The Bryce is Right, Bitch

[Sammy Sofa]

Bryce is coming to the cubs. It’s been in the works for months if not years. Theo is doing all this posturing to save like 1 million AAV and I love him for it.

Please note now this otherwise grammatically impeccable post expressly did NOT capitalize the word "cubs."

Nice escape hatch you gave yourself there, sir...

[d_money]

Bryce is coming to the cubs. It’s been in the works for months if not years. Theo is doing all this posturing to save like 1 million AAV and I love him for it.

IF....the Cubs sign Harper - how in the hell do they re-sign Bryant? Between Harper and Heyride alone - thats projected to be $60M for 2 players for 2019-23. Craziness.

[Bertz]

Bryce is coming to the cubs. It’s been in the works for months if not years. Theo is doing all this posturing to save like 1 million AAV and I love him for it.

IF....the Cubs sign Harper - how in the hell do they re-sign Bryant? Between Harper and Heyride alone - thats projected to be $60M for 2 players for 2019-23. Craziness.

Most of the pitching staff will be free agents after two more seasons, and most of the position players are in line to hit FA along with Bryant after three. If the farm has produced enough talent that the bones of a good team is still there heading into the '21-'22 offseason, there will be plenty of money to resign Bryant and probably Javy too. If the farm hasn't delivered by then, the team is going to be due for a fallow year or three regardless, so they probably let Bryant walk and save that money for when they are ramping back up again.

[Cubswin11]

Bryce is coming to the cubs. It’s been in the works for months if not years. Theo is doing all this posturing to save like 1 million AAV and I love him for it.

IF....the Cubs sign Harper - how in the hell do they re-sign Bryant? Between Harper and Heyride alone - thats projected to be $60M for 2 players for 2019-23. Craziness.

Worry about Bryant and the others when you have to, you don’t not sign Harper because you might not be able to do something like re-sign someone 3 years from now. If you miss out in re-signing someone you still have Bryce horsefeathering Harper as a consolation. We only have ~$60 million in guaranteed money on the books for 2021 (3 seasons from now when KB is a FA), there’s plenty of room to work him and Bryce in and still have like $120 million to spend.

[UMFan83]

Dan Plesac was on the score this morning and he seemed pretty convinced that that the Cubs were going to make a big push for Harper and when asked to predict his destination he said Cubs. Not based on anything but good to see there are some in the media that believe in us

[Sammy Sofa]

If the farm has produced enough talent

[big ball chunky time]

Bryant is going to hit FA as a more traditional late 20s corner guy that you realllly dont have to resign

[Sammy Sofa]

And I feel like left out a lot is that Rizzo is likely off the books after 2021 (and maybe even 2020), too.

[Cubswin11]

Bryant is going to hit FA as a more traditional late 20s corner guy that you realllly dont have to resign

I think his offensive approach will age well, but yeah he’s going to be 29/30 when he’s a FA and I could totally buy in to it being entirely reasonable to not want to give him a big 6+ year deal. Maybe next year we look at an extension, it could benefit everyone. The contract landscape on ~30 year old FAs is shifting so maybe he jumps at an opportunity to lock in money and we get the benefit of only paying him until he’s ~33.

[Cubswin11]

And I feel like left out a lot is that Rizzo is likely off the books after 2021 (and maybe even 2020), too.

He’d have to suffer a major injury or some fluke thing for that 2021 option not to be exercised. It’s only like $12 million.

[big ball chunky time]

we horsefeathers rizzo over so bad

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Bryant is my line for not caring about rationality, if he’s remotely healthy he better stay a Cub no matter the consequences.

[jersey cubs fan]

Bryant is my line for not caring about rationality, if he’s remotely healthy he better stay a Cub no matter the consequences.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Is pretending Bryant isn't permanently broken one of those "memes" all the kids are doing these days?

[ConstableRabbit]

we horsefeathers rizzo over so bad

The guy who voluntarily chose a high floor over a high ceiling did not get horsefeathers over.

[TomtheBombadil]

I will not hear these dirty hoowah claims that Bryant is damaged goods:

[Brian]

we horsefeathers rizzo over so bad

The guy who voluntarily chose a high floor over a high ceiling did not get horsefeathers over.

Whose safety gamble paid off less?

Yelich
19: 9.75
20: 12.5
21: 14
22: 15

will be 30 at free agency

Rizzo

19: 11
20: 14.5
21: 14.5

will be 32 at free agency

Yelich hits free agency younger, but I bet with an MVP on his resume he's going to have lost quite a bit more arb money than Rizzo will have.

Rizzo also has that Buona Beef money

[Backtobanks]

I think his offensive approach will age well

He already has cut down on his HR swing.

[Sammy Sofa]

I think his offensive approach will age well

He already has cut down on his HR swing.

DAMN YOU (this is good).

[Sammy Sofa]

And I feel like left out a lot is that Rizzo is likely off the books after 2021 (and maybe even 2020), too.

He’d have to suffer a major injury or some fluke thing for that 2021 option not to be exercised. It’s only like $12 million.

For some reason I thought it was, like, $17.5. Alright, so they likely have him through 2021, but I really doubt he's brought back after that unless the TV deal actually makes the Ricketts stop acting like even bigger dickheads than they already are.

[Cubswin11]

Hopefully Ralph is right

“Theo Epstein knows this is a critical year for him. So even though he is downplaying spending any money, my understanding is behind the scenes he is working diligently and he has said he is going to get another professional hitter for that lineup,” Bowden reported. “There is pressure for him to get that, I think he’s going to do it, especially next week in Vegas.”

[Bertz]

I don't like the sounds of "professional hitter." Especially when coming from a guy like Ralph, that evokes some half measure horsefeathers like Lemahieu or McCutchen. Hard pass.

[Cubswin11]

I don't like the sounds of "professional hitter." Especially when coming from a guy like Ralph, that evokes some half measure horsefeathers like Lemahieu or McCutchen. Hard pass.

My mind went to Jed Lowrie or Brantley

[Bertz]

I don't like the sounds of "professional hitter." Especially when coming from a guy like Ralph, that evokes some half measure horsefeathers like Lemahieu or McCutchen. Hard pass.

My mind went to Jed Lowrie or Brantley

Gross, though admittedly a little less than my names. In my mind, if they can't get a star the plan should be to wait until February and grab the best guy left who will settle for a one year deal, probably someone like Kinsler or Dozier. I don't want to get locked into a 3-4 year deal for just a dude, some guy who we're all going to wish we can get off the books so we can go after Arenado or whoever next winter. Go big and bold or go austere and efficient, no half measures.

The exception is someone who can backup shortstop. That lets us move on from Russell, so it's different.

[cl smooth]

There are more than a handful of Cubs fans who want Michael Brantley on the team instead of Bryce Harper. I don’t get it.