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Stratos

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Everything posted by Stratos

  1. Stratos
    We have to assume the Cubs have talked to most or all of the agents of players they're most interested in for Plan B, or to continue Plan A. I do remember this happening in a lot of offseasons, with top guys holding things up. Teams got their offseasons done very quickly in the lockout year, this isn't an issue, there's a ton of time left.
  2. Stratos
    Would be odd to trade for a Madrigal-type at 3B but likely with a lesser glove. Why not target someone with more power? Like...Christopher Morel? LOL.
  3. Stratos
    With all the secrecy I agree
  4. Stratos
    Maybe they're just Japanese LOL. Just cultural differences. Though I know nothing about either of them personally.
  5. Stratos
    Is this you tweeting this?
  6. Stratos
    Levine seems to just throw stuff out there sometimes and not backed by much. He could be the "unofficial guy" the Cubs use to leak stuff out that they want out there, so he may know more than Sharma etc. He has the links with Marquee.
  7. Stratos
    We don't really know when the official pitches were all made, or where they are in the negotiation process. Lots of major FA's sign later in the offseason than Dec. 02. This is a 500-600m decision and the next 10-12 years of your life, I would think teams and the player/agents can't do that in a flash. I have no expectations of when this will get done at this point. Having a timeline of the Winter Meetings would be convenient for the teams but Ohtani doesn't care about Winter Meetings, he's in the drivers seat so his side will dictate the process and timeline.
  8. Stratos
    Agree 100%. Teams will want things done but I doubt he or his agent care, and I doubt they'll want to out too much pressure on him.
  9. Stratos
    Yeah but then there's the back and forth of negotiations, then he needs to decide. This could drag out weeks.
  10. Stratos
    I dunno,, this deal is going to be pretty ridiculous and complex and unprecedented, could see it taking longer than typical big contracts. Hopefully you're right though
  11. Stratos
    Well I don't think LA is a lock for him but it just seems such an overwhelming favorite in what they can offer. The midwest is not a good market compared to the coasts. Good point about the timezone in LA. You're right we have no idea what factors are most important to him. Financially it will likely go well beyond the contract dollars to include the market as an opportunity to build revenue streams for him outside the MLB and keep building his own brand. But who knows. I have no doubt Ricketts is licking his lips at the revenue opportunity here. This is a corporate business decision above everything, and they'll run the numbers and revenue projections and decide that way IMO, it's definitely not just about his WAR. Just imagine the presentation package they'd lay out for him. The Cubs have turned into Disney LOL, and I haven't been the biggest fan of the Ricketts/Crane approach, it's just way too corporate and feels dead inside.
  12. Stratos
    I can't see how we beat the Dodgers. They have the players/team, the revenue, the west coast location and asian locals, plus he doesn't have to move. Only thing Cubs can offer better is taxes.
  13. Stratos
    Yeah they have leverage for sure, but it's still all up to him, he doesn't have to accept the offer. There's risks on both sides here. But he'll still become a FA by around 30 y/o or somewhere still in his prime years very likely. I think the best way for any team to spend money is to extend good players through their prime years. I would even overpay a bit to get a really good player to extend a few years than sign a really good player until they're 40 years old. Maybe not overpay before a kid has even played MLB baseball, but for someone like Nico or whomever why not.
  14. Stratos
    I would think for the teams involved that the negotiations are more important than the GM meetings. I wonder if no deal is reached if they all break for the meetings, then come back to finish the negotiations. But they need to get this stuff done for these teams to move on with their offseasons so maybe not. IMO we can look to which teams have signed other significant signings so far, especially SP, to see who is definitely out of the Ohtani sweepstakes. Cardinals obviously haha.
  15. Stratos
    Is it possible he gets a 600m contract? 50m AAV x 12 years = 600m
  16. Stratos
    Nobody knows anything, it's all BS until the deal gets close.
  17. Stratos
    The Jays (and any team) would have a ton more revenue with Ohtani, they could increase payroll and easily keep those pre-arb guys. Ohtani literally pays for himself and thensome with the revenue he brings in. He could get a crazy contract. But the thing is, it's not guaranteed. If Ohtani doesn't play like Ohtani in say 5 years, or doesn't come back to pitch like he did, then he isn't "Ohtani", and the revenues from him would drop, so teams just can't assume revenues over the total of his contract.
  18. Stratos
    I watched Imanaga's start in the WBC final game vs USA from March. He just looked "ok". His stuff was very average, his curve maybe below average, maybe a plus split. Good command. Looked like a MORP. Would rather they target a TORP
  19. Stratos
    Toronto is the media hub for Canada FWIW and everything broadcasts nationally, but i'm not sure how it would compare to Chicago re: media. Toronto media can be intense, but Jays media is pretty chill, the fans and media aren't as diehard as Cubs fans. LA obviously must be crazy for him media-wise, with the paparazzi etc., but on the other hand everyone there is used to seeing celebs NY would be crazy too, he couldn't move in that city.
  20. Stratos
    I live in Canada and have lived in Toronto. Toronto has a very large Asian population, though mostly Chinese and Filipino. They could use a hitter plus a SP so i could see them targeting Ohtani. They also have a large population for the Great Toronto Area of about 7 million, and have a stadium with a large seating capacity at 50k, which they could fill if Ohtani is signed and the team is good. The Jays are also broadcast nationally across Canada to all cable subscribers regardless of cable package, so the revevnue potential there for Toronto is quite good. Whereever he signs, I think the revenue Ohtani will bring in will have a huge impact for his suitors obviously beyond just his ability as a ballplayer to help a team win games.
  21. Stratos
    WetButt broke the news on Q. But I want to hear what KatyPerrysBootyHole has to say about these Ohtani rumours.
  22. Stratos
    Agree. There's numerous good players available in FA and likely available in trade also. They can sign Ohtani, or for about the same price of Ohtani's AAV sign Bellinger + Snell, or numerous other combinations of good players that will improve the team. How much they spend in payroll in 2024 is more important than which good players they sign. A 5 WAR guy + a 3 WAR guy compared to two 4 WAR guys...not much of a difference really. Also the idea that any MLB team needs a "megastar" to build around is illogical. A good team needs a lot of good players. Trout and Ohtani have won nothing in Anaheim because their teams aren't good.
  23. Stratos
    Like last year, i think they'd rather have the best players on the MLB roster than worry about who is owed what.
  24. Stratos
    Hard to see them making a deal like this before Ohtani is signed. If they lose out on Ohtani the Cubs can pivot to a FA TORP as an option. If they land Ohtani then trading for a 1-year SP seems more likely and acquiring a SP who has a multiyear deal less likely.
  25. Stratos
    If they sign Ohtani, with the extra revenue there's no excuse not to go over the 2nd threshold and get close to 277 and take advantage of that signing while he's still in his prime years, along with Swanson.
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