Right now the Cubs are 5 games behind (in the loss column) for the final WC. If they improve on that as the All-Star break looms closer,will Epstein be a "buyer" for once? If he starts getting rid of Szmardja & Hammel something is really wrong.

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favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."

He will definitely trade Hammel and probably both.

Dont set yourself up for disappointment

When will it end?

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favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."

They only have to pass every single other NL team other than maybe the Phillies......but other than that they are right in it!!!! Theo and Jed don't need to be buyers but anytime they want to be DFA'ers and promoters would be nice.

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

jimmy, the feldman flip was a great move so far. the maholm move could be a positive move as well. the dempster dump was positive for simply sending that clown away.

the garza flip has been OK. but at least we got something and avoided re-signing edwin jackson 2.0. one is enough!!!!!!!

Would Rizzo be a good flip since most have now acknowledged he isn't going to be a superstar? He could be blocking superstar production at first. It's something Theo has to consider, right?

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Matthew, Tulsi, and Don

Since 1st basemen with decent bats are easier to find,I'd flip him for some young pitching and a veteran OF who can hit.

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favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."

schwarber has the body of a guy wearing a bag over his head and giving the camera the finger at lakemoorfest. He is much more likely to be a 1B than the OF they are telling people he will be.

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

We're not selling jeans here. The man controls the strike zone!

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Matthew, Tulsi, and Don

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Kenny Williams fell for the banana in the tailpipe

Neil Ramirez, Justin Grimm, and CJ Edwards.

Better than okay. Olt doesn't even matter and it is still a clear win.

And yes - you still trade Samardzija and Hammel before the deadline. But this should be the last season this happens. And the returns you'd be looking for would be a bit closer to major league ready. They don't have to be Top 10 prospects or anything...but guys that can contribute to the pitching staff in 2015 or 2016 at the latest.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

I dont know. I had hoped for this year.

Certainly consider it. But remember he's got a pretty reasonable contract.

At least now I know someone comprehends reality. I think RPB does as well.

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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

What I comprehend is 5 years of horseshit.

I guess Mike Imrem can't comprehend reality either:

By Mike Imrem
Jeff Samardzija clearly is too good to pitch for the Cubs much longer.

Why else would it seem inevitable that Samardzija will be playing somewhere else after the July 31 trade deadline?


The debate for a long time has been whether to re-sign Samardzija for a lot of money or deal him for a lot of prospects.

How about neither?

Seriously, the Cubs could choose Door No. 3: Hold on to Samardzija for the rest of this season and all of next season.

If he becomes a free agent after that, so be it.

This is heresy, of course. The prevailing theory is that a team can't let a valuable commodity escape without receiving compensation for him.

Assuming Samardzija pitches the way he has so far this season, he can help make the Cubs at least resemble a major-league team on the days he's on the mound through 2015.

Isn't there some value in that? Or does Cubs management dismiss any notion of being respectable for a couple of, for a few or even for several more years?

Maybe I'm crazy, but the Cubs appear closer to being watch-worthy than most imagined entering this season.

Not good, mind you, but bearable.

Yeah, sure, the Cubs are aiming higher than that. The goal is sustained success.

Isn't it impossible to do both: Be respectable on the major-league level while stockpiling prospects on the minor-league level?

The Cubs have been trading older players for younger players for nearly three seasons now.

We've been told over that period of time how good the youngsters are and how bright the future is.

Kris Bryant is a monster. Javier Baez has remarkable bat speed. Albert Almora is a leader. Jorge Soler just has to grow up a little.

Enough is enough.

It's time to stay the course for tomorrow but finally start providing for today.

When Dallas Green was Cubs general manager in the 1980s he projected urgency because of what he perceived as Cubs fans' impatience. He was wrong because back then Cubs fans were the most patient in all of sports.

Three decades later these same fans -- minus the ones who died off and plus the new ones who replaced them -- truly are impatient.

When Cubs baseball president Theo Epstein was hired and talked of rebuilding, the impression was that he meant trading veterans for major-league-ready prospects.

That way the Wrigley Field faithful wouldn't have to wait an eternity to witness the future.

OK, so Epstein is going to do it his way on his clock. Still, the foundation should be pretty much in place by now.

Another layer of buffer shouldn't be necessary anymore if the Cubs really have made astute draft choices and international signings.

While waiting for the future to arrive, the Cubs can start being less embarrassing in the present.

The Cubs could have the makings of a pretty good starting rotation next season if they hold on to Samardzija, re-sign Jason Hammel, continue to help Travis Wood mature, and Jake Arrieta develops.

The bullpen is stocked with promising young power arms the Cubs acquired in trade for veterans.

The offense is deplorable, but if Starlin Castro and Anthony Rizzo keep improving, only a few savvy moves are necessary.

Yes, this is an optimistic viewpoint, but if Epstein really is the smartest guy in the room, he should be able to accomplish all this now without compromising the future.

It starts by keeping Jeff Samardzija for a while (through 2015) or forever (on a long-term contract).

Cubs fans who stayed could begin feeling good about paying big bucks for tickets and those who fled could feel good about returning.

Door No. 3 is a lot better than Cubs players continuing to be too good to keep playing for them.

mimrem@dailyherald.com

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favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."

I would like to add,Theo has made what looks like are some very astute moves. I still get angry with the "flipping" of some quality starting pitching. I would rather they trade Rizzo for some more young arms (if possible)

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favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."

This is a joke right? Theo traded Cashner to get Rizzo, he isn't going anywhere. He's been part of the Theo/Hoyer/Mcleod regime since he was drafted.

Baby, I promise this is the last time I will cheat on you.

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

Bullpens win championships. They have been very solid, especially Ramirez.

no, relief pitchers pretty much fall into the level of OK

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

bullpens win championships when everything else on the team is championship level

Ramirez has been great. There is nothing in his past that suggests this is anything but anomalous which is why he is a 25 year old rookie who despite that age still did not break camp with the team.

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

Jose Veras thanks you for the compliment

I agree everything has to come together, but some people (not you) may overlook the importance of bullpen arms especially in that garza trade if Olt doesn't pan out. Ramirez was a first round pick so he has the potential, he just had shoulder issues in the minors and the Cubs moved him to the bullpen which was probably the best way to save his arm (like Aroldys Vicziano).

I remember being in high school and ripping on Imrem's op-ed pieces.

Dude always falls in love with average players as soon as they become even slightly above average, no matter how temporary.

I remember him and Mark Bellhorn...thought they might have been sleeping together.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Says the guy who has spooned with Brett Jackson

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

I'm not writing for the third largest paper in the Chicagoland area though. I can get away with being a loon here.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.