Only one week left to do any remaining “Christmas” things that I like to do before Christmas arrives. Need to do a neighborhood lights drive around. Need to get a peppermint chocolate chip milkshake from Chick-fil-A. Need to watch ‘Christmas Vacation.’ What else, what else …
- The aftermath and reactions to and thoughts about and projections for the Dansby Swanson signing are going to have to be their own whole set of Bullets. So you’ll have to forgive the absence here to start the day – it’s not like I somehow forgot about one of the biggest deals in Chicago Cubs history being signed yesterday.
- Ahhhh, but which one of those deals is the biggest when accounting for inflation? Darvish’s deal in early 2018 would be worth just about $150 million in today’s dollars. Soriano’s deal back in 2006 would actually be worth just over $200 million today. Lester’s in 2014 is just about $195 million. And it’s actually Jason Heyward’s deal that is the largest, by a good margin: in today’s dollars, his deal would be valued at $231 million. Does that make the Swanson deal seem a lot smaller? The Heyward deal seem even more massive? I think you can probably make of the context whatever you like. (Michael got into the CBT context of contract inflation here.)
- Speaking of the Heyward deal, you’re going to hear a lot of comparisons between his signing and the Swanson signing, which does have some superficial appeal. There’s the Braves thing, there’s the fact that they are the longest recent deals for the Cubs, the fact that Swanson arrives as Heyward leaves, there are the questions about the bat, and there is the theoretical floor based on defense. I get why it comes up.
- I don’t think it’s unreasonable to talk about those things. But I would say it’s unreasonable to suggest that BECAUSE of what happened with Heyward, the deal with Swanson is somehow more or similarly risky. That Heyward outcome was about the 1st percentile projection for what he was expected to do. It was – with all due love to the Game Seven Speech – an absolute disaster. A huge signing can hardly go any worse. There is downside in signing any deal like this, but expecting THAT level of disaster from Swanson is irrational. Doesn’t mean it can’t happen, but it is very unlikely.
- Cubs have so far spent $164 million more than the rest of the NL Central combined. (As it is supposed to be … )
- Stray thought about the infield defense: given that it’s become a focal point, it would be nice if either Christopher Morel could sort out his throwing issues from third base this offseason, or if Patrick Wisdom could sort out why his range and error rate fell off a cliff last year at third. Each has the potential to be a plus defender at third, and absent an outside addition like Justin Turner, the position is probably going to be there for one or both of them to get a whole lotta starts (with Zach McKinstry possibly picking up some of the starts against tough righties).
- Sounds like Jameson Taillon is a really good dude:
- Fun to think about having great center field defense for years to come:
- This is awesome, and warning about the naughty language:
- It’s still a nice chunk of change, but that bet didn’t work out:
- Holiday gifts here at Amazon if you’re looking to get that last-minute shopping done remotely and in time for Christmas. #ad