If he moderates to league norm, throws out runners, and hits bombs this year I can live with him. I’m most worried about his prolonged hitting slumps. I think all the special David Ross time this Spring will help the defense.
*****Official Cubs 2019 thread*****
- Thread starter QChawks
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He would be wise to get as much as he can right now because he is 27 years old and under team control for 3 more years. There will be no megacontract at the age of 30. I'd sign for 6-7 years for as much as I could get.
KB recently said he’s open to listening to extension proposals and that his agent works for him, not the other way around.
KB has woken up to the new reality of the current free agent market.
In fairness, there should be some changes to the years of team control in the next CBA. It should loosen up by a year or two for benefit of the players so they are able to maximize earnings during peak production years.
On the flip side, the current state of free agency is due to management at all these MLB clubs thinking in lockstep concerning analytics and player evaluation. When they all act the same and value the same it feels like collusion but it is actually not. Baseball ebbs and flows. When a team or two starts thinking outside the current norm and goes with a more "maverick" style of management, and is successful, others will break away from the groupthink and things will begin to "normalize". Professional sports is, after all, a copycat league. Point is, it is possible to do nothing and things will sort themselves out.
I HIGHLY doubt he's open to hearing about any proposals that would actually make sense for the team.
I'm not even sure why we would want to do anything with him until after 2020. His arb pay next year would be lower than what his aav of the extension would be. Why add extra cash to next year plus take all that risk?
I wonder what he thought about bryce gettin 25m a year? Can't get him very excited!
I won't even get started on harper......
Realistically that is the best outcome. The Cubs have too many starters, and Montgomery as a swing guy. I guess if no deal comes you put Chatwood in the pen and cross your fingers. Worst case you shuffle along with him, and cut your losses at the end of the season.
I will say one thing, again, if Chatwood straightens his mechanics out I truly think he could be a closer. Strip him down to two pitches, and utilize his velocity. That’s a big string of ifs, though.
If the Cubs get a healthy Darvish, KB and Morrow, it won’t just be a good season—they will dominate. It can’t be said enough—they didn’t have those 3 guys last season and still won 95. This team is freaking loaded. They just need to perform according to the backs of their baseball cards.
I REALLY want my posts about Darvish to be wrong. He needs to put together a few seasons of 3+ WAR, but it all starts with the first one.
This rotation does not have a true “number one,” but they have five guys who could be #2-#3 types at their current career stage.
This rotation does not have a true “number one,” but they have five guys who could be #2-#3 types at their current career stage.
23 is high but all our guys are gonna need some 10 day DL stints for "maintenance"
Cubs manager Joe Maddon named Jon Lester his opening day starter against the Rangers in Texas, as expected.
“We’ll fill in the blanks after that,” Maddon said, adding: “It was a brief conversation. He pretty much knew and so he’s typically very honored. These are the kind of moments for starting pitchers that they relish. They like to be that guy, and Jonny’s earned it.”
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Lester had a National League-high 18 wins last year with a 3.32 earned-run average, and was the obvious choice due to his seniority and status as the staff ace.
“Any time you get to start that first day, it’s pretty cool, especially for an organization like this,” Lester said. “It just means your teammates and organization feel like you’re doing something right. It’s always an honor to get that nod.”
It’ll be Lester’s fourth opening day start in his five seasons with the Cubs.
“For a guy that was always considered a (number) three or four, it’s not bad to start opening day for that many years,” he said. “It’s pretty cool. Growing up with guys like (Josh) Beckett and (Curt Schilling) and seeing those guys take the ball for Game 1 all those years, it’s something you always want to try and do.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/spor...ester-opening-day-starter-20190304-story.html
“We’ll fill in the blanks after that,” Maddon said, adding: “It was a brief conversation. He pretty much knew and so he’s typically very honored. These are the kind of moments for starting pitchers that they relish. They like to be that guy, and Jonny’s earned it.”
ADVERTISING
inRead invented by Teads
Lester had a National League-high 18 wins last year with a 3.32 earned-run average, and was the obvious choice due to his seniority and status as the staff ace.
“Any time you get to start that first day, it’s pretty cool, especially for an organization like this,” Lester said. “It just means your teammates and organization feel like you’re doing something right. It’s always an honor to get that nod.”
It’ll be Lester’s fourth opening day start in his five seasons with the Cubs.
“For a guy that was always considered a (number) three or four, it’s not bad to start opening day for that many years,” he said. “It’s pretty cool. Growing up with guys like (Josh) Beckett and (Curt Schilling) and seeing those guys take the ball for Game 1 all those years, it’s something you always want to try and do.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/spor...ester-opening-day-starter-20190304-story.html
With Morrow out maybe a month wouldn't that be nice? Getting anything from Chatwood would be all profit. Maybe he worked all off-season and got some stuff straightened out. We will see.
I did not hear all of the midday interviews on the Score, but they had a stellar line up. Len Kasper, Joe, and then Theo.
Joe explained that situational hitting is now called opportunistic something? It sounds like he is banking on guys maturing and turning internal corners.
Theo’s comments are getting a lot of play, and a lot of extrapolation. Theo said if things aren’t going well they would make decisions about guys under control. Does that mean trading younger guys, or trading the few parts they can actually move? From this a lot of people are drawing the conclusion that Joe will be fired mid season if the Cubs stumble.
It would be odd to fire a guy who has won 95+ games a year since he arrived, but, he isn’t under contract after this year, the players forced out Joe’s handpicked hitting coach Chili Davis, and there seems to be friction over goofy Joe stuff, and development.
This leaves the big question of who you would bring in? I’m getting the feeling a lot of people think Mark Loretta is Joe’s replacement in waiting.
Crazy to talk about firing a successful manager, but, the window is narrowing. How long do you wait?
Just Spring Training talk. Discuss.
Joe explained that situational hitting is now called opportunistic something? It sounds like he is banking on guys maturing and turning internal corners.
Theo’s comments are getting a lot of play, and a lot of extrapolation. Theo said if things aren’t going well they would make decisions about guys under control. Does that mean trading younger guys, or trading the few parts they can actually move? From this a lot of people are drawing the conclusion that Joe will be fired mid season if the Cubs stumble.
It would be odd to fire a guy who has won 95+ games a year since he arrived, but, he isn’t under contract after this year, the players forced out Joe’s handpicked hitting coach Chili Davis, and there seems to be friction over goofy Joe stuff, and development.
This leaves the big question of who you would bring in? I’m getting the feeling a lot of people think Mark Loretta is Joe’s replacement in waiting.
Crazy to talk about firing a successful manager, but, the window is narrowing. How long do you wait?
Just Spring Training talk. Discuss.
Kind of hard to blame Joe. All these big time acquisitions and two of them can barely sniff the field, and the third leads the majors in walks. If anything, Theo should be fired. Ha. If not for Heyward's contract, Cubs would have been in the mix for Harper. Instead, we're stuck with guy who's getting 25 a year who's going to split time.
Let me sum up the Cubs news for the day.
1. Strop pulled a hamstring.
2. Brad Brach can't push his fastball through a wet paper bag due to his off season mono.
3. The Cubs are on the sidelines in obtaining one of the FA relievers currently without jobs.
4. Brandon Morrow has thrown a baseball, but you won't see him until May, if at all.
Time to light the hair on fire in sheer panic.
1. Strop pulled a hamstring.
2. Brad Brach can't push his fastball through a wet paper bag due to his off season mono.
3. The Cubs are on the sidelines in obtaining one of the FA relievers currently without jobs.
4. Brandon Morrow has thrown a baseball, but you won't see him until May, if at all.
Time to light the hair on fire in sheer panic.
5. Darvish is healthy and throwing 94-96
6. Contreas is hitting the piss out of the ball
7. Bryant is healthy.
5. Cross fingers, and sacrifice a bucket of KFC to keep him healthy.
6 and 7, no Chili Davis on staff this year (Minus the health of Brant's shoulder), will mean a lot to the hitters productivity.
The single trade deadline has been rumored for awhile. My personal opinion is having a later deadline for waiver deals still helps teams make decisions later in the year. The unintended consequence might be more teams tanking earlier. And, it does make it harder for teams to add a guy if they lose someone to injury in August.
one trade deadline is fine but make it later, like mid august.
5. I forgot to add that Tyler Chatwood of 2019 reverted to pitching like Tyler Chatwood of 2018 last night.
5. Rizzo having a good spring - couple blasts. Anyone else think Riz is one of the better deals in baseball? Four straight years of 100+ RBIs. Contracts only for 41 million and actually could be a free agent after this year depending on Cubs.
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