Joe Maddon Coming to Cubs?

[DewsSox79]

damn. reading some articles out there one would think the cubs will be good enough to win the division if they get maddon and lester. i didnt know all these prospects were sure things.


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[SilenceS]

damn. reading some articles out there one would think the cubs will be good enough to win the division if they get maddon and lester. i didnt know all these prospects were sure things.


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They played close to .500 ball from mid may on. Thats with none of their prospects and trading away Shark and Hammel. Its not like the Cubs are replacing proven players with unknowns. Its unlikely even if the prospects struggle that it would hurt the team worse then Darwin Barney and so on. They also expect Castro and Rizzo to keep progressing. It seems like the perfect storm and people are jumping on the bandwagon.

 

[DewsSox79]

They played close to .500 ball from mid may on. Thats with none of their prospects and trading away Shark and Hammel. Its not like the Cubs are replacing proven players with unknowns. Its unlikely even if the prospects struggle that it would hurt the team worse then Darwin Barney and so on. They also expect Castro and Rizzo to keep progressing. It seems like the perfect storm and people are jumping on the bandwagon.

it still is a bit pre mature


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[TL1961]

They played close to .500 ball from mid may on. Thats with none of their prospects and trading away Shark and Hammel. Its not like the Cubs are replacing proven players with unknowns. Its unlikely even if the prospects struggle that it would hurt the team worse then Darwin Barney and so on. They also expect Castro and Rizzo to keep progressing. It seems like the perfect storm and people are jumping on the bandwagon.

With "none of their prospects"?

Alcantara was up for three months. Baez for two. Soler for one.

Not full seasons, obviously. And not playing anywhere near where we hope to see them. (Alcantara and Baez, anyway).

But we can't say they were 'without their prospects."

P.S. Why are we responding to Sox fans trying to turn this into an Anti-Cub forum simply because there isn't enough interest to get a Sox forum going anywhere?

 

[CSF77]

I'm feel pretty good with Rizzo, Castro and Soler driving in runs. They need 2 solid OBA guys hitting 1/2 IMO. Coghlan and Valbuena are the best in-house options.

 

[JZsportsfan]

it still is a bit pre mature


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Agreed. They definitely would have the pieces to make a run next year if they get Lester, but to expect them to do so seems unreasonable. Too many things have to still go right for them to contend

 

[SilenceS]

With "none of their prospects"?

Alcantara was up for three months. Baez for two. Soler for one.

Not full seasons, obviously. And not playing anywhere near where we hope to see them. (Alcantara and Baez, anyway).

But we can't say they were 'without their prospects."

P.S. Why are we responding to Sox fans trying to turn this into an Anti-Cub forum simply because there isn't enough interest to get a Sox forum going anywhere?

Dews made an actual solid post. Im sorry, I respond to who I want to respond to. Also, I misspoke on the prospects thanks for clarifying. You made me a better man.

 

[TL1961]

Dews made an actual solid post. Im sorry, I respond to who I want to respond to. Also, I misspoke on the prospects thanks for clarifying. You made me a better man.

Lighten up, Francis.

 

[Boobaby1]

Dews made an actual solid post. Im sorry, I respond to who I want to respond to. Also, I misspoke on the prospects thanks for clarifying. You made me a better man.

How bout this? The Cubs turned over an opening day line-up that consisted of:

Bonafacio CF (gone)
Lake LF (demoted)
Castro SS
Rizzo 1B
Olt 3B (bench player)
Castillo C
Schierholtz RF (gone)
Barney 2B (gone)

Plus traded away 40%, or two of the top three of the rotation and a quality LH reliever, only to have young kids and a few veterans actually play better ball in the 2nd half.

Lester will not turn the Cubs around by himself, nor will a mid-tier starter. They will need some kind of bats in the line-up, preferably near the top, and preferably left handed.

I look for players like Alcantara and Baez to progress, because after all, it couldn't get a whole lot worse

 

[brett05]

I seem to believe its also a done deal. The Cubs silence says a lot. Renteria making a statement is odd when the Cubs havent even made one. This is the beginning of the push. I believe this shows they are going hard after pitching and making their push for playoffs.

Isn't there supposed to be silence during the World Series unless permission is granted by the Commish?

 

[brett05]

it still is a bit pre mature


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It's the social media age...Everyone wants to be first without putting any thought behind it.

 

[brett05]

P.S. Why are we responding to Sox fans trying to turn this into an Anti-Cub forum simply because there isn't enough interest to get a Sox forum going anywhere?

:shrug: Some of you Cub fans are trying to be baseball fans?????

 

[brett05]

How bout this? The Cubs turned over an opening day line-up that consisted of:

Bonafacio CF (gone)
Lake LF (demoted)
Castro SS
Rizzo 1B
Olt 3B (bench player)
Castillo C
Schierholtz RF (gone)
Barney 2B (gone)

Plus traded away 40%, or two of the top three of the rotation and a quality LH reliever, only to have young kids and a few veterans actually play better ball in the 2nd half.

Lester will not turn the Cubs around by himself, nor will a mid-tier starter. They will need some kind of bats in the line-up, preferably near the top, and preferably left handed.

I look for players like Alcantara and Baez to progress, because after all, it couldn't get a whole lot worse

One of the rare honest and accurate Cub Fan assessments.

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

 

[Parade_Rain]

Trolling at 6 am. LOL.

 

[brett05]

Trolling at 6 am. LOL.

You are? well that gives ya something to do

 

[chibears55]

Isn't there supposed to be silence during the World Series unless permission is granted by the Commish?

Yes.. which explains the cubs sikence

on the off day we heard they reached out and in talks. .

I expect more to come out and hopefully an agreement announced day after series ends...

 

[brett05]

Yes.. which explains the cubs sikence

on the off day we heard they reached out and in talks. .

I expect more to come out and hopefully an agreement announced day after series ends...

You heard from whom? Rumors can happen at anytime.

 

[chibears55]

You heard from whom? Rumors can happen at anytime.

I agree with rumors and hearsay. . I dont trust anything til it actually happens. ..

Espn last night had buster olney (sp) report that they were in talks and deal was close

 

[CSF77]

13 teams are out of the running. Teams can back their current manager and say he is their guy. The Cubs have not said one way or another. So that by default puts Rick's position in question.

My opinion is they need to get Maddon. Screw butt hurt feelings. Theo came in to Chicago to turn this team around and rebuild it from the bottom up. He has done that. Now he said the goal is getting to the play offs. They need to move away from the rent-a-player; rent-a-manager mentality now. That means legit talent on both ends to mold the youth.

Not fill in types.

Originally Posted by Boobaby1
How bout this? The Cubs turned over an opening day line-up that consisted of:

Bonafacio CF (gone)
Lake LF (demoted)
Castro SS
Rizzo 1B
Olt 3B (bench player)
Castillo C
Schierholtz RF (gone)
Barney 2B (gone)

Plus traded away 40%, or two of the top three of the rotation and a quality LH reliever, only to have young kids and a few veterans actually play better ball in the 2nd half.

Lester will not turn the Cubs around by himself, nor will a mid-tier starter. They will need some kind of bats in the line-up, preferably near the top, and preferably left handed.

I look for players like Alcantara and Baez to progress, because after all, it couldn't get a whole lot worse

Team right now:
Coghlan: Started in AAA
Valbuena
Rizzo
Soler Started in AA
Castro
Baez started in AAA
Alcantara started in AAA
Castillo

Around Apr 17 we are looking at Bryant at 3B

Now the main problem I'm seeing is adding a OBA bat as a lead off. Theo has said Coghlan will be in the "plans" but he did not say he will be the opening day LF. So IMO they will invest into LF this off season.

My list:
Nick Markakis: http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2014/10/free-agent-profile-nick-markakis.html info on his situation. Basics is he has regressed D wise sense 2008 in RF so a move to LF would benefit him. Markakis has never posted a single-season OBP lower than .329. So he would be ideal as a lead off.

Melky Cabrera: http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2014/10/free-agent-profile-melky-cabrera.html

Now he would be the more pricey option. a 5 year deal would only push him to 34 so I would expect him to cost in the 50 mil range.

Bad points:

Back to his on-field characteristics, Cabrera may not strike out much but he also doesn’t walk much or show excellent plate discipline. He’s an aggressive hacker who despite rarely swinging and missing at a pitch averaged just 3.69 pitches per plate appearance in 2014 — a figure that tied him for 105th in Major League Baseball among qualified hitters.

Not really ideal lead off attributes. Not to mention his SB ability has degraded to negative values.

I'm thinking Nick is the better fit.

Pitching just saw that Gwang-hyun Kim (Korean) will be posted.

Position: Pitcher
Bats: Left, Throws: Left
Height: 6' 2", Weight: 176 lb.

Born: July 22, 1988 (Age 26.098)


Career: 82-49 3.29 ERA 1.358 WHIP 4.1 BB/9 (on the high side) 7.6 SO/9 (avg) No FIP info. But he seems to be a decent mid tier LH option.



So my take: If they sign Maddon to me it signifies that they are going all out to make this team play off ready. Which means $$$ will be spent.

That means they need a legit TOR (Lester target #1) A legit lead off (My pref Nick Markakis). A 2nd would be pushing it.

That would put the team after Bryant promotes:

LF Nick Markakis
CF: Arismendy Alcantara
1B: Anthony Rizzo
3B: Kris Bryant
RF: Jorge Soler
SS: Starlin Castro
2B: Javier Baez
C: Wellington Castillo

The team would be RH heavy until Schwarber promotes. So another option is to swap Castro and Alcantara in the line up. I feel that will end up being the case anyways.

Rotation:
Arrieta
Lester
Hendricks
Wood
Turner

That is how I feel it will end up unless they invest into a 2nd LH starter. It really depends if they can figure why Wood's BB/9 went up. We know he was not locating as well as he did the year before but they need to find the mechanical problem and address it this off-season.

 

[TC in Mississippi]

They have the money for Maddon. No question. I think they're going to pay for one TOR pitcher, two if it's shakes out right. I don't see them signing a left fielder, at least not an everyday left fielder. I think the veteran presence they keep talking about is a platoon player. Maybe Torii Hunter. I think they want enough position flexibility with teh kids to move parts around without blocking anyone. I also don't see them going over 100 million in salary. I think 2015 is going to be the learning how to compete year, they may find themselves in a Wild Card race and make some moves at the deadline but I don't see them trying to work the offseason to build a contender for 2015 at the expense of the long term plan.