The Chicago Cubs will compete in .....

[SilenceS]

Ready for this bombshell. I am a pretty level headed fan with some baseball knowledge but I am going out on a limb. The Chicago Cubs will compete for the last wild card spot in 2014. I dont guarantee they will get it, but this team has a future. Rip me apart but this team will learn how to win. Im sure I will get blasted for this but call it a gut feeling but I feel the law of averages has to go our way soon. We have some great impact bats in the minors. Even, if you say, they havent done anything in the majors they are still impact bats for trades and so forth. The Cubs have 4 out of their top 10 players with ceilings of 30 plus home runs. Show me another team with that kind of power? We lack pitching but you extend Garza and we have a good 4 years of solid pitching on this team. The Chicago Cubs are coming and I believe.

 

[Icculus]

Thank you for this enlightenment. You really raised the IQ of this board and prove the smarts of Cub fans everywhere.

 

[Willrust]

Silence,

I follow your line of thinking in that the the peripheral stats for the Cubs this year point to them being around a .500 team. However, this team is not going to consist of the same players next year. Granted, there are some FA possibilities that the Cubs can afford to pickup without putting their payroll over 115-120M. These FA pickups will come down to those players' desire to play for the Cubs. There are also some intriguing prospects that will be approaching callup next year, most likely September callups. You also need to look at the NL Central division. The Cardinals are looking at losing Beltran, but have every other position locked in and (many with backups) and will likely filling the lose of Beltran with Oscar Tavaras. The Pirates will likely be losing AJ Burnett, but will fill his void with Garrit Cole. The Reds will likely be losing Bronson Arroyo & Shin Soo Choo, but will fill those voids with Tony Cingrani and Billy Hamilton.

If the potential holds true this is what the 2015 Cub lineup could look like this with prospects:

1. Logan Watkins 2B
2. Albert Almora CF
3. Anthony Rizzo 1B
4. Jorge Soler LF/RF
5. Kris Bryant 3B/LF
6. Javier Baez 2B/3B
7. Starlin Castro SS
8. Wellington Castillo C

With FA's

1. Jacoby Ellsbury / Shin Soo Choo CF
2. Albert Almora RF
3. Jorge Soler LF
4. Anthony Rizzo 1B
5. Kris Bryant 3B
6. Javier Baez 2B
7. Brian McCann C
8. Starlin Castro SS

Bench:
Junior Lake 3B/OF
Darwin Barney SS/2B
Wellington Castillo C
Matt Szczur OF
Dustin Geiger 1B

 

[mountsalami]

Ready for this bombshell. I am a pretty level headed fan with some baseball knowledge but I am going out on a limb. The Chicago Cubs will compete for the last wild card spot in 2014. I dont guarantee they will get it, but this team has a future. Rip me apart but this team will learn how to win. Im sure I will get blasted for this but call it a gut feeling but I feel the law of averages has to go our way soon. We have some great impact bats in the minors. Even, if you say, they havent done anything in the majors they are still impact bats for trades and so forth. The Cubs have 4 out of their top 10 players with ceilings of 30 plus home runs. Show me another team with that kind of power? We lack pitching but you extend Garza and we have a good 4 years of solid pitching on this team. The Chicago Cubs are coming and I believe.

I'm guessing these were your last words before you passed out from a large night of drinking.

 

[KBisBack!]

The Chicago Cubs are coming and I believe.

I will start to believe if or when some of these great prospects start producing at the major league level.

Two years ago people in Kansas City were talking about how stacked the middle of their lineup would be with Moustakas, Hosmer and Myers.

Not a one of them is producing at the major league level.

 

[KBisBack!]

If the potential holds true this is what the 2015 Cub lineup could look like this with prospects:

Once again you only see the best case scenario.

The real life scenario likely has only one of the four (Bryant, Soler, Almora and Baez) producing to even average major league production by 2015.

None of those players are even to AA yet and already you have them ALL in the majors in less than two years???

Not realistic at all.

 

[CSF77]

The only way it works is if they depend on the vets first while the youth adjusts. So say next year they go with Bryant at 3B. They would still have to depend on Rizzo and Sori more for run production while Bryant adjusts and readjusts. He may be the next great hitting 3B but he still would not be above this. So To make that thought reality they still need a proven power bat out there. Sori is not going to give another 30 HR year. 20 is acceptable at this stage. Rizzo maybe adjusted. Bryant will be in adjustments. So it makes sense to UPG RF with a proven run producer. Soler could still go to LF to be Sori's replacement. Even then they would have to keep the rotation the same and improve the pen to be a contender.

 

[Boobaby1]

The only way it works is if they depend on the vets first while the youth adjusts. So say next year they go with Bryant at 3B. They would still have to depend on Rizzo and Sori more for run production while Bryant adjusts and readjusts. He may be the next great hitting 3B but he still would not be above this. So To make that thought reality they still need a proven power bat out there. Sori is not going to give another 30 HR year. 20 is acceptable at this stage. Rizzo maybe adjusted. Bryant will be in adjustments. So it makes sense to UPG RF with a proven run producer. Soler could still go to LF to be Sori's replacement. Even then they would have to keep the rotation the same and improve the pen to be a contender.

Here is how you can give yourself a fighting chance in my opinion.

Long term - Choo
Short term - Utley, Morse, and Chavez/Reynolds
Added pitcher - Kuroda, Colon, Baker, Maholm (take your pick)
Extension - Garza
Trades - Soriano, Dejesus, and Feldman
Bullpen - FIX IT!

CF Choo
SS Castro
2B Utley
1B Rizzo
LF Morse
3B Chavez/Reynolds
Rf Schierholtz/Hairston
C Castillo

This blocks no one, and they need to give Sveum something to work with and get the fans to really start buzzing about this Cubs team now with the potential youth coming behind these guys. opcorn:

BTW....About 115 million on the payroll amount.

 

[chibears55]

Nice post silence, I see where your going with this and your right. with the right moves this deadline and off season and having key players pick it up they can be there for a run next year.
hell if they had any type of bullpen this year they would be a few games better, then include with getting some key hits with runners in scoring position they would be even better.

so, i agree with the right additions and improvement from some key players then its not out of the possibility that they can make a WC run next year.

 

[mountsalami]

Here is how you can give yourself a fighting chance in my opinion.

Long term - Choo
Short term - Utley, Morse, and Chavez/Reynolds
Added pitcher - Kuroda, Colon, Baker, Maholm (take your pick)
Extension - Garza,SHARK
Trades - Soriano, Dejesus, and Feldman
Bullpen - FIX IT!

CF Choo
SS Castro
2B Utley
1B Rizzo
LF Morse
3B Chavez/Reynolds
Rf Schierholtz/Hairston
C Castillo

This blocks no one, and they need to give Sveum something to work with and get the fans to really start buzzing about this Cubs team now with the potential youth coming behind these guys. opcorn:

BTW....About 115 million on the payroll amount.

I fixed it for you. Good post Boo.

 

[mountsalami]

Nice post silence, I see where your going with this and your right. with the right moves this deadline and off season and having key players pick it up they can be there for a run next year.
hell if they had any type of bullpen this year they would be a few games better, then include with getting some key hits with runners in scoring position they would be even better.

so, i agree with the right additions and improvement from some key players then its not out of the possibility that they can make a WC run next year.

We'll be extremely lucky if it's 2018 at this current rate.

I don't see the Cards and Reds lying down for the Cubs to overtake them. And that's in just the Central.

 

[chibears55]

Here is how you can give yourself a fighting chance in my opinion.

Long term - Choo
Short term - Utley, Morse, and Chavez/Reynolds
Added pitcher - Kuroda, Colon, Baker, Maholm (take your pick)
Extension - Garza
Trades - Soriano, Dejesus, and Feldman
Bullpen - FIX IT!

CF Choo
SS Castro
2B Utley
1B Rizzo
LF Morse
3B Chavez/Reynolds
Rf Schierholtz/Hairston
C Castillo

This blocks no one, and they need to give Sveum something to work with and get the fans to really start buzzing about this Cubs team now with the potential youth coming behind these guys. opcorn:

BTW....About 115 million on the payroll amount.

First its easy for us to say sign this guy and that guy, but it comes down to making the right offer w/o having to grossly over pay and IF that player wants to play here over any other team with money and years being somewhat equal.

I think if not this deadline, in the off season with 1 yr left on his contract the cubs will move soriano.

I also feel that IF he has a solid 2nd half, jorge soler will be up if not at the start then at some point early on ( may/june ) next year

i also feel they will try and push Bryant ( depending on how he does ) to be ready and come up at/around the same time..

their going to stick with darwin barney, unless he totally crumbles until their ready to replace with baez or watkins..

i think it might come down to choo or elsbury, with elsbury being first choice..

I think their biggest moves will be resigning garza and trying to bring in a top end starter

 

[CSF77]

Seriously looking at it: I would extend Shark, Garza, Wood and Feldman. They are stuck with Jackson so fix him. They need to fix the pen 2nd. Fuji and Viz maybe the answer but they need something proven as a closer to stabilize the pen. Giving Gregg might be a cost effective solution as he is doing the job fine. So with this it has more to do with retention with hoping that no regression happens. Injured players stay healthy. Obvious solution is more depth in the pen. Next is the line up: I'm seeing this as a solid line up: 1. Jacoby CF. (buy low), 2. Valbuena 2B (platoon with Barney), 3. Bryant 3B. (Start him out of S/T), 4. Rizzo 1B (I'd drop him to split up the LH) 5. Soriano LF (last year) 6. Salty C (make Castillo the back up) 7. Soler RF (yep cost effective RF and has a year to develop) 8. Castro (he should get plenty of RBI ops here). That is a line up that I could get behind. LF would still open up with 18 mil falling off the books. Almora would be promoting next so Jacoby could move to LF.

 

[KBisBack!]

so, i agree with the right additions and improvement from some key players then its not out of the possibility that they can make a WC run next year.

They could have done the same thing the last two offseasons as well, but chose to throw away seasons instead.

The major league team is worse now than it was at the end of the 2011 season.

 

[SilenceS]

I may have had a couple of flaming dr. peppers last night to end the night, but I do believe the Cubs have the money, the prospects, and some players already that could make this team go soon.

Also, Ziggy, you silly son of a bitch. I was impressed that you spelled enlightenment right being a White Sox fan, but then I realized auto correct probably helped you out a little. Thanks for the post. I know its hard to get away on that work release program.

 

[Boobaby1]

First its easy for us to say sign this guy and that guy, but it comes down to making the right offer w/o having to grossly over pay and IF that player wants to play here over any other team with money and years being somewhat equal.

I think if not this deadline, in the off season with 1 yr left on his contract the cubs will move soriano.

I also feel that IF he has a solid 2nd half, jorge soler will be up if not at the start then at some point early on ( may/june ) next year

i also feel they will try and push Bryant ( depending on how he does ) to be ready and come up at/around the same time..

their going to stick with darwin barney, unless he totally crumbles until their ready to replace with baez or watkins..

i think it might come down to choo or elsbury, with elsbury being first choice..

I think their biggest moves will be resigning garza and trying to bring in a top end starter

With the line-up I illustrated, they won't have to grossly overpay for anyone. Choo is not going to get Cano money, he is a lead-off man with some pop in his bat and the rest were tied to short contracts.

Elsbury? Not me.

The offense sucks and needs to be addressed. PERIOD!

BTW, Theo is the one that said "elite" free agents wanted to play for the Cubs. His words, not mine. None of those players are elite except an aging Utley.

 

[Willrust]

Once again you only see the best case scenario.

The real life scenario likely has only one of the four (Bryant, Soler, Almora and Baez) producing to even average major league production by 2015.

None of those players are even to AA yet and already you have them ALL in the majors in less than two years???

Not realistic at all.

Is it wishy-washy, yes. It is best case scenario. Given the money involved with Soler, Almora, Baez and likely Bryant; those guys will all be given 1st crack at those positions even if they struggle in the minors.

As to promotions to AA, Soler and Baez will likely be in AA by the end of the year and could be in AAA at some point in 2014 (Baez timeline is aggressive but not absurd). Almora could start 2014 in AA and finish the year at AAA (although will likely be brought up more slowly if the Cubs grab Ellsbury or Choo in FA). Bryant will likely start at Kane County or even Daytona this year. He will should start at Daytona or Tennessee to begin 2014 and if he progresses quickly like scouts have reported will be at AAA by the end of 2014 or even a September callup in 2014.

Again this is a aggressive timeline, but not out of the realm of possibility and doesn't consider these guys being included in any transactions.

 

[Willrust]

With the line-up I illustrated, they won't have to grossly overpay for anyone. Choo is not going to get Cano money, he is a lead-off man with some pop in his bat and the rest were tied to short contracts.

Elsbury? Not me.

The offense sucks and needs to be addressed. PERIOD!

BTW, Theo is the one that said "elite" free agents wanted to play for the Cubs. His words, not mine. None of those players are elite except an aging Utley.

Choo is intriguing, but due to his representation, don't rule out him demanding around 100M for 6 years. Get ready for the Jayson Werth comparisons coming for Boras.

 

[Boobaby1]

Choo is intriguing, but due to his representation, don't rule out him demanding around 100M for 6 years. Get ready for the Jayson Werth comparisons coming for Boras.

Fine with me.

Choo represents every aspect that is positive for a team moving forward, and hopefully the Cubs feel the same way.

 

[KBisBack!]

Choo is intriguing, but due to his representation, don't rule out him demanding around 100M for 6 years. Get ready for the Jayson Werth comparisons coming for Boras.

And the Cubs easily have the money to pay that.

But now here you will start your ridiculousness that Choo should only be signed for 3-4 years at no more than $7M a season or some other nonsense while you claim to not shit all over every single FA suggestion.