Author Topic: Cubs in '15 (09/14 - 08/15)  (Read 72878 times)

Jes Beard

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Re: Cubs in '15 (09/14 - 08/15)
« Reply #30 on: October 03, 2014, 05:50:39 pm »
I have the crazy idea of being willing to leap up into the 19th or even 15th highest payroll in baseball!

Hopefully the front office focuses on getting the team's W/L record to rank much better than it has been, and not so much on pushing the Cubs up higher on the list of highest payrolls in baseball.

If you had to settle for building your infield with "only" Rizzo, Castro, Bryant, Russell, and Alcantara, that wouldn't exactly be a massive sellout of the rebuilding plan, would it?

It depends entirely on whether the Cubs believe Baez can and will make the kind of adjustments in the majors he has previously made after struggles on promotions at each level in the minors.  If they seriously think he can early in 2015 turn around his major league performance to a degree comparable to what he did in AAA, yes, trading him now would be a massive sellout of the rebuilding plan, AND it would be selling low.

Personally, I don't think he is likely to do that, particularly not if he starts the 2015 in the majors instead of starting in AAA to focus on the things the Cubs want him to work on, which would hopefully include improved pitch recognition, plate discipline, and situational hitting.  But I suspect the Theocracy has somewhat better information than I do, a bit better judgment of what he can and can't change and what he needs to do so, and more at stake regarding their decision.