 questions we could ask to best determine the philosophy of the candidates. Instead of, "Would you sign Pujols this offseason?" we should be asking something like, "What are the things you would look at when determining how high you would spend for a great player?" 3) Not all questions will make it, but I'd love for people to post their own lists of questions here. Thanks!