2011-12 Chicago Cubs Offseason Ideas Thread

CubbyBear2290

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Not sure I saw one of these, but here it is. If you have ideas/rumors of what the Cubs could potentially do with this off-season. Meaning lineups, rotations etc. Your ideas, we are gonna give opinions, but we can always hope as fans. So lets here 'em.

My first idea is that of maybe converting Jason Kubel to 1B and bring him in on a 2-3 year deal. He's only around 28 and could possibly learn to the position as he's already a bad fielder in the OF.
 

waldo7239117

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We have one up top, but I guess a new one wouldn't hurt. Since it's the off-season now, unlike when the other one started.
 
CubbyBear2290

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waldo7239117 said:
We have one up top, but I guess a new one wouldn't hurt. Since it's the off-season now, unlike when the other one started.
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O my bad I didn't know it was an ideas thread. Thought that was an actual cubs "official" moves thread you know?
 

waldo7239117

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CubbyBear2290 said:
O my bad I didn't know it was an ideas thread. Thought that was an actual cubs "official" moves thread you know?
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I do.. In the off-season we hear so many names that Cubs could be going after and, for the most part, they don't sign with the Cubs. I think that's what suppost to go in that thread. Also, who you think the Cubs should go after.

But I guess a new one from scrach, isn't a bad idea.
 

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I think the Cubs skip the Type A guys (they probably wouldn't sign anyway) and look at the Type Bs, so they won't lose draft picks in 2012.
 
CubbyBear2290

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Rice Cube said:
I think the Cubs skip the Type A guys (they probably wouldn't sign anyway) and look at the Type Bs, so they won't lose draft picks in 2012.
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I agree. That would be smart. But to be truthful I haven't looked into who the Type A and B free agents are....
 

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one thing that helps is Cubs 1st RD pick is protected. So would only lose 2nd RD pick if they signed Type A..only guy Type A worth signing for Cubs would be Fielder
 

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There's a post on MLBTR that shows the official Elias Rankings. Basically, if I'm right, the Cubs avoid guys like Prince Fielder and CJ Wilson and instead go after the second tier folks, if at all.

Official Elias Rankings: MLB Rumors - MLBTradeRumors.com

Since they're looking for pitching, I suspect they'll roll the dice on a guy like Edwin Jackson or Aaron Harang.
 
CubbyBear2290

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Rice Cube said:
There's a post on MLBTR that shows the official Elias Rankings. Basically, if I'm right, the Cubs avoid guys like Prince Fielder and CJ Wilson and instead go after the second tier folks, if at all.

Official Elias Rankings: MLB Rumors - MLBTradeRumors.com

Since they're looking for pitching, I suspect they'll roll the dice on a guy like Edwin Jackson or Aaron Harang.
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Earlier on I would've disagreed with you, but now I think you are almost spot on. They are gonna take a somewhat "moneyball" approach to this offseason and build up the farm system, while trying to keep the major league ball club as competitive as possible w/o overspending on many, if any players.
 

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The good news indeed is that the Cubs' first rounder is protected. The second-rounder is still pretty important though, which is why I think Theo and friends are going to make damned sure they can use their Type A guy for a few years and that he'll be useful during the contention window before they actually sign him.
 

Lex L.

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CubbyBear2290 said:
Earlier on I would've disagreed with you, but now I think you are almost spot on. They are gonna take a somewhat "moneyball" approach to this offseason and build up the farm system, while trying to keep the major league ball club as competitive as possible w/o overspending on many, if any players.
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The only problem with that is that the in recent years, you couldnt give away Cubs tickets. And Ricketts wants to get political help in upgrading Wrigley. With the economy being what it's been, and the team being so awful, it might be a tough sell. I remember reading that Emanuel was more open to allowing giving approvals (or whatever the procedure was that was involved) than Dailey was...so maybe Ricketts feels like he can stick it to the fans who are actually in Chicago again for that reason. It's good that he went out and signed Epsteing but people don't pay to go watch him for 3 hours 162 times a year.

If they try to get by with next tier guys, they're basically saying its a lost season and making Theo into a liar before the season even starts (since he said each year represents an opportunity with the big league club when talking about parallel goals).

Im sick of the garbage that we've been watching. I wanted the Cubs to make a deal to get Adrian Gonzalez last year. Of course they didnt do it. Thats what teams like the Red Sox do. Why? Because the Cubs would rather settle for next tier guys. Part of what people would say is that, next year we can sign Pujols or Fielder. Now, it's that time and they're finding excuses not to bring in REAL talent once again.

Lets just call it what it is. Ricketts doesnt want to spend money. He wants all the benefits tha come with owning a big market teams but feels no obligation to live up to the expecations that come with it. He's trying to cheapskate his way out of another season. He's hoping Theo can be enough of a distraction to this and create enough of a buzz in the short term but in the long term he only wants a roster made up of Cubs minor leaguers.

Awesome. He's playing everyone for fools yet again.
 
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Lex L. said:
The only problem with that is that the in recent years, you couldnt give away Cubs tickets. And Ricketts wants to get political help in upgrading Wrigley. With the economy being what it's been, and the team being so awful, it might be a tough sell. I remember reading that Emanuel was more open to allowing giving approvals (or whatever the procedure was that was involved) than Dailey was...so maybe Ricketts feels like he can stick it to the fans who are actually in Chicago again for that reason. It's good that he went out and signed Epsteing but people don't pay to go watch him for 3 hours 162 times a year.

If they try to get by with next tier guys, they're basically saying its a lost season and making Theo into a liar before the season even starts (since he said each year represents an opportunity with the big league club when talking about parallel goals).

Im sick of the garbage that we've been watching. I wanted the Cubs to make a deal to get Adrian Gonzalez last year. Of course they didnt do it. Thats what teams like the Red Sox do. Why? Because the Cubs would rather settle for next tier guys. Part of what people would say is that, next year we can sign Pujols or Fielder. Now, it's that time and they're finding excuses not to bring in REAL talent once again.

Lets just call it what it is. Ricketts doesnt want to spend money. He wants all the benefits tha come with owning a big market teams but feels no obligation to live up to the expecations that come with it. He's trying to cheapskate his way out of another season. He's hoping Theo can be enough of a distraction to this and create enough of a buzz in the short term but in the long term he only wants a roster made up of Cubs minor leaguers.

Awesome. He's playing everyone for fools yet again.
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sounds a lot like blind hate and dumb assumptions to me.

I'm not sold on Ricketts either, but I'm willing to wait to see what we can do w/ Epstein in the fold. I mean, the dude stepped into a flaming bag of dog shit w/ Z, Soriano, Ramirez, Dempster etc...we gotta give him a chance to shed THOSE contracts and still field a semi-competitive team. It was always going to be a 2-3 year turnaround after this season -- hiring Epstein doesn't necessarily speed it up.

But, you've been angry for a couple weeks or so...so -- carry on I guess.
 

Lex L.

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X-Factor said:
sounds a lot like blind hate and dumb assumptions to me.

I'm not sold on Ricketts either, but I'm willing to wait to see what we can do w/ Epstein in the fold. I mean, the dude stepped into a flaming bag of dog shit w/ Z, Soriano, Ramirez, Dempster etc...we gotta give him a chance to shed THOSE contracts and still field a semi-competitive team. It was always going to be a 2-3 year turnaround after this season -- hiring Epstein doesn't necessarily speed it up.

But, you've been angry for a couple weeks or so...so -- carry on I guess.
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I find there to be an enormous amount of irony when someone uses the word dumb in addressing my post while blatantly ignoring the obvious reasons I listed for not being happy with what we've seen so far. It's been two wasted seasons. It's up to him to put something out there thats worth paying money to see. This isnt a charity. I dont know why so many of you are so willing to drop your pants so Ricketts can stick it in you any time he wants. Maybe thats how things worked for you growing up but its perfectly acceptable to not be OK with what Ricketts has done so far. He was the one who wanted to own the Cubs. He wasnt even the highest bidder, yet he was awarded the Cubs. Now its time for this dude to step up and be more than someone who is going to find every excuse to sit on money.
 

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Some part of it might have to do with the way the bankruptcy dealings were set up. Other parts were all the albatross contracts, especially Soriano's. Turning this around isn't going to be easy, and just because the guy has money doesn't mean he needs to spend it now; he can potentially spend it in 2013 or beyond though, and also in the draft. I think you have to assume that the guys in power, who are allegedly smart, will actually do smart things.
 

Lex L.

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Rice Cube said:
Some part of it might have to do with the way the bankruptcy dealings were set up. Other parts were all the albatross contracts, especially Soriano's. Turning this around isn't going to be easy, and just because the guy has money doesn't mean he needs to spend it now; he can potentially spend it in 2013 or beyond though, and also in the draft. I think you have to assume that the guys in power, who are allegedly smart, will actually do smart things.
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People need to STFU about the bad contracts. Did Ricketts know they were there when he bought the team? Yes. Was he awarded the team in spite of there being better potential owners (paying more up front and on the team after the sale)? Yes.

This isnt like he suddenly needed a bunch of dental work that he couldnt afford.
 

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Lex L. said:
People need to STFU about the bad contracts. Did Ricketts know they were there when he bought the team? Yes. Was he awarded the team in spite of there being better potential owners (paying more up front and on the team after the sale)? Yes.

This isnt like he suddenly needed a bunch of dental work that he couldnt afford.
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We also don't know what the bankruptcy stipulations were, nor do we know what the plan is. If you intend for the Ricketts to spend more than they are capable of and end up in a McCourts situation, then that's damaging to the future of the Cubs. The Ricketts family didn't get rich by accident and they're not going to sink money into a bad cause either. I like that they are going to try to retool the team and build a more solid foundation before spending out the yin-yang. As I stated before, getting Type A free agents while trying to rebuild the farm isn't exactly the best idea, particularly when we're not sure that the Cubs are willing to trade the most valuable commodities such as Sean Marshall or Matt Garza. Trying to spend a la 2007 is a short term fix. If you want sustained success instead of a window of 2-3 years before the free agents crash, then you'll have to be more patient. It's been a century-plus, and patience is wearing thin, but considering the amount of damage control that has to be done, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect the team to flounder a bit in the short term.
 

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Rice Cube said:
We also don't know what the bankruptcy stipulations were, nor do we know what the plan is. If you intend for the Ricketts to spend more than they are capable of and end up in a McCourts situation, then that's damaging to the future of the Cubs. The Ricketts family didn't get rich by accident and they're not going to sink money into a bad cause either. I like that they are going to try to retool the team and build a more solid foundation before spending out the yin-yang. As I stated before, getting Type A free agents while trying to rebuild the farm isn't exactly the best idea, particularly when we're not sure that the Cubs are willing to trade the most valuable commodities such as Sean Marshall or Matt Garza. Trying to spend a la 2007 is a short term fix. If you want sustained success instead of a window of 2-3 years before the free agents crash, then you'll have to be more patient. It's been a century-plus, and patience is wearing thin, but considering the amount of damage control that has to be done, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect the team to flounder a bit in the short term.
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You must not go to many games...if so, you must not pay for the tickets.

BTW, lets see what the Ricketts business model has been where the Cubs are concerned: The taxpayers pay for upgrades (in both Arizona and Chicago) and they (the Ricketts) get to keep the money. So shrewd.

Seriously, some of you are such diehard suckers.
 

Rice Cube

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Lex L. said:
You must not go to many games...if so, you must not pay for the tickets.

BTW, lets see what the Ricketts business model has been where the Cubs are concerned: The taxpayers pay for upgrades (in both Arizona and Chicago) and we get to keep the money.

Seriously, some of you are such diehard suckers.
Click to expand...

So stop going to games :lol:

There's nothing wrong with not paying full price, by the way.
 

Lex L.

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Rice Cube said:
So stop going to games :lol:

There's nothing wrong with not paying full price, by the way.
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You should really start paying attention. Previously, I mentioned that they cant give the tickets away. I simply can't justify spending money to watch crap Ricketts has been putting out there. I don't exist for him to make money. The guy has to earn it. If you think Im alone, you obviously havent been paying attention. No one has been going to games. It's been embarrassing.

BTW, I also don't want taxpayers to alleviate Ricketts of any risk. If he want's funding, he needs to pay it back with interest and he needs to earn it. He's done nothing to justify asking taxpayers to pay for his stadium upgrades. Back in the day, the owners of the teams assumed the risk. They paid for their own stadiums. Then one day people became stupid sheep and started saying things like you and Xfactor.
 
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My favorite teams
  1. Chicago Cubs
  1. Minnesota United FC
  1. Chicago Bulls
  1. Chicago Bears
  1. Chicago Blackhawks
  1. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
If the Bears and White Sox can get public money for renovations, the Cubs should be able to as well.

Though I don't support asking for it when the state and city are bankrupt :lol:
 
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