Regular Show

I don't care much to lock up a pitcher we already control for multiple years yet who won't be all that young come FA. I agree. We have him under control for three more years after this season. I would like to add two more years to the three years of team control before his FA. So like a 5 year deal is what I think would be ideal. The problem with that is I don't think Hendricks or his agent would be down for that...

So I've been wondering about extensions for our young players and which ones would actually accept it. I think #1 for me is W. Contreras -- that guy is a young stud and I feel confident he'll outperform whatever contract extension we offered. K. Bryant and other S. Boras clients are going to be hard to pull off. Anyway, K. Hendricks is the weirdest candidate for me. I think he's perpetually underrated and underappreciated (by fans/media). It also seems like he'll avoid the typical pitcher injuries because he doesn't throw hard, but that could be a false assumption. I want to keep him past his FA year (2020), but if he keeps losing velocity how much longer can he succeed at the big league level before hitters adjust and finally get the best of him? What do you guys think? I don't want to lock up Hendricks for too long because when he enters his decline phase it could be brutal...

http://i.imgur.com/ia7BHlp.gif That sketch was hysterical, but literally everything in that gif makes me want to barf. Indeed. I felt the exact same way watching that lol. I miss those old SNL fake commercials/spoofs...

I'm not certain to the extent that they tried to change it, but I believe they tried to incorporate a leg kick for Heyward in Arizona to unlock more power. Scouts have always felt like Heyward should hit for more power than he does. Anyway, I honestly don't know what happened or how it all snowballed for Heyward in 2016. I mean the Cubs deserve some blame for tinkering with his swing, but a lot of the bad things Heyward did in in the batter's box in 2016 have nothing to do with the Cubs' hitting instructors.

Bro, I'm clearly a time-traveler who wants to criticize an overpaid player on an MLB team that just won their first World Series in over a 100 years ending their historic drought, instead of you know, doing something useful like putting Hillary in a coma so that Bernie would've been the Democratic nominee who then goes on to beat Trump in last year's election lol.

Man this thread got pretty dark... All you guys ripping J-Hey now are late to the party -- I'd like to take credit for being the first "Hater" on J. Heyward this year lol. I criticized his new swing and how productive he'd be after GAME FREAKING 1 this season! Obviously, I overreacted and was frustrated, but I never thought this new swing would work. I'm angry that the Cubs didn't completely rework/change it more. I said all this while he was still being productive at the beginning of the season. Go back and re-read this thread a few pages back, and you would think Heyward is "fixed" and doing well. I took a fair amount of criticism for my criticism of Heyward and for doubting his bat. I'd like to be this guy right now: All that said, he is a great defender in the OF, great baserunner, and a great teammate. I don't know what the Cubs do with Heyward this offseason? Try to alter his swing again? Good luck with that! His contract is what it is...

Here is a hype video of Marvin Bagley III. Good stuff... [bbvideo=1280,720] [/bbvideo]

I wouldn't say that tanking doesn't work... I mean the 76ers and "The Process" have taken a long time to finally pay off, but now the 76ers have a bright future and a great young core. There is SO much luck involved in the draft and even when you have a top pick you can screw it up like the Bulls did when they decided to take T. Thomas over L. Aldridge. Still, you nail it with that high draft pick and you have a bonafide superstar on a cheap contract for a while. This is early but it seems like this upcoming draft unfortunately only has two players with super high ceilings/All-Star potential: SF - M. Porter and PF/C - M. Bagley III. I watched some video of M. Bagley III and that guy looked super impressive against some shitty HS competition lol. Great athlete. He's a lefty who can occasionally pull off a Dirk-like one foot fadeaway shot. He has a decent looking shot and good mechanics. Impressive handles and dribbling skills for someone his size. Doesn't have a great interior game/inside game, but then again he doesn't really need to right now. Prefers playing on the perimeter and then attacking the hoop. I'll need to watch more video of him against college competition before I'm all in on him. Wish he didn't commit to Duke because I horsefeathering hate Duke, but whatever...

So Jake won't be reaching that 200 IP plateau. He did last year (if you include his work in the playoffs) and in what will be the best year of his career (2015). I doubt that'll affect his FA too much. I have no idea how much he's looking for and/or how many years. If he really wants that 6 year deal then I hope he's happy playing on a shitty team like the Giants lol.

I don't see an official update anywhere on Jake. They're just saying right leg injury -- either cramping or hamstring acting up. Hopefully, it's nothing too serious. The Cubs can't afford to lose Jake right now.

I want an automated strike zone SO bad... Human umpires are terrible. I think they know their limitations, but don't want to admit they're shitty at their jobs because well, it's a high paying gig.

Thanks for the recaps Raisin! I don't post too often in these threads, but I really appreciate being able to read what our best prospects are doing on the farm. Good progress on the pitching front this season in the minors. Hopefully Oscar De La Cruz and/or A. Alzolay continue the progress they made next year!

Johnson has pitched extremely well for a couple of months. Its easy to see him being a contributor in next years pen. Hannemann is a nothing. Martin has experience, which likely means a bit to the guys calling the shots. And Davis' clubhouse stuff this month and in the playoffs, probably contribute as much or more than what Hannemann ever would as a major leaguer for us. Yeah, totally agree with Davell. Reward Davis by promoting him, and I'm sure he's a good clubhouse guy who'll eventually move into some FO role for the Cubs after his playing career is over. Hannemann might end up being a 4th outfielder who gets a cup'o'coffee and joins a bunch of organizations. I never liked him, and was curious why we took him so high...I know this is petty and silly, but I'm still upset with that selection in the 2013 MLB draft. Yeah, I know we got freakin' KRIS BRYANT with our first round pick and made the right decision with our most important pick of that draft. That's the guy I wanted and we made sure we got him. Good job Cubs! That said, after KB we took Zastryzny, Hannemann and Skulina. Pretty disappointing considering where we were picking in those rounds and the talent that was available. We did take Z. Godley in the 10th round and he has turned into a pretty good pitcher for Arizona. The best hope for lower round contributors from that draft are T. Clifton and C. Burks at this point.

I don't think Zobrist or his contract is a problem. He's not having a great year, but I think he'll bounce back next year. I think his wrist/other injuries have really affected him this year. Maybe he shouldn't be a starter full-time, but he's an excellent player to have on your bench and only has 2 years left on his contract. I don't think they are even considering trying to move him.

That video is awesome. Man, those icy stares into the camera... Grade 80 skill at making people uncomfortable for T. Davis lol.

Why do you care? who do you care that i care? i care because kaplan is terrible and in no way merits a long form article in the chicago tribune. and i posted it because that's what this thread is for. I agree -- Kaplan sucks. Why can't we have a decent Sports writer/TV personality here in Chicago? Sarah Spain is fine and M. Wilbon has his moments. Who am I forgetting?

I agree with that part. I don't think this Cubs' regime likes to trade a guy when his value is at its lowest point so if the Cubs made A. Russell available and then other teams weren't offering fair or great value back in a trade then they wouldn't do it. I really feel like Baez has improved his approach this year even if it isn't showing up in IsoD or BB total. I think he is slowly getting better, but yeah he'll never post a high OBP. I mean I don't think Russell will either. I think in their best years it'll hover around the .340-.350 OBP area. We'll have to agree to disagree on this I guess. I like Baez more than Russell and think he has the higher upside going forward. I think I. Happ has the highest offensive upside of the trio btw, but I'm assuming the WAR he accumulates on defense will be minimal. We'll see. Glad we have good to great options at the middle infield positions.

Yeah, you're right Tim. It's crazy that W. Contreras might have the strongest arm on the team. It's pretty close between Javy and Willson IMO.

I don't believe he is our best SS going forward. At least not in terms of offensive upside. I believe J. Baez can be just as good as A. Russell on defense if he cleans up a few things. He has unquestionably the strongest arm on the team. He makes plays no one else can make, including A. Russell. J. Baez is improving and getting better... I can't say the same thing for A. Russell. I really haven't seen any improvements from A. Russell at the plate or in his approach. I really doubt he improves much beyond hitting for more power. He should be getting better, but I'm almost positive his scouting report says "Don't throw him a fastball in the zone" and "really struggles to hit good breaking pitches inside and outside the zone". I mean the same thing can be said for Baez too. Baez is showing some improvement, but occasionally regresses and goes back into his bad habits. Look, I'm fine with keeping him (Russell). I said he's still super valuable because of his defense and power at SS, but I think Baez is better and has better chance of reaching his ceiling now. No harm in exploring trades for this kind of talent. I never said T. Turner for A. Russell...I said for a "T. Turner + J. Ross" type package. Personally, I do like T. Turner more than A. Russell as well, but I doubt Washington would even consider doing a Turner for Russell 1-for-1 swap. T. Turner is the better player and has a much higher upside IMO. I have no problem trading Russell for prospects, but they would have to be excellent consensus Top 100 prospects. I feel the complete opposite. Russell is already better and younger and has just as high an upside and does just about everything better than Javy except arm strength. There's plenty of playing time for both, however, and it's pretty silly to trade either, especially for prospects when both are young themselves and we are in the competitive window right now with them for the next 5-7+ years. Ah, not at the plate. I have more confidence in Baez this year than Russell. A. Russell has outproduced Baez in career WAR, but I honestly believe Baez has the higher upside now (and a better chance of reaching it). A. Russell has a super high ceiling too, but I just don't think he'll reach it for whatever reason. Maybe he does improve his approach and makes a few minor tweaks to his swing. He has amazing bat speed just like Baez, and doesn't need to pull anything to hit for power. Both of them are going to improve and are just entering their primes, just remains to be seen who will end up being better. Btw, A. Russell's agent is S. Boras so I wouldn't say our competitive window is the next 5-7+ years with A. Russell as a part of it. I'm assuming it will be easier to lock up Baez over Russell going forward. If Russell does improve considerably then maybe the Cubs FO will try to retain him or work out an extension. We'll see. That's part of the consideration for why you might want to explore possible trades for A. Russell.

Personally, I think we should make Baez the starting SS next year and explore trading Russell in the offseason for a strong "T. Turner + J. Ross" type package. If no strong trade proposals emerge then keep him and hope he improves his approach at the plate and remains healthier next year, along with fewer off-field distractions. A. Russell is still super valuable because of his defense and power so maybe the Cubs FO is still really high on him. He's also still our best SS and it would be stupid to trade him I don't believe he is our best SS going forward. At least not in terms of offensive upside. I believe J. Baez can be just as good as A. Russell on defense if he cleans up a few things. He has unquestionably the strongest arm on the team. He makes plays no one else can make, including A. Russell. J. Baez is improving and getting better... I can't say the same thing for A. Russell. I really haven't seen any improvements from A. Russell at the plate or in his approach. I really doubt he improves much beyond hitting for more power. He should be getting better, but I'm almost positive his scouting report says "Don't throw him a fastball in the zone" and "really struggles to hit good breaking pitches inside and outside the zone". I mean the same thing can be said for Baez too. Baez is showing some improvement, but occasionally regresses and goes back into his bad habits. Look, I'm fine with keeping him (Russell). I said he's still super valuable because of his defense and power at SS, but I think Baez is better and has better chance of reaching his ceiling now. No harm in exploring trades for this kind of talent. I never said T. Turner for A. Russell...I said for a "T. Turner + J. Ross" type package. Personally, I do like T. Turner more than A. Russell as well, but I doubt Washington would even consider doing a Turner for Russell 1-for-1 swap. T. Turner is the better player and has a much higher upside IMO. I have no problem trading Russell for prospects, but they would have to be excellent consensus Top 100 prospects.

It's not a stupid question. I think Baez is doing better with more regular playing time, but Baez still fluctuates in his approach. Maddon would bench him after a poor day at the plate when he displayed zero discipline/took huge hacks, but he can't afford to do that right now. He's slowly maturing and displaying more plate discipline (maybe it's just a fluke) right now, but we have so many struggling players I'm sure Baez would've gotten a lot of playing time even if A. Russell were healthy. Personally, I think we should make Baez the starting SS next year and explore trading Russell in the offseason for a strong "T. Turner + J. Ross" type package. If no strong trade proposals emerge then keep him and hope he improves his approach at the plate and remains healthier next year, along with fewer off-field distractions. A. Russell is still super valuable because of his defense and power so maybe the Cubs FO is still really high on him.

' Man, something about watching those bat flips from W. Contreras and J. Baez at those angles... http://i.imgur.com/fFiLwdR.gif Good Stuff.

Actually, now that I think about it...A should be bigger than B. Not all Trump supporters are Cardinals' fans, but many and probably the majority of Cardinals' fans are Trump supporters. I wonder what percent of Cubs fans are Trump supporters though... It's larger than we'd like it to be :(.

If you drew a Venn diagram of Trump's base and Cardinal fans, would you even need two circles? Naw, you'd still need two: http://jwilson.coe.uga.edu/EMAT6680Fa09/Singletary/Assignment%207/PIC1gif.gif I don't know about that particular graph or Venn diagram though -- assuming A=Trump Base and B=Total Cardinals' fanbase. Hmm, I think A is smaller than B and fits inside it, but they're pretty damn close in size... I have friends who are unfortunately Cardinals fans, but they are liberal and vote Democratic (for the most part). I grew up downstate in Carbondale, but fortunately for me it's a progressive blue bastion among the sea of backwards, redneck country that is Southern Illinois. The electoral map for Illinois is pretty depressing, but Jackson County went blue last year, which made me pretty damn happy. I wish some political scientist or PhD student did a thorough scientific study on the political beliefs/religious views of different fanbases across MLB. It's either the Braves or the Cardinals for the most conservative, Trump-supporting fanbase in MLB, but I'd like to back it up with some good empirical data.

I have no idea who this Ryne Ween guy is, but he has over 2000 posts and some great comebacks and zingers in this thread like "No but you are dumb". Damn, take it easy Ryan lol.