Update On The "Great Moves".

[mountsalami]

Arodys Vizcaino 'long way' from pitching

by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com


Cubs pitcher Arodys Vizcaino (elbow) is making progress in his recovery, but it still seems unlikely he will pitch in 2013, Chicago manager Dale Sveum said Tuesday.

"(He's) getting ready to start tossing but we're a long way away from (pitching)," Sveum said, per ESPN.



Scott Baker progressing at 'slow rate'

by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com


Cubs manager Dale Sveum said Tuesday starting pitcher Scott Baker's velocity was slightly better in his latest rehab start Monday for Class A Daytona. However, Sveum was still disappointed Baker (elbow) didn't have an overly efficient outing.

"Sixty five pitches in 3 1/3 innings, that’s 20 pitches per inning again," Sveum said, per MLB.com. "He’s still not getting quick outs and what you want done in a 65-pitch outing."

Although the Cubs have dealt two-fifths of their rotation -- Matt Garza and Scott Feldman -- there are preaching patience with Baker.

"We’re not too concerned [about Baker] because right now, we don’t have a need right now, and we’re OK with everything," Sveum said. "It’s just kind of a slow development for him right now. We don’t have a big need right now for a starting pitcher and we’re OK with things progressing at a slow rate."



Jeff Samardzija's dominant outing goes to waste

by Jeff Lippman | CBSSports.com


Cubs starter Jeff Samardzija put together another solid performance Monday night at home against the Brewers. Unfortunately, the game went scoreless into the ninth inning when Pedro Strop gave up five runs in the 5-0 loss.

Samardzija took a no-decision despite seven shutout innings. He gave up just three hits and two walks and struck out seven for the Cubs over 109 pitches. Samardzija's record remains 6-9 and his ERA moves to 3.75 as Chicago's asking price for the 28-year-old is sky high, CBS Sports Baseball Insider Jon Heyman reports.

Not expected to be moved at the trade deadline, Samardzija should make his next start for the Cubs Saturday against the Dodgers.


Can't wait to see what happens with all the goodies received for Garza.

 

[mountsalami]

Here's another one..............

Jake Arrieta likely headed back to minors

by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com


Cubs starting pitcher Jake Arrieta hopes to stick around past Tuesday's doubleheader against the Brewers, but it sounds as though no matter how well he pitches in the nightcap, he's headed back to the minors.

"We're OK right now," manager Dale Sveum said of his rotation needs. "(Chris) Rusin is pitching well and (Carlos) Villanueva. We are where we are right now."

Sure is nice to see the great haul for Feldman will be used as a great stepping stone in the right direction.

 

[TL1961]

I'll bite!

I don't recall anyone referring to the acquisition of Scott Baker as a "great move", nor do I recall anyone - front office or here - acting as though Scott Baker is a key to the future of this team.

I think many feel Vizcaino has good upside for a guy acquired for Paul Maholm. But it is risk/reward. His upside is higher than other guys Atlanta had, but he comes with the injury, so it was a gamble vs getting a guy less likely to fail and less likely to be anything worth talking about. (such as, say...Paul Maholm!)

I am not sure how you worked the fact that Smardzija didn't get run support into a thread about Theo and Jed's awful, horrible moves, but I highly doubt you'd have brought it up had the Cubs scored 9 runs for him.

Keep bitching. The Cubs aren't winning the WS this year, so you are right that every move sucks.

The Cubs have several prospects highly thought of by people who know baseball, but that doesn't matter because they are only prospects.

So bring up Scott Baker as though he was ever considered a savior.

Now go root for Jake Arietta to suck tonight so you have more to whine about.

(Oh, wait....maybe he'll pitch well, and you can somehow change the subject to run support.) BTW, didn't Samardzija look good Monday? Or does that not count?

 

[mountsalami]

I'll bite!

I don't recall anyone referring to the acquisition of Scott Baker as a "great move", nor do I recall anyone - front office or here - acting as though Scott Baker is a key to the future of this team.

I think many feel Vizcaino has good upside for a guy acquired for Paul Maholm. But it is risk/reward. His upside is higher than other guys Atlanta had, but he comes with the injury, so it was a gamble vs getting a guy less likely to fail and less likely to be anything worth talking about. (such as, say...Paul Maholm!)

I am not sure how you worked the fact that Smardzija didn't get run support into a thread about Theo and Jed's awful, horrible moves, but I highly doubt you'd have brought it up had the Cubs scored 9 runs for him.

Keep bitching. The Cubs aren't winning the WS this year, so you are right that every move sucks.

The Cubs have several prospects highly thought of by people who know baseball, but that doesn't matter because they are only prospects.

So bring up Scott Baker as though he was ever considered a savior.

Now go root for Jake Arietta to suck tonight so you have more to whine about.

(Oh, wait....maybe he'll pitch well, and you can somehow change the subject to run support.) BTW, didn't Samardzija look good Monday? Or does that not count?

Not sure what your point is at biting. Just sharing some reported facts. Or would you rather talk about how these moves are considered keys to the rebuilding process.

 

[Capt. Serious]

but Theo is a genius didn't you know?

 

[The Bandit]

I'll bite!

I don't recall anyone referring to the acquisition of Scott Baker as a "great move", nor do I recall anyone - front office or here - acting as though Scott Baker is a key to the future of this team.

I think many feel Vizcaino has good upside for a guy acquired for Paul Maholm. But it is risk/reward. His upside is higher than other guys Atlanta had, but he comes with the injury, so it was a gamble vs getting a guy less likely to fail and less likely to be anything worth talking about. (such as, say...Paul Maholm!)

I am not sure how you worked the fact that Smardzija didn't get run support into a thread about Theo and Jed's awful, horrible moves, but I highly doubt you'd have brought it up had the Cubs scored 9 runs for him.

Keep bitching. The Cubs aren't winning the WS this year, so you are right that every move sucks.

The Cubs have several prospects highly thought of by people who know baseball, but that doesn't matter because they are only prospects.

So bring up Scott Baker as though he was ever considered a savior.

Now go root for Jake Arietta to suck tonight so you have more to whine about.

(Oh, wait....maybe he'll pitch well, and you can somehow change the subject to run support.) BTW, didn't Samardzija look good Monday? Or does that not count?

Stop biting, the attempts are getting laughable at this point.

 

[patg006]

Stop biting, the attempts are getting laughable at this point.

Not as laughable as some posters' rationale about how minor league players with high expectations and upsides never fail......

Or how Theo and Jed make no mistakes.

Or how throwing away seasons for high draft picks is acceptable.

Dammit, there I go being a realistic fan again.....

 

[The Bandit]

Not as laughable as some posters' rationale about how minor league players with high expectations and upsides never fail......

Or how Theo and Jed make no mistakes.

Or how throwing away seasons for high draft picks is acceptable.

Dammit, there I go being a realistic fan again.....

Name the posters then. Because none of those is me, except the throwing away seasons atm.

 

[beckdawg]

This thread is pretty snarky. The cubs got Vizcaino for a FA pitcher that no one else really wanted until he pitched well for the cubs. Vizcaino was never a sure thing because they traded for him knowing he had surgery. First of all, he's 22 and even if he were healthy he wouldn't likely be pitching in the majors. Secondly, IIRC he had tommy john which generally takes 2 years to recover from. And even if he doesn't pan out you're missing the point. It's about filling your farm system with as much talent as you can and hope the majority of it pans out. Do we really think Maholm is what's holding the cubs back from a pennant?

Jake Arrieta is a similar type of gamble. They traded a guy they picked up cheap in the off season for a younger arm that hopefully turns into a back of the rotation starter. Even if he turns into a fringe major league player(which he looks like at the moment) you still need those types of guys in your system for dealing with injuries. He's a cost controlled player who they hope will at the very least fill in some depth they need over the next 2 years where they will hope for their minor league talent to develop.

Baker was a similar gamble to Feldman and Maholm. They got a cheap starter who they hoped would get healthy and give them value. And if they were out of contention they could deal him for something. He obviously hasn't returned to health but I don't exactly see why people would complain about this. He was a $5.5 mil gamble. If you're Oakland or some other smaller market team then fine it's risky. But this is the cubs. They are a major market team that just gave the yanks like $17 mil to get rid of soriano(was fine with that trade as well).

Simply put, if people are bitching about these moves it's the most nitpicky of stuff to be pissed about. We will know what theo and company bring to the table once some of their #1 picks come up.

 

[FirstTimer]

Not as laughable as some posters' rationale about how minor league players with high expectations and upsides never fail......

Who has said that?

Please cite posts.

 

[JosMin]

Not as laughable as some posters' rationale about how minor league players with high expectations and upsides never fail......

Nobody ever said that.

Or how Theo and Jed make no mistakes.

Nobody ever said that either. Shame on fans for putting trust in a guy who won two World Series and had one of the deepest farm systems over a 9 year stretch and the guy who was his assistant.

Or how throwing away seasons for high draft picks is acceptable.

Throwing away seasons.... building a sustainable roster and preparing to start filling out the MLB roster with free agents.... apparently the same thing.

Dammit, there I go being a realistic fan again.....

I think "delusional troll with a total refusal to understand a successful business model" would be more accurate.

 

[Jntg4]

What is the point of this thread?

 

[patg006]

This thread is pretty snarky. The cubs got Vizcaino for a FA pitcher that no one else really wanted until he pitched well for the cubs. Vizcaino was never a sure thing because they traded for him knowing he had surgery. First of all, he's 22 and even if he were healthy he wouldn't likely be pitching in the majors. Secondly, IIRC he had tommy john which generally takes 2 years to recover from. And even if he doesn't pan out you're missing the point. It's about filling your farm system with as much talent as you can and hope the majority of it pans out. Do we really think Maholm is what's holding the cubs back from a pennant?

Jake Arrieta is a similar type of gamble. They traded a guy they picked up cheap in the off season for a younger arm that hopefully turns into a back of the rotation starter. Even if he turns into a fringe major league player(which he looks like at the moment) you still need those types of guys in your system for dealing with injuries. He's a cost controlled player who they hope will at the very least fill in some depth they need over the next 2 years where they will hope for their minor league talent to develop.

Baker was a similar gamble to Feldman and Maholm. They got a cheap starter who they hoped would get healthy and give them value. And if they were out of contention they could deal him for something. He obviously hasn't returned to health but I don't exactly see why people would complain about this. He was a $5.5 mil gamble. If you're Oakland or some other smaller market team then fine it's risky. But this is the cubs. They are a major market team that just gave the yanks like $17 mil to get rid of soriano(was fine with that trade as well).

Simply put, if people are bitching about these moves it's the most nitpicky of stuff to be pissed about. We will know what theo and company bring to the table once some of their #1 picks come up.

If you havent read for the 1000th time why were bitching, I'm not going to explain it again. There's no point. I can dumb it down where it gets no bigger than 3-letter words, and you idiots will still misinterpret it. The funny thing is that we agree with about 80 percent of what you do......maybe more

Vick: not you, the troll patrol is a start, waldo, chris j, everybody else who takes a steaming turd called a team handed down from the boy blunders and calls it a picasso-esque sculpture. I'd rather resources be allocated to trying to win this year, next year, and the year after, and I believe it does not involve pouring 90% of the resources into the farm while 10% to everything else.....you know, something a team like the Royals do.....

 

[Jntg4]

If you havent read for the 1000th time why were bitching, I'm not going to explain it again. There's no point. I can dumb it down where it gets no bigger than 3-letter words, and you idiots will still misinterpret it. The funny thing is that we agree with about 80 percent of what you do......maybe more

Vick: not you, the troll patrol is a start, waldo, chris j, everybody else who takes a steaming turd called a team handed down from the boy blunders and calls it a picasso-esque sculpture. I'd rather resources be allocated to trying to win this year, next year, and the year after, and I believe it does not involve pouring 90% of the resources into the farm while 10% to everything else.....you know, something a team like the Royals do.....

Waldo is waldo and Chris J is a major homer, that I agree with.

 

[DewsSox79]

Waldo is waldo and Chris J is a major homer, that I agree with.

he has taken over for captain obvious

 

[Jntg4]

he has taken over for captain obvious

A less aggressive version anyway. At least CO backed his stuff up with some form of stats, rather than Chris making ridiculous claims about how it would be shocking if at least 2 of Baez/Bryant/Almora/Soler weren't all-stars, it's almost as if he wants to make everyone else forfeit to KB's Theo-hating clan by throwing out peer stupidity for them to cling on to/hold against everybody else.

 

[KBisBack!]

Nobody ever said that either. Shame on fans for putting trust in a guy who won two World Series and had one of the deepest farm systems over a 9 year stretch and the guy who was his assistant.

Andy McPhail says hello.

He arrived with the same, if not better, credentials than Epstein and is considered a failure with the Cubs.

So excuse us fans who have followed the team for more than a handful of years if we have been sold this bag of goods before.

Throwing away seasons.... building a sustainable roster and preparing to start filling out the MLB roster with free agents.... apparently the same thing.

Building a sustainable roster??

Who on the current roster is part of a winning sustainable roster??

Very few, if any players.

Theo has also stated that FA comes after the core is built from the system and that big FA signings are not in the near future.

Yet as usual you take out of it what you want to hear, that they are preparing the fill out the MLB roster with FA signings. Maybe signings that can be used for half a season and then downgraded to multiple less skilled players. But that is building a sustainable roster? Um ok. Sounds more like sustainable mediocrity to me.

I think "delusional troll with a total refusal to understand a successful business model" would be more accurate.

Most of your post was completely delusional with a total refusal of reality and only complete blind faith in a PR campaign.

That is pretty accurate.

 

[FirstTimer]

Andy McPhail says hello.

He arrived with the same, if not better, credentials than Epstein and is considered a failure with the Cubs.

McPhail winning tw WS's almost 10 years before taking the Cubs job pre strike, new CBA, small market team, to big market team owned by the Trib =/= to Epstein coming to Chicago less than 5 years removed from his most recent WS title in a big market with private ownership like the Cubs have now. The CBA's are different but Epstein has already shown he may have found another loophole in it. MAcPahil never showed an adjustment.

Nice comparison.


Not.

It's almost as though you're intentionally try to make shitty posts.

 

[KBisBack!]

McPhail winning tw WS's almost 10 years before taking the Cubs job pre strike,

Twins won their second WS in 1991.

McPhail came to the Cubs in 1994.

How exactly is that almost 10 years previously?

Epstein coming to Chicago less than 5 years removed from his most recent WS title in a big market with private ownership like the Cubs have now.

McPhail actually came to the Cubs with less time removed from winning the WS than Epstein did.

Whoops.

The Cubs are not run anything like the Red Sox.

The Red Sox value winning over profit.

Ricketts values profit over winning.


Troll on.

 

[FirstTimer]

Twins won their second WS in 1991.

McPhail came to the Cubs in 1994.

How exactly is that almost 10 years previously?

McPhail wasn't made GM until 2000.

Derp.

The Cubs are not run anything like the Red Sox.

The Red Sox value winning over profit.

:andruw:

You must be unfamiliar with the 2005-2006 tear downs/re-tooling and the events of the last few years..namely last season

But keep on telling me how my team is run.