Which of those A ball guys is going to make it to the big leagues this year? In September, you mean?

The truth is, the genius of Theo Epstein is that fact that he has you convinced that he is working some highly-evolved process more complex than splitting the atom. Rick Hahn is just doing simple shit. Like trading for Avisail Garcia and signing Abreu.

_________________
Communists are just people who are terrible at capitalism.

I would bet that Aviail Garcia has a better career than any current Cub minor leaguer.

_________________
Communists are just people who are terrible at capitalism.

And you would lose that bet.

_________________
Go Cubs!!!!

Nope. Just let me know when the championships result.

_________________
Communists are just people who are terrible at capitalism.

We'll let teams like the Royals, Cubs, and Rays tank for half a decade or more to try and be competitive. It's ok.

Good luck with your plan though.

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Thank you. I have watched Cubs teams try to do the patchwork, quick-fix it thing many times and I am much more in favor of the current approach. When it comes time for the Cubs to contend, they will be able to add the free agent or two that can put them over the top. If they want to sign a top tier free agent like Tanaka, it makes sense. The Cubs have just a couple of top notch starting pitchers that will be ready for the majors in the next couple of years. But there is no sense in signing guys like Edwin jackson again. Either it's a guy who signs for lower end money with a lot of upside that they can flip, or a top tier guy they build around. No 2nd tier guys needed.

_________________
Go Cubs!!!!

I hate to break it to you, but the Cubs aren't doing anything special. They are bad, and they choose to stay bad. One day, when Ricketts has extracted enough money out to pay down debt, or build hotels, or to put up more advertising he'll start to pay and the Cubs will likely be in the same position the Sox are now which is making as many moves as they can to catch up to the better teams.

If what you say is true, then we wouldn't be looking at a Red Sox championship, but a Royals championship.

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

You are not breaking anything to anyone, you are forwarding a bad thought/opinion. Yes, the Cubs chose to be bad for a few seasons, during which they are rebuilding the team with high draft picks, the signings of highly rated international players, and through trades of established players that they flip for young players with high ceilings. When all those young "phenoms" are fully developed and those who pan out are ready for playing at the big-league level, the team will begin an era in which they will contend on a yearly basis, rather than a sporadic basis...... which is what teams that do patchwork jobs can only hope to do.

_________________
Go Cubs!!!!

Like all bad teams do...

Bump this thread when the Cubs and Astros meet in the World Series off of this revolutionary new plan.

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

The Cubbie (potential) pitching is largely non-existent.

The Really Smart Guys running the team have no history of success signing free agents who will be productive. All they've ever done is fleece the cash poor (uh-oh) and take advantage of a system that no longer exists. As a matter of fact, Theo was conned into believing "the program" would be largely different than has turned out.

And can we stop with the Special (this time) Cubbie Commitment to building a top tier organization? Cub sheeple soured on it when proposed by Dallas Green. They didn't like it with Larry Himes . Andy McPhail was supposed to replicate the Minnesota Twins' system. Jim Hendry's expertise was supposedly as a amateur/area scout ready to run roughshod over the draft. The Cubbie Way will produce 2-3 Brooks Kieschnick's for every average MLB player it produces. The Theo/Cubbie Way is a provable fraud in the current system.

Hahn has for modest $, aging players and modest talent gotten three starters, either a well thought of potential leadoff hitter and two middle of the order hitters. When Dunn's $$ comes off the books, I'm starting to trust Hahn to do solid, measured work to pick up at least two solid players that will make this team a legitimate contender by 2015. THAT'S patchwork?!?

_________________
There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

Funny how you guys all want to throw stones at Cub fans for praising Theo and Co for any moves they make and now a couple moves that are very questionable at best and all of a sudden you guys are doing the same to Hahn. You guys have no clue how these things are going to go.

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

The difference is that there aren't Sox fans who seem to think they've figured out some new secret formula for success.

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

It's not a new plan. The Braves and Rays have used this method with great success in recent years. The Twins had a great run, before their more recent stretch in which they have struggled. But the teams that can afford to add a key component when needed, to add to the core they build through the minor leagues, are the teams that can have the greatest success. The Cubs will have that luxury when the time comes. i said nothing about the Astros and your inclusion of a team blatently more interested in making money than contending makes no sense.

_________________
Go Cubs!!!!

The Cubs are right there in terms of making money rather than contending.

I can name teams that became successful without tanking for multiple years too.

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

This.

_________________
There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

Everything done in the examples you give and the failure to implement a proper farm system in the past, was all under Tribune ownership or sam Zell ownership. It has nothing to do with that which has occurred under the Ricketts ownership in the past few years. In that time the farm system has gone from one of the worst in baseball to one of the best. Your thoughts/opinions expressed are without merit. What you have just written is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever read. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone on this board is now dumber for having read it. You are awarded no points and may God have mercy on your soul.

_________________
Go Cubs!!!!

And the majority of us Cub fans have told you several times we do not feel like they have found some secret formula. we are just happy they are trying a new approach since the approach of the last 50 years clearly did not work. You take the yappings of a couple of Cub fan boys and put them on top of all of us.

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

I knew you didn't read what you posted.

_________________
2018
#ExtendLafleur

I think the over the top optimism for the Cubs has started to go away as the rebuild didn't go as fast as possible. Fair point.

There are still holdovers. Some of them aren't here any more though.

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Sure I did. It's a post in response to something I read, not something I heard. So I had to change the wording a bit to fit the situation.

_________________
Go Cubs!!!!

Sure there was some over the top optimism. But the majority of us around here were not expecting anything fast. We were saying 2015 at the earliest when they would be competitive. Of the objective guys around here I cannot think of one who has really wavered on that.

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

It wasn't just competitive. It was talk of how they are building a dynasty and every year they should be a playoff team and how they are stocking the minor league system with future talent.

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Not from anyone objective around here. Again, you are taking the yappings of a couple or some idiot in the media and putting on the majority of Cub fans.

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

Under the Ricketts' family ownership play #1 was to convince the deluded that they(Ricketts') were fans first and foremost. That they were committed to building a long term winner, as fans first. They proved that Cub fandom by overpaying $900MM and being unable to close for 9-10 months, while they watched the team value settle at $700MM. Play#2 was to allow Crane Kenney to effectively run the organization for three years. Crane Kenney of the exorcisms & Cubs baseball pants. Play#3 was to effectively fire a GM, but not actually fire him for 1.5 seasons. Play #4 was to promote (as vital) a redevelopment plan they haven't been able to implement for now what 4+ years?!?

Now to the current President/GM. He privately must feel like an idiot who fell for the "banana in the tail pipe" trick. He was told that by 2013/14 he'd have actual money to spend. He doesn't. He's seemingly learned that baseball operations have been relegated to second position behind business. They have picked highly for four years now, and the true Cub way has been to wildly promote and then overvalue prospects. Maybe these kids will pan out, but it's far from certain as they are a long way away from the Majors.

Theo has taken full advantage of that and the ranking of their farm system is the only good result of the last 2-3 years. But he still has no pitching in the pipeline. He's continued his tradition for overpaying for bad pitching, but has done nicely with turning short term reclamation projects into prospects, but that's about it. A stellar organization now, definitely.

Of course the same could be said about the Royals' system since the 90's, the Twins for much of the last decade and now the Cubs. Congrats.

_________________
There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

It's in poor taste to talk ill of the banned.

I will retreat.

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

In a couple seasons they shouls be poised to CONTEND for their division year in and year out. Nobody said they will be a playoff team every single season. Injuries can play a huge part in the season for every team. But they should be in the playoffs most seasons and contending for them every year. That's the whole point in going through the painful losing that has to be a part of the process.....to get to the point where you have built a team that can be a contender for the long haul and win Championships. Using 2nd tier players for a quick-fix only helps a team to be good enough to be mediocre and delay the realization that the team isn't good enough to really contend.

_________________
Go Cubs!!!!

Exhibit A.

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

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

Lets remember this guy Hahn, is the same guy who decided to let A.J. go so that Flowers could take over as the starting catcher. Tyler Flowers had just completed a 2012 season in which he struck out in 41% of his at bats, and hit just .213. he failed miserably in 2013, hitting just .195, while striking out in 36% of his at bats. What does Hahn do.....sign's him to a new contract! He also signs Konerko to a new deal, even though he has Dunn as his DH and Viciedo who could play (and should play) that position if Dunn is hurt or needs a day off. He should have begun a rebuilding last season, rather than re-signing Peavy and keeping the team together as he did. The team would have probably had a better record and the rebuilding would have already begun. Instead he's doing a half-assed job doing a patchwork job and including guys like Konerko and Flowers that should have been eliminated from the equation.

_________________
Go Cubs!!!!

What? Having Peavy allowed him to make the best rebuilding move he made.

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!