Shildt was his first manager as a professional down in Johnson City.

It'll be a nice easy fit for him and I could see it leading to a decent little 2 yr/$8 million extension to be a part time player and bench bat after the season.

He's not gonna get a look as a starter; he's simply too streaky. That should keep his market reasonable and he's just such a perfect short-term fit for this squad. Gorman and Baker aren't gonna be here too terribly soon and even if they are, they probably aren't bench players. Williams doesn't inspire much confidence in me.

There's a hole at the top of the organization for lefthanded bench bats with power. He fits it perfectly while we wait for someone like Baker to get here or Gorman to make it less critical.

Credit to the dude on my Cardinals board but this is fitting:

https://bigapplebaseballmlb.files.wo...jor-league.jpg

Darvish shut down for the remainder of the season with a triceps strain and a stress reaction in his elbow.

Yeah, I'm sure that's nothing that will surface again next year.

Have fun with that 'below market' deal, JD. Keep telling yourself that the $8 million win share means jack shit. The Cubs paid exactly market for Darvish and as it turns out, they're probably gonna take a beating on the deal.

Or hey, maybe a 32 yr old pitcher who was abused in his teens/early 20s and then put forward a 1/2 decade history of arm troubles will bounce back and pitch 5 healthy seasons starting next year through his age 36 season. I mean, it happens all the time.

yeah JD, I’ve heard several times in this thread all about this Darvish deal working out in the long term. What up?

Shit happens. Players get injured.

Let me know when the Cardinals can even sign a high caliber FA to a long term deal.

Regardless if he manages to make an impact over the remainder over his contract its not going to prevent the Cubs from spending, so ask me if I care.

it wasn’t shit happens before. It was a done deal. It’s going to work out.

And.......

We got our money’s worth and more for the Holliday FA deal. One of the few $100 million+ MLB FA deals to ever work out for the club.

And an honorable mention of signing Pujols to a 10 years extension. The best 10 years a player has ever had in MLB.

That was a FA deal? The Cardinals traded for him then extended him, did they not? And what is this 2009 where TLR still exists?

I dont recall ever saying that Darvish was a done deal and going to work out. I said the Cubs paid below market value for a pitcher of his caliber and year 1 wont be the deciding factor on his contract as a whole.

He's got an injury that doesnt include ligaments, wont require any surgery, and comes with a 6 week recovery. Had the Cubs been able to spot it earlier he'd probably be pitching this year but while he kept saying something didn't feel right they missed it I think twice before.

No, he was a Boras FA testing the market. Wasn’t signed until the next calendar year.

Murphy has been hitting the ball a bit better of late and not that far removed from being a pretty productive player. Agree with everyone else that weird to not at least put in a claim to block CHI.

You have 5 years to get 126 million in value out of an aging pitcher with a myriad of arm troubles.

Good luck with that.

Sucks for the Cubs sure. But they don’t pay dick for any of their position players. I mean JHey and Zorbrist are the only dudes pulling in legit salaries as position players. The Cubs are fine. If they have to pay a little luxury tax so be it.

Yeah you seem to be overflowing with indifference. On the bright side you get another chance to sign Lance Lynn next year.

One of the benefits of being a fan of a team that isn't afraid to be the #1 bidder.

Sure, maybe you can turn your 2016 memorabilia over to a trust so that your great, great, great grandkids can wear them proudly the next time the Cubs win it all.