Cubs want Theo?

[Dojji]

http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ycn-9011301

 

Well.. umm...

 

Huh.

 

My guess is that Cashman becomes available before Theo does, but... well, it's just enough of a new challenge and a prominent role in rebuilding a new organization that I'm even slightly worried that this could happen.

[BornToRun]

The Cubs can suck substantial amounts of erect penis, there's a very good discussion about this over on SOSH. I doubt it happens.

[Dojji]

If Theo personally sees it as a step up, does that change your impression?

[a700hitter]

He has the dream job. If he wants to leave for more money, well then buh bye.

[SoxSport]

Theo isn't that stupid to go to Chicago--even if it's one of those two-team "Big Market TV" cities, along with LA and NY. Besides, Henry probably has more money to spend.

The Cubs have a bad organization. They didn't even have the good sense to promote their HOF 2nd baseman to manager.

Cash would be a better bet to move--he has that guy Levine? crowding him from above.

[IRON HORSE]

Theo has built the red sox (with exception with a few trades when he resigned) into the team they are today. It would be a sad day in our history if he did leave to go to the Windy City. I think anyone would leave if they were offered the right sum of money and a high position within the franchise.

[a700hitter]

Theo has built the red sox (with exception with a few trades when he resigned) into the team they are today. It would be a sad day in our history if he did leave to go to the Windy City. I think anyone would leave if they were offered the right sum of money and a high position within the franchise.

Like I said before, if having his dream job isn't enough, then buh bye. Thanks for the memories.

[SoxSport]

Still more talk this morning in the papers about Theo and "talk of joining the Cubs."

What talk? Media talk. A non-story story.

 

In addition, you have the ongoing campaign at the Globe trying to make Lackey look like Beckett.

Everybody wishes that dream would come true.

[SoxFanForsyth]

Still more talk this morning in the papers about Theo and "talk of joining the Cubs."

What talk? Media talk. A non-story story.

 

In addition, you have the ongoing campaign at the Globe trying to make Lackey look like Beckett.

Everybody wishes that dream would come true.

 

It is coming true. Lackey looks exactly like Beckett. Except he looks like the 2010 Beckett.

 

In Lackey's defense, his 2nd half has been really good. And if you would have told me that he was scheduled to face TBR 2x, CLE, KCR, NYY, and TEX (among a couple BAL and SEA starts), I would say lets hope for .500. Instead, he's gone 7-1 with a 4.11 ERA, and the Sox are 7-2 in those games. We can dog on Lackey all we want for his first half, but at least he's showing that he still has it in him to turn it around. And if I'm being honest, I'm not worried in the least about him in the post season based on how well he turns it on for those games.

[a700hitter]

Lackey has been keeping his team in games and putting up quality starts and wins, and that is all that is important for a starting pitcher.

[BornToRun]

It is coming true. Lackey looks exactly like Beckett. Except he looks like the 2010 Beckett.

 

In Lackey's defense, his 2nd half has been really good. And if you would have told me that he was scheduled to face TBR 2x, CLE, KCR, NYY, and TEX (among a couple BAL and SEA starts), I would say lets hope for .500. Instead, he's gone 7-1 with a 4.11 ERA, and the Sox are 7-2 in those games. We can dog on Lackey all we want for his first half, but at least he's showing that he still has it in him to turn it around. And if I'm being honest, I'm not worried in the least about him in the post season based on how well he turns it on for those games.

 

Like I said, he's doing his Josh Beckett transformation. He's changing himself as a pitcher and the results are showing. 2-3 months ago, if he'd been pitching against Texas, he'd have gotten destroyed.

[Palodios]

It is coming true. Lackey looks exactly like Beckett. Except he looks like the 2010 Beckett.

 

In Lackey's defense, his 2nd half has been really good. And if you would have told me that he was scheduled to face TBR 2x, CLE, KCR, NYY, and TEX (among a couple BAL and SEA starts), I would say lets hope for .500. Instead, he's gone 7-1 with a 4.11 ERA, and the Sox are 7-2 in those games. We can dog on Lackey all we want for his first half, but at least he's showing that he still has it in him to turn it around. And if I'm being honest, I'm not worried in the least about him in the post season based on how well he turns it on for those games.

 

What I absolutely loved about Lackey last year is starting to come true this year. He pitches 6-7innings every game, and gives up 1-4 runs. He doesn't throw a shutout one day, and get lit up the next. In his last nine games, he's pitched fewer than 6 innings exactly one time, and given up more than 4 runs exactly one time.

 

If you look at the raw stats, he's had a terrible, s*** poor season, but somehow he still has 12 wins. How? He's giving the offense a chance to win. On any other team he'd be 4-15, but he's fought out some wins here this year.

[jacksonianmarch]

Theo's model has worked for a long suffering fan base. He can make mistakes and absorb them with the big payroll, he plunged millions into the draft and created a sustainable team for the next 5-10 yrs. Theo is a very good to great GM. He would be atop the badass scale if he were the GM for the sox AND the cubs when their historic championship droughts are ceased

[Palodios]

Theo's model has worked for a long suffering fan base. He can make mistakes and absorb them with the big payroll' date=' he plunged millions into the draft and created a sustainable team for the next 5-10 yrs. Theo is a very good to great GM. He would be atop the badass scale if he were the GM for the sox AND the cubs when their historic championship droughts are ceased[/quote']

 

That's actually a pretty amazing point. Could you imagine if Theo brought the Cubs a championship? I have no idea what the standard for managers is in the HOF, but that'd not only get him in first-ballot, but also get GM of the Century awards.

[jacksonianmarch]

Yes it would. There would be substantial risk, but the reward might be worth it. If he stays with the sox for the next 20 yrs, racks up another 2 titles or so and puts a playoff caliber team out there every yr, he's a HOFer. But, if he goes to the Cubs and somehow wins a title, he'd be a HOF candidate right now.

 

Let's just throw a theoretical out there. If Theo left the sox to go to the cubs, would you all be mad at him or wish him well? And a second theoretical. If Theo came back to beantown as the GM of the cubs, would you boo him or buy him a drink?

[BF19K91]

Cubs would be better off with Andrew Friedmen, IMO. He's a very good GM. Personally I don't think the Rays should let him slip away but it would be a good thing for the Cubs if they could some how sign him as the GM. For a low-market team like the Rays, he's deserved to handle a team with a higher payroll. I'd like to see what he could do with the Cubs. Anyone is better than Hendry though, except for Omar Minaya, perhaps.

[SoxFanForsyth]

Yes it would. There would be substantial risk, but the reward might be worth it. If he stays with the sox for the next 20 yrs, racks up another 2 titles or so and puts a playoff caliber team out there every yr, he's a HOFer. But, if he goes to the Cubs and somehow wins a title, he'd be a HOF candidate right now.

 

Let's just throw a theoretical out there. If Theo left the sox to go to the cubs, would you all be mad at him or wish him well? And a second theoretical. If Theo came back to beantown as the GM of the cubs, would you boo him or buy him a drink?

 

I'll never rip someone for trying to advance their career. Unless they go to the Yankees.

[Emmz]

What I absolutely loved about Lackey last year is starting to come true this year. He pitches 6-7innings every game, and gives up 1-4 runs. He doesn't throw a shutout one day, and get lit up the next. In his last nine games, he's pitched fewer than 6 innings exactly one time, and given up more than 4 runs exactly one time.

 

If you look at the raw stats, he's had a terrible, s*** poor season, but somehow he still has 12 wins. How? He's giving the offense a chance to win. On any other team he'd be 4-15, but he's fought out some wins here this year.

 

I actually agree with this argument, last year, Lackey was almost worth his average salary for the contract, worth 15.9M in WAR, and his stats were similar to his career numbers overall. This year he won't make it, but he's fought back since his early struggles, and IMO, Lackey definitely has the ability to earn his contract, or at least get close to the value in WAR.

 

Ik everyone says he wasn't worth 16M per year, or whatever it is he's making, but his WAR converted to $ from 2005-2009 was about 20 million per year, if you forget the one season he was hurt in 2008. He really just needs to perform at that level to have earned the value of his deal, which is IMO not out of his reach. John Lackey does not suck, and he is not "done". He's shown signs of still being the guy he was with the Angels. He's not really an ace, he's just a very solid pitcher. He's pretty much played like he did with the Angels for the last couple of months, just like last year when he started out poorly and turned it on.

[BornToRun]

I'd still love him, he's the best GM this team's ever had and one of the best in the game, period. I don't think he'll leave but if he does and the the Sox aren't in it late in the year, I'll be rooting for the Cubs.

[SoxSport]

Since when is a quality start giving up 4 earned runs in 6 innings? That's a 5.4 ERA.

And his 1.5 whip tells it all.They need at least 7-8 runs to win with him.

 

Lackey is now a mediocre pitcher, and a disaster considering his salary.

 

By the way, a quality start is 6 complete innings and no more than 3 earned runs.

You can look it up.

[Dojji]

What is the job of a starting pitcher?

 

is it to dominate? Or is it to do enough to win the game?

[SoxFanForsyth]

Since when is a quality start giving up 4 earned runs in 6 innings? That's a 5.4 ERA.

And his 1.5 whip tells it all.They need at least 7-8 runs to win with him.

 

Lackey is now a mediocre pitcher, and a disaster considering his salary.

 

By the way, a quality start is 6 complete innings and no more than 3 earned runs.

You can look it up.

 

Past 9 starts: 57 IP (6.33 IP average per start), 4.10 ERA, 7-1 record.

 

He's averaging better than a QS every single outing over his past 9 starts, and that's the reason that he's 7-1 in his past 9 starts, and the reason that the Red Sox are 7-2 in his past 9 starts.

[SoxSport]

This is Olney's twitter that started the "Theo to the Cubs" non-story:

 

"It will be very interesting to see if the Cubs ask for permission to talk to Red Sox GM Theo Epstein;they could offer him a team presidency"

 

Olney is a NY writer. Notice he didn't use the name Cashman instead of Epstein.

Wonder why not. Cashman is far more likely to be interested, considering his problems in NY.

 

The "story" came from Yahoo sports. Yahoo is also NY-based.

 

These things mushroom on the internet to the mainstream media without any factual foundation.

Who needs facts these days?

[Emmz]

Since when is a quality start giving up 4 earned runs in 6 innings? That's a 5.4 ERA.

And his 1.5 whip tells it all.They need at least 7-8 runs to win with him.

 

Lackey is now a mediocre pitcher, and a disaster considering his salary.

 

By the way, a quality start is 6 complete innings and no more than 3 earned runs.

You can look it up.

 

Dude, he gives the team a chance, give it a rest with the anti-Lackey stuff. If he's "now a mediocre pitcher" why was his WAR$ 15.9M USD? That's a substantial amount, this season is lost, but he's pitched like his old self for a while now. He's not incapable of producing good seasons work anymore, and he's proven to be a very good pitcher over his career so far. He still has it, he's proven that.

[SoxSport]

Past 9 starts: 57 IP (6.33 IP average per start), 4.10 ERA, 7-1 record.

 

He's averaging better than a QS every single outing over his past 9 starts, and that's the reason that he's 7-1 in his past 9 starts, and the reason that the Red Sox are 7-2 in his past 9 starts.

 

He did not have a quality start his last start. If you read my post, you would know that.

Why should I believe the rest of your post?

 

They need a barrel of runs to win with him or Wakefield. Fortunately, they get them--especially at home.

[SoxSport]

What is the job of a starting pitcher?

 

is it to dominate? Or is it to do enough to win the game?

 

The job of any pitcher is to collect his salary and run.

[Emmz]

Past 9 starts: 57 IP (6.33 IP average per start), 4.10 ERA, 7-1 record.

 

He's averaging better than a QS every single outing over his past 9 starts, and that's the reason that he's 7-1 in his past 9 starts, and the reason that the Red Sox are 7-2 in his past 9 starts.

 

That's about in-line with his career averages, and last season. He's not done yet, not at all. He just needs to pitch like he can for a whole year. There's no indication IMO that he's a bust yet, considering he had pretty much earned his pay his first year. This year is sort of like Crawford, but like Crawford, he just has to perform at his normal levels for the rest of the contract to earn it. It's a uphill battle, but people will be satisfied if he earns at least the majority of his pay.

[Emmz]

He did not have a quality start his last start. If you read my post, you would know that.

Why should I believe the rest of your post?

 

They need a barrel of runs to win with him or Wakefield. Fortunately, they get them--especially at home.

 

Because those are facts?

[jacksonianmarch]

This is a Theo thread

[SoxFanForsyth]

He did not have a quality start his last start. If you read my post, you would know that.

Why should I believe the rest of your post?

 

They need a barrel of runs to win with him or Wakefield. Fortunately, they get them--especially at home.

 

what the hell kind of a question is this?? You're right. I made up all of that stuff.

 

I didn't say he had a QS last outing. I said he's averaging better than a QS in his past 9 games. Look up the stats yourself if you're dumb enough to think I made that up. Or don't, if you're not smart enough to know how to look them up.