OFFICIAL 2021 CUBS BASEBALL THREAD

That's what happens when you deal 3 of your starting pitchers. It was bound to blow up sooner or later. Just who is supposed to be our marque pitcher?
No kidding. They actually scored 10 runs last night and they still weren't really competitive.
 
Way to represent there Kris. Leaving 5 men on base may not be a record for the All-Star game, but it is pretty atrocious.
I'm willing to cut him some slack there. It's an All Star Game. Hank Aaron hit under .200 in all star competition and didn't hit any all star home runs until 1971 and 1972, his 18th and 19th seasons in the league.

Bryant is easy to hate because he exudes cool vibes, had success at every level he's played, and doesn't like to play hurt. Cardinals fans, who demand accountability if anyone ever did, can't stand him. Bryant needs to land with a West Coast team, or perhaps Arizona or Colorado. His low key, dude demeanor would play much better out there.
 
It's amazing how well Peterson hit in Spring ball, and then when the bullets really start flying he doesn't answer the bell. But when all is said and done, he was exactly what his career said he was.
 
As a fan...this firesale is brutal to watch, but I complete understand it. I don't know anything about the prospects in return, but I hope they're decent.
 
It will be more than interesting to see who the Cubs put on the field tomorrow. As much as we bitched about our Cubs, which is a baseball fan's right, those guys will always hold a spot in my heart for 2016. I have been watching the Cubs for more decades than I care to admit and I truly wondered if they would ever win a WS. I don't mind admitting a shed a tear or two that night. So long guys. You will always be Cubs in my heart.

Now we will see if Hoyer is worth the money he is making. We all lived through the last rebuilding process which was painful. Let's hope we aren't starting from the ground up again.
 
I was passing through the serpentine line at O'Hare (which sucks on a Friday Afternoon) waiting to clear customs after my trip. As I passed a fellow Cub fan from our group who was ahead of me I told her "Everytime we pass each other another Cubs player gets traded." She then launched into the old Abbott and Costello routine.

After a day that included check out from a tropical resort, a 40 minute bus ride to the Aeropuerto, another hour to get baggage checked in, security, a gate change, a three hour flight, and one hour thirty five minutes of waiting to clear customs I about lost it from laughing.

I still had a shuttle to the hotel where we had stay and park and a three hour drive home. A Culver's double butterburger basket made the final leg of the journey more than worth it.

Stacey (not her real name) absolutely made my day. Culver's wasn't far behind.
 
Last edited:
Well it was pretty clear that the Ricketts Family wasn't going to authorize re-signing any of those players. Not even one. I thought Baez would stay because he has legit marketable star power as opposed to Bryant being a west coast guy and Rizzo getting up there in age. But I will admit that the Baez trade shocked me.

Where am I headed with this? The CBA is up for negotiation soon. And the owners, not just the Ricketts', are sick of paying for past performance. Look at the Albert Pujols deal, just to name one example. There is no way he was going to produce in his thirties the way he did in his twenties. But the Angels, who have a long history of free wheeling spending, ponied up.

So here's what I think is going to be a hot button in the next labor negotiations-service time. Agents are sick of teams holding deserving players in the minors three weeks so they can get that extra year of service time control. Players are sick of playing where they are not happy. Owners are sick for paying for past performance. But the average year for even an elite player to hit free agency is probably around 29. Most players have peaked or at least plateaued by 29 and begin the steady decline shortly thereafter.

Here's an idea that Bob Costas, a respected baseball savant if ever there was one, brought up 25 years ago. Offer the players free agency after four years, instead of six, in exchange for the end of arbitration. Owners would still have some low cost control while not having to deal with arbitration cases, and worthy players would get their big paydays sooner and while the owners would still get some value out of it.

I bet both sides would jump at it. Players would get paid sooner, and owners would still get some control while not having to go to arbitration cases at year three or four that they seldom win.
 
Kinda surprised to see all three guys go but it made economic sense. I'm simple not happy with our return for Bryant or Biaz. So this feels more like a cost saving move. We got good value for Kimbrel and Rizzo, but almost nothing for the other two. Not that we can't try to resign one of these guys next year but it's gonna be hard to show a guy you let go you want him back and to a crappy non-competitive team. The line up yesterday was such a turd. Outside of Wilson there is no established talent. But there were players like Hayward and Duffy in the lineup. Dump these guys and bring up the kids now. The Cubs are now officially a AAA team and it's time to start acting like it.
 
Top