This team bad.
Chicago Cubs 2021 season
*The Baltimore Orioles have entered the conversation*
To quote Carlos Zambrano: "We stinks"
Classic, love it.
Illiniaaron
- Geneseo, IL
Does this mean Rachel Phelps can move the team to Miami? 
Does this mean Rachel Phelps can move the team to Miami?
Fun trivia: the original ending of the movie had it turn out that Rachel was a baseball genius who was manipulating the team into playing better. Which actually makes the movie make more sense, because if she actually wanted the team to be bad, she could have traded or demoted the players who were performing well.
Do a Google search, the “big reveal” scene is out there.
Anyway, it didn’t test well with audiences and so they changed it to the way the movie was eventually released.
Yeah he basically let it slip that they would be one of the teams earlier this week. Though at this point, I'm sure many Cubs fans would feel better with the Iowa Cubs playing that game.
I can see why they would keep what they did though. Having her turn babyface that late after being a heel for the entirety of the movie wouldn't have made any sense.
Question for the Cubs fans on here that I've seen brought up in the past week...
As a Cubs fan, do you ever think you'll see the Cubs make a run where they'll make the playoffs 5 out of 6 years and win a World Series again in your lifetime?
As a Cubs fan, do you ever think you'll see the Cubs make a run where they'll make the playoffs 5 out of 6 years and win a World Series again in your lifetime?
bdutts
- Houston, Texas
I’m 55 years old so no. Not with this FO/ownership.
Not if they continue with the luxury tax.
dgcrow
- Kelso, WA
Looking at next year's schedule, my guess would be that the Field of Dreams game will have the Cubs "at" Cincinnati on Thursday, August 11, 2022.
This is the same FO/Ownership that made the playoffs 5 out of 6 years and won a WS. I fail to see the logic.
Illiniaaron
- Geneseo, IL
Can it happen again? Sure. The first step is we need to see what is done by ownership this upcoming offseason.
I think we need to wait until 2023 to start signing big FA's. We have to synchronize those signings with our farm system starting to produce big league talent or we are just wasting a year of spending. They definitely won't be ready in 2022. I think the right move is to fill out the roster with 1 year guys next year. Probably guys that are sitting home in late January and February willing to sign a one year deal.
Homecoming 2019
- Chicago
Fangraphs has us at 8, so there is a pretty large disconnect between rankers at the moment. Marquez and Amaya to me were passed up at the top a year or 2 ago.
Homecoming 2019
- Chicago
If you want 2023 to be the compete year, you need to add guys in 2022. We have the cap space, signing a guy entering his prime long term (and hope he doesn't turn out like Heyward) should be the plan next year. We are too rich a franchise to be punting seasons anymore, no reason this thing should turn into 2012-14.
IMHO, if they were going to go all out next year they could have easily traded for so-so major leaguers with not as much upside. Look at the guys they got for Darvish. High schoolers. The guys from the White Sox were the only ones "ready".
Not sure how the 2022 FA class looks compared to the preliminary 2023 class.
Agreed that Ricketts is crying poor. He refuses to go anywhere near the luxury tax.
Who is watching Marquee now? I hope the advertisers have an out. Not like season ticket holders.
Chilliniwek
- Chicagoland
I see the Padres are trying to corner the market on ex-Cubs named Jake. Jake Jewell sits in the bullpen nervously. 
KBLEE
- Montgomery, IL
There's no way we're anywhere near #8. BA had us at #17 previously, but if top prospects aren't playing that is an issue.
You can make an argument for Amaya falling off (still likely the catcher of the future), but Marquez is still the top arm in the Cubs system.
Homecoming 2019
- Chicago
Our farm system is very deep, not a ton of guys in the top 100, but absolutely a ton of guys that could reach that and make meaningful contributions in the MLB. #8 is about right for fangraphs considering most of our best players are still in their teens and don't get much value from sites like BA. The re-rankings at the end of the season should see us in the top 10 for most ranking systems.
Fangraphs had the Cubs #18 prior to the deadline and jumped them up to #8 after. BA is behind a paywall I can’t see their methodology or even when the rankings came out.
I don’t see that MLB.com has updated its rankings post-deadline, but they had the Cubs system ranked higher in March (#22) than BA had them ranked now post deadline if you’re right about the BA ranking.
Similarly, Bleacher Report’s post-draft, pre-deadline rankings had the Cubs #16.
Read up on the Competitive Balance Tax and you will understand why the Cubs were hell bent on getting under the tax this season, especially when the team wasn't championship caliber.
https://www.mlb.com/glossary/transactions/competitive-balance-tax
They aren't just re-setting the roster, they are re-setting the tax penalties for exceeding the "cap" for several consecutive years. Even the Yankees are doing it this year. I don't think anyone would accuse Steinbrenner of "crying poor". Failing to do it would simply be bad business.