ESPN is reporting that Theo Epstein is close to leaving the Red Sox for the Cubs. Who do you think it will affect more - Cubs or Sux?
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Doesn't really matter as long as he takes Crawford, Lackey, Saltalamacchia and Drew with him.
Salty was better than Varitek.
If Connie Mack and Casey Stengel were to have some kind of love child together with all their abilities as two of the greatest managers of all time I don't think that could help the Cubs. I've been a Cubs fan for over 20 years and this is the worst group I've seen.
But the worst part is all the terrible contracts these guys have. No way in the world can they get rid of some of these guys.
All that being said I hope he does end up with the Cubs because next year might be their year.
But the worst part is all the terrible contracts these guys have. No way in the world can they get rid of some of these guys.
All that being said I hope he does end up with the Cubs because next year might be their year.
The battle cry of the Cubs---Wait til next year!
quote:Originally posted by biggerpapi:
Doesn't really matter as long as he takes Crawford, Lackey, Saltalamacchia and Drew with him.
biggerpappi; What can one add to this thread after your remark? Too funny, but true!
quote:Originally posted by redbird5:
Salty was better than Varitek.
No argument there. But only because Tek is apparently done.
All signs seem to point that JOhn Henry (Sox owner) has lost his mind by letting Francona and Epstein walk. Henry is either doing his best impersonation of Al Davis or his actions are a tribute to Al Davis (God rest his soul) and his
eccentricities.
eccentricities.
[QUOTE] But the worst part is all the terrible contracts these guys have. No way in the world can they get rid of some of these guys.
The fellows on MLB last night were pointing out that Theo has been responsible for a couple of big bad contracts: Lackey and Crawford, though there is a glimmer of hope for the latter.
I do think though that given Theo's relative youth and intelligence he will learn from mistakes unlike Hendry.
The fellows on MLB last night were pointing out that Theo has been responsible for a couple of big bad contracts: Lackey and Crawford, though there is a glimmer of hope for the latter.
I do think though that given Theo's relative youth and intelligence he will learn from mistakes unlike Hendry.
Epstein has shown very poor judgement in his major free agent signings. Sox ownership doesn't care if he leaves given he's a bit of a prima donna. People forget one of the Sox championships occurred after Epstein left the organization in a tantrum.
The Sox are supposedly looking for compensation if Epstein leaves. Instead of receiving a player can they force the Cubs to take Lackey?
The Sox are supposedly looking for compensation if Epstein leaves. Instead of receiving a player can they force the Cubs to take Lackey?
As an Orioles fan, I'm very happy to see Epstein move on. He's on the short list of the best GMs in the game and I don't think that's remotely debateable. Hindsight is 20/20...Epstein had to make decisions based on the information he had at the time. I don't think there were too many people saying Crawford was a bad signing at the time. How is it Epstein's fault that a guy with a proven track record didn't perform? Lackey was very good before he came to Boston as well, so both moves were reasonable at the time.
I read some of this stuff people are writing (both on here and nationally) and I just wonder what they're thinking. Fans of at least 25 teams would trade their GM for Epstein right now if they had a clue.
With that being said, he probably won't be a huge loss for Boston because I think he's surrounded himself with a highly skilled staff and someone (Cherington?) will step right in. It will be interesting to see the staff Epstein puts together.
I read some of this stuff people are writing (both on here and nationally) and I just wonder what they're thinking. Fans of at least 25 teams would trade their GM for Epstein right now if they had a clue.
With that being said, he probably won't be a huge loss for Boston because I think he's surrounded himself with a highly skilled staff and someone (Cherington?) will step right in. It will be interesting to see the staff Epstein puts together.
quote:Originally posted by RJM:
People forget one of the Sox championships occurred after Epstein left the organization in a tantrum.
FYI- Epstein was only "gone" for two months, and it's pretty much accepted that he was pulling the strings even while he was gone. After 86 years with no titles, they won two rings in four years with Epstein in charge.
quote:Originally posted by biggerpapi:
Doesn't really matter as long as he takes Crawford, Lackey, Saltalamacchia and Drew with him.
Drew was a solid to pretty dang good player for four of his five years in Boston. And I think Crawford will make everyone forget 2011 by the time his contract is done.
How big will Epstein's legacy be if he leads the Cubs to a World Series title? That would be two of the longest World Series droughts he helped bring to an end.
I'm still saying the contracts the current roster has is going to hamstring him for a while. Don't expect him to come and magically start making them better. How long was he in Boston until they started to actually became a World Series threat?
I'm still saying the contracts the current roster has is going to hamstring him for a while. Don't expect him to come and magically start making them better. How long was he in Boston until they started to actually became a World Series threat?
quote:Originally posted by coach2709:
But the worst part is all the terrible contracts these guys have. No way in the world can they get rid of some of these guys.
Kalish can replace Drew.
coach2709-
I totally agree, it will take time. He's got a lot of fat to trim off that roster (Soriano, Zambrano to start) but I'll bet he gets creative with them and makes something happen (though he will have to move them for next to nothing in return). Remember, he sent Garciaparra packing. Long term, I think things will work out very nicely for the Cubs.
I totally agree, it will take time. He's got a lot of fat to trim off that roster (Soriano, Zambrano to start) but I'll bet he gets creative with them and makes something happen (though he will have to move them for next to nothing in return). Remember, he sent Garciaparra packing. Long term, I think things will work out very nicely for the Cubs.
A GM also has to decide what's in a players heart and gut. Can Lackey and Crawford perform in front of fans who give a **** and a demanding media? We don't know. Lacking has shown he lacks character. He played the blame game all season. We walked out on his wife after cancer surgery.quote:How is it Epstein's fault that a guy with a proven track record didn't perform? Lackey was very good before he came to Boston as well, so both moves were reasonable at the time.
Drew was ok when he wasn't on the DL with a sprained finger nail every year. Kalish or Reddick will play right next season. Drew missing most of the season was never a topic of conversation in Boston. No one missed him.
The big topic for the offseason is resigning Ortiz and keeping Youkilis at third or letting Ortiz go and moving Youkilis to DH. Youkilis doesn't have an athlete's body. He's broken down each of the last three years. He's 32. Ortiz is rumored to want a three year contract. It won't happen. Two years max. How does Fielder feel about DH'ing?
Theo can seal his legacy if he can turn this franchise around and bring a World's Championship. Then nobody will remember the bad signings in Boston. I think in a situation like Boston or the Yankees, the general manager can actually afford to be slightly less careful about his overpaying players for two reasons. One, these teams can just make up for mistakes by throwing more cash out there and eating bad contracts, and two, it is the fans and media who often FORCE dumb moves by demanding the general manager do SOMETHING in response to the other club's moves.
Theo will have his work cut out for him with some of the albatross contracts the Cubs have but I like the fact that he left a place where he was comfortable and accepted a daunting challenge. He didn't have to do this. Why not hire one of the most energetic, youthful, sabermatic savvy and successful general managers while he is in his prime. The Cubs could have settled for the status quo and gone with someone unproven or a recycled failure but instead they put their money where their mouth is and are going to rebuild their team model perhaps based on more successful teams such as the Red Sox.
Theo will have his work cut out for him with some of the albatross contracts the Cubs have but I like the fact that he left a place where he was comfortable and accepted a daunting challenge. He didn't have to do this. Why not hire one of the most energetic, youthful, sabermatic savvy and successful general managers while he is in his prime. The Cubs could have settled for the status quo and gone with someone unproven or a recycled failure but instead they put their money where their mouth is and are going to rebuild their team model perhaps based on more successful teams such as the Red Sox.
quote:Originally posted by Emanski's Heroes:quote:Originally posted by biggerpapi:
Doesn't really matter as long as he takes Crawford, Lackey, Saltalamacchia and Drew with him.
Drew was a solid to pretty dang good player for four of his five years in Boston. And I think Crawford will make everyone forget 2011 by the time his contract is done.
Drew was pretty dang good?? Are you serious? Post back with his stats and see if people think he was worth his 5 year, $70,000,000 contract. I for I am soooo glad he is gone for good.
I feel that Crawford will probably bounce back with a decent year but Drew was pathetic his last two years in Boston and in three of the five years had OPS's in the .600's or .700's which is terrible for an outfielder in that park. The other two years he had very good .900+ OPS but injuries limited him to 109 and 137 games in those years so the good production was over a relatively small sample of games. In 2011, he was practically worthless and way below replacement value.
Players like Drew and Varitek are just getting too old I'm afraid. I don't dislike Drew, he just can't stay healthy any more. Tek is the Captain! But he struggled at the plate and really can't throw anyone out stealing anymore.
Lackey is just a big crybaby. Making faces when his teammates don't make plays, whatever he did to his wife. He's a loser.
Crawford? Sorry dude, you have to put up after coming over from a Division rival and signing that huge contract. And the way he performed in left field in the last few games...heck, might as well have Alfonso Soriano out there. At least he'll hit.
Now, are these horrible contracts by Epstein? Look at every team in the league. Certain guys are getting ridiculous contracts. Huge numbers and way too many years. If the player performs, then it's a good contract. If the player tanks, then it's a bad contract.
Take ARod for example. His contract in Texas was terrible for Texas. In New York, it's a great contract...well, depends on whether he's in the regular season or the post season!
Lackey is just a big crybaby. Making faces when his teammates don't make plays, whatever he did to his wife. He's a loser.
Crawford? Sorry dude, you have to put up after coming over from a Division rival and signing that huge contract. And the way he performed in left field in the last few games...heck, might as well have Alfonso Soriano out there. At least he'll hit.
Now, are these horrible contracts by Epstein? Look at every team in the league. Certain guys are getting ridiculous contracts. Huge numbers and way too many years. If the player performs, then it's a good contract. If the player tanks, then it's a bad contract.
Take ARod for example. His contract in Texas was terrible for Texas. In New York, it's a great contract...well, depends on whether he's in the regular season or the post season!
The Red Sox became what they hated, the Evil Empire NYY that overpaid for stars. Drew made $10+ million per year and got very few hits that mattered.
They wrote bad contracts, probably bidding against themselves for Crawford ($142 million), a bust so far, with six years left. Lackey is a complete bust. Dice K was the luckiest RS pitcher in 50 years, until his luck ran out. He had unreal run support for two years.
They do have a lot of recent home grown success that was rare before Theo got there. The bad contracts were probably not all Theo's fault. There were (are) plenty of chefs in the kitchen with Larry Lucchino, Tom Warner and the owner John Henry.
There is a limited shelf life for GM's and field managers in Boston, with sooo much pressure to win. The town cares so much.
They wrote bad contracts, probably bidding against themselves for Crawford ($142 million), a bust so far, with six years left. Lackey is a complete bust. Dice K was the luckiest RS pitcher in 50 years, until his luck ran out. He had unreal run support for two years.
They do have a lot of recent home grown success that was rare before Theo got there. The bad contracts were probably not all Theo's fault. There were (are) plenty of chefs in the kitchen with Larry Lucchino, Tom Warner and the owner John Henry.
There is a limited shelf life for GM's and field managers in Boston, with sooo much pressure to win. The town cares so much.
MLB Network showed the top 5 payrolls today:
Yankees
Red Sox
Phillies
Angels
White Sox
I hate the argument that "evil big money teams" are the only ones who can win.
I'm going to start a nationwide boycott of these small market teams that are currently in the playoffs.
**** Milwaukee!!!
Yankees
Red Sox
Phillies
Angels
White Sox
I hate the argument that "evil big money teams" are the only ones who can win.
I'm going to start a nationwide boycott of these small market teams that are currently in the playoffs.
**** Milwaukee!!!
Big money keeps a team in the hunt from year to year (except the Mets). But any team with solid young talent and pitching can win it all in any given year.
The Rays ($40 million payroll this year) finished higher than the Red Sox three out of the last four years.
The more you pay them the less monetary incentive they have.
The more you pay them the less monetary incentive they have.
Marvin Miller (remember him) said the stupidest thing the owners ever did was allow multi year contracts. He said if he'd have been the owners advisor he would have told them to never offer anything beyond one year deals. It would have resulted in every player being a free agent every year.
Instead we have the system where the owners get young players at below market value and then make bad deals on veteran players that can really hammer teams. I believe a very high percentage of free agent contracts become bad deals in the later years. Especially on deals over three years.
Instead we have the system where the owners get young players at below market value and then make bad deals on veteran players that can really hammer teams. I believe a very high percentage of free agent contracts become bad deals in the later years. Especially on deals over three years.