The house of cards that is our Chicago Cubs seems to falling down after another disappointing end to a season. The 2016 championship seems to be a distant memory. The idea of dynasty seems to be fantasy.
But nothing compared to the Ricketts family's fantasy that the Cubs were a money making ATM machine.
With Maddon's release, the Cubs have moved on to David Ross. But many other things have moved on from the Cubs.
Maddon's Post, a restaurant in the new Ricketts outside-the-park commercial development, abruptly closed after seven months. This is the third restaurant/bar in Ricketts' properties to have closed in the past year. The problem must be that the Ricketts overdeveloped the area, put in high lease rentals, and the businesses could not be profitable.
Also moving on is local over-the-air Cubs games. WGN will no longer broadcast any Chicago sports teams (it began in 1924). The Cubs Marquee Network launches in approximately 50 days. But it has no on-air talent, it has de minis cable contracts in the metro area, and no programming announcements to fill 24 hours/day. Kasper and Deshaies contracts expired at the end of the 2019 season. Hughes and Comer radio contracts may expire at the end of 2020.
The news broke as the season ended that the Ricketts family overspent on the Wrigley renovations by $600 million. That was not unexpected considering they decided to phase the work over three years instead of one intense project. The fact that the Ricketts overspent for the team (by an estimated $500 million) and doubled the cost on Wrigley, the Cubs operations are not generating enough revenue to off-set those financial hurdles.
The fall out from these financial stumbles is clear in that Theo has been handcuffed in spending. He can barely sign dual contracts for minor league reclamation projects. The Cubs are already over the luxury tax threshold by $10-18 million. It means the team must shed current star players in order to get into the business side's budget figures. The rest of the league knows the Cubs want to shed payroll so the trade market will not be as generous as Theo would want it to be to fill the depth and holes in the current roster.
There are problems with the rotation, the bullpen, lead off hitter, and center field that have no solutions in the minor leagues. Free agency and money was to fix roster problems during this "championship window" but Theo overspent to get the 2016 championship and now dead money deals have painted the team into a corner.
It appears the team revenue and finances will not allow the Cubs to be free spenders to acquire talent. They will have to operate as a small market team with the debt burden of a major franchise. If the Cubs' opening roster is the same as 2019, how are fans supposed to react? Three years of underperforming is not a oddity but a trend.
The Cubs were more popular when they were the Lovable Losers. Once the championship happened, die hard fans got their once-in-a-lifetime thrill. Now, many do not want to spend premium ticket and concession prices for a bad team.
Showing posts with label management. Show all posts
Showing posts with label management. Show all posts
January 3, 2020
October 5, 2019
THE NEXT SKIPPER
The Joe Maddon era is over. He was the most successful modern Cub manager during a five year tenure. But his message failed to get another championship.
There have been references to championship fatigue, "Winner's Traps," etc. After 2016, the Cubs team has been in a slow decline. Expectations were high; player performance was sliding down. Theo Epstein railed against "potential" and "performance" during spring training. He claimed everyday was a playoff game. The Cubs then stumbled out the gate. The Cubs never had a long winning streak to cause separation in the NL Central. All phases of the team faltered down the stretch.
The Cubs have a major decision to make: who will manage the rest of the Cub championship window. The Cubs have two years left before Kris Bryant becomes a free agent. That is the window to win. But the Cubs ownership has tapped out on money as the front office has exceeded the luxury tax threshold (again). For the past two years, Theo's moves have been costly mistakes. What manager wants to come to a team that is financially hand-cuffed and on the decline?
As it was noted by Joe Girardi many times, there are only 30 such jobs available. It is a unique club. You take the opportunity if you can get it. Girardi really wants to manage the Cubs. He was on his own personal, local publicity tour. He has the experience, winning attitude and character to lead a team. He did so in the sports world's toughest market, New York. But he is viewed as an expensive, old school manager.
The trend is to hire an inexperienced former player or executive that the front office can control like a puppet. Teams have invested so much in advanced stats that they are forgetting baseball fundamentals for spreadsheet data.
One has to remember that all of Maddon's coaches were not his hires. The three hitting and pitching coaches the last three seasons have all been management decisions. Theo and Jed Hoyer wanted to impose their philosophies on the team. Clearly, it did not work out well.
Part of the problem has to be that when a young team wins early, they get cocky and complacent. They do not think they have to work hard in order to win. They think they are as good as their championship ring says they are. They think they can just turn it on at any time and win again. But it does not happen. They press and then they fail under the pressure because they did not put in the hard work to repeat.
The Michael Jordan Bulls championship runs were fueled by Jordan's own personal drive to excel at the highest level and to win multiple championships. The 2016 Cubs did not have that drive. They sat on their laurels. Maddon did not make the players accountable for their underperformance.
But part of the blame lies with the front office which provided Maddon with a bad roster. The rotation was no longer a strength as the older pitchers began to break down. The bullpen has always been a mess. When you spend money on closers who cannot throw or who cannot pitch, that is a problem. The team overvalued its core players to the point of having no competitive depth. And the scouting and development departments horribly failed to draft any reliable talent to help the major league club.
A Cub managerial candidate has to consider the health of the team he is expected to lead to victory. There will be other major vacancies this off season (Mets, Angels, Padres, Pirates).
It is expected that the Cubs will hire a first time manager, The reasons are simple: cheaper and controllable. The Cubs are not going to spend $5 million on a proven, veteran manager. The going rate for a first time, no-experience candidate is less than $1 million.
There is an old saying "you get what you pay for." Some out of the blue selections have won (Hinch, Cora). But the new Cubs skipper comes into a clubhouse that has a lot of baggage. The players have not faced the consequences of their performance flaws. There is no one in the minors pushing to take their jobs.
David Ross is expected to be given an offer. Ross was a vocal clubhouse leader. It is one thing to be a player or teammate but it is another to be the boss. It will be difficult to turn his friendships into employer-employee relationships.
If Ross is not the hire, then the Cubs most likely will tap one of their internal executives or advanced scouts to run the team to make an analytical impact on the strategy of the season. Many players have quietly said that they are being overloaded with information before and during games. By having a new skipper being an evangelical leader of the stat age may be a bigger turnoff than Maddon.
There have been references to championship fatigue, "Winner's Traps," etc. After 2016, the Cubs team has been in a slow decline. Expectations were high; player performance was sliding down. Theo Epstein railed against "potential" and "performance" during spring training. He claimed everyday was a playoff game. The Cubs then stumbled out the gate. The Cubs never had a long winning streak to cause separation in the NL Central. All phases of the team faltered down the stretch.
The Cubs have a major decision to make: who will manage the rest of the Cub championship window. The Cubs have two years left before Kris Bryant becomes a free agent. That is the window to win. But the Cubs ownership has tapped out on money as the front office has exceeded the luxury tax threshold (again). For the past two years, Theo's moves have been costly mistakes. What manager wants to come to a team that is financially hand-cuffed and on the decline?
As it was noted by Joe Girardi many times, there are only 30 such jobs available. It is a unique club. You take the opportunity if you can get it. Girardi really wants to manage the Cubs. He was on his own personal, local publicity tour. He has the experience, winning attitude and character to lead a team. He did so in the sports world's toughest market, New York. But he is viewed as an expensive, old school manager.
The trend is to hire an inexperienced former player or executive that the front office can control like a puppet. Teams have invested so much in advanced stats that they are forgetting baseball fundamentals for spreadsheet data.
One has to remember that all of Maddon's coaches were not his hires. The three hitting and pitching coaches the last three seasons have all been management decisions. Theo and Jed Hoyer wanted to impose their philosophies on the team. Clearly, it did not work out well.
Part of the problem has to be that when a young team wins early, they get cocky and complacent. They do not think they have to work hard in order to win. They think they are as good as their championship ring says they are. They think they can just turn it on at any time and win again. But it does not happen. They press and then they fail under the pressure because they did not put in the hard work to repeat.
The Michael Jordan Bulls championship runs were fueled by Jordan's own personal drive to excel at the highest level and to win multiple championships. The 2016 Cubs did not have that drive. They sat on their laurels. Maddon did not make the players accountable for their underperformance.
But part of the blame lies with the front office which provided Maddon with a bad roster. The rotation was no longer a strength as the older pitchers began to break down. The bullpen has always been a mess. When you spend money on closers who cannot throw or who cannot pitch, that is a problem. The team overvalued its core players to the point of having no competitive depth. And the scouting and development departments horribly failed to draft any reliable talent to help the major league club.
A Cub managerial candidate has to consider the health of the team he is expected to lead to victory. There will be other major vacancies this off season (Mets, Angels, Padres, Pirates).
It is expected that the Cubs will hire a first time manager, The reasons are simple: cheaper and controllable. The Cubs are not going to spend $5 million on a proven, veteran manager. The going rate for a first time, no-experience candidate is less than $1 million.
There is an old saying "you get what you pay for." Some out of the blue selections have won (Hinch, Cora). But the new Cubs skipper comes into a clubhouse that has a lot of baggage. The players have not faced the consequences of their performance flaws. There is no one in the minors pushing to take their jobs.
David Ross is expected to be given an offer. Ross was a vocal clubhouse leader. It is one thing to be a player or teammate but it is another to be the boss. It will be difficult to turn his friendships into employer-employee relationships.
If Ross is not the hire, then the Cubs most likely will tap one of their internal executives or advanced scouts to run the team to make an analytical impact on the strategy of the season. Many players have quietly said that they are being overloaded with information before and during games. By having a new skipper being an evangelical leader of the stat age may be a bigger turnoff than Maddon.
September 10, 2019
THE TEAR DOWN PROJECT
The baseball world was shocked when the Red Sox dismissed President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski less than a year after winning the World Series.
The reasoning for the termination of the man who helped produce a championship is vague. There is speculation that there was a rift between baseball operations and ownership/business side of the organization. There is speculation that the Red Sox are saddled with big money contracts that can quickly turn into dead money deals. There is always the rivalry with the Yankees, who have overcome 26 injuries to runaway with the AL East title.
Ricketts fancies himself as a follower of the Red Sox baseball operations. He wants to create an outside venue for fans (and profit) like Boston did around Fenway Park. The Cubs also have a split organizational structure: one baseball side and one business side. It has been clear for years that the Cubs baseball side has been at odds with the business side over payroll and spending issues.
Theo Epstein is also sitting on several potential dead money deals with the second highest payroll in the majors. He also has brought in many new players who have not helped the team surge into first place. The team is currently floundering in second place in the NL Central and losing a grip on the second wild card.
Someone will be the scapegoat. He was chosen last off-season: Joe Maddon. Maddon did not get a contract extension because the team does not want him (and his $6 million salary). Theo has been rotating coaches in Maddon's dugout to little success. Four batting coaches in four years has not improved the offense. Pitching has become erratic at best. Baseball is trending toward management hiring cheap, inexperienced and controllable managers. Maddon does not fit that role.
The farm system has not produced any sustainable help for this team. In fact, the farm system rates near the bottom because Theo has not drafted and developed one starting pitcher in his tenure with Chicago. This major flaw has a cascade affect on the team and its financing as he paid dearly to acquire pitching. With little help in the minors available, this off-season will come after a disappointing season. What will happen?
It is possible that the roster will have to be blown up. But it would have to be a dramatic change in attitude because Theo overvalues "his guys." He does not trade "his guys." He always talks about his championship core of starters. But many of these core players are breaking down with injuries, underperformance or pending free agency. The farm system is devoid of talent to make quality trades. Trades would have to be made from the current 40 man roster.
The current roster is filled with platoon situations, utility players and aging veterans. The starting rotation will be Lester, Hendricks, Darvish and Quintana. Hamels will not be re-signed. The bullpen will have to be retooled as well.
Your 2020 outfield appears to be Schwarber, Happ/Almora and Heyward. You cannot trade Heyward's contract. Schwarber has turned into an Adam Dunn DH. Happ and Almora are too inconsistent at the plate to have a .225 platoon in CF. Can you trade Happ and/or Almora? Yes, but they would get little in return because they are not proven starters. Can you trade Schwarber? Yes, but a DH/LF will not bring any great return.
Your 2020 infield appears to be Bryant, Baez, Russell/Garcia/Kemp/Hoerner and Rizzo. Rizzo is tradeable but lost in first base depth throughout the league. No one is desperate for a new first baseman. Bryant and Baez are good trade chips. Bryant, if healthy, could bring in 5 players in return (including quality minor league prospects). Baez could bring in a good haul, too. But the one who could bring in the most MLB ready starters is Contreras because a power hitting, good catcher is very hard to find. Could the Cubs have a Caritini/Lecroy platoon in 2020? Yes, but its production would pale without Contreras.
If the 2019 Cubs get brushed aside like last season, then wholesale changes should be on the way. The business side is going to push hard for cost reductions since the new Cubs network launch is going to be a financial dud. If the Cubs management believe this current team is still a championship caliber one, then nothing will change and the final result will be disappointing fans. Fans could take trading away the heart of your core players if you got exciting young talent in return (since the championship is still in everyone's back pocket.) Otherwise, this is a slow and painful death to the bottom of the standings.
The reasoning for the termination of the man who helped produce a championship is vague. There is speculation that there was a rift between baseball operations and ownership/business side of the organization. There is speculation that the Red Sox are saddled with big money contracts that can quickly turn into dead money deals. There is always the rivalry with the Yankees, who have overcome 26 injuries to runaway with the AL East title.
Ricketts fancies himself as a follower of the Red Sox baseball operations. He wants to create an outside venue for fans (and profit) like Boston did around Fenway Park. The Cubs also have a split organizational structure: one baseball side and one business side. It has been clear for years that the Cubs baseball side has been at odds with the business side over payroll and spending issues.
Theo Epstein is also sitting on several potential dead money deals with the second highest payroll in the majors. He also has brought in many new players who have not helped the team surge into first place. The team is currently floundering in second place in the NL Central and losing a grip on the second wild card.
Someone will be the scapegoat. He was chosen last off-season: Joe Maddon. Maddon did not get a contract extension because the team does not want him (and his $6 million salary). Theo has been rotating coaches in Maddon's dugout to little success. Four batting coaches in four years has not improved the offense. Pitching has become erratic at best. Baseball is trending toward management hiring cheap, inexperienced and controllable managers. Maddon does not fit that role.
The farm system has not produced any sustainable help for this team. In fact, the farm system rates near the bottom because Theo has not drafted and developed one starting pitcher in his tenure with Chicago. This major flaw has a cascade affect on the team and its financing as he paid dearly to acquire pitching. With little help in the minors available, this off-season will come after a disappointing season. What will happen?
It is possible that the roster will have to be blown up. But it would have to be a dramatic change in attitude because Theo overvalues "his guys." He does not trade "his guys." He always talks about his championship core of starters. But many of these core players are breaking down with injuries, underperformance or pending free agency. The farm system is devoid of talent to make quality trades. Trades would have to be made from the current 40 man roster.
The current roster is filled with platoon situations, utility players and aging veterans. The starting rotation will be Lester, Hendricks, Darvish and Quintana. Hamels will not be re-signed. The bullpen will have to be retooled as well.
Your 2020 outfield appears to be Schwarber, Happ/Almora and Heyward. You cannot trade Heyward's contract. Schwarber has turned into an Adam Dunn DH. Happ and Almora are too inconsistent at the plate to have a .225 platoon in CF. Can you trade Happ and/or Almora? Yes, but they would get little in return because they are not proven starters. Can you trade Schwarber? Yes, but a DH/LF will not bring any great return.
Your 2020 infield appears to be Bryant, Baez, Russell/Garcia/Kemp/Hoerner and Rizzo. Rizzo is tradeable but lost in first base depth throughout the league. No one is desperate for a new first baseman. Bryant and Baez are good trade chips. Bryant, if healthy, could bring in 5 players in return (including quality minor league prospects). Baez could bring in a good haul, too. But the one who could bring in the most MLB ready starters is Contreras because a power hitting, good catcher is very hard to find. Could the Cubs have a Caritini/Lecroy platoon in 2020? Yes, but its production would pale without Contreras.
If the 2019 Cubs get brushed aside like last season, then wholesale changes should be on the way. The business side is going to push hard for cost reductions since the new Cubs network launch is going to be a financial dud. If the Cubs management believe this current team is still a championship caliber one, then nothing will change and the final result will be disappointing fans. Fans could take trading away the heart of your core players if you got exciting young talent in return (since the championship is still in everyone's back pocket.) Otherwise, this is a slow and painful death to the bottom of the standings.
May 9, 2019
SYMBOLS & STRIFE
Yesterday, there was more non-baseball news than the actual Cubs-Marlins game.
Russell Addison returned from his 40 game suspension for domestic abuse to a chorus of boos and a light smattering of applause. Theo Epstein stressed before the game that the Cubs, as an organization, gave Russell the opportunity for a second chance for which he had fulfilled his conditions of his return. The Cubs also acknowledged that there would be many fans who would voice their displeasure at the return of a spouse abuser. Epstein said that the fans had their right to their own opinions on this issue.
The Cubs also announced it banned a fan for an alleged racist gesture that was caught on a live, mid-inning broadcast with Doug Glanville. The alleged offensive gesture was an upside down "OK" sign. There is a debate whether this symbol, which is part of a kid's "circle game," was intended to be a racist slur towards Glanville. But others have said that white supremacists have recently adopted this kid's sign as a racist slur. Most people watching the telecast were unaware of the gesture or its meaning. The Cubs stated that it had "zero tolerance" for any racist actions in Wrigley Field. Whether the Cubs did an investigation or interviewed the fan about his intent is unknown.
But the Cubs and ownership have created an even bigger problem. It has been well reported through the release of Joe Ricketts emails of his intolerant behavior toward minorities. Joe Ricketts, through a Cubs press release, apologized for his involvement in racist jokes and intolerant conversations he made in his emails. In the end, there was no further ramifications from that scandal. "Zero tolerance" apparently does not apply to ownership privilege.
The same is true with the inconsistent application of fan speech. The Cubs said it was okay for fans to boo the return of a spouse abuser, but it not okay to make an alleged racist hand sign. There are many more people offended about Russell's alleged criminal conduct than what fans say or do during a game.
If the Cubs have zero tolerance toward a fan's alleged action, why does the Cubs organization have great tolerance for spousal abuse behavior and its patriarch's racist remarks?
Russell Addison returned from his 40 game suspension for domestic abuse to a chorus of boos and a light smattering of applause. Theo Epstein stressed before the game that the Cubs, as an organization, gave Russell the opportunity for a second chance for which he had fulfilled his conditions of his return. The Cubs also acknowledged that there would be many fans who would voice their displeasure at the return of a spouse abuser. Epstein said that the fans had their right to their own opinions on this issue.
The Cubs also announced it banned a fan for an alleged racist gesture that was caught on a live, mid-inning broadcast with Doug Glanville. The alleged offensive gesture was an upside down "OK" sign. There is a debate whether this symbol, which is part of a kid's "circle game," was intended to be a racist slur towards Glanville. But others have said that white supremacists have recently adopted this kid's sign as a racist slur. Most people watching the telecast were unaware of the gesture or its meaning. The Cubs stated that it had "zero tolerance" for any racist actions in Wrigley Field. Whether the Cubs did an investigation or interviewed the fan about his intent is unknown.
But the Cubs and ownership have created an even bigger problem. It has been well reported through the release of Joe Ricketts emails of his intolerant behavior toward minorities. Joe Ricketts, through a Cubs press release, apologized for his involvement in racist jokes and intolerant conversations he made in his emails. In the end, there was no further ramifications from that scandal. "Zero tolerance" apparently does not apply to ownership privilege.
The same is true with the inconsistent application of fan speech. The Cubs said it was okay for fans to boo the return of a spouse abuser, but it not okay to make an alleged racist hand sign. There are many more people offended about Russell's alleged criminal conduct than what fans say or do during a game.
If the Cubs have zero tolerance toward a fan's alleged action, why does the Cubs organization have great tolerance for spousal abuse behavior and its patriarch's racist remarks?
September 6, 2018
BULLPENNING
In the evolution of baseball strategy, the role of the starting pitcher has diminished dramatically. In the past, including the modern golden era of the 1960s and even through to early 2000s, a premium position was starting pitcher. Aces were paid like stars. They were expected to pitch 7 or 8 quality innings for 35 times a season. They were expected to win 20 games. The mental position was that once I got the ball on the mound in the first inning, I would not leave until the game was over.
But there has been a sudden shift in pitching philosophy. The idea of a complete game by a starter is ancient history. Starters are now expected to only pitch through the 5th of 6th inning. Bullpens have expanded to 8 or 9 relievers making the bench for position players extremely small.
Tampa Bay started to carry this trend to a new level by "bullpenning" games. The stat mavens have concluded that starters get weaker as they go through the opponent's lineup a second or third time. Therefore, to eliminate that outcome, a manager will take out a starter, however effective that day, for a series of bullpen arms. But the Rays have started to adopt a more radical approach: start games with bullpen arms and let starters become long, middle relievers. It has worked as the Rays have the best team ERA since May.
Some people are not happy.
The Oakland Athletics are among Major League Baseball’s most surprising contending teams this season. The Athletic website reports that a late-season change in pitching philosophy could threaten to disrupt the relationship between the players and front office.
It all started over the weekend when the A’s became the latest team to adopt the “bullpenning” approach to pitching. Scheduled starter Daniel Mengden arrived to the ballpark for Saturday’s game against the Seattle Mariners expecting to begin his usual pregame routine. That’s when manager Bob Melvin informed him of the change in plans.
Instead, reliever Liam Hendriks was getting the starting nod as an opener, while Mendgen only knew he’d be pitching multiple innings in relief. The confusion admittedly led to frustration, and Mendgen’s performance suffered as a result.
Rather than go through one warm up routine, Mendgen was asked to warm up three different times before entering in the third inning. Seattle took advantage of the staggered Mendgen, scoring three runs in two innings. Now the entire A’s clubhouse seems to be wondering if bullpenning is necessary to achieve their goals.
The A’s obviously took notice of Tampa Bay’s success. Injuries to starters Sean Manaea and Brett Anderson left their rotation depth even thinner, Oakland's management decided bullpenning can help cover their rotation shortcomings. In long stretches during the season with no days off, a manager, including Cubs Joe Maddon, have had to resort to a "bullpen" game where a long reliever started hoping to get 3 or 4 good innings of work, then have the rest of the pen mop up. No starters were sacrificed in bullpen games.
Starting pitchers are creatures of habit. They prefer getting to the ballpark knowing what they have to do and when they have to do it to get ready. They have a set time to prepare for each game. They go over hitter charts with the catcher and bench coach. The pitcher starts his long toss and long bullpen session to get ready for the first inning. IN that preparation, a starter can see what pitches are actually working that day, and to adapt prior to seeing the first batter. It is totally different for a bullpen arm, who may only have 5 minutes to warm up (sometimes less).
“It’s going to affect the routine a little bit,” Mengden said after Saturday’s game. “But you have to adjust to it. It’s a little different sitting down for an inning or two in the bullpen. But playing at this level you have to be ready for anything and make adjustments on the fly.”
Mendgen adjusted well the second time he was asked to follow a reliever, tossing 4 2/3 scoreless innings of relief in Tuesday’s game against the New York Yankees. However, frustration remains in the clubhouse because such a drastic change came without any warning. Players like knowing what’s going on, and like being able to prepare ahead of time.
Whether this is a trend, or part of an effort to reduce costs (relievers are less expensive than starters) will be seen. Tampa Bay is not in a pennant race, but the A's are in one.
But there has been a sudden shift in pitching philosophy. The idea of a complete game by a starter is ancient history. Starters are now expected to only pitch through the 5th of 6th inning. Bullpens have expanded to 8 or 9 relievers making the bench for position players extremely small.
Tampa Bay started to carry this trend to a new level by "bullpenning" games. The stat mavens have concluded that starters get weaker as they go through the opponent's lineup a second or third time. Therefore, to eliminate that outcome, a manager will take out a starter, however effective that day, for a series of bullpen arms. But the Rays have started to adopt a more radical approach: start games with bullpen arms and let starters become long, middle relievers. It has worked as the Rays have the best team ERA since May.
Some people are not happy.
The Oakland Athletics are among Major League Baseball’s most surprising contending teams this season. The Athletic website reports that a late-season change in pitching philosophy could threaten to disrupt the relationship between the players and front office.
It all started over the weekend when the A’s became the latest team to adopt the “bullpenning” approach to pitching. Scheduled starter Daniel Mengden arrived to the ballpark for Saturday’s game against the Seattle Mariners expecting to begin his usual pregame routine. That’s when manager Bob Melvin informed him of the change in plans.
Instead, reliever Liam Hendriks was getting the starting nod as an opener, while Mendgen only knew he’d be pitching multiple innings in relief. The confusion admittedly led to frustration, and Mendgen’s performance suffered as a result.
Rather than go through one warm up routine, Mendgen was asked to warm up three different times before entering in the third inning. Seattle took advantage of the staggered Mendgen, scoring three runs in two innings. Now the entire A’s clubhouse seems to be wondering if bullpenning is necessary to achieve their goals.
The A’s obviously took notice of Tampa Bay’s success. Injuries to starters Sean Manaea and Brett Anderson left their rotation depth even thinner, Oakland's management decided bullpenning can help cover their rotation shortcomings. In long stretches during the season with no days off, a manager, including Cubs Joe Maddon, have had to resort to a "bullpen" game where a long reliever started hoping to get 3 or 4 good innings of work, then have the rest of the pen mop up. No starters were sacrificed in bullpen games.
Starting pitchers are creatures of habit. They prefer getting to the ballpark knowing what they have to do and when they have to do it to get ready. They have a set time to prepare for each game. They go over hitter charts with the catcher and bench coach. The pitcher starts his long toss and long bullpen session to get ready for the first inning. IN that preparation, a starter can see what pitches are actually working that day, and to adapt prior to seeing the first batter. It is totally different for a bullpen arm, who may only have 5 minutes to warm up (sometimes less).
“It’s going to affect the routine a little bit,” Mengden said after Saturday’s game. “But you have to adjust to it. It’s a little different sitting down for an inning or two in the bullpen. But playing at this level you have to be ready for anything and make adjustments on the fly.”
Mendgen adjusted well the second time he was asked to follow a reliever, tossing 4 2/3 scoreless innings of relief in Tuesday’s game against the New York Yankees. However, frustration remains in the clubhouse because such a drastic change came without any warning. Players like knowing what’s going on, and like being able to prepare ahead of time.
Whether this is a trend, or part of an effort to reduce costs (relievers are less expensive than starters) will be seen. Tampa Bay is not in a pennant race, but the A's are in one.
November 9, 2017
FREE AGENT CHECK LIST
With only 9 qualified offers still pending on the table, it is time to look at the Cubs' holes and the readily available free agents. (From MLBTR).
The Cubs want a veteran, pack up catcher for Contreras. The three they had last year are now available. Two other ex-Cubs (Castillo and Soto) are also available. Of this group, a return of Rene Rivera makes the most sense.
Catchers
Alex Avila (31)
Welington Castillo (31)
A.J. Ellis (37)
Nick Hundley (34)
Chris Iannetta (35)
Jose Lobaton (33)
Jonathan Lucroy (32)
Miguel Montero (34)
Rene Rivera (34)
Carlos Ruiz (39)
Hector Sanchez (28)
Geovany Soto (35)
Chris Stewart (36)
The Cubs are stuck with several platoon outfielders. Schwarber, Almora, Heyward are going to be on the 2018 roster unless there is a trade. Happ appears to be the super-utility player and Zobrist most likely getting less playing time behind Baez at second base. So it would appear that the Cubs would need one 4th outfield candidate. Maddon favorite, Jon Jay, is available but he may want a chance to start with another team. What would be ideal would be a traditional lead off hitter. A Cain, Gomez or Maybin would be expensive signee, pushing Almora to the bench or trade market. I would not be surprised if the Cubs signed Granderson on a one-year deal to close out his career in his hometown.
Left Fielders
Norichika Aoki (36)
Cody Asche (28)
Peter Bourjos (31)
Melky Cabrera (33)
Rajai Davis (37)
Jarrod Dyson (33)
Andre Ethier (36)
Craig Gentry (34)
Curtis Granderson (37)
Franklin Gutierrez (35)
Chris Heisey (33)
Austin Jackson (31)
Jon Jay (33)
Howie Kendrick (34)
Hyun Soo Kim (30)
Adam Lind (34)
Cameron Maybin (31)
Daniel Nava (35)
Eduardo Nunez (31)
Alex Presley (32)
Colby Rasmus (31)
Ben Revere (30)
Michael Saunders (31)
Ah-seop Son (30)
Jayson Werth (39)
Chris B. Young (34)
Eric Young Jr. (33)
Center Fielders
Peter Bourjos (31)
Lorenzo Cain (32)
Rajai Davis (37)
Jaff Decker (28)
Jarrod Dyson (33)
Pedro Florimon (31)
Carlos Gomez (32)
Austin Jackson (31)
Jon Jay (33)
Cameron Maybin (31)
Alex Presley (32)
Right Fielders
Norichika Aoki (36)
Jose Bautista (37)
Jay Bruce (31)
Melky Cabrera (33)
Craig Gentry (34)
Carlos Gonzalez (32)
Curtis Granderson (37)
Austin Jackson (31)
John Jaso (34)
Jon Jay (33)
J.D. Martinez (30)
Alex Presley (32)
Michael Saunders (31)
Seth Smith (35)
Ah-seop Son (30)
Ichiro Suzuki (44)
Jayson Werth (39)
The Cubs will have rotation issues in 2018. The team needs to replace Arrieta and Lackey, but also has to consider that Lester is older and the organization has no minor league pitching. The Cubs really need to sign three starters this off-season. The names on the radar include Darvish, Cobb, Lynn and Ross. But all those pitchers will want in excess of the qualifying offer price of $17.4 million/season. A player like Cashner now projects to convert to a closer role (which is another Cub need). The Cubs may go cheaper with some rehab/re-boot pitchers like Tillman, Locke, Peralta or Pineda.
Starting Pitchers
Brett Anderson (30)
Jake Arrieta (32)
Christian Bergman (30)
Mike Bolsinger (30)
Clay Buchholz (33)
Trevor Cahill (30)
Andrew Cashner (31)
Jhoulys Chacin (30)
Tyler Chatwood (28)
Jesse Chavez (34)
Wei-Yin Chen (32)
Alex Cobb (30)
Bartolo Colon (45)
Johnny Cueto (32)
Yu Darvish (31)
R.A. Dickey (43)
Scott Feldman (35)
Doug Fister (34)
Yovani Gallardo (32)
Jaime Garcia (31)
Matt Garza (34)
Dillon Gee (32)
Miguel Gonzalez (34)
Jeremy Hellickson (31)
Derek Holland (31)
David Holmberg (26)
Drew Hutchison (27)
Hisashi Iwakuma (37)
Ubaldo Jimenez (34)
John Lackey (39)
Francisco Liriano (34)
Jeff Locke (30)
Jordan Lyles (27)
Lance Lynn (31)
Miles Mikolas (29)
Wade Miley (31)
Ricky Nolasco (35)
Wily Peralta (29)
Michael Pineda (29)
Tyson Ross (31)
CC Sabathia (37)
Anibal Sanchez (34)
Hector Santiago (30)
Chris Smith (37)
Chris Tillman (30)
Jacob Turner (27)
Jason Vargas (35)
Hideaki Wakui (32)
Asher Wojciechowski (29)
Chris Young (39)
The Cubs will have to rebuild their bullpen with a closer and solid middle relievers. Only Edwards, Strop and Montgomery are sure bets to return to the pen. Wilson is an enigma since he failed to impress or take the 2018 closer role. Wade Davis appears to be the best closer available, but he will want a long term deal. Jake McGee is a possibility but he has some health red flags. If you are looking at potential bounce back candidates, Rodruiguez or Gomez are possibilities. For set up men, Shaw and Watson appear to be the most durable arms on the market.
For potential closers, Morrow and Reed probably fit the Cubs budget better than Davis.
Kintzler, Clippard, Swarzak and Krol may be the under the radar bullpen guys that most teams would like to fill out their roster.
Right-Handed Relievers
Matt Albers (35)
John Axford (35)
Tony Barnette (34)
Matt Belisle (38)
Joaquin Benoit (40)
Christian Bergman (30)
Mike Bolsinger (30)
Blaine Boyer (36)
Trevor Cahill (30)
Jesse Chavez (34)
Josh Collmenter (32)
Tyler Clippard (33)
Steve Cishek (32)
Wade Davis (32)
Neftali Feliz (30)
Dillon Gee (32)
Jeanmar Gomez (30)
Luke Gregerson (34)
Jason Grilli (41)
Deolis Guerra (29)
David Hernandez (33)
Yoshihisa Hirano (34)
Greg Holland (32)
Tommy Hunter (31)
Brandon Kintzler (33)
Chris Martin (32)
Dustin McGowan (36)
Brandon Morrow (33)
Jason Motte (36)
Peter Moylan (39)
Pat Neshek (37)
Juan Nicasio (31)
Bud Norris (33)
Seung-hwan Oh (35)
Yusmeiro Petit (33)
Chad Qualls (39)
Addison Reed (29)
Fernando Rodney (41)
Francisco Rodriguez (36)
Sergio Romo (35)
Trevor Rosenthal (28)
Fernando Salas (33)
Rob Scahill (31)
Bryan Shaw (30)
Joe Smith (34)
Craig Stammen (34)
Drew Storen (30)
Huston Street (34)
Anthony Swarzak (32)
Carlos Torres (35)
Koji Uehara (43)
Tom Wilhelmsen (34)
Asher Wojciechowski (29)
Chris Young (39)
Left-Handed Relievers
Fernando Abad (32)
Craig Breslow (37)
Jorge De La Rosa (37)
Brian Duensing (35)
Zach Duke (35)
Josh Edgin (31)
David Holmberg (26)
Ian Krol (27)
Francisco Liriano (34)
Boone Logan (33)
Jake McGee (31)
Mike Minor (30)
Eric O’Flaherty (33)
Oliver Perez (36)
Glen Perkins (35)
Robbie Ross (29)
Kevin Siegrist (28)
Tony Watson (32)
The Cubs want a veteran, pack up catcher for Contreras. The three they had last year are now available. Two other ex-Cubs (Castillo and Soto) are also available. Of this group, a return of Rene Rivera makes the most sense.
Catchers
Alex Avila (31)
Welington Castillo (31)
A.J. Ellis (37)
Nick Hundley (34)
Chris Iannetta (35)
Jose Lobaton (33)
Jonathan Lucroy (32)
Miguel Montero (34)
Rene Rivera (34)
Carlos Ruiz (39)
Hector Sanchez (28)
Geovany Soto (35)
Chris Stewart (36)
The Cubs are stuck with several platoon outfielders. Schwarber, Almora, Heyward are going to be on the 2018 roster unless there is a trade. Happ appears to be the super-utility player and Zobrist most likely getting less playing time behind Baez at second base. So it would appear that the Cubs would need one 4th outfield candidate. Maddon favorite, Jon Jay, is available but he may want a chance to start with another team. What would be ideal would be a traditional lead off hitter. A Cain, Gomez or Maybin would be expensive signee, pushing Almora to the bench or trade market. I would not be surprised if the Cubs signed Granderson on a one-year deal to close out his career in his hometown.
Left Fielders
Norichika Aoki (36)
Cody Asche (28)
Peter Bourjos (31)
Melky Cabrera (33)
Rajai Davis (37)
Jarrod Dyson (33)
Andre Ethier (36)
Craig Gentry (34)
Curtis Granderson (37)
Franklin Gutierrez (35)
Chris Heisey (33)
Austin Jackson (31)
Jon Jay (33)
Howie Kendrick (34)
Hyun Soo Kim (30)
Adam Lind (34)
Cameron Maybin (31)
Daniel Nava (35)
Eduardo Nunez (31)
Alex Presley (32)
Colby Rasmus (31)
Ben Revere (30)
Michael Saunders (31)
Ah-seop Son (30)
Jayson Werth (39)
Chris B. Young (34)
Eric Young Jr. (33)
Center Fielders
Peter Bourjos (31)
Lorenzo Cain (32)
Rajai Davis (37)
Jaff Decker (28)
Jarrod Dyson (33)
Pedro Florimon (31)
Carlos Gomez (32)
Austin Jackson (31)
Jon Jay (33)
Cameron Maybin (31)
Alex Presley (32)
Right Fielders
Norichika Aoki (36)
Jose Bautista (37)
Jay Bruce (31)
Melky Cabrera (33)
Craig Gentry (34)
Carlos Gonzalez (32)
Curtis Granderson (37)
Austin Jackson (31)
John Jaso (34)
Jon Jay (33)
J.D. Martinez (30)
Alex Presley (32)
Michael Saunders (31)
Seth Smith (35)
Ah-seop Son (30)
Ichiro Suzuki (44)
Jayson Werth (39)
The Cubs will have rotation issues in 2018. The team needs to replace Arrieta and Lackey, but also has to consider that Lester is older and the organization has no minor league pitching. The Cubs really need to sign three starters this off-season. The names on the radar include Darvish, Cobb, Lynn and Ross. But all those pitchers will want in excess of the qualifying offer price of $17.4 million/season. A player like Cashner now projects to convert to a closer role (which is another Cub need). The Cubs may go cheaper with some rehab/re-boot pitchers like Tillman, Locke, Peralta or Pineda.
Starting Pitchers
Brett Anderson (30)
Jake Arrieta (32)
Christian Bergman (30)
Mike Bolsinger (30)
Clay Buchholz (33)
Trevor Cahill (30)
Andrew Cashner (31)
Jhoulys Chacin (30)
Tyler Chatwood (28)
Jesse Chavez (34)
Wei-Yin Chen (32)
Alex Cobb (30)
Bartolo Colon (45)
Johnny Cueto (32)
Yu Darvish (31)
R.A. Dickey (43)
Scott Feldman (35)
Doug Fister (34)
Yovani Gallardo (32)
Jaime Garcia (31)
Matt Garza (34)
Dillon Gee (32)
Miguel Gonzalez (34)
Jeremy Hellickson (31)
Derek Holland (31)
David Holmberg (26)
Drew Hutchison (27)
Hisashi Iwakuma (37)
Ubaldo Jimenez (34)
John Lackey (39)
Francisco Liriano (34)
Jeff Locke (30)
Jordan Lyles (27)
Lance Lynn (31)
Miles Mikolas (29)
Wade Miley (31)
Ricky Nolasco (35)
Wily Peralta (29)
Michael Pineda (29)
Tyson Ross (31)
CC Sabathia (37)
Anibal Sanchez (34)
Hector Santiago (30)
Chris Smith (37)
Chris Tillman (30)
Jacob Turner (27)
Jason Vargas (35)
Hideaki Wakui (32)
Asher Wojciechowski (29)
Chris Young (39)
The Cubs will have to rebuild their bullpen with a closer and solid middle relievers. Only Edwards, Strop and Montgomery are sure bets to return to the pen. Wilson is an enigma since he failed to impress or take the 2018 closer role. Wade Davis appears to be the best closer available, but he will want a long term deal. Jake McGee is a possibility but he has some health red flags. If you are looking at potential bounce back candidates, Rodruiguez or Gomez are possibilities. For set up men, Shaw and Watson appear to be the most durable arms on the market.
For potential closers, Morrow and Reed probably fit the Cubs budget better than Davis.
Kintzler, Clippard, Swarzak and Krol may be the under the radar bullpen guys that most teams would like to fill out their roster.
Right-Handed Relievers
Matt Albers (35)
John Axford (35)
Tony Barnette (34)
Matt Belisle (38)
Joaquin Benoit (40)
Christian Bergman (30)
Mike Bolsinger (30)
Blaine Boyer (36)
Trevor Cahill (30)
Jesse Chavez (34)
Josh Collmenter (32)
Tyler Clippard (33)
Steve Cishek (32)
Wade Davis (32)
Neftali Feliz (30)
Dillon Gee (32)
Jeanmar Gomez (30)
Luke Gregerson (34)
Jason Grilli (41)
Deolis Guerra (29)
David Hernandez (33)
Yoshihisa Hirano (34)
Greg Holland (32)
Tommy Hunter (31)
Brandon Kintzler (33)
Chris Martin (32)
Dustin McGowan (36)
Brandon Morrow (33)
Jason Motte (36)
Peter Moylan (39)
Pat Neshek (37)
Juan Nicasio (31)
Bud Norris (33)
Seung-hwan Oh (35)
Yusmeiro Petit (33)
Chad Qualls (39)
Addison Reed (29)
Fernando Rodney (41)
Francisco Rodriguez (36)
Sergio Romo (35)
Trevor Rosenthal (28)
Fernando Salas (33)
Rob Scahill (31)
Bryan Shaw (30)
Joe Smith (34)
Craig Stammen (34)
Drew Storen (30)
Huston Street (34)
Anthony Swarzak (32)
Carlos Torres (35)
Koji Uehara (43)
Tom Wilhelmsen (34)
Asher Wojciechowski (29)
Chris Young (39)
Left-Handed Relievers
Fernando Abad (32)
Craig Breslow (37)
Jorge De La Rosa (37)
Brian Duensing (35)
Zach Duke (35)
Josh Edgin (31)
David Holmberg (26)
Ian Krol (27)
Francisco Liriano (34)
Boone Logan (33)
Jake McGee (31)
Mike Minor (30)
Eric O’Flaherty (33)
Oliver Perez (36)
Glen Perkins (35)
Robbie Ross (29)
Kevin Siegrist (28)
Tony Watson (32)
July 7, 2017
BEAT DOWN
Yesterday's make up game had the underpinnings of a Cold War border crossing.
The Brewers were upset that they lost a precious day off for this make up game when the Cubs canceled a game in May when the bad weather never showed up.
The Brewers felt the Cubs front office (which has control of the start until the line up cards are exchanged with the home plate umpire) could have changed the day game to a night game to let the expected bad storms to pass. But the Cubs did not do so. They just canceled the game and scheduled a make up contest a day game after the Brewers played a night game.
It seems like a pretty petty thing for the Cubs to do. In May the Cubs were shuffling along. In July, the Cubs continue to shuffle along. Meanwhile, the Brewers used the clear diss to motivate themselves to pistol whip their rivals.
The blow out of the Cubs was done early. It was so bad that Joe Maddon admitted by the 5th inning he was talking to players about being the position mop-up pitcher in the late innings. A game of rock-paper-scissors between Jon Jay and Tommy LaStella allowed Jay to throw a slow pitch perfect 9th inning.
If Maddon joked about the end of the game as comic relief for a terrible performance, then the Cubs have more problems. The call up of Schwarber after 11 minor league games showed some desperation with the lack of offense. The Cubs were only averaging 4.5 R/G this year compared to 5.3 R/G in 2016. In the spring, Maddon wanted his team to average 6 R/G. Also, Mike Montgomery, who had been the most consistent pitcher since his promotion, got lit up by the Brewers.
You had the perfect storm. You had the Brewers who were mad at the Cubs for being disrespected; you have the Cubs who cannot seem to get their act together for two games in a row.
With the loss, the Cubs fall to 4.5 games behind the Brewers. Everyone keeps on talking about the Brewers not having the players to sustain a playoff run. But they continue to prove the division wrong. Everyone continues to believe that the Cubs will get a post break streak and cruise to the NL Central title. But that spark, if it was to be Schwarber's return, is fizzling (he is now hitting .168).
Writers try to pry a silver lining out of the dark cloud of the season with this stat: 70% the rest of Cubs opponents are under .500. But in reality, that stat does not matter since the Cubs are under .500 too.
At a certain point, someone will have to call this "a lost season." This Brewers game may be looked at in September as the downward fall of the Cubs championship defense.
The Brewers were upset that they lost a precious day off for this make up game when the Cubs canceled a game in May when the bad weather never showed up.
The Brewers felt the Cubs front office (which has control of the start until the line up cards are exchanged with the home plate umpire) could have changed the day game to a night game to let the expected bad storms to pass. But the Cubs did not do so. They just canceled the game and scheduled a make up contest a day game after the Brewers played a night game.
It seems like a pretty petty thing for the Cubs to do. In May the Cubs were shuffling along. In July, the Cubs continue to shuffle along. Meanwhile, the Brewers used the clear diss to motivate themselves to pistol whip their rivals.
The blow out of the Cubs was done early. It was so bad that Joe Maddon admitted by the 5th inning he was talking to players about being the position mop-up pitcher in the late innings. A game of rock-paper-scissors between Jon Jay and Tommy LaStella allowed Jay to throw a slow pitch perfect 9th inning.
If Maddon joked about the end of the game as comic relief for a terrible performance, then the Cubs have more problems. The call up of Schwarber after 11 minor league games showed some desperation with the lack of offense. The Cubs were only averaging 4.5 R/G this year compared to 5.3 R/G in 2016. In the spring, Maddon wanted his team to average 6 R/G. Also, Mike Montgomery, who had been the most consistent pitcher since his promotion, got lit up by the Brewers.
You had the perfect storm. You had the Brewers who were mad at the Cubs for being disrespected; you have the Cubs who cannot seem to get their act together for two games in a row.
With the loss, the Cubs fall to 4.5 games behind the Brewers. Everyone keeps on talking about the Brewers not having the players to sustain a playoff run. But they continue to prove the division wrong. Everyone continues to believe that the Cubs will get a post break streak and cruise to the NL Central title. But that spark, if it was to be Schwarber's return, is fizzling (he is now hitting .168).
Writers try to pry a silver lining out of the dark cloud of the season with this stat: 70% the rest of Cubs opponents are under .500. But in reality, that stat does not matter since the Cubs are under .500 too.
At a certain point, someone will have to call this "a lost season." This Brewers game may be looked at in September as the downward fall of the Cubs championship defense.
September 28, 2016
BIG RAISE
The breaking news today is that Theo Epstein has signed a 5 year extension to stay with the Cubs.
In 2011, Epstein signed a deal worth $18.5 million.
It is reported that he is now the highest paid baseball executive, which would mean he would surpass the $8 million per year mark set last year by the Dodgers who signed Andrew Friedman away from Tampa.
If true, the Cubs extension gives Epstein a 220% raise from his last contract.
Actual terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
From my vantage point, I thought Epstein would have gone the "free agent" route to see if he could cash in with an equity position with another club. Last week there was a rumor that Epstein would leave baseball to get a "giant" payday in another field, such as using his analytical skills in investment banking or another business venture. These rumors were fueled by the fact that it took the Cubs an extremely long time to come to a deal with the team President (who only has a few weeks left on his original deal.) Further adding to the fire was that one of Epstein's core managers, scouting director Jason McLeod, was interviewing for a GM position in Minnesota.
It will be interesting to note whether this new deal gives Epstein more power over the budget to run the baseball operations. In the past, he has been put on a tight leash by the business side of the team structure.
Fans will be relieved that the architect of the current club will be around until the budding stars hit their free agency years.
In 2011, Epstein signed a deal worth $18.5 million.
It is reported that he is now the highest paid baseball executive, which would mean he would surpass the $8 million per year mark set last year by the Dodgers who signed Andrew Friedman away from Tampa.
If true, the Cubs extension gives Epstein a 220% raise from his last contract.
Actual terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
From my vantage point, I thought Epstein would have gone the "free agent" route to see if he could cash in with an equity position with another club. Last week there was a rumor that Epstein would leave baseball to get a "giant" payday in another field, such as using his analytical skills in investment banking or another business venture. These rumors were fueled by the fact that it took the Cubs an extremely long time to come to a deal with the team President (who only has a few weeks left on his original deal.) Further adding to the fire was that one of Epstein's core managers, scouting director Jason McLeod, was interviewing for a GM position in Minnesota.
It will be interesting to note whether this new deal gives Epstein more power over the budget to run the baseball operations. In the past, he has been put on a tight leash by the business side of the team structure.
Fans will be relieved that the architect of the current club will be around until the budding stars hit their free agency years.
September 8, 2016
CHERRY PICKS
With every successful sports franchise, leaders and managers tend to get looked over for promotions with other teams. It is trying to buy past success with a new employer.
Rumors have started to circulate that Cubs executives could be top talent to other organizations. There are strong rumors that the Twins are pursuing Cubs execs Jason McLeod or Shiraz Rehman for their top baseball operations job.
McLeod has been a part of Theo Epstein's inner circle from their Boston Red Sox days.
While Jed Hoyer worked with Epstein on Boston player acquisitions, contract negotiations, player evaluations and sabermetrics, McLeod's expertise is in amateur scouting.
The Twins, being a small market team, need to have a strong scouting and development department in order to compete with big money, free agent spending teams like the Detroit Tigers, Red Sox, or Yankees.
While Epstein's contract expires after the end of the season, it is unclear the status of McLeod's contract term. In any event, it is standard practice for most teams to allow an employee to interview for a promotion with another club.
As discussed previously, the Epstein contract extension situation with the Ricketts is strange. Why both sides have not concluded an extension after last season's success is baffling to industry insiders. It shows that there has to be some rift between the baseball and business sides of the organization.
So Epstein's management team may look to parachute to new positions. This is similar to what happened when Epstein's reign was coming to an end in Boston; many of his staff went elsewhere including to the Padres before rejoining him in Chicago.
So it will be no surprise that the other teams will want to hire Cub baseball executives this off-season.
Rumors have started to circulate that Cubs executives could be top talent to other organizations. There are strong rumors that the Twins are pursuing Cubs execs Jason McLeod or Shiraz Rehman for their top baseball operations job.
McLeod has been a part of Theo Epstein's inner circle from their Boston Red Sox days.
While Jed Hoyer worked with Epstein on Boston player acquisitions, contract negotiations, player evaluations and sabermetrics, McLeod's expertise is in amateur scouting.
The Twins, being a small market team, need to have a strong scouting and development department in order to compete with big money, free agent spending teams like the Detroit Tigers, Red Sox, or Yankees.
While Epstein's contract expires after the end of the season, it is unclear the status of McLeod's contract term. In any event, it is standard practice for most teams to allow an employee to interview for a promotion with another club.
As discussed previously, the Epstein contract extension situation with the Ricketts is strange. Why both sides have not concluded an extension after last season's success is baffling to industry insiders. It shows that there has to be some rift between the baseball and business sides of the organization.
So Epstein's management team may look to parachute to new positions. This is similar to what happened when Epstein's reign was coming to an end in Boston; many of his staff went elsewhere including to the Padres before rejoining him in Chicago.
So it will be no surprise that the other teams will want to hire Cub baseball executives this off-season.
August 29, 2016
THE WHITE SOX PLAN
For the past week, White Sox management has been reported in disarray on the direction of the team. Will the team sell off parts like Sale, Quintana or Abreu in order to do a complete rebuild of the minor league system? Will Ventura, Hahn or Williams remain part of the management? Will managing partner for the owners, Reinsdorf, even allow a total tear down?
The White Sox just netted $82 million for naming rights for a stadium which the team does not own. There is plenty of extra cash coming into the Sox operations. The question is what to do?
Sox fans look to the North Side and see the Cubs on the verge of a historic World Series run with young talent that is getting better each week. Sox fans envy the Cubs rebuild success. But die hard South Siders can still point to the 2005 WS flag while the Cubs dream is still in hope mode.
But the Sox have done nothing special since their championship season. As everyone is aware, there is no guarantee that any team, no matter how good on paper or how many wins in the regular season, can get a championship or sustain a championship caliber team year to year.
The White Sox front office has stressed this week that this off-season "everyone will be on the same page." The Sox claim to have a plan. It is an omen that that the Sox just traded catcher Navarro to the Blue Jays for a promising AA left handed relief pitcher? The White Sox GM Hahn will not say what the team's real direction will be for 2017.
Frustrated sports thinkers believe the Sox have to blow up the team and start from scratch. But that begs another question: do you trust the people currently in charge to rebuild a team? Granted, the White Sox have been really good at drafting and developing pitching talent. Nine of their top 20 prospects are quality pitchers. It is that the team scouting department cannot draft and develop consistent position players. And management trades and free agent signings have looked good on paper, but in the past two season the team has woefully underperformed their potential.
So what is the real solution for the White Sox woes?
Hire Theo Epstein.
Epstein still does not have a contract extension from the Cubs. Which is highly unusual considering the success the Cubs have had the past two seasons. It appears that Epstein wants to become the ultimate management free agent - - - with a track record to command the most money for a baseball executive and possibly and equity stake in a team.
Epstein has been running the Cubs baseball operations with one hand tied behind his back since the "business side" of the operation is controlled by Crane Kenney and Tom Ricketts. Epstein would prefer to run the entire show.
But in order to do that with the White Sox, Reinsdorf will have to fire Ventura, Hahn and Williams. Reinsdorf is known to be very loyal to his managers. He promoted Williams from GM to President instead of firing him. Can Reinsdorf purge his loyal employees to try to win another championship?
He may not have any choice. The stealing of Epstein from the Cubs would be a PR boom for Sox nation. It would energize the fan base and increase ticket sales. It would be poking a stick in the eye of Cub ownership. Reinsdorf, who is all business, would see the value in hiring Epstein away from his city rival.
But what are the odds that this could happen? With no movement in the Cubs-Epstein contract talks for more than a year, I would say it could be 50-50. The other big market teams have new management in place (Dodgers, Red Sox).
If the White Sox really want to shake up Chicago baseball this off-season, ownership needs to be bold.
The White Sox just netted $82 million for naming rights for a stadium which the team does not own. There is plenty of extra cash coming into the Sox operations. The question is what to do?
Sox fans look to the North Side and see the Cubs on the verge of a historic World Series run with young talent that is getting better each week. Sox fans envy the Cubs rebuild success. But die hard South Siders can still point to the 2005 WS flag while the Cubs dream is still in hope mode.
But the Sox have done nothing special since their championship season. As everyone is aware, there is no guarantee that any team, no matter how good on paper or how many wins in the regular season, can get a championship or sustain a championship caliber team year to year.
The White Sox front office has stressed this week that this off-season "everyone will be on the same page." The Sox claim to have a plan. It is an omen that that the Sox just traded catcher Navarro to the Blue Jays for a promising AA left handed relief pitcher? The White Sox GM Hahn will not say what the team's real direction will be for 2017.
Frustrated sports thinkers believe the Sox have to blow up the team and start from scratch. But that begs another question: do you trust the people currently in charge to rebuild a team? Granted, the White Sox have been really good at drafting and developing pitching talent. Nine of their top 20 prospects are quality pitchers. It is that the team scouting department cannot draft and develop consistent position players. And management trades and free agent signings have looked good on paper, but in the past two season the team has woefully underperformed their potential.
So what is the real solution for the White Sox woes?
Hire Theo Epstein.
Epstein still does not have a contract extension from the Cubs. Which is highly unusual considering the success the Cubs have had the past two seasons. It appears that Epstein wants to become the ultimate management free agent - - - with a track record to command the most money for a baseball executive and possibly and equity stake in a team.
Epstein has been running the Cubs baseball operations with one hand tied behind his back since the "business side" of the operation is controlled by Crane Kenney and Tom Ricketts. Epstein would prefer to run the entire show.
But in order to do that with the White Sox, Reinsdorf will have to fire Ventura, Hahn and Williams. Reinsdorf is known to be very loyal to his managers. He promoted Williams from GM to President instead of firing him. Can Reinsdorf purge his loyal employees to try to win another championship?
He may not have any choice. The stealing of Epstein from the Cubs would be a PR boom for Sox nation. It would energize the fan base and increase ticket sales. It would be poking a stick in the eye of Cub ownership. Reinsdorf, who is all business, would see the value in hiring Epstein away from his city rival.
But what are the odds that this could happen? With no movement in the Cubs-Epstein contract talks for more than a year, I would say it could be 50-50. The other big market teams have new management in place (Dodgers, Red Sox).
If the White Sox really want to shake up Chicago baseball this off-season, ownership needs to be bold.
August 1, 2016
TAKE AWAY HIS SCORECARD
Last nights Cubs game was terrible display of front office and field management.
First, who cares if Matooze has a contract out on Tuesday if he does not get promoted
to the big league roster? The Cubs sent down bullpen arm Grimm for 10 days to showcase
"Matooze" - - - a terrible slow pitch lefty who is a failed Oriole starter FOUR years ago?!
I commented that after the top of first inning it looked like a spring training game.
Second, Maddon went Nutty Professor again last night - - - running out of players and
pitchers. I cringed when Wood crashed into the left field brick wall while making a catch.
He is the most valuable middle reliever on the team. Maddon is going to get a player a career ending injury by playing them out of position. Davy Martinez should take away Maddon's scorecard
in the 6th inning of games.
Third, a suicide squeeze with one out in the 12th by Jon Lester? Extremely lucky on the
play because Heyward got a bad jump off third, and the Seattle pitcher did not field the
bunt cleanly and tossed it to the wrong side of the catcher.
Sure, it was an exciting game.
Sure, the fans left happy.
But the Cubs never should have been in a 6-0 deficit.
Unless the Cubs decide on a real six man rotation to save the starting 5's arms for October, this "spot" start "let's throw spaghetti arms on the wall and see what sticks" is a bad plan.
If the Cubs were thinking that they would use last night's spot starter in a possible trade today, well, that notion turned to a charcoal nugget by the end of the second inning. This spot start also adds to the major league roster shortage. We expect Matusz to get cut or waived today - - - which means the Cubs have to call up someone on their 40 man roster (but it cannot be LaStella or Grimm.) Unless Soler or Cahill is ready to come off the disabled list, the pickings are slim in Iowa.
First, who cares if Matooze has a contract out on Tuesday if he does not get promoted
to the big league roster? The Cubs sent down bullpen arm Grimm for 10 days to showcase
"Matooze" - - - a terrible slow pitch lefty who is a failed Oriole starter FOUR years ago?!
I commented that after the top of first inning it looked like a spring training game.
Second, Maddon went Nutty Professor again last night - - - running out of players and
pitchers. I cringed when Wood crashed into the left field brick wall while making a catch.
He is the most valuable middle reliever on the team. Maddon is going to get a player a career ending injury by playing them out of position. Davy Martinez should take away Maddon's scorecard
in the 6th inning of games.
Third, a suicide squeeze with one out in the 12th by Jon Lester? Extremely lucky on the
play because Heyward got a bad jump off third, and the Seattle pitcher did not field the
bunt cleanly and tossed it to the wrong side of the catcher.
Sure, it was an exciting game.
Sure, the fans left happy.
But the Cubs never should have been in a 6-0 deficit.
Unless the Cubs decide on a real six man rotation to save the starting 5's arms for October, this "spot" start "let's throw spaghetti arms on the wall and see what sticks" is a bad plan.
If the Cubs were thinking that they would use last night's spot starter in a possible trade today, well, that notion turned to a charcoal nugget by the end of the second inning. This spot start also adds to the major league roster shortage. We expect Matusz to get cut or waived today - - - which means the Cubs have to call up someone on their 40 man roster (but it cannot be LaStella or Grimm.) Unless Soler or Cahill is ready to come off the disabled list, the pickings are slim in Iowa.
July 26, 2016
THE SLASHER
MLB.com got the first interview with The Slasher, Chris Sale:
CHICAGO --Chris Sale doesn't want to be traded -- and doesn't believe he will be -- in the
wake of Saturday night's pregame outburst that resulted in him being
scratched from his start that evening and then suspended five games by
the White Sox.
"I want to win a championship in Chicago. That's been my goal from Day 1," Sale told MLB.com Monday afternoon during a 30-minute interview, his first public comments since Saturday. "It has never changed. I only get more passionate about it because I know that it's not easy winning a championship. There's a lot that goes into it.
"I want to win a championship in Chicago. That's been my goal from Day 1," Sale told MLB.com Monday afternoon during a 30-minute interview, his first public comments since Saturday. "It has never changed. I only get more passionate about it because I know that it's not easy winning a championship. There's a lot that goes into it.
"Our main focus should be winning. I know
that every single player comes in ready to win every day. I can't speak
on anybody else. ... I don't think I would be traded. I don't know for
sure. I don't know what they are thinking now or what's going on."
For Sale, the core issue wasn't the uniforms themselves, although he did have issues with them, but putting business interests ahead of winning.
"Nothing else matters really," Sale said, in a calm and composed but still passionate manner. "People don't talk about the guys who get paid the most. They talk about the guys with the rings and teams that won the rings. Our guys in this clubhouse deserve, in every single game, the best opportunity to go achieve that goal of winning a championship. That's why we are all here. Nothing else matters."
There are, of course, financial considerations for the White Sox as there are for any business. Throwback days are popular with fans and often are accompanied by a spike in attendance. Switching uniforms at the last moment, without an opportunity to inform fans of the change, certainly could have engendered frustration on the part of fans who came to see the team play in those uniforms.
The issue, for Sale, began in Spring Training when the players were fitted for the special jerseys, which in 2015 were too large and therefore uncomfortable to play in. Sale said that players were not fans of this jersey overall, and he said then that if the jerseys fell on his day to pitch, he didn't want to wear them, in part because he never had pitched in an untucked jersey in his life.
On the night before Sale's Saturday start, he was advised that the '76 throwbacks were set for his start and Sale asked the clubhouse manager for a different uniform, then expressing the sentiment to pitching coach Don Cooper. Sale was in favor of the '83 throwbacks, which eventually were worn Saturday, because he didn't want the untucked style of the '76 uniform.
When he arrived Saturday and the '76 throwbacks were set out for the players, Sale again took his issue to Cooper and manager Robin Ventura, with whom he admittedly lost his cool. He did not get the answer he wanted and, upon returning to the clubhouse, Sale reportedly cut up his uniform and then those of his teammates, rendering them unwearable.
"When I saw that there was something in the way of that 100 percent winning mentality, I had an issue," Sale said. "I tried to bring it up and say, 'Hey listen, these are my thoughts and concerns,' and they got pushed away because of the business deal that was set in place. I'll never understand why we need to do something on the business side on the field that might impede us winning a game.
"[The '76 uniforms] are uncomfortable and unorthodox. I didn't want to go out there and not be at the top of my game in every aspect that I need to be in. Not only that, but I didn't want anything to alter my mechanics. ... There's a lot of different things that went into it. Looking bad had absolutely zero to do with it. Nothing."
In the end, Ventura told Sale there would be no last-minute change.
"I didn't put promotion in front of winning," Ventura said. "But I think we all have things that we have to do. There has to be a line somewhere, and that's what ended up happening."
"Robin is the one who has to fight for us in that department," Sale said. "If the players don't feel comfortable 100 percent about what we are doing to win the game, and we have an easy fix -- it was as easy as hanging up another jersey and everyone was fine. For them to put business first over winning, that's when I lost it."
Ventura made the decision to scratch Sale, and Sale apologized Monday to the fans who came to see him and to his teammates, especially the bullpen, who he said he owes big time for their carrying the team in his place.
"I have regret, because I play 33 times a year at most in the regular season. So I put a lot of emphasis on when I play and I take a lot of pride in work that I do," Sale said. "When I can't or don't do that, yeah, I have disappointment in myself for not being there for my guys.
"Do I regret standing up for what I believe in? Absolutely not. Do I regret saying business should not be first before winning? Absolutely not."
Sale worked out Monday at the ballpark and said he did not think he and Ventura needed a sitdown. But their working relationship might have been altered.
"We'll find out when he gets back," Ventura said.
"I'm going to show up on Thursday and do what I've always done. That's get ready to play baseball and put everything I got into winning that game," Sale said. "I know my teammates are, too. So that's all that matters to me. It's unfortunate it got to this point."
>>>> From Sale's interview, here are the main points:
1. Sale was aware of the throw back uniforms in spring training when he was fitted for his jersey.
2. Sale said in spring training he did not want to wear it.
3. Sale has "never" worn a untucked jersey. He did not want to alter his mechanics with an untucked jersey.
4. When he was told of the jersey the day before his start, he objected to the clubhouse manager and then to his pitching coach.
5. On the day of the game, he again objected to his pitching coach and manager Ventura, who told him there would be no change in uniforms.
6. Upon hearing the decision, Sale went into the clubhouse and destroyed everyone's jersey.
7. Sale justifies his actions because he believes players need to be 100% comfortable in order to win championships, and business interests should not interfere with winning.
It is hard to believe that a veteran baseball player has such a narrow, self-centered view of the world.
How does an untucked shirt interfere with one's body mechanics when it is actually a looser garment?
If winning is important, why did Sale think his violent actions and suspension was going to help the White Sox win?
Does he not realize that baseball is a business? A business needs revenue in order to pay its bills, including Sale's salary? And that the White Sox rely on sponsorship and fan giveaways like throwback jersey nights in order to get revenue?
Does he not respect the game of baseball? The throwback jerseys are to bolster the image of the game and its history. It gives fans an opportunity to re-connect with their teams past.
Why did he destroy ALL his teammate's jerseys? Is it not possible that some players like these throwback uniforms? Sale put his own personal opinion above and beyond anyone else's view point.
What is really troublesome is that Sale's action of destroying a locker room full of expensive jerseys is a felony under Illinois law. An employee has no right to destroy his employer's property. In a normal business situation, Sale's employment would have been terminated and a criminal charge may have been filed against him for restitution. But a pampered athlete gets a pass on serious accountability for their actions.
Yes, a five day suspension probably cost Sale $125,000 in salary. It cost Sale a start. But apparently, those costs have not changed Sale's view point on how the White Sox should be run.
Are the inmates running the asylum? Players may believe the locker room is their own domain but it is not. It is owned and operated by the club. Management has a right to impose its rules and regulations on the players and clubhouse procedures just as any other employer.
The White Sox players have a very anti-management edge which bubbled to the surface during the LaRoche incident in spring training. The Sox also had an issue with the Mariners new policy of taking 60 percent of the visitor clubhouse attendant's player tips and dues. Now, Sale physically tore up management's business promotion because he was not on board with it.
If Sale is truthful about his reasoning that the players "deserve" the best opportunity to win, then as the team's best pitcher, he should have sucked up his pride and pitched in the throwback uniform because it gave the White Sox the best chance to win the game. Instead, the team had to scramble six bullpen pitchers to cover for Sale's actions.
Sale is dead wrong on this issue. He is a selfish, childish player who has anger management issues. His tantrum is not endearing to the fans or to his bosses. And since this is not the first time he has challenged a management decision, he may get traded this off-season because the White Sox are not winning with him.
For Sale, the core issue wasn't the uniforms themselves, although he did have issues with them, but putting business interests ahead of winning.
"Nothing else matters really," Sale said, in a calm and composed but still passionate manner. "People don't talk about the guys who get paid the most. They talk about the guys with the rings and teams that won the rings. Our guys in this clubhouse deserve, in every single game, the best opportunity to go achieve that goal of winning a championship. That's why we are all here. Nothing else matters."
There are, of course, financial considerations for the White Sox as there are for any business. Throwback days are popular with fans and often are accompanied by a spike in attendance. Switching uniforms at the last moment, without an opportunity to inform fans of the change, certainly could have engendered frustration on the part of fans who came to see the team play in those uniforms.
The issue, for Sale, began in Spring Training when the players were fitted for the special jerseys, which in 2015 were too large and therefore uncomfortable to play in. Sale said that players were not fans of this jersey overall, and he said then that if the jerseys fell on his day to pitch, he didn't want to wear them, in part because he never had pitched in an untucked jersey in his life.
On the night before Sale's Saturday start, he was advised that the '76 throwbacks were set for his start and Sale asked the clubhouse manager for a different uniform, then expressing the sentiment to pitching coach Don Cooper. Sale was in favor of the '83 throwbacks, which eventually were worn Saturday, because he didn't want the untucked style of the '76 uniform.
When he arrived Saturday and the '76 throwbacks were set out for the players, Sale again took his issue to Cooper and manager Robin Ventura, with whom he admittedly lost his cool. He did not get the answer he wanted and, upon returning to the clubhouse, Sale reportedly cut up his uniform and then those of his teammates, rendering them unwearable.
"When I saw that there was something in the way of that 100 percent winning mentality, I had an issue," Sale said. "I tried to bring it up and say, 'Hey listen, these are my thoughts and concerns,' and they got pushed away because of the business deal that was set in place. I'll never understand why we need to do something on the business side on the field that might impede us winning a game.
"[The '76 uniforms] are uncomfortable and unorthodox. I didn't want to go out there and not be at the top of my game in every aspect that I need to be in. Not only that, but I didn't want anything to alter my mechanics. ... There's a lot of different things that went into it. Looking bad had absolutely zero to do with it. Nothing."
In the end, Ventura told Sale there would be no last-minute change.
"I didn't put promotion in front of winning," Ventura said. "But I think we all have things that we have to do. There has to be a line somewhere, and that's what ended up happening."
"Robin is the one who has to fight for us in that department," Sale said. "If the players don't feel comfortable 100 percent about what we are doing to win the game, and we have an easy fix -- it was as easy as hanging up another jersey and everyone was fine. For them to put business first over winning, that's when I lost it."
Ventura made the decision to scratch Sale, and Sale apologized Monday to the fans who came to see him and to his teammates, especially the bullpen, who he said he owes big time for their carrying the team in his place.
"I have regret, because I play 33 times a year at most in the regular season. So I put a lot of emphasis on when I play and I take a lot of pride in work that I do," Sale said. "When I can't or don't do that, yeah, I have disappointment in myself for not being there for my guys.
"Do I regret standing up for what I believe in? Absolutely not. Do I regret saying business should not be first before winning? Absolutely not."
Sale worked out Monday at the ballpark and said he did not think he and Ventura needed a sitdown. But their working relationship might have been altered.
"We'll find out when he gets back," Ventura said.
"I'm going to show up on Thursday and do what I've always done. That's get ready to play baseball and put everything I got into winning that game," Sale said. "I know my teammates are, too. So that's all that matters to me. It's unfortunate it got to this point."
>>>> From Sale's interview, here are the main points:
1. Sale was aware of the throw back uniforms in spring training when he was fitted for his jersey.
2. Sale said in spring training he did not want to wear it.
3. Sale has "never" worn a untucked jersey. He did not want to alter his mechanics with an untucked jersey.
4. When he was told of the jersey the day before his start, he objected to the clubhouse manager and then to his pitching coach.
5. On the day of the game, he again objected to his pitching coach and manager Ventura, who told him there would be no change in uniforms.
6. Upon hearing the decision, Sale went into the clubhouse and destroyed everyone's jersey.
7. Sale justifies his actions because he believes players need to be 100% comfortable in order to win championships, and business interests should not interfere with winning.
It is hard to believe that a veteran baseball player has such a narrow, self-centered view of the world.
How does an untucked shirt interfere with one's body mechanics when it is actually a looser garment?
If winning is important, why did Sale think his violent actions and suspension was going to help the White Sox win?
Does he not realize that baseball is a business? A business needs revenue in order to pay its bills, including Sale's salary? And that the White Sox rely on sponsorship and fan giveaways like throwback jersey nights in order to get revenue?
Does he not respect the game of baseball? The throwback jerseys are to bolster the image of the game and its history. It gives fans an opportunity to re-connect with their teams past.
Why did he destroy ALL his teammate's jerseys? Is it not possible that some players like these throwback uniforms? Sale put his own personal opinion above and beyond anyone else's view point.
What is really troublesome is that Sale's action of destroying a locker room full of expensive jerseys is a felony under Illinois law. An employee has no right to destroy his employer's property. In a normal business situation, Sale's employment would have been terminated and a criminal charge may have been filed against him for restitution. But a pampered athlete gets a pass on serious accountability for their actions.
Yes, a five day suspension probably cost Sale $125,000 in salary. It cost Sale a start. But apparently, those costs have not changed Sale's view point on how the White Sox should be run.
Are the inmates running the asylum? Players may believe the locker room is their own domain but it is not. It is owned and operated by the club. Management has a right to impose its rules and regulations on the players and clubhouse procedures just as any other employer.
The White Sox players have a very anti-management edge which bubbled to the surface during the LaRoche incident in spring training. The Sox also had an issue with the Mariners new policy of taking 60 percent of the visitor clubhouse attendant's player tips and dues. Now, Sale physically tore up management's business promotion because he was not on board with it.
If Sale is truthful about his reasoning that the players "deserve" the best opportunity to win, then as the team's best pitcher, he should have sucked up his pride and pitched in the throwback uniform because it gave the White Sox the best chance to win the game. Instead, the team had to scramble six bullpen pitchers to cover for Sale's actions.
Sale is dead wrong on this issue. He is a selfish, childish player who has anger management issues. His tantrum is not endearing to the fans or to his bosses. And since this is not the first time he has challenged a management decision, he may get traded this off-season because the White Sox are not winning with him.
July 18, 2016
EXTENDING THEORIES
Hanley and Haugh were on this morning's sports talk discussing the question of Theo Epstein's contract extension which continues to be going no where.
They indicated that writer Jon Heyman speculates that since Andrew Friedman got $7 million plus bonuses from the Dodgers, Epstein is worth $10 to $12 million. If true, the question is whether any baseball executive is worth that kind of money.
Hanley and Haugh opined that since the Cubs "are printing" money with all the new construction and revenue sources inside and outside of Wrigley, making Epstein the highest paid executive is basically a no brainer.
But their premise is incorrect. The Cubs are not building the new plaza building or McDonald's block commercial spaces. Those real estate development projects are owned and controlled by different Ricketts family business entities. The Cubs are basically only a tenant in Wrigley Field (also owned by a different legal entity). The Cubs main revenue sources are ticket sales, concessions and broadcast revenues. The rest of the revenue generating business ventures goes directly to the Ricketts family.
Then, Haugh confirmed that Ricketts told him last year the most "undervalued" person in the Cubs organization was Crane Kenney. Kenney is in charge of the "business" side of the Cubs. He is the one who sets the baseball budget, not Epstein. Haugh said that Kenney recently got his contract extension from Ricketts.
Which gets back to earlier posts on this blog.
The Ricketts have used broad brush strokes of the Cubs and the team's continued success relying upon new revenue sources from outside the park real estate and business ventures. But those ventures are separate and legally distinct from the Cubs baseball team.
Epstein has said that he has had to get create and pull teeth in order to make last off-season's moves to sign Ben Zobrist, Jason Heyward and John Lackey. The business side of the organization has put the brakes on what Epstein really wants to do with the Cubs. Since day one, there has been this conflict.
At least the radio hosts recognize that Epstein may be fed up with the office politics and penny pinching budgeting of Kenney so Epstein does not sign a contract extension with the Cubs.
Then what happens?
Ricketts and Kenney could still claim their leadership and business skills were part and parcel to the success of the Cubs. They are the ones who approved all the major moves Epstein made during his tenure. It seems like the Red Sox situation all over again, when Epstein was tossed aside due to upper management and ownership wanted the spotlight on them for the championships.
It comes down to these theories:
1. Epstein will only sign an extension if he gets FULL control of all Cubs operations, including business side and budget.
2. Epstein does not want to sign an extension so he can get a better deal as a "free agent," which in my mind could include an equity stake in a franchise.
3. Ricketts does not want to pay $60 million for a President of baseball operations when there are costly overruns on his dream real estate projects.
4. Ricketts and/or Kenney may believe that since the minor league foundation of success is in place, they don't need Epstein or Hoyer to lead the franchise in the future. They can find someone else to be the General Manager under their control.
5. At the last minute, both sides will come to a compromise agreement.
However, if Epstein really wants to stay, and Ricketts really wants Epstein to stay, a contract extension should have been worked out a year ago.
They indicated that writer Jon Heyman speculates that since Andrew Friedman got $7 million plus bonuses from the Dodgers, Epstein is worth $10 to $12 million. If true, the question is whether any baseball executive is worth that kind of money.
Hanley and Haugh opined that since the Cubs "are printing" money with all the new construction and revenue sources inside and outside of Wrigley, making Epstein the highest paid executive is basically a no brainer.
But their premise is incorrect. The Cubs are not building the new plaza building or McDonald's block commercial spaces. Those real estate development projects are owned and controlled by different Ricketts family business entities. The Cubs are basically only a tenant in Wrigley Field (also owned by a different legal entity). The Cubs main revenue sources are ticket sales, concessions and broadcast revenues. The rest of the revenue generating business ventures goes directly to the Ricketts family.
Then, Haugh confirmed that Ricketts told him last year the most "undervalued" person in the Cubs organization was Crane Kenney. Kenney is in charge of the "business" side of the Cubs. He is the one who sets the baseball budget, not Epstein. Haugh said that Kenney recently got his contract extension from Ricketts.
Which gets back to earlier posts on this blog.
The Ricketts have used broad brush strokes of the Cubs and the team's continued success relying upon new revenue sources from outside the park real estate and business ventures. But those ventures are separate and legally distinct from the Cubs baseball team.
Epstein has said that he has had to get create and pull teeth in order to make last off-season's moves to sign Ben Zobrist, Jason Heyward and John Lackey. The business side of the organization has put the brakes on what Epstein really wants to do with the Cubs. Since day one, there has been this conflict.
At least the radio hosts recognize that Epstein may be fed up with the office politics and penny pinching budgeting of Kenney so Epstein does not sign a contract extension with the Cubs.
Then what happens?
Ricketts and Kenney could still claim their leadership and business skills were part and parcel to the success of the Cubs. They are the ones who approved all the major moves Epstein made during his tenure. It seems like the Red Sox situation all over again, when Epstein was tossed aside due to upper management and ownership wanted the spotlight on them for the championships.
It comes down to these theories:
1. Epstein will only sign an extension if he gets FULL control of all Cubs operations, including business side and budget.
2. Epstein does not want to sign an extension so he can get a better deal as a "free agent," which in my mind could include an equity stake in a franchise.
3. Ricketts does not want to pay $60 million for a President of baseball operations when there are costly overruns on his dream real estate projects.
4. Ricketts and/or Kenney may believe that since the minor league foundation of success is in place, they don't need Epstein or Hoyer to lead the franchise in the future. They can find someone else to be the General Manager under their control.
5. At the last minute, both sides will come to a compromise agreement.
However, if Epstein really wants to stay, and Ricketts really wants Epstein to stay, a contract extension should have been worked out a year ago.
November 2, 2015
THE BLUES IN TORONTO
In recent years, the Blue Jays have made some major deals in order to get out of the cellar of the highly competitive AL East. In doing so, the team traded away many of its young, good prospects (for example to the World Series bound Mets). But the Jays did reach the promise land, the ALCS this year because of those trades.
And some aggressive general managing by Alex Anthopoulos who had been the
Blue Jays' general manager since 2009. He inherited Vernon Wells and his
awful contract, as well as a farm system full of future relievers, and
eventually turned it all into Toronto's first playoff appearance since
1993. He wasn't the perfect GM, but he eventually did what had to be
done to earn that postseason trip, giving up prospects when the team had
a clear shot in the present to do something besides flounder in the
middle of the division, as recounted by MLBTR.
MLBTR reports that Anthopoulos' aggressive trade syle did not sit well with the team's new President, Mark Shapiro. There is a report that Shapiro "scolded" Anthopoulos in their lone meeting before his
hiring for trading so many top prospects in 2015.
There is a lot to unpack from
that scolding. I agree with MLBTR that the idea of Shapiro berating someone on the right way to
build a winner may be tops on that list, as Shapiro ran the Indians as their
GM from 2001 through 2010, then became Cleveland's President. But Shapiro's
Indians made the playoffs three times in that entire stretch, and while
they never finished in last under those two, they did end the season in
fourth on five occasions and third in another five. Shapiro's track record is actually worse than Anthopoulos'.
You can't just
prospect hoard in order to win. The Cubs under Jim Hendry did that and failed because their prized prospects were not that good in the end. Instead of trading prospects at their peak potential for other players or other prospects, the Cubs languished in the middle hoping for free agents to make competitive teams. Anthopoulos recognized as much when the
opportunity to add came this summer -- you want to build with prospects,
but they exist to fill holes either by themselves or through trades
when they cannot.
Ownership usually demands a "win now" philosophy. Fans cannot tolerate passive front offices not trying hard to improve their clubs. Anthopoulos was an aggressive general manager who made a lot of player moves, churned rosters in order to find the best 25 man roster. He was willing to make mistakes in order complete this vision.
It appears his days as Toronto's GM are over. However, he will easily find a job in another organization.
September 14, 2015
THE BULLPEN DAY
Joe Maddon decided to "save" Dan Haren for Sunday's game. So he utilized a "bullpen" game for Saturday's contest. The weather was iffy, so he decided not to waste a starter with a potential rain delay. And with another double header up against Pittsburgh, he wanted to keep Arrieta and Lester available for that series. Those are all valid reasons.
But how he went about executing his plan was debatable.
The Cubs have 34 players on the roster, including a stretched out starter in Wada and long reliever in Richard. Either of those two could have started the game and pitch 3 or more innings. But Maddon decided to go with ex-starter Wood, then with Cahill (a former starter). That seemed to work well, until Maddon replaced Cahill with Grimm. Grimm is too much like Cahill. Richard had been warming up, so I thought at the time Richard would have been a better choice (lefty-righty then lefty). Grimm got wild and hammered around and the bullpen could not right the game.
In retrospect, it probably would have been better to start Wada, and if he had rust, then go Wood, Cahill, Richard to get to the back of the pen.
Maybe Maddon was not concerned since the Phils were playing their AAA team for most of the series. But a split series against the Phils feels like a major loss this late in the season. The Giants have now pulled within 7.5 games of the Cubs in the wild card. Plus, the time was to pounce on the struggling Cardinals.
But how he went about executing his plan was debatable.
The Cubs have 34 players on the roster, including a stretched out starter in Wada and long reliever in Richard. Either of those two could have started the game and pitch 3 or more innings. But Maddon decided to go with ex-starter Wood, then with Cahill (a former starter). That seemed to work well, until Maddon replaced Cahill with Grimm. Grimm is too much like Cahill. Richard had been warming up, so I thought at the time Richard would have been a better choice (lefty-righty then lefty). Grimm got wild and hammered around and the bullpen could not right the game.
In retrospect, it probably would have been better to start Wada, and if he had rust, then go Wood, Cahill, Richard to get to the back of the pen.
Maybe Maddon was not concerned since the Phils were playing their AAA team for most of the series. But a split series against the Phils feels like a major loss this late in the season. The Giants have now pulled within 7.5 games of the Cubs in the wild card. Plus, the time was to pounce on the struggling Cardinals.
April 7, 2015
CUBS STARTING LINEUP
The Cubs conveniently announced that tonight's second game against the Cardinals
is cancelled due to the possibility of rain or cold weather. Right. Weather.
December 29, 2014
PURGING THE PRESENT
The NFL calls the first Monday after the season ends "Black Monday," because that is when most of the coaches get the axe.
The Jets fired both their general manager and head coach, but immediately hired two former GMs to be consultants to find replacements.
The Bears just fired both their general manager and head coach, but have yet to officially announce the purge.
The concept of "cleaning house" usually means firing the coaching staff, or cutting ties with costly underperforming players. But since there is so much money at stake, and fans paying so much of it to want a quality product, ownership is now aware that only bold moves will keep the fan base content.
The Bears plight is probably a bad example of sports management. The team has constantly hired managers above their level of competency. GM Emery had never been a general manager; he was a scout. So the team promoted him several levels above his experience level. Coach Trestman had only been a QB coach in the NFL. He was an CFL head coach, but that is not at the same level. In NFL terms, Trestman's hire was promoting him three levels above his last NFL gig.
The team passed on an actual winning head coach, Bruce Arians, because the new GM wanted to control all of his staff hires. This is unacceptable to any NFL coach worth his salt. He wants his own coaching staff to fit his system; not a bunch a potential spies loyal to the GM.
So it is not a shock that the Bears woefully underperformed for the last two seasons because the managers put in place were over their head. Trestman, a quarterback coach, was supposed to fix the offense Lovie Smith could not do; and to tame Cutler and make him into a "franchise" quarterback. GM Emery made the mistake of giving Cutler a huge contract not tied to performance. As a result, there was no incentive to change his ways and actually work harder. The results were a dismal season.
A purge was necessary at Halas Hall. But with such cleaning, there still is a problem with the ownership and executives on who to hire next. These are the same people who hired Emery, who hired Trestman. The Bears have been unwilling to hire experienced NFL head coaches (possibly to save money).
The Bears make all their money before the season starts. The NFL is the king of sports television. So there is less an incentive to win because the profits are guaranteed by the league. It comes down to a matter of team pride. Does ownership want to win championships, or just be competitive in their division?
The Jets fired both their general manager and head coach, but immediately hired two former GMs to be consultants to find replacements.
The Bears just fired both their general manager and head coach, but have yet to officially announce the purge.
The concept of "cleaning house" usually means firing the coaching staff, or cutting ties with costly underperforming players. But since there is so much money at stake, and fans paying so much of it to want a quality product, ownership is now aware that only bold moves will keep the fan base content.
The Bears plight is probably a bad example of sports management. The team has constantly hired managers above their level of competency. GM Emery had never been a general manager; he was a scout. So the team promoted him several levels above his experience level. Coach Trestman had only been a QB coach in the NFL. He was an CFL head coach, but that is not at the same level. In NFL terms, Trestman's hire was promoting him three levels above his last NFL gig.
The team passed on an actual winning head coach, Bruce Arians, because the new GM wanted to control all of his staff hires. This is unacceptable to any NFL coach worth his salt. He wants his own coaching staff to fit his system; not a bunch a potential spies loyal to the GM.
So it is not a shock that the Bears woefully underperformed for the last two seasons because the managers put in place were over their head. Trestman, a quarterback coach, was supposed to fix the offense Lovie Smith could not do; and to tame Cutler and make him into a "franchise" quarterback. GM Emery made the mistake of giving Cutler a huge contract not tied to performance. As a result, there was no incentive to change his ways and actually work harder. The results were a dismal season.
A purge was necessary at Halas Hall. But with such cleaning, there still is a problem with the ownership and executives on who to hire next. These are the same people who hired Emery, who hired Trestman. The Bears have been unwilling to hire experienced NFL head coaches (possibly to save money).
The Bears make all their money before the season starts. The NFL is the king of sports television. So there is less an incentive to win because the profits are guaranteed by the league. It comes down to a matter of team pride. Does ownership want to win championships, or just be competitive in their division?
November 1, 2014
TO MEASURE
How does one measure success in baseball?
Championships.
The SF Giants have won three World Series in five years. Some skeptics claim that the Giants were not "the best" team, wild card berths, etc. The bottom line is still the rings.
Victories.
Any team can boast about having a winning season. For some clubs, being over .500 is a "moral victory." It is enough to keep a team's fan base in excitement and expectation mode to continue to be a competitive team. It is enough to sell improvement if you are competitive series to series.
Individual Awards.
This is a participation trophy in the arena of team sports. Individual accomplishments are fine, so long as they support the ultimate fan goal: championships. A batting title champ or a Cy Young award winner are great, but it does not mean a deep play off run - - - the bitter taste in Detroit is the latest example.
So how do we measure Theo Epstein's first three years at the helm?
In the last three years, the Cubs have lost 286 games. That is an average of 95.33 losses per season.
It is nice to have respected drafts, and publications liking your revamped minor league system, but none of that really matters (it is all speculation) until you can get victories at the major league level.
Championships.
The SF Giants have won three World Series in five years. Some skeptics claim that the Giants were not "the best" team, wild card berths, etc. The bottom line is still the rings.
Victories.
Any team can boast about having a winning season. For some clubs, being over .500 is a "moral victory." It is enough to keep a team's fan base in excitement and expectation mode to continue to be a competitive team. It is enough to sell improvement if you are competitive series to series.
Individual Awards.
This is a participation trophy in the arena of team sports. Individual accomplishments are fine, so long as they support the ultimate fan goal: championships. A batting title champ or a Cy Young award winner are great, but it does not mean a deep play off run - - - the bitter taste in Detroit is the latest example.
So how do we measure Theo Epstein's first three years at the helm?
In the last three years, the Cubs have lost 286 games. That is an average of 95.33 losses per season.
It is nice to have respected drafts, and publications liking your revamped minor league system, but none of that really matters (it is all speculation) until you can get victories at the major league level.
June 9, 2014
WAVE GOODBYE
"The Wave" does not belong in Wrigley Field. Ever.
It happened during Sunday's game against the Marlins.
Purists say the fan stretch has no place except in the 7th inning.
The wave is an imported foreign concept to relieve boredom of long soccer matches or slosh the beer around alumni at college football games. Baseball is a refined social event (despite the two person wave in Field of Dreams.)
The return of the Wave reflects that there is another shift happening with the major league Cubs.
The Sunday crowd was less Cub fans and more . . . tourists. Purists were outnumbered by the tourists. Tourists are merely casual event seekers who are not there to support a ball club, but have an afternoon in the sun. Next weekend, it will be at the water park. Then, the beach. Then, the zoo. Wrigley was just another check-off on the summer bucket list.
If the Cub management is hoping to draw more tourists to stem the attendance dive, then that explains the push for video boards, beer plazas, flea market gift stands - - - a Disneyland experience and atmosphere inside and outside the park. But that program is going to be a hit and miss proposition, much like the Cubs offense.
Perhaps, ownership is trying to cultivate a "different" kind of fan base. After Arlington Park burned down, the track was rebuilt as an upscale horse track. The new sleek and modern facility did not want the the downtown Chicago "track express" trains with the social security and welfare patrons coming to bet the daily double and go home. No, the track wanted to have a higher class client base. More wagers meant more money, bigger purses, bigger races. Arlington International as it is called today transformed itself. But not without a cost. Having gone to the track this weekend, the friendly weekend crowd is exactly what was envisioned years ago: upscale suburban. However, these are mostly casual $2 bettors. The win-place-show pools were dramatically small throughout the race card, meaning that the odds in each race was narrow. It led to less excitement for long shots to create upsets. Horse racing is in the twilight of state gambling anyway. The crowds on Saturday looked like this was just another summer bucket list check-off event. Once a year at best.
It happened during Sunday's game against the Marlins.
Purists say the fan stretch has no place except in the 7th inning.
The wave is an imported foreign concept to relieve boredom of long soccer matches or slosh the beer around alumni at college football games. Baseball is a refined social event (despite the two person wave in Field of Dreams.)
The return of the Wave reflects that there is another shift happening with the major league Cubs.
The Sunday crowd was less Cub fans and more . . . tourists. Purists were outnumbered by the tourists. Tourists are merely casual event seekers who are not there to support a ball club, but have an afternoon in the sun. Next weekend, it will be at the water park. Then, the beach. Then, the zoo. Wrigley was just another check-off on the summer bucket list.
If the Cub management is hoping to draw more tourists to stem the attendance dive, then that explains the push for video boards, beer plazas, flea market gift stands - - - a Disneyland experience and atmosphere inside and outside the park. But that program is going to be a hit and miss proposition, much like the Cubs offense.
Perhaps, ownership is trying to cultivate a "different" kind of fan base. After Arlington Park burned down, the track was rebuilt as an upscale horse track. The new sleek and modern facility did not want the the downtown Chicago "track express" trains with the social security and welfare patrons coming to bet the daily double and go home. No, the track wanted to have a higher class client base. More wagers meant more money, bigger purses, bigger races. Arlington International as it is called today transformed itself. But not without a cost. Having gone to the track this weekend, the friendly weekend crowd is exactly what was envisioned years ago: upscale suburban. However, these are mostly casual $2 bettors. The win-place-show pools were dramatically small throughout the race card, meaning that the odds in each race was narrow. It led to less excitement for long shots to create upsets. Horse racing is in the twilight of state gambling anyway. The crowds on Saturday looked like this was just another summer bucket list check-off event. Once a year at best.
June 5, 2014
DRAFT NOTES
Today the baseball world selects high school and college players in the league's draft.
MLB.com Jim Callis projects the first ten picks:
1. Astros: Brady Aiken, LHP, Cathedral Catholic HS (Calif.)
Houston's decision likely will come down to Aiken, Rodon and Jackson, none of whom is expected to command the full $7,922,100 assigned pick value. There's increasing chatter that the Astros might play it safer by going for a bat, but the guess here is that they'll pop the Draft's top-rated prospect in Aiken.
2. Marlins: Carlos Rodon, LHP, North Carolina State
Miami is focusing on the same players as Houston. Ownership may prefer Rodon and some senior club officials may want Jackson, the best bat in the Draft. It's unclear whether the Marlins would take Aiken if he's available.
3. White Sox: Tyler Kolek, RHP, Shepherd HS (Texas)
Rodon may be No. 1 on Chicago's board and likely would be the pick here, but signability could be an issue. The White Sox almost certainly will take an arm and it's hard to ignore the upside of Kolek, the hard throwing high schooler. If the South Siders prefer collegians to prepsters, polished Louisiana State right-hander Aaron Nola could be their man.
4. Cubs: Michael Conforto, OF, Oregon State
Chicago wants pitching and covets Rodon, who could land here if Jackson goes to Houston or Miami. But if Rodon goes in the top three, the Cubs may not like any of the arms enough to take them this high. Hoffman would have been an obvious target before he blew out his elbow, and the Cubs could pass on Kolek or Nola. There's a growing sense that they'll save money to go after pitching later by cutting a deal with Conforto or Kennesaw State catcher Max Pentecost. Chicago could take Gordon, but it doesn't appear to be in on Jackson.
5. Twins: Nick Gordon, SS, Olympia HS (Fla.)
Minnesota will wait to see which of the five best prospects remains and likely will take the top one remaining on its board, probably Gordon. Other options would be a college pitcher such as Hartford left-hander Sean Newcomb or stockpiling cash by doing a deal with someone such as Lee's Summit (Mo.) West High outfielder Monte Harrison.
6. Mariners: Alex Jackson, C/OF, Rancho Bernardo HS (Calif.)
This would be a dream scenario for Seattle, as Jackson's power would play well even at Safeco Field. He should get here if he doesn't go first or second. Otherwise, the Mariners will turn to the college ranks for Newcomb, Nola, Conforto or North Carolina State shortstop Trea Turner.
7. Phillies: Aaron Nola, RHP, Louisiana State
Neither Gordon nor Nola is expected to get past Philadelphia, with the latter more likely to be available. The Phillies will consider many of the same players as the Mariners, as well as Evansville left-hander Kyle Freeland, who had an MRI last week to clear up confusion involving his elbow arising from an old medical report. This looks like the high-water mark for slugging Clovis (Calif.) High shortstop Jacob Gatewood, but he has swing-and-miss concerns and Philadelphia needs more immediate help.
8. Rockies: Kyle Freeland, LHP, Evansville
Colorado almost certainly will go the college route for the ninth time with its last 11 first-rounders. The Rockies would love to grab Nola, and also will consider Freeland -- they know his medical history well because their team doctor performed Freeland's arthroscopic elbow surgery when he was a Denver high schooler -- and Newcomb. Other options include Indiana catcher/outfielder Kyle Schwarber and San Francisco outfielder Bradley Zimmer.
9. Blue Jays: Trea Turner, SS, North Carolina State
The same three names come up again and again for Toronto's two picks at Nos. 9 and 11: Hoffman, Turner and Coral Springs (Fla.) Christian Academy right-hander Touki Toussaint. Of that trio, the Mets are most likely to take Turner at No. 10, so he could be the choice here.
10. Mets: Sean Newcomb, LHP, Hartford
After taking high school position players with its previous three first-round selections, New York is tied to college prospects this year. The Mets' top three targets look like Conforto, Newcomb and Turner in some order. If they're all unavailable, Beede and Zimmer could fit.
Most writers believe that this year's draft is deep in pitching, which is good because despite the emphasis in the last two drafts on selecting arms, the Cubs minor league system does not have a dominate reputation for MLB talent in pitching.
Many observers also believe that teams should not address "needs" in a draft, but select the best available player. It is true that drafts are crapshoots (with only 6% of selections making the majors), but not to draft a "need" position is not a good strategy. The Cubs minor league system does not have any viable catching prospects. This is a clear "need" area. There are several first round quality catchers in this draft: Alex Jackson (projects to OF); Kyle Schwarber; Max Pentecost. Selecting a catcher with the first pick would not be a horrible idea.
The tip off for the Cubs is if they draft high schoolers high in the draft, they are projecting a five year development plan going forward. It means that the rebuilding process will be more toward 2019 at the major league level. If the Cubs concentrate on college players, then there is a shift to speed up the prospect promotion earlier than 2019.
I don't like the idea of "over drafting" a player in the first round to sign him for "a lower number than slot" and use that savings to spend on other players in the next few rounds (first rounders who slip because of injury or signability issues). Use your high round picks on the best talent and don't worry about saving money for later rounds. The Cubs need impact players not cost effective prospects.
MLB.com Jim Callis projects the first ten picks:
1. Astros: Brady Aiken, LHP, Cathedral Catholic HS (Calif.)
Houston's decision likely will come down to Aiken, Rodon and Jackson, none of whom is expected to command the full $7,922,100 assigned pick value. There's increasing chatter that the Astros might play it safer by going for a bat, but the guess here is that they'll pop the Draft's top-rated prospect in Aiken.
2. Marlins: Carlos Rodon, LHP, North Carolina State
Miami is focusing on the same players as Houston. Ownership may prefer Rodon and some senior club officials may want Jackson, the best bat in the Draft. It's unclear whether the Marlins would take Aiken if he's available.
3. White Sox: Tyler Kolek, RHP, Shepherd HS (Texas)
Rodon may be No. 1 on Chicago's board and likely would be the pick here, but signability could be an issue. The White Sox almost certainly will take an arm and it's hard to ignore the upside of Kolek, the hard throwing high schooler. If the South Siders prefer collegians to prepsters, polished Louisiana State right-hander Aaron Nola could be their man.
4. Cubs: Michael Conforto, OF, Oregon State
Chicago wants pitching and covets Rodon, who could land here if Jackson goes to Houston or Miami. But if Rodon goes in the top three, the Cubs may not like any of the arms enough to take them this high. Hoffman would have been an obvious target before he blew out his elbow, and the Cubs could pass on Kolek or Nola. There's a growing sense that they'll save money to go after pitching later by cutting a deal with Conforto or Kennesaw State catcher Max Pentecost. Chicago could take Gordon, but it doesn't appear to be in on Jackson.
5. Twins: Nick Gordon, SS, Olympia HS (Fla.)
Minnesota will wait to see which of the five best prospects remains and likely will take the top one remaining on its board, probably Gordon. Other options would be a college pitcher such as Hartford left-hander Sean Newcomb or stockpiling cash by doing a deal with someone such as Lee's Summit (Mo.) West High outfielder Monte Harrison.
6. Mariners: Alex Jackson, C/OF, Rancho Bernardo HS (Calif.)
This would be a dream scenario for Seattle, as Jackson's power would play well even at Safeco Field. He should get here if he doesn't go first or second. Otherwise, the Mariners will turn to the college ranks for Newcomb, Nola, Conforto or North Carolina State shortstop Trea Turner.
7. Phillies: Aaron Nola, RHP, Louisiana State
Neither Gordon nor Nola is expected to get past Philadelphia, with the latter more likely to be available. The Phillies will consider many of the same players as the Mariners, as well as Evansville left-hander Kyle Freeland, who had an MRI last week to clear up confusion involving his elbow arising from an old medical report. This looks like the high-water mark for slugging Clovis (Calif.) High shortstop Jacob Gatewood, but he has swing-and-miss concerns and Philadelphia needs more immediate help.
8. Rockies: Kyle Freeland, LHP, Evansville
Colorado almost certainly will go the college route for the ninth time with its last 11 first-rounders. The Rockies would love to grab Nola, and also will consider Freeland -- they know his medical history well because their team doctor performed Freeland's arthroscopic elbow surgery when he was a Denver high schooler -- and Newcomb. Other options include Indiana catcher/outfielder Kyle Schwarber and San Francisco outfielder Bradley Zimmer.
9. Blue Jays: Trea Turner, SS, North Carolina State
The same three names come up again and again for Toronto's two picks at Nos. 9 and 11: Hoffman, Turner and Coral Springs (Fla.) Christian Academy right-hander Touki Toussaint. Of that trio, the Mets are most likely to take Turner at No. 10, so he could be the choice here.
10. Mets: Sean Newcomb, LHP, Hartford
After taking high school position players with its previous three first-round selections, New York is tied to college prospects this year. The Mets' top three targets look like Conforto, Newcomb and Turner in some order. If they're all unavailable, Beede and Zimmer could fit.
Most writers believe that this year's draft is deep in pitching, which is good because despite the emphasis in the last two drafts on selecting arms, the Cubs minor league system does not have a dominate reputation for MLB talent in pitching.
Many observers also believe that teams should not address "needs" in a draft, but select the best available player. It is true that drafts are crapshoots (with only 6% of selections making the majors), but not to draft a "need" position is not a good strategy. The Cubs minor league system does not have any viable catching prospects. This is a clear "need" area. There are several first round quality catchers in this draft: Alex Jackson (projects to OF); Kyle Schwarber; Max Pentecost. Selecting a catcher with the first pick would not be a horrible idea.
The tip off for the Cubs is if they draft high schoolers high in the draft, they are projecting a five year development plan going forward. It means that the rebuilding process will be more toward 2019 at the major league level. If the Cubs concentrate on college players, then there is a shift to speed up the prospect promotion earlier than 2019.
I don't like the idea of "over drafting" a player in the first round to sign him for "a lower number than slot" and use that savings to spend on other players in the next few rounds (first rounders who slip because of injury or signability issues). Use your high round picks on the best talent and don't worry about saving money for later rounds. The Cubs need impact players not cost effective prospects.
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