among the predictions:

Cubs contend in 2016.

Baez probably not a SS. Stud Hitter.

Bryant not a 3B. Stud Hitter.

Almora is your starting CF for the next 5 years.

Nothing earth shattering. I really thought he'd still be ripping the Cubs.

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Ба́бушка гада́ла, да на́двое сказа́ла—то ли до́ждик, то ли снег, то ли бу́дет, то ли нет.

Cant say I disagree with much there except getting a little ahead of himself on Almora and I think they can contend next year

I think winning the wild card in 2014 would count as contending...

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sounds like an American league team

I guess you can contend in two years without pitching or defense

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

No remarks from Bernstein on the remote location being at beth murphy's bar?

she has walked right in front of him a few times and she was talking to the sales crew. So no real excuse for not being able to grab her.

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"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

I keep hoping someone will call in and ask for a status update on the Cubs building project and the opposition.

I'm slammed here at work so that's not happening.

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Ба́бушка гада́ла, да на́двое сказа́ла—то ли до́ждик, то ли снег, то ли бу́дет, то ли нет.

> Cubs contend in 2016.

I thought thigns were supposed to be rolling decently by next year. I'm keeping that expectation regardless. Unless he explicitly means top 4 favorite to win the World Series ... that I don't expect next year ... absolutely in the post-season though.

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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

Let me explain the internal Score motto "They can't do that to our pledges, only we can do that to our pledges."

calling out Bernstein is totally legit and should be done. Wont be done.

Matty would call him out on it if he was there.

Other than that, it cant be done.

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"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

Even Stone has to fess up at this point, because he knows the offense is coming to make them a good team, but they still lack front end pitching, which is tough to get and is why they went $160M on Tanaka this year. Next year the offense needs to show the potential at the big league level, then look for the Cubs to make pitching deals.

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"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

Honestly, not knocking Cubs at all. Looks like Stone thinks it will work. I will wait and see. Pirates, Royals and many others have had similar plans.

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Elections have consequences.

Offensively, if most of the projections on these hitters hold up, it's hard to not be optimistic about their future. Depending on when some of these guys are up in the majors for good, it's not unreasonable to think that they could contend as early as 2015. I get the impatience of fans when the team is going into Year 4 of probably being a 90+ loss team that hasn't won a WS in 100 years, but part of the plan was to be awful for a period of time so they could draft some of these high end prospects, and to eventually reach a point where the farm system substains the major league club. Stone knows that the wave of talent is right around the corner, it's just a matter of time now.

NO NO NO....Stone is not allowed on this damn bandwagon now! The guy spent the better part of the decade ripping the cubs and this plan. At best he would say "It might work". Now he likes it? fuck no

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"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

I'm still not sure why they felt the need to sign Edwin Jackson when they did, but once they feel the offensive talent is here to stay, they are going to add the pitching needed to accelerate the progress of the team.

I may have overstated. He may have said it might work today.

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Elections have consequences.

It's that easy? You just say you want pitching and boom, steak dinner, it's there.

At this point they would have to add about three mid to top end starters in order to contend. They will have to buy them in FA. That is, conservatively, $45 million off your payroll...more if the pitchers are good.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Unless one of the younger pitchers breaksthrough this year. Then you need one less.

They have two very good starters right now

Yes, it really is.

If you use the most optimistic expectations of player progress and everyone (Almora, Baez, Bryant, Soler and that pitcher) leaves Arizona with the team next year, you still are not factoring learning curve at the MLB level.

The MOST optimistic ETA for contending is 2016 and even that is pretty optimistic when factoring normal player progress. I'd say 2017 is reasonable, just in time for Theo to save his ass as his contract runs out.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

You're way overthinking this.

They can certainly be an 80 win team next year. Thats not a stretch at all and that would be in the playoff picture

Who will be here next year?

I think you are being bamboozled on projections of Edwards as a starter. Maybe he is Sale and can be the rail thin guy who still can go 200. Most likely he is a middle reliever.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Could be

Pitchers come out of nowhere to be contributors. THey have a couple guys who are close

Johnson
Hendricks
Viscaino

Expectations are that they will be a mid 60s win team this year. 80 wins would be a pretty big jump.

What makes you think they would win 80 if they were starting 3-4 rookies (and I don't forsee them letting Almora break camp with the team next year under any circumstances and most likely will hold Bryant back until June)? In the meantime, you cannot sign anyone good to block their progress. That means a scrubby team at the beginning of '15.

This is a losing team again in 2015 but with some degree of optimism.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

It was pretty funny hearing the rooftop owners advancing in the TOB while they're in one of those fine establishments...

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"I'm not smiling because I thought what you said was humorous. I'm smiling because one day I know you'll be dead..."

They could give Max Scherzer $192M.