DIR Return Create A Forum - Home
---------------------------------------------------------
Bleacher Bums Forum
HTML https://bbf.createaforum.com
---------------------------------------------------------
*****************************************************
DIR Return to: Archives
*****************************************************
#Post#: 7537--------------------------------------------------
Re: Pujols to the Cubs?
By: JR Date: May 13, 2011, 12:15 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
You know, it's OK if you let the other guy have the last word.
Just sayin'.
#Post#: 7561--------------------------------------------------
Re: Pujols to the Cubs?
By: FITS Date: May 13, 2011, 1:24 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
^^^ What JR said.... :)
Besides, I like br's scenario....
[quote author=brjones link=topic=51.msg7370#msg7370
date=1305237773]
Ideally, the Yankees miss the playoffs, decide they have to have
Pujols, and are forced to dump Teixeira for much less than he's
worth when he refuses DH so they can move his salary. Then the
Cubs pick Tex up for 5 years/$23M per year (plus a couple of
mid-level prospects) instead of Pujols for 8-10 years/$30M per
year.[/quote]
#Post#: 7571--------------------------------------------------
Re: Pujols to the Cubs?
By: Robb Date: May 13, 2011, 1:46 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
You can't say the Cubs wouldn't contend with Pujols in the
line-up. You don't know that. A true middle of the order
hitter makes everyone around him better. The 1 and 2 hitters
see more fastballs, the hitters behind him are hitting with a
man on base more than 40% of the time. He also plays excellent
defense. Winning baseball is about talent but it is also about
confidence. Pujols would bring that. I'm not saying signing
him guarantees a WS ring but for those who automatically assume
his presence wouldn't be a game changer, there's no way to know
that. All that being said, I wouldn't give him any more than 6
years. Those who mention players doing well into their late
30's aren't figuring in PED's. Since baseball finally starting
testing for real you see players fading in their mid-30's pretty
much on cue.
#Post#: 7590--------------------------------------------------
Re: Pujols to the Cubs?
By: jacey1 Date: May 13, 2011, 2:10 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
I feel soooo sorry for Jes' wife. Chris, he would argue with a
door knob
#Post#: 7592--------------------------------------------------
Re: Pujols to the Cubs?
By: StrikeZone Date: May 13, 2011, 2:11 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
That's because a door knob could go either way.
#Post#: 7615--------------------------------------------------
Re: Pujols to the Cubs?
By: Jes Beard Date: May 13, 2011, 2:50 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=Robb link=topic=51.msg7571#msg7571
date=1305312388]
You can't say the Cubs wouldn't contend with Pujols in the
line-up. You don't know that. A true middle of the order
hitter makes everyone around him better. The 1 and 2 hitters
see more fastballs, the hitters behind him are hitting with a
man on base more than 40% of the time. He also plays excellent
defense. Winning baseball is about talent but it is also about
confidence. Pujols would bring that. I'm not saying signing
him guarantees a WS ring but for those who automatically assume
his presence wouldn't be a game changer, there's no way to know
that. All that being said, I wouldn't give him any more than 6
years. Those who mention players doing well into their late
30's aren't figuring in PED's. Since baseball finally starting
testing for real you see players fading in their mid-30's pretty
much on cue.
[/quote]
Yea, signing ARod did wonders for Texas, didn't it?
While you are right that you can not be certain the Cubs would
not contend with Pujols, if you are going to sink $30M a year of
a team's budget into a player, you need more than the
possibility they would not contend if they sign him. You need a
near certainty that the addition of that kind of talent would be
enough to make the team a truly dominant one, and one reason you
need that is because it results in pretty serious limitations in
what else a team can do after that much of its budget is
committed.
#Post#: 7648--------------------------------------------------
Re: Pujols to the Cubs?
By: Robb Date: May 13, 2011, 4:19 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
We're talking about a once in a generation player here. The
other issue is the fact you are removing him from the Cardinal's
roster as well. Take Pujols out of the middle of their line-up
the past 8 years and how good would they be? The cubs have a
better starting staff than the Rangers could have dreamed of
when Arod was signed and a better bullpen too. This team isn't
that far removed from contending with just a couple of good
moves.
#Post#: 7664--------------------------------------------------
Re: Pujols to the Cubs?
By: Jes Beard Date: May 13, 2011, 5:02 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Robb, as good as Pujols, as a firstbaseman, who will be 32
before the start of next season, is nowhere nearly as valuable
as ARod was as a 24 year old SS.
If Pujols is just the age he is reported to be, he will be 32 in
January. Long term deals with 32 year old players out to break
the bank just don't seem to make sense to me.
One interesting thing about Pujol's performance this year is
that while his performance is well off his career norm (of a
career 171 OPS+), he may be performing poorer while getting
better pitches to hit.
For the last three years, Pujols has had 34, 44, and 38 IBBs,
and has had at least 22 every season since 2005, but this year
he has one. Only one. His overall walk rate is also down
sharply. For his career, he has walked 13.4% of his trips to
the plate, last year it was 14.7%, and in 2009 it was 16.4%.
This year it has been 10.2%.
It would appear that teams are no longer pitching around him
anything close to the way they have in the past, and there is no
reason to think that he has expanded his strike zone. But his
performance is more than 250 OPS points below his career
average.
And even if he recovers this season, the tenth year of his ten
year contract, the team that signs him will be paying a 42 year
old player.
#Post#: 7668--------------------------------------------------
Re: Pujols to the Cubs?
By: CurtOne Date: May 13, 2011, 5:32 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Somebody mentioned the other day how signing one guy, like
Neifi, to get an inside track on another often backfires.
Information seems to confirm that the Cards got burned that way
with Holliday to an extent. They wanted Holliday, that's not
the issue, but they thought giving him big money to keep him
would prove to Pujols that they were serious and from somewhere
in space they had the honest belief that he would give a huge,
huge discount to stay in St. Louis. From what some folks have
shared, I think that they were shocked that he so firmly and
decidedly turned down their spring offer. I don't think they
got the info from Albert or his agent, but they really thought
the numbers they had concocted would do the trick. Now they are
in a bind. Do they save any for Wainwright? How high do they
go...they are very conscious of the fact that they still have to
find more pieces, especially since Freese's injury proneness,
Molina's age, Theriot's defense, and Franklyn's complete
collapse have them scratching their heads.
I still think that Albert resigns with them but at a rate that
really cripples them...no matter, Robb, how much he improves
others around him. And I don't really disagree with you there,
except that I still don't think on an everyday basis he'd
inspire Koyie, Fonzie, and the Byrd.
#Post#: 7677--------------------------------------------------
Re: Pujols to the Cubs?
By: Robb Date: May 13, 2011, 6:26 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Having Albert hit behind Barney and Castro will effect them.
Having him talk hitting with them will help them. From all
reports he is a terrific teammate. Much like Maddux was to
pitchers. Byrd is only signed for one more year. He might even
be gone this year. I'm not worried about the impact of Pujols
on guys like Byrd. I would like to see what Brett Jackson,
Castro, Barney and Soto do in a line-up anchored by one of the
greatest hitters of all-time. It is laughable to compare him to
Soriano. He has always had excellent discipline, he plays 1B so
even if he gets a little slower he isn't going to hurt the
defense either. Like I said, I wouldn't sign the guy for 8
years at 30 per but I would jump at 6 years at even 30 per. As
far as the load on payroll. The Cubs aren't the Cardinals. The
increased gate from a Pujols signing, the increased TV ratings,
the increased jerseys and other marketing opportunities form his
signing would make his true cost much less than 30 mil to the
team. Would you sign Pujols for 6 years if the impact to the
team was 20 mil? I would in a heartbeat.
*****************************************************
DIR Previous Page
DIR Next Page