Castro and Cubs reach a seven year deal

[Rice Cube]

It's not okay to field a team of garbage to achieve this goal.
I rather watch a blind skunk try to rape a fart than watching this kind of baseball.
What is even more exciting is that they may be even worse next year. Isn't that exciting !!!!!

They will make more DeJesus/Maholm type signings than Zack Greinke type signings, methinks. Sorry if that bugs you, but nobody ever said this was going to be pretty.

[mountsalami]

I don't know how long the rebuild will take. I only know that it will work better with good talent than bad talent.

The point is that a bigger percentage of first rounders will make it to the bigs than second rounders, and so on and so forth. While that isn't a guarantee in itself, it makes better sense to play the percentages than to hope for lightning in a bottle. The teams that pick first will be more likely to acquire the better talent.

Good talent can also be acquired via FA. The percentages are still low and yes it is trying to capture lightning in a bottle if they are going this route to build their ML team. without adding quality free agents to assist in the near term.
Right now we have at least seven major gaping holes on our team. Every year each one of those players get older.
The highest payroll teams historicly are the ones that are most likely to at least make the playoffs if not win the WS. Those are the best odds at winning.
The Cubs rank third in revenue right behind the Yankees and Red Sox.
The Cubs can easily turn a profit with a 155-160 million dollar payroll.
They have just chosen to be cheap.

[Rice Cube]

Good talent can also be acquired via FA. The percentages are still low and yes it is trying to capture lightning in a bottle if they are going this route to build their ML team. without adding quality free agents to assist in the near term.
Right now we have at least seven major gaping holes on our team. Every year each one of those players get older.
The highest payroll teams historicly are the ones that are most likely to at least make the playoffs if not win the WS. Those are the best odds at winning.
The Cubs rank third in revenue right behind the Yankees and Red Sox.
The Cubs can easily turn a profit with a 155-160 million dollar payroll.
They have just chosen to be cheap.

That's fine. I'm not sure you're going to be able to compete in 2013 given the available free agents though, and that's before any possible extensions with their parent clubs. So if that's the case you might as well flush that money down the toilet.

[Captain Obvious]

It's not okay to field a team of garbage to achieve this goal.
I rather watch a blind skunk try to rape a fart than watching this kind of baseball.
What is even more exciting is that they may be even worse next year. Isn't that exciting !!!!!

It's not okay to do that? Why is it not okay? Are you Tom Ricketts? If he says it is okay, I'm pretty sure that it is okay...

We get your point. We do. But you also need to consider it from another point of view. Since the Cubs have committed themselves down this path, don't you think that it would be a good idea to see it through to the end? It does absolutely no good once so ever to start something and then not finish it. Before you place Theo and Co. on their crosses to be crucified, Mr. Pilate, why don't you give them some time to try their ideas. The ideas that you have been conveying so far are ideas that this team has already used(Soriano, a perfect example). And where have they gotten this team? No where. Theo hasn't been in charge for a full season yet. Breathe. We've waited for 104 years, I'm pretty sure you can hold out for an extra 2.

If the Cubs had no shot getting to the playoffs this year, why wouldn't you want them to suck the most that they could? They had no shot, so they might as well get some positives out of it. Such as high draft picks, money, etc.

[Captain Obvious]

Good talent can also be acquired via FA. The percentages are still low and yes it is trying to capture lightning in a bottle if they are going this route to build their ML team. without adding quality free agents to assist in the near term.
Right now we have at least seven major gaping holes on our team. Every year each one of those players get older.
The highest payroll teams historicly are the ones that are most likely to at least make the playoffs if not win the WS. Those are the best odds at winning.
The Cubs rank third in revenue right behind the Yankees and Red Sox.
The Cubs can easily turn a profit with a 155-160 million dollar payroll.
They have just chosen to be cheap.

Would you like to see the Cubs deal with more "Soriano's?"

The highest payroll teams are the ones that are most likely to make the playoffs? Really? Top 5 payrolls this year: Yanks, Phils, BoSox, Angels, Tigers. Maybe 2 of those teams will make the playoffs. MAYBE. Only one of those teams even qualifies for a playoff spot currently. Top 5 payrolls last year: Yanks, Phils, BoSox, Angels, White Sox. 2 made the playoffs. 2010 top 5: Yanks, Phils, BoSox, Cubs, Mets. 2 made the playoffs. I'm sensing a trend here.... are you?

Looks to me like their odds aren't so good at winning. We could turn a profit, you're right. But it doesn't mean that it's smart to spend, spend, spend. They have chosen to be smart. Why do you think that the Cubs need to be reckless spenders? That I don't understand.

[Jntg4]

Would you like to see the Cubs deal with more "Soriano's?"

The highest payroll teams are the ones that are most likely to make the playoffs? Really? Top 5 payrolls this year: Yanks, Phils, BoSox, Angels, Tigers. Maybe 2 of those teams will make the playoffs. MAYBE. Only one of those teams even qualifies for a playoff spot currently. Top 5 payrolls last year: Yanks, Phils, BoSox, Angels, White Sox. 2 made the playoffs. 2010 top 5: Yanks, Phils, BoSox, Cubs, Mets. 2 made the playoffs. I'm sensing a trend here.... are you?

Looks to me like their odds aren't so good at winning. We could turn a profit, you're right. But it doesn't mean that it's smart to spend, spend, spend. They have chosen to be smart. Why do you think that the Cubs need to be reckless spenders? That I don't understand.

Because like #theocheap and like #idontunderstandbaseballsoirantincoherently duh

[DewsSox79]

Would you like to see the Cubs deal with more "Soriano's?"

The highest payroll teams are the ones that are most likely to make the playoffs? Really? Top 5 payrolls this year: Yanks, Phils, BoSox, Angels, Tigers. Maybe 2 of those teams will make the playoffs. MAYBE. Only one of those teams even qualifies for a playoff spot currently. Top 5 payrolls last year: Yanks, Phils, BoSox, Angels, White Sox. 2 made the playoffs. 2010 top 5: Yanks, Phils, BoSox, Cubs, Mets. 2 made the playoffs. I'm sensing a trend here.... are you?

Looks to me like their odds aren't so good at winning. We could turn a profit, you're right. But it doesn't mean that it's smart to spend, spend, spend. They have chosen to be smart. Why do you think that the Cubs need to be reckless spenders? That I don't understand.

Says the guy who wanted Dunn, Pujols, Wilson, and Fielder. typical sheep.

[Rice Cube]

Mountsalami definitely has cause to be frustrated. Even though I'm all for the rebuild it's never easy to just watch your favorite team suck ass. But sometimes it's a necessary evil. The truth is that the Cubs should be able to outspend every single one of their NL Central rivals and most of the NL teams, but the question is whether doing so is wise or not. Based on the state of the team and the state of the free agent market I think the Cubs are better served spending on bolstering their infrastructure than on free agency at this point. Set up a solid foundation, then you do what Pittsburgh and KC can't: you spend.

[Rice Cube]

Says the guy who wanted Dunn, Pujols, Wilson, and Fielder. typical sheep.

Okay, so I wasn't the only one who found this ironic

[DewsSox79]

also note that (insert theoism) 2 championships were as follows:

2004- number 2 in payroll
2007- number 2 in payroll

keep trying.

its usually a good thing to spend money and spend it right, something your buddy hendry couldnt do. its not how much you spend its how you spend it. if you spend a lot and you spend it right you get to be number 2 twice in payroll where the team won the world series.

[DewsSox79]

Okay, so I wasn't the only one who found this ironic

haha!

on the bright side of things in this thread of craziness, i havent flamed anyone yet.

[waldo7239117]

Where to start, 'ol where to start ... nah I'm good!

[Rice Cube]

Where to start, 'ol where to start ... nah I'm good!

Just write a CCS front page article. More constructive that way.

[waldo7239117]

Just write a CCS front page article. More constructive that way.

Write about what ... the object of the article?

[Jntg4]

Write about what ... the object of the article?

Write about writing an article.

[Rice Cube]

Write about what ... the object of the article?

Put whatever you were thinking of responding to in article form. Kill two birds with one stone.

[waldo7239117]

Put whatever you were thinking of responding to in article form. Kill two birds with one stone.

Ok, gotcha....

[Rice Cube]

http://espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/story...take-1-2-weeks

Gonna wait a few to see it become official and to ensure that the "source" isn't the voice inside their heads, but the Cubs haven't denied it...

[Rice Cube]

FanGraphs on Castro's would-be extension:

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index...s-improvement/

[JoJoBoxer]

How far into Castro's new 7 year deal will the Cubs have an actual chance at World Series? I know they are beginning to build a farm system. When will there be dividends?

[Rice Cube]

How far into Castro's new 7 year deal will the Cubs have an actual chance at World Series? I know they are beginning to build a farm system. When will there be dividends?

Probably around year 3 or 4 is when they will be in any kind of shape. The savings on this extension will pay dividends already. The rest of it depends on how Castro himself and his teammates develop.

[dabynsky]

Good information on your view point.
I believe the Yankees and Red Sox the whole time during their "in house" were top ten in payroll for the last twenty years, which tells be they were able to do both, field a competitive major league ballclub and hone their farm system at the same time. They continually signed legitimate big league talent and sprinkled in prospects as need.
It just wasn't one or the other.
The Cubs are the third highest revenue team in baseball and can do both.
Ricketts has cut the payroll every year since owning the team.
He has been the master of PR to this point.

Your own example isn't true. The Yankees were terrible for four year period from the late 80s into the early 90s, and while the teams in the early and mid 80s weren't exactly bad they went from 1982-1994 without making the postseason. You know how things changed for the Yankees. They developed their own superstars that they drafted while being terrible like Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada and signed international amatuers like Mariano Rivera and Bernie Williams. Yes the Yankees spend money, but they also have a strong core to build around with those high priced free agents. There are plenty of teams that have broke the bank and there season is going to end exactly the same time the Cubs season is this year (Miami is a prime example of this season, the Mets are really tearing down from their previous high price failures, the Rangers with ARod worked out so well in the early 2000s, etc., etc.).

No one has ever said that it was going to be built exclusive by the farm because it isn't. But this extension is exactly how this isn't like the Royals and Padres and Pirates up til now have been, and that is when this team develops talent it will be able to keep them. And when there is a legitimate core to build around they will make a move on what they feel is the right free agent.

[waldo7239117]

I'm writing an article on it right now for the front page ... "Is Epstein' Doing Right?"

I'll prolly have the article posted within the hour.

[Jntg4]

I'm writing an article on it right now for the front page ... "Is Epstein' Doing Right?"

I'll prolly have the article posted within the hour.

No need for ' after Epstein BTW, it is possession.

[waldo7239117]

Yeah I did know that.. I actually don't know why I put that.. I just like it, I think lol.