How much more transparent could Theo have been by saying we will stick to the game plan and not let the fans displeasure sway us from steering off of that path? Reading between the lines, he Is saying that we are rebuilding and it is going to be ugly. Also, if it were so bad in the clubhouse, FO, and staffs, why wouldn't everyone want to be jumping off of this ship? Instead, you are getting the McLeod's to sign extensions, morale is skyrocketing, Man-Ram wants be part of the Cubs organization only, and former players like Hammel saying he would like to rejoin the Cubs. I guess we will see this off-season who is going to come on board. Three years ago, A-Ram said he didn't to be a part of the process of rebuilding but understood the direction, and others have stated it as well. Now things are changing, the clubhouse morale is way up, and players around the league know it and will soon want to be a part of it. Lets see how fast Philadelphia turns it around. They have been dropping like a lead balloon since 2011 and have thrown money at the problem to try and be competitive to no avail. Lets see in two years if they are where the Cubs are now with the farm and no contracts to speak of. There must be a reason why Cole Hamels is rumored to be on the trading block, and I am sure he would help in putting potential players back into a sour minor league system. Sounds to me like yet another team that is trying to get younger and build up the farm. Doubt you would get much for Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, and Chase Utley these days, and it kind of sounds like where the Cubs were just three years ago, doesn't it? :-*
LOL!!!! Glad you arent expecting a lot. Only 3 major FA signings and most of the prospects to pan out. Glad we are looking at things realistically here. Even with the those added FA's the rotation isn't as good as either of the NL Wild Card teams this year. The Cub$ team ERA will need to come down by about a half a run a game this year to be on par with the Wild Card teams from this year. The Cub$ already ranked second in the NL in home runs this year, so it is unlikely to see a huge increase in HR's from a bunch of young players trying to adjust to far superior pitching. Even with all those home runs this year, the Cub$ will need to find a way to score an additional 50-75 runs to be on pace with what the Wild Card teams this year did. So they will only have to allow a half run less a game and score about a half run more a game to be competing for the Wild Card. That is a total of almost a full run a game improvement. The Pirates and Giants were +51. The Cub$ were -93 That is an awful lot of improvement expected from a bunch of prospects, cause I will believe major FA signings when I see it actually happen. I've heard the Cub$ cry wolf too many times to believe it anymore. Fielder, Darvish, Sanchez etc..... Fanboys will be fanboys
Saying every season is sacred and the goal every season is to win the World Series is pretty transparent also. Only the fanboys choose to ignore those statements cause it doesn't fit their agenda.
Let's see how fast Tampa turns it around. They are starting to drop like a lead ballon like I have been saying all along they would, and have been trading away quality major leaguers for lottery tickets to no avail.
^This right here. I also believe I had another thread titled 'Great Article' where Steve Rosenbloom rips Theo for his antitheses of transparancy
Add a catcher and also no regression in these hitters and you're right. But Milwaukee will be there with an improved team. Pittsburgh should reload, St. Louis; to me all are trending even. Cubs are trending up, just not as up as we all think. Reds trending down. I'd kill for a line up of Coghlan, Markakis, Rizzo, Castro, Martin, Valbuena, Baez, Soler. That would be respectable. Not elite. But definitely a good start to 2015. Add Bryant, see minimal regression than we have something formidable. I fully expect Coglan, Alcantra, Rizzo, Castro, Castillo, Valbuena, Soler, Baez. That is far from respectable. That AAA level shit everybody laughs at. Teams figured out Randy Wells pretty quickly, I hope this Hendricks kid, who has a very similar pitching style has a good offseason plan. I like Maeda and a lot of teams will be in on him. Also dont see the cubs going big time, big money to get him the way the Yanks got Tanaka. I like Liriano, when he's healthy, he's on. I like Lester too. Problem is, the cubs wont be the only ones after him.
And teams like Tampa should fail because of their lack of being able to spend. They have to do it in only one way. Teams like Philly can do it both ways and have chosen to ignore one facet in a feeble attempt to try and stay competitive which is always a recipe for disaster. Don't think so? See where the bigger teams like New York, Boston, Detroit, Anaheim, Philly, and LA go from here. They can only throw money at it for so long. Out of that group, the Dodgers and the Red Sox have the best chance because they actually pay attention to the core which is their farm. Sorry, but that is the ONLY FUCKING PLACE IT STARTS. EVERY good team starts with the farm. It's what you do after that determines the fate of your franchise. Why is this so hard to FUCKING UNDERSTAND? *WALL*
They have chosen to ignore one facet?? What a stupid thing to say. Just because a team spends at the major league level does not mean they are ignoring the farm system. I know this goes against what you have been told to think, but it is true. Just because it is ridiculously hard to produce consistent major league talent from the farm system does not mean a team is ignoring the farm system. Exactly how have they chosen to ignore the farm system?
You choose to ignore it by throwing pointless money at the major league team and just settling for whatever draft pick you get, especially when your team is in last place. Do you know how many players they shipped off of a hopeless team this year? You guessed it. ZERO! What have they done in the past three years that warrants your high regards as to the way a team should operate because to me, they aren't any better for it than the Cubs that you keep bashing? Maybe the biggest news of the trade deadline is that the Phillies sent absolutely no one away for minor league talent. None, zero, zilch, nada. Only you would think that is a good thing because how dare a team ship off players and get prospects back in return.. And you say you know baseball? *OK* I guess keeping Rollins, Howard, Hamels and Utley is planning for the future, especially as young as they are. Philly got to the point of success because they built their team around those guys, and then added the pieces. Not the other way around. :-X
Huh?? You get your draft pick based on where you finish, not how much money you spend. And you know for a fact that they got quality offers for players on their team and turned it down just so they could spend more money?? Didn't think so. It just fits the idiot fanboy agenda to think that is reality. When have I praised the Phillies? Didn't think so. Again you know for a fact that they were offered a quality package of prospects in exchange for some of their players? Again, didn't think so. Only a fanboy would think selling for 10 cents on the dollar is a good thing just because they are 'prospects'. And you say you know baseball? *OK*
So, you knock people about prospects then when they say the FA they want you knock them for that? You dont even realize your stupidity.
Apparently some people don't consider prospects as much currency, when in fact, they are the most valuable people to any organization, and you don't win without a lot of good ones. Free agents are only accessories to any good team. They are not the engine that drives it.
It's kind of like knowing what the Cubs every move is, was, or should be because some one logged on to the internet and read a page of Forbes magazine. Brilliant!. I guess winning a fantasy league probably qualifies a person to be an excellent GM too. *OK*
Signing the FA's are fine. Thinking that is enough to make the Cub$ a wild card contender is ignorant. Let me know when you figure out the difference between the two.
Again 100% not true. There have been multiple teams to win the World Series mainly on FA signings. You have been educated on this before multiple times, but like a fanboy you ignore the truth and concentrate on fairy tales.
Nice strawman attempt from the fact you got called out on your BS about the Phillies and you completely made up how the ignored the farm system by holding onto Hamels. Total clown move.
