Questions 4/Knowledgeable Fans.

[2SeamHeat]

I'm skeptical of the plan to build in-house. I know the farm system is a big part of a team's success or failure, but Theo had some pretty decent talent when he took over Boston. This is a whole new journey for him. I'm hoping that he delivers and proves my doubts wrong, but I just have an uneasy feeling that things aren't going to turn out as great as many fans hope. Maybe I've seen the Cubs have bad luck and play bad baseball for too long to be an optimist. Who knows. :dunno:

According to the the guy running the show in Boston prior to Henry's take over, John Harrington, he trusted Epstein more than Duquette in terms of developing the farm system and building around a core of in-house product. This is also why Duquette was fired within 24 hours after Henry's group purchased the team, and Epstein immediately promoted once Billy Beane turned them down. In other words, Epstein had a very strong voice in the direction the team was going while an Assistant Manager, and can get at least a good chunk of the credit for developing a lot of that talent that was in place.

I don't think the team will build solely from within. It's not Epstein's, nor Hoyer's, track record. I think they'll build a core group around Castro, Rizzo, Samardzija, and others from the system... then fill in holes through trades and FA. That's probably where the starting pitching will come from in 2-3 years. This is why I still think that they will make a move for a FA pitcher this winter, since the odds are not in the team's favor that any topnotch pitching will hit the market over the next 3-4 years... at least not guys you should be willing to give more than a 2-3 year deal due to age or health.

 

[Uman85]

According to the the guy running the show in Boston prior to Henry's take over, John Harrington, he trusted Epstein more than Duquette in terms of developing the farm system and building around a core of in-house product. This is also why Duquette was fired within 24 hours after Henry's group purchased the team, and Epstein immediately promoted once Billy Beane turned them down. In other words, Epstein had a very strong voice in the direction the team was going while an Assistant Manager, and can get at least a good chunk of the credit for developing a lot of that talent that was in place.

I don't think the team will build solely from within. It's not Epstein's, nor Hoyer's, track record. I think they'll build a core group around Castro, Rizzo, Samardzija, and others from the system... then fill in holes through trades and FA. That's probably where the starting pitching will come from in 2-3 years. This is why I still think that they will make a move for a FA pitcher this winter, since the odds are not in the team's favor that any topnotch pitching will hit the market over the next 3-4 years... at least not guys you should be willing to give more than a 2-3 year deal due to age or health.

That's what I'm hoping for and that's a plan I can back 100%. A strong farm system while also acquiring the necessary pieces via free agency is a winning formula. I forgot where I read them, but an article or two stated that Ricketts wanted the team built from within and that spending money wouldn't be his priority or even a top option for him. In hindsight, it was probably written by a disgruntled fan who thinks #Rickettscheap. :lol:

 

[Jntg4]

I'm skeptical of the plan to build in-house. I know the farm system is a big part of a team's success or failure, but Theo had some pretty decent talent when he took over Boston. This is a whole new journey for him. I'm hoping that he delivers and proves my doubts wrong, but I just have an uneasy feeling that things aren't going to turn out as great as many fans hope. Maybe I've seen the Cubs have bad luck and play bad baseball for too long to be an optimist. Who knows. :dunno:

Theo still had to replenish the talent pool though, look how many players he drafted were on that 2007 team. The only difference is that the team isn't winning while he drafts good players.

 

[Sunbiz1]

According to the the guy running the show in Boston prior to Henry's take over, John Harrington, he trusted Epstein more than Duquette in terms of developing the farm system and building around a core of in-house product. This is also why Duquette was fired within 24 hours after Henry's group purchased the team, and Epstein immediately promoted once Billy Beane turned them down. In other words, Epstein had a very strong voice in the direction the team was going while an Assistant Manager, and can get at least a good chunk of the credit for developing a lot of that talent that was in place.

I don't think the team will build solely from within. It's not Epstein's, nor Hoyer's, track record. I think they'll build a core group around Castro, Rizzo, Samardzija, and others from the system... then fill in holes through trades and FA. That's probably where the starting pitching will come from in 2-3 years. This is why I still think that they will make a move for a FA pitcher this winter, since the odds are not in the team's favor that any topnotch pitching will hit the market over the next 3-4 years... at least not guys you should be willing to give more than a 2-3 year deal due to age or health.

You answered my only remaining question, that being qualifications. When you look at Theo's somewhat generic resume, none of this information is shared. So, the average person reading would think he only signed a few FA's to put the R.S. over the top. I see now he did a bit more in Boston.