Author Topic: Cubs in '19  (Read 72280 times)

CUBluejays

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Re: Cubs in '19
« Reply #930 on: December 06, 2018, 06:01:05 pm »
Britton (and Miller) won’t exactly be cheap either. He might get a short contract, but his AAV is going to be in the same neighborhood as more durable non-Kimbrel closers like Robertson and Famiilia.

Robertson wants to be in the Northeast according to rumors and Famila has an injury history and domestic violence suspension.

CurtOne

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Re: Cubs in '19
« Reply #931 on: December 06, 2018, 06:22:46 pm »
Robertson wants to be in the Northeast according to rumors and Famila has an injury history and domestic violence suspension.
When has domestic violence stopped the Cubs?

brjones

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Re: Cubs in '19
« Reply #932 on: December 06, 2018, 06:50:06 pm »
Okay, scratch Familia--I had completely forgotten about his history (it's not hard to overlook someone who just played for the Mets and A's).

But I highly doubt that Robertson would refuse to consider the Cubs just because he prefers to play in the Northeast. There's also Joakim Soria, who has plenty of closing experience (including 16 saves last year) and has two consecutive years of almost 2 fWAR. And if you want to take a chance on a rebound candidate, why not try Cody Allen, who has at least been healthy?

There's also the trade market. Will Smith almost certainly will be traded. And as the Goldschmidt trade showed, there's a limit on the quality of return for a one year player. Archie Bradley is another late inning option if the Cubs want to try to find a multi-year solution, though he'd cost a lot in a trade.

Deeg

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Re: Cubs in '19
« Reply #933 on: December 06, 2018, 07:04:50 pm »
I would be on board with taking a flyer on Allen. If we’re truly going to act like the Royals or Marlins that sort of move may be about as potentially positive as we can muster.
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Ron

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Re: Cubs in '19
« Reply #934 on: December 06, 2018, 07:07:33 pm »
What exactly is the deal with the cubs crying poor? this seems really strange for a team with bumper attendence 3-4 years in a row, a WS championship... but a full aversion to going past the soft cap.

If the window is now... get it done now.

I think it is unwise to reach any firm conclusions about the Cubs' intentions or limitations at this point of the off-season.

Deeg

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Re: Cubs in '19
« Reply #935 on: December 06, 2018, 07:14:59 pm »
Please read this fangraphs post. It’s the opposite of what you usually find on that site. It’s a heartbreaking story that explains why, for at least one person, the Cubs keeping Addison Russell is a bad move.

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-human-side-of-the-cubs-addison-russell-decision/

That really does speak to the hidden, insidious costs of decisions like keeping Russell around.

davep

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Re: Cubs in '19
« Reply #936 on: December 06, 2018, 10:23:15 pm »
I think it is unwise to reach any firm conclusions about the Cubs' intentions or limitations at this point of the off-season.

It is also unwise to dismiss the long term ramifications of what is called a "soft cap".  It is true that going over the cap two years in a row results in a relatively small amount of luxury tax, and a loss of about 10 spots in the draft, but also results in a substantial curtailment of money available to sign IFAs, which IS a serious impediment to long term competition.
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DelMarFan

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Re: Cubs in '19
« Reply #937 on: December 07, 2018, 01:07:41 am »
The Mob Mentality rush to justice is a scary thing.  Note to self:  don't ever get accused of anything.
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CUBluejays

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Re: Cubs in '19
« Reply #938 on: December 07, 2018, 08:13:22 am »
Is it a rush to judgement when you get suspended and admit it?

Jes Beard

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Re: Cubs in '19
« Reply #939 on: December 07, 2018, 08:24:24 am »
Is it a rush to judgement when you get suspended and admit it?


It can be.

First what is the "it"?

Next, there are LOTS of people who simply decide to accept a punishment without a challenge AND without having done anything wrong.

I strongly suspect that the Cubs consulted with Russell's ex before deciding to tender and offer.  If she was persuaded to accept this, so long as Russell accepted his suspension or otherwise did not challenge her story, but might have made other claims if he did challenge, does Russell's decision mean he did something wrong, or merely that he made a perfectly rational decision that in the current environment, even if the only proof of her claim was what she would claim and there was NOTHING else to support any of it and even if the claim was an utter fabrication.... he might end up completely screwed and acquiescence is the better choice.

Deeg

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Re: Cubs in '19
« Reply #940 on: December 07, 2018, 08:55:17 am »

Patrick Mooney
@PJ_Mooney
So Brandon Morrow underwent elbow surgery on Nov. 6, and three weeks later the Cubs still let Jesse Chavez sign a two-year, $8 million deal with Texas. Kind of telling re: Theo's financial flexibility this winter.

CUBluejays

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Re: Cubs in '19
« Reply #941 on: December 07, 2018, 09:25:12 am »
Or they didn't want to commit 2 years to a 35 year old reliever.

If money is that tight spending $20 million on Hamels is an odd choice.

ticohans

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Re: Cubs in '19
« Reply #942 on: December 07, 2018, 10:27:18 am »
That really does speak to the hidden, insidious costs of decisions like keeping Russell around.

It should be noted that, for as infrequently as FanGraphs has posts like this, they are awash in this kind of content compared to other sports media outlets. A significant reason for this is their recent push to hire non-male writers. In an industry that is about as male and white as you can get, major kudos to FG on this point.
« Last Edit: December 07, 2018, 03:34:14 pm by ticohans »
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brjones

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Re: Cubs in '19
« Reply #943 on: December 07, 2018, 11:17:22 am »

Deeg

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Re: Cubs in '19
« Reply #944 on: December 07, 2018, 06:31:13 pm »
Yeah, that sounds about right.

Even before the Cubs were in PTR mode, Theo has always seemed temperamentally inclined to try and do the bullpen on the cheap.  Probably not unfair to suggest that he's been slow to acknowledge or recognize the tantamount importance the bullpen has taken on in modern baseball.