Javier Baez 2014 ROY-MVP-World Series MVP Thread

[CT III]

What part of "I fully expect the Cubs to explore every avenue to fill the needs the have, and use every tool at their disposal to do it." is so difficult to comprehend?

The part where you immediately undercut it by balking at every trade proposed by anyone in the last two years.

I think the moral of the story is: nobody knows a goddamned thing. None of us knows what the Ricketts are willing to spend or how Theo plans to go about acquiring starting pitching or who he likes and who he hates on the team. So maybe we should just relax a little and at least wait for the Winter Meetings Rumor Bonanza to start up.

And for the record, I am a joy in meetings, because I get to the fucking point in 5 sentences or less.

[Eli]

What part of "I fully expect the Cubs to explore every avenue to fill the needs the have, and use every tool at their disposal to do it." is so difficult to comprehend?

The part where you immediately undercut it by balking at every trade proposed by anyone in the last two years.

I think the moral of the story is: nobody knows a goddamned thing. None of us knows what the Ricketts are willing to spend or how Theo plans to go about acquiring starting pitching or who he likes and who he hates on the team. So maybe we should just relax a little and at least wait for the Winter Meetings Rumor Bonanza to start up.

And for the record, I am a joy in meetings, because I get to the fucking point in 5 sentences or less.

*counts sentences above*

This man delivers on his promises!

[Quality Start Machine]

What part of "I fully expect the Cubs to explore every avenue to fill the needs the have, and use every tool at their disposal to do it." is so difficult to comprehend?

The part where you immediately undercut it by balking at every trade proposed by anyone in the last two years.

I think the moral of the story is: nobody knows a goddamned thing. None of us knows what the Ricketts are willing to spend or how Theo plans to go about acquiring starting pitching or who he likes and who he hates on the team. So maybe we should just relax a little and at least wait for the Winter Meetings Rumor Bonanza to start up.

And for the record, I am a joy in meetings, because I get to the fucking point in 5 sentences or less.

but you're that fucking guy who always takes the only two Boston Creme donuts.

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

What part of "I fully expect the Cubs to explore every avenue to fill the needs the have, and use every tool at their disposal to do it." is so difficult to comprehend?

The part where you immediately undercut it by balking at every trade proposed by anyone in the last two years.

I think the moral of the story is: nobody knows a goddamned thing. None of us knows what the Ricketts are willing to spend or how Theo plans to go about acquiring starting pitching or who he likes and who he hates on the team. So maybe we should just relax a little and at least wait for the Winter Meetings Rumor Bonanza to start up.

And for the record, I am a joy in meetings, because I get to the fucking point in 5 sentences or less.

but you're that fucking guy who always takes the only two Boston Creme donuts.

No that'd definitely be me.

[R-V]

What part of "I fully expect the Cubs to explore every avenue to fill the needs the have, and use every tool at their disposal to do it." is so difficult to comprehend?

The part where you immediately undercut it by balking at every trade proposed by anyone in the last two years.

I think the moral of the story is: nobody knows a goddamned thing. None of us knows what the Ricketts are willing to spend or how Theo plans to go about acquiring starting pitching or who he likes and who he hates on the team. So maybe we should just relax a little and at least wait for the Winter Meetings Rumor Bonanza to start up.

And for the record, I am a joy in meetings, because I get to the fucking point in 5 sentences or less.

but you're that fucking guy who always takes the only two Boston Creme donuts.

No that'd definitely be me.

People eat those?

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

What part of "I fully expect the Cubs to explore every avenue to fill the needs the have, and use every tool at their disposal to do it." is so difficult to comprehend?

The part where you immediately undercut it by balking at every trade proposed by anyone in the last two years.

I think the moral of the story is: nobody knows a goddamned thing. None of us knows what the Ricketts are willing to spend or how Theo plans to go about acquiring starting pitching or who he likes and who he hates on the team. So maybe we should just relax a little and at least wait for the Winter Meetings Rumor Bonanza to start up.

And for the record, I am a joy in meetings, because I get to the fucking point in 5 sentences or less.

but you're that fucking guy who always takes the only two Boston Creme donuts.

No that'd definitely be me.

People eat those?

I actually stuff pizza rolls in mine and then eat them.

[SKO]

What part of "I fully expect the Cubs to explore every avenue to fill the needs the have, and use every tool at their disposal to do it." is so difficult to comprehend?

The part where you immediately undercut it by balking at every trade proposed by anyone in the last two years.

I think the moral of the story is: nobody knows a goddamned thing. None of us knows what the Ricketts are willing to spend or how Theo plans to go about acquiring starting pitching or who he likes and who he hates on the team. So maybe we should just relax a little and at least wait for the Winter Meetings Rumor Bonanza to start up.

And for the record, I am a joy in meetings, because I get to the fucking point in 5 sentences or less.

but you're that fucking guy who always takes the only two Boston Creme donuts.

No that'd definitely be me.

People eat those?

I actually stuff pizza rolls in mine and then eat them.

For the last time, Bacci's slices that have dried out and folded over in your fanny pack are not actually pizza rolls.

[flannj]

What part of "I fully expect the Cubs to explore every avenue to fill the needs the have, and use every tool at their disposal to do it." is so difficult to comprehend?

The part where you immediately undercut it by balking at every trade proposed by anyone in the last two years.

I think the moral of the story is: nobody knows a goddamned thing. None of us knows what the Ricketts are willing to spend or how Theo plans to go about acquiring starting pitching or who he likes and who he hates on the team. So maybe we should just relax a little and at least wait for the Winter Meetings Rumor Bonanza to start up.

And for the record, I am a joy in meetings, because I get to the fucking point in 5 sentences or less.

The bolded has been the case for the last several years and I nominate CT to keep reminding us at all subsequent meetings as we review old news and previous minutes.
Because we sure as fuck seem to forget it.

I don't get invited to meetings very often anymore after getting caught rolling my eyes by a partner that was speaking at the time.

[Quality Start Machine]

What part of "I fully expect the Cubs to explore every avenue to fill the needs the have, and use every tool at their disposal to do it." is so difficult to comprehend?

The part where you immediately undercut it by balking at every trade proposed by anyone in the last two years.

I think the moral of the story is: nobody knows a goddamned thing. None of us knows what the Ricketts are willing to spend or how Theo plans to go about acquiring starting pitching or who he likes and who he hates on the team. So maybe we should just relax a little and at least wait for the Winter Meetings Rumor Bonanza to start up.

And for the record, I am a joy in meetings, because I get to the fucking point in 5 sentences or less.

The bolded has been the case for the last several years and I nominate CT to keep reminding us at all subsequent meetings as we review old news and previous minutes.
Because we sure as fuck seem to forget it.

I don't get invited to meetings very often anymore after getting caught rolling my eyes by a partner that was speaking at the time.

and you're a farter.

[Chuck to Chuck]

Lots of talk about moving Javy for pitching or is he gonna start and what not.

Am I nuts for thinking, they should definitely keep him as a super utility guy? He's not entitled to any full time starting role but his stint at the end of the year proved he's got a lot of value as a fill in guy and he'd be more than acceptable should Castro, Russell, or Bryant get hurt at any point.

Seems like it'd be pretty dumb to get rid of a guy like that.

I agree. As these guys get older and more experienced, they might be more inclined to bitch about consistent roles and/or batting order spots, but while their still young, why not hang on to a guy who can back up at three positions with ease and could probably be a capable OF too.

Every year it seems like there is some team that is over-loaded at some position and trades away some of that depth in spring training, then ends up signing Felix Doubront to fill out their rotation.

It all just depends on what Baez's trade value is. If he can actually help bring back a young, talented arm (a Tyson Ross or Carlos Carrasco type), that's a far better use of his value than keeping him around for depth purposes.

DPD, but this. I like Javy and would be excited about him entering spring training as the starter at 2B or whatever if they move Castro but if some team is willing to trade a TOR starter and they want Baez instead of Castro then I'm not saying no. That's worth more to them than a valuable backup.

Baez as depth would be a luxury that few teams could afford. It would be crazy to have Hammel start a playoff game with Baez waiting to pinch hit.

One thousand times this. At some point every GM has to give something up to improve their team. There are a finite number of great players, and most people who have one under control aren't going to give them up without something worth gaining in return.

But for now, the thing the Cubs have they can give up most easily is money.

Okay but what if they don't have the money you think they have or the willingness to spend it you think they do? What if they want to spend it on Jason Heyward and not on a 31 year old who might be totally useless by the last 3-4 years of their deal when they're probably already expecting the last few years of Lester's contract to be a bit of a drag? Do you deny they'd need to trade for starting pitching in that scenario or just consider starting pitching less useful than Javier Baez doing a Ben Zobrist impersonation?

Of course not. I fully expect the Cubs to explore every avenue to fill the needs the have, and use every tool at their disposal to do it. But as has been pointed out here and in other places, the Cubs are, what, 3 years from having the ability to launch their own broadcast channel/network? So any pain point from paying fossils 25 mildo/per/each would be more easily absorbed at that point. So as things stand now and in the future, using money instead of sending players is less of a pain point.

As far as the Ricketts family's money and willingness to spend? After the cheddar they threw at Lester, and the success they had this season with both ticket and broadcast/advertising revenue? I'd say the purse strings are probably pretty damn loose.

...assuming that money is still available. 3 years is a long time.

[Eli]

Lots of talk about moving Javy for pitching or is he gonna start and what not.

Am I nuts for thinking, they should definitely keep him as a super utility guy? He's not entitled to any full time starting role but his stint at the end of the year proved he's got a lot of value as a fill in guy and he'd be more than acceptable should Castro, Russell, or Bryant get hurt at any point.

Seems like it'd be pretty dumb to get rid of a guy like that.

I agree. As these guys get older and more experienced, they might be more inclined to bitch about consistent roles and/or batting order spots, but while their still young, why not hang on to a guy who can back up at three positions with ease and could probably be a capable OF too.

Every year it seems like there is some team that is over-loaded at some position and trades away some of that depth in spring training, then ends up signing Felix Doubront to fill out their rotation.

It all just depends on what Baez's trade value is. If he can actually help bring back a young, talented arm (a Tyson Ross or Carlos Carrasco type), that's a far better use of his value than keeping him around for depth purposes.

DPD, but this. I like Javy and would be excited about him entering spring training as the starter at 2B or whatever if they move Castro but if some team is willing to trade a TOR starter and they want Baez instead of Castro then I'm not saying no. That's worth more to them than a valuable backup.

Baez as depth would be a luxury that few teams could afford. It would be crazy to have Hammel start a playoff game with Baez waiting to pinch hit.

One thousand times this. At some point every GM has to give something up to improve their team. There are a finite number of great players, and most people who have one under control aren't going to give them up without something worth gaining in return.

But for now, the thing the Cubs have they can give up most easily is money.

Okay but what if they don't have the money you think they have or the willingness to spend it you think they do? What if they want to spend it on Jason Heyward and not on a 31 year old who might be totally useless by the last 3-4 years of their deal when they're probably already expecting the last few years of Lester's contract to be a bit of a drag? Do you deny they'd need to trade for starting pitching in that scenario or just consider starting pitching less useful than Javier Baez doing a Ben Zobrist impersonation?

Of course not. I fully expect the Cubs to explore every avenue to fill the needs the have, and use every tool at their disposal to do it. But as has been pointed out here and in other places, the Cubs are, what, 3 years from having the ability to launch their own broadcast channel/network? So any pain point from paying fossils 25 mildo/per/each would be more easily absorbed at that point. So as things stand now and in the future, using money instead of sending players is less of a pain point.

As far as the Ricketts family's money and willingness to spend? After the cheddar they threw at Lester, and the success they had this season with both ticket and broadcast/advertising revenue? I'd say the purse strings are probably pretty damn loose.

...assuming that money is still available. 3 years is a long time.

This is a reasonable thing to be skeptical about, given all the talk about the local TV bubble.

[Chuck to Chuck]

Lots of talk about moving Javy for pitching or is he gonna start and what not.

Am I nuts for thinking, they should definitely keep him as a super utility guy? He's not entitled to any full time starting role but his stint at the end of the year proved he's got a lot of value as a fill in guy and he'd be more than acceptable should Castro, Russell, or Bryant get hurt at any point.

Seems like it'd be pretty dumb to get rid of a guy like that.

I agree. As these guys get older and more experienced, they might be more inclined to bitch about consistent roles and/or batting order spots, but while their still young, why not hang on to a guy who can back up at three positions with ease and could probably be a capable OF too.

Every year it seems like there is some team that is over-loaded at some position and trades away some of that depth in spring training, then ends up signing Felix Doubront to fill out their rotation.

It all just depends on what Baez's trade value is. If he can actually help bring back a young, talented arm (a Tyson Ross or Carlos Carrasco type), that's a far better use of his value than keeping him around for depth purposes.

DPD, but this. I like Javy and would be excited about him entering spring training as the starter at 2B or whatever if they move Castro but if some team is willing to trade a TOR starter and they want Baez instead of Castro then I'm not saying no. That's worth more to them than a valuable backup.

Baez as depth would be a luxury that few teams could afford. It would be crazy to have Hammel start a playoff game with Baez waiting to pinch hit.

One thousand times this. At some point every GM has to give something up to improve their team. There are a finite number of great players, and most people who have one under control aren't going to give them up without something worth gaining in return.

But for now, the thing the Cubs have they can give up most easily is money.

Okay but what if they don't have the money you think they have or the willingness to spend it you think they do? What if they want to spend it on Jason Heyward and not on a 31 year old who might be totally useless by the last 3-4 years of their deal when they're probably already expecting the last few years of Lester's contract to be a bit of a drag? Do you deny they'd need to trade for starting pitching in that scenario or just consider starting pitching less useful than Javier Baez doing a Ben Zobrist impersonation?

Of course not. I fully expect the Cubs to explore every avenue to fill the needs the have, and use every tool at their disposal to do it. But as has been pointed out here and in other places, the Cubs are, what, 3 years from having the ability to launch their own broadcast channel/network? So any pain point from paying fossils 25 mildo/per/each would be more easily absorbed at that point. So as things stand now and in the future, using money instead of sending players is less of a pain point.

As far as the Ricketts family's money and willingness to spend? After the cheddar they threw at Lester, and the success they had this season with both ticket and broadcast/advertising revenue? I'd say the purse strings are probably pretty damn loose.

...assuming that money is still available. 3 years is a long time.

This is a reasonable thing to be skeptical about, given all the talk about the local TV bubble.

I think it will be available, either via cable or via pay-per-view streaming.  But it might not.  That's why, when I look at the Cubs potential salary budget, i see it at about a max of $150mm now.  That's more than they peaked at in 2010 ($144mm), but the team makes more revenue today.  They also have debt service they didn't have back then.  They go into this offseason at $118mm in cash salaries ($11mm of which is EJax).  They have about $30mm to $40mm to spend as of today.

I guess.

[Shooter]

Bump.

A dong and nearly started an around-the-horn triple play.

[Saul Goodman]

Bump.

A dong and nearly started an around-the-horn triple play.

As soon as he turned and unexpectedly threw to second I got very excited. Sadly not to be.

[flannj]

Bump.

A dong and nearly started an around-the-horn triple play.

As soon as he turned and unexpectedly threw to second I got very excited. Sadly not to be.

Mrs. flannj thought I started into a convulsive fit at that point because I was yelling at the TV so loud.