5 years from now we will see if a team that buys players (Dodgers, Angels, etc) will have gone down

According to multiple reports , the Cubs moved on to other starting pitching options shortly after Anibal Sanchez re-signed with the Detroit Tigers and have turned their attention to a short-term solution like Edwin Jackson abc 7 los angeles or Francisco Liriano .
The Cubs reportedly had a two-year offer on the table to Francisco Liriano earlier in the off-season but the reports connecting Liriano to the Cubs stopped soon after Scott Baker and Scott Feldman inked their one-year deals.
The Cubs have singed Chang-Yong Lim to a split contract according to Gordon Wittenmyer and he will not be added to the 40-man roster as part of the agreement with the Cubs . Lim is expected to rehab at the team s facility in Mesa and he will not be considered for a job with the big league team until the Cubs feel he is ready. The signing has not been made official but it appears Lim will not cost the Cubs much money until he is pitching in the majors.
The Cubs 40-man roster is back to 40 players. A day after designating abc 7 los angeles Jeff Beliveau for assignment , the Cubs posted the signing of Ian Stewart (dated December 12) and added him to the official 40-man roster .
The Cubs are looking to add pitching, both starters and relievers, abc 7 los angeles but until Thursday it was unclear how serious the Cubs were about adding quality arms and not just starters rehabbing from various injuries. Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer surprised everyone with the reported offer of five years and $75 million to Anibal Sanchez .
Edwin Jackson is coming off another inconsistent season and is reportedly looking for a long-term deal after signing one of Scott Boras infamous pillow contracts last year. Jackson was 10-11 in 31 starts for the Nationals with a 4.03 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. Jackson is an innings eater but has yet to pitch to expectations or his stuff.
Francisco abc 7 los angeles Liriano , like Jackson, is coming off another inconsistent season. Liriano was 6-12 in 34 games, 28 starts, for the Twins and White Sox with a 5.34 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP. Liriano struggled with throwing strikes again and walked 87 batters over 156 2/3 innings. Liriano has good stuff and is only 29 years old.
Carlos Villanueva could give the Cubs some much needed depth. Villanueva is coming off a decent season with the Blue Jays, one in which he posted abc 7 los angeles a 5-7 record in 16 games as a starter with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP.
Mike Adams is expected to sign a new contract in the very near future. The Cubs are one of several teams (White Sox, Brewers, Angels, Nationals, Blue Jays, Phillies, Rangers) thought to be interested in him.
The Cubs have been connected abc 7 los angeles to Rick Porcello since Epstein and Hoyer took over baseball operations more than 14 months ago and he may now be available. There was quite a bit of speculation on Friday shortly after Sanchez re-signed with Detroit that the Tigers would soon move Porcello. According to Danny Knobler , the Tigers are receiving a lot of calls from NL teams on Porcello and there could be a fit between the Pirates and Tigers in a deal that includes Joel Hanrahan .
According to Comcast SportsNet , Theo Epstein abc 7 los angeles recently said regarding the 2013 rotation, We can kind of relax and pick our spots and don t necessarily have to be desperate. The Cubs showed with their offer to Anibal Sanchez that they are being aggressive but not desperate.
During abc 7 los angeles an interview on MLB Network Radio , Phillies GM Ruben Amaro told Mike Ferrin abc 7 los angeles and Jim Duquette, we re still looking for a corner outfielder, we re considering a couple of trades and there are a couple of guys still available on the market.
Matt Garza was disappointed and puzzled about Anibal Sanchez re-signing with the Tigers. But on a positive note, Garza threw for the third time since receiving clearance from the team to proceed with his off-season program. Garza said he felt great afterwards .
According to a report from Bruce Levine , Theo Epstein and Tom Ricketts flew to Miami in an attempt to sign Anibal Sanchez. Epstein and Ricketts made an impressive presentation to Sanchez, promising that as a Cub he would be the ace of the staff and treated like royalty. Sanchez was impressed and ready to sign before his agent, Gene Mato, went back to Detroit with the Cubs offer.
Filed Under: If The Ivy Could Talk - Cubs Rumors abc 7 los angeles Tagged With: Anibal Sanchez , Carlos Villanueva abc 7 los angeles , Chang-Yong Lim , Edwin Jackson , Francisco Liriano , Ian Stewart , Jed Hoyer , Jeff Beliveau , Matt Garza , Mike Adams , Rick Porcello , Theo Epstein , Tom Ricketts
i think it s good ricketts went to miami; he can learn 1st hand what this losing on purpose plan is viewed by the players; that you are not gonna get the good FA till there is an effort to win. looks like mike adams too chose another team; the phillies.(better)
Do you think that, since you are a numbers guy and Rickets is a numbers guy, and he has done well enough to buy a major league baseball team, that maybe he has a small edge on you? Seriously, get over you negative outlook abc 7 los angeles on every single thing. Epstein and Rickets did everything possible and Sanchez WANTED to sign. But the agent did not act in good faith and leaked information only to drive up the price.
The Cubs are not losing on purpose, there is a plan and they re following it. Look at the big picture an outside the box a bit. You seem to have a gift of perspective similar to that of my 5 year old. I d like to see one post from you that doesn t mention losing on purpose. abc 7 los angeles You undermine abc 7 los angeles your credibility when you act like you truly believe that is the master abc 7 los angeles plan. I ve said before you d probably be fun to have a beer with and I don t think you re as short-sighted as your posts seem. But continuing to hammer away with your rants makes you seem like the crazy, conspiracy theorist down the street that covers his lawn with planks of wood so he doesn t have to mow in the summer.
If this was 30-40 years ago where the inside workings were not available as it is now, I was never concerned about these things and just took the season as it unfolded. Thats what makes it so frustrating, I do enjoy you re posts, abc 7 los angeles so continue, abc 7 los angeles please, as I enjoy all of the others as well.
You also have to consider the fact that the players have no say in who they sign with, correct? Is it perhaps possible that players chose NOT to play for the Cubs and that they are signing the best willing players?
abc 7 los angeles You re crazy to think that the turn-around time for an organization is so small. Everyone knew from day 1 of the Theo administration that it would be focused on building abc 7 los angeles the farm system through abc 7 los angeles the draft and international abc 7 los angeles signings first. Any player who signs with the Cubs knows this as well they re not dumb.
FYI Theo went to Yale, I m sure he s a pretty smart guy, too. How many championship baseball abc 7 los angeles organizations have you helped build? I can t wait for the day when you eat your words when Theo and Co. have built a strong baseball ORGANIZATION across all levels.
I know it may be hard to believe, but when shopping at the free agency window, that free agents will choose teams that were in the World Series over other teams. Players want to win and get paid. The teams that make the playoffs and have the money to add more players will always have an advantage abc 7 los angeles over teams that miss the playoffs and obviously, over teams that are rebuilding.
So what makes teams win out on players if they are competing with a playoff team .money. You must overpay the market to win the free agency battle. This isn t rocket science and I am sure we all understand this concept. The Cubs did that with Sanchez, and yet lost out because the Tigers went just a little higher, abc 7 los angeles they overpaid the overpayor.
Contracts are going to keep getting higher and higher. abc 7 los angeles Back-ups are now getting $2M/year, middle rotation guys are getting $12-$15M, bullpen arms are getting $6, $7M, difference makers are over $25M.
5 years from now we will see if a team that buys players (Dodgers, Angels, etc) will have gone down a better path than the Cubs, who are rebuilding from the ground up and will have the same insane TV deals at that point.
Let s say it s true (rebuilder overpay). The question is why the Cubs overpaid (expressed the will of)? Perhaps because they expect a good crop coming from their AA or AAA system in two years, and a five-year out of a good number-2 (Anibal) will put them at a much better place, a playoff run.
Theres reports that sanchez has progressed and that his last two months were indicative of where he currently is, and not where he was, IE as a solid #2 that could still improve with the next few years rather than the 3 or even 4 some people on here put him at thats already at his limit. if that was the FO assessment, the willingness abc 7 los angeles to buy now on what could be a high upside guy makes a lot of sense going forward the next couple of years. It would have also taken pressure off the garza situation, leaving them more flexibility to trade him or extend him, IF they can extend him. Looking at the next class of free agents, on the surface it looks like some good names, but most will never reach FA, instead being locked up. if the FO was looking forward and thinks the odds of for sure landing a top of the rotation pitcher or two, then locking up a top pitcher now makes sense.
Three things are almost certain at this point. future FA classes are going to get much slimmer than they used to be as key players are extended; those that do reach free agency are going to be MUCH more expensive (due both to rarity and the changing face of the financial situation with these major money tv cotnracts). The third thing will be that the teams with the most advanced scouting and profiling abc 7 los angeles are going to take bigger risks on free agents that they think still have growth potential.
I sure agree on Anibal. He tossed a no-hitter as a rookie, and had always abc 7 los angeles got the stuff and command throughout his career. He could have been an ace if injury didn t derail him for a year or two, methinks.
I don t like Edwin Jackson, never have. He s got to the most over-rated SP out there or maybe now Anib