2017-2018 Cubs/MLB Offseason: HOT FUCKING STOVE

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

I feel like people don't give enough consideration to the fact that Happ's rookie campaign was as good, or better than Schwarber's.

My recollection is that Schwarber had a decent rookie season, but it was that year's postseason where he stole our hearts.  *swoons*

[SKO]

I feel like people don't give enough consideration to the fact that Happ's rookie campaign was as good, or better than Schwarber's.

Schwarber was arguably the best hitter of all of the Cubs Core 4 Prospects (which originally were Almora/Soler/Bryant/Baez but I think by 2015 we had all decided were actually Bryant/Schwarber/Russell/Soler or whatever) and then he hit more homers in his first 50 games in the majors than anyone not named Albert Pujols, I think, and it was also in the midst of the first contending season for the Cubs in seven years. It just felt like the arrival of one of the promised ones.

Happ came after that first wave, after the title, after many of us had probably already written him off as trade bait more than anything. There just wasn't the breathless study of his minor league stats or anticipation about his arrival there were for the others, plus I think a lot of us kept waiting for the other shoe to drop because up until last year he was never really supposed to be a power hitter. Zobrist-Lite was the projection, a dude who'd hit .280/.350/.450 with 15 dingers and plenty of doubles. That's awesome but not the kinda prospect you get a raging scout-boner over. It would seem at this point though that the power is for real and he's probably a much better hitter than we anticipated. That is exciting.

[SKO]

DPD but I also think it's worth noting that Schwarber's arrival in the majors coincided with the 2015 Cubs getting hotter than shit and going from a middling, barely above water team at the all star break to the unstoppable juggernaut they would be for most of 2016, so it was all good vibes, whereas Happ's awesome early hot start was kind of overlooked because the team was inexplicably struggling early last year and fans were pissed.

[Canadouche]

DPD but I also think it's worth noting that Schwarber's arrival in the majors coincided with the 2015 Cubs getting hotter than shit and going from a middling, barely above water team at the all star break to the unstoppable juggernaut they would be for most of 2016, so it was all good vibes, whereas Happ's awesome early hot start was kind of overlooked because the team was inexplicably struggling early last year and fans were pissed.

For sure, Schwarber is beloved not only for his prodigious bat, but also for his big personality and clutch playoff performances.

[Oleg]

DPD but I also think it's worth noting that Schwarber's arrival in the majors coincided with the 2015 Cubs getting hotter than shit and going from a middling, barely above water team at the all star break to the unstoppable juggernaut they would be for most of 2016, so it was all good vibes, whereas Happ's awesome early hot start was kind of overlooked because the team was inexplicably struggling early last year and fans were pissed.

For sure, Schwarber is beloved not only for his prodigious bat, but also for his big personality and clutch playoff performances.

But mostly for the bat.
Happ 2017 413 PAs 113 wRC+
Schwarber 2015 273 PAs, 131 wRC+

I know I'm supposed to be the Schwarber hater but for fucks sake Kurt.  Even last year he was league average for the year as a whole.

[CBStew]

DPD but I also think it's worth noting that Schwarber's arrival in the majors coincided with the 2015 Cubs getting hotter than shit and going from a middling, barely above water team at the all star break to the unstoppable juggernaut they would be for most of 2016, so it was all good vibes, whereas Happ's awesome early hot start was kind of overlooked because the team was inexplicably struggling early last year and fans were pissed.

For sure, Schwarber is beloved not only for his prodigious bat, but also for his big personality and clutch playoff performances.

But mostly for the bat.
Happ 2017 413 PAs 113 wRC+
Schwarber 2015 273 PAs, 131 wRC+

I know I'm supposed to be the Schwarber hater but for fucks sake Kurt.  Even last year he was league average for the year as a whole.

It does my heart good to see arguments like these.  "Which of our players is the most head and shoulders above the rest of the League's players at his position?"

[SKO]

DPD but I also think it's worth noting that Schwarber's arrival in the majors coincided with the 2015 Cubs getting hotter than shit and going from a middling, barely above water team at the all star break to the unstoppable juggernaut they would be for most of 2016, so it was all good vibes, whereas Happ's awesome early hot start was kind of overlooked because the team was inexplicably struggling early last year and fans were pissed.

For sure, Schwarber is beloved not only for his prodigious bat, but also for his big personality and clutch playoff performances.

But mostly for the bat.
Happ 2017 413 PAs 113 wRC+
Schwarber 2015 273 PAs, 131 wRC+

I know I'm supposed to be the Schwarber hater but for fucks sake Kurt.  Even last year he was league average for the year as a whole.

When did you become a Schwarber hater? I thought that, like everything else stupid and wrong, was just Chuck's job

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

DPD but I also think it's worth noting that Schwarber's arrival in the majors coincided with the 2015 Cubs getting hotter than shit and going from a middling, barely above water team at the all star break to the unstoppable juggernaut they would be for most of 2016, so it was all good vibes, whereas Happ's awesome early hot start was kind of overlooked because the team was inexplicably struggling early last year and fans were pissed.

For sure, Schwarber is beloved not only for his prodigious bat, but also for his big personality and clutch playoff performances.

But mostly for the bat.
Happ 2017 413 PAs 113 wRC+
Schwarber 2015 273 PAs, 131 wRC+

I know I'm supposed to be the Schwarber hater but for fucks sake Kurt.  Even last year he was league average for the year as a whole.

When did you become a Schwarber hater? I thought that, like everything else stupid and wrong, was just Chuck's job

It's a Slack-generated meme borne of the time when Oleg would--and would otherwise likely still--unapologetically clamor for a Schwarber-for-Chris-Archer deal

[SKO]

DPD but I also think it's worth noting that Schwarber's arrival in the majors coincided with the 2015 Cubs getting hotter than shit and going from a middling, barely above water team at the all star break to the unstoppable juggernaut they would be for most of 2016, so it was all good vibes, whereas Happ's awesome early hot start was kind of overlooked because the team was inexplicably struggling early last year and fans were pissed.

For sure, Schwarber is beloved not only for his prodigious bat, but also for his big personality and clutch playoff performances.

But mostly for the bat.
Happ 2017 413 PAs 113 wRC+
Schwarber 2015 273 PAs, 131 wRC+

I know I'm supposed to be the Schwarber hater but for fucks sake Kurt.  Even last year he was league average for the year as a whole.

When did you become a Schwarber hater? I thought that, like everything else stupid and wrong, was just Chuck's job

It's a Slack-generated meme borne of the time when Oleg would--and would otherwise likely still--unapologetically clamor for a Schwarber-for-Chris-Archer deal

How dare he propose something like that










(I would absolutely have made that trade before the Quintana deal)

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

DPD but I also think it's worth noting that Schwarber's arrival in the majors coincided with the 2015 Cubs getting hotter than shit and going from a middling, barely above water team at the all star break to the unstoppable juggernaut they would be for most of 2016, so it was all good vibes, whereas Happ's awesome early hot start was kind of overlooked because the team was inexplicably struggling early last year and fans were pissed.

For sure, Schwarber is beloved not only for his prodigious bat, but also for his big personality and clutch playoff performances.

But mostly for the bat.
Happ 2017 413 PAs 113 wRC+
Schwarber 2015 273 PAs, 131 wRC+

I know I'm supposed to be the Schwarber hater but for fucks sake Kurt.  Even last year he was league average for the year as a whole.

When did you become a Schwarber hater? I thought that, like everything else stupid and wrong, was just Chuck's job

It's a Slack-generated meme borne of the time when Oleg would--and would otherwise likely still--unapologetically clamor for a Schwarber-for-Chris-Archer deal

How dare he propose something like that










(I would absolutely have made that trade before the Quintana deal)

Well that's part of what makes it a meme.  Deep down I don't know that anybody would really object to it.  It was Oleg, though, who was thrown into the burnshing of the meme since he was the one who had the temerity to suggest it so now he must be reminded of his ungrateful awfulness at every corner.

[SKO]

DPD but I also think it's worth noting that Schwarber's arrival in the majors coincided with the 2015 Cubs getting hotter than shit and going from a middling, barely above water team at the all star break to the unstoppable juggernaut they would be for most of 2016, so it was all good vibes, whereas Happ's awesome early hot start was kind of overlooked because the team was inexplicably struggling early last year and fans were pissed.

For sure, Schwarber is beloved not only for his prodigious bat, but also for his big personality and clutch playoff performances.

But mostly for the bat.
Happ 2017 413 PAs 113 wRC+
Schwarber 2015 273 PAs, 131 wRC+

I know I'm supposed to be the Schwarber hater but for fucks sake Kurt.  Even last year he was league average for the year as a whole.

When did you become a Schwarber hater? I thought that, like everything else stupid and wrong, was just Chuck's job

It's a Slack-generated meme borne of the time when Oleg would--and would otherwise likely still--unapologetically clamor for a Schwarber-for-Chris-Archer deal

How dare he propose something like that










(I would absolutely have made that trade before the Quintana deal)

Well that's part of what makes it a meme.  Deep down I don't know that anybody would really object to it.  It was Oleg, though, who was thrown into the burnshing of the meme since he was the one who had the temerity to suggest it so now he must be reminded of his ungrateful awfulness at every corner.

I mean even now it's nigh impossible in a vacuum to argue that 4 years of Archer for 34 mildo isn't worth a guy who was technically replacement level by bWAR last year, but with Quintana and Darvish in the fold I'd say the Cubs need the potential of Schwarber's bat more than yet another good rotation arm.

But I agree we should burn Oleg for his heresy.

[Bort]

Sorry I'm late. We finally burning heretics?

[Canadouche]

DPD but I also think it's worth noting that Schwarber's arrival in the majors coincided with the 2015 Cubs getting hotter than shit and going from a middling, barely above water team at the all star break to the unstoppable juggernaut they would be for most of 2016, so it was all good vibes, whereas Happ's awesome early hot start was kind of overlooked because the team was inexplicably struggling early last year and fans were pissed.

For sure, Schwarber is beloved not only for his prodigious bat, but also for his big personality and clutch playoff performances.

But mostly for the bat.
Happ 2017 413 PAs 113 wRC+
Schwarber 2015 273 PAs, 131 wRC+

I know I'm supposed to be the Schwarber hater but for fucks sake Kurt.  Even last year he was league average for the year as a whole.

I don't think you can position me as being negative on Schwarber, but instead, as being positive on Happ.

[flannj]

Holy hell guys.
What Stew said.

[Quality Start Machine]

Holy hell guys.
What Stew said.

Epstink is still terrible.