squally1313

A Cubs team that is trying to win in 2020 should be very interested in Kolten Wong on a short term deal. Hoerner didn't do nearly enough to win the job.

Agreed, but to the bolded point, I think television coverage needs to do a much better job of making the viewers aware of at least the general alignment before the ball gets put into play. The only times I get frustrated with the shift is when I think the Cubs have a base hit up the middle or through the hole or whatever and then the camera switches and there's a guy right there. Shouldn't take up too much room on the screen to show a little diamond, and you don't really have to include the outfield.

Check with each course. Some will let you tee off on the back 9 before the 18 hole golfers get to the 10th hole. If you go early enough, you should be able to blow right through those holes pretty quickly. I saw a couple of courses around here do that, but I have a very specific window of time and I can’t quite get there early enough. Every course I've played in the Chicago area will let you play 9 and pay a reduced amount. It usually isn't half, but the cheaper courses are like $30 for 18, $20 for 9. Keep going with the posts. Great reading.

'Abandon' isn't the right word, but it was more convenient than 'very clearly half-assing it'. Not showing Theo's presser at the end of the year, coming up with the bare minimum of coverage/analysis around the games, etc. To be fair, I haven't even thought about pulling it up since September, but get the strong impression I'm not missing anything.

Spending years putting together a network and then essentially abandoning it as soon as you accomplish that goal and get everyone on the hook for $6/month seems like a pretty solid metaphor for the rest of this organization.

In terms of the Stroman discussion, I believe he's better (ie, will produce more WAR over the next 3-5 years, especially with his profile and the Cubs infield defense) than any pitcher mentioned above. He's not twice as good as all those guys, and so if he's actually getting a contract that doubles everyone else, it's a different story. For Happ, it all depends on your goals for the team, and the decisions you make elsewhere. If you want to make another couple runs here with whatevers left of the old core, I doubt you can get someone who will produce more in 2021/2022 than Happ, and I'd rather just find someone who can hit lefties to protect him (throw a nobody prospect at the White Sox for Leury Garcia, for example). If this is more of a rebuild (which would imply present and future cost constraints), then yeah, could probably find someone/someones who could reset the service clock and give you more value down the road.

I think he sucks relative to contract he’s going to get (estimate are 5+ years and $100+ million from what I’ve seen) and think there’s a decent amount of downside and limited upside and just prefer alternative routes for the money. The leg injury history is a thing at this point. Knee, hamstring and calf now. He had elbow issues in 2018 as well. The GB rate is great but his stuff/velo isn’t special. He doesn’t strike guys out and his walk rates are just kinda okay and not great (64th of 132 qualified pitchers in BB% since 2017 and for a guy with his lack of stuff/velo that’s a little troubling to me). As he ages in to his 30s and his stuff/velo slips due to age he doesn’t have a ton of margin, imo. Again, this is all through the point of view he’s getting 5+ and 100+. I don’t want anything to do with him at that and think there’s red flags. I just don’t see how he’s really worth it to us on a 1 year prove it deal or long term deal with the other needs we have and spending restrictions to whatever degree. I don't know all the background on his injuries, but as mentioned above, it hasn't hurt him yet in terms of innings pitched. Walk rate isn't overly impressive, but GB rate is elite, as is (relatedly) his home run rate. If it's really 5+ years, then sure, we can pass, but can't see him getting something like that.

- What about Quintana suggests more innings? Stroman threw more innings in 2019, almost 10% more actually, in their last full season - Who would be the two guys that can reasonably expected to do that and for cheap? If it's a certainty thing, I agree it should be as much as possilbe, and the choices are guy who opted out after a calf injury, guy who got hurt and threw 10 innings after a weak 2019, and ?? then I mean....guy with the calf injury pretty easily Q has gone 170+ innings every year since 2013 and has the overall cleaner injury history in recent years. He at least pitched some this year while Stroman was completely shut down, Stroman also has a history of leg injuries and had a shoulder issue in 2018 plus he recently has a year where he barely topped 100 IP. Q is just the safer bet to me to meet the ~165IP and ~4.25 ERA threshold I’m looking for as the mid rotation starter add (again I think covering innings pitching even mediocre is gonna be a premium in 2021) and think he’ll be cheaper than Stroman (since Stroman is younger and think is just thought of more highly). I just don’t see the upside in Stroman (injury history and profile) that it’s worth paying him. I’d rather go another way. Other guys who I prefer for a fraction of Stroman and you can take 2-3 chances on for Stroman’s money does include Q but also (and these guys carry risk, but again give me 2-3 of them over Stroman) Desclafani, Minor, Nova, Odorizzi, and Richards off the top of my head (haven’t looked at a FA list recently). Give me Q and one of names mentioned for the amount Stroman goes for. Or save some money for building out the offense. Again this is more I just don’t like Stroman for the likely money thing so take a few shots on other guys for the same money or less than me liking any of these guys more than him. Desclafani, Minor, and Nova suck in a non-debatable way. Just resign Lester if you want to throw someone out there to give up 4 runs in 6 innings once a week. Richards has pitched about 200 innings in the last 5 years total. Odorizzi put up a 2.6 fWAR in 2018 and then a 4.3 in 2019, and then only pitched 13 innings in 2020, so not sure why you'd think he's getting significantly less than Stroman.

Can you expand on the 'Stroman sucks' argument? Never had a FIP or xFIP above 4, never given up more than a home run per 9. I'm also fine bringing back Q, so not really an either/or for me, but I see Stroman as a huge ground ball guy going from Toronto (28th in defensive fWAR from 2017-2019, giving up the 7th highest BABIP in that stretch) to a Cubs team that had, from what I remember, the best infield defense in baseball last year (which shouldn't get any worse with KB/Baez/Rizz staying and Kipnis leaving). Know he only went 100ish innings in 2018, but that looks like it was mainly blisters related, and then he had a torn calf before he opted out last year...not really something I'd worry about going forward. With the blister issue, he's still 29th in baseball in total innings from 2017-2019.

Stroman seems like he'd be perfect as like a 90% version of Hendricks...Toronto's defense was terrible, putting him in front of ours should work out perfectly. I want Doolittle just to enhance my enjoyment of this team. The fact that he's a really good pitcher when healthy is almost a separate discussion.

What you do with the ball is your own business, no need to bring it in to the wholesome Golf thread.

At least we're not the twins

The whole Contreras thing goes from awesome to sad pretty quickly when you play like this

Let's play which pitch will be a bad call....I got the 4th pitch, making it 2-2 instead of 3-1.

Figure out a way to get a run here and let these shadows take care of the rest. I assume they are impossible to hit in given how much they've been talking about them.

Yep, which makes it a really bad send.

Darvish has 12 scoreless innings in him today. Just don't think it'll be enough.

Jon will do well enough until Ross leaves him in too long and costs us another game. Nah, Lester will gut out 4-5 innings. Then Ross will screw up the decisions from there, most likely including bringing in Alzolay in a tight spot, having him walk in 2 runs, and raise questions about the confidence of our top pitching prospect for months going into next year. Also, Billy Hamilton will get thrown out pinch running for Schwarber in like, the 4th inning.

I guess 114 wRC against righties David Bote just...needed the day off?

Bottom of the ninth is a good time to say "wow, no fans, looks like a scrimmage"

He has such easy power

Yeah no idea what the Marlins platoon situation is like, but this is fine assuming Lester is on the shortest leash possible. Barring disaster, Kyle and Yu are going to go deep in their games. Tell Lester he gets one time through, have Alzolay ready from the beginning, and then have Q ready to go right after that. Ideally none of their hitters see any of those guys more than once.

I kept seeing Sixto pop up on like, PitchingNinja and what not, and knew he was a top prospect, and figured he was racking up tons of Ks. Turns out he's 112th out of 158 pitchers who threw at least 30 innings this year in K/9. Good numbers, and I'm sure has the pedigree to become a top pitcher, but clearly a step below Hendricks/Yu.

Yep, assuming you don't go back to last year or the steroid years where there were 5 bombs a game. Figure out a way to get more balls in play, and the the league wide BABIP going from .300 in 2000 to .291 this year (.298 last year) won't be as big of a deal.