2 replies to this topic

[Bails17]

This has no doubt been a very exciting, and fun filled couple of months as a Cubs fan. I have traded several hours of my personal/work time for countless clicks of the mouse here on BN and other sites searching for more tidbits of information. At times...I have been borderline obsessed with this site and what is going on currently with the Cubs organization. However...

Recently I have been thinking of just how the Cubs can realistically build for continued success. And I don't mean 4-6 years down the road. Cubs fans just aren't that patient, right?

The way I see it the Cubs can rebuild in 3 ways (or at least this is how I am going to break it down).

1. SIGN BIG TIME FREE AGENTS! This is usually the easiest thing to do really out of the three. Just be the last guy to have your hand up when the bidding stops and...CONGRATULATIONS!! You are the winner of a prime time player.

2. TRADE FOR UNDER CONTROL/HIGH UPSIDE PLAYERS! These guys are young and talented...but will always take a whale of a deal to bring over. Do we have those types of players in our system to land a guy like Latos for instance?

3. STOCK PILE PROSPECT IN THE LOWER LEVELS! Do this with the draft and by trading upper level/under control players. With this method, you are certainly getting better in the minors. But you send the message that you are not going to compete this year (and maybe the next couple of years) with this route.

Now..I would love to see us be able to be competitive in 2013 while using a combination of 2 and 3 (then use number 1 as a "last piece(s) of the puzzle type situation) depending on team needs. That would be the best scenario in my mind. It keeps you young and allows you to go out and get a big name guy if the opportunity presents itself. BUT, here is the question: Is the Cubs minor league system good enough to produce the type of talent needed to make the playoffs year in year out?

My thoughts are this: There are very few players in the minor leagues who are considered a "sure thing" in the big leagues. It is hard for me to believe that we can get better by trading guys like Garza and Marshall. Maybe I am just too short sighted. And all this is going to be even more difficult with the new CBA in place. How many times have you seen the Yankees or Red Sox trade a guy like Garza or Marshall unless it was for a big time, established veteran to make a push to win it all.

Bottom line is this: I think we need to spend some serious money on free agents. Our current system is not good enough to bounce back in the next two-three years and replace guys like Garza. Lets get better in the draft by getting better at scouting (which I think is happening as we speak). If we don't gamble a little bit on guys like Prince or Darvish....I fear the Cubs are in for a long, long stretch of "mediocre at best" baseball.

[Oswego Chris]

I agree on Garza....not sure on Marshall...relievers are replaceable, but good lefty ones are harder to come by...I think in a perfect world you want to have the team that trades its prospects, not trades for them...simple concept I know, but for every hit on a prospect there are probably close to a hundred misses...everyone wants/needs quality starters...even the dream package that the Cubs were supposedly asking for from the Rangers did not excite me....

I would trade Brett Jackson in a heartbeat in a package for Gio Gonzalez....

[Ron]

This has no doubt been a very exciting, and fun filled couple of months as a Cubs fan. I have traded several hours of my personal/work time for countless clicks of the mouse here on BN and other sites searching for more tidbits of information. At times...I have been borderline obsessed with this site and what is going on currently with the Cubs organization. However...

Recently I have been thinking of just how the Cubs can realistically build for continued success. And I don't mean 4-6 years down the road. Cubs fans just aren't that patient, right?

The way I see it the Cubs can rebuild in 3 ways (or at least this is how I am going to break it down).

1. SIGN BIG TIME FREE AGENTS! This is usually the easiest thing to do really out of the three. Just be the last guy to have your hand up when the bidding stops and...CONGRATULATIONS!! You are the winner of a prime time player.

2. TRADE FOR UNDER CONTROL/HIGH UPSIDE PLAYERS! These guys are young and talented...but will always take a whale of a deal to bring over. Do we have those types of players in our system to land a guy like Latos for instance?

3. STOCK PILE PROSPECT IN THE LOWER LEVELS! Do this with the draft and by trading upper level/under control players. With this method, you are certainly getting better in the minors. But you send the message that you are not going to compete this year (and maybe the next couple of years) with this route.

Now..I would love to see us be able to be competitive in 2013 while using a combination of 2 and 3 (then use number 1 as a "last piece(s) of the puzzle type situation) depending on team needs. That would be the best scenario in my mind. It keeps you young and allows you to go out and get a big name guy if the opportunity presents itself. BUT, here is the question: Is the Cubs minor league system good enough to produce the type of talent needed to make the playoffs year in year out?

My thoughts are this: There are very few players in the minor leagues who are considered a "sure thing" in the big leagues. It is hard for me to believe that we can get better by trading guys like Garza and Marshall. Maybe I am just too short sighted. And all this is going to be even more difficult with the new CBA in place. How many times have you seen the Yankees or Red Sox trade a guy like Garza or Marshall unless it was for a big time, established veteran to make a push to win it all.

Bottom line is this: I think we need to spend some serious money on free agents. Our current system is not good enough to bounce back in the next two-three years and replace guys like Garza. Lets get better in the draft by getting better at scouting (which I think is happening as we speak). If we don't gamble a little bit on guys like Prince or Darvish....I fear the Cubs are in for a long, long stretch of "mediocre at best" baseball.

While I was reading this a commercial for Finding Bigfoot was on TV...wierd.