NEWSLETTER
I rewatched the three seasons of ‘Deadwood’ so that I could finally watch the movie conclusion, and the following things are things: the first two seasons of Deadwood were near perfect. The way it captures that place and that time, in an entertaining way … so good. The third season was a considerable mess, with so many threads that it seems like the writers just didn’t quite know what they wanted to do with. It didn’t help that the show was cancelled after that season, and maybe a lot of the “what exactly is going on with some of these characters?” would’ve been resolved in seasons four and beyond, but it’s also hard to argue that things were going sideways. As for the movie, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a piece of fan service more devoted to purely and completely being SOLELY fan service. Which is not to say I didn’t enjoy it – sometimes fan service, especially a decade later, is fun.
•  Been mulling the state of Yu Darvish rumors, even way before the latest came out last night (actual conversations between the Cubs and Padres). I think it comes down to the idea that the Cubs are staring at that talent cliff after 2021, knowing that they could try to buffer it only by trading guys who have really significant trade value. That doesn’t mean you “shop” a guy like Darvish, and it also doesn’t mean you ignore the calculus that he *IS* one of the few impact players you already have in place for 2022+. But it does mean you can get organization-altering value in trade only very rarely, especially for a player you landed in free agency. I don’t have a problem with the Cubs exploring that value, especially after Darvish had such a dominant 2020 season and heads into the season where he’ll turn 35.
•  The flip side is that, as a fan, it’s fair for us to consider what we care about in our sports. Sometimes I think we get a little narrowly focused on wanting the team to do anything and everything to improve long-term chances at winning. Weird sentence, right? What I mean is, winning is like 80% of the fun of being a fan to me. But that other 20% is stuff like getting to watch a truly unique pitcher like Yu Darvish. To yield Darvish in trade, then, is going to “cost” me as a fan that 20%, even if Jed Hoyer secures an absolute no-brainer trade package. That doesn’t mean I’d oppose the trade when I consider all the factors, but that 20%? It matters to me. And it’s OK that it matters to me.
•  An aside on the trade rumors with the Padres: if the Cubs took back Wil Myers in the deal in order to sweeten the package, that’d be something of a win-win. Myers, 30, had an enormous 2020 season after years of not quite putting it together, so maybe the Padres wouldn’t look at him as a “dump” at this point. But if they wanted to move the two years and $45 million left on his deal in a trade for Darvish (three years, $62 million), and it meant the Cubs were getting a vastly improved package of prospects/young players? Why wouldn’t you want the Cubs do it? Not only does that improve the return and demonstrate that the Cubs aren’t just dumping Darvish’s salary, but, I mean, the Cubs can actually USE Myers, as a righty-hitting outfield bat.
•  I can’t claim to know exactly what levels are super impressive with respect to individual weighted ball drills, but I reckon it’s pretty impressive if Cubs pitching prospect Max Bain holds the second most records at Driveline behind only Tyler Glasnow:
https://twitter.com/mbain_38/status/1342516309372751872
•  Bain, in addition to having an incredible name, was signed by the Cubs in January as an undrafted free agent who was touching 96-97 mph at Driveline and in the Northwoods League. If he’s added from there over the course of this year? My word, I can’t wait to see what it looks like when he finally gets into minor league game action in 2021.
Cubs scouting the Internet, sign a big boy with a big fastball.
Likely headed for Extended Spring Training, and hopefully to an eventual assignment to the AZL or Eugene. https://t.co/xffmcKAZcM
— Cubs Prospects – Bryan Smith (@cubprospects) January 16, 2020
•  Great read on the mental aspect of coaching from former Cubs minor league hitting coach Travis Fitta.
•  Beautiful:
Just a combined 849 home runs on the North Side, nbd pic.twitter.com/cws6Q8Ieeq
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) December 26, 2020
