No way will Jeff be Theo's biggest offseason signing. I do believe that Shark is coming back to the Cubs, but Theo will also sign either Greinke or Price.

_________________
CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

Put me on the list of people that does want Greinke. He's gonna be the most expensive, isn't he?
I'd take Zimmerman if he's cheapest, but be thrilled with Price as well.

_________________

Agreed. Not sure what that thinking is. Its not like you stop making moves after that. Its absolutely possible (see Red Sox with Theo) to stay competitive even with high priced free agents.

Another example is the Giants with Zito, Cain and Lincecum underperforming after signing big deals

Giants will continue to be competitive after they sign Greinke also.

_________________

I'd like Zimmerman

my goodness man, you really think they are going to sign Price/Grienke and Shark?

Hell lets sign Price, Zimmerman and Shark then

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

don't forget trading either almora baez or castro for sonny gray + ???

_________________

Yup.

_________________
CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

Because it isn't your money and Ricketts hasn't shown the slightest sign that he's working with an unlimited budget. It's easy for the fan to say, "It's the Cubs, revenue streams everywhere, the TV money is coming, sign everybody!" But Big Joe Ricketts is sitting in Omaha saying, "Now, that's what I'm talking about. The kid wasn't so dumb after all. This thing is actually turning a profit."

And when you have Lester, Price, and Greinke taking up $80 million in payroll for the next five years, you better win a World Series in the next two or three because after that all bets are off. Those guys aren't all going to be studs when they're forty. Maybe one of them will, but you're going to be paying all three. And if they don't win that World Series with those guys in the next three seasons, it's going to be easy for the fan to sit on this message board and make nonsensical statements like, Just package Lester with [insert prospects you don't want here] and get him off the books so we can sign Jacob deGrom or Carlos Rodon. But nobody is going to make that deal. So you're going to pay those guys to the end.

_________________
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

And the Giants are a bad analogy. The have Posey and their pitchers. The don't have to worry about paying Barry Larkin and three Babe Ruths.

_________________
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

We've had this debate before. Besides $20M not being huge in 5 years the Cubs will not have to really start paying their bats until then. By that time they may have cheap home grown starting pitching.

_________________
Be well

GO BEARS!!!

seems like salaries are blowing up big time past few years. is this sustainable? I thought baseball was a dying sport.

_________________
Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest

Yep, because it's just that easy. It's hard to believe they haven't won in 108 years.

_________________
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

I didn't say it was easy. They have some pitching talent in the minors and they have a lot of trading chips. The window won't be short.

_________________
Be well

GO BEARS!!!

It will be if they have three 35 year old pitchers eating $80 million in payroll.

What happened to the philosophy of "We don't pay for past performance. We pay for future performance."?

_________________
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

Nuts, These salaries are ridiculous. Greinke is a pipe dream, very doubtful it happens.

_________________

Jorr, This ain't the Sox or the Indians.. The Cubs could turn a profit in 2016 with a 300 million dollar payroll.

_________________

Baez, Schwarber and Alcantara for Gray.

_________________

I don't think that's the case, especially when you consider all the capital improvements they're making. They're not going to have a $300 million payroll.

I'm not saying they couldn't sign two top FA pitchers and give them six year deals. But once those guys go bad on the back end, they're not just going to spend right over that and stick those guys in the bullpen or DFA them. You're creating a window to win that doesn't currently exist. I hope they sign Price and Greinke.

_________________
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

What do you think they netted last year? Or this year? I could be WAY off ..I'm thinkin 85 mill last year 100 this year.. Not to mention they bought the team for 875 million and could sell it today for 2 billion.

_________________

Great! Even more of a profit then!

_________________

Got 5ish more years of cheap (relatively speaking) Bryant, Russell, Baez, Soler, Rizzo and Castro.

Not thrilled with Price given his cost but it's the reality of bats over arms philosophy. Get it done.

If it's going to be more than 180 million to sign him, I pass and sign Zimmerman and use the surplus to sign Lackey or Leake as well.

_________________
Go Cubs!!!!

No to Price. I don't understand signing a guy with a 1-9 postseason record.

Your whole argument hinges on Ricketts not spending.

And Lester and Price was the initial discussion. All 3 changes it a bit (but not much)

The Giants are a good example because they pay pitchers a lot of money to not pitch or pitch in the bullpen while they continue to win titles

The Red Sox with Theo and The Giants would be teams that did that recently. I wonder what the difference is here in your opinion.

Ownership for one thing. It's clear that the Cubs don't have an unlimited budget.

Also, at the same time you're going to be sitting on the final seasons of these huge pitching deals and the pitchers are pushing 40 you're going to have big arb awards to all the Babe Ruths. And we haven't even mentioned Arrieta.

The Giants have a bunch of cheap to moderately priced position players that they are constantly changing around. Guys like Melky and Pagan. The Cubs have superstars at all positions (don't they?) who are all going to be arb eligible when those pitchers are fading. The Babe Ruth comp isn't a good one for a team trying to win an arbitration case.

And I believe those signings in Boston were the work of Lucchino against Theo's wishes and they ultimately led to Theo's departure. Do I have that wrong?

_________________
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

Im not arguing that Theo will do these things. Im giving you recent examples of teams that have signed high priced pitching, had that high priced pitching underperform and then won titles anyway.

Also, a little extreme to assume Lester and Price would be killing the team. They might be mid rotation guys on the back end of their deals, which could be fine. Teams have won that way too.

The point is if you keep developing good players, you shouldnt ever really fall completely out of contention.

The goal is to win in the next 1 to 5 years and to do so they need elite pitching.

Zimmerman to me is a 3 so they need a 1 or a 1A. Remember the TV deal will hit 2019 so their budget can jump big time then so back ended deals will work here.

I know Price hasn't delivered in the post season but I still see him as the way to go along with either a Lackey (since he'd be a 3 year contract guy unlike
Zimmerman) or a cost controlled #3 via trade or all three.

They need to win the division which is not easy in the NL Central so going 5 deep in the rotation is a prerequisite.

not even an offer to Zimmerman? 5 years $110 Mill, seems in the Ballpark....Theo going big game PRICE Hunting?

_________________
"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.’”