The FYC, Baseball is Fun, Cubs will win at least 90 Games Thread

[Eli]

I don't think they are punting 3 seasons, only 2.  I think big bux get spent post 2013 on free agents.  If the Yankees don't act, I'm looking at Robinson Cano.

Here's a semi-stale list of 2014 free agents. http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2014-mlb-free-agents/

I realize I'm the guy who pushed "win-sooner" upthread, but I'm not sure that signing a 31-year-old middle infielder for 8-10 years at $150-200 million is the best way to accomplish that goal.

[Chuck to Chuck]

I realize I'm the guy who pushed "win-sooner" upthread, but I'm not sure that signing a 31-year-old middle infielder for 8-10 years at $150-200 million is the best way to accomplish that goal.

A) I agree in general
B) But the Cubs have only Darwin Barney at second and no one behind him in the minors
C) They are going to have hardly any payroll
D) The Cubs Network which is probably coming soon, will likely increase their TV revenue alone by $200 million per year.

While I wouldn't want five Robinson Cano-type deals signed, they will certainly be able to afford 1 in 2014 and beyond.

[thehawk]

I realize I'm the guy who pushed "win-sooner" upthread, but I'm not sure that signing a 31-year-old middle infielder for 8-10 years at $150-200 million is the best way to accomplish that goal.

A) I agree in general
B) But the Cubs have only Darwin Barney at second and no one behind him in the minors
C) They are going to have hardly any payroll
D) The Cubs Network which is probably coming soon, will likely increase their TV revenue alone by $200 million per year.

While I wouldn't want five Robinson Cano-type deals signed, they will certainly be able to afford 1 in 2014 and beyond.

Chuck is just making sure that his next "Soriano" is in the pipeline...

[Gilgamesh]

I'm willing to be more patient than some of you guys are. Yeah, it'd be swell if in 2014 the Cubs were ready to make a run at a playoff spot. I don't think it'll be a punt, as someone said, but 2016 is the year I'm pointing at.

I think 2016 is the last year of Theo's contract. With all of the money coming off the books next season (freeing them from Hendry's stupidity [in some ways]), that's awfully conservative. Five years is far too long for a big market team to remain completely intentionally uncompetitive.

Every chance to win is sacred though, and all that.

they'll be 5>.500<5 in 2014, maybe squeeze into the SeligCard in 2015. By 2016 they're going for all the marbles.

Let's see how it plays out.

With the amount of player movement every year, do teams really go through that linear process of gradually becoming a good team anymore? I have absolutely no basis for this but I could see this team having another awful year or two, then sneaking into the playoffs with 84 wins and winning the whole goddamn thing and then we'll need a squad of moppers just to mop up the amount of stuff I'm gonna be squirting all over the place.

I think EpHoyStink are planning sustained success here. It's easier & cheaper to do that with a fully stocked farm system. As inportant as the players they've been acquiring, the bigger item is the changes in scouting and minor league instruction. If you're a good team, there are still good players available at the bottom of the first round. Hell, there are plenty of damn good players that get drafted in late rounds.

This isn't a matter of punting. This is a matter of building, starting with the foundation. The penthouse is always the last thing to be finished.

I guess it's easy to think that when EpHoyStink has said that exact thing about how they intend to build the franchise.

[BH]

I realize I'm the guy who pushed "win-sooner" upthread, but I'm not sure that signing a 31-year-old middle infielder for 8-10 years at $150-200 million is the best way to accomplish that goal.

A) I agree in general
B) But the Cubs have only Darwin Barney at second and no one behind him in the minors
C) They are going to have hardly any payroll
D) The Cubs Network which is probably coming soon, will likely increase their TV revenue alone by $200 million per year.

While I wouldn't want five Robinson Cano-type deals signed, they will certainly be able to afford 1 in 2014 and beyond.

Chuck wants to overpay for Cano because we have no replacement for darwin f'ng barney in the minors?
You're joking right?

[Eli]

I realize I'm the guy who pushed "win-sooner" upthread, but I'm not sure that signing a 31-year-old middle infielder for 8-10 years at $150-200 million is the best way to accomplish that goal.

A) I agree in general
B) But the Cubs have only Darwin Barney at second and no one behind him in the minors
C) They are going to have hardly any payroll
D) The Cubs Network which is probably coming soon, will likely increase their TV revenue alone by $200 million per year.

While I wouldn't want five Robinson Cano-type deals signed, they will certainly be able to afford 1 in 2014 and beyond.

I agree with the gist of that, and it really depends on the actual contract Cano would get. He likely has 4-5 decent-to-very-good years left; it's possible they could frontload the deal or maybe convince him to sign a shorter, higher-dollar deal.

Related to your Point B, it's probably not a bad idea to trade Barney this offseason while his value is as high as it'll ever get. There are plenty of people who think he could play shortstop, too, which helps. While it'd be fun to have Barney around so I can remind Huey that he mocked me for saying Barney was "outstanding" defensively, I'd rather see him traded for pitching help (Barney, not Huey, but whatever works).

[Chuck to Chuck]

Chuck is just making sure that his next "Soriano" is in the pipeline...

Well, Hendry did draft Baez, so...

[R-V]

I realize I'm the guy who pushed "win-sooner" upthread, but I'm not sure that signing a 31-year-old middle infielder for 8-10 years at $150-200 million is the best way to accomplish that goal.

A) I agree in general
B) But the Cubs have only Darwin Barney at second and no one behind him in the minors
C) They are going to have hardly any payroll
D) The Cubs Network which is probably coming soon, will likely increase their TV revenue alone by $200 million per year.

While I wouldn't want five Robinson Cano-type deals signed, they will certainly be able to afford 1 in 2014 and beyond.

I agree with the gist of that, and it really depends on the actual contract Cano would get. He likely has 4-5 decent-to-very-good years left; it's possible they could frontload the deal or maybe convince him to sign a shorter, higher-dollar deal.

Related to your Point B, it's probably not a bad idea to trade Barney this offseason while his value is as high as it'll ever get. There are plenty of people who think he could play shortstop, too, which helps. While it'd be fun to have Barney around so I can remind Huey that he mocked me for saying Barney was "outstanding" defensively, I'd rather see him traded for pitching help (Barney, not Huey, but whatever works).

I think Huey's value is also probably as high as it'll ever get. Scouts are going to realize pretty soon that he's an actual meatball and doesn't just play one on the internet.

[Quality Start Machine]

B) But the Cubs have only Darwin Barney at second and no one behind him in the minors

They've got Castro and Rizzo, and Baez will be at third in a couple years. If the lightest bat in the infield is one that comes with a Gold Glove and a 2.5 WAR, it's not really that big a deal.

[morpheus]

I realize I'm the guy who pushed "win-sooner" upthread, but I'm not sure that signing a 31-year-old middle infielder for 8-10 years at $150-200 million is the best way to accomplish that goal.

A) I agree in general
B) But the Cubs have only Darwin Barney at second and no one behind him in the minors
C) They are going to have hardly any payroll
D) The Cubs Network which is probably coming soon, will likely increase their TV revenue alone by $200 million per year.

While I wouldn't want five Robinson Cano-type deals signed, they will certainly be able to afford 1 in 2014 and beyond.

I agree with the gist of that, and it really depends on the actual contract Cano would get. He likely has 4-5 decent-to-very-good years left; it's possible they could frontload the deal or maybe convince him to sign a shorter, higher-dollar deal.

Related to your Point B, it's probably not a bad idea to trade Barney this offseason while his value is as high as it'll ever get. There are plenty of people who think he could play shortstop, too, which helps. While it'd be fun to have Barney around so I can remind Huey that he mocked me for saying Barney was "outstanding" defensively, I'd rather see him traded for pitching help (Barney, not Huey, but whatever works).

I think Huey's value is also probably as high as it'll ever get. Scouts are going to realize pretty soon that he's an actual meatball and doesn't just play one on the internet.

Seams like a good place to put this.

[Slaky]

I don't think they are punting 3 seasons, only 2.  I think big bux get spent post 2013 on free agents.  If the Yankees don't act, I'm looking at Robinson Cano.

Here's a semi-stale list of 2014 free agents. http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2014-mlb-free-agents/

Why wouldn't they act? Who would they possibly replace him with?

[Slaky]

Also, the big point here is that this is the Cubs we're talking about. Everyone talking about getting fed up in a year or two is full of shit. Everyone on this board has watched the Cubs for a long time. Everyone on this board watched the Cubs knowing the front offices have been incompetent and hoped the Cubs would luck their way into a title by hitting on the right mix of trades and free agents.

This front office could not care less and everyone who thinks the pipeline of Cubs fans is going to dry up and no one's going to go to Wrigley anymore if the Cubs stink next year and maybe kind of stink the year after that are delusional.

You gonna stop watching? After all the shit you've seen an actual rebuild is going to keep fans away from Wrigley? From following the team? From watching the games?

No, no it isn't.

[Eli]

This front office could not care less and everyone who thinks the pipeline of Cubs fans is going to dry up and no one's going to go to Wrigley anymore if the Cubs stink next year and maybe kind of stink the year after that are delusional.

I'm not as tuned in to the stupidity of the general populace, I guess, but are there lots of these people?

[Quality Start Machine]

After all the shit you've seen an actual rebuild is going to keep fans away from Wrigley?

"Rebuild" implies there was a "build" to begin with. The last true "build" the Cubs did was when Dallas Green made the Phillies his prison bitches, along with drafting guys like Maddux, Palmiero and Grace.

And people won't come to see losing baseball - at least not enough to fill the place. People will still come out, to some degree, to see guys like Castro and Rizzo, along with any other phenom who shows up and gets somebody excited.

The Chads and Trixies will just forgo the bleacher festivities and head straight to Sluggers.

[Chuck to Chuck]

You gonna stop watching?

Yes, for 2013.

After all the shit you've seen an actual rebuild is going to keep fans away from Wrigley?

Some.  It has the last few years. But not permanently.

From following the team? From watching the games?

Maybe not if Kane County is on TV...