Bleacher Bums Forum

All in all that's just Boras being Boras though.

I've been mulling over some comments earlier this week regarding Hoyer, player relationships, Theo, and Nico.  Who does Hoyer have a great relationship with?  The only player that it seems he really pursued was Dansby.  All others have been "business."  Theo didn't just look at numbers, he also considered loyalty, chemistry, leadership, intangibles.  It led him to seek out and sign Jon Lester, David Ross, Lackey, Fowler, etc.  He trusted some prior relationships.  I don't see Hoyer doing that.  Take Nico.  Underrated, but sometimes last couple of seasons, he was the only reason to watch.  I particularly remember the Ryne Sandberg salute and Nico standing alone in the dugout, soaking it in.  This guy is a Cub.  I'm sure he would sacrifice a bit to remain one, but Hoyer is too blind to such things, I believe.  Hoyer is making rooting for these guys harder and harder.  JMO

I would be stunned if Hoerner was traded.

I would be stunned if Hoerner was traded.

Chances are low, but if we are going to be the Rays/Brewers that is what they do.

Jesus has parable where master entrusts money to three servants.  Two of them use it well and are praised and promoted; one buries it, produces nothing, and is faulted.  I hope Hoyer uses his budget to good effect and earns success, praise and respect.  I fear he may be the faultworthy buried-it-produced-nothing servant? 

Working within budget and spending smartly/efficiently, that's professional.  Leaving chunks un-utilized, and spending poorly with what you do spend is not. 

Hoyer's got a bundle to spend.  Is he going to spend it, and effectively?  I assume yes, so I'm still quite hopeful.  But significant risk that he's just going to waste it.

Last year, he offloaded Bellinger to free budget to reallocate more effectively.  But he didn't.  He did *NOT* use that money on Bregman or Luzardo.  Of the ~$20 (?) freed by the Bellinger offload, he basically buried a chunk and wasted the rest on Pressly/Justin Turner/Jon Berti.  Not an effective reallocation. 

Saving now to buy something more impactful later, that's great.  No fault in that.  But saving now to just bury it, that's not. 

I'm serious, what are we saving it for?  I don't know. I hope (assume) that, eventually, we find out! 

I think all of us understand the idea of budget.  Tight budget is all I've ever know (parents, family, career, churches, altruistic organizations).  Nothing unusual about a man needing to optimize spending within his budgets.  Selective spending is a normal necessity for most people ever, in home life, career life, church life.

Should Hoyer's budget by $250-265?  Sure, fault Ricketts if/when it isn't.   

But what is Hoyer doing with the budget that he's got?  He's got a bundle left... he's not spent it on Tucker or OF; on King; on Cease; or on Keller.  He's got a budget, but he's far from the end of it.  What is he saving it for?  Is it Tucker, Bregman, Imai, Framber, or what? 

*IF* it's Bregman or Imai, is he going to get one of them?  Or, "they want an extra year, so going to save it?" 

Welcome to the dark side Craig. 

I've felt for a bit that is Imai or bust for the Cubs.  I don't really love or want Bregman, but he might be an option that will make some people happy.

Moccbomb on X is pretty solid.

https://x.com/moccbomb/status/2002059187875098705?s=46&t=Ys_vQAj1Yo46kkbTeBfq5A

Hope it works, hope it works!  Two more weeks.  I love having a closing date on the Japanese guys.  Nice to know it's not going to drag forever.  To my recall they always go to the end, but there's no intrinsic law that says a guy couldn't wrap it up days or week+ before the deadline. 

Fun to get a positive Cubs rumor for a change! 

Man if Hoyer has lost Craig….

Heh heh, blue, Like I say, I'm still optimistic and hopeful!  I hope we'll get Imai and he'll do great for many years.  Or we'll get Bregman plus acquire a pitcher with spare prospects, and it will work out really well.  Our young players will improve and product.  There's a huge opportunity to have a really good team, and to improve it a bunch over days/weeks ahead. 

That said, Blue, being optimistic about the team is *not* equal to being convinced that HOyer is good. 

I think you and I have differed in view, in two fundamental ways, re the team and Hoyer.  (Sorry if I oversimplify or misrepresent...)
1.  Your view has been that the problem is Ricketts and the budget; that Hoyer is smart, within Ricketts constraints; that replacing Hoyer would have been unlikely to help, and might hurt.  The "problem" is not Hoyer, it's budget/Ricketts. 

2.  My view has been that Hoyer has not used his budget that well.  If budget is hypothetically determinative, then with $100M budget advantage over division teams, he should have regular division success.  Despite his budget advantage, that has not been true.  I think he has not optimized his budget usage, and that a smarter boss might do considerably better even within Ricketts budget. 

I also think that he has considerable executive freedom, with full authority to make baseball decisions within his budget.  When he makes faulty decisions, that's on Hoyer.  Likewise I think that the preference for short contracts with higher AAV over longer deals, I think that's Hoyer's executive decision, not Ricketts telling him whether player X could be 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-, or 7 years. 

No GM wins them all, of course.  So I'd love to have my respect for Hoyer's baseball choices increase.  Negativist me can say "traded Bellinger for reallocation money, which went to Pressly, Justin Turner, and Ricketts' pockets".  Positivist can say "Boyd, Rea, Kelly, Keller, Thielbar, Pomeranz, that was some really good work and intelligent spending." 

He's taken a path valuing prospects.  That story hasn't completed. 

I think Hoyer's capacity remains unclear.  If a healthy number of the young guys emerge as good starters, Cubs could/should be very good for an extended window.  If most of them really can't hit, it could be a different story.