2015 Cubs Offseason: Building a Winner Around David Ross

[SKO]

La Stella is hurt again? He's like Rondell White except not anywhere near as good at baseball.

[Saul Goodman]

La Stella is hurt again? He's like Rondell White except not anywhere near as good at baseball.

The mystery of Tommy La Stella (where is he? is he dead?) was a key part of their culture and success last year. Smart of them to bring it back.

[Canadouche]

Arrieta is asking for a 6 year extension. I actually think the Cubs should consider it. I don't know the specifics, but I assume it would replace the two years remaining that the Cubs have control of him.

Pros:
* if my assumption is true, it's really a 4 year deal, and the Cubs wouldn't have to worry about his decline past the middle 30's.
* if Arrieta has another insane season, then his asking price will certainly go up, so locking him in now might make financial sense

Cons:
* if he gets hurt this year, he certainly wouldn't get as much in any demanded extension, and the Cubs might discover they've overpaid. But if he gets hurt this year, it's bad news no matter what
* if he returns to earth and is merely a good pitcher from here on out, and the Cubs wait a year, they might get him for a better price

I'm sure there are plenty of things that I'm missing. But the best pitcher I've ever seen wants to stay in Chicago for 5 or 6 years, and he is maintaining an active role in negotiations. I have to think that, even with Boras as his agent, he might be willing to take a bit less right now to stay with the Cubs, but he might gouge them if they wait a year or longer.

[Powdered Toast Man]

Arrieta is asking for a 6 year extension. I actually think the Cubs should consider it. I don't know the specifics, but I assume it would replace the two years remaining that the Cubs have control of him.

Pros:
* if my assumption is true, it's really a 4 year deal, and the Cubs wouldn't have to worry about his decline past the middle 30's.
* if Arrieta has another insane season, then his asking price will certainly go up, so locking him in now might make financial sense

Cons:
* if he gets hurt this year, he certainly wouldn't get as much in any demanded extension, and the Cubs might discover they've overpaid. But if he gets hurt this year, it's bad news no matter what
* if he returns to earth and is merely a good pitcher from here on out, and the Cubs wait a year, they might get him for a better price

I'm sure there are plenty of things that I'm missing. But the best pitcher I've ever seen wants to stay in Chicago for 5 or 6 years, and he is maintaining an active role in negotiations. I have to think that, even with Boras as his agent, he might be willing to take a bit less right now to stay with the Cubs, but he might gouge them if they wait a year or longer.

He's trended up over the last 2+ year and is coming off a Cy Young performance last year. I don't know if he'll repeat that performance especially considering the innings he put in last season, but I have to think he'll be almost as good as he was last year. I expect him to hover around his Cy Young metrics for most of the season. He's a beast of a human being and I don't fancy him for being a player that loses focus. I would be willing to bet the only thing that slows him down is an injury. I have a FEELING that we still have many moons of Great Arrieta left to experience.

Buy now, Cubs. 5 and a mutual option...do it.

(DISCLAIMER: I'm not the GM of the Cubs nor have I ever been a GM of anything except my Nintendo Cubs.)

[SKO]

He's under team control for two more years and he's going to be expensive as shit either way. Jake and Boras aren't idiots and they won't take that much of a discount. I say let's just see what happens. This year is huge for him, I want to see how he handles coming back from that workload for the first time in his career. I say wait.

Steven Strasburg hits the market in 2017, David Price has an opt out in his deal, I believe several younger, talented pitchers like Tyson Ross and Michael Pineda are scheduled to be free agents in 2018, and the Cubs have a lot of young arms working their way up. There's just no reason to lock themselves into something right now.

[Eli]

He's under team control for two more years and he's going to be expensive as shit either way. Jake and Boras aren't idiots and they won't take that much of a discount. I say let's just see what happens. This year is huge for him, I want to see how he handles coming back from that workload for the first time in his career. I say wait.

Steven Strasburg hits the market in 2017, David Price has an opt out in his deal, I believe several younger, talented pitchers like Tyson Ross and Michael Pineda are scheduled to be free agents in 2018, and the Cubs have a lot of young arms working their way up. There's just no reason to lock themselves into something right now.

I see a huge amount of risk and very little upside in extending him now. They've got him through age 32 at an incredibly cheap cost. And while we all know how good he was last year, he's not a typical case for a contract like this -- he's got about 370 quality major-league innings under his belt. Why pay a premium for his decline years?

[Powdered Toast Man]

I can always rely on this place to make me question my intelligence, integrity and sports smarts.

[SKO]

He's under team control for two more years and he's going to be expensive as shit either way. Jake and Boras aren't idiots and they won't take that much of a discount. I say let's just see what happens. This year is huge for him, I want to see how he handles coming back from that workload for the first time in his career. I say wait.

Steven Strasburg hits the market in 2017, David Price has an opt out in his deal, I believe several younger, talented pitchers like Tyson Ross and Michael Pineda are scheduled to be free agents in 2018, and the Cubs have a lot of young arms working their way up. There's just no reason to lock themselves into something right now.

I see a huge amount of risk and very little upside in extending him now. They've got him through age 32 at an incredibly cheap cost. And while we all know how good he was last year, he's not a typical case for a contract like this -- he's got about 370 quality major-league innings under his belt. Why pay a premium for his decline years?

I'm hoping he's the Pedro Martinez in the Theo's Cubs-Theo's Red Sox analogy. He'll help them win the World Series this year and/or next year, they'll let him take a lot of money to decline for some other team, and Theo will sign/trade for whoever his new Josh Beckett is and they'll win the world series again anyway.

[Quality Start Machine]

Arrieta is asking for a 6 year extension. I actually think the Cubs should consider it. I don't know the specifics, but I assume it would replace the two years remaining that the Cubs have control of him.

Pros:
* if my assumption is true, it's really a 4 year deal, and the Cubs wouldn't have to worry about his decline past the middle 30's.
* if Arrieta has another insane season, then his asking price will certainly go up, so locking him in now might make financial sense

Cons:
* if he gets hurt this year, he certainly wouldn't get as much in any demanded extension, and the Cubs might discover they've overpaid. But if he gets hurt this year, it's bad news no matter what
* if he returns to earth and is merely a good pitcher from here on out, and the Cubs wait a year, they might get him for a better price

I'm sure there are plenty of things that I'm missing. But the best pitcher I've ever seen wants to stay in Chicago for 5 or 6 years, and he is maintaining an active role in negotiations. I have to think that, even with Boras as his agent, he might be willing to take a bit less right now to stay with the Cubs, but he might gouge them if they wait a year or longer.

Stop turning your TV off when Kershaw pitches.

[SKO]

Arrieta is asking for a 6 year extension. I actually think the Cubs should consider it. I don't know the specifics, but I assume it would replace the two years remaining that the Cubs have control of him.

Pros:
* if my assumption is true, it's really a 4 year deal, and the Cubs wouldn't have to worry about his decline past the middle 30's.
* if Arrieta has another insane season, then his asking price will certainly go up, so locking him in now might make financial sense

Cons:
* if he gets hurt this year, he certainly wouldn't get as much in any demanded extension, and the Cubs might discover they've overpaid. But if he gets hurt this year, it's bad news no matter what
* if he returns to earth and is merely a good pitcher from here on out, and the Cubs wait a year, they might get him for a better price

I'm sure there are plenty of things that I'm missing. But the best pitcher I've ever seen wants to stay in Chicago for 5 or 6 years, and he is maintaining an active role in negotiations. I have to think that, even with Boras as his agent, he might be willing to take a bit less right now to stay with the Cubs, but he might gouge them if they wait a year or longer.

Stop turning your TV off when Kershaw pitches.

If he means best Cubs pitcher he's ever seen I don't blame him. It's a toss up between him and Prior, I guess, and I think Kurt like me is too young to really remember Maddux's first go round with them.

If he's talking best pitcher period I can't give Arrieta the nod over Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, Prime Atlanta Maddux, and yes, Kershaw.

[Canadouche]

Arrieta is asking for a 6 year extension. I actually think the Cubs should consider it. I don't know the specifics, but I assume it would replace the two years remaining that the Cubs have control of him.

Pros:
* if my assumption is true, it's really a 4 year deal, and the Cubs wouldn't have to worry about his decline past the middle 30's.
* if Arrieta has another insane season, then his asking price will certainly go up, so locking him in now might make financial sense

Cons:
* if he gets hurt this year, he certainly wouldn't get as much in any demanded extension, and the Cubs might discover they've overpaid. But if he gets hurt this year, it's bad news no matter what
* if he returns to earth and is merely a good pitcher from here on out, and the Cubs wait a year, they might get him for a better price

I'm sure there are plenty of things that I'm missing. But the best pitcher I've ever seen wants to stay in Chicago for 5 or 6 years, and he is maintaining an active role in negotiations. I have to think that, even with Boras as his agent, he might be willing to take a bit less right now to stay with the Cubs, but he might gouge them if they wait a year or longer.

Stop turning your TV off when Kershaw pitches.

If he means best Cubs pitcher he's ever seen I don't blame him. It's a toss up between him and Prior, I guess, and I think Kurt like me is too young to really remember Maddux's first go round with them.

If he's talking best pitcher period I can't give Arrieta the nod over Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, Prime Atlanta Maddux, and yes, Kershaw.

Yeah, my "best pitcher I've seen" comment is rather subjective, although Arrieta's dominating second half was historical. Now that I'm slightly more awake, I wouldn't even argue that he's a better Cubs pitcher than Maddux.

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

Arrieta is asking for a 6 year extension. I actually think the Cubs should consider it. I don't know the specifics, but I assume it would replace the two years remaining that the Cubs have control of him.

Pros:
* if my assumption is true, it's really a 4 year deal, and the Cubs wouldn't have to worry about his decline past the middle 30's.
* if Arrieta has another insane season, then his asking price will certainly go up, so locking him in now might make financial sense

Cons:
* if he gets hurt this year, he certainly wouldn't get as much in any demanded extension, and the Cubs might discover they've overpaid. But if he gets hurt this year, it's bad news no matter what
* if he returns to earth and is merely a good pitcher from here on out, and the Cubs wait a year, they might get him for a better price

I'm sure there are plenty of things that I'm missing. But the best pitcher I've ever seen wants to stay in Chicago for 5 or 6 years, and he is maintaining an active role in negotiations. I have to think that, even with Boras as his agent, he might be willing to take a bit less right now to stay with the Cubs, but he might gouge them if they wait a year or longer.

Stop turning your TV off when Kershaw pitches.

If he means best Cubs pitcher he's ever seen I don't blame him. It's a toss up between him and Prior, I guess, and I think Kurt like me is too young to really remember Maddux's first go round with them.

If he's talking best pitcher period I can't give Arrieta the nod over Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, Prime Atlanta Maddux, and yes, Kershaw.

Yeah, my "best pitcher I've seen" comment is rather subjective, although Arrieta's dominating second half was historical historic. Now that I'm slightly more awake, I wouldn't even argue that he's a better Cubs pitcher than Maddux.

[Language pedant]

Everything that happens, like Rick Sutcliffe going 8-8 in 1985, is historical.

Unique, noteworthy things that happen, like Sutcliffe going 16-1 in 1984, are historic.

/[Language pedant]

Also, giving Arrieta a 7 year deal right now is not smart.

[Canadouche]

Arrieta is asking for a 6 year extension. I actually think the Cubs should consider it. I don't know the specifics, but I assume it would replace the two years remaining that the Cubs have control of him.

Pros:
* if my assumption is true, it's really a 4 year deal, and the Cubs wouldn't have to worry about his decline past the middle 30's.
* if Arrieta has another insane season, then his asking price will certainly go up, so locking him in now might make financial sense

Cons:
* if he gets hurt this year, he certainly wouldn't get as much in any demanded extension, and the Cubs might discover they've overpaid. But if he gets hurt this year, it's bad news no matter what
* if he returns to earth and is merely a good pitcher from here on out, and the Cubs wait a year, they might get him for a better price

I'm sure there are plenty of things that I'm missing. But the best pitcher I've ever seen wants to stay in Chicago for 5 or 6 years, and he is maintaining an active role in negotiations. I have to think that, even with Boras as his agent, he might be willing to take a bit less right now to stay with the Cubs, but he might gouge them if they wait a year or longer.

Stop turning your TV off when Kershaw pitches.

If he means best Cubs pitcher he's ever seen I don't blame him. It's a toss up between him and Prior, I guess, and I think Kurt like me is too young to really remember Maddux's first go round with them.

If he's talking best pitcher period I can't give Arrieta the nod over Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, Prime Atlanta Maddux, and yes, Kershaw.

Yeah, my "best pitcher I've seen" comment is rather subjective, although Arrieta's dominating second half was historical historic. Now that I'm slightly more awake, I wouldn't even argue that he's a better Cubs pitcher than Maddux.

[Language pedant]

Everything that happens, like Rick Sutcliffe going 8-8 in 1985, is historical.

Unique, noteworthy things that happen, like Sutcliffe going 16-1 in 1984, are historic.

/[Language pedant]

Also, giving Arrieta a 7 year deal right now is not smart.

Yes. I feel shame for my failure to communicate this morning, and the language mistake is especially embarassing. I honestly don't know how I'm awake right now.

[SKO]

I need CT to rule immediately on PANK calling himself a "language" pedant.

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

I need CT to rule immediately on PANK calling himself a "language" pedant.

You're unable to discern the distinction between misspellings/typographical errors and word definitions?   

My god, man, don't you work in a library?