The Cubs have locked up two of their core talents in Starlin Castro and Anthony Rizzo already. There have been rumors about the Cubs interest in locking up Jeff Samardzija, but it hasn't happened. Samardzija isn't thinking about it, but he certainly seems open to the idea. "I haven't thought about that too much, to tell you the truth," Samardzija …
Anthony Rizzo: Not a disappointment
As a Cubs fan (ostensibly – why would you read this otherwise?), you really haven't had many reasons to cheer this year. Arguably, the most exciting good thing is that the one the Cubs' tradeable pieces didn't get hurt long enough to be traded (Jake Arrieta, hello! I wish it was 2009 so I could be excited). We've seen Starlin …
What the hell am I missing? Can the Cubs contend in 2014 or 2015?
Over the last two or three days, I've read a few articles that have mentioned that the Cubs could contend as early as next season. I don't want to single anybody out, because I have a lot of respect for both of these writers. The first time I read it, I thought "what the hell?". The second time I read …
If you had Luis Valbuena in the office pool, raise your hand
It’s June 19th and the Cubs are 69 games into their season. You and I probably picked Anthony Rizzo as the most productive position player on the team through this many games, assuming he remained healthy. I think most everybody would have taken Rizzo and almost no one would have taken Luis Valbuena. Well, Valbuena has had a surprisingly good …
Starlin Castro isn’t any better than his rookie season
I haven't posted anything in a couple weeks. Thanks to everyone else for taking over. I've mentioned it before, but I've had neck problems for 6+ months now. They've continued and I've been unable to do much of anything. Unfortunately, it's only slightly better right now because of medication and I won't be around that much over the next few …
2013 MLB Draft: who do you take?
The first round of the 2013 MLB Draft is on June 6th and we haven't written much about it lately. A few days ago in the comments, jtsunami (think it was him) mentioned that he might lean more toward Kris Bryant because of his 80 power. For those not familiar with the scouting scale, players are graded on a 20-80 …
Talking Cubs/Mets on the Met Musings Podcast
I had an opportunity to join Gary McDonald on his Mets Musings podcast earlier today to talk a bit about the Cubs as we get ready to see Matt Harvey and the Mets this weekend at Wrigley Field. My part starts at about the 20 minute mark, but before that Gary talks about Ike Davis' struggles and some of the other …
A look at Anthony Rizzo’s new contract
The Cubs signed Anthony Rizzo to a contract last night. GW wrote about it in the wee hours of the morning today. Let's recap the specifics, along with GW's take on it. Anthony Rizzo has signed a long term extension with the Cubs. Ken Rosenthal has the details. The deal is for at least seven years (including 2013) and $41 million, …
Cubs under contract for 2015
With the Anthony Rizzo signing, I thought it'd be sweet to show you the "Cubs Core;" players under team control for 2015 (when we should EXPECT a competitive team instead of just hoping). Anthony Rizzo: 2021 Starlin Castro: 2020 Welington Castillo: 2017 Edwin Jackson: 2016 Luis Valbuena: 2016 Travis Wood: 2016 Darwin Barney: 2016 Jeff Samardzija: 2015 James Russell: 2015 …
Anthony Rizzo Signs Extension With the Cubs
Anthony Rizzo has signed a long term extension with the Cubs. Ken Rosenthal has the details. The deal is for at least seven years (including 2013) and $41 million, which includes what would have been Rizzo's first free agent season in 2019. In addition, it contains two club options which would bring the total contract to 9 years and $68 million, …