MLB: ***Official Cubs Offseason Thread***

[cyclones360]

How did I take an L? Everything I said is a FACT

• Lester is on the wrong side of 30
• His velocity was down last year
• Highest personal BB/9 in 8 years
• highest personal ERA in 7 years

We can revisit this again mid-season when his era i 4+.​

Took an L on the Lester comment so you're approaching things from a different angle. I appreciate the effort.

 

[CycloneErik]

Ricketts are Trump sympathizers. Is that why Rizzo wouldn't make any political statements?

Just see yourself out. You serve no purpose here except to troll.

 

[cyfanatic13]

How did I take an L? Everything I said is a FACT

• Lester is on the wrong side of 30
• His velocity was down last year
• Highest personal BB/9 in 8 years
• highest personal ERA in 7 years

We can revisit this again mid-season when his era i 4+.​

This is a Cubs fans thread made for Cubs fans to talk about offseason moves. Please take your trolling elsewhere

 

[cyfan92]

Ricketts are Trump sympathizers. Is that why Rizzo wouldn't make any political statements?

The Rickets family is actually both Democrat and Republican. I bet you didn't know that Tom Ricketts’ sister Laura, is an executive committee member of the Democratic National Committee and first openly gay owner of a major league baseball franchise.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...win-hopefully-something-good-happen/93961242/

 

[laminak]

And the cubs have won 1 pennant in the last 73 years. Chris Taylor and Cody Bellinger are 2 dynamic players the Dodgers didn't have in the 2016 NLCS. They set the Dodgers over the edge in the 2017 NLCS. Not to mention the Cubs making Kike Hernandez look like Babe Ruth. Lol.

The Cubs were banged up and gassed in last year's NLCS, where they were actually winning their first two games and later blew. Don't act like the Cubs will be the same or worse while the Dodgers will be better. It'll be a long season, however the Cubs can be easily improved from their last NLCS.

 

[Clonefan32]

How did I take an L? Everything I said is a FACT

• Lester is on the wrong side of 30
• His velocity was down last year
• Highest personal BB/9 in 8 years
• highest personal ERA in 7 years

We can revisit this again mid-season when his era i 4+.​

Fine, I'll go.

By the end of the year, I would anticipate Jon is the Cubs 4th starter behind Q, Darvish and Hendricks. So basically he is our Maeda/Ryu. If you'd rather trot Maeda or Ryu out there for a meaningful game, go for it. Personally, I'll take Lester over about any other 3-4 starter in the league.

 

[cyclones360]

Fine, I'll go.

By the end of the year, I would anticipate Jon is the Cubs 4th starter behind Q, Darvish and Hendricks. So basically he is our Maeda/Ryu. If you'd rather trot Maeda or Ryu out there for a meaningful game, go for it. Personally, I'll take Lester over about any other 3-4 starter in the league.

Maeda and Ryu are not making ace money. In what world is your 4 starter supposed to be making $20mil/yr like Lester is? My point is Lester is being paid like an ace or high 2 starter. If he's not performing like one, there is a very good possibility (as I stated and last year showed) that's he's washed or at the very least declining fast. For the record, if you want to run pitch-tipping Yu Darvish out there for a meaningful game, go for it.

 

[chuckd4735]

Maeda and Ryu are not making ace money. In what world is your 4 starter supposed to be making $20mil/yr like Lester is? My point is Lester is being paid like an ace or high 2 starter. If he's not performing like one, there is a very good possibility (as I stated and last year showed) that's he's washed or at the very least declining fast. For the record, if you want to run pitch-tipping Yu Darvish out there for a meaningful game, go for it.

Someone is threatened...

 

[Clonefan32]

Maeda and Ryu are not making ace money. In what world is your 4 starter supposed to be making $20mil/yr like Lester is? My point is Lester is being paid like an ace or high 2 starter. If he's not performing like one, there is a very good possibility (as I stated and last year showed) that's he's washed or at the very least declining fast. For the record, if you want to run pitch-tipping Yu Darvish out there for a meaningful game, go for it.

You act like this is the first year of his contract. Should we just forget about the whole 2016 19-5 with a 2.44 ERA; 3-1 with a 2.02 ERA in the postseason thing?

Sometimes you have to give big time players a longer contract to reel them in, knowing you wont have the same guy in the back end of the contract. He's been a great 1-2 so far, and now he will transition to one of the best 3-4 guys in the game.

 

[cyclones360]

Someone is threatened...

I think the Cubs are the threatened ones. Signed Darvish and Morrow... If you can't beat 'em sign 'em.

 

[cyclones360]

You act like this is the first year of his contract. Should we just forget about the whole 2016 19-5 with a 2.44 ERA; 3-1 with a 2.02 ERA in the postseason thing?

Sometimes you have to give big time players a longer contract to reel them in, knowing you wont have the same guy in the back end of the contract. He's been a great 1-2 so far, and now he will transition to one of the best 3-4 guys in the game.

Okay, thanks for proving my point. He's on the sharp decline as some would call "washed".

 

[Clonefan32]

Okay, thanks for proving my point. He's on the sharp decline as some would call "washed".

Or rather he's on the exact trajectory someone his age should be on and is exactly what the Cubs expected him to be at this point.

 

[cyclones360]

Or rather he's on the exact trajectory someone his age should be on and is exactly what the Cubs expected him to be at this point.

Don't kid yourself. I'm sure the Cubs completely expected him to go from a 2.44 ERA pitcher to a 4.33 ERA pitcher in 1 season.

This "exact trajectory" is known as a sharp decline.

How many starting pitchers in the last decade (Hell go back 2 decades if you want) who threw at least 180 innings in each season owned sub 2.50 ERA one year that rose to an ERA above 4.30 the next year? I bet you can't name a single one, except Jon Lester.

I know it's tough for Cubs fans to admit, but Lester is declining faster than he should be.

 

[YeahBuddy]

And the cubs have won 1 pennant in the last 73 years.

I never made the claim the Cubs were going to win the NL yet again.

 

[Bobber]

Easy to talk smack preseason based on last years results...

 

[NorthCyd]

Don't kid yourself. I'm sure the Cubs completely expected him to go from a 2.44 ERA pitcher to a 4.33 ERA pitcher in 1 season.

This "exact trajectory" is known as a sharp decline.

How many starting pitchers in the last decade (Hell go back 2 decades if you want) who threw at least 180 innings in each season owned sub 2.50 ERA one year that rose to an ERA above 4.30 the next year? I bet you can't name a single one, except Jon Lester.

I know it's tough for Cubs fans to admit, but Lester is declining faster than he should be.

One bad year is not a trend turbo. Maybe it's the start of a decline or maybe it's a bad year. We'll see.

 

[YeahBuddy]

Don't kid yourself. I'm sure the Cubs completely expected him to go from a 2.44 ERA pitcher to a 4.33 ERA pitcher in 1 season.

This "exact trajectory" is known as a sharp decline.

How many starting pitchers in the last decade (Hell go back 2 decades if you want) who threw at least 180 innings in each season owned sub 2.50 ERA one year that rose to an ERA above 4.30 the next year? I bet you can't name a single one, except Jon Lester.

I know it's tough for Cubs fans to admit, but Lester is declining faster than he should be.

Roger Clemens did it once and also had back to back seasons of 2.65 and 4.61 as well.

Glavine had a 2.47 ERA in 1998 and a 4.12 ERA in 1999 while logging 200+ innings in each season. He had a 2.96 ERA in 2002 and 4.52 ERA in 2003 while also throwing 180+ innings each year.

Andy Pettitte went from 2.88 to 4.24 in 1997 and 1998.

 

[CloneFan4]

Don't kid yourself. I'm sure the Cubs completely expected him to go from a 2.44 ERA pitcher to a 4.33 ERA pitcher in 1 season.

This "exact trajectory" is known as a sharp decline.

How many starting pitchers in the last decade (Hell go back 2 decades if you want) who threw at least 180 innings in each season owned sub 2.50 ERA one year that rose to an ERA above 4.30 the next year? I bet you can't name a single one, except Jon Lester.

I know it's tough for Cubs fans to admit, but Lester is declining faster than he should be.

 

[chuckd4735]

I think the Cubs are the threatened ones. Signed Darvish and Morrow... If you can't beat 'em sign 'em.

I agree. We probably should of just packed it in after last season and started to rebuild. I cant fathom why the front office wanted to make this team better.

 

[KnappShack]

I never made the claim the Cubs were going to win the NL yet again.

You should. They are well positioned to be back in the WS