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Arizona Phil Highlights
TCR Digs Up The Best Of: This Week in Cub Baseball, AZ Phil Style
Here at TCR we're always trying to add value to our readers. One of the ideas discussed recently was that many fantastic posts in the comment section get overlooked when time is limited. Also some of our readers get their dose of TCR via RSS feeds and never see the comments section. In an attempt to feature "the best of TCR", I'll dig up some of the comments that aren't to be missed and make this a semi-regular feature. It will be a regular feature once Rob G. hires us a full time executive secretary (so everyone please click on all those advertisement links).
The maiden voyage of this feature starts with the spotlight on the amazing Arizona Phil. We all know him as the guru of all things Cubs, including roster machinations, their farm system, mlb/milb rules and regs and of course Cubs history A to Z, George Altman to Carlos Zambrano... or is it H to H, John Holland to Jim Hendry?
(Also this demonstrates how well I can cut and paste, just like being in the operating room ala Dr. Nick!)
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Post #31: Cubs Decline Blanco's Option, TCR 10/31/08.
Submitted by Charlie on Sat, 11/01/2008 - 10:55am.
"The Cubs lucked-out with Type 'B' FA Juan Pierre that way a couple of years ago" Happened with Kendall last year, too, no?
I don't see any time signing Howry until after the Arb. deadline, given that they could lose a first round draft pick. But those top 15 draft picks are protected, right? So if a team in that first 15 were to sign him they wouldn't actually lose any draft picks, the Cubs would just gain a 1st round pick and a sandwich pick?
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CHARLIE: Yes, Jason Kendall also signed with a new club before 12/1, so the Cubs got a supplemental (sandwich) 1st round pick (who turned out to be Ryan Flaherty, one of the Cubs Top 10 prospects IMO) without having to offer arbitration to Kendall. A club is more likely to sign a Type "B" FA than a Type "A" FA prior to 12/1, though,because while the player's former club does get a compensation draft pick for losing a Type "B," it's just one draft pick, and it's a supplemental pick between the 1st and 2nd round and doesn't cost the player's new club a draft pick. Signing a Type "A" FA prior to 12/1 would cost the new club one of it'own draft picks (either 1st or 2nd round). Of course, that didn't stop the Cubs from signing free-agents like Alfonso Soriano, Jacque Jones, Scott Eyre, and Bob Howry (and losing draft picks as a result) prior to 12/1!
Recent comments
videographer (view)
An excellent Earl Weaver chain smoking reference.
Dolorous Jon Lester (view)
I think it’s a bit of a chicken or egg scenario. Did they make these trades because they saw what was coming and weren’t impressed and knew to keep up with the demand for constant winning thru had to acquire impact players? Or did those additions cause a failure of resource allocation elsewhere.
In addition, the whole they traded to acquire a star, that’s precisely what organizations should do if they feel they’re a piece away. Keep developing talent, but sometimes you need to supplement that talent. It’s what the best run organizations do. Atlanta does it. Houston in their prime run did it. Nationals during their prime run did it. Of course dodgers did it. Boston and Philadelphia too. Hell, the Cubs did it when they won. There’s no team that has had sustained success that has solely relied on their own internal development. It just doesn’t happen. I wouldn’t fault St Louis for that. What I suspect happened is in that 2020 season, in an effort to save money, they cut budget from developing and scouting. Or maybe the wrong guys got poached by other orgs. Regardless, blaming the acquisition of two of the best players of their generation for peanuts, seems off base to me.
I do agree that we’ve more or less come to the same conclusion, but our paths to that conclusion contain almost no crossover. I think we can also agree that seeing the cardinals struggle brings a warmth to our hearts.
CubbyBlue (view)
(LAUGH EMOJI)
Arizona Phil (view)
azbobbop: Yes.
Mike Wellman (view)
I’ve got Tim’s The Last Out too, along with some other prints of his work.
TarzanJoeWallis (view)
Very well played game all around tonight.
crunch (view)
best starter and 2 top hitters from the team gone...and they keep on winning.
little ahead of myself here, but the RSox got 9 outs to find 6+ runs.
TarzanJoeWallis (view)
Richard Gallardo just left the Smokies game with an arm injury after going to the ground following a pitch. Doesn’t sound good at all.
azbobbop (view)
Phil, do you think Wiggins will start out in ACL?
azbobbop (view)
The level of conversation on this site is intelligent, reasoned and informative. Miles ahead of other Cub sites.