Among other rumors flying around, the big one that got everyone’s interest was this bit from Kaplan (and others):
Whether you believe it is because the Cubs don’t want to deal with another season of losing/biblical losses, or that Papa Ricketts’ heart grew three sizes that day and Tom got an advance on his allowance, the consensus once again is that the Cubs are for real and they want to spend. Although we won’t know for probably at least a couple more days, the first domino apparently has fallen with the Cody Bellinger deal that was just reported:
This represents a discount from the projected arbitration salary although Bellinger was non-tendered by the Dodgers last month, so this is a more expensive version of a reclamation-style pillow contract, but it does get a lefty bat, a capable center fielder, and a player with former MVP potential hopefully still in his body into the mix. Based on that salary, that leaves the Cubs at least another $80MM to throw around before they hit the luxury tax threshold, so here’s to them signing all the shortstops and pitchers. Maybe a catcher too. Trade for some if possible, I don’t care, just do more!
Comments
I don’t like this one as much, gonna guess it’s of the minor league with an invite or a super low amount
Rice CubeQuote Reply
I’d think if enough pitchers or position players too started making noise about the baseball that MLB would be forced to get their shit together.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
The last few to do so got a visit from the goon squad so I’m not sure how much MLB actually cares, however they have been known to bow to pressure i.e. the forming of the minor league union
Rice CubeQuote Reply
There’s a mutual option for Bellinger or a sizable $5.5 million buyout ($12 million base salary in 2023).
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
I think the AAV math suggests it counts a tad under $9MM per year if they just buy him out?
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
Hmmm I don’t know how to look that up, the buyout is basically the next year so I don’t know if it counts towards year one or pushes it to a two-year deal by technicality
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Hooray! New sport player for Chicago team!
+1 sez the great Phil Rogers and with vigor.
For my part, I am amused the Cubs signed a great defensive OF with a wrecked swing the same offseason they finally said goodbye to another great defensive OF… with a wrecked swing.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
For luxury tax purposes the AAV is used so it will depend on whether the option is exercised. Have you seen how much the contract is worth in 2024 if it’s exercised?
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
My guess is that because it’s a mutual option, it won’t be exercised no matter what, so if that’s the case then it’s a straight $17.5MM for the luxury tax number regardless of what the option cost is
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
Hopefully Bellinger returns to MVP form it’s not even a possibility.
dmick89Quote Reply
Draft lottery in about 25 minutes, wheeeeee
Rice CubeQuote Reply
I have also not hit a baseball in the last two years, am I worth $17.5MM? Guess I’m lacking a bit with the glove and my range isn’t what it used to be now that I’m 48.
uncle daveQuote Reply
13th pick for the Cubs
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
Bah, they can’t even lottery right
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Full results, wanna take bets on when the Pirates trade their top pick?
https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-draft-lottery-results-2023?t=mlb-draft-coverage
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Another pitcher off the board, this time Taijuan Walker –> Phillies
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/12/phillies-to-sign-taijuan-walker.html
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
Rosenthal has the price point at $18MM AAV so depending on how good Senga is, that’s at least $20MM AAV for him and probably over $30MM for Rodon
https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/1600312691691638784?t=3EzZwoadlkGBOH1TYBXUBQ&s=19
Rice CubeQuote Reply
There’s a lot of stupid people in Georgia.
dmick89Quote Reply
Rice Cube,
Phillies are spending some dough. That deal seems comparable (maybe a little lighter in AAV and in years) to what Senga will get.
andcountingQuote Reply
dmick89,
Thankfully the majority are slightly smarter it seems
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
Yeah, but it should be alarming that more than one person voted for Walker. It’s a failure of education and the NFL’s past treatment of head injuries that 1 vote is acceptable.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
Based on what I’ve seen there are certain parts of Georgia that I will endeavor to avoid forever
Rice CubeQuote Reply
dmick89,
As dumb as that man sounds, and is, he is probably more deserving of a vote than most other republican politicians. That isn’t saying a whole lot about him, but he is an obvious puppet of his party. Someone who votes for him is voting for boilerplate Republican policy as far as that even exists anymore. So many of their candidates run on a platform of just being absolutely terrible human beings. The prototypical Republican candidate runs on a platform of actively wanting to destroy huge chunks of the American population and or entire sections of the constitution. I would rather vote for a total moron than someone who is both a fascist and a moron. As terrible a candidate as Herschel Walker is, he might be in the top 5% most acceptable Republican candidates .
andcountingQuote Reply
(dying laughing). Apparently the Walker campaign had to ask an Atlanta reported for Warnock’s phone number so Hersh can concede.
BVSQuote Reply
Maybe our 500th hitting coach over the past 5 seasons will be the one to finally unfuck some swings.
berseliusQuote Reply
I mean, TFG was the one who backed his candidacy, let’s not give Walker a shred of credit here (dying laughing).
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
(dying laughing) sure, but I’m trying to be pretty clear that I’m placing him at the outermost concentric circle of hell in this hierarchy.
andcountingQuote Reply
Looks like the Cubs are getting Taillon.
PerkinsQuote Reply
4 years, $68MM
Almost nice
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/12/cubs-making-push-for-jameson-taillon.html
Rice CubeQuote Reply
So let’s call it $35MM between Bellinger and Taillon, there’s about $60MM more they can blow on Correa/Senga/whoever or they can go full Dombrowski and just sign everyone, damn the luxury tax
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Without Correa, I’m not sure this makes sense.
dmick89Quote Reply
Rice Cube,
Yeah, do the Dombrowski.
dmick89Quote Reply
I’d say Correa or Bogaerts, but agree they need a big bat shortstop for the offseason to be a success.
PerkinsQuote Reply
If hitting 62 home runs in a single season can’t even get you more than $40 million a year, what are we even doing here in the United States of America?
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
Home team discount, indeed
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Depending on which talking head is doing the talking, Correa might be the Cubs’ primary target and Senga might still be in play but now that Judge is off the board, all bets may be off
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
In all seriousness, the Judge deal and the Turner deal set up negotiating anchors for whatever Correa can expect to get. He’s not going to get Judge money, and teams have to think he’s closer to Turner in value than he is to Judge. There’s a $60 million window there (although it sounds like Turner left $340ish million on the table from San Diego). There shouldn’t be a ton of mystery about what he ends up getting, the only serious question is from whom he will get it.
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
So 9-11 years ( #neverforget), $300-$350MM? In this weird market that seems more than reasonable so it comes down to how good the Cubs recruiting spiel is.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
The Giants have been made to sound desperate so would likely be the biggest competitor for Correa’s services at this time
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
Maybe they should sign Xansby.
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
Xansby Correa, form Devastator!
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Quintana –> Mets per Rosenthal
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
That’s a weird contract, I thought Quintana was probably better than some of the other deals I saw, but I guess he’s a step behind Taillon/Walker?
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Formerly and probably still sorta elite closer gets some money
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
Couple years older (33) than Taillon. Almost like he’s getting the back end of that contract (the cheaper half—even if the pay is distributed over 4 years for Taillon they’re probably expecting his actual production to be a bit front-loaded). Not a great deal for Quintana, but he hasn’t had a full season of looking good in quite a while either. If he had done what he did for the Cardinals for a whole year instead of a half, he might have gotten more. Guess he’ll have to drive for Uber Eats in the offseason.
andcountingQuote Reply
The Padres offered Judge $400 million? And they offered Turner $342 million. And they got neither of them?
Who’s doing their negotiations, Dr. Evil?
andcountingQuote Reply
Everything about this is awesome
Rice CubeQuote Reply
andcounting,
I wonder if there’s something inherently wrong with the immediate future of the Padres roster that is just scaring free agents then, usually money can buy many peanuts
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Ugh gawd gross
https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/1600522954302898176
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Anyway, the Cubs will receive a pick after Round B (just before the third round) to mitigate any other picks/slot pools lost when they sign all the other free agents
https://www.mlb.com/glossary/transactions/qualifying-offer
Rice CubeQuote Reply
I get that the Cardinals need a catcher and Contreras needs money, but in his position I’d be very wary of signing up to replace a longterm franchise catcher and play in front of fans who seem to be a bit more racist and meatball than average and who think Molina is a Hall of Famer.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Perkins,
Especially when said fans have been wanking to catcher defense intangibles* for the past two decades. I love Willson but the Venn diagram between his and Yadi’s strengths is pretty slim.
*yes I know these are more tangible now, but I don’t think the average Cardinals fan has ever cared (dying laughing)
berseliusQuote Reply
Perkins,
They worship their players, though. I’m sure after talking with enough St. Louis reps he’s convinced he’ll get the Pujols/Molina treatment, not the Dexter Fowler treatment.
I think the shittiest thing of all is that Willson will probably thrive there and end up getting personally coached by Yadi or something and turn into the greatest framer/game caller of all time. Contreras/Arenado/Goldschmidt in whatever order they hit with the rest of that supporting cast are going to be murder. And I will be forced to be happy for Willson every time they sweep the Cubs.
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
The saddest thing is that if they had waited another season or two, his strength behind the plate to control the running game (pitch clock) and the automatic umpire (2024) would have negated the need to frame so well, plus from what I’ve read his pitchers didn’t exactly hate him, but maybe that’s just being a good teammate and they secretly hated working with him because he sucked at stuff, who the hell knows anymore
Rice CubeQuote Reply
With Senga still out there, I’m wondering . . . is Kyle Hendricks finished?
andcountingQuote Reply
Red Sox making an attempt to keep XB, so stay tuned
Rice CubeQuote Reply
andcounting,
They can 60-day him if they needed to (dying laughing)
Rice CubeQuote Reply
They can keep him around to do payroll while he’s still under contract.
berseliusQuote Reply
I stand corrected, that ghost was actually from the “Jose Quintana is still good, actually” hill. Those responsible have been sacked.
berseliusQuote Reply
I assume you heard, but Pat Hughes –> HOF
Rice CubeQuote Reply
berselius,
(dying laughing)
andcountingQuote Reply
<3
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
I had not and that is awesome.
andcountingQuote Reply
All the cheers for this one!
berseliusQuote Reply
Someone pointed out yesterday on Twitter that even if SD did offer $40 million more to Turner, after taxes he’d have received a few million less than he’s going to get from Texas. I would guess the same is true with Judge and SD. For Turner I also imagine the cost of living is higher in SD.
Or the person I saw it from is full of shit and the Padres need to hire some new people.
dmick89Quote Reply
Interview with Pat Hughes. Pretty awesome.
andcountingQuote Reply
dmick89,
State and local taxes are definitely a thing, though in Judge’s case it’s not a wide gulf between NY and CA – both have very high taxes. Guessing with Turner he’ll net the same or more in PA, though.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Perkins,
I think the effect of taxation differences in general for pro athletes get exaggerated in that people have to pay taxes in the states where they perform their work. The advantage of any one state applies only to their home games
andcountingQuote Reply
All these states have to raise money somehow, fwiw. Paying no income taxes while I lived in TX was nice, but cost of living sucked ass (dying laughing). Though once you’re past a certain point it probably doesn’t matter.
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
As always, I volunteer to receive an income well beyond whatever that certain point is and will give a full report on the difference I find it to have made.
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
But where do they do their work? Is it just the 162 games even though that is a relatively small fraction of the amount of work they put in? Do Arizona and Florida come into play for the 8+ weeks that player live in those states preparing for the season? What about the off-season when Ricky goes to Arizona to rehab and plays in the AFL and then travels to Venezuela for the Winter League? Is it really just some itemized mess like that? If it is then it probably doesn’t matter much, but we also know it does matter because some players and agents have said that’s why players chose Texas or avoided Canada.
Truthfully, most established stars work from home. That’s where a majority of their work is done. In the gyms and batting cages they put in the basement of their family houses.
dmick89Quote Reply
Florida also has no income tax, but I think having to live in Florida at all is a tax in itself.
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
Oh I’m not arguing against that. I live in NYC and have no problem with my high taxes, largely because I can see where they’re going and like having services that benefit people.
The only state with no income tax I’d ever really consider is Washington because I like Seattle, but you couldn’t pay me enough to live somewhere like Texas or Florida.
PerkinsQuote Reply
berselius,
Yeah, Florida is like a 3000% state income tax.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
Most pro athletes would pay a pro-rated portion of state taxes based on where they’ve worked, the bulk would be based on their residence, but all those road trips count for states they’d need to file in (barring some shorter term exemptions for places where maybe they only play a week’s worth of games).
I’m a consultant and traveled a ton for work pre-pandemic, so I’ve usually had to file in multiple states. One year I got up to four or five.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Sounds like XB and Red Sox are making some progress, so it’s Correa/Swanson or bust right?
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Two hours to Rule 5 draft, alas the Cubs likely lose some prospects
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
Sounds like Willy got 5 years and $87.5MM which seemed like something the Cubs could have done, but now I hope they just trade for a catcher or get a Narvaez or something
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
Between catcher, centerfield, and first base, this team is going to have some really big holes in the batting order. Maybe they do need to get two of these guys. (dying laughing)
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
If you believe that Bellinger can hit better than the in-house options, then technically it is already an upgrade
Rice CubeQuote Reply
I was thinking of him when I said, there was a hole in the batting order, (dying laughing). Anything is possible, and it’s definitely not out of the realm of reasonability to think he could bounce back, but there’s no reason to count on that. I just think it is a pill the team is willing to swallow for the benefit of his defense.
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
He did hit 19 homers so that’s at least something, could be better but allegedly he is at least a league average CF and apparently teams are paying up for league average these days, baseball economics is weird!
Rice CubeQuote Reply
The beat folks are making it sound like the Cubs are gonna have to pull off a coup to get the last big names on the board
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
Eh, there’s really nothing substantial out there. The theories and “this is what I’m hearing” stories are pretty much straight conjecture.
andcountingQuote Reply
That’s one way to get this ownership group on board.
berseliusQuote Reply
andcounting,
Hearsay and conjecture are types of evidence
PerkinsQuote Reply
Perkins,
Yes, but when the hearsay is conjecture (I’m hearing it would make sense for the Padres to get Correa) it’s pretty worthless.
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
Are we in a court of law now?
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Perkins,
I mean, this isn’t me saying you can’t believe the reporters and their sources in general. The rumors circulating right now are a bunch of reporters purely speculating based on the same information everyone has reported over the past 24 hours plus.
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
Oh I was just quoting Lionel Hutz
PerkinsQuote Reply
Perkins,
(dying laughing)
andcountingQuote Reply
Is there any new info on Correa today?
dmick89Quote Reply
So the Cubs lost Chris Clarke and it’s over already.
andcountingQuote Reply
Cubs lost a pitcher but just selected another in Rule 5, here’s the running tally
https://www.mlb.com/news/rule-5-draft-results-2022
Rice CubeQuote Reply
dmick89,
Nah, AC says it’s all hearsay so we must dismiss the evidence
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Now another pitcher in the MiLB phase, here’s the guy they lost btw:
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Perkins,
Well, he’s kind of had it in for me, since I accidentally ran over his dog. Actually, replace “accidentally” with “repeatedly,” and replace “dog” with “son.”
berseliusQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
I don’t know who half these fuckin’ guys are so I’m not even going to pretend I can write about it.
Anyway here’s a sweet moment with Hall of Famer Pat Hughes
https://twitter.com/Cubs/status/1600614268654665728?t=6vDn-TCnNdrogNDWJW9wAg&s=19
Rice CubeQuote Reply
berselius,
I move for a “bad court thingy.”
PerkinsQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
I calls ‘em likes I sees ‘em.
I do think the note that the Dodgers are out on Correa is substantial. But most of the buzz is just stuff about the Padres and Giants needing to do something after missing on literally everyone.
andcountingQuote Reply
Latest Japanese slugger going to Boston
https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/1600633927965745152?t=clPiZNlJvqXB1lB7ppuQQw&s=19
Rice CubeQuote Reply
andcounting,
I admire AJ Preller’s commitment to getting good players, but I’m not sure they “need” Correa.
PerkinsQuote Reply
The Cubs have a floor of solid-to-very good pitching so now they need to work on scoring more than four runs a game. I guess they could try to ride their pitching for a bit but I also think it’s a bit too optimistic to count on the guys from Iowa to be your offensive upgrade come midseason.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
Not that they should have signed Yoshida because he might not be that good a defender, but a Correa style bat would be nice is what I am saying.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Perkins,
Works on contingency? No – money down!
berseliusQuote Reply
I didn’t actually count, but the Pirates and Giants lost a lot of guys in the Rule 5, mostly in the MiLB phase. I don’t know if that’s a sign of a deep system or bad front officing
https://www.mlb.com/news/rule-5-draft-results-2022?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Amen to that. I live in SC, which is pretty bad, but even without the politics Florida is terrible. Heat, storms, floods, traffic, sinkholes, etc.
BVSQuote Reply
BVS,
Occasional alligators on your lawn
Rice CubeQuote Reply
The Cubs playing everything so close to the chest while every other team leaks stuff to Jon Heyman so he can fuck up a tweet is not good for my mental fan health
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Perkins,
Really? That’s nuts. You work for a company (or self-employed) where your assigned place of work is in NY, and you live in NY, but when you go on a business trip you have to pay income tax there? Doesn’t the money go to your account in NY? Is there a certain number of days you have to be there before you have to pay tax in another state? What if you consult to Calif for example by Zoom?
BVSQuote Reply
BVS,
I work for a large consulting firm. It’s only when I’m physically in another state that I have to pay state income tax there, and it’s not actually that bad: it’s a pro-rated amount based on how many days I work in that state, and those days are deducted from my NY tax burden. It’s mostly just a pain to file multiple state returns.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Perkins,
How long do you spend out of state? IIRC when this came up for remote workers here it was something like a month. And if you worked longer term out of state or the country you technically ‘work’ for a subcontractor.
berseliusQuote Reply
Perkins,
I work for a university, but I do research in Puerto Rico. I wonder if the month or so I’m there should be deducted from my federal tax. Hmmm.
Of course, PR tax is ridiculous…
BVSQuote Reply
berselius,
When I was traveling, my normal model was M-Th every week, and my projects typically last between 2 and 12 months. Every state has somewhat different rules though. I remember one project I had to go to multiple locations and didn’t have to file in Virginia because I only went there for a couple weeks.
PerkinsQuote Reply
I’ve been following BN for news but had forgotten how completely meatball the comments section there can get.
PerkinsQuote Reply
BVS,
It would get deducted from your state taxes in your own state. It only impacts federal if you pay enough state taxes to qualify for the SALT deduction (which I think was restored in the past couple years).
PerkinsQuote Reply
Perkins,
I hope one day we can have Cubs luxury tax discussions interspersed with this interesting talk of state taxes
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Perkins,
I gave up on comments at BN long ago. And really everywhere but here, tbh.
BVSQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
The easy ways to qualify for the luxury tax are becoming scarce…
BVSQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
Coke Hamels wants one more year.
andcountingQuote Reply
Jesus
https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/1600721758276894720?t=DPSX6faEQmsTYgmT7yMv6w&s=19
11 years for Bogaerts, methinks a Correa contract is gonna be insane then
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
Probably, but I’d rather see the Cubs give out an insane contract to him than the even more insane contract that Swanson is going to get.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
I’m cool with that level of insanity, feel like those 11 years is a built in deferral anyway (dying laughing)
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Fuck it, put a 12/360 deal in front of Correa.
dmick89Quote Reply
69/420 or gtfo
berseliusQuote Reply
Correa won’t take that AAV.
BVSQuote Reply
BVS,
If it’s heavily front loaded he might. Pay him the league minimum for 69 years with the rest as a signing bonus. He’d take that.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
Ah, the Bobby Bonilla special
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Knowing the Cubs they’ll probably do something ridiculous like 10/220 for Swanson.
dmick89Quote Reply
These contract lengths are bonkers.
Good for the players but… Wow!
BVSQuote Reply
BVS,
It’s a players market and I sincerely hope they stay good for a good chunk of it for the sake of the ones who follow (but probably not and then all the owners are gonna freak out about spending again)
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Just came across this Kaplan tweet again this morning and it may not have aged too well.
dmick89Quote Reply
Cubs need to flex some of their large market money today.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
Given what they just said in that tweet and in the end-of-season letter and pressers, they kind of just need to break the bank on a Correa-plus now. Might as well get Rodon too haha
Rice CubeQuote Reply
dmick89,
(dying laughing)
andcountingQuote Reply
They’re doing a step-by-step update of the draft order as folks get signed, kind of wish they could trade draft picks and slot money but MLB is dumb
https://www.mlb.com/draft/2022/order
Rice CubeQuote Reply
I wonder if Correa is getting impatient at all. He waited out the entire offseason and the lockout rush with a new agent and came away with a one-year deal with a small-market team. That wait probably will pay off, given the deals we’re seeing this time around, but there sure are a lot of big contracts out there without his name on them. If he’s still patient with $350 million on the line, I definitely wouldn’t mind seeing him at the plate with two outs in the 9th and the bases full of Cubs.
andcountingQuote Reply
A nice preview of the Cubs hype video when they sign Correa+ 😛
Rice CubeQuote Reply
FYI to the jabroni contingent, an email has been sent out to gauge your availability for the next podcast get-together wherein we either celebrate or sharpen our pitchforks, come one come all, the more the merrier etc etc
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Jason Heyward–> Dodgers (MiLB style)
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Dodgers avenge the Cubs acquisition of Bellinger by signing Heyward to a minor league deal. So petty.
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
(dying laughing)
dmick89Quote Reply
While awaiting the next big Cubs signing (dying laughing) here’s a fun way to live
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
So I was having trouble understanding the brand name “Mo Crate” in the ad. And I thought he was saying Milk Crate, which is how I furnished my apartments from undergrad thru age 32. They are flexible, but MoCrates are nicer looking for sure.
BVSQuote Reply
BVS,
I did have subtitles on and it did say “milk crate” but if it were me I’d just get some plywood and cinder blocks from Home Depot for cheaper and MacGyver it myself
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
So, if you subscribe to this design motif, would you consider yourself a student of the mocratic method?
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
I wouldn’t want to spend mo than I had to
Rice CubeQuote Reply
The quality of this comment thread has cratered.
BVSQuote Reply
BVS,
Something tells me we’re going to milk it for all it’s worth.
andcountingQuote Reply
We may be the 1056th Cubs blog on the internet, but soon we will be the #1 Dad Joke repository
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Perkins,
Sorry to drag us back on topic, but I don’t think SALT ever went away, it just got capped at $10K. I try very hard not to complain about my good fortune as a California homeowner, but as a recent California homeowner I have to pay my neighbors’ property taxes and I get absolutely boned on the cap. Anyway.
uncle daveQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
Fucking Dutch people I swear to God
uncle daveQuote Reply
I just came back to say that I might try to workshop how to wrest Sean Murphy from the A’s with Adbert and some other prospects that might hurt later on, sorry to be off topic.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
uncle dave,
I thought the floating deck was a fantastic idea and also I wouldn’t ever live that level to a canal or river as I fear flooding (dying laughing)
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
No, I think it’s marvelous. Nine times out of ten I see something that’s cool and would dramatically increase someone’s quality of life and I’m just like, “hey, must be in the Netherlands!” Fuck those people for making their lives better in ways that we’d never even dream of (dying laughing).
uncle daveQuote Reply
Congrats on the sex!
berseliusQuote Reply
uncle dave,
It does remind me of Michael Caine’s character from the Austin Powers movie where he can’t stand the Dutch
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Ewww ack gross ugh
https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/willson-contreras-mlb-baseball-st-louis-cardinals?utm_campaign=later-linkinbio-playerstribune&utm_content=later-31587002&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkin.bio
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Is Alzolay teasing something or just fucking with Cubs fans?
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
Yes
Also they should trade him for Sean Murphy
Rice CubeQuote Reply
uncle dave,
I hear a lot of Californians are enjoying living in Montana these days…
BVSQuote Reply
Mets just re-signed Nimmo and also got Robertson, those crazy rich bastards
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
Must be nice to play in that large market. Wish the Cubs had that advantage.
dmick89Quote Reply
The Mets CBT number is at least $335MM and it probably won’t even make a dent in their owner’s pocketbook
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
Apparently they are at the 90% tax tier now, so they are buying players at 1 for the price of 2.
BVSQuote Reply
The Rickettses and front office may want to cancel their Cubs convention if they don’t sign Correa. Unless they like being showered with boos and rotten fruit, that is.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Perkins,
I was gonna say that they’re almost at the point where they’re not gonna get their deposit back from the hotel if they do cancel
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Perkins,
Especially after they leaked that the team was looking to spend like crazy only to spend like a small market team.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
We’ll see how it plays out once the other two shortstops sign, but unlike the failed attempts by the Padres, Giants, and Red Sox, there have been no reports about offers the Cubs have made only to be turned down. At least Giants and Padres fans know they made huge offers to Judge or that the Padres offered more than the Phillies did to get Turner. The Cubs have just leaked their intent to spend but no specifics on actual offers. While negotiations are still ongoing it doesn’t matter, but if they go 0-4 at SS and we don’t hear that they offered the moon, there’s no point in having the convention.
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
Goodbye deposit
Rice CubeQuote Reply
andcounting,
Maybe they’ll give away free barrels of 31 yr old Jameson to go with their introduction of 31 yr old Jameson?
BVSQuote Reply
BVS,
Single nut Irish whiskey?
andcountingQuote Reply
Nothing happened? I went to bed like a good boy and everything!
Rice CubeQuote Reply
andcounting,
Jameson’s QAQC group says it was best when tested cold.
BVSQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
Still 16 days til Christmas
BVSQuote Reply
BVS,
wow
andcountingQuote Reply
Two possibilities with little in between:
1. Jed has all the money and can buy big free agents as they’re available
2. Jed is being set up for a major fall
Rice CubeQuote Reply
If the last time (which killed 95% of the 108 jokes) is any indication, should the Cubs actually throw $450MM at Correa or whatever, they’ll make it back in spades after the World Series championship(s) so yes, they should just do it
Rice CubeQuote Reply
A lower tier option is off the board as Trevor Williams goes to the Nats on a trade-for-prospects-later contract
https://twitter.com/stephenjnesbitt/status/1601234967706898437?t=VcHYcYC9wY5ooAmtFYrhWQ&s=19
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
Two things:
1. No matter what discussions the Rickettseses and Jed had, do you think they expected the $300 million AND the 10-year ceilings would get shattered right off the bat? They weren’t in on the Judge race, they never let the figure $400 million in their sights. Once the Padres and Giants started throwing out offers to Judge, they entered a different mind space than everyone else. Will the Cubs get there? Maybe they we’re prepared to spend actually big and not just “what they expected big to be” big. But I don’t think so.
That said, the fact that so many big names who haven’t signed means those guys and their agents still think they can get more than what they’ve been offered so far. It’s not the worst sign in the world that nothing much has happened since the meetings ended.
I forgot what the second thing was.
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
I feel like this front office is dumb if they didn’t anticipate it even if us peasants didn’t, they have far more info than we do, especially when we have to rely on rubes like Heymanfor info
Rice CubeQuote Reply
andcounting,
Oh, and the MLBPA should go ahead and name Dave Dombrowski their president because I’m not sure anyone has done as much as he has to make sure the players get what they’re asking for.
andcountingQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
That’s kind of assuming that these things can be known in advance. I’m pretty certain there was a front office exec poll going around that predicted numbers way less than this.
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
In that case I hope Jed asks for more money or a lot of this blame has to go to ownership for overplaying their hand (dying laughing)
Rice CubeQuote Reply
I’m just saying that if they were going to do all this and double down and not walk it back, they should hopefully have the funds to justify it and make something happen
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
Absolutely they should. And I think Correa/Swanson think they will.
andcountingQuote Reply
So many of these contracts scream the potential to be Kevin Brown or Stephen Strasburg albatrosses. Probably all of them. Some will be bad because of poor performance (Heyward-type albatrossiness) but others from injury. I’m thinking that the next union contract should allow contracts that are being paid by insurance to be excluded from the luxury tax. Also some personal services option that would allow a player to retire but still get paid for whatever they negotiated. That would help teams continue to pay players, teams to continue to be competitive instead of held down by sunk costs in luxury tax, and players to get good (amazing!) contracts.
There are probably tons of problems with this, but I haven’t thought it through. 🙂
BVSQuote Reply
BVS,
I like the injury forgiveness thing (dying laughing)
Rice CubeQuote Reply
BVS,
I think this CBA attempted to get the 0-3 players way more money so they can at least recoup some earnings that they won’t get because the tech Bros hate free agency but more should probably be done, also I’m still for a salary floor
Rice CubeQuote Reply
BVS,
Rice Cube,
I would expect owners to play with the boundaries of “injury” the same way GMs finagle them to manipulate their rosters. That said, insurance companies tend to be pretty good at demanding receipts, so the chicanery would have its limits.
Imposing a salary floor would be perfectly easy to legislate if the owners were forced to open their books. The fact that they don’t have to is ludicrous. The debates about what players deserve to be paid would pretty much cease at that point.
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
A salary cap/floor system pretty much demands revenue transparency and revenue sharing, oui?
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Ugh ewww gross yuck
https://twitter.com/dgoold/status/1601256460843118593?t=FAikh4IMiwUQxlqyu2Ilrw&s=19
I wonder how much of Willson’s perceived issues with catching are his problem and how much was just Cubs coaching being terrible
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
We’ll have to take a wait-and-see approach
PerkinsQuote Reply
With Hendricks being the last of the 2016 crew (aside from manager Grandpa Rossy) the Cubs 2023 slogan should be “NOW it’s really different here”
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Post-2023 free agent list full of meh after Shohei and Machado so they really should spend NOW
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
I think the issues were based on wanting a unicorn.
Framing stats, as I recall, were wildly variable over the years on Willson. If Lester liked him enough to recommend him to the Cards, that says a lot in my book. Of course, Lester needed Willson’s arm, but prior to Willson he worked with Ross, and I don’t recall Ross’s pickoff/CS numbers being amazing.
BVSQuote Reply
andcounting,
From the Athletic’s article about signing Taillon:
There you go.
BVSQuote Reply
BVS,
“Some” suggests those like when Billy Beane got screwed by Boras in Moneyball
Rice CubeQuote Reply
I saw some Twitter conversations suggesting that if they can swap out Gomes and Madrigal, the Cubs as currently constructed with Bellinger in tow should be at average (i.e. >100 wRC+) so the contingency, I suppose, is to make sure the pitching infrastructure can keep this offense in the game often enough. This also means they should do their best to make sure Stroman isn’t the #1 starter, since they didn’t spend money to buy a good bat. I would prefer to shore up the offense rather than relying on pitching that could break down at any point, however.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
I don’t believe them.
dmick89Quote Reply
I’m not so sure that the newly added minor league members would be happy about having Dombrowski in charge (dying laughing)
berseliusQuote Reply
BVS,
Eh, the whole ‘everyone is leaving’ thing is a bit overblown. Most of the folks who have left are younger and can’t afford to buy here because for whatever reason we’ve stopped building places for them to live. But I think they’d generally be here if they could, Prop 13 notwithstanding.
uncle daveQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
I saw that in the theater with my then-roommate in grad school, who was from the Netherlands. Zero sense of humor (dying laughing)…
uncle daveQuote Reply
uncle dave,
My parents told me about new “affordable housing” in our neighborhood but my wife and I looked and “affordable” is still over $650K and closer to $1MM which is lame. Rent is close to $3000 a month and that’s only because we got lucky
Rice CubeQuote Reply
dmick89,
Also, in that interview, Crane said that Jed didn’t spend all the money he had allotted to him last season. That would seem to indicate he may very well not exhaust his resources this season either. And nothing that dude said made it sound as though any of the remaining big names will fit into that budget. The most troubling thing, though, is the fact that he is even the one doing the interview. Hoyer is VP of baseball operations, and Kenney is VP of business operations, and I think we can tell by the nature of the interview that baseball operations and their budget fall under the umbrella of business. I think it’s fair to assume that Kenney is in charge of setting the budget for Jed, and that removes any hope I had that the rest of this off-season will be productive.
andcountingQuote Reply
uncle dave,
Hey! I’m Dutch (descent) and have a sense of humor, evidence is comment 174, (dying laughing).
BVSQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
Yeah, the market is kind of beyond redemption at this point. Glad I’ve wasted my adult life trying to fix it…
uncle daveQuote Reply
BVS,
So should I call you B van S?
uncle daveQuote Reply
No Mets staaaaaaaaaaaahp
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/12/mets-still-interested-in-kodai-senga-after-recent-signings.html
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
If Javy still played for the Mets I’d have a hard time not becoming a Mets fan.
dmick89Quote Reply
Javy giving Mets fans the thumbs down sign, getting his teammates to do it too, and getting those same Mets fans to go crazy cheering for him within two games was one of the all-time fun things to watch on a team outside of Chicago.
andcountingQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
This is the thing that is deafening if you really listen to what Crane Kenney said today. He made it painfully clear what type of budget he was allowing Jed to have. He said they didn’t make the playoffs last year, and this year they’re going to try to make the playoffs. He handed Jed $150 million and said “go get that 3rd wild card.”
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
Yeah “making the playoffs” doesn’t mean what it used to, but momentum after a surprise run like what Philly did would go a long way too. I would just prefer not to have to squint to see a potential contender, and it’s not like my vision is that good anyway.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
From what I little I can tell looking through the schedule and who the Cubs dealt and acquired, they looked more like a bottom 3-5 team by August than those surprising results would indicate. Without a significant investment, I don’t see how the team comes close to even contending. Correa puts them in the playoff picture. I’m not sure anyone else does. Swanson and Senga probably would, but just go sign Correa. I hate it when it’s this obvious.
dmick89Quote Reply
Yeah Cubs, make like these teams and put a damn hole in the wall and make your own window year after year https://twitter.com/BillShaikin/status/1601341000030375936?t=2-np4ySrlqM2NHiAkNYhxw&s=19
Rice CubeQuote Reply
The number being floated at this time is 8 years and $200MM for Dansby, if that’s what it is they might as well sign Correa instead but if they just get Dansby they need to also add a bunch of other talent, which at that point they might as well just sign Correa as well anyway.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
Yeah, it would be crazy to give Swanson that kind of money with Correa still available.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
Just get both, and then some pitchers too (dying laughing)
Rice CubeQuote Reply
uncle dave,
Sure
Rice Cube,
This
BVSQuote Reply
Cubs got Eric Stout. I take it all back.
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
I bet he gets a fat contract
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Wow, Grant Wahl died in Qatar…
https://twitter.com/ussoccer/status/1601401947692863489?t=XSx-pdF7rgt9EXZAnWctiw&s=19
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
Twitter says this is suspicious. Real media says the story is developing.
BVSQuote Reply
Hm, saw this just now on MLBTR, guess MLB cares about how fancy your accounting is after all
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/12/latest-on-padres-pursuit-of-aaron-judge.html
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Not a bat, but would be nice nevertheless …then again, who knows what is true on Twitter anymore?
https://twitter.com/MoJaviDesert32/status/1601442164772261888?t=G47hOTDv0-i7eCBa9AgUKg&s=19
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
Would be nice, but they still need a bat.
dmick89Quote Reply
Rice Cube,
Breaking news on television. How provincial.
andcountingQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
Just awful news. Amazing writer died too soon.
berseliusQuote Reply
Just when we thought they were done spending.
andcountingQuote Reply
Nico got some Xmas money
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/12/dylan-cease-tops-pre-arbitration-bonus-pool.html
Rice CubeQuote Reply
According to Heyman its Cubs, Twins, Giants et. al. still in on Turner. Still no real sign of where he’ll head, but at least they’re not telling people they’re out.
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
After the Arson Judge fiasco let’s just assume he’s an agent’s mouthpiece (dying laughing)
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
andcounting,
The one I see is re: Correa unless he had one about Justin Turner I didn’t see…
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
I meant Correa. No idea how that happened.
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
All them shortstops look alike
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
I’m an unapologetic positionist. 2B, 1B, RF first. I’m a right (side of the diamond) supremacist.
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
(dying laughing)
dmick89Quote Reply
Ban the shift, secure the border to keep the shortstops off our side of the infield. Make baseball great again.
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
Build the wall between the left and the right side.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
Whether it’s shortstops playing on the right side of the diamond, or ownership coming out if left field to undermine democracy, both sides bear some blame for the current state of the game
berseliusQuote Reply
dmick89,
And make Correa pay for it. (dying laughing)
berselius,
(dying laughing)
andcountingQuote Reply
berselius,
I am a man of compromise, and I think we need a strong defense up the middle to solidify our lineup against the tyranny of bad baseball
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Lots of comments, so new shit for the conversation to continue apace –> http://www.obstructedview.net/avoid-being-average/
Rice CubeQuote Reply