This offseason feels like the offensive line blew a hole through the DL, all the linebackers fell on their butts and the d backs didn’t bother to take the field, but instead of sprinting through the hole for an easy score, the running back has decided to try to moonwalk to a touch down.
Chicago Cubs 2024
I keep looking for some type of breaking news everyday. What day do you think Tom Dreesen will sing "Take Me out To The Ballgame"?
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
I don't want to cape for Jed too hard because there's definitely a chance he completely blows it. My point isn't that we should have total faith in him, but that the story is still very incomplete and its too soon to judge.
Every dollar saved on Bellinger/Chapman/Montgomery/Whoever is a dollar that can be spent later on more resources, and you're always going to need more resources. It's EXTREMELY worth it to hold out to sign a more team-friendly deal on March 1 than the less team-friendly one you could have had on January 1.
But, as with basketball recruiting:
Every dollar saved on Bellinger/Chapman/Montgomery/Whoever is a dollar that can be spent later on more resources, and you're always going to need more resources. It's EXTREMELY worth it to hold out to sign a more team-friendly deal on March 1 than the less team-friendly one you could have had on January 1.
But, as with basketball recruiting:
At this point it feels like Boras is trying to get the Cubs to bid against themselves, and Jed is like:I don't want to cape for Jed too hard because there's definitely a chance he completely blows it. My point isn't that we should have total faith in him, but that the story is still very incomplete and its too soon to judge.
Every dollar saved on Bellinger/Chapman/Montgomery/Whoever is a dollar that can be spent later on more resources, and you're always going to need more resources. It's EXTREMELY worth it to hold out to sign a more team-friendly deal on March 1 than the less team-friendly one you could have had on January 1.
But, as with basketball recruiting:
Mr. Tibbs
- southeast DuPage
or how long will he talk to Boog in the top of the 7th about the good ole days of hanging with "Mr Sinatra" ?
I don't want to cape for Jed too hard because there's definitely a chance he completely blows it. My point isn't that we should have total faith in him, but that the story is still very incomplete and its too soon to judge.
Every dollar saved on Bellinger/Chapman/Montgomery/Whoever is a dollar that can be spent later on more resources, and you're always going to need more resources. It's EXTREMELY worth it to hold out to sign a more team-friendly deal on March 1 than the less team-friendly one you could have had on January 1.
But, as with basketball recruiting:
I understand all that. The frustration is that Jed’s acting like he needs to thread a needle when he could just blow the doors off the thing. The conventional wisdom is that the Cubs will get either Chapman or Bellinger, but the big boy, grown up, major market franchise thing to do would be to get both. (Or one of the two plus either Snell or Montgomery.)
And, yeah, maybe they still do that, but the clock is ticking. <Me stomping my foot like Marisa Tomei in My Cousin Vinnie.>
God forbid that this major market team that is printing money go a little over the first level of luxury tax !!
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
It's a mistake I think to compare the situations of Busch and PCA.
Busch is 5 years older and has crushed AAA for two full years, whereas PCA has played only 34 games there after only playing 73 at AA.
Busch is a major leaguer full stop and will be the everyday 1B barring the unforeseen. He's only a "prospect" in the sense of retaining his rookie eligibility. The Cubs just liked the risk/cost/upside profile of Busch better than Rhys Hoskins. Wisely so, IMO.
Whereas it's not a question of service time or "blocking" with PCA, he just needs to spend more time developing at AAA, they don't want him to open the season in the bigs. I think if they could go back they wouldn't have given him the cup of coffee last year (though that going bad was as much Ross' fault as PCA's).
I do think Shaw is a factor though, one of several reasons why I bet the Cubs want a short term pillow deal for Chapman rather than anything long-term.
But with Bellinger's youth and defensive versatility, I don't think there are any blockage worries. The Cubs want him and he wants to be a Cub. Boras just needs to drag things to the bitter end in search of some benchmark-setting deal with a mystery suitor that looks increasingly unlikely to appear.
Sometimes I wonder if behind the scenes some or his clients get a little frustrated playing the waiting game. These are people with families and I'm sure they would like to know where they will be living and what school their kids will be going to. I suppose they all know what they're getting into and if they put their foot down he would have to do what they want.
Forgive me if I don't buy into the author's fear that signing a couple of position players will give the Cubs too much talent. I used to have that kind of optimism, now I buy into results. Thanks for the link.
FWIW,
ESPN says #2
How bright is your MLB team's future? Kiley McDaniel ranks all 30 farm systems
Here's how every organization in baseball stacks up when it comes to young talent.
I heard that they paid an astronomical amount for the hoses and nozzles, probably forcing a new standard for the other major league teams.
I'm excited that they aren't just sitting on their hands.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
I wake up every morning terrified I'm going to see "Bellinger to Toronto"
The only problem is that they only bought 4 pieces of chain link. Last year they had 6 and they already threw them out.
They're still recovering from the Ohtani era in Toronto.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Somewhere up north there is a message board like this one for hard-suffering Blue Jays fans and that's about as bad a beat as you can take. Thoughts and prayers to them.
KBLEE
- Montgomery, IL
I used to play fantasy baseball with a guy who ended up becoming the Blue Jays beat reporter for MLB.com and is now a sports writer for the Toronto Star. Talk about a thankless job...
I mean... He does get paid to write about sports. All of us knuckleheads around here do it all day for free...
Mr. Tibbs
- southeast DuPage
Cubs pitchers and catchers report to practice Wednesday with the full squad practice on Monday.
The Cubs will face off against their archrivals the White Sox in the first game of the season on Feb. 23 and they'll end the season against their other rivals the St. Louis Cardinals.