Off season F/A

[CSF77]

We'll see. With the players on the Cubs current roster, I think he has earned a starting spot in the outfield for next season. Maybe he'll turn out to be pretty good and then you have one of the outfield spots set for the future.

Rizzo did pretty well his rook year also.

Well, CF should be his only option until Almora arrives. He is not powerful enough to play corner outfield spots if the Cubs are going to move forward and be any kind of a power house.

I'd rather save those for Bryant, Soler, Baez or whomever they need to stick out there.

Jim Edmunds changed how teams view CF.



They have to go by needs in the line up first.

Current line up:

SS Castro .245/.284/.347
3B Valbuena .218/.331/.378

So 1 & 2 are running a low OBA. This is a major concern.
Lake .284/.332/.428 Not much better with the OBA. SLG is better.

1B Rizzo .233/.323/.419 again sub par.

#4 hitter is open right now.

RF Schierholtz .251/.301/.470 SLG is about as good as it gets on this squad. #5 is a good spot for him.

Others:
CF Sweeney .266/.324/.448
LF Bogusevic .273/.323/.462
2B Barney .208/.266/.303
C Castillo .274/.349/.397

Let me drop the priories:

#1: top of the order OBA bat. They have to replace Dejesus.
#2: Legit #4 hitter. RH bat most likely.

Those 2 have to be covered before doing anything else.

So lets say they stay status Que:

1: Castro .284 OBA SS
2: Castillo .349 OBA C
3: Rizzo .419 SLG 1B
4: Murphy .530 SLG 3B
5: Schierholtz .470 SLG RF
6: Bogusevic .462 SLG LF
7: Sweeney .448 SLG CF
8: Barney .303 SLG 2B

About as much production you are going to get here.

 

[CSF77]

But idea for them is Olt figures it out and they move Murphy to 2B.

At that point they have 2 low cost fixes as place holders for Baez and Bryant. That would leave LF as a glaring need with no heir apparent in the farm. Unless Jaxx some how figures how to hit a ball again.

But both are very far fetched answers to this problem.

 

[nickofypres]

I don't get the appeal of Beltran. Does he figure to be a factor when the Cubs are competitive?

 

[beckdawg]

I don't get the appeal of Beltran. Does he figure to be a factor when the Cubs are competitive?

I think he'll be too expensive but the appeal is just a quality player to fill a hole until something else is ready. Additionally, he could be a decent trade piece of things go tits up. I know many don't like that concept but the FO has basically said they don't plan to sign big ticket FA which generally consist of the only players who may be relevant long term. So, it's often best to get fillers who can contribute via trades long term.

 

[CSF77]

I do not see them going big name at all. Beltrain would have backwards value on a return and he alone is not changing a 90 loss team. The 15 mil spent his way could equal Byrd and McLouth or a OBA bat and a mid tier SP.

IMO if they are going to make an investment it has to be into an Ace.

 

[Boobaby1]

I don't get the appeal of Beltran. Does he figure to be a factor when the Cubs are competitive?

I'd rather pay a guy or two to at least give our team a remote chance at being in the hunt by the trade dead-line. At the very least you can flip them and I think it speaks volumes to the current core that the administration is doing what they can. I don't know how positive that players can stay if the Cubs continue to lose 90-100 games a year.

Is their a magic button that they will push that will vault them from worst to first? If so, I am all in. But reality says that the odds of that happening are stacked against us.

 

[theberserkfury]

Is their a magic button that they will push that will vault them from worst to first? If so, I am all in. But reality says that the odds of that happening are stacked against us.

Stacked, yeah... but the Indians did jump from a 90+ loss team to a 90+ win team in one season... so it still seems like a possibility worth entertaining.

 

[Boobaby1]

Stacked, yeah... but the Indians did jump from a 90+ loss team to a 90+ win team in one season... so it still seems like a possibility worth entertaining.

That was kind of my point. The Indians added pieces in the off-season, and had a tremendous run at the end of the year. If you replace players with non-factoring stop gaps with little to no potential, you exhaust all possibilities of making any run, and I feel it frustrates players.

They are competitive after all, and no player likes to lose, let alone continuously.

 

[Flacco4Prez]

I don't get the appeal of Beltran. Does he figure to be a factor when the Cubs are competitive?

Exactly. He is already 36. He probably has 2 years of really being a threat left, no point in the Cubs really pursuing. Now someone like Brian Roberts would be a good pick up IMO. He is 36, should come cheap and just allows the Cubs to wait to put one of their top prospects at 2B if and when they are healthy. Then they can use him as a sell piece come July. Beltran on the other hand plays a position we are alright on now in RF. Yeah he can play CF but Choo is a better option

 

[brett05]

Exactly. He is already 36. He probably has 2 years of really being a threat left, no point in the Cubs really pursuing. Now someone like Brian Roberts would be a good pick up IMO. He is 36, should come cheap and just allows the Cubs to wait to put one of their top prospects at 2B if and when they are healthy. Then they can use him as a sell piece come July. Beltran on the other hand plays a position we are alright on now in RF. Yeah he can play CF but Choo is a better option

A better option that will cost a ton more money and years.

 

[CSF77]

Stacked, yeah... but the Indians did jump from a 90+ loss team to a 90+ win team in one season... so it still seems like a possibility worth entertaining.

they added more then one player and did make a investment. Cubs have said they are not going to do this so it is pointless to even bring it up.

 

[CSF77]

Like I said the best case is they back fill a SP if they decide not to go with Baker and Rusin. Then if they get Tanaka they flip Shark for more prospects. Then they get a #4 hitter like Byrd at decent cost and retain either Sweeney or Bog for LF putting Lake into platoon with him.

Then wait for Baez and Bryant to develop.

The only way I felt they may spend more if that was a requirement to get Joe away from the Yanks. I expect them to go with one of their SD boys and continue the long process.

 

[Boobaby1]

A better option that will cost a ton more money and years.

And also factor that you are going to get what you pay for. Beltran will hold a lot more value than Roberts if they had to flip him just on sheer talent alone, not including the fact that Roberts has trouble staying healthy.

It's all wishful thinking anyways. The brass shows no signs of any spending on either guy. We will have another year of Darwin Barney & Friends on the North Side of Chicago, like it or not.

They are getting all of their ducks systematically in a row and not swaying one bit from their ways. It is what it is.

The venture they would take if any is on a guy like Tanaka. A futures person they could control for a long time. Not that it would be a bad thing.

 

[CSF77]

Beltrain is a backwards investment. It would cost 15 mil to ink him and they would have to cover the rest to get a mid tier arm. Learn from Sori. He was productive but age decreased his return value.

 

[CSF77]

FYI

Beltrain only makes sense if Baez and Bryant are on the team and they need a SH pluged inbetween them. Not the right time.

 

[Boobaby1]

Beltrain is a backwards investment. It would cost 15 mil to ink him and they would have to cover the rest to get a mid tier arm. Learn from Sori. He was productive but age decreased his return value.

And where is the forward investment when attendance plummets another couple hundred thousand because the Cubs are bringing in no one? They will have to make a move sometime.

It sure doesn't feel to me that "every season is precious" and that the WS is the ultimate goal. Not when you stack your line-up with utility players.

 

[CSF77]

And where is the forward investment when attendance plummets another couple hundred thousand because the Cubs are bringing in no one? They will have to make a move sometime.

It sure doesn't feel to me that "every season is precious" and that the WS is the ultimate goal. Not when you stack your line-up with utility players.

The Ricketts are stuck into paying off debt. It is part of the contract.

What you are saying is spend millions to make millions but right now they are reducing overhead to cover the debt.

If attendance drops below 2 mil next year I believe they opt for an investment.

But: last year Theo spiked season ticket sales. Last year it sagged after all they did was sign Jackson. This year is the pending start of Baez and a new manager.

I believe that payroll will be in the 60-80 mil range not including Sori's deferred amount.

 

[Boobaby1]

The Ricketts are stuck into paying off debt. It is part of the contract.

What you are saying is spend millions to make millions but right now they are reducing overhead to cover the debt.

If attendance drops below 2 mil next year I believe they opt for an investment.

But: last year Theo spiked season ticket sales. Last year it sagged after all they did was sign Jackson. This year is the pending start of Baez and a new manager.

I believe that payroll will be in the 60-80 mil range not including Sori's deferred amount.

No way in hell does it fall below 100 million. If it does, there won't be any reason for Cubs fans to come to the game. Theo, if given the opportunity will make the wisest 5 million a year free agent acquisition there is and hire Girardi. That will keep Cubs fans in limbo for another year or so.

It's all about marketing the Cubs to fans.

You got to get them to buy into what you are selling, and when you are losing 90-100 games a year, you better be making an effort other than the farm. Most fans know nothing about Baez and Bryant nor do they care. They look at where the Cubs are in the standings and that's it.

 

[CSF77]

U lack faith in the motivations at the worlds biggest bar.

 

[CSF77]

Trust me payroll will react after a drop in season ticket sales. This year I bet that they are banking on firing Dale and Baez pending will give more season ticket sales. What I do not want to see is another knee jerk reaction by ownership and sign another Jackson.