HAYDEN SIMPSON
THEO & CO.
First, I want to let everyone know something. I like to refer to Theo Epstein, Jed Hoyer and Jason McLeod as “Theo & Co.” Theo is the former GM of the Red Sox, Jed Hoyer was his assistant GM in Boston and Jason McLeod was the scouting director of the Red Sox. These guys were working together in 2007 when they originally drafted Anthony Rizzo. Since then Jed & Jason went to San Diego and Theo came to Chicago. Shortly after that, Theo was able to bring Jed & Jason to the NorthSide and begin working on the building a World Series Champion in the Chicago Cubs.
The work has been slow and methodical. There have been plenty of trades, waiver moves and free agent signings. Andrew Cashner was traded in a deal to bring Anthony Rizzo to the Cubs….a move I was initially skeptical of. Theo & Co. made me upset when trading Tyler Colvin for Ian Stewart in a deal with the Colorado Rockies. While the Rizzo trade has been great, the trade for Stewart has been a flop!
There have been several other trades (too many to mention) as well. Overall, I would give Theo & Co. a B- when grading their trades. Yet, when it comes to free agent signings I will give them a B+ grade. Here are just a few signings: Carlos Villanueva, David DeJesus, Scott Feldman and Nate Schierholtz. I can see all of these players and more being traded in the future as the Cubs continue to build a perennial contender.
Finally, Theo & Co. are working on the upcoming draft. With the #2 overall pick I am confident that the they will draft a pitcher with a high ceiling. I cannot wait to see what they come up with.
BUILDING A FOUNDATION
The Chicago Cubs are obviously in a rebuilding process. There are 4-5 players on the current roster that I feel can be a part of the long term solution. I will start with Jeff Samardzija. He turned 28 back in January as is finally looking like the pitcher that I felt he could become. I think he has the chance to be a competitive front line starter if he could ever get some run support. His battery mate, Welington Castillo, is another player I think is going to stick around. Castillo turned 26 last month and is finally the everyday catcher for the Cubs. I like his bat and his defense. He’s not going to be winning gold gloves, but he’s not hurting the team either.
Take these 5 guys and think about adding Soler, Amora and Baez to the lineup. That could be a solid offense to help Samardzija and who knows who else….maybe David Price????
RESURRECTION
After taking a considerable amount of time off I am attempting to blog again!!! As a husband and father of three precious children my blog is not a priority at this point in my life. However, I really enjoying blogging about baseball and the Chicago Cubs.
Yoenis Cespedes
Okay, this 26 year old Cuban outfielder is starting to generate a lot of interest with Spring Training right around the corner. I’ve been reading a bit more on him as of late and here’s my thoughts that I would like to share with you.
First, he has a ton of talent and it’s obvious when you look at his stats from the Cuban league. In 2011, he managed to hit .333 with 33 HR’s, 99RBI’s, 11 SB’s, with 49 Walks and 40 strikeouts in 354 at bats. From 2004-2011 he hit under .300 only one time. I truly believe he’s the real deal.
With that said, I think he’s capable of .285 average with over 20 HR’s in his first MLB season depending on how quickly he adjusts to MLB pitchers. The quicker he adjusts the better his stats will be.
I think the Marlins will be the team that lands him and I think it’s going to happen soon. I would love my Cubs to sign him, but I don’t think it’s going to happen. Miami actually makes a lot of sense to me with its large Cuban population and the new stadium and all the money they’ve been spending this off-season. Imagine Cespedes in a lineup with Stanton, Reyes, Ramirez, Sanchez and more. It’s scary!!!
Getting Spammed
Not sure why this is happening all of a sudden, but I’ve gotten a ton of spam comments lately. I hope I am able to fix this problem soon.
Ron
Cubs Sign Cuban
Wow, the Cubs signed a Cuban player but not the one I was expecting. We ended up getting an 18 year old left handed starter named Gerardo Concepcion. I’ve read that the Cubs are interested in Yoenis Cespedes and Jorge Soler, both outfielders, but didn’t realize we were interested in the young lefty. I think this is a good sign by Theo & Jed and just adds another young arm to our farm system. I may have to adjust my rankings for my 2012 Top Cubs Pitching Prospects. I also hope the Cubs are able to sign one of the outfielders as well.
Mark Cuban and Other Thoughts
I really don’t care too much about who ends up buying the L.A. Dodgers. I mean no disrespect by this, but I don’t have anyone that I think would be a great fit as owner. I know there are several groups still alive in the bidding process and some of these groups include some famous names such as Magic Johnson and Joe Torre. However, there was one potential owner that didn’t make the first cut from what I understand. That is Mark Cuban. A few years ago, I was hoping he would win the bidding for the Chicago Cubs. I am pleased with the Ricketts family, but I must admit there is a part of me that would have liked to see what Cuban would have done with my favorite team. For some reason, Cuban hasn’t been successful in any of his attempts to buy a Major League team. I think this is a travesty and part of me feels that Bud Selig and an overwhelming majority of owners don’t want this young and charismatic man as an owner. I think Cuban would be a breath of fresh air for baseball and would be a great owner. I know several NBA players love how he takes care of his team, the Dallas Mavs. For whatever reason, he has yet to be taken as a serious potential owner in baseball and I hope that changes in the near future.
With the upcoming season just around the corner I am already getting excited for opening day. I know the Cubs appear to be out of contention this year and I’m okay with that. I do think they will surprise some teams though as we get younger with guys like Starlin Castro and Anthony Rizzo being the future of our team. I anticipate more trades by Theo & Jed and even a another money eating deal that involves us trading Alfonso Soriano. I think Marlon Byrd will be traded this summer as well.
I keep reading about Yoenis Cespedes lately and wonder if the Cubs are truly interested in this guy. I know he’s only 26 and possesses a lot of talent. However, I don’t know if I want to see the Cubs spend a bunch of money on him.
I think the Cubs are going to be fun to watch this summer even if they finish well below .500. The reason I say this is the fact we are getting younger. I like this youth movement and I hope it continues throughout the season.
Oh well, that’s all I’ve got for now.
Jim Hendry a Yankee Now
Even though I thought things got out of hand towards the end of Jim Hendry’s tenure with the Cubs I was happy to read today that he will be working for the Yankees as a special assignment scout. Good move by the Yankees and glad to see Jim is back in baseball. He had some good years with the Cubs, but it was definitely time for change.
Best of luck to Hendry in his new role.
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