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http://deadspin.com/report-joe-maddon-t ... 1652495130

Well, that happened pretty quickly. It's been less than a week since Joe Maddon left the Tampa Bay Rays in the dust, and he's already found himself a new job managing the Chicago Cubs, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/JonHeymanCBS/status/527580395421065217[/tweet]

I was not expecting that.

I hate you, Theo.

Hits are just keep coming for quake griffin this post season

That's genuinely frightening for the NL.

Great hire for the Cubs obviously. I'm glad he didn't go to a contender like the Dodgers, or division rival Braves. I don't think the Cubs are going to contend just yet but they're definitely headed in the right direction. That division is still too tough.

Hits are just keep coming......
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gotta get this dude off my modem...well, a word that rhymes with modem.


and this sucks. Friedman and Guggenheim dropping the ball so far and have only been together a week.

well....

is he the manager or not?
what is this ****?

I imagine the Cubs were denying the reports because they hadn't formally fired Renteria yet. So, now that that's taken care of, I assume the negotiations will start/continue, and Maddon will be announced officially by Monday.

...and I was right.

http://www.si.com/mlb/2014/10/31/joe-ma ... eria-fired

Knew this was coming as soon as Maddon opted out. He'll be perfect for the Cubs young, talented roster. Great fit.

Theo and Hoyer will bring a World Series to the North Side by the end of 2020. Maddon is final piece of the puzzle.

Well, they still need pitching, both bullpen and starting, but as far as management goes, they're definitely set.

I think in the next three years they can make moves in free agency and continue to build the system to get a solid staff together. That'll give em another three years to get a title.

I'm obviously not a Cubs fan by any means, nor a fan of Theo for obvious reasons, but the guy works magic like almost nobody else in the sport (I don't f*cking care about Brian Sabean, skates).

TyCobb wrote:Well, they still need pitching, both bullpen and starting, but as far as management goes, they're definitely set.

They had the 7th best bullpen by FIP this year. Rondon, Strop and Neil Ramirez were very good. Justin Grimm was also excellent in the 2nd half after some mechanical changes. I'm not worried about the pen.

They need two more starters. Hopefully Lester is one of them. Considering how cheap the offense will be for the next few years, there's no excuse for the Cubs to lose out in a bidding war.

Lol. Im not hating on the Cubs at all. But you'll need more and better guys than that. Fip is garbage.

TyCobb wrote:Fip is garbage.

Lol

Is it supposed to be respected by all because SABR guys use it? FIP doesnt win you ball games, nor tell an accurate account of a players' ability.

Actually I do think strikeout rate, walk rate and groundball rate is a pretty damn accurate account of a pitchers ability. How do you judge relievers?

You can be successful being a flyball pitcher. So much of a relievers stats are from situation, usage by manager, and quality of stuff.

Of course you can be a successful flyball pitcher. Lots of flyball pitchers have excellent FIP numbers. Chris Sale had the 4th best FIP among starters because of his absurd strikeout/walk ratio. Max Scherzer is always up there for the same reason. It's just easier to be successful if you get groundballs and that's something I personally consider when evaluating a pitcher.

A player has no control over his usage, so I would never consider that in my evaluation. He can only pitch his best when given the opportunity. I don't believe managers always make the best decisions, so their patterns and choices wouldn't change my opinion of a player's talent.

Quality of stuff shows up in strikeout rate. Or if it doesn't, it's useless. Doesn't matter how nasty it looks if it doesn't miss bats.

But the managers use of the player affects their performance and results, especially in the case of relievers. FIP is more accurate for SP, but I avoid using it all because it ignores park and league. Definitely wouldnt solely use it to defend a staff or player.