OT: Cubs Offseason Thread

[Jeffster81]

Dodgers are signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto to a 12 year, $325 million contract. That's over $1billion spent in the past week on just two players, one of whom has never even played in the MLB!
Athletes' salaries are completely out of control. There's hardly a better analogy for the massive income inequality and growing gap between 'us' and 'them' than professional sports.

Tell fans to stop going to games.

[SalmonsSuperfan]

Dodgers are signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto to a 12 year, $325 million contract. That's over $1billion spent in the past week on just two players, one of whom has never even played in the MLB!
Athletes' salaries are completely out of control. There's hardly a better analogy for the massive income inequality and growing gap between 'us' and 'them' than professional sports.

Tell fans to stop going to games.

why should people stop enjoying sports and a day out at a game?

how about:
-television networks stop showing so many advertisements
-baseball teams don't charge so much for tickets (stop building new ballparks with fewer seats but far more luxury suites to lower ticket supply, increasing prices for regular seats, and ultimately to provide for a wealthier clientele)
-more generally, baseball teams stop doing real estate development ventures like building condos and offices and other yuppie 'amenities' (every ballpark since 1992).
-baseball teams stop shoving gambling, cryptocurrency, alcohol etc. down people's throats to make a quick buck
-MLB institutes a salary cap and maximum contracts. in what other American league does a rookie sign a $325mil contract with a $50mil signing bonus? what other league has a payroll differential of $280mil ($342mil and $62mil) between the highest and lowest teams? imagine if an NBA team signed 3 players to maximum contracts in one offseason, adding to a team that already had 2 max players, and was still in the hunt to add one more near max contract (Josh Hader).

the amount of money generated by professional sports that has absolutely nothing to do with the sport is absurd and should be regulated. ticket sales is roughly 30% of revenue generated, a higher share than both NBA and NFL, but ultimately not the issue (besides luxury suites).
fans aren't the problem, market economics is. this just shows people that the market does not actually distribute resources efficiently like some people imagine it does. and fans aren't the problem that the league has absolutely no financial parity and that parity only exists in baseball because the playoffs are a crapshoot, each series is more influenced by randomness than anything else (unlike the NBA) which is why it takes 162 games to build a reasonable sample size.

it's frankly absurd and reflects poorly on American society. it's a perfect analogy for inequality. LA County has 75,000 homeless people, home prices in Compton and South Central (the so-called 'hood') are upward of $700,000, working class people must live in San Bernardino and commute for hours a day to Chavez Ravine or Santa Monica to service wealthy people's consumption habits.

[Dresden]

Dodgers are signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto to a 12 year, $325 million contract. That's over $1billion spent in the past week on just two players, one of whom has never even played in the MLB!
Athletes' salaries are completely out of control. There's hardly a better analogy for the massive income inequality and growing gap between 'us' and 'them' than professional sports.

Tell fans to stop going to games.

why should people stop enjoying sports and a day out at a game?

how about:
-television networks stop showing so many advertisements
-baseball teams don't charge so much for tickets (stop building new ballparks with fewer seats but far more luxury suites to lower ticket supply, increasing prices for regular seats, and ultimately to provide for a wealthier clientele)
-more generally, baseball teams stop doing real estate development ventures like building condos and offices and other yuppie 'amenities' (every ballpark since 1992).
-baseball teams stop shoving gambling, cryptocurrency, alcohol etc. down people's throats to make a quick buck
-MLB institutes a salary cap and maximum contracts. in what other American league does a rookie sign a $325mil contract with a $50mil signing bonus? what other league has a payroll differential of $280mil ($342mil and $62mil) between the highest and lowest teams? imagine if an NBA team signed 3 players to maximum contracts in one offseason, adding to a team that already had 2 max players, and was still in the hunt to add one more near max contract (Josh Hader).

the amount of money generated by professional sports that has absolutely nothing to do with the sport is absurd and should be regulated. ticket sales is roughly 30% of revenue generated, a higher share than both NBA and NFL, but ultimately not the issue (besides luxury suites).
fans aren't the problem, market economics is. this just shows people that the market does not actually distribute resources efficiently like some people imagine it does. and fans aren't the problem that the league has absolutely no financial parity and that parity only exists in baseball because the playoffs are a crapshoot, each series is more influenced by randomness than anything else (unlike the NBA) which is why it takes 162 games to build a reasonable sample size.

it's frankly absurd and reflects poorly on American society. it's a perfect analogy for inequality. LA County has 75,000 homeless people, home prices in Compton and South Central (the so-called 'hood') are upward of $700,000, working class people must live in San Bernardino and commute for hours a day to Chavez Ravine or Santa Monica to service wealthy people's consumption habits.

Amen! The situation in baseball is appalling. The Dodgers just buy up every marquee player they want to. It may not guarantee a World Series every year, but it sure does make things uneven, when you have one or two or three teams with payrolls that dwarf that of many of the teams they are playing against.

Maybe those teams with the top payrolls should only get 2 outs per inning instead of 3? People would say that's unfair, but somehow it is ok for one team to spend 4-5 x as much on players as another?

[RastaBull]

Dodgers are signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto to a 12 year, $325 million contract. That's over $1billion spent in the past week on just two players, one of whom has never even played in the MLB!
Athletes' salaries are completely out of control. There's hardly a better analogy for the massive income inequality and growing gap between 'us' and 'them' than professional sports.

Tell fans to stop going to games.

why should people stop enjoying sports and a day out at a game?

how about:
-television networks stop showing so many advertisements
-baseball teams don't charge so much for tickets (stop building new ballparks with fewer seats but far more luxury suites to lower ticket supply, increasing prices for regular seats, and ultimately to provide for a wealthier clientele)
-more generally, baseball teams stop doing real estate development ventures like building condos and offices and other yuppie 'amenities' (every ballpark since 1992).
-baseball teams stop shoving gambling, cryptocurrency, alcohol etc. down people's throats to make a quick buck
-MLB institutes a salary cap and maximum contracts. in what other American league does a rookie sign a $325mil contract with a $50mil signing bonus? what other league has a payroll differential of $280mil ($342mil and $62mil) between the highest and lowest teams? imagine if an NBA team signed 3 players to maximum contracts in one offseason, adding to a team that already had 2 max players, and was still in the hunt to add one more near max contract (Josh Hader).

the amount of money generated by professional sports that has absolutely nothing to do with the sport is absurd and should be regulated. ticket sales is roughly 30% of revenue generated, a higher share than both NBA and NFL, but ultimately not the issue (besides luxury suites).
fans aren't the problem, market economics is. this just shows people that the market does not actually distribute resources efficiently like some people imagine it does. and fans aren't the problem that the league has absolutely no financial parity and that parity only exists in baseball because the playoffs are a crapshoot, each series is more influenced by randomness than anything else (unlike the NBA) which is why it takes 162 games to build a reasonable sample size.

it's frankly absurd and reflects poorly on American society. it's a perfect analogy for inequality. LA County has 75,000 homeless people, home prices in Compton and South Central (the so-called 'hood') are upward of $700,000, working class people must live in San Bernardino and commute for hours a day to Chavez Ravine or Santa Monica to service wealthy people's consumption habits.

Very easily my nomination for best post of the year. I second, third, and forth the discourse you laid out.

“…reflects poorly on American society” (1) Someone could write a dissertation on how well/accurately do sports/sporting culture reflect larger dynamics in various countries; (2) the financial relationships of the MLB you point out are very very sadly an accurate reflection of US dynamics. Especially fitting and on point that it’s LA too.

Thanks for taking time to write out these thoughts; I’ve read them already several times and am sure I’ll read them many more.

[Dresden]

The odd thing is that it's the players that would be against any type of a hard cap, more than the owners. You'd think they'd want to have a competitive league, where every team has the same chance to win. But instead, they would opt for the opportunity to make a gazillion dollars one day by signing with a team like LAD or NYY.

[Kurt Heimlich]

Resurrecting this bad boy from the dead. The cubs actually did...something!

https://www.bleachernation.com/cubs/2024/01/09/shota-the-cubs-reportedly-have-a-deal-with-shota-imanaga/

[Chi town]

I like both deals. Imanaga and Busch.

Hope Busch can play 3rd. Having another lefty power bat would be awesome.

Also expect Cubs to get Belli back and get Montgomery.

That would make a strong offseason with Counsell. Lots of flexibility moving fwd for youngsters to rise and win now trades to be made.

[Dresden]

Sad to hear about Ryne Sandberg having metastatic prostrate cancer today. Wish all the best for him and his family as he goes through this.

[HoopsterJones]

Sad to hear about Ryne Sandberg having metastatic prostrate cancer today. Wish all the best for him and his family as he goes through this.

Big same brother.

[Kurt Heimlich]

Ryno is the face of the Cubs for so many from my aunts and uncles age to my own. The Ryno/Dunston/Grace era cubs of the early 90s are my earliest sports memories, even moreso than the 1st three peat Bulls. Hoping for great treatment response and lots of time to come for 23.

[_txchilibowl_]

Ryno is my all time sports hero. All I wanted to do is play second base for the Cubs like he did. The epitome of class and professionalism.

Get well Ryno

[Chi town]

Belli back at 3/80

[JockItch43]

Belli back at 3/80

Good deal.

[Evil_Headband]

Two player options on the deal so we might go through this again next year.

[MAQ]

Two player options on the deal so we might go through this again next year.

Only way this doesn't happen again next year is if he has an extremely down year. Either way, we lose.

[Betta Bulleavit]

Belli back at 3/80

This is a great deal!!

[HoopsterJones]

Belli back at 3/80

Good deal but he can opt out after year 1 and 2 which are both $30m salary wise. Less long term risk for the Cubs and solid security for Cody in the short term.

[Betta Bulleavit]

Belli back at 3/80

Good deal but he can opt out after year 1 and 2 which are both $30m salary wise. Less long term risk for the Cubs and solid security for Cody in the short term.

It’s actually 30-30-20. My guess is that after year 2 would be the opt out unless he has a huge season next year.

[Chi town]

Two player options on the deal so we might go through this again next year.

Only way this doesn't happen again next year is if he has an extremely down year. Either way, we lose.

This deal is all about PCA and flexibility.

[Dresden]

At least they have him for one more year. If he proves he's worth it, then they ought to give him the same sort of deal the Dodgers or Yankees would give him. It's about time the Cubs start acting like a major market team. Yu Darvish should never have gotten away from them.