NL Central offseason transaction roundup

In Commentary And Analysis by berselius264 Comments

The offesason obviously isn't over yet, but I thought I'd take a look over what everyone in the division has been up to. Before the Heyward signing my baseball-related focus was pretty much on what the Cubs would do (and bafflement at what they were doing), after it's pretty much just been lining up plans for spring training.

I'll list waiver claims etc., but will ignore anyone a team picked up and has already released (e.g. Brendan Ryan), as well as non-significant minor league deals. I'll list some front office changes I recently enjoyed if there's any I had forgotten (i.e. Milwaukee). 

Cardinals

added: 

Brayan Pena, C (FA)

Jedd Gyorko, 2B (trade)

Jason Aquino, LHP (waivers)

Matt Bowman, RHP (Rule 5)

Jonathan Broxton, RHP (re-signed)

Mike Leake, RHP (LOL)

departed:

John Lackey, RHP (FA)

Carlos Villanueva, RHP (FA)

Jason Heyward, OF (FA)

Mark Reynolds, 1B (FA)

Randy Choate, LHP (FA)

Jonathan Broxton, RHP (FA)

Matt Belisle, RHP (FA)

Steve Cishek, RHP (FA)

Peter Bourjos OF (waivers)

Jon Jay, OF (trade)

Tony Cruz, C (trade)

Luis Perdomo (waivers)

——————————–

U MAD BROS?

Seriously though, the Cardinals are still really good, and they've got good rookies who can fill up some of the slack for Heyward and the soul-less shell of Matt Holliday. One of their big question marks is whether their young pitchers (Wacha, Lynn, Martinez) can step it up this year after fading down the stretch in 2015. Martinez in particular is bouncing back from a shoulder strain, and we'll see if the durability questions that almost moved him to the bullpen are a problem again. The other big question mark is what form Cardinals Devil Magic will take this year. Two years ago it was BA w/ RISP, last year it was strand rate. I'm going to guess good old fashioned BABIP this year. If any team can post a .350 BABIP, it's these guys. 

 

Pirates

added:

Gift Ngoepe, SS (waivers)

Allen Webster, RHP (trade)

Jake Goebbert, 1b (FA)

Jon Niese, RHP (trade)

Juan Nicasio, RHP (FA)

Sean Rodrigurez, tool player (re-signed)

David Whitehead, RHP (trade)

Ryan Vogelsong, RHP (FA)

Jason Rogers, 1b (trade)

Kyle Lobstein, LHP (trade)

Yoervis Medina, RHP (waiver)

John Jaso, 1B/C (FA)

departed:

Pedro Alvarez, 1B (FA)

Travis Ishikawa, 1B (FA)

Travis Snider, OF (FA)

Vance Worley, RHP (waivers)

AJ Burnett, RHP (FA, probably retired)

JA Happ, LHP (FA)

Joe Blanton, RHP (FA)

Corey Hart, 1B/OF (FA)

Antonio Bastardo, RHP (FA)

Joakim Soria, RHP (FA)

Aramis Ramirez, 3B (Retirement)

Charlie Morton, P (trade)

Andrew Lambo, OF (waivers)

Neil Walker, 2b (trade)

Deolis Guerra, P (rule 5)

Bobby LaFraboise, P (waiver)

—————————–

It's been a strange offseason for the Pirates, who nearly won 100 games last year but seem to be making the kind of marginal moves that a second-division squad would make. Maybe they feel like their core could get them back, but they're missing a good chunk of their rotation. Jon Niese and Ryan Vogelsong are some pretty shaky baskets to put your eggs in. Pedro Alvarez was non-tendered, but he had pretty much fallen out of favor anyway so not really a big loss. They've also been linked to guys like Bronson Arroyo and Mat Latos. At least Taillon should be back next year, I think.

No one in baseball was probably happier about the Jason Heyward signing than Andrew McCutchen, due to become a FA in 2018. Of course, he'll be older, but still.

 

Brewers

added:

Jonathan Villar, SS (trade)

Ramon Flores, OF (trade)

Kirk Nieuwenhuis, OF (waivers)

Josmil Pinto, C (waivers)

Andy Wilkins, 1b (waivers)

Garin Cecchini, 3b (trade)

Manny Pina, C (trade)

Will Middlebrooks, 3B (minor league deal)

Eric Young Jr, OF (minor league deal)

Dan Turkenkopf, Front Office

departed:

Kyle Lohse, RHP (FA)

Francisco Rodriguez, RHP (trade)

Luis Sardinas, 2B (trade)

Elian Herrera, 3B (FA)

Daniel Fields, OF  (waivers)

Mike Strong, LHP (waivers)

Adam Lind, 1B (trade)

Jason Rogers, 1b (trade)

Doug Melvin, GM (sort of, he was moved up to team president, but it sounds like he's less involved)

——————————

You could say the Brewers are having a bad offseason, but expectations were so low to begin with that it's pretty much just ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Lucroy and maybe Segura were ticketed as trade chips going into the 2015 season, and both of them had shitty and/or scary years (in Lucroy's case, concussions). After those two their best chip was….Adam Lind? They got a few lottery tickets for him, and his maybe-promising backup (Rogers) was flipped to the Pirates. I wouldn't be surprised if they ended up with Pedro Alvarez, though I'm sure Yuniesky Betancourt is available. It's a long road ahead for this team. At least their manager looks younger than any prospects that will be joining the squad. 

 

Cincinnati Reds

added:

Jose Peraza, 2B/SS (trade)

Blake Wood, RHP (FA)

Chris O'Grady, LHP (rule 5)

Jake Cave, OF (rule 5)

Dick Williams, GM

Walt Jocketty, PBO (promoted, but quasi-retiring following next season)

departed:

Aroldis Chapman, POS (trade)

Todd Frazier, 3B (trade)

Skip Schumaker, somehow still in baseball (FA)

Sean Marshall, LHP (FA)

Manny Parra, LHP (FA)

Brayan Pena, C (FA)

Burke Badenhop, RHP (FA)

Pedro VIllareal, RHP (FA)

———————

The Cardinals have certainly had the most frustrating offseason, but the Reds has to be the worst. They had a deal lined up with the Dodgers for Chapman, only to see it fall apart after some pretty awful sounding DV allegations coming to light at just the wrong time for CIN. They got four minor leaguers back, but all of them seem to be pretty low ceiling guys. If things break their way they'll get an average CIF/DH type and a back end starter out of the deal. Whee. Peraza is the big return on the Frazier deal, though he's been playing a lot of 2B of late. The Reds are trying to move Brandon Phillips and he's giving them a big middle finger wrt his ten and five no trade clause, which is within his rights. Still Brandon Phillips being a tool only happens on days that end in 'y'. The rest of the return was pretty meh. 

 

Cubs

added:

Jason Heyward, OF (8/184, sort of)

Ben Zobrist, 2B (4/56)

John Lackey, RHP (2/32)

Trevor Cahill, RHP (re-signed, 1/4.25)

Adam Warren, RHP (trade)

Edgar Olmos, LHP (claimed twice!)

Rex Brothers, RHP (pre rule 5, inconsequential trade)

Spencer Patton, RHP (trade)

Aneury Acevedo, RHP

departing:

Starlin Castro, SS (trade)

Dexter Fowler, OF (FA – Qualifying offer)

Austin Jackson, OF (FA)

Tommy Hunter, RHP (FA)

Fernando Rodney, RHP (FA)

Quintin Berry, OF (FA)

Jonathan Herrera, INF (FA)

Jason Motte, RHP (FA)

Chris Denorfia, OF (FA)

Dan Haren, RHP (retired)

Yoervis Medina (DFA)

————————–

Not much to say that hasn't already been said elsewhere on this site. As down as I was on the Lackey and Zobrist signings originally, I like the deals now that they have Heyward in hand.

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  1. Me

    dmick89,

    dmick89:
    Going into hillbilly Cardinals land today to pick up a puppy to take home. Just hope she doesn’t grow up to be a redneck whore.

    Just make sure she doesn’t turn her doghouse into a meth lab.

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  2. Smokestack Lightning

    dmick89:
    Is Denard Span still a possibility?

    If I were a part of the current greatest front office on earth, I’d be suggesting of dem dere pillow contracts.

    But Theo sure seems to think the current OF arrangement is more than satisfactory. On the cheap, Span makes a lot of sense, tho.

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  3. cerulean

    dmick89,

    Only if they pick up the likes of Carrasco by trading outfield depth. Maybe the fact that Cubs prospects haven’t been the best at what prospects do—you know, fail—but there are quite a few guys who should be ready in the next three years, so any deal beyond two or three years seems like it would be a misallocation of resources. I see it like this: Heyward in center should do for the next three years just fine with Baez and/or Alcantara as super-U’s capable of handling center; Coghlan, Soler, Schwarber (even Bryant some days) can do in the corners; McKinney, Almora, Happ et al are waiting in the wings. I’d rather use the savings from Span to contribute to an Arrieta extension.

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  4. cerulean

    There is a case to be made at getting him dirt cheap, but I am expecting above Zobrist AAV for a three year deal. Am I crazy? He has been injured and his defense is in decline. But even so, somebody will make him a better offer than the Cubs should, and if no one does, the Cubs should steer clear. If he does sign with the Cubs on the cheap despite better offers, that may be interesting come the trade deadline for Theo and Jed (not for trading Span, particularly, but their depth).

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  5. dmick89

    I think people are once again overestimating what Alcantara can do. I also believe the same is true of Baez, but he clearly has more potential. I still don’t think we’ll see Heyward start in CF on a regular basis. The Cubs will make another move so he’s the everyday RF. I wouldn’t want Span for more than 3 years, but the way the current team is built, I wouldn’t mind seeing the Cubs trade Soler for pitching (Carrasco???) and sign Span for 2-3 years.

    Happ is at least a couple years away. Schwarber reached High A for almost 50 games the same season he was drafted and then raked in AA and AAA and was called up for good in the latter part of the year only because of injury. He’d have been called up in September was it not for Montero’s injury. Happ isn’t Schwarber by any means and I’d guess we won’t see him until mid-season 2018 at the earliest. That’s fine.

    I don’t know what to think about Almora and McKinney, but I wouldn’t count on them being productive MLB players just yet. Good prospects, but they aren’t great.

    The question is, can you get a decent pitcher with Soler plus a minor leaguer? I don’t see how you trade Baez. He’s got to be the super utility player at this point or last resort starting CF for this team in my opinion.

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  6. dmick89

    As much as I love the Heyward signing, and this is true even if he is the CF for a couple years, I’d much rather see him in RF where he doesn’t have to use his legs as much.

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  7. cerulean

    dmick89,

    I think we are in agreement, though I would rather trade Soler+ for Carrasco or the like first, unless they got a good deal.

    As for Alcantara—he is likely a complete bust, but he is not yet 25 and had a productive age 22 season in 2014. His chances are slim, but I still prefer his upside to Szczur.

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  8. cerulean

    An open question:

    In thinking about prospects and their penchant for failure, which young Cub is most likely to be worth half or less of last year’s value over replacement: Bryant, Russell, Schwarber, Hendricks, Soler, Baez? And I am asking about over the whole season—a healthy Soler or Schwarber beginning the year then could be less productive per PA and still provide more value.

    Happy New Year!

    dmick89,

    (That’s as good a way as any to start it.)

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  9. Smokestack Lightning

    dmick89:
    I really do like that the Cubs offseason was pretty much wrapped up so early.

    I like the absence of anxiety, fo sho. Cubs made themselves the BTIB fairly quickly.

    Still wouldn’t mind something of significance happening before ST, but largely only because now I’m bored. Persistent offseason success has jaded me. (dying laughing)

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  10. Ryno

    So CHI ends up with the 11th pick in the 2016 draft. That works out well for them, because there appears to be about an 11-player top tier at first glance.

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  11. JonKneeV

    Ryno,

    Sucks that Jaylon Smith is done. How far do you think he falls? Or do you think he will go back to school?

    I was really liking him for CHI.

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  12. Ryno

    JonKneeV,

    That depends on the prognosis. If he’s going to be out a year, he should probably return to school (since there’s no physical risk) and maybe try to play in their bowl game. If he’s going to miss less time, it might not even drop him a full round.

    Myles Jack is no slouch, though, and might even be ranked higher by some teams. Tough to say before watching them all.

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  13. Author
    berselius

    mb, I’m about halfway through Jane The Virgin S1. I’m really hoping they give Rogelio his own spin-off.

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  14. Ryno

    The WRs just aren’t separating, but watching last night’s game leads me to believe it’s on the OC. That was the blandest bunch of route combos I’ve seen.

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  15. Ryno

    berselius,

    I bet he’s reaching out to a lot of people.

    I would have been great with that back when Tomsula was the coach. Now I’m hearing about interest in Sean Payton, Hue Jackson and others, so Kelly drops down my list. I like his scheme, but his player interaction was godawful. He gutted that roster.

    Honestly, I think he’d be better off going to Texas.

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  16. Ryno

    Dianna Marie Russini ‏@diannaESPN
    I was told follow the circle of influence in these coaching hires–Parcells will be one influencing 49ers and Dolphins in their search.

    If true, Payton makes a lot of sense in SF.

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  17. Ryno

    berselius,

    It’s possible, but I’m convinced Jason Garrett is Jerry’s illegitimate child.

    SF will interview Hue Jackson and then make a play for Payton. I’m not so sure Jackson wouldn’t be the better hire, though.

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  18. Ryno

    berselius,

    Not yet, but they’re making a move to do that. Apparently he’s solely responsible for the HC hire.

    But yeah, Gabbert is likely the starting QB next year (though Kap is still an option too). Quite a few QBs might be available via FA, but this roster is likely a few years away. Draft is probably their best bet.

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  19. Author
    berselius

    Ryno: The WRs just aren’t separating, but watching last night’s game leads me to believe it’s on the OC. That was the blandest bunch of route combos I’ve seen.

    I don't know what they were thinking, they knew they would have to face the MVP next week in WAS if they lost. The whole "they really miss Jordy Nelson" excuse wore real thin as the season went on.

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  20. Ryno

    berselius,

    They definitely miss him, but it’s like the WRs they have left can only run two routes each. In the MIN game, the DBs covered like they knew the route half the time.

    Maybe they’ll open it up for the playoffs.

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  21. umbra

    This morning I brushed my teeth, THEN had an orange, THEN drank my coffee.

    I imagine this is what it feels like to be a Packers fan when they only make the playoffs as a wildcard instead of winning the division.

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  22. Ryno

    @Joseph_Duarte
    Former @AggieFootball QB @KyleAllen_10 plans to transfer to the University of Houston, a source tells @HoustonChron

    Six years ago, Texas was playing for a National Championship. Today, we have the sixth best football team in the state.

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  23. umbra

    I’d be happier if we had good young cost-controlled pitchers instead of good young cost-controlled batters. Can’t we find some ’18-year-old’ from Cuba? Maybe a Japanese guy who throws a Gyroball?

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  24. Author
    berselius

    umbra:
    I’d be happier if we had good young cost-controlled pitchers instead of good young cost-controlled batters.Can’t we find some ’18-year-old’ from Cuba? Maybe a Japanese guy who throws a Gyroball?

    The Mets and Dave Stewart have done a lot to inflate that price in the past 6 months or so 🙁

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  25. Ryno

    CollegeFootball 24/7 @NFL_CFB
    UPDATE: Fear is Jaylon Smith suffered nerve damage in addition to ACL, MCL tear (via @RapSheet) –> bit.ly/1ONXwL7

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  26. Author
    berselius

    We’ve reached peak HOF bitching when people complaining that someone who will never be elected anyway falls off the ballot.

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  27. Author
    berselius

    Griffey and Piazza ——-> HOF

    sounds like Raines and Bagwell fell just short, they were over the limit based on the public ballots.

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  28. Wenningtons Gorilla Cock

    PFD: http://www.theplayerstribune.com/starlin-castro-cubs-yankees/

    I hope Starlin has a career year with the Yankees.

    That’s a great letter. Sometime during that first homestand after he got called up, I was biking home from work going North on LaSalle and stopped at a red light. A white Rolls Royce convertible pulled up next to me with the top down and, lo and behold, it was Soriano driving and Castro in the passenger seat. Castro just had this wide-eyed, kid-like expression on his face as he looked up at all the skyscrapers. I shouted, “Hey Castro! Welcome to Chicago!” and he gave me this big smile and thumbs up right as the light turned green and they sped off.

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  29. Ryno

    Doug Farrar @SI_DougFarrar
    If you’re insisting that Moneyball doesn’t work in the NFL, there’s a fair chance you don’t know what Moneyball is.

    I dont care wut he sez. You dont WALK into the endzone.

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  30. EnricoPallazzo

    really wished they published the HOF ballots. i am dying to know who the two jason kendall supporters are. they must either just be trolling, right? and/or related to jason kendall?

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  31. Millertime

    Ryno,

    Not especially. It wouldn’t be ideal, but I’m more concerned with the general lack of talent on the Bears, specifically young talent. Fox seems like he’s pretty good at finding solid coordinators, so I think he’ll do an ok job replacing Gase, if neccessary.

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  32. Ryno

    Millertime,

    Gase has been a “hot” name in coaching rumors for the last two off-seasons and I’ve been wondering why. Cutler seemed less Cutler than usual later in the season, but was the offense really better under Gase than it was under Trestman with McCown?

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  33. Mucker

    Ryno,

    No, it wasn’t. I do believe Gase called gameplans based on the fact Jeffery and Royal were injured so much. But I wouldn’t be mad to see him go. I think Cutler will be fine if Loggains is promoted to OC or if Fox goes another direction. I’m more worried about Fangio leaving. Considering the lack of talent on D the Bears had, I think he did a great job. I’m more worried about adding talent on D then losing Gase.

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  34. Ryno

    Mucker,

    That’s kind of what I figured. Makes me wonder why he’s such a hot commodity.

    And yeah, I definitely miss Fangio’s defense. Very simple scheme that limits big plays against yet enables splash plays.

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  35. Mucker

    Ryno,

    And that was with a practically non-existent pass rush for most of the season. When the Bears add another pass rusher, the D can really improve. I don’t like the CBs and I think the Bears could use an improvement at the position. But if you have any insights on how Fangio uses his corners, I’d be interested to hear it. To me, it seems like he’s not asking for too much from them. No press at all it seems.

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  36. Ryno

    Mucker,

    They really like to disguise coverage. They usually line up a few yards off the LOS so they can press, bail, bracket, etc. They use a lot of pattern matching and zone coverage, at least they did in SF.

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  37. Millertime

    I used to really like NFL football. But then I saw Cam Newton dance in the endzone after scoring a touchdown, so now I hate it.

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  38. Mucker

    Ryno,

    I only watched a handful of games but didn’t really notice any press. But that’s not saying they didn’t. And I imagine the 49ers had much better CBs in Rodgers and Culliver that were more capable of being physical press corners. That 49ers D was stacked though so Fangio could probably get very creative.

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  39. GW

    berselius:
    Oral history of the TOOTBLAN

    https://slate.adobe.com/cp/pKnz1/

    Good read. The only big omission is that in those days you couldn’t swing a dead cat around Cubs internet-space without hitting a couple of fans who thought that the Cubs’ good players were actually bad. Aramis was worthless because he didn’t always run out grounders, Zambrano was totally falling short of his potential because he was a hothead, and Soriano was an aloof prima donna. Those fans always defaulted to Theriot as their shining star. Theriot always got more crap around here than he probably deserved, and it was mainly a reaction to those fans.

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  40. Suburban kid

    I saw Bowie in the 80s at Rosemont Horizon which converted me from respecter to admirer. Quite the performer. I also saw an entourage moving through an airport once, and spotted a glamorous woman in her 40s at the center of it. Turned out to be Bowie (in his 50s) with shoulder-length golden hair the likes of which I’d never seen on a man.

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  41. Ryno

    Mucker,

    They didn’t press much in SF either, but they started drafting more press-ish CBs and doing more of it in the last year or two.
    The theme of the whole defense was versatility. It was a base 3-4, but they ran more nickel than anything. DL need to be able to drop into coverage, rush, read. LBs need to be 3-down players. DBs need to excel in all coverage techniques.

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  42. Millertime

    Ryno,

    I’d rather more players act like Marvin Harrison. Be humble, hand the ball off quietly to the referee, let your gun be used in a shooting outside of the sports bar you own, act like you’ve been there before.

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  43. cerulean

    berselius,

    Randomness being what it is, I wouldn’t be shocked if the Reds or Brewers had a decent record against even the Cubs. It would be nice if one or both of them made a run for the Tigers’ 2003 record, though.

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  44. dmick89

    SK, I haven’t read the book, but a close friend has suggested it before. He’d love everything Dead-related though.

    Love how those projected standings look. Nice time to be a Cubs fan.

    Anyone had a puppy that cries all night in a crate? I’ve tried just about everything, but she literally cries and screams all night.

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  45. Millertime

    dmick89,

    I’m probably not the best person to ask, since I tried to adopt a puppy and ended up returning it (I was having health issues from the stress of a new puppy and trying to study for the CPA at the same time). Ours cried quite a bit at first, but got better as the week went on. I’ve heard giving the puppy a larger stuffed toy to sleep up next to can help (it didn’t with us). I ended up getting out an air mattress and slept close to the puppy, just so he knew someone was close by. That seemed to help a little. If you’ve had back issues in the past, though, I’m not sure how viable it is.

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  46. EnricoPallazzo

    cerulean,

    3rd best pitching staff in mlb?

    offense bested only by 2 other teams (who both have a DH)?

    i mean that would be great but i am a bit skeptical. actually, fuck that, i’ll take these at face value. it’s been a while since i’ve had even a shred of hope at this point in the year.

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  47. Suburban kid

    Our puppy cried and barked all night and on the second night I had a neighbor knocking on my door at 1:30 am to complain. No fun.

    We tried everything. Playing a radio. A gadget that plugs into a socket and emits supposedly soothing pheremones to calm dogs’ hyper minds. Putting an old shirt that has the scent of one of us in the crate.

    He just wouldn’t calm down until I slept one night on the couch with him next to me in the crate, and then we moved the crate outside our door. Maybe he could hear us sleeping or he just liked being close.

    After a few days we were able to move the crate back downstairs. It was a long time before we were able to transition him to a normal bed though — at first he would scratch and cry at our door. Again, moving the bed upstairs to the hall outside our door helped.

    18 months later he sleeps just fine on his own, but as a rescue dog, he still has separation anxiety issues and follows us around all day.

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  48. uncle dave

    Smokestack Lightning,

    I think that they were close to a consensus pick to win the division, but not many folks had them as the best in the league or all of baseball. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that this is easily the best Cubs team post-integration, at least on paper.

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  49. dmick89

    uncle dave:
    Smokestack Lightning,

    I think that they were close to a consensus pick to win the division, but not many folks had them as the best in the league or all of baseball.I’m going to go out on a limb and say that this is easily the best Cubs team post-integration, at least on paper.

    They were, but they also were in 2009. Average win projection of 95.3 wins. Not sure where this team would stand if we averaged all the projections. There’s not as many of them as there were in 2009. People forget how good that 2009 team was intended to be. Despite all the issues, they still finished above .500, which is a rarity for the Cubs.

    FWIW, I think the 2016 team is better, but it’s not much better than the 2009 team was supposed to be. It’s close enough that either of them are a good enough pick for best team in the last 70 years or more.

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  50. cerulean

    EnricoPallazzo,

    I keep trying to think of ways the Cubs could screw this up. Here is the list:

    Charter jet crashes.
    Zombie apocalypse.
    Thermonuclear war.
    Gamma-ray burst destroys all life.

    But seriously, they have an astonishing amount of depth and flexibility to absorb a rash of injuries and still have a better-than-even shot at the playoffs. My biggest concern is the depth of the rotation against monster rotations in the playoffs—like the Mets.

    What would it take for them to miss the playoffs? Let’s say the Cubs lose Arrieta, Rizzo, Heyward, and Bryant for the entire year. That’s 20 WAR easy. That would likely sink them, but they would still probably contend into September.

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  51. Millertime

    cerulean,

    It could be as simple as pitching injuries, and then most position players taking a small to medium step back from last year, or from projections.

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  52. cerulean

    Millertime,

    Indeed. But unlike other years, the amount of redundancies should make this a fun year no matter what happens*. And unlike with the Nationals last year, I feel like the coaching staff is great at keeping the game from becoming joyless work. As for the 2004/2009 Cubs teams, this team is so much younger and deeper that should the bad things happen, it will almost certainly be an entertaining year. (Everybody loves an underdog.)

    *Mass extinction excluded

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  53. JonKneeV

    dmick89:
    SK, I haven’t read the book, but a close friend has suggested it before. He’d love everything Dead-related though.

    Love how those projected standings look. Nice time to be a Cubs fan.

    Anyone had a puppy that cries all night in a crate? I’ve tried just about everything, but she literally cries and screams all night.

    How long has it been? The puppy might just take awhile to get acclimated to its crate. You ALWAYS want to make sure the crate is place the puppy wants to be, rather than a punishment. If the puppy isn’t rewarded for going in the crate, all you are doing is putting it in a place where it doesn’t get the reward of play/companionship/food etc.

    Start feeding him/her in her crate in the mornings and evenings. Leave the crate door open so the pup and enter and leave as he/she pleases. Give him/her a treat every time you put him/her in the crate. Many dogs have a natural “den” instinct where they naturally sleep in dens that are protected from larger predators. If you have a metal wire crate, put a heavy blanket over the crate to give it a feeling of being separated from the rest of the room.

    If your pup doesn’t like it’s crate, first start with feeding just outside the crate. Each meal, test and see if your pup is starting to get comfortable and move it closer to or further into the crate.

    If you didn’t do much research into your breeder, there’s a chance you bought from a puppy mill. Missouri is the #1 source of puppy mills in the U.S. If that is the case, you should immediately start puppy classes for socialization or it will just get worse and worse until your dog literally can’t leave your side without losing its shit.

    My puppy is at 6 months now and it cried for about the first week. Now he sleeps in his crate willfully.

    /dog owner, animal welfare enthusiast

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  54. umbra

    Millertime,

    Or Big Jake taking a line drive off his elbow. Or maybe the fame gets to Schwarber and he’s all like, ‘why do I gotta wear this mask all the time? NO ONE KNOWS WHAT IT’S LIIIIIIIIIIIKE…’ and he scuffles for a few months. Or the North Koreans finally finish tunneling through the Earth’s crust and emerge out of shallow left center and take Kris Bryant hostage.

    Here is the part where I would normally say ‘It’s Gonna Happen!’TM, but that’s enabling a Culture of Losing. Instead, I will say that that will never happen because the Cubs are always good and always will be.

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  55. sharpchicity

    Crazy how accurate the MLB Abr model is over at MLBTR. Is it that easy?

    Projections/actuals
    Jake Arrieta (4.145) — $10.6 / 10.4MM
    Chris Coghlan (5.148) — $3.9 / 3.9MM
    Justin Grimm (2.170) — $1 / 1MM
    Hector Rondon (3.000) — $3.6 / 3.6MM
    Pedro Strop (4.156) — $4.7 / 4.7MM
    Adam Warren (3.036) — $1.5 / 1.5MM
    Travis Wood (5.004) — $6.4 / 6.4MM

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  56. Suburban kid

    dmick89:
    Going into hillbilly Cardinals land today to pick up a puppy to take home. Just hope she doesn’t grow up to be a redneck whore.

    over under on this also being the thread when dm’s puppy celebrates its first birthday

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  57. dmick89

    Thanks JKV. Definitely not a puppy mill. I was sure to check on that before reserving a puppy.

    She actually her best night yet last night. Hoping it gets better and better. Thanks again.

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  58. Ryno

    Not particularly.

    But my biggest issue with them hiring Shanahan is that he was available last off-season. It sure seems like he’s their safety net.

    They’re going to suck next year. At least give Chip Kelly a second shot (without the personnel power) and make it entertaining.

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  59. Ryno

    I’m trying to convince myself that they’re “slow playing” all these candidates because they’re trying for Todd Haley. Not that’s he’s the HR hire I would have liked, but I think he’ll be good the second time around.

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  60. Mucker

    Ryno,

    I like Shanahan. His system works. You never have to worry about your run game with him. Defense is a different story though. If he can get the right DC, his team can make some noise.

    I’m not sold on Chip Kelly. Not from an X’s and O’s standpoint, but how he practically gutted that Eagles team. Thought he was a little over his head. But if he’s going to just coach, I’d be interested to see how that would go.

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  61. Ryno

    Mucker,

    The run game will be strong and I really like the offense WAS ran in 2012, but I’m not sure how much of that was him v. Kyle. I guess we’ll find out soon.

    What Chip Kelly does offensively is very smart. He’s progressive and adaptable and I think he could be be a successful head coach for a long time. As you said, he was just in over his head with roster control.

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  62. Mucker

    Ryno,

    Same with Shanahan. I doubt they give him roster control but he should be far away from that. Coaches coach…GMs GM. That’s how it should be.

    I really liked Kelly’s use of formations. I saw a lot of the stuff he did to try and create confusion and thought it was pretty great.

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  63. Ryno

    Matt Maiocco @MaioccoCSN
    Clearly, Shanahan with Robert Griffin was disaster. Don’t know about recent talks, but last year Shanahan had detailed plan for Kaepernick.

    This bothers me. SF talked to Shanahan last year and still hired Tomsula.

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  64. Ryno

    Mucker,

    Apparently SF’s GM is not willing to budge on roster control…because he’s done such a great job with the roster since he took over the team McCloughan built through 2010… Part of why Hue Jackson went to CLE.

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  65. Author
    berselius

    Ryno,

    Memories of that beatdown in the same stadium a few weeks ago are still too fresh. If GB wins it’s going to be because of some fluke turnovers or something,

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  66. Ryno

    berselius,

    The difference between that game and last week’s game for GB offensively is ridiculous. You’re probably right about the turnovers, but this week’s game will be much closer.

    And if you find yourself down about the Packers season, just remember that the 49ers had one of the best rosters in the NFL two seasons ago.

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  67. Ryno

    Adam Schefter @AdamSchefter
    49ers expected to choose between Chip Kelly and Mike Shanahan for their next HC, per league sources. Decision likely within next 24 hours.

    Well there you go.

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  68. Author
    berselius

    Ryno: The difference between that game and last week’s game for GB offensively is ridiculous

    Yeah, but the same goes for WAS’s defense and Arizona’s which is probably top 5 in the league, maybe even better than Seattle if they still had Mathieu.

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  69. Author
    berselius

    Ryno: And if you find yourself down about the Packers season, just remember that the 49ers had one of the best rosters in the NFL two seasons ago.

    I’m more confused than anything – I thought they could have won ten games with guys they pulled out of the stands at WR if Rodgers was throwing the ball. I’m used to simply wondering if the defense would give up more than they could score.

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  70. Ryno

    berselius,

    It’s mostly what they’re doing with those WRs. Toward the end of the regular season, they were running the most basic routes imaginable with no variance. I think I mentioned before that the ARI DBs looked like they knew what was coming each time.

    It didn’t look like that against WAS.

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  71. Smokestack Lightning

    dmick89,

    Yeah, prolly right. I might have gotten swayed a bit into worry by the Sun-Times’ headline.

    Just seems odd if “everybody’s on the same page” that they haven’t gotten around to finishing it yet.

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  72. Ryno

    Mucker,

    I feel like Shanahan would have had SF as an 8-10 game winner every year, but never really a threat.
    With Chip, I expect 6-7 wins or 11-12. And it’ll be fun to watch either way.

    berselius,

    You like how I jumped to my death in a cemetery?

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  73. Ryno

    Matt Miller @nfldraftscout
    New Round 1 Mock Draft included in the #scoutingnotebook. #49ers fans (and all fans) are going to be surprised. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2607780-2016-nfl-draft-matt-millers-scouting-notebook-for-divisional-weekend?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=web-mob-art-mid-16

    It was actually not a surprise at all. I’ve been wondering if No. 7 overall is too early for Carson Wentz, and it looks like the answer could be No.

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  74. dmick89

    Theo may also want only 3 years and a couple options or something like that. Who knows, but I’m pretty sure a deal will get done. It’s not something that worries me at all at this point.

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  75. Ryno

    If anything, I think the CHI pick is more surprising. Jack and Allen are both larger upgrades and nearly elite prospects at this point.

    I guess he assumes Jefferey walks.

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  76. Ryno

    Matt Miller @nfldraftscout
    Treadwell to the Bears was based on Alshon being a free agent. If he’s back, I would look at LB for them.

    Jack it is.

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  77. cerulean

    Went to the convention, and I must say that I was really shocked when the crowd gave John Lackey such an ovation. But then again, David Ross was heavily lauded. I think they brought out the good Budweiser§ for the event.

    Dempster got some really great zingers in. The best was asking Bryant if he waited a little extra to purpose so he’d get another year of control. I saw last year when Dempster did his Friday Night Show for the first time—which was really good—and this was even better. The ratio of lovefest to ribbing was much lower than one might expect. So many uncomfortable moments of the later variety. So great.

    § I am fully aware such a beverage does not exist.

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  78. dmick89

    Not surprised Ross got a lot of love. I’d have liked him a lot more if he retired after 2015. Actually, it would have been even better if he retired after 2014.

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  79. Author
    berselius

    That wasn’t as much an exciting ending so much as a colossal series of fuck ups by the refs. That game should never have gone into overtime.

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  80. cerulean

    dmick89,

    I see this and it gives me hope. Why? That 1996 Yankees team was really good, and only recently have the Yankees not been able to patch the holes on the FA market. That is depth.

    Crazy that the worst record of Rivera’s and Jeter’s careers was 8 and 6 games over .500, their respective final years. Unbelievable. And then they catch some lightning in a bottle getting back to the playoffs last year despite making it known that they are gearing toward youth. For all the flack that FO has gotten recently, they are still one of the best.

    Never underestimate the power of the dark side.

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  81. Ryno

    Ryno:

    Man, losing Adams doesn’t help, but their route combos were much improved. I think it’ll be closer than you think, but I still see them losing by a TD.

    I’d like to thank the Packers and Cardinals for making me look like I know what I’m talking about. (dying laughing)

    What a game…

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  82. dmick89

    cerulean,

    I just think it’s crazy that the team that once had the most money by far is now not spending on MLB free agents. They still have a ton of money, but they’ve actually tried to spend less in recent years.

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  83. cerulean

    dmick89,

    I think it all comes back to age and fit. I am surprised that they didn’t go after Heyward, but not that they didn’t throw $20M+ to a guy on the cusp of 30. I have wondered if they might make a play at Cespedes, but not for Davis money. My guess is that they want to give some more of their young guys a chance to become stars while letting these old guys fall off the books. Even the Yankees have their limits on contracts to underperforming veterans. I think when Harper is available, the Yankees are going to have a lot of cash to throw at him.

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  84. Author
    berselius

    Whoa, I missed Justin Upton signing with the Tigers over the weekend. I had just assumed the Cardinals would sign him to some crazy below market deal.

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  85. Ryno

    Matt Miller @nfldraftscout
    This will be a red flag: Tajae Sharpe previously listed at 6’3″, 200 lbs. Shrine measurement 6’2″, 188 lbs, 7 3/8 hands (minimum is 9-9.5)

    There’s no way that hand size is right. Or maybe he was attacked by a barracuda before he hatched.

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  86. JonKneeV

    GBTS,

    I thought there’s some restriction on trading a player that you just signed. I thought you have to wait a couple months into the season. Or maybe I’m just thinking of draft picks.

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  87. Smokestack Lightning

    berselius,

    What they’re not telling us is that the same lineup had Miguel Cabrera at 1B, Bryce Harper in LF, and a resurrected Babe Ruth in RF.

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  88. Smokestack Lightning

    berselius: And somehow ended up with the Reds dirty laundry.

    If only being of questionable character meant you were also guaranteed to be bad at baseball.

    Besides, this is the org that’s kept A-Rod for more than a decade. Chapman’s smooth sailing in comparison.

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  89. Smokestack Lightning

    And it seems at long last the NL will stop being fucking stupid and will seriously consider the DH for 2017.

    Methinks the outcry from Meathead Nation will be especially loud on this one.

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  90. Suburban kid

    This would shake baseball like an earthquake. The entire brand and style of NL ball is built upon pitchers batting. It affects how teams construct their lineups and use their pitching staffs. Bringing the DH to the NL would not only start to make extinct a specific style of baseball but rattle long-time fans who swear by NL rules.

    I “disagree” with this bit from “Yahoo” baseball “writer” Mike “Oz”.

    It might shake baseball fans like an earthquake, but not baseball. I no longer believe there is an NL “style” of “ball” even if managers like “Joe” Maddon talk about it. OK, one slight change to a 25-man roster would probably happen with some or maybe even most teams, but that’s about it. Drafting would probably only barely change. I know there are all-bat no-glove guys that will now be useful in the NL, but I don’t think at the high school / international level where guys are drafted that there are players that are way behind on defense. I’m guessing they fall behind as they advance through the system — their bat keeping up but not their glove.

    In conclusion, “Mr.” Oz:

    deal with it.

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  91. Millertime

    People who try and say that AL baseball is somehow different than NL baseball are just idiots. It’s still the same game. If someone thinks that they like NL baseball because of the pitcher batting, they’re lying to themselves.

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  92. Suburban kid

    Millertime:
    People who try and say that AL baseball is somehow different than NL baseball are just idiots.It’s still the same game.If someone thinks that they like NL baseball because of the pitcher batting, they’re lying to themselves.

    Yeah, “people”.

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  93. uncle dave

    Millertime: People who try and say that AL baseball is somehow different than NL baseball are just idiots. It’s still the same game. If someone thinks that they like NL baseball because of the pitcher batting, they’re lying to themselves.

    I like the NL because of the pitcher batting. It’s not because I think that it involves strategy that I find interesting or any stylistic difference. I just like watching weird things happen on the baseball field, like having a pitcher run between left and right field because a team is out of outfielders, or watching batters pitch, or Bartolo Colon try to hit. (And as they used to say, yes, I’d rather watch a pitcher hit than Harold Baines.) YMMV, but I think it takes the monotony out of a long season.

    That said, I watch way more AL baseball live and the DH doesn’t bother me.

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  94. JonKneeV

    uncle dave,

    I like watching good baseball. Watching pitchers bunt or strike out with 2 on and 2 outs is pretty terrible. Sure, there are rare instances where the pitcher makes the game more entertaining (Bartolo, Arrieta HRs, etc.), but those are the exception. Most of the time, it’s just boring and pointless to have the pitcher bat.

    With the pitcher batting, there is more “strategy” in terms of pinch hitting, double switches, etc. However, usually that involves putting in a lesser bench player and removing a starting position player from the game. Games with the best players > games with lesser players. It also eliminates the factor of when the next time the pitcher will bat in deciding whether to leave in the pitcher for another inning or pulling him.

    The DH is just a better rule in today’s baseball where pitchers are completely inept at offense.

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  95. uncle dave

    JonKneeV,

    You got your story and I got mine, but I feel like the ninth best hitter on any team isn’t usually all that good. At least, not good enough to justify creating playing time for him. I’m closer to indifferent than anything, but if I had the choice I’d vote for the status quo.

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  96. Smokestack Lightning

    uncle dave: but I feel like the ninth best hitter on any team isn’t usually all that good.

    But playing time wouldn’t necessarily be created for him. the #9 hitter in the AL is typically your #8 hitter in the NL. Hitting for the pitcher would be the DH, which in 2015 had the highest wRC+ and wOBA of all the positions.

    So, actually, playing time is being created to put a pretty good hitter in the lineup. 8, which gets playing time regardless, simply gets bumped down to 9.

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  97. cerulean

    I am against the DH coming to the NL. I happen to prefer the old school way. But I am open minded. I like that the leagues have different rules. But it being a league difference is rather arbitrary. So because I like both strategy and strategery, here’s my pitch to settle this debate:

    What if the home team manager could decide before the game whether the DH would be allowed, regardless of league? If your opponent has a Madison Bumgarner and you have a Jon Lester, by all means, DH. If it’s reversed, force the Lesters of the world to hit for themselves, unless, maybe you have an unbelievable talent in the batter’s box that is way better than even the Bumgarner/Lester imbalance, then choose the DH. This would likely make homefield advantage matter more, which in turn would make the All-Star game more meaningful, maybe to the point of besting the most important game in baseball: the Hall of Fame game.

    (And don’t forget about the betting opportunities on whether a DH will play that day. Because gambling plus baseball plus old people is as American as fucking apple pie.)

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  98. dmick89

    I think it’s different in some ways, but overall, yeah, it’s the same game. I’ve never bought that there’s more strategy in the NL. In fact, I believe there is even less, but it’s not by a huge amount. The manner in which I think it’s different is primarily in that it’s simply a worse game. If starting pitchers even tried to be good at hitting, I wouldn’t care. I’d prefer the current NL over the AL, but if your pitchers, team, coaches, managers and executives don’t even give a shit if you can hit worth a crap, it’s time to do away with it.

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  99. dmick89

    cerulean,

    I like the idea of letting the manager decide, but I think within 5-10 years it will be rare for the pitcher to hit if that’s how you chose to do it. Good hitting pitchers aren’t going to waste their time taking BP if the rest of the staff isn’t bothering to. I do like the option though.

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  100. uncle dave

    Smokestack Lightning,

    Yeah, but I think most DHs in the AL are guys who would be starting at first or somewhere else in the NL, so that’s not necessarily a great comparison. No argument that the NL DH would have better hitters in the lineup on the whole, though.

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  101. Smokestack Lightning

    uncle dave,

    Maybe, but just looking at the Cubs situation… Schwarber moves to DH, and Cubs either start Coghlan in LF, or sign someone like Austin Jackson. Or maybe if they decide to push it they jump into the Cespedes sweeps. Are they better? Hell yes. Perhaps other teams will struggle to fill it as ably as the Cubs, but if the spot opens teams will find ways to fill it one way or another and we will see in pretty short order the same quality at DH as the AL does.

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  102. Rizzo the Rat

    I enjoy watching pitchers who can (relatively) swing a bat, but have little patience for ones who can’t hit at all. Which is most of them nowadays.

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  103. dmick89

    JonKneeV: The DH is just a better rule in today’s baseball where pitchers are completely inept at offense.

    To me, this is what it comes down to. As a fan, I want to see the best baseball possible. I don’t think National League teams can be honest and say that they’re currently playing the best baseball possible. I also think it’s absurd that if I go to a National League game it’s likely I’ll see 5-6 plate appearances by a pitcher. That’s about 7% of all the plate appearances I’ve paid to see being taken by the guys least capable of doing it.

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  104. dmick89

    I don’t get to see NL rules very often anymore. I live near Kansas City so if I want to go to a baseball game, it’s an AL game. I love that I don’t have to dread the pitcher coming to bat.

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  105. Smokestack Lightning

    dmick89,

    Agreed. Only in the NL do you have a spot in the order where the player occupying it is incentivized by the nature of the modern game to not be good at hitting. Every other position on the diamond has every incentive in the world to be good at all aspects of the game. Not pitchers.

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  106. dmick89

    Smokestack Lightning,

    I know pitchers suck at hitting, but it still pisses me off to see some of them hit. Jon Lester is fucking horrible at it. I know he was in the AL for a long time, but seriously, you almost have to try to be as bad at hitting as he is.

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  107. Smokestack Lightning

    dmick89,

    No kidding. To be a good modern hitter, it’s not just time in the cage, working with coaches, but studying video, studying pitchers, it’s as complete and thorough and time-consuming as the work needed to be a good pitcher. Asking a pitcher to do both is simply not realistic nor desirable, especially once factoring in the ever looming specter of injury (not to mention whether or not a pitcher has the talent to hit well to begin with; one can be an excellent pitcher but have zero aptitude for hitting).

    And since pitchers aren’t and shouldn’t be encouraged to become good hitters, it’s stupid to keep trotting them out to do little more than make outs for 2-3 PA per game. DH is the sensible alternative, other than simply batting 8 guys and get rid of #9 altogether.

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  108. Rice Cube

    FYI the DH rule allows managers to pick whether they want DH in lineup or not in the AL, and stipulation (even though I’m sure it would have to be ratified by CBA negotiators) is that either league can choose to use DH at any time. It’s just a conscious choice by AL managers to mostly use DH unless Joe Maddon made a mistake and had to bat Andy Sonnanstine third, and NL just said “no to DH” for now.

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  109. Ryno

    UCLA LB Myles Jack is getting a lot of love these days, which is bad news for you Bears fans. You really don’t want to see Jack off the board.

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  110. JonKneeV

    Ryno,

    I’ve read some bad things about Myles Jack. Basically saying he’s a gifted athlete that needs a ton of development and discipline.

    TBH, I don’t know much about NFL or football scouting in general. I just rely on those that do know. But it sounds like he’s more of a boom/bust player. His solo tackle production scares me.

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  111. EnricoPallazzo

    i was pretty indifferent about this argument until this season. in games where lester pitched, you had david ross and lester batting back-to-back. absolutely miserable to watch and guaranteed to kill any rally. even if you get the #4 hitter on with no outs, you’re still not confident he will score because lester and ross were just so awful at the plate. pretty unbearable to watch when the cubs were in such a tight playoff race and playing very meaningful games.

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  112. Millertime

    Ryno,

    “Newton also had 35 touchdown passes, 10 scoring runs and was sacked 33 times in 16 starts. Kaepernick threw for six touchdowns, ran for one and was sacked 28 times in eight starts. The biggest difference: The Panthers won a lot of games, and the 49ers lost most of theirs.”

    There may have been some other big differences.

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  113. Millertime

    I read on the Twitter that apparently a Barstool ranked OV behind several dozen other Cubs blogs, so I guess OV is moving up in the world. People are taking notice of the rising quality of this blog journal.

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  114. Wenningtons Gorilla Cock

    Millertime:
    I read on the Twitter that apparently a Barstool ranked OV behind several dozen other Cubs blogs, so I guess OV is moving up in the world.People are taking notice of the rising quality of this blog journal.

    With only one new article per month, it’s easier to concentrate on quality.

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  115. dmick89

    Suburban kid:
    How’s that puppy doing dm?

    Not great. She’s not eating and drinking as much water as she needs to be. We’ve treated for a few things, ran some blood tests, done some x-rays and she’s still not improving. It’s been a rough month for her and for us. She’s done so well with all the visits to the vet.

    We’ve done just about everything we can that’s non-invasive and I don’t have a good feeling. I am really, really tired though. I’ve not gotten more than 3 or 4 hours of sleep since I got her. I’m starting to get the feeling that my role in life is to provide medical care to dogs above and beyond what almost anyone else would. It sucks. She’s happy at times and I love her, but if she doesn’t improve soon, I’m going to have to have her put to sleep. Really fucking sucks.

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  116. dmick89

    Millertime:
    I read on the Twitter that apparently a Barstool ranked OV behind several dozen other Cubs blogs, so I guess OV is moving up in the world.People are taking notice of the rising quality of this blog journal.

    I saw something about this list or something so I checked my list of things I give a shit about and it wasn’t on it. (dying laughing)

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