How We Learned to Stop Worrying And Love The Cubs (again): Your 2019 Thread

[Quality Start Machine]

Here is my dream 2020 lineup.  I will not be taking questions.

1. 2B Lindor
2. RF Bryant
3. 1B Rizzo
4. 3B Rendon
5. LF Castellanos
6. SS Baez
7. C Contreras
8. CF Hoerner/Heyward
9. Pitcher

Put Lindor at SS and Baez at 2B and you're cooking.

[CubFaninHydePark]

Are we ready to burn a ton of shit down yet?  Joe can't manage the pen.  Theo has mismanaged a WS Champ into an utter debacle with terrible trades and FA signings.

Bryant needed tonight to have an outside shot at 30 HR (he should be hitting 35-40).  Rizzo is regressing (not much, but it's still noticeable).  Schwarber remains an AL platoon DH. 

Somehow the Yankees, Astros, and Dodgers have farm systems that are bottomless.  Christ, even the Cardinals are turning out quality starters.

What the fuck went wrong?  Why is the cupboard bare with this joke of a team to show for it?

[Quality Start Machine]

Bryant needed tonight to have an outside shot at 30 HR (he should be hitting 35-40).  Rizzo is regressing (not much, but it's still noticeable).  Schwarber remains an AL platoon DH. 

Bryant was on his way to 35-40 HR before he started having knee problems. Rizzo's "regressing" to the tune of 286/400/511, his highest OPS since 2016. And Schwarber's perfectly fine as a LF - if he were in the AL he'd still be wearing a glove.

[Oleg]

Bryant needed tonight to have an outside shot at 30 HR (he should be hitting 35-40).  Rizzo is regressing (not much, but it's still noticeable).  Schwarber remains an AL platoon DH. 

Bryant was on his way to 35-40 HR before he started having knee problems. Rizzo's "regressing" to the tune of 286/400/511, his highest OPS since 2016. And Schwarber's perfectly fine as a LF - if he were in the AL he'd still be wearing a glove.

Engaging in this idiocy is pure folly.  There is a lot to criticize this team over...Bryant, Rizzo, and Schwarber about the bottom 3 on that list.

Also, the bare cupboard just graduated another 1st round pick to the majors.

Also, someone remind which number is bigger: Cubs World Series championships since Theo took over or number of WS championships combined for the Yankees, Dodgers, and Astros.

[CBStew]

Bryant needed tonight to have an outside shot at 30 HR (he should be hitting 35-40).  Rizzo is regressing (not much, but it's still noticeable).  Schwarber remains an AL platoon DH. 

Bryant was on his way to 35-40 HR before he started having knee problems. Rizzo's "regressing" to the tune of 286/400/511, his highest OPS since 2016. And Schwarber's perfectly fine as a LF - if he were in the AL he'd still be wearing a glove.

Engaging in this idiocy is pure folly.  There is a lot to criticize this team over...Bryant, Rizzo, and Schwarber about the bottom 3 on that list.

Also, the bare cupboard just graduated another 1st round pick to the majors.

Also, someone remind which number is bigger: Cubs World Series championships since Theo took over or number of WS championships combined for the Yankees, Dodgers, and Astros.

The "graduated first round pick" is Nico Hoerner, who had an impressive three hit first game.  Of course, unless your name is Adam Greenberg, one game does not make a career.  The Cubs are barely clinging to the possibility of post season play.  Don't worry, I am not going to say that "anything can happen in a short series".  Oh, wait, I just said that, didn't I?

[Saul Goodman]

Bryant needed tonight to have an outside shot at 30 HR (he should be hitting 35-40).  Rizzo is regressing (not much, but it's still noticeable).  Schwarber remains an AL platoon DH. 

Bryant was on his way to 35-40 HR before he started having knee problems. Rizzo's "regressing" to the tune of 286/400/511, his highest OPS since 2016. And Schwarber's perfectly fine as a LF - if he were in the AL he'd still be wearing a glove.

Engaging in this idiocy is pure folly.  There is a lot to criticize this team over...Bryant, Rizzo, and Schwarber about the bottom 3 on that list.

Also, the bare cupboard just graduated another 1st round pick to the majors.

Also, someone remind which number is bigger: Cubs World Series championships since Theo took over or number of WS championships combined for the Yankees, Dodgers, and Astros.

The "graduated first round pick" is Nico Hoerner, who had an impressive three hit first game.  Of course, unless your name is Adam Greenberg, one game does not make a career.  The Cubs are barely clinging to the possibility of post season play.  Don't worry, I am not going to say that "anything can happen in a short series".  Oh, wait, I just said that, didn't I?

This is a Stanford thing, is it not. Admit it, Stew!!

[Oleg]

Bryant needed tonight to have an outside shot at 30 HR (he should be hitting 35-40).  Rizzo is regressing (not much, but it's still noticeable).  Schwarber remains an AL platoon DH. 

Bryant was on his way to 35-40 HR before he started having knee problems. Rizzo's "regressing" to the tune of 286/400/511, his highest OPS since 2016. And Schwarber's perfectly fine as a LF - if he were in the AL he'd still be wearing a glove.

Engaging in this idiocy is pure folly.  There is a lot to criticize this team over...Bryant, Rizzo, and Schwarber about the bottom 3 on that list.

Also, the bare cupboard just graduated another 1st round pick to the majors.

Also, someone remind which number is bigger: Cubs World Series championships since Theo took over or number of WS championships combined for the Yankees, Dodgers, and Astros.

The "graduated first round pick" is Nico Hoerner, who had an impressive three hit first game.  Of course, unless your name is Adam Greenberg, one game does not make a career.  The Cubs are barely clinging to the possibility of post season play.  Don't worry, I am not going to say that "anything can happen in a short series".  Oh, wait, I just said that, didn't I?

This is a Stanford thing, is it not. Admit it, Stew!!

Seriously.  If he was from Cal, Stew would be putting him in the HoF already.

[CBStew]

Bryant needed tonight to have an outside shot at 30 HR (he should be hitting 35-40).  Rizzo is regressing (not much, but it's still noticeable).  Schwarber remains an AL platoon DH. 

Bryant was on his way to 35-40 HR before he started having knee problems. Rizzo's "regressing" to the tune of 286/400/511, his highest OPS since 2016. And Schwarber's perfectly fine as a LF - if he were in the AL he'd still be wearing a glove.

Engaging in this idiocy is pure folly.  There is a lot to criticize this team over...Bryant, Rizzo, and Schwarber about the bottom 3 on that list.

Also, the bare cupboard just graduated another 1st round pick to the majors.

Also, someone remind which number is bigger: Cubs World Series championships since Theo took over or number of WS championships combined for the Yankees, Dodgers, and Astros.

The "graduated first round pick" is Nico Hoerner, who had an impressive three hit first game.  Of course, unless your name is Adam Greenberg, one game does not make a career.  The Cubs are barely clinging to the possibility of post season play.  Don't worry, I am not going to say that "anything can happen in a short series".  Oh, wait, I just said that, didn't I?

This is a Stanford thing, is it not. Admit it, Stew!!

Seriously.  If he was from Cal, Stew would be putting him in the HoF already.

Damn right!  But since he is from Stanfoo he is obviously a flash in the pan.

[Saul Goodman]

Bryant needed tonight to have an outside shot at 30 HR (he should be hitting 35-40).  Rizzo is regressing (not much, but it's still noticeable).  Schwarber remains an AL platoon DH. 

Bryant was on his way to 35-40 HR before he started having knee problems. Rizzo's "regressing" to the tune of 286/400/511, his highest OPS since 2016. And Schwarber's perfectly fine as a LF - if he were in the AL he'd still be wearing a glove.

Engaging in this idiocy is pure folly.  There is a lot to criticize this team over...Bryant, Rizzo, and Schwarber about the bottom 3 on that list.

Also, the bare cupboard just graduated another 1st round pick to the majors.

Also, someone remind which number is bigger: Cubs World Series championships since Theo took over or number of WS championships combined for the Yankees, Dodgers, and Astros.

Outside shot at 30, lol.  31 and counting.

[Yeti]

This is amazing. Who woulda thunk missing the playoffs in year 5 could be a thing

[CubFaninHydePark]

This is amazing. Who woulda thunk missing the playoffs in year 5 could be a thing

The injuries haven't helped, but the Q for Eloy trade is looking downright rancid right now, and the Kimbrel and Morrow signings...well...inexcusably awful.  The Dodgers and Red Sox wanted nothing to do with either pitcher, coming off of massively successful seasons.  You'd think that would be a massive signal to other teams, but Theo ignored it and got burned, badly.

The front office needs a major shakeup, and someone needs to figure out why we aren't developing pitching.  The Astros were basically in the same position as the Cubs 5 years ago.  The Yankees were in a worse position.  They now have the best two teams in baseball and an embarrassment of riches in the minors.  Here, the cupboard is bare, and the starting lineup is not even close to what the Dodgers, Yankees and Astros are fielding night in, night out.

We have Happ, Quintana, Morrow, Kimbrel, Hamels, Russell, and a bunch of key guys who are underperforming (Bryant and Rizzo (at least in terms of power)).  Building a lineup with the highest swing and miss rate takes something, but it's not skill.  To have this run differential and such a bad record tells you two things:

1. Your bullpen is trash and can't win close games.
2. Your offense doesn't show up at all far too often.

This is on the front office, and heads need to start rolling a week from Monday.

[Armchair_QB]

Why wait til next Monday. Start firing guys now.

And this is two straight years without a playoff appearance. If you can?t win a fucking wild card game at home and get to the NLDS, you didn?t make the playoffs. I don?t care what MLB says.

[Canadouche]

I know that there's a lot of worry and stress, especially in regards to "the window."

The window. The window. That's all we talk about. The goddamn window.

Good teams don't have windows. Good teams are good perennially. When was the last time the Dodgers were out of their window? Or the Yankees? Sure, even the Red Sox and Giants have bad years, but upper echelon organizations, teams that are run right, almost always win more than they lose, and they reach the playoffs far more frequently than they don't.

[Saul Goodman]

Oh my god I agree with parts of a CFiHP post. This truly is the darkest timeline. Nice choice Theo!

[CBStew]

Oh my god I agree with parts of a CFiHP post. This truly is the darkest timeline. Nice choice Theo!

A broken clock is right twice a day.