Brian Kelder

Yes, I have been that guy. I've railed against the Darvish Dump. Rizzo, KB, and Javy on the same day? Criminal. Kyle Schwarber should be the DH. Why on earth did the Cubs not spend, then waste a seven year contract on a declining SS? Prospects, bah! I've also seen the sensible spending at a high level, appreciated the starting pitching and prospect capital that exists, and the defensive prowess the Cubs have assembled Do you get the picture? This is social media in a nutshell. Cub fandom has really become polarized about Jed Hoyer and his regime. Much like everything else in life, it seems like polarization and side taking is dividing Cub fans right down the middle. Not healthy, this. Let's look at a few controversial topics from the old Tweeter machine, Discord, Facebook groups, places like that and really look at what's going on in these situations. SPENDING Optimist: Look, the Cubs have a top 10 payroll, what do you want? Ricketts has proven himself in the past and will certainly spend when the time is right. Pessimist: When will the right time be? Why did he lock in a guy like Swanson (as has been covered well on this site)? How will we ever get a star bat in this lineup if Jed and the Ricketts won't spend? Reasonable: First of all, the cheap narrative is insulting to the 15 or so fanbases that are truly cheap. The Brewers, Marlins, Rockies, Twins, Guardians, Nationals, Pirates, Reds, and several others would love to have this payroll. So cheap isn't really the word I would throw out here. It is reasonable to question some of the longer term deals. Jameson Taillon hasn't been steady which he was brought to do. Dansby Swanson's struggles don't need to be brought up again. Everyone remembers the Tre Mancini, Tucker Barnhardt, and Drew Smyly contracts that haven't paid off. To this writer, he's just done a questionable job of spending the money. If you count Kyle Hendricks, there's close to 30 million dollars in dead money, money which could have been spent on relief pitching or used to bring in a high level bat. Comments from the front office don't lead to optimism that a big spending increase is coming either. They want to sit below the luxury tax. They have said this, even said it out loud that their natural state is right at but below the tax. So if that's cheap, it's fair game. Summary: The Cubs aren't going to be huge spenders, but really can't be called cheap. More like, it's time to question how the budget was spent. PROSPECTS AND YOUNG PLAYERS Optimist: You have to give the guys a long runway and time to make adjustments. Baseball fans have to be patient, and I hate what this fanbase has become. Prospects even in the minors have organizational value. This is Jed's league! Pessimist: Still waiting for Christopher Morel to be a good player. Michael Busch is hitting .202 since May. Ben Brown won't be healthy. Where is this wave of prospects coming? Like, why is David Bote on the MLB team, shouldn't there be a prospect from our top rated farm system to come up instead? Reasonable: This depends on what you think the Cubs are doing this season. If it's supposed to be contention, then the moves should reflect that. If it's primarily development, by all means Morel should continue hitting cleanup, Busch and PCA should be hitting against lefties, and the kids should fill in the bullpen as needed. The question to me is the value extracted from the prospects. I said earlier, there aren't going to be 5 outfield spots for the prospects to play. What's going to be the plan with these guys? What happens if a top 100 guy busts? Then do you have to extend Happ again? It's just all so unknown. Nobody can win this argument. Summary: They're both right. Prospects to break out sometimes. They also don't. Right now I think the movie is in the middle and we can't judge the ending yet because we simply don't know what's going to happen. My advice is to dive into the prospects if that interests you; there's a ton of interesting guys in the minors. If it doesn't, don't get involved in discussion with prospect guys. They have their babies and love to hug their prospects and will tell you they won't watch the Cubs if James Triantos is dealt. So there you have it. There are many, many, many arguments that can be had, and will be had, on social media. This is just one writer's take on a couple of them. Go Cubs, and have a great day.