The 2018 Play Like It's 2016 Cubs

[CBStew]

Maybe it'll take me agreeing-ish with SKO to cause him to run to reason, but all I'm seeing from this team is an overrated core (the difference between the Cubs' middle infield and Houston's is that Houston's can hit, and the Cubs' can't) and albatross FA signings, which is consistent with Epstink's MO...build something out of nothing, then watch it collapse under the weight of bad contracts.

Darvish is a past-his-prime headcase.  Lester is Wile E Coyote suspended in midair having walked off the cliff, if he hasn't already started falling.  Heyward is MLB's most expensive motivational speaker.  The Justin Wilson trade may be McStiff trade bad.

Every time I try to figure out something Epstink has done right since 2016, I end up scratching my head.

Gee.  And here I thought that the 2018 Cubs were an entertaining and fun team to watch. 

[Quality Start Machine]

Maybe it'll take me agreeing-ish with SKO to cause him to run to reason, but all I'm seeing from this team is an overrated core (the difference between the Cubs' middle infield and Houston's is that Houston's can hit, and the Cubs' can't) and albatross FA signings, which is consistent with Epstink's MO...build something out of nothing, then watch it collapse under the weight of bad contracts.

Darvish is a past-his-prime headcase.  Lester is Wile E Coyote suspended in midair having walked off the cliff, if he hasn't already started falling.  Heyward is MLB's most expensive motivational speaker.  The Justin Wilson trade may be McStiff trade bad.

Every time I try to figure out something Epstink has done right since 2016, I end up scratching my head.

I want Eloy back. It'd be nice to have someone who can both play the outfield defensively and hit, instead of another 4th starter.

Yeah, having a guy in AA would certainly help a team in their World Series window.

[Brownie]

Maybe it'll take me agreeing-ish with SKO to cause him to run to reason, but all I'm seeing from this team is an overrated core (the difference between the Cubs' middle infield and Houston's is that Houston's can hit, and the Cubs' can't) and albatross FA signings, which is consistent with Epstink's MO...build something out of nothing, then watch it collapse under the weight of bad contracts.

Darvish is a past-his-prime headcase.  Lester is Wile E Coyote suspended in midair having walked off the cliff, if he hasn't already started falling.  Heyward is MLB's most expensive motivational speaker.  The Justin Wilson trade may be McStiff trade bad.

Every time I try to figure out something Epstink has done right since 2016, I end up scratching my head.

I want Eloy back. It'd be nice to have someone who can both play the outfield defensively and hit, instead of another 4th starter.

Yeah, having a guy in AA extended spring training
would certainly help a team in their World Series window.

[SKO]

I think Eloy is going to be a very good player and the best years of his career are going to come after Bryant/Rizzo/Russell/Baez/Schwarber have all left in FA after 2021. Even if Quintana doesn't fix his shit (unlikely) there was no point in prospect hugging there and Quintana was the best available pitcher by far. Not to mention if the Cubs sign Harper then Eloy would have been blocked for the next decade anyway.

There's really nothing wrong with the Cubs that can't mostly be attributed to bad luck and bad timing. Their offense has a number of guys actually having good seasons (for one, I don't get why there's some narrative that Schwarber hasn't been good, the dude has a fucking 133 OPS+, look beyond batting average), they just haven't sync'd up their good days that often so far, and bad luck has played a factor in that they rank in the bottom of the league in terms of BABIP and even lower than that in terms of BABIP with RISP. I'm a little worried about Quintana's velocity being down a tick (though it's hard to take anything meaningful from pitching in that blizzard Saturday) but otherwise there's nothing that's gone wrong this year that looks like a potential long term issue.

Long story short the Cubs are fine and likely to be very good still, I'm just impatient and I like to bitch. There's no reason here for an EVERYONE SUCKS, FIRE EVERYONE reaction.

Jason Heyward should be fired into the sun with a comically oversized trebuchet though.

[Oleg]

Maybe it'll take me agreeing-ish with SKO to cause him to run to reason, but all I'm seeing from this team is an overrated core (the difference between the Cubs' middle infield and Houston's is that Houston's can hit, and the Cubs' can't) and albatross FA signings, which is consistent with Epstink's MO...build something out of nothing, then watch it collapse under the weight of bad contracts.

Darvish is a past-his-prime headcase.  Lester is Wile E Coyote suspended in midair having walked off the cliff, if he hasn't already started falling.  Heyward is MLB's most expensive motivational speaker.  The Justin Wilson trade may be McStiff trade bad.

Every time I try to figure out something Epstink has done right since 2016, I end up scratching my head.

Goddamnit.  I'm staring at around 9 hours of mind numbing technical training today and all I'm going to be thinking about is how some internet dumbass compared two really, really good Cubs players to two of the 5 or so best players in the AL and how he's NOT ENTERTAINED!

You, sir, are a national treasure.

[Quality Start Machine]

Maybe it'll take me agreeing-ish with SKO to cause him to run to reason, but all I'm seeing from this team is an overrated core (the difference between the Cubs' middle infield and Houston's is that Houston's can hit, and the Cubs' can't) and albatross FA signings, which is consistent with Epstink's MO...build something out of nothing, then watch it collapse under the weight of bad contracts.

Darvish is a past-his-prime headcase.  Lester is Wile E Coyote suspended in midair having walked off the cliff, if he hasn't already started falling.  Heyward is MLB's most expensive motivational speaker.  The Justin Wilson trade may be McStiff trade bad.

Every time I try to figure out something Epstink has done right since 2016, I end up scratching my head.

Goddamnit.  I'm staring at around 9 hours of mind numbing technical training today and all I'm going to be thinking about is how some internet dumbass compared two really, really good Cubs players to two of the 5 or so best players in the AL and how he's NOT ENTERTAINED!

You, sir, are a national treasure.

And right on cue, Baez is OPSing over 1.000.

[Saul Goodman]

Stuck with the Rockies broadcast at a bar. They still put viewer tweets on screen like a local news station two years ago. "@joefuckface: Close it out, Rox, I want to fly the L!" Neat.

[Quality Start Machine]

Stuck with the Rockies broadcast at a bar. They still put viewer tweets on screen like a local news station two years ago. "@joefuckface: Close it out, Rox, I want to fly the L!" Neat.

You could have been in the ballpark, doing Gord's work trying to coerce Huey into eating bull's balls.

[SKO]

I'd like to see a few good starts in a row from them both but if Darvish and Quintana are fixed, especially Q, who hit 93 more times in that start than he had all season combined till then, my terror level is down to yellow. There's no green, so that's pretty good

[Saul Goodman]

Well that's it. The Indians clinched the season series therefore the 2016 World Series never happened now. How many tears, Theo?

[Quality Start Machine]

Russell and Rizzo have quietly gotten their respective OPS+ to 96 and 94. If they keep it up for another game or two, the only starting position player under 100 will be Jason "but his glove!" Heyward.

[Saul Goodman]

Please stop giving up lead-changing homers to the Reds. Thank's

[Saul Goodman]

Well this is shaping up to be the July 2015 Phillies series.  Sal Romano is throwing a no-hitter tomorrow, place your bets now.

[SKO]

.....the aristocrats!

[Saul Goodman]

This is a strange feeling, but I think I'm about to go full SKO on Chris Gimenez.