Providing Eventual Double-play

Hahahah. I like your better.

Wow!

@Ken_Rosenthal: DEAL IS DONE: #Cubs send Samardzija and Hammel to #Athletics for Addison Russell, per sources. May be other players and team(s) involved.

I give it a 0% chance the Royals are involved. I'm smart.

I agree, but it's pretty big baseball news, and not worthy of its own thread.

Yeah, no worries. Just kind of a long, round about way of making the point of we won't bring anyone in via trade or anything. Good for the Athletics to go for it and get some firepower in there. Would be sweet if we could do that.

What time is the game tomorrow? Yes, I am incredibly lazy to not look it up myself.

I love it when the Colosseum fills up like a colostomy bag. That stadium is such a shithole, literally. I've been there, it's horrible. Those players can't be happy in that shitty stadium the Athletics use.

Ok I'll retract my comment here: Even Ned couldn't possibly bypass Ventura in a wild card game. It's not possible. He couldn't possibly justify any other decision to his team. They'd revolt if Ventura wasn't the choice. He's a freak.

Gahhh how am I gonna see some of the game tomorrow

A's putting their cards on the table and going all in. Really, really good team that just got a little bit better.

The Cubs' collection of young position talent is insane-ridiculous-whatever you want to call it.

First of all, they have an established young, power-hitting 1B in Anthony Rizzo (who is just 24) and an established, young SS in Starlin Castro who has bounced back in a big way from a terrible 2013.

Kris Bryant is the top power prospect in the minors and probably baseball. He's going to stick at 3B, but could be a plus RF, too, if needed.

Javier Baez is a ridiculous SS prospect with 40 HR power potential.

Jorge Soler is another crazy power prospect who signed a huge deal out of Cuba.

Addison Russell is a do-it-all SS with power and could be ready for the majors as soon as next season. Plug glove, plus hit, plus run, plus power.

Throw in that Kyle Schwarber has been absolutely demolishing the baseball since being drafted, and it just keeps getting better. Schwarber is going to make it to A+ ball and maybe even AA before the year is over. He has a 1.200 OPS (yes, you read that right) in a very small sample size at A ball, but honestly I don't know what else he has to prove there.

In Bryant, Baez, Russell, and Schwarber, the A's have FOUR position players who will likely rank in the top 15 of baseball prospects, consensus. And they're all going to arrive in the next two years.

That's not even mentioning the several excellent complementary pieces (2B Arismendy Alcantara, who has a .900 OPS at AAA right now, with a SLG around .550; CF Albert Amora, a toolsy young CF who will be a top 75 prospect; CJ Edwards, who got off to a great start in AA this year; Billy McKinney, also acquired in this deal, who put up a .964 OPS in full-season ball at age 18 last year).

Epstein is doing some pretty impressive things there on the North Side. Watch this offseason... he will move Castro for some pitching (young, long-term controlled offensive SS on team friendly-deal) and set up what could be a real dynasty.

At least by next season, we'll no longer be hearing about the Royals and "best farm system ever" ... don't see any way that's not chalked up as the Cubs.

We did trade one of the best prospects in baseball for two years of a starting pitcher. To be fair the Royals have probably "went for it" as much as any team in baseball these last two years, it just didn't happen during the season.

Ventura's pitching delivery is just so smooth. He makes throwing triple digits look like cake.

I've always rooted for the Cubs. They're like the Royals in a lot of ways, and for the wrong reasons. I hope they have long-term success.

I'll be interested to see how it all works out for them...after all they are the Cubs.