Cubs Offseason Moves
This has been a horrible offseason for the Chicago Cubs and their fans, and the hits kept coming this week. The Cubs were apparently in the giving mood during the Christmas holiday and they gift-wrapped a potential Cy Young to the San Diego Padres.
Yu Darvish was sent to the San Diego Padres on Monday, and his personal catcher, Yu Darvish was sent packing with him. In return, the Cubs got veteran Zach Davies and three international players that aren’t even legally allowed to enjoy an Old Style.
Cubs Offseason Moves – Dire Straights
The Cubs are reportedly facing a dire financial situation and it was apparent that some roster moves had to be made. Kyle Schwarber and Albert Almora are already gone, and Kris Bryant was expected to be traded.
But trading Yu Darvish was never supposed to be part of the plan.
Trading Yu Darvish for three players that won’t make it to Wrigley Field for another five years definitely wasn’t a fair return.
This signals a complete change in culture and philosophy in Chicago, and it also signals the beginning of a clear rebuild. Teams just don’t trade away one of the top pitchers in baseball for nothing….well unless you are Tampa Bay.
Darvish was under contract for three more seasons in Chicago, and the Cubs were going to need him to win about 20 games per season to be competitive. Instead, he will be in San Diego and looking to push the Padres past the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Cubs fans were just getting over the fact that they would no longer get to see Schwarber blast mammoth home runs against the St. Louis Cardinals. Now Darvish is gone, and the already bad starting rotation now features Kyle Hendricks and a bunch of number five starters.
There is no way to spin this is a positive move by the Cubs, and it could be one that haunts them for years. This was a clear salary dump, and a move that should not have been made by a team like the Chicago Cubs.
Cubs Offseason Moves – Try Not to Suck?
“Try Not to Suck.”
Joe Maddon
When manager Joe Maddon came to the Chicago Cubs, he coined the phrase, “Try Not to Suck.” It was his way of getting the young players to perform through the pressure and worry about having fun while on the field.
That phrase also became a T-shirt slogan, and it was sort of a rallying cry during the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Jed Hoyer insists that the Chicago Cubs are still going to try and compete in 2021, but it’s hard for fans to really believe him.
At this point it appears that the front office is okay with “Trying to Suck” for a few seasons if it means the financial situation improves. Cubs fans knew that a rebuild was coming at some point, but it was hard to envision that it would go to this extreme.
Even if the players still remaining on the Cubs roster intend to compete for another NL Central crown next season, these recent moves have left the Cubs extremely undermanned. The “Lovable Losers” might make a return to Wrigley Field this summer, but there won’t be much love from the fans.
Cubs Offseason Moves – What Happens Next?
Jed Hoyer has already proven that he is open to any and all trades, and you have to think that more transactions are coming this winter. Kris Bryant and Willson Contreras are the next two obvious choices, but does Hoyer stop there?
Would Anthony Rizzo or Kyle Hendricks be available for the right price? And by right price, that means seven international players, aged 15-19.
The Cubs might as well go full tank mode ad this point and see just how bad they can be. There likely won’t be any fans at Wrigley Field anyway, and the Marquee Network is not available for a large portion of Cubs fans.
Brace yourselves, Cubs fans. This probably isn’t the last time that you will be disappointed before the 2020 season starts.
