Samardzija/Hammel Traded to A's

[southsider2k5]

So serious question. When do the Cubs hit .500 again for a season? 2018? Later?

 

[fathom]

So serious question. When do the Cubs hit .500 again for a season? 2018? Later?

 

2016

[Quin]

2016

 

I'll go the middle ground and say 2017.

[Melissa1334]

i guess cub fans forget easily, all the failed prospects in this town lol sure its fine to be excited but they act like theyre all going to pan out. my faveorite is when they do:

future lineup

c-shwarber

1b-rizzo

2b-castro

3b-russell

ss-baez

lf-bryant

cf-almora

rf-soler

 

theyre not all going to pan out(or at the very least, not to what everyone expects them to be) and some we be traded.

 

[RockRaines]

They are desperate for improvement so of course they are optimistic. They don't remember Hee Seop Choi even existed

Edited July 6, 2014 by RockRaines

[Jordan4life_2007]

i guess cub fans forget easily, all the failed prospects in this town lol sure its fine to be excited but they act like theyre all going to pan out. my faveorite is when they do:

future lineup

c-shwarber

1b-rizzo

2b-castro

3b-russell

ss-baez

lf-bryant

cf-almora

rf-soler

 

theyre not all going to pan out(or at the very least, not to what everyone expects them to be) and some we be traded.

 

Sports fans (me included) are some of the dumbest entities to walk the earth. You think Theo/Jed has ALL of these guys making the big league club and dominating? You think Theo/Jed don't know their pitching inventory is low? They've completed the first part of their mission. They've stockpiled a bevy of athletic, versatile, blue-chippers aging from 20-22. They've just about guaranteed themselves another top 5 pick in next year's draft aka another legit asset. As far as positions and who stays and who gets traded, that will all work itself out over the next 12-18 months. But make no mistake about it, the Cubs are coming. And they're coming soon. And I don't want to hear s*** about the Pirates and Royals. When it's time to spend (the Cubs), they will.

Edited July 6, 2014 by Jordan4life

[Jake]

There is way too much smoke about the Cubs being out of cash for there not to be a fire.

[RockRaines]

There is way too much smoke about the Cubs being out of cash for there not to be a fire.

Well they are highly leveraged and are begging for city money. That's not great.

[Jordan4life_2007]

There is way too much smoke about the Cubs being out of cash for there not to be a fire.

 

Yet they were one of the finalists for Tanaka. Sox fans should know better. How many times did KW practically file for bankruptcy during his GM tenure?

[Chicago White Sox]

Sports fans (me included) are some of the dumbest entities to walk the earth. You think Theo/Jed has ALL of these guys making the big league club and dominating? You think Theo/Jed don't know their pitching inventory is low? They've completed the first part of their mission. They've stockpiled a bevy of athletic, versatile, blue-chippers aging from 20-22. They've just about guaranteed themselves another top 5 pick in next year's draft aka another legit asset. As far as positions and who stays and who gets traded, that will all work itself out over the next 12-18 months. But make no mistake about it, the Cubs are coming. And they're coming soon. And I don't want to hear s*** about the Pirates and Royals. When it's time to spend (the Cubs), they will.

Yup, because buying starting pitching has proven to be failproof.

[Jake]

Yet they were one of the finalists for Tanaka. Sox fans should know better. How many times did KW practically file for bankruptcy during his GM tenure?

 

Yeah, there's nobody besides the Cubs saying they were finalists for Tanaka.

[caulfield12]

Does anyone realistically believe that Schwarber can stick at catcher?

 

And the corollary, if he's this so-called great hitter, why would they want him to play such a stressful position?

 

 

 

 

Theo will end up trading a couple of these guys for pitching prospects, most likely. It may be the prudent thing to do, but i've had people close to me die without ever seeing the Cubs win, and am friends with an 80 year old man who went to Wrigley to see the Cubs lose in the '45 series and thought they were poised to get back there the next year. He is still waiting. He now has some serious health problems and may not be around for when this grand plan finally hatches.

 

How many more Cubs fans are going to die without ever seeing them win?

 

 

truth.> algonquinmatt •15 hours ago

 

well i guess we need to forgot rebuilding and try to freakout and buy a bunch of players because we havent won in a long time? im sorry people die, but we still need to take our time and execute the plan. top farm system in baseball by a mile

 

 

haydesigner> algonquinmatt •14 hours ago

 

Soooo… you're saying they should chuck everything and try to compete now (or next year) for the sake of your 80-year-old friend??

 

 

Edited July 6, 2014 by caulfield12

[caulfield12]

http://www.sfgate.com/athletics/article/A-...ame-5602273.php

 

 

How'd you like to be Bob Melvin breaking the news to Tommy Milone that he's going back to AAA after going 6-0 with a 2.62 ERA over his last 11 starts??

[hammerhead johnson]

Great trade.

 

They're working on a 90s Indians or 90s Rangers type lineup.

 

Don't be jealous, now.

[caulfield12]

Great trade.

 

They're working on a 90s Indians or 90s Rangers type lineup.

 

Don't be jealous, now.

 

 

When it was mentioned that some might see the trade as overkill, the A's beefing up an already beefy starting staff, Beane said, "We felt like we needed two guys. Listen, one of the things I remember in 2002, when we were in that 20-game (win) streak ... is that one of the advantages we had ... was that when we ran our starting pitcher out there every single night, that starting pitcher had a very good chance of beating the other guy. When you put that kind of synchronicity together, the team can get on a roll. ...

 

"Also, you're assuming that nobody else in the current rotation has any sort of injuries or any setback. ... We created depth by virtue of this move, and we're only halfway through the season. I just don't think in this game you can expect that every single guy from this point forward's going to start every five days, no hiccup."

 

Beane is hiccup-proofing his club, and he's not done. He would like to shore up second base. But he can't top this trade. When Beane's career is over and the old rock 'n' roll GM releases his greatest-hits album, the title might be "Samardzija."

 

Is it the best trade he's ever swung? I'll let you know in October.

www.sfgate.com/sports (Ostler)

 

 

 

Funny you mention two teams that never won the World Series!!!

 

The Cubs don't have the money to pay Scherzer/Lester/Shields/Price. And maybe trading Starlin Castro will get them a frontline starter, but there are definitely no guarantees with prospects, as the White Sox learned in 2000-2001 when they had the #1 farm system in baseball.

 

The majority of players who would end up leading the White Sox to the World Series title, other than Buehrle and Garland, Crede and Rowand...would end up coming in from other organizations (AJ, Pods, Hermanson, Iguchi, Dye, Everett, etc.) We used some of our better prospects like Jeremy Reed and Olivo to obtain Freddy Garcia, but the Cubs aren't likely to win it with a team of all youthful hitting prospects.

 

They're going to have to pick the right players to trade (Castro, Baez or Russell...Rizzo or Schwarber....McKinney, Soler, Alcantara, Almora, etc.)

 

The biggest problem is the pitching staff and lack of a great catcher that can allow the team to be set up in a similar way to the captain's role that Yadier Molina has assumed with the Cardinals. The Pirates have Marte/McCutcheon/Polanco and lots of young pitching, and the Reds and Brewers aren't just going to up and disappear, either. Injuries to Edwards and P.Johnson haven't helped matters. At least we have a superstar pitcher in Sale under contract through 2018 and a very solid #2 in Jose Quintana also under team control through our contention window. We also have one of the top five hitters in baseball under contract through the prime of his career in Jose Abreu. (Kris Bryant MIGHT be that player, but time will tell.)

Edited July 6, 2014 by caulfield12

[kitekrazy]

It is funny when the Sox acquire a prospect rated in the 70-95 range it is awesome, but when the Cubs get a top 15 guy, it is just dumb. Theo is a dope, but could you imagine what a genius Hahn would be if he had 3 of the top 15 and 6 of the top 41 in the Sox minor league system?

 

Samardz has never finished a season as a starter with an ERA lower than 3.81. He is 29. He wants more than $100 million.

 

I would hate it. Outside of pitching I don't trust the Sox farm system with developing players. This is a great deal for the Cubs. It's sad in a city that has two bad teams, this is treated like a world series. Prospects are prospects.

 

[hammerhead johnson]

The Cubs don't have the money to pay Scherzer/Lester/Shields/Price.

 

Come 2016 or thereabouts, they'll sign a couple guys to mega deals. You can't tell me that they won't have the cash.

[Y2Jimmy0]

Lots of real stupid going on in this thread. I don't understand it. The Cubs have like a $30 million payroll. I think they will spend a little this offseason and you will see Bryant, Baez, Alcantara, and probably even Russell at some point next season. The Cubs don't have any pitching thing is false as well. They don't have immediate front of the rotation pitching. They have a ton opt depth though. The Cubs don't have a Carlos Rodon but I'd argue that they have more pitching depth than the White Sox do in their system.

 

The Cubs already had : CJ Edwards, Pierce Johnson, Duane Underwood, Kyle Hendricks, Paul Blackburn, and Tyler Skulina to name a few. In the draft they added: Stinnett, Dylan Cease, Carson Sands, and Justin Steele. They also have a couple late inning type relievers in Arodys Vizcaino and Armando Rivero at AAA Iowa. Not to mention the young bullpen arms in their ML bullpen.

 

The big name hitting prospects are the reason why they have the #1 system in baseball but the pitching in the system is underrated in my opinion.

[caulfield12]

Lots of real stupid going on in this thread. I don't understand it. The Cubs have like a $30 million payroll. I think they will spend a little this offseason and you will see Bryant, Baez, Alcantara, and probably even Russell at some point next season. The Cubs don't have any pitching thing is false as well. They don't have immediate front of the rotation pitching. They have a ton opt depth though. The Cubs don't have a Carlos Rodon but I'd argue that they have more pitching depth than the White Sox do in their system.

 

The Cubs already had : CJ Edwards, Pierce Johnson, Duane Underwood, Kyle Hendricks, Paul Blackburn, and Tyler Skulina to name a few. In the draft they added: Stinnett, Dylan Cease, Carson Sands, and Justin Steele. They also have a couple late inning type relievers in Arodys Vizcaino and Armando Rivero at AAA Iowa. Not to mention the young bullpen arms in their ML bullpen.

 

The big name hitting prospects are the reason why they have the #1 system in baseball but the pitching in the system is underrated in my opinion.

 

 

Counting on those guys is just like a Sox fan expecting anything out of Micker Zapata. High school arms are notoriously difficult to project.

 

Keep in mind, Straily's gone through something of an Erik Johnson season of his own. His velocity has mysteriously dipped from the 90's to around 88.

 

Until they show the ability or willingness to sign/trade for/acquire one of the BIG FOUR (Scherzer/Lester/Shields/Price), nobody's going to buy into the Cubs Kool Aid.

 

If you subtract Danks from the Sox rotation, they're in virtually the same place payroll-wise, but I'm sure the White Sox aren't going to be willing to give up a $100+ million contract to one of those four pitchers regardless.

Edited July 6, 2014 by caulfield12

[caulfield12]

Come 2016 or thereabouts, they'll sign a couple guys to mega deals. You can't tell me that they won't have the cash.

 

 

Name one of those $100+ million megadeals for a starting pitcher that the signing team would repeat if they had 20/20 hindsight over the last 10-15 years???

 

Tanaka's about the only one, and you probably won't be able to say that 3-4 years down the line when he inevitably breaks down or has TJ surgery.

[Y2Jimmy0]

Counting on those guys is just like a Sox fan expecting anything out of Micker Zapata. High school arms are notoriously difficult to project.

 

Keep in mind, Straily's gone through something of an Erik Johnson season of his own. His velocity has mysteriously dipped from the 90's to around 88.

 

Until they show the ability or willingness to sign/trade for/acquire one of the BIG FOUR (Scherzer/Lester/Shields/Price), nobody's going to buy into the Cubs Kool Aid.

 

If you subtract Danks from the Sox rotation, they're in virtually the same place payroll-wise, but I'm sure the White Sox aren't going to be willing to give up a $100+ million contract to one of those four pitchers regardless.

 

 

No it's really not. It's the same as a Sox fan expecting anything out of Tyler Danish and Spencer Adams. The Cubs have guys like Eloy Jimenez and Gleiber Torres that you could compare to Micker Adolfo but I never did that.

[caulfield12]

No it's really not. It's the same as a Sox fan expecting anything out of Tyler Danish and Spencer Adams. The Cubs have guys like Eloy Jimenez and Gleiber Torres that you could compare to Micker Adolfo but I never did that.

 

Except I don't expect anything out of Danish other than a reliever (for the moment)...same with Beck...and Adams is way too raw to project until he's had 2-3 years under his belt.

 

 

Baez, however, has severe questions about his long-term outlook not just as an infielder — he could probably do with a move to third base or right field himself — but as a major league player in general. He has been absolutely unimpressive for Triple-A Iowa this season, barely managing a .730 OPS in the hitter-friendly PCL, and he’s already struck out 103 times in 317 plate appearances. It’s not only sensible to have a fallback plan in Russell in case Baez turns out to be unable to make the leap in the way which Cubs fans are expecting, but it’s good to have redundancy like this in general. The only issue, of course, is that the Cubs still have no young pitching of note in the organization at or above A-ball outside of C.J. Edwards and Pierce Johnson, and neither of those two is anywhere near as impressive as the array of position player prospects Hoyer has drafted, signed, or dealt for. This is less of an issue if the new and improved Jake Arrieta is a legitimate ace at the top of the Chicago rotation, but we probably won’t know whether he’s just having one good season or whether he’s figured out something sustainable until sometime in 2015 (barring any earlier regression in his command and stuff).

Edited July 6, 2014 by caulfield12

[Quin]

Come 2016 or thereabouts, they'll sign a couple guys to mega deals. You can't tell me that they won't have the cash.

 

They might then, but right now they don't.

[southsider2k5]

Come 2016 or thereabouts, they'll sign a couple guys to mega deals. You can't tell me that they won't have the cash.

 

At about that time they will be trying to reverse nearly 10 years of falling attendance. And they don't have the cash, otherwise they wouldn't have lowballed Smarj and then needed to trade him.

[Y2Jimmy0]

At about that time they will be trying to reverse nearly 10 years of falling attendance. And they don't have the cash, otherwise they wouldn't have lowballed Smarj and then needed to trade him.

 

 

This isn't true though. That place will be packed as soon as next year when the kids are there. They didn't want to sign Samardzija. They offered him that lowball deal so that he'd turn it down and they could trade him. He is already going to be 30 and not worth $100 + annually. They could have signed Samardzija. They chose not to.