There’s only 6 players left in the top 21 ranked free agents, 2 of which are in the top 10, and no one left from the top 5. Definitely not the slow off season we’ve become accustomed to over the last couple years.
The defending World Series Champions are considered winners in the Winter Meetings despite losing their best hitter for the second straight year because they retained Strasburg. Good for them, but on paper, they’re not a better team without Rendon.
Most important, the Yankees became the Yankees again. They gave the middle finger to the luxury tax threshold and signed Gerrit Cole to a record contract. $36 million per year folks! Cole will be worth it too.
Contrary to my previous posts, I knew the Cubbies wouldn’t be big players in the off season dealings, but I obviously had some hope. When you take a look at the penalties for going over luxury tax thresholds, there should really be more teams like the Yankees.
So to begin my thoughts on the Cubs moves so far, lets flash back to the winter after the 2011 season. Albert Pujols was the best pure hitter in the game at the time. Forget what became of him since, just remember how good this guy was at that time. The Angels were about to launch their own highly profitable TV channel. To celebrate this new income, they went out and got themselves the best free agent, and best hitter in the game.
Now flash forward back to the present. The Cubs are about to launch their own highly profitable TV channel. Gerrit Cole is the best pure pitcher in the game. With this new TV station, the Cubs will bring in hundreds of millions of dollars more to the already billionaire owners. Did we celebrate this new income by going out and getting the biggest free agent? Did we sign Gerrit Cole? Were we even players in the game for him? Nope, nope, and NOPE. We are instead focusing on cutting payroll, worrying about a couple million dollar penalty for going over the luxury tax threshold, and trading away our best players for prospects.
My whole life as a Cubs fan I had gotten used to being hopeful, yet ultimately disappointed. I can’t go back to that. The youthful naivety of my past would bring me hope the Cubs could contend, but my older wisdom knows better.
My whole life as a Cubs fan I watched ownership put half-assed teams on the field knowing they would make money whether the Cubs won or lost. I thought the current ownership would be the end of all that. I was wrong.
There’s such a sad feeling when you’re watching all these other teams that were already good get better. It hurts to watch teams that were not contenders become contenders. It hurts the most when all this happens, and not a word is spoken about your team. Now we’re even hearing talk of entering the season with the same team as last year minus Castellenos.
I know spending more money isn’t always the answer, and we had one of the top 3 highest payrolls in baseball last season. I get it. We should be better with the money we spent. But sometimes in baseball, you get straddled with big contracts that don’t work out. If you have the money to spend, and the Cubs do, you have to spend. You can’t just give up and say, well, we already spent the money, so we’ll have to make due.
How often does a guy like Gerrit Cole become available? I’m talking a guy who still has youth, may not even be in his prime yet, has shown consistent great performance year after year (not just coming off one career year), and has high pressure post-season success. No matter what money issues you think you have, you must be in on trying to get this guy. That’s exactly what the Yankees did, luxury tax be damned.
I fear the Cubs are over, and the owners are destroying the team. I really hope I’m wrong, but I feel I will soon be back to the good ol’ saying, “maybe next year.”
THE REAL CUBS FAN 