The Pirates and Rays have faced criticism from fans and pundits for a lack of spending, plus they were two of the four teams cited in a grievance filed by the players’ union about the quartet’s use of revenue-sharing funds. ESPN.com’s David Schoenfield, however, argues that the Bucs and Rays didn’t boast big payrolls even when they were in contention, and the larger issue that hurt Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay in 2017 was a lack of production from homegrown talent. Neither club has done a good job of drafting and developing prospects in recent years, and the lack of a strong pipeline of minor league talent is deadly for any smaller-market franchise.
Here’s more from around the baseball world…
- The hiring of new manager Alex Cora as gave the Red Sox some insight into how the Astros (Cora’s former team) used analytics to help with in-game strategy, and it made the Sox realize that they were falling behind in the advanced statistics arms race, WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford reports. Boston’s analytics department is now up to 10 full-time employees (plus interns) after some offseason hirings, and the team has drastically overhauled its advance scouting and data-gathering methodology to better get information to Cora and the coaching staff.
- Jason Heyward’s struggles since joining the Cubs have almost reached the point of historical oddity, as “this type of production drop during a player’s prime is nearly unprecedented, especially when injuries aren’t a factor,” The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma writes (subscription required). Heyward has just a .243/.315/.353 slash line over 1073 PA for Chicago, as opposed to the .268/.353/.431 he posted in 3429 PA with the Braves and Cardinals over his first six seasons. Sharma cites a few other players who went through similarly sudden early declines, and only former Dodgers and Expos outfielder/first baseman Ron Fairly was able to entirely rebound and again become a productive hitter. Still, Heyward has been working with new hitting coach Chili Davis and the Cubs are still hopeful that he can regain some of his old stroke.
- Major League Baseball recently held a showcase for some of the top international prospects who will become available when the 2018-19 international signing window opens on July 2. In a subscription-only piece, Baseball America’s Ben Badler (two links) has the breakdown of some of the pitchers who made a particular impression, with some of these young arms already linked to such teams as the Cubs, Diamondbacks, Marlins, and Phillies.
How were the Red Sox behind the 8 ball when it comes to advanced statistics when they have The Godfather of sabermetrics worming for them
Just because they had the information doesn’t mean they were utilizing it correctly. I think that’s where they realized they needed to make changes
Bill James is way behind the times and is a sad boor as well. Check his twitter some time. The SABR revolution he created has passed him by. It happens to all dinosaurs.
How are stats “behind the times?”
Someone here said he thinks (admitting they had nothing to back it up) that they think his struggles are psychological and Heyward’s production declined after a fastball broke his jaw, since then he’s never looked comfortable at the plate.
… but Stanton got hit in the face, and He came back to win MVP? (albeit barely in one of narrowest race)
Point being, Heyward’s story IS a historical oddity, and I hope he rebounds! (I don’t enjoy putting down Cubs’ fans, about the Heyward contract like so many others)
For what it’s worth, Heyward showed a slight improvement in 2017 (.631 OPS to a .715 OPS)
I truly believe he improves further, 2018.
Unfortunately, it’s not worth much. Going from awful to bad isn’t all that impressive.
That’s closer to average than it is to bad. Even Zobrist had a lower OPS.
His contract is obviously a burden, but there’s still at least some hope for him.
But…but… they won a championship !
he got hit in the face in 2013.
Between 2014 and 2015 he had a 115 wrc+ and 11.2 fwar. He was still a very productive player post injury.
Since coming to the cubs he has a 78wRC+ and 2.5 fwar. So I don’t think that getting hit in the face explains, at all, his inability to hit since joining the cubs.
Thank you for clarifying that. I thought it was an interesting theory to bring up, and I’m glad you debunked it.
I just knew you guys would tell me, it’s a viable theory. thought it was interesting before, and really wanted to know what you guys thought about it.
Heyward got hit in the face well before he had his best year with the Cardinals. I don’t know what happened to cause such an insane decline, but he just gets beat by fastballs all the time. I’ve never seen a player of his stature be so late on mediocre fastballs before.
How often do you see players have their best year in a contract year and then stink it up after they get that big contract. I’m not saying this is what Heyward did, but it’s not an uncommon occurrence in sports. And I can’t blame these guys as many of them see it as a job. From the time they are 6 or 8 years old all they do is focus on getting better. By the time they are 30 and they finally get their big payday they are burned out.
@amishthunderak Holy recency bias. His year with the Cardinals wasn’t his best year, just the last decent offensive season he’s sad. I’d put years 1 and 3 ahead of that, with year 4 being just barely behind it.
The Panda stunk it up even before the last couple yrs started. He not only slipped he fell down face first. Then had the gall to admit he went overboard eating when he was getting this money! Other than Crawford not earning his pay, he would just refuse to play getting Tito n Theo on the hot seat. I really sick of players doing that. I’m still resentful of Crawford, he did a lotta damage in Boston.
Adrian Beltre Mariners career says hi
Beltre was a victim of Seattle’s insanely deep left-center gap; a dead zone for right-handed pull-hitters. But I would argue Seattle got their money’s worth in the end, largely due to his defense.
Time for us all to get honest about Theo and not just heap praise on him. The guy has made his share of really bad deals.
How dare you
I can taste your salt from here.
And he won a championship in Chicago. You would trade that for all the ineptitude your favorite franchise has shown in the last decade.
DimintrilnLA…WHERE DO YOU GET OFF?!?!
He’s made more better ones than bad ones. Really Heyward so far is the only really bad one. I can go through each mlb team and start picking apart bad deals. Be for real and stop being a jelouse troll. It’s because of Kemp and all those wasted dollars LA couldn’t get anyone this year. That will haunt them. CK is getting older and starting to have injury issues. He’s still great. Hill n Wood over achieved last year that won’t repeat in 2018 watch n learn
5….4….3….2….1
There it is!
Lol. You’re not gonna win them all, dude. If we could predict the future, non of us would be sitting on here typing about sports players. We’d be a billion dollars richer, and getting bj’s and massages from high end escorts on our yachts. Theo is a baseball front office mastermind. Perfect? No. Close? Yes.
Thank you! U r right. U can’t win em all right? Edwin Jackson was the other one that comes to mind. Guess it’s karma for getting lucky with Arrieta, Strope &. Lester, among others.
The odd thing is that JH’s year b4 coming to the Cubs was average also——for a corner outfielder. Theo was betting on the fact that he was heading UPWARD & not DOWNWARD. Rather sad for us fans. Gonna b tough to trade with that contract, but I think the Cubs have to start thinking about eating about at least half that contract come July or certainly next year….hell, Almora is just about as good & will hit more
To be fair, everyone reacts to things differently, psychologically things affect people differently even if the same thing happens to two people. I don’t agree with that argument about Heyward, but I just wouldn’t say that player a got hit the face too so why can’t player b do the same thing.
Heyward seems overhyped at times. Yes he hit a hr in his first game and his defense is great, but heyward has been struggling even before the facial injury with the braves, shows some greatness by hitting for a high average occasionally, but really he just seems like a .250 hitter.
Don’t shy away from the truth….he’s a very average hitter, who’s defense isn’t worth the money he makes.
Absolutely! No defense is worth that dough. Plus I thought he had this great arm & was going to have about 15-20 assist every year. Has that happened?
What in the world are you talking about, Heyward broke his jaw in 2013. He posted two good years after that, including, arguably, the best offensive season in his career.
Yeah. I don’t. This will be the tale of the tape for Heyward. Even if the Cubs eat some money. Esp w FA next year. Don’t know the answer but that guy might be right. Time will tell. He has got better a bit.
Jason Heyward has been a different player, offensively, since he got hit on the face. His batting stance, approach at the plate are all different from where they were. He no longer is a homerun hitter, but more of a gap to gap hitter. I don’t think he is comfortable at the plate and keeps trying to get back to the player he was, which is why he struggles. I hope he can get back on track and become that special player he was profiled to be.
But… he was NEVER a HR hitter…
Heyward signed a big contract. It got into his head to justify that contract. Happened to a lot of players so I’m not surprised. Chris Davis, Ellsbury etc etc
Nobody says, “Hey, I got paid, now I can suck!” Heyward has put in tireless work the last two offseason trying to improve. It just hasn’t worked out.
I think his point is that Heyward may in fact be “trying too hard” to justify the contract, not that he’s taking it easy because he’s received the the contract.
There were 2, Panda, n Crawford!!!
It’s a theory, but teally no evidence
Jose Tabata said exactly that.
Really….did you watch his workouts so why do you say he’s put in tireless work.
RESULTS Buddy that’s what counts when you’re making the money he is!!!
Heyward not even close to being the piraina that Crawford was. Heyward just had a down yr, it happens. Be great full Theo didn’t make a gravious error.
It’s been 2 years already…
2 Down years in a row….and his D doesn’t make up for his awful offense.
And they won a championship with him. So who gives a damn?
Say what you want about Crawford, which is mostly if not fully accurate. Hayward was simply over rated. Every one now wants to pay for anticipated performance. I totally agree but not everyone will live up to their new contract.
He could signed Price for 217 million. Still waiting for playoff wins.
He’s been hurt, I hope he’s able to pitch as he can. I think I heard his problem can’t be helped with surgery, I could be wrong.
Does Heyward get released before the end of that contract?
Heyward has two opt outs left with a ton of contract money guaranteed. If his defense is no longer elite and if his bat doesn’t come around it’s possible.
And this is the difference between big and small market teams. While the Cubs developed alot of their players they did buy some too (Heyward, Lester, Zobrist, now Darvish). Being a big market team they have the flexibility to pay a little more, give longer deals, and cut their loses at some point of they have to. It’s a blip for them (Edwin Jackson, Fukudome, Milton Bradley, Soriano, etc.) and would be devastating for some other teams.
LoL….go back & look at Soriano’s numbers OVERALL….u might be surprised how much more he earned his money that JH.
Even if his defense is elite, he’s not opting out (assuming his bat remains terrible)
Am I reading this right….if he has opt outs in his contract he is not opting out unless he is out producing expectations and attracting attention from other teams It’s not going to happen with his offense….his defense isn”t worth a larger contract from anyone.
Looks like Theo the great missed again. Lucky he has bigger dollars behind him in Chicago than in Boston.
I’m sure your accomplishments far exceed those of Theo Epstein’s
Agree w MB923. TBH I think a lot of players won’t be opting out in contracts. I doubt Price Opts out. I think CK will get an extension.
I think may want to leave after his crazy run in with the EK. Price finally admitted he should of handled things better. EK is greatly loved in Boston, n a great announcer.
Have Heywood bat 8th or 9th in the lineup and concentrate on getting on base only. That way, if he’s successful, they have a man on before the top of the lineup comes up and it may help him gain confidence.
That’s why the opt outs always favor the player! This is a perfect example !
He can be traded after this year to a list of teams he has created. It’s not likely to happen but if he hits anywhere near .280 and wins another gold glove then there is a chance. Would likely cost an additional prospect to send him away even then
The market is flooded with corner OF bats, why anyone would trade for Heyward is beyond me at this point. If the Cubs took back an equally bad contract than maybe but Heywards d still a valuable.
Jays could trade them Tulo if the Cubs ate a lot of Heywards contract. But the Cubs would need a SS and one who is hurt often so not sure why they would do that. It’s just hard to find matches for these huge guaranteed deals.
The Bucs and Rays not having big payrolls when they were winning is completely immaterial to whether or not they are spending enough now. In fact, it makes them look even worse. Baseball needs a salary cap, but what it needs worse is a salary floor. The best thing about the NFL is that all team are required to spend in a relatively small range. Some still spend more, but the range is not nearly as big as baseball. If they did something like a cap of $175-180MM with a floor of $140-150MM I think everyone would be happier. The cap would force some of the big teams to cut payroll, but the raising of the small teams payrolls would more than negate that. You could also grandfather in payrolls so the Dodgers wouldn’t have to immediately cut payroll when it was instituted. Sure there would still be some problems, but nothing is ever going to be perfect. This would at least make everything somewhat fair.
MLBPA will never agree to a salary cap of any form. And for them to tell teams how they should spend their money to build success is downright stupid. Especially someone like Stu Sternberg who has done the most with the least and still can’t draw flies in terms of attendance.
The MLBPA cannot force a team to spend money on their free agents if that team doesn’t see them as worth it. And their players cannot plead poverty, not by a long shot.
MLBPA might not be able to, but the Commissioner’s Office should. Ownership is going to have to realize that the system is broken and if they don’t want another work stoppage, both sides need to fix it. That’s why you have the compromise of the cap and the floor. Players won’t want the cap, but would love the floor and vice versa for the owners. It’s either that or we continue with a broken system until they drive fans away again like in 94. I don’t know that a McGwire/Sosa 2.0 would bring them back again.
So you stop a syrike by doung something the strikers won’t like?
No, the commish can’t just di that, either.
Except the system is Not broken.
Says the fan of one of the few teams benefiting the most from the system.
No I would stop a strike by compromising. Neither gets exactly what they want, but both sides get something.
I realize the commish can’t just unilaterally impose that on either side, but he has the ear of both sides and enough influence to possibly compel both sides to agree.
But what does it matter what I think. It’s clear no one agrees with me, so I’ll just stop. Have a nice day.
It’s about winning championships. The Yankees have one in the last seventeen years. The Dodgers haven’t won since 1988.
Compare baseball championships to other sports. More teams have been in and won a championship than any other sport the last 15+ years.
It’s not about winning championships, it about being in contention. Just cause the Yanks and Dodgers don’t win in the playoffs, does not mean they don’t get opportunities. The Yankees just had a couple of “rebuilding” seasons where they didn’t even finish under .500. Give those seasons to the Marlins and they are a roaring success. The Yankees and Dodgers go into EVERY season knowing they will not be in last place. THAT is the inherent difference between the haves and have nots.
A salary cap would have to be based on a percentage that players could live with. A high enough ceiling with a floor and continued revenue sharing is theoretically possible. Now that agents and the MLBPA has had their first taste of salary trouble, minds may now try to think out of the box. Probably start with small things but who knows about the contract after the next one? I do agree big market teams have an unfair advantage but even with it only the Yankees haven’t hit bottom. The Dodgers under McCourt ownership, the Cubs at the start of That’s rebuild and not Boston collapsed in 2011 and finished last in 2012, 2014 and 2015.
He’s right. Great comparison.
It took the Cubs a new owner who wanted to win. Cubs have been owned by a business the trib for ages. Business do not make good owners they just want profit. While people make fun of the Cubs, they have not done that bad. Yes they only won 3 WS. But they also have won 17 NL pennants. That’s 4th in the NL since baseball started. Like the Yanks they have records that will never be broken. They have been to the WS 11 times. Over the last 3 years they have the best record in MLB combined over any team. They also been to the NLCS 3 straight years. You got go back decades before you hit teams like NY, And Phil n Oakland. So they haven’t done all that bad.
But it took a new owner who cares. No team is perfect and no team will win all the time. Winning a WS is tough. Back to back is tougher. 3x other than the Yanks n As n Balt is 50x harder no matter who’s on your team.
So it’s not all about buying. Takes luck n a full complete puzzle to finish the job. Just saying
Why on earth do people keep shouting for a salary floor? A salary floor does nothing but get these one dimensional DH types way more money than they deserve and makes Matt Kemp a valuable trade asset.
They people that drool on themselves and keep repeating salary floor always live in a fantasy world. Think about how great it will be if a different team wins every year and the small markets can compete for big time free agents every year. Actually that sounds god awful. I want to see great teams play great teams, not these cookie cutter god awful salary cap teams where half the teams are changing every year due to the salary cap. Parity in sports is actually terrible for ratings. This isn’t a problem. It’s a problem in Florida where most of the pro sports teams don’t draw. Guess what there’s like 5 cities that would love to get a chance a mlb team and would love to be a small market team.
There probably isn’t enough money for the small market teams to have $130m payrolls, not without a HUGE increase in revenue sharing (which, by the way, is the single most important thing baseball can do to fix their inequality problem, that and full transparency of each team’s books, which should be an absolute ironclad requirement of having an antitrust exemption).
But this doesn’t excuse the Pirates or — to a lesser degree — the Rays. The Pirates had one of the most talented teams in baseball a couple years ago. With a perennial MVP candidate, loads of other young talent, and a great coaching staff. Even if they might have lost money doing, they should have invested at that point and gone hard for a title. The fact that they didn’t suggests that winning a title is not the highest priority for their ownership, as it apparently is not for many teams’ ownerships. That’s a really big problem for the sport. An existential one.
Oh well, I think you are one of the brightest posters on here most of the time. And since the masses disagree with you as much as me, that makes me feel better about my own argument.
What was the Pirates attendance during those yrs they had great teams?
Revenue sharing would have to change drastically to implement a salary floor of $140+ million. The Rays had revenues of $205mm while the Yankees had revenue of $526 million. How would the Rays be expected to pull off a $150mm payroll on $205mm revenues while the Yankess would have a $180mm payroll on $500+ million revenues. Doesn’t seem to add up.
what bsseball needs is contraction and a true gree market with no caps or floor
Hiflew – I agree the salary cap is what MLB needs but sadly they will never do it, & not just the players, but the owners as well. You see, ESPN & FOX want the Yankees & Red Sox to be good so they can broadcast them 18 times a year, with the playoffs a bonus. Add the Dodgers & Giants for the west coast & that just might be 1/2 of the TV games in a season. Any other team is a nice story but really, to the owners it’s about their profit; even owners don’t mind if their own team is adversely affected.
My theory, in Atlanta and St. Louis, heyward was THE guy. Or at least both teams wanted him to be that. Then he gets to Chicago and they’re all like, hey man, we got talent everywhere….. just be yourself and don’t do too much. Then he got too relaxed and can’t get that fire back. Totally just my own opinion. But I think he thrived on the pressure of everyone looking at him to carry the team
When Heyward left St Louis that was one of the reasons he didn’t want to deal with being the man and having to be the guy in the locker room. Some players do not deal well with being a leader Heyward a follower but he gets paid like a leader.
Funny, all the Cubs players said Heyward was THE leader in the clubhouse during the infamous rain delay during the 2016 World Series.
40 minutes doesn’t make up for the previous 7 years.
The Cubs had vets like David Ross, John Lackey, and Jon Lester. I heard that same story but I don’t buy it at all. Probably just some great teammates doing their best to stick up for a player who was terrible all year including the playoffs.
It does, if those 40 minutes helped end a 108 year old curse. I think most Cubs fans (and myself, if I was fan) would swallow that $184MM gladly, if it directly or indirectly, led to a Cubs Championship. (It did)
Let’s see…would you rather have a under performing contract or a championship? Let it go already, it’s a team game and you’re not paying Heyward from your personal assets…..
Well blue G we got our ring. Where’s yours. Being a hater makes you look childish n stupid.
We? What position do you play again? I’m sure G’s team that he roots for has won a ring before too!
I know right?! And I always thought that was one of the biggest piles of crap I ever heard! He’s a good guy (I guess) & they wanted to act like he saved the day over JM’s bad decisions. In any event, it couldn’t have been worth 26M. LMAO
Players get paid on production, period. Oh, he’s widely regarded as a leader
Braves coaching and Frank Wren screwed up Heywards approach. They moved him around in the lineup so much while he was productive he never settled in. He was hitting well but they batted him 5th then 3rd then 2nd then 6th. Then they moved him to leadoff and that’s when things finally hit the wall. He stated he couldn’t settle into a specific approach and then leadoff was even a bigger change. Should’ve have kept him 2/3 in lineup and stopped flip flopping…Sorry heyward and Cubs fans
That doesn’t make any sense. Heyward was incredible for the Cardinals — after he had gotten traded away from the Braves.
Uhhh exactly, he had a good year once he left the Braves staff?!..hence the apology to Braves and Cubs fans, not cardinals fans..
Braves hitting coaches still stink
The way I read it, it seemed like you were saying that the Braves damaged him and that he was never the same after he was with their coaching.
I am with u somewhat….and he’s n the wrong place for stability with the mercurial JM
Um…Chipper was THAT GUY in Atlanta…
…and had many others around him during that era like Brian McCann, Uggla, etc
It’s weird how players just suck when they go to a new team. Gomez in Houston. Lucroy in Texas. Tulo in Toronto. Sandoval in Boston. It makes no sense
Well, Tulo finally broke, catchers are notoriously inconsistent (remember Devin Mesoraco, anyone?) Sandoval was out of shape and players who don’t draw walks don’t age well. Gomez is more puzzling; he should have at least had Denard Span’s career.
Sandoval was a mistake from the beginning. Worse example than Ellsbury but when your own team lets you go despite still having a need, that new team likely overpaid. At least with Ellsbury, Boston had a replacement in waiting. That said, the Hayward signing due to its’ length is as bad as Carl Crawford’s and the common denominator is Theo. Just goes to show no one is perfect. Be it Theo, DD or Cashman.
My unpopular opinion is that Theo is the baseball GM equivalent of Phil Jackson in basketball: A guy who is going to the Hall of Fame but probably would have been a “who’s that” mediocre GM had he not only had jobs with huge-market teams. Contracts like Crawford’s and Hayward’s are franchise-killers and GM-firers for small and medium market teams.
I disagree with that. I didn’t follow his time in Boston when he broke the curse, but he could’ve built any small market team like the Cubs. They only had two big contracts, and one of them hardly did anything. Would they have won it without Lester? Who knows. But it’s fair to think that Epstein would have got his ace. At the time of the signing, they still had top prospects in Torres, Jimenez, and Contreras. There’s no reason to think he wouldn’t have got his top of the rotation pitcher if he didn’t have the money.
That’s just silly.
Theo is not a GM
He was the GM in Boston and has the final decision now. To answer a prior reply, in 2004 Theo did a great job, getting Schilling and Foulk and mostly other under the radar deals to compliment the team he inherited.
Good point. Kind of like surgeons burying their mistakes——unfortunately
You can’t get a hit if you don’t swing at the pitch.
GM’s can’t pick up a winner without some losers.
Theo and DD are no exception.
You do your metrics and scouting and analysis but in the end a player can get hurt or he can be a head case.
I would like GM’s to also put money into a good detective to check out these players beforehand.
Previous unreported injuries, extracurricular activities, etc.
The money warrants it.
You really think they don’t have people check into these guys before signing the money to a monstrous contract?
I think the mental side is often ignored. For instance there’s a big difference playing in St. Louis or Houston than say Boston or New York. During Theo’s years in Boston they eventually recognized that and started up a sort of boot camp for top prospects, Basically they took top prospects and had vet players training them in various things including handling media and fans. But still, there’s some players who just can’t take the larger and generational fan bases.
To Priggs89
I never said they don’t have private investigators doing that now.
I’m saying they need to spend “more” money in that area.
The NYY would have loved to know more about ARod or the Red Sox and LAD Ramirez or SF Bonds before they became disgraces.
Bonds?!?!?! That guy packed the stadium every single night. Bad PR is still great PR and they made a ton of money off him. They would have done it again. Same with the Sox and Manny. Dude brought a WS championship to Boston after 86 years. He wasn’t suspended in Boston. They’d do it again.
I hear you but, to be honest, their records are tarnished and so are the games they helped win.
Money being money, those titles will never be taken away as a team is made up of 25 players.
But just ask any player on a losing opposing team, that wasn’t on Roids, how they felt about Bonds and Manny. It’s not good.
That’s why those 2 guys and others that abused Roids will never get in the Hall of Fame.
Crawford was the Grim Reaper in Boston, singled handedly got Tito m Theo booted.
Theo didn’t get booted, he left on his own accord to run the Cubs!
The left-handed throwing Ron Fairly was never a catcher.
As a Braves fan, Heyward starting having problems in 2012 when he stopped hitting the ball to the gaps and tried for homers all the time. He started rolling out to the 2B all the time, instead of his usually powerful hit to the LF gap.
He stopped legging out doubles from a single, etc after his Soph year. He had a good year w/ STL when he stopped trying to hit a HR every swing.
His swing is broken, he keeps changing it and he needs to go back to his rookie season swing. That swing was lethal to pitches on the outer half of the plate. He had pop in his swing.
He couldn’t hit an inside fastball then or now…now he looks like a joke…and how they hyped him in Atlanta…ugghhh..Atlanta’s hitting coaches leave a lot to be desired…look how they’ve hyped Dansby and now the over coaching he’s receiving…I think he’ll snap out of it though…Hayward was great his first year..gap power and turning singles into doubles constantly…not anymore..you’re right-he got power happy
Well let’s see what Cora can add to the metrics.
I’m sure Bill James is on top of this issue.
If he isn’t then I’m sure John Henry will be pissed.
Fairly only had a 2-year slump that corresponded to the rise of pitching — 67 and 68.
The “Pirates have done a poor job of drafting and developing recently and THAT is why they dropped off” is another increasingly popular, but inaccurate and lazy narrative.
Most teams build up and then tear down and engage in a multi year rebuild. The Pirates have quietly “rebuilt” under the surface for the past 5 years while contending at the MLB level. They already have the pieces needed to emerge from a rebuild at or near the MLB level.
Bell, Taillon, Kuhl, Williams, Brault, Glasnow, Frazier, Feliz, Moran, Crick, Rivero already in the bigs. 5 of Fangraphs’ top 100 (top 75 actually) prospects. A core of young players that won a championship at the A level in 2016 and the AA championship in 2017.
The reason the Pirates have dropped off at the MLB level the past two years was due to their supposed veteran core players playing like garbage combined with injuries and suspensions to their other supposed veteran core players.
Wasn’t the Cubs signing of Heyward more about keeping him away from the Cardinals? That signing was a huge blow to STL. The Cubs don’t need Heyward.
Yeah a real blow look lol
No it had nothing to do with keeping him away from the cardinals. Are you serious? The gave him 8 years at around $184m to keep him away from another team?
And not one team in baseball does that by the way
Not really. It was more of Heyward wanted the Cubs. StL offered him over 200 million. But even his replacement didn’t work out in St L
Replacement hit better than Heyward but still not good enough. Cards signed Fowler whose twice as cheap and twice as good as Heyward. So pretty sure Cards glad he sign with the one and done cubs.
With the opt outs, Heywards contract offer was bigger from the Cubs!
Themed is a Cubs troll n St L fan. Don’t say nothing bad about the cheating trashy cards. Lol oh yeah they still blow and nothing will chang this year either lol
Think u may b kind of right. Think
Ego got the best of Theo on this one. And I have news for u, JOE MADDON isn’t the best manager in baseball. We cubbies got sooooooooo lucky in 2016.
We had EVERYTHING going for us….few injuries, great pitching, Chapman overcoming JM miscues, rising stars like Contreras, Baez, old old standbys like Rizzo, Ross & Bryant…..let’s be honest….most of us could have managed that team as well, if not better that ole “I DID’T EVEN KNOW THERE WAS A CONTRACT CLAUSE THAT SAID I COULD LEAVE THE RAYS IF MY GM LEFT!” Please!!
“…he could’ve built any small market team like the Cubs. ”
On what planet are the Cubs a small market team?
“You outscore your opponent in every inning, you’re gonna win that ballgame”- Ron Fairly
Heyward is a big guy. Get some lift in that swing and become a 3 outcomes type of guy. Would love to see him crank 30 or 40 then opt out. Lol