The sheer insanity of attempting something like this, and then the discipline and talent to pull it off. I am utterly blown away, and if you have some time, you should click through to that account to see why it dropped my jaw:

Oh.

My.

God. https://t.co/Vtu4Zfpg88

— Brett Taylor (@Brett_A_Taylor) February 14, 2019

Nothing you or I do will ever be as accomplished and magical as that. Just pack it all in now.

On to the Bullets …

• Although I wouldn’t have paired it with the article he’s quoting … yeah:

(•_•)
<) )╯The Cubs should've
/

(•_•)
( (> Signed Bryce Harper
/

(•_•)
<) )╯Or released Addison Russell and signed Machado
/ https://t.co/EAFJJz9j72

— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) February 15, 2019

• As for the quoted article about a Cubs missed dynasty, I do think there are some interesting notes in there, including the fact that the Cubs have gotten much less from their core the last two years than they got in 2016, but I just kinda take issue with the whole premise. I concede that being a “dynasty” requires repeated postseason success, and the Cubs have just one title in this run, but in baseball, you just can’t make that happen. All you can do is put yourself in a position to do some stuff in the postseason consistently. And, since 2015, the Cubs have made the postseason every year, and have averaged, what, like 95 wins per season? Those results may not make them a dynasty – and adding a bunch of additional talent this offseason wouldn’t magically “save” a dynasty – but it does make it hard to suggest they’ve actively blown their window.
• … but also, again, yes, this offseason still feels like a shortsighted missed opportunity to supplement this window aggressively.

• Speaking of those two top dogs, though, Jeff Passan hears they are still holding out for $300 million+:

It is Feb. 15. Bryce Harper and Manny Machado remain free agents. Amid all the fake rumors, stupid tweets and red herrings, I tried to answer a very simple question: Why?

That and much, much more in a column that has 10 items and could use a new name: https://t.co/ZjF1xWag73 pic.twitter.com/bhdAcP0YFU

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 15, 2019

• A visual on Carl Edwards Jr.’s new delivery, which comes from the Dodgers (he referenced Kenley Jansen, though Clayton Kershaw obviously uses it, too):

Carl Edwards Jr's new delivery next to Clayton Kershaw: pic.twitter.com/Le7pEZVlYe

— Michael Cerami (@Michael_Cerami) February 16, 2019

• Bailey Clark was one of the sleepers Bryan wrote about yesterday, and here’s a little video action on how good the stuff can be:

One of the best outings by a Cub prospect all year was Bailey Clark on April 19 in Dayton. 12 batters faced, 44 pitches, 13 whiffs. This is Clark at his best, a multi-inning modern reliever with a heavy fastball and wipeout slider. Here are 12 of those swings and misses. pic.twitter.com/TJ0HLWTP0W

— Cubs Prospects – Bryan Smith (@cubprospects) February 15, 2019

• Speaking of stuff, this is a fantastic indication of good stuff:

One guy who comes out looking good in swinging strike analysis is Tyson Miller. He had 0 starts last year with less than 7 swinging strikes, and got to double-digits in 16 of his 23 outings. Miller was just so darn good and consistent last year.

— Cubs Prospects – Bryan Smith (@cubprospects) February 15, 2019

• A slime kit and – appropriately – Clorox products are your Deals of the Day at Amazon today.
• Normal Spring Training extension season, or a run on youngsters feeling the squeeze? It’s right on that border, in my view:

List of players signing extensions this offseason, all with club options.

– Whit Merrifield 4 yrs/$16.25 million
– Aaron Nola 4 yrs/$45 million
– Max Kepler 5 yrs/$35 million
– Jorge Polanco 5 yrs/$25.75 million
– Luis Severino 4 yrs/$40 million

— Kyle Glaser (@KyleAGlaser) February 15, 2019

• The thing all of the deals have in common is that they absolutely, unequivocally would have looked *CRAZY* under market just two years ago. So I suppose in that way, we’ve gotta at least presume the market and the fear of the future has dictated these deals a little bit. The volume of deals is not unusual at this point, but the character of the deals – so little guaranteed money, only one free agent season bought out (generally speaking), it looks a little different to me than years past.
• That said, hey, where are the Cubs extensions, right? If you don’t count Pedro Strop’s very short deal, the last Cubs extension was Anthony Rizzo *SIX YEARS AGO.*
• I would agree that this doesn’t sound great for a club that has made a number of significant additions, and probably isn’t good for folks hoping teams will go out and add for economic reasons:

The #Phillies say their season ticket sales are $150,000 ahead of last year. MacPhail: "The way it's been explained to me is it's good, but not great."

— Scott Miller (@ScottMillerBbl) February 15, 2019

• To be sure, adding a Bryce Harper or Manny Machado would probably spike that number quite a bit, but nowhere remotely close to the price of the contract in 2019 (much less beyond). Which, again, is why it feels to me like something is off with trying to do one-to-one financial analyses in making player additions.
• Meanwhile, the Nationals once again project to be very good, even after the loss of Bryce Harper:

2019 ZiPS Projections – Washington Nationals https://t.co/1e6wWlh3FD

— FanGraphs Baseball (@fangraphs) February 15, 2019

• The NL East is going to be every bit as bruising as the NL Central … in the top four. The teams in the East will at least have the benefit of beating up on the Marlins. Good luck getting a Wild Card spot out of the Central this year.
• Usually football rumor season comes long after baseball rumor season has ended, but hey, new normal and all that:

Chris Conley Presents a Possible Solution to the Bears’ Need for Receiver Depth https://t.co/qXsXlANQni pic.twitter.com/LqirTwgI9n

— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) February 15, 2019

Could the Bears Target Versatile Nickel Defensive Back Brian Poole This Offseason? https://t.co/ZEWWb4z0Hr pic.twitter.com/MJmRlCFuvU

— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) February 15, 2019