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Author Topic: Cubs in '19  (Read 72386 times)

Deeg

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Re: Cubs in '19
« Reply #1095 on: December 14, 2018, 11:41:48 pm »
Tulo meets the most important criteria for the Cubs this offseason - he'd play for league minimum.

I have no problem going after this guy, since the risk is pretty minimal.  But be clear, Tulo hasn't been an elite player since 2014 and basically missed the past two years with chronic injuries.  The odds that he's an impact guy are hugely against, but if you can convince him to sign he's certainly worth a punt even at age 34.  But not if it means promising him the SS position, before Russell is due back or not.  Baez needs to be the SS and if Tulo signs, it should be with the idea of competing for the 2B job.
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brjones

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Re: Cubs in '19
« Reply #1096 on: December 14, 2018, 11:46:09 pm »
Tulowitzki on playing a position other than shortstop: "I'll pack my bags and go home."

http://www.sportingnews.com/ca/mlb/news/toronto-blue-jays-tulowitzki-playing-shortstop-ill-pack-my-bags-go-home-mlb-injury-news/1hhzsyb6m16x01g9ya9kqhjhim

Obviously, if he signs with the Cubs, he will have agreed to whatever plan they have for him. But I don't think we should get our hopes up for him accepting a reduced bench role to come to the Cubs. He can probably find a job where he at least has a path to starting regularly and playing shortstop.
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CUBluejays

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Re: Cubs in '19
« Reply #1097 on: December 15, 2018, 12:05:15 am »
The Athletic article Ron posted states that he’d be ok with a utility role. 1) Cheap 2) Possibly a league average bat with ok defense 3) Grizzle. He seems to be perfect.
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Deeg

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Re: Cubs in '19
« Reply #1098 on: December 15, 2018, 12:43:08 am »
The idea of bumping Javy out of position for Tulo at this point in his career is so hilariously ludicrous that hopefully even Tulo can see that.  But if he can find an actual contender to promise his SS (which seems mutually exclusive to me) which is what he says he wants, more power to him.
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Reb

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Re: Cubs in '19
« Reply #1099 on: December 15, 2018, 01:20:34 am »
Tulo had a 3.4 bWAR season in 2016. That’s pretty good.

Kind of a shame how his career has gone. Through age 29, he was pretty much Derek Jeter. Tulo 38.8 bWAR and Jeter 40.6 bWAR through age 29 seasons. Harold Baines is 38.7 bWAR for his career.
« Last Edit: December 15, 2018, 01:22:21 am by Reb »
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Ron

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Re: Cubs in '19
« Reply #1100 on: December 15, 2018, 09:18:08 am »
Quote from: Deeg on December 15, 2018, 12:43:08 am
The idea of bumping Javy out of position for Tulo at this point in his career is so hilariously ludicrous that hopefully even Tulo can see that.  But if he can find an actual contender to promise his SS (which seems mutually exclusive to me) which is what he says he wants, more power to him.

No one has suggested Tulowitski would displace Javy at SS. 
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CUBluejays

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Re: Cubs in '19
« Reply #1101 on: December 15, 2018, 09:47:24 am »
The new pitching coach was on Bruce Levine’s radio show. He sounds impressive, so hopefully that translate to the field.

Via Cubs Insider from Kris Bryant’s dad he is pain free with his old swing.
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Jes Beard

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Re: Cubs in '19
« Reply #1102 on: December 15, 2018, 11:30:26 pm »
Tulowitski could be a nice object lesson reminder to the Cub core just how small the window of opportunity can be and just how fleeting flame can be.

When he was the same age Baez is now, Tulo looked as if he was headed for the HOF.  Tulo had done much more by age 25 than Baez has so far, but at this point it is unlikely his name will last long at all on the HOF ballot.

His presence could cause some of the core to approach each season with just a bit more urgency, with a realization that their individual performance level, and the chance of the team winning it all again can disappear in a flash.
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Playtwo

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Re: Cubs in '19
« Reply #1103 on: December 16, 2018, 09:02:00 am »
That highlights the value of building in player redundancy.  If your system is skewed (e.g., towards a few superstar types), things can go south in a hurry.  Theo seems to put a high value on redundancy and this may factor in to whether he decides to invest big in a superstar free agent.
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CurtOne

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Re: Cubs in '19
« Reply #1104 on: December 16, 2018, 09:04:13 am »
Quote from: Playtwo on December 16, 2018, 09:02:00 am
That highlights the value of building in player redundancy.  If your system is skewed (e.g., towards a few superstar types), things can go south in a hurry.  Theo seems to put a high value on redundancy and this may factor in to whether he decides to invest big in a superstar free agent.
You mean like Lester, Heyward, Zobrist, and Darvish?
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Playtwo

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Re: Cubs in '19
« Reply #1105 on: December 16, 2018, 11:59:40 am »
Despite the addition of costly free agents, but Cubs still have considerable player redundancy.  But if they trade some of that redundancy for another costly free agent (like Harper) it could put them in a very vulnerable position.  Theo needs to navigate not only the financial limitations but also the need to maintain roster flexibility.  There's no one else I would rather have at the helm, but he has his work cut out for him.
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Reb

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Re: Cubs in '19
« Reply #1106 on: December 16, 2018, 12:41:32 pm »
Redundancy doesn’t mean de-emphasizing a core of star players. If you want to win something, you have to have stars—and then you fill out the remainder of the roster around those stars, hopefully, with at least an average or near-average player everywhere.

Redundancy means that you have at least adequate coverage everywhere.

Of course, payroll becomes a practical consideration with a big ticket FA. But, aside from that, redundancy cannot get in the way of a star core if you can get it.

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Playtwo

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Re: Cubs in '19
« Reply #1107 on: December 16, 2018, 12:54:35 pm »
Sufficient redundancy means you have more than adequate coverage even with an injury or two.  The Cubs have had that in recent years, and IMO they need to keep it that way.  Perhaps that will be possible even with another big time acquisition.  That's where Theo's skills come to the fore. 
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Ron

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Re: Cubs in '19
« Reply #1108 on: December 16, 2018, 12:56:45 pm »
I admit that I do keep hoping against hope that the Cubs will somehow wind up getting Harper.  He would be an enormous addition, obviously.

I try to remind myself, though, that the existing team has three genuine offensive stars: Bryant, Baez and Rizzo, with at least one other guy who has the potential to be: Contreras. Their supportive cast (Zobrist, Heyward (overpaid though he may be), Schwarber, Almora and Happ) ain't exactly chipped beef.

No one, including, me and least of all Theo, wants to enter 2019 without at least one more proven bat.  But, if some of the youngsters were adversely affected by mixed signals (launch angle vs. putting the ball in play), it's entirely possible that we'll see an offense more like 2016 and 2017.  And while that offense had its own issues, it was damned good at producing runs.  If Darvish, Lester, Hamels, Hendricks and Quintana perform anywhere near their potential and the bullpen steps like last season, a 2016-2017 level offense should make for a team that is capable of going deep into the playoffs.
« Last Edit: December 16, 2018, 12:58:22 pm by Ron »
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Reb

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Re: Cubs in '19
« Reply #1109 on: December 16, 2018, 01:37:17 pm »
Quote from: Playtwo on December 16, 2018, 12:54:35 pm
Sufficient redundancy means you have more than adequate coverage even with an injury or two.  The Cubs have had that in recent years, and IMO they need to keep it that way.  Perhaps that will be possible even with another big time acquisition.  That's where Theo's skills come to the fore. 

What I’m saying is that you should not let depth get in the way of acquiring a star. Payroll considerations are one thing, but you can get near-average guys to protect against injuries. Those guys are all over the place.

You win with stars, so long as you are not terrible here and there. Stars are very hard to find. Average and near-average guys are not hard to find.

Payroll considerations are there for every club. What really hurts is when you are paying guys as stars, but they perform as non-stars.
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