While no one was mentioned by name in Theo Epstein’s post-season treatise on everything, when he got to the line about evaluating players on “production, not talent,” it was pretty clear there were only a couple players he could be talking about. Namely, they were Albert Almora, Kyle Schwarber (to an extent), and Ian Happ. […]
Author: Sam Fels
When You Want It Is As Important As What You Want
It’s been a frustrating offseason for Cubs fans, if you’re the irritable type. The angst for greater Cubdom is in what we hear and what’s being reported, that the Cubs may end up being wallflowers at the dance of free agency. We’ve been repeatedly told they want to stay under the highest luxury tax threshold, […]
Jim Hickey And Anger Clouding Everything
It hasn’t been the story that the Cubs inability, or claimed inability, to chase Manny Machado or Bryce Harper has generated the past few weeks. Hell, even the non-story about the Cubs not trading Kris Bryant or even intending to do so created bigger waves. And yet I can’t help but find it strange that […]
Get Him While He’s Still Together: Michael Brantley
I’m like you. I sort of forgot that Michael Brantley existed. You just always assume he’s hurt, and you do so for so long that you kind of wonder if he existed in the first place. You know you’ve heard Cleveland fans and media mention what an addition he’ll be if he can make it […]
The Whys, Maybe Hows, Of Whatever The Cubs Budget Might Be
There was a time when the offseason was less stressful than the actual baseball season. It hasn’t been that way in a long time, but I know I remember it. I know there was a time in my life when it was cold and I didn’t think about the Cubs and what they were or […]
Oh Right, Him: Yu Darvish Going Forward
It’s easy to forget that Yu Darvish is on the Cubs, and he will be an important part for years. Having eight starts in a season will do that. Not being around when all the drama hit in September is another. The little nugget that only three of those eight starts were any good is […]
A Win For The Olds: Nick Markakis
The prevailing wisdom around baseball these days is that once you turn 32, you better get ready to star in a comedy with Kevin Kline or Michael Caine. The velocity-revolution has left those without the quickest of twitch muscles behind, and as players come to the majors quicker and at younger ages than before, they’re dragging the […]
Andrew McCutchen Could Do A Mean Dexter Impression
Not the serial killer. I mean, maybe he can. I don’t know what Andrew McCutchen’s range is, nor his tastes. I wouldn’t rule it out. Anyway, if the Cubs miss out on Bryce Harper, or respectfully decline to hand over literally a bank safe to him, but still want to make a change in their […]
Kyle Hendricks’s Version Of Miniaturization
Kyle Hendricks’s 2018 looked a bit like his 2017. And I think this is probably something that we’re always going to see with The Cerebral Assassin. His first half and second half didn’t have the pronounced differences that 2017 had, but they were there. Hendricks was ok-to-good in the first half. He was dominant in the […]
The Cubs And Astros: Forever Linked And Closer Than You Might Think
It’s not just Sports Illustrated that put these two organizations in the same breath. Both teams started their total rebuild about the same time. Both hired their new front office on almost the same day (Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer were brought in in November of 2011, Jeff Luhnow in December). Both teams were somewhat […]