Hopefully he doesn't wait too long to get something in return. Remember how valuable Felix Pie and Korey Paterson were?

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

Remember when he sold you sycophants on the theory that pitching was plentiful and easily obtained in free agency?

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

I called bullshit on that immediately. IMU and/or Bucky Chris tried to convince me I was wrong.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

It isn't?

The Cubs have their choice of aces. They don't have to get Lester at all costs, or Scherzer. They don't have to give up the farm for Hamels as there is Zimmermann and others.

The Cubs can be selective.

At the end of this off-season, the Cubs will likely have:

"Ace", Arrieta, Hammel, Hendricks, and a guy. And this wasn't even the year of free agent pitching; that is next off-season.

I'm very content with the current bargaining chips.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Has another GM signed more FA starting pitching than Theo this offseason?

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I would grab Shields and wait until next year. I wouldn't count on Hendricks being anything more than a #5 and would still be looking for an upgrade that doesn't throw as hard as Maddux did his last year in the league.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

Maybe you didn't read about Zimmerman and the nationals negotiating, or ace Lester most likely going elsewhere, or the hometown cardinals getting in on scherzer

Even your best case scenario isn't all that great of an option

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

If you have to sign 33 year old shields to 5 years that is worse than signing the 30 year olds to 7

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

Sounds like sour apples. Enjoy Samardzija.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

No, which only goes to prove my point

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

Sour apples?

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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

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No it isn't. Shields will come for nearly half the cost of Lester. He's an innings eater and some would argue he was better than Lester before the 2nd half of 2013.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

Lol panic setting in.

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Elections have consequences.

In what world do you think Shields will cost $12M a season?

womp womp

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Shields will cost $80-$100M and right now Lester will get at least $150M and may get $170M+.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

Reinsdorf is smoking a cigar with Hahn and Kenny and saying fuck Theo's plan we get Shields or no one does. Approaching 80 and wants to screw Cubs till the end.

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Elections have consequences.

Jon Morosi ‏@jonmorosi 2m2 minutes ago
#Cubs, #DBacks discussing trade that would send Miguel Montero to Chicago, sources tell @Ken_Rosenthal and me. @FOXSports

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He's owed a lot of money and hasn't swung the bat well in a few year.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

Maybe. We will see. I think Shields will end up getting something unreasonable.

However, all of those years at the end of a Lester contract come within 1-2 years of signing Shields

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

people like sour apples, just like they like emerging ace Jeff Samardzija

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

why oh why do true Cubs fans want the Cubs to contend this year? Suck one more year, play all your kids and evaluate them at the major league level, get one more high draft pick while the division is so good, then put everything in for 2016. Why would you want any of these pitchers (see: Jeff Samardzija)?

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

I thought it was a great idea to let the kids play without pressure this season. I guess Theo wants to speed the process up.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

This is just an amazing statement.

Why not just suck until 2020?

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

He doesn't. He said 18 months for a signing and it is looking like that is his timeframe.

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

I think Theo's plan has left him squarely in a timeline of contending in 2016. You are purposefully being obtuse.

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

Yeah - not a thought shared by the rest of us.

If you have a chance to succeed now without sacrificing chances to succeed in the future, you do it.

Lester may not be Kershaw, but he is a pitcher that can help a team at the front of their rotation. He is pricey, but the contract wouldn't prevent the Cubs from doing other things. And it would cost the Cubs no prospects, which could develop into pieces to help the club or be traded off for additional pieces to help the club.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

There is no way that 2016 was his timeline to compete when he was hired. Not a chance in hell.

Not to mention his own words about competing this year, but I guess you would know better than him.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

and COF isn't taking into account that you don't just steak dinner, boom a starting rotation

Sign a guy this year even if you don't intend to contend. It is easier than trying to sign two next year.

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

I said the plan LEFT HIM, not he left the plan that way. This is where he is in 2015 whether he intended it or not...a lot of young talent that are major league ready and need to play every day in a environment where short term goals are sacrificed in favor of figuring out your 2016-? roster. Trying to win the division with this current collection of talent is not only foolish but near impossible. Why do people expect all these kids to figure out their major league selves in a few months? You expect Bryant, Soler, Alcantara, Baez and maybe others to simply be good to great in their first full major league season? DO YOU? I don't trust Theo in the free agent market. I want him to get the majority of his talent through his system.

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