Author Topic: Cubs in '18  (Read 75633 times)

craig

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Re: Cubs in '18
« Reply #510 on: December 04, 2017, 12:06:34 pm »
..First it was AL DH teams, but he choose 4 NL teams to 3 AL and 2 of the AL have full time DH's already.  ....I have no clue what he wants or where he is going to end up.  ...

Great point.  Yeah, I was a DH-thinker; but 4/7 NL teams suggests that isn't a driving factor. 

(tico, and reb and others, were right in arguing otherwise!)

Like you say, who knows!

brjones

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Re: Cubs in '18
« Reply #511 on: December 04, 2017, 12:10:55 pm »
Rosenthal says that the Cubs are looking at Morrow and Minor as potential closers:

https://theathletic.com/174057/2017/12/03/rosenthal-in-a-game-of-leverage-giancarlo-stanton-holds-almost-all-of-it-pirates-sinking-decisions-for-phils/

I'm fine with signing one of them.  But if those are the Cubs' only two big bullpen additions, I'm not going to be a big fan.  They need at least one of the relievers they sign to have a history of staying healthy.  Both Morrow and Minor have spent most of the last few years hurt.

CurtOne

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Re: Cubs in '18
« Reply #512 on: December 04, 2017, 01:02:16 pm »
If we're still on the positive list, I assume that our previous Japanese players reported positive experiences to him.  That's an assumption.

Deeg

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Re: Cubs in '18
« Reply #513 on: December 04, 2017, 01:28:34 pm »
Great point.  Yeah, I was a DH-thinker; but 4/7 NL teams suggests that isn't a driving factor. 

(tico, and reb and others, were right in arguing otherwise!)

Like you say, who knows!

I don't think anyone was right about anything yet, because if he picks an AL team (as I still think he will) the DH will likely have been a tremendously important reason why.

craig

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Re: Cubs in '18
« Reply #514 on: December 04, 2017, 01:33:51 pm »
I'd like adding Morrow. 
1.  Guy seemed to be a tough competitor, pitching non-stop in the World Series.
(The flip is that maybe his arm will be shot from that and he won't be nearly as good...)
2.  Seemed to have a pretty rubber-arm. 
3.  I liked the uncomplicated nature.  Sure, guys are going to hit fastballs sometimes.  But I kind of like the idea of a guy whose fastball is so good that he can throw a bunch of them, and doesn't need to rely on trickery all the time.  Doesn't have to nibble to a 3-2 count on every batter, and depend on hitters outing themselves on chase pitches. 

Personal interest is that I've been Type 1 diabetic since kindergarten, and daughter Nitro Nicole (named after Nitro Nic Jackson?) has been since 8th grade.  So it would be fun for us at the human-interest level to have a successful diabetic helping the Cubs.  Plus I'm pretty expectant that the Cubs would be very practical in enabling him to handle his T1D without compromising his baseball effectiveness.   

Jack Birdbath

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Re: Cubs in '18
« Reply #515 on: December 04, 2017, 06:09:39 pm »
10 hrs to 14 hrs... it's a 40% increase in time in the air. It's also additional time zones to have to work through. Not saying this is what tips the scales for Otani, but I think it's a legit (if secondary or tertiary) concern.

The direct flight from Chicago to Tokyo is only one hour longer than the flight from LA and two hours longer than from SF. If this guy makes this decision based on a couple hours in a plane for some people who might come over a couple times a year, he's insane.

Deeg

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Re: Cubs in '18
« Reply #516 on: December 04, 2017, 07:39:30 pm »
It's probably not his main concern, but I'm sure it's one of many.

The cultural aspect is probably more important.  There isn't an Asian population in Chicago to rival SF or LA, much less Japanese.  And I'm sure the disgustingly ignorant stuff that happened when Kosuke was here doesn't help.

guest61

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Re: Cubs in '18
« Reply #517 on: December 04, 2017, 08:04:07 pm »
What happened to Kosuke other than him sucking?

Deeg

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Re: Cubs in '18
« Reply #518 on: December 04, 2017, 08:27:16 pm »
Racist t-shirts, racist signs, that sort of good stuff.

Jes Beard

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Re: Cubs in '18
« Reply #519 on: December 04, 2017, 08:37:35 pm »
The direct flight from Chicago to Tokyo is only one hour longer than the flight from LA and two hours longer than from SF. If this guy makes this decision based on a couple hours in a plane for some people who might come over a couple times a year, he's insane.

Insane?  Or simply prioritizing things in a different way than you do?

Which likely would include coming to the US to play MLB for tens of millions less than he could get by handling things a bit differently.

Jes Beard

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Re: Cubs in '18
« Reply #520 on: December 04, 2017, 08:46:40 pm »
Racist t-shirts, racist signs, that sort of good stuff.

You might include good stuff like Dusty's comment.  Fukudome had an OPS+ his first year of 89 (though in the first half of the season he did well enough to make the All Star team), which certainly does qualify as quite weak for a starting OFer, but his next two and a half seasons with the Cubs he had the following OPS+ numbers: 104, 114, and 105.  While those are exactly HOF offensive production numbers for a RFer/CFer, they also do not come close to qualifying as "sucking."

Bennett

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Re: Cubs in '18
« Reply #521 on: December 05, 2017, 09:49:21 am »
Quote from: Bruce Miles
For fun's sake here, the Cubs can show Ohtani a video of manager Joe Maddon yanking him from the mound in Game 7 of the World Series in the fourth inning but leaving him in the game to play left field and having Ohtani hit a game-winning home run.

Using that scenario in the AL city, the Cubs would be going without the DH and trading the left fielder’s bat for the pitcher’s spot the rest of the way.

brjones

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Re: Cubs in '18
« Reply #522 on: December 05, 2017, 07:01:41 pm »
According to Rosenthal, the Cubs, Mariners, and Rangers met with Ohtani today.

According to Morosi, the Cubs have talked to Brandon Kintzler.  He's okay, but he'd be no better than 6th on my list of relievers (behind Morrow, Reed, Shaw, McGee, and Nicasio).

Deeg

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Re: Cubs in '18
« Reply #523 on: December 05, 2017, 07:11:08 pm »
This is the problem with the whole "we gotta sign strike throwers!" obsession.  Yes, guys who don't walk guys in the bullpen is something we need more of.  But Kintzler just isn't that good, period.  The #1 priority should be to sign the best possible pitchers, not just the guys with the best control.
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brjones

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Re: Cubs in '18
« Reply #524 on: December 05, 2017, 07:24:54 pm »
Well, Reed, McGee, Morrow, and Shaw have all historically been pretty good strike throwers, so it's not that hard to find better pitchers who throw strikes this offseason.

I wouldn't hate Kintzler if he was the 2nd or 3rd best reliever they sign.  I'd be very disappointed if he was the best they got.