NBA OFF TOPIC THREAD

[HurricaneDij39]

I doubt it.......though he does have a little pop. He is probably more "valuable" to the Cubs then what they would get back for him.

Now- Cubs do have plenty of guys to trade away.

Contreras, Happ, and Robertson should be able to net them something good- especially if they package a couple of them together in a deal.

Wade Miley also might be worth something since there is such a premium on starting pitching- but it obviously hurt his case he got hurt. If not for that, they might have been able to get a pretty decent return.

I would love for the Guardians to get Contreras. I dont know if he will return a top 100 prospect since he is just a rental- but a couple nice prospects might be in the order.

Problem is Wisdom is 30 and his value has nowhere to go but down.

I'm secretly hoping Contreras stays put. He's too popular, especially after how we pissed off our fan support last year to extraordinary levels (see my most recent Twitter brawl).

I think the sell-off last year was absolutely necessary in that guys tend to become complacent being the only large market in our division and especially with one title already under the belt...

 

[tlance]

Name one case that involved one player's conduct that took them a year and a half to decide.

Hell both deflategate and spygate were decided on more quickly.

Well, this took longer than any other I am aware of.

But they always take way too long. Always.

 

[Shanemansj13]

These prelims have been great so far.

Dober/Alves was fun!

 

[WiggyRuss]

Problem is Wisdom is 30 and his value has nowhere to go but down.

I'm secretly hoping Contreras stays put. He's too popular, especially after how we pissed off our fan support last year to extraordinary levels (see my most recent Twitter brawl).

I think the sell-off last year was absolutely necessary in that guys tend to become complacent being the only large market in our division and especially with one title already under the belt...

I get why you might want to keep him and resign him- but with the lack of hitting catchers around the league- and the Cubs nowhere close to contention they will trade him.

Contreras gives them a chance to get 1 or 2 nice prospects to add to a very middle of the road farm system. Cubs are in bad shape.

Who are their top 5 talents with Happ and Contreras on their way out?

Stroman and Kendricks are not very good. Just guys. Schwindel and Wisdom are just place holders.

I mean I couldnt even tell you who they are building around. Cubs are a bad team right now with very little major league talent and a mediocre farm sytstem. They are miles away from contention.

It is going to take a while to rebuild this team from the ground up unless they really spend a lot of money in free agency....and maybe they do.

Stroman makes 25M next year which is atrocious. JAson Heyward still makes 25M next year which is atrocious. Suzuki makes 18M and Hendricks 14M next year....after that its very clean.

Stroman has a 21M player option in 2024...ughh.

Cubs are gonna be bad again in 2023....probably bad in 2024 and 2025. It is going to be a long time until they contend.

 

[dtgold88]

Well Jerry thinks he can whatever he wants bc he has been there and done that. Of course this isn’t talked about

Right? I mean, I'm glad we have the guy but pretty much all the criticism toward Baker this offseason applies to Cooper. FO ripped him (only in Cooper's case there is a name attached), was not easy to deal because of huge contract, traded for only a 5th rounder. While Baker's former team (us) had to pay some of his salary, Cooper has more than a year of team control.

 

[bksballer89]

 

[bksballer89]

 

[fightinfunbags]

He’s worth that for me. Very versatile weapon.

 

[Black Adam]

He’s worth that for me. Very versatile weapon.

He knew he pretty much had the leverage anyways. They probably shoulda payed him before now...

 

[Shanemansj13]

 

[WiggyRuss]

maybe the most lopsided in history.

98 war going out? Thats insane.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Jim Thome Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More | Baseball-Reference.com

Check out the latest Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More of Jim Thome. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, draft status, bats, throws, school and more on Baseball-reference.com

www.baseball-reference.com

was looking at Jim Thome's stats.......his whole career he had a 77 WAR

Kenny Lofton is not in the hall of fame with a 68 WAR which is really really high for not being in.

some of those Thome stats are pretty amazing. He played 22 years. His OBP for a 12 year span was an average of like .410....he had a .450 OBP one year....he had an OPS of .1122 one year.......just incredible.

Kenny Lofton really deserves to be in the hall of fame. When you look at stats he has a better case then even OMar and I think Omar deserves to be in for being maybe the best defensive SS of all time, and not a bad hitter. Ozzie Smith played on astro-turf and was not nearly a good of hitter as Omar. Omar actually had a few years where he was a really good hitter.

1999 was prob. Omar's best year for hitting.....112 runs, .333 avg., .397 obp., 42 stolen bases. 11 gold gloves. Best fielding % ever for a SS. 2,877 hits....thats a hall of fame career.

Kenny Lofton.....68.4 career WAR. 6 time All star. was the best leadoff hitter in baseball for a long time. He had almost 2500 hits for his career. in stolen bases he went 66, 70, 60, 54, 75, 27, 54 in a 7 year span.

From 1993 to 1999 he was the best leadoff man in baseball....hard to pick a best season. 1993 he had a .408 OBP, 70 steals, 12 hr, 105 runs, .325 average.......1994 - strike shortened year - he went .349 avg., 412 obp, 60 steals.....97 in Atlanta he went .333 with a .409 obp....honestly- beside Ricky Henderson he is the best leadoff man in a loooooong time....reached base, tons of steals, played an amazing centerfield. Has the longevity....He was ahead of his time with the Walks.......I cant imagine how valued he would be in todays baseball with his ability to hit, steal, draw a walk, score runs, play ++ defense.... Kenny Lofton's WAR is 118 of All Time. He was 2 WAR from being in the top 100 of all time....

Thome, Omar, Lofton all belong to be in.

Belle prob does too but the longevity hurts him since he had to retire because of the hip. Thome never did roids.....Belle im not sure.....he was kind of a weird guy- in some ways a maniac but in some ways very straight laced.

Best year is debatable.....he scored 132 runs one year which is bonkers




btw--- trivia question----- Who is the only player since 1949 to score more than 150 runs in a season? I bet if you dont cheat you wont guess in 20 guesses.


if anyone can guess in less than 10 guesses and not cheat I will be SHOCKED.......only 1 guy with a 150 runs or more since 1949-- who?

 

[WiggyRuss]

Active Leaders in WAR:

Pujols- 96.5 - 32nd in history
Trout- 80.0 63rd all time
Verlander- 75.5 77th all time
Greinke- (surpise) 75.2 80th of all time
Kershaw- 74.0 85th all time
Sherzer- 69.7- 104 all time
Miguel Cabrera- 68.5 114 all time (geez- Lofton has a career WAR tied with Miggy)
Cano- 68.1 122 all time
Votto- 65.1 141 all time

then a big gap--- Goldshmict- 236th of all time 55.8 WAR
Betts- 53.8 - 259th all time


then another huge gap

Arenado- 49.4 325th all time
Machado- 49.4 326th all time


by the way- Jose and Lindor came into the league at the same time- and Jose has a higher WAR.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Albert Belle only played 12 seasons- and his first 2 years he only had a combined 230 at bats from going up and down from the minors

1995 of course- in a strike shortened season- he had 50 bombs and 52 doubles in a 144 game season.....im still not sure if anyone else has ever done that- and he did it in a season with 18 less games. One of the biggets robberies of all time that he did not win MVP that year---- off the top of anyones head- can you guess who did win the MVP that year? A guy that was much better with the media- ONLY reason that guy won. Again- please dont cheat if you guess.

even in Belle's last year when he was ailing with his hip at age 33 he still had 23 homers and 103 rbis......pretty wild that he had 381 homers.....Thome almost had double......612 homers...not quite double- but damn...over 600 homers and I take it as a given he never did steriods. He is prob. the best pure slugger of that era.


another Tribe player that got robbed of a potential hall of fame career was Sizemore- one of my favorite athletes of all time....he was incredible.....his age 23, 24, and 25 seasons were amazing.......sucks his career got derailed starting in 2009..... Age 23 he had 134 runs...

Manny was def. on roids--- but his 1999 season was incredible----- 131 runs, 44 homers, 165 rbis, .442 obp, .333 avg.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Again- my trivia question:

btw--- trivia question----- Who is the only player since 1949 to score more than 150 runs in a season? I bet if you dont cheat you wont guess in 20 guesses.


if anyone can guess in less than 10 guesses and not cheat I will be SHOCKED.......only 1 guy with a 150 runs or more since 1949-- who?

please dont cheat. Though- if I gave you 20 guesses I bet you dont get it.

 

[Stakesarehigh]

Active Leaders in WAR:

Pujols- 96.5 - 32nd in history
Trout- 80.0 63rd all time
Verlander- 75.5 77th all time
Greinke- (surpise) 75.2 80th of all time
Kershaw- 74.0 85th all time
Sherzer- 69.7- 104 all time
Miguel Cabrera- 68.5 114 all time (geez- Lofton has a career WAR tied with Miggy)
Cano- 68.1 122 all time
Votto- 65.1 141 all time

then a big gap--- Goldshmict- 236th of all time 55.8 WAR
Betts- 53.8 - 259th all time


then another huge gap

Arenado- 49.4 325th all time
Machado- 49.4 326th all time


by the way- Jose and Lindor came into the league at the same time- and Jose has a higher WAR.

Miggys WAR is low because he's a subpar defender.

 

[bksballer89]

 

[bksballer89]

That first 5 games when Watson is back is tough

At Baltimore
Vs cincy
At Miami
At Buffalo
Vs Tampa

 

[bksballer89]

 

[bksballer89]

That first 5 games when Watson is back is tough

At Baltimore
Vs cincy
At Miami
At Buffalo
Vs Tampa

Browns need to go 4-2 in the 6 games without Watson