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OT: Baseball offseason and free agents 2019-2020 edition

I'm staying in tonight watching GoT reruns, so I dug into it just a bit more and am writing this post completely and totally in spite of Willycat, who has yet to support any argument he's ever made with.... anything at all, really.

If the Cubs signed all of the pending free agents I mentioned, they'd be in lux tax hell

Rizzo is looking at a $150MM deal, Bryant a $250MM deal, Baez a $200MM deal, Schwarber a $100MM deal and Lester will be washed by the time his deal is up.

Rizzo 6/150 (based off Hosmer's deal)
Bryant 8/250 (based off Arenado's deal)
Baez 7/200 (he was hard to gauge)
Schwarber 5/100 (based on age/power output/OBP, can DH in AL or play a subpar OF in NL)

That's around $100MM AAV, and AAV is what's counted against the lux tax, which will be around $212-15MM in 2022. Obviously the numbers could vary greatly, but I think I was spot on for Rizzo/Bryant based on past player contract comps and production. Baez could be anywhere from $150-250MM depending on how he does the next two years, so I used $200MM as a middle ground.

Schwarber was a weird one too but he'll only be in his age 28 season at FA so he should get paid, relatively speaking.

Then they also have to replace Lester after next year and Quintana after this year. That's a ton of money off the books, but also a ton of IP to replace. Chatwood off the books as well. I'd assume they'll look to resign/extend Q as a reliable innings eater who won't break the bank. Lester might hang em up. Chatwood is gone.

Looking at the 2020-21 free agent SPs, it's REALLY bare bones. Nobody is close to top tier on this list.

So they'll have to find pitching via the trade market. As it sits right now, Keith Law has their farm ranked 28th in baseball. Baseball America has them 22nd. They'll fill one void with Braelyn Marquez who's a LHP with freaky good stuff but not ready for a 175IP workload quite yet. Dude could be a stud though, LHP that throw 97-100 don't grow on trees.

After that it's slim Pickens in the farm. So my question is, who do they trade for SP? Not a clue. Obviously there is bias here, but I'm of the opinion that if they aren't cruising to a division title come July 2021, they blow it up, trade 2-3 of their core guys and totally restock the farm. Then they'll be playing for 2025ish.

LMK where I'm wrong, would love to keep this convo going in spite of Willycat and because I love this shit.

PS - love how he called for moderators to delete the thread or w/e, while simultaneously breaking Rivals' rules in calling anyone who's participated in this (really fun) convo a loser.

Cubs better hit lightning in a bottle this season, as this is their last legitimate shot for awhile. JayHey and Darvish contracts aren’t going away. My boy Johnny Lester is a tough hombre but he can’t carry the load anymore. Chatwood contract is fortunately coming to an end and not convinced Kimbrel will rebound.

No way I would trade the pale hose future for the Cubbies. Willy just barks and never retorts with any kind of real argument to support his position. Just silly crap about tax payer park and attendance. Hopefully, it really is bye for him on this topic as he is overmatched.
 
Moderators, can we move this to the baseball board , or maybe the Rant Board. Anywhere but on a NU Football Board. Maybe all of these losers can start a Purple Sox Board. BYE!


LOL. Poor willy, poor cubs.
 
As bright as the Sox future apparently is, it’s also still the future (a future that could arrive in ‘20).

There’s a wide array of possible results, and guys like Cease and Rodon and Madrigal (remember Dustin Ackley? Of course you don’t) and Robert are far from guaranteed.

While being a fan of a team on the upswing is fun (a Chicago ex-pat, I’m all in on Acuña and Albies and the incredibly exciting Braves), it surprises me to see how overconfident the Sox fans here are on a team that lost 89 (could’ve been 90!) last season.

The Cubs will be miserable to watch most of the season — tick, tick, tick — but the Sox might be terrible as well.

(Of course, there’s a 75% chance this overconfidence is just willy-trolling, a pastime I fully support.)
 
As bright as the Sox future apparently is, it’s also still the future (a future that could arrive in ‘20).

There’s a wide array of possible results, and guys like Cease and Rodon and Madrigal (remember Dustin Ackley? Of course you don’t) and Robert are far from guaranteed.

While being a fan of a team on the upswing is fun (a Chicago ex-pat, I’m all in on Acuña and Albies and the incredibly exciting Braves), it surprises me to see how overconfident the Sox fans here are on a team that lost 89 (could’ve been 90!) last season.

The Cubs will be miserable to watch most of the season — tick, tick, tick — but the Sox might be terrible as well.

(Of course, there’s a 75% chance this overconfidence is just willy-trolling, a pastime I fully support.)
A team projected 85 wins or so and to make the playoffs will be miserable to watch? Huh? Look, I'm at best a baseball agnostic and only have a passing interest in the Cubs because I live right next to Wrigley and it's fun to get excited about stuff, but Sox fans have been embarrassing themselves in this thread.

In reality, 85 wins would be the best Sox season since the first Obama administration. Have the Sox made the playoffs in a year that didn't start with 200x? Celebrating salary cap tactics is just fantastic. The Sox are on the uptick...except if they're not. How many promising teams never get it together for various reasons and underachieve?

The Cubs are definitely on the downswing with this core and salvaging it doesn't seem possible, Cubs fans are annoying, willy is super annoying, but let's have a dose of reality. This is like Indiana fans chirping after having their best season ever...at 8-5 and 4th in their division...except the Sox didn't even have a good season, they just recruited a couple of 4-stars and landed a couple of transfers (I guess this is more like Purdue).
 
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As bright as the Sox future apparently is, it’s also still the future (a future that could arrive in ‘20).

There’s a wide array of possible results, and guys like Cease and Rodon and Madrigal (remember Dustin Ackley? Of course you don’t) and Robert are far from guaranteed.

While being a fan of a team on the upswing is fun (a Chicago ex-pat, I’m all in on Acuña and Albies and the incredibly exciting Braves), it surprises me to see how overconfident the Sox fans here are on a team that lost 89 (could’ve been 90!) last season.

The Cubs will be miserable to watch most of the season — tick, tick, tick — but the Sox might be terrible as well.

(Of course, there’s a 75% chance this overconfidence is just willy-trolling, a pastime I fully support.)

Most Sox fans see the team winning something around 85 games, as does Vegas, Steamer, ZIPS, etc. Nobody is calling World Series.

And Dustin Ackley was a huge bust, yes. Though I have the bet with Corbi, I still don't like Madrigal really, at least not from the 4th pick.

Cease looked fantastic the other day. We'll see if he's found fastball command over the winter. But yes, a lot of the season's success hinges on Rodon/Kopech returning and giving the team good innings, not just innings. If they do, and one of Cease/Lopez emerges and Giolito pitches anywhere near like he did last year, it'll be a good season.
 
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A team projected 85 wins or so and to make the playoffs will be miserable to watch? Huh? Look, I'm at best a baseball agnostic and only have a passing interest in the Cubs because I live right next to Wrigley and it's fun to get excited about stuff, but Sox fans have been embarrassing themselves in this thread.

In reality, 85 wins would be the best Sox season since the first Obama administration. Have the Sox made the playoffs in a year that didn't start with 200x? Celebrating salary cap tactics is just fantastic. The Sox are on the uptick...except if they're not. How many promising teams never get it together for various reasons and underachieve?

The Cubs are definitely on the downswing with this core and salvaging it doesn't seem possible, Cubs fans are annoying, willy is super annoying, but let's have a dose of reality. This is like Indiana fans chirping after having their best season ever...at 8-5 and 4th in their division...except the Sox didn't even have a good season, they just recruited a couple of 4-stars and landed a couple of transfers (I guess this is more like Purdue).

I don’t think the Sox will contend in 20. The Twins should run away and hide from everyone even with average pitching. I think 22 is the year they contend. I am not sold on Ricky taking them to a title. Nice man, but not an awe inspiring guy with his moves. Might be a Collins to Jackson move after a hiccup in 21.

The problem with Cubs fans is there are an abundance like Willy. They read blurbs in the Tribune above how Eloy can’t play defense and it’s their consistent mantra for years after. All the while they have never seen him play in anything more than ABC news sports highlights. Why because the Cubs couldn’t possibly be fleeced by the Sox in a trade. Yes, many Sox fans like me can embellish on things at the expense of Willy. Tax payer park, attendance are fun to respond too, because we all know Willy is defeated when those phrases come out. Let’s not talk about the product or the future! Willy is our very own Northwestern Cornhusker.

Here’s one Sox fan that thinks the Cubs will have a better record in 20 than the Sox. If the Sox play anything over 500 it is a step in the right direction.
 
A team projected 85 wins or so and to make the playoffs will be miserable to watch? Huh?
Miserable in a “dying a slow death” kind of way.

Though watching Baez would be fun under any circumstances.

Watching Kimbrel will not.
 
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