2015 is when all the progress is recognized. Time to reap the rewards of investments made the last 3 years.

#MissionAccomplished.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Glad you have the optimism. I sincerely hope the plan works for you.

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Elections have consequences.

They have to go hard in on a Lester, Price, Scherzer or someone of that ilk, and those guys are all gonna demand potential franchise-crippling contracts.... let's slow the roll a bit until we see how much they have to spend (in assets or money) to field a contending rotation

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1926-1931-1934-1942-1944-1946-1964-1967-1982-2006-2011

Oh yEAH... that will bring em over the top!

AHAHAHHAHAha

16 year plan!

Theo forgot to bring over

Optimism?

It is practically already in the bag.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

I agree to a point but even more so what will Arrieta and Hendricks be next year? If they're like they are this year, Cubs will be average at east, IMO

Id prefer not trading anyone halfway decent away to try and lose a 100 games next year as a step in the right direction. Not a big fan of huge money contracts for pitchers nearing 30. Seems to not work very often.

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Nauseating.

Agreed.

It is almost nauseating to have to wait this offseason to see our world champion Cubbies!

America: a true fan!

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They'll be at least close to .500 next year. No need to go all in on an aging pitcher when you have position player talent in the farm system which can bring young arms to the Cubs via trade.

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I'm sorry, maybe I just don't see the big picture, but what about these guys encourages Cubs fans so much? Baez cannot play, like literally cannot play major league baseball. He has gotten worse. Alcantara is the same way. Soler has been terrific but his injury history is awful.

So where's the optimism coming from? Arrieta, Hendricks, Rizzo and Starlin playing well? I don't mean to burst your bubble (actually I do but whatever) but that team finished last in the NL Central this year. All four of those guys played as well as anyone could've reasonably expected and the team has been bad. The additions that were supposed to propel them to great heights? Two of those three are unmitigated disasters.

So you add Soler. Alright. If everything goes perfectly that's a 5 WAR OF. WAR is by no means perfect, but the dude would have to be Barry Bonds to elevate the Cubs to even contender status (imu will now try to explain why Jorge Soler is better than Barry Bonds). That's not going to be enough.

The Cubs pitching as a whole is still bad, even if Arrieta and Hendricks play this well in 2015 the remaining 3 rotation spots are terrible. Add Scherzer or Lester? Not only does that not solve the 4-5 spots in the rotation but suddenly the Cubs add a ticking clock element, because when those guys go to shit it's impossible to pay them $25m a year to suck (see: Verlander).

So help me out, where's the optimism? What's going to change?

I think adding Bryant will help a lot. Baez def needs to work on his swing this offseason. His approach at the plate is awful right now. Alcantara is a quality utility guy, or trade bait. Castro, Russell, or Baez will be traded for pitching.... As a 31 year old Cubs fan, I'm excited for the prospect of seeing a well rounded Cubs offense for the first time in my life. That's where my optimism comes from.

Now the pitching strategy is an unknown to me. I think Arrietta and Hendricks are 3 and 4 starters, or 4 and 5 starters on a solid rotation. Filling in the other two spots will be tricky, but I'm not paid to think that hard.

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Arrieta is better than a 3, that's for sure.


Overall, this team is about a .500 squad with the guys on the roster right now. When you add some veteran position players, better pitchers, the prospects continue to improve and you add Kris Bryant... The team should be even better than they are now.

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They named that fat guy porkins too didn't they?

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Yup.

But after closer look at that pic, he kinda has a little Don Tiny in him.

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Is this part of Theo's brainwashing? If you're 31 you've seen good Cub offenses. Or were you in a coma during the good Hendry seasons?

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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

The 2003 Cubs offense was a thing of beauty. Lofton, Grudz, Sosa, Alou, ARAM, Randall Simon, Karros in various orders. When they were hot, they were a murderer's row.

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He was on the lamb for a few years.

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We all have private ails. The troublemakers are they who need public cures for their private ails.- Eric Hoffer

Didn't win a damn thing.

Were they contenders for years?

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Elections have consequences.

Contenders for what, exactly?

IDK I assumed when you had a load of hitters you were destined to be contenders for a WS for years?

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Elections have consequences.

Is the Sox "Big Picture' clear to you?

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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 thought this thread was about the Cubs?

Maybe we can learn things about having a Big Picture and build upon it?

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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.’”

??

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

MURDERERS ROW

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Pat Quinn allowing Internet access in prison has got to stop.

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Kenny Williams fell for the banana in the tailpipe

I figured this was the response I would get. Oh well. Should be fun to drag it back up next June when the Cubs are in the basement again looking up longingly at Milwaukee or Cincinnati.