2012 Chicago Cubs

[R-V]

If Castro can fetch a nice haul on the trade market

But what sort of haul is he going to fetch that makes a trade worth it? Unless they're trading him for Bryce Harper or an already-established MLB superstar still in his prime, it doesn't make any sense. Trading a 22-year-old stud with several years of affordable team control remaining for prospects is -- as you put it -- half-baked. If that.

Honestly, I'm struggling to think of more than a handful of guys in all of baseball with more value than Starlin Castro. The only thing accomplished by trading him is setting back the rebuilding process another 2-3 years.

So there's one aspect of wrongness to Chuck's statement. The other is the theory that Theo and Jed have somehow learned something in the last two weeks that they didn't previously know about Starlin. If you think, as I'm guessing most of us do - including Chuck - that Epstein and Hoyer know their ass from their elbow and have a long-term plan and understand how things like sample size work, why is this trade "increasingly likely?" Was Epstein previously uncertain of how he felt about Castro, but now that he's seen him make FOUR ERRORS in TEN GAMES, he wants to trade him more now than he did 2 weeks ago?

What the fuck, Chuck?

[R-V]

If Castro can fetch a nice haul on the trade market

But what sort of haul is he going to fetch that makes a trade worth it? Unless they're trading him for Bryce Harper or an already-established MLB superstar still in his prime, it doesn't make any sense. Trading a 22-year-old stud with several years of affordable team control remaining for prospects is -- as you put it -- half-baked. If that.

Honestly, I'm struggling to think of more than a handful of guys in all of baseball with more value than Starlin Castro. The only thing accomplished by trading him is setting back the rebuilding process another 2-3 years.

According to Steve Stone on the Score this morning, David Eckstein is the kind of shortstop that wins championships because he makes all the simple plays. So maybe the Cubs should just sign him and then trade Castro for other winner types. Ask Steve Stone who the other winners are. He seems to know.

Lemke, Epstein and Freese right to left in 2013.

[Brownie]

If Castro can fetch a nice haul on the trade market

But what sort of haul is he going to fetch that makes a trade worth it? Unless they're trading him for Bryce Harper or an already-established MLB superstar still in his prime, it doesn't make any sense. Trading a 22-year-old stud with several years of affordable team control remaining for prospects is -- as you put it -- half-baked. If that.

Honestly, I'm struggling to think of more than a handful of guys in all of baseball with more value than Starlin Castro. The only thing accomplished by trading him is setting back the rebuilding process another 2-3 years.

Who says they'd trade him for a bunch of affordable prospects? Chuck suggesting that Epstein/Hoyer would listen to offers for Castro isn't half-baked.

If you could trade Castro for a starting pitcher and a starting everyday player, both on the right side of 30, both who are All-Star caliber, wouldn't you at least listen?

[Brownie]

Let me go a bit further. Chuck's Twitter post is wrong-headed in that it suggests Epstein will trade Castro for Adam Kennedy and a prospect if he makes another error. But (Real Life) Chuck's premise isn't that far off.

1. I don't think Epstein has decided that he's got to build around Starlin Castro.
2. Epstein has generally managed a better shortstop and he traded him away, getting the immortal Orlando Cabrera and Doug Mientkiewicz for him.
3. Perhaps Epstein knew said better shortstop was done, and snookered a guy who was fueled by apple and cheese danishes. But... said better shortstop was healthy, coming off one of the best seasons of his career and his team was closer to the World Series than their runner-up counterpart from the other league. And Epstein had just about traded said better shortstop for a Venezuelan right fielder with a suspect knee.
4. Castro is a better than average hitter, and the best hitter on the Cubs. But defensively, he's been below average in range factor and fielding percentage each season.
5. Castro, as a good-hitting shortstop, might be overvalued on the trade market.
6. If Epstein traded Castro and replaced him with someone of the caliber of Orlando Cabrera (or worse), yet the Cubs still won the World Series, would you continue to bitch about it?

[J. Walter Weatherman]

If Castro can fetch a nice haul on the trade market

But what sort of haul is he going to fetch that makes a trade worth it? Unless they're trading him for Bryce Harper or an already-established MLB superstar still in his prime, it doesn't make any sense. Trading a 22-year-old stud with several years of affordable team control remaining for prospects is -- as you put it -- half-baked. If that.

Honestly, I'm struggling to think of more than a handful of guys in all of baseball with more value than Starlin Castro. The only thing accomplished by trading him is setting back the rebuilding process another 2-3 years.

According to Steve Stone on the Score this morning, David Eckstein is the kind of shortstop that wins championships because he makes all the simple plays. So maybe the Cubs should just sign him and then trade Castro for other winner types. Ask Steve Stone who the other winners are. He seems to know.

Cesar Izturis?

Let me go a bit further. Chuck's Twitter post is wrong-headed in that it suggests Epstein will trade Castro for Adam Kennedy and a prospect if he makes another error. But (Real Life) Chuck's premise isn't that far off.

There's your wheat to your chaff.

Maybe Chuck can relaunch ChuckToChuck.com with Real Life Chuck at the editorial helm.

[Richard Chuggar]

Let me go a bit further. Chuck's Twitter post is wrong-headed in that it suggests Epstein will trade Castro for Adam Kennedy and a prospect if he makes another error. But (Real Life) Chuck's premise isn't that far off.

1. I don't think Epstein has decided that he's got to build around Starlin Castro.
2. Epstein has generally managed a better shortstop and he traded him away, getting the immortal Orlando Cabrera and Doug Mientkiewicz for him.
3. Perhaps Epstein knew said better shortstop was done, and snookered a guy who was fueled by apple and cheese danishes. But... said better shortstop was healthy, coming off one of the best seasons of his career and his team was closer to the World Series than their runner-up counterpart from the other league. And Epstein had just about traded said better shortstop for a Venezuelan right fielder with a suspect knee.
4. Castro is a better than average hitter, and the best hitter on the Cubs. But defensively, he's been below average in range factor and fielding percentage each season.
5. Castro, as a good-hitting shortstop, might be overvalued on the trade market.
6. If Epstein traded Castro and replaced him with someone of the caliber of Orlando Cabrera (or worse), yet the Cubs still won the World Series, would you continue to bitch about it?

We get it, you sat in the front row with Chuck at a game so you feel the need to be as retarded as him for a little bit. 

[J. Walter Weatherman]

6. If Epstein traded Castro and replaced him with someone of the caliber of Orlando Cabrera (or worse), yet the Cubs still won the World Series, would you continue to bitch about it?

Continue to bitch about it?

[Brownie]

6. If Epstein traded Castro and replaced him with someone of the caliber of Orlando Cabrera (or worse), yet the Cubs still won the World Series, would you continue to bitch about it?

Continue to bitch about it?

Yes, because the day Starlin Castro gets dealt, people will bitch and moan about how shitty a trade it is and how Epstein and Hoyer should be fired and replaced with a real baseball guy like Ed Lynch or someone like that.

[Eli]

If you could trade Castro for a starting pitcher and a starting everyday player, both on the right side of 30, both who are All-Star caliber, wouldn't you at least listen?

Sure. I'll be happy with a trade of Castro and Dan Vogelbach for Evan Longoria and David Price.

Maybe Chuck's idea isn't so dumb!

[Eli]

I'd also accept a trade of Starlin Castro and Tony Campana for Justin Upton and Justin Verlander.

Granted, that would require a third team but I'm sure Theo and Jed can make it happen.

[Chuck to Chuck]

Chuck's Twitter post is wrong-headed in that it suggests Epstein will trade Castro for Adam Kennedy and a prospect if he makes another error.

That's a supposition that others have made and I can see how the limitations of the 140 characters could cause that.  To be clear, I would be pissed if they traded Castro for scraps.

But given how wretched this team is, how void the farm system is, how the clamor to get better quicker and the empty seats is going to lay on Tom, and Castro being at peak value right now, a trade is becoming more and more likely.  That, and Castro's below average defense and low walk rate suggest that Theo might undervalue him compared to the market.

But what I'm really not looking forward to is, should the move be made, the rending of garments and ubiquitous sound of Kaddish neing sung that will be heard from all corners of Cubdom.

[Brownie]

Chuck's Twitter post is wrong-headed in that it suggests Epstein will trade Castro for Adam Kennedy and a prospect if he makes another error.

That's a supposition that others have made and I can see how the limitations of the 140 characters could cause that.  To be clear, I would be pissed if they traded Castro for scraps.

But given how wretched this team is, how void the farm system is, how the clamor to get better quicker and the empty seats is going to lay on Tom, and Castro being at peak value right now, a trade is becoming more and more likely.  That, and Castro's below average defense and low walk rate suggest that Theo might undervalue him compared to the market.

But what I'm really not looking forward to is, should the move be made, the rending of garments and ubiquitous sound of Kaddish neing sung that will be heard from all corners of Cubdom.

Any chance Starlin is overvalued by the rest of the league?

[R-V]

Chuck's Twitter post is wrong-headed in that it suggests Epstein will trade Castro for Adam Kennedy and a prospect if he makes another error.

That's a supposition that others have made and I can see how the limitations of the 140 characters could cause that.  To be clear, I would be pissed if they traded Castro for scraps.

But given how wretched this team is, how void the farm system is, how the clamor to get better quicker and the empty seats is going to lay on Tom, and Castro being at peak value right now, a trade is becoming more and more likely.  That, and Castro's below average defense and low walk rate suggest that Theo might undervalue him compared to the market.

But what I'm really not looking forward to is, should the move be made, the rending of garments and ubiquitous sound of Kaddish neing sung that will be heard from all corners of Cubdom.

Who is clamoring for the Cubs to get better quicker? You act like something has changed over the last two weeks - that Ricketts and/or the fans have been given new information that has them re-evaluating their previous Cubs worldview. Is Ricketts surprised by the attendance at the first 6 games? Are Cubs fans shocked that they're shitty? Are attendance projections way off of Tom's expectations? Are their actual people out there who were planning on buying a six-game package, but they found out that Paul Maholm and Chris Volstad are probably shitty and changed their mind?

You act like there's this rising tide of...something...that no one can see coming except for you.

[J. Walter Weatherman]

Chuck's Twitter post is wrong-headed in that it suggests Epstein will trade Castro for Adam Kennedy and a prospect if he makes another error.

That's a supposition that others have made and I can see how the limitations of the 140 characters could cause that.  To be clear, I would be pissed if they traded Castro for scraps.

But given how wretched this team is, how void the farm system is, how the clamor to get better quicker and the empty seats is going to lay on Tom, and Castro being at peak value right now, a trade is becoming more and more likely.  That, and Castro's below average defense and low walk rate suggest that Theo might undervalue him compared to the market.

But what I'm really not looking forward to is, should the move be made, the rending of garments and ubiquitous sound of Kaddish neing sung that will be heard from all corners of Cubdom.

We're at Peak Castro, folks.

Apparently Chuck is some sort of fucking futurereader.

[Eli]

Chuck's Twitter post is wrong-headed in that it suggests Epstein will trade Castro for Adam Kennedy and a prospect if he makes another error.

That's a supposition that others have made and I can see how the limitations of the 140 characters could cause that.  To be clear, I would be pissed if they traded Castro for scraps.

But given how wretched this team is, how void the farm system is, how the clamor to get better quicker and the empty seats is going to lay on Tom, and Castro being at peak value right now, a trade is becoming more and more likely.  That, and Castro's below average defense and low walk rate suggest that Theo might undervalue him compared to the market.

But what I'm really not looking forward to is, should the move be made, the rending of garments and ubiquitous sound of Kaddish neing sung that will be heard from all corners of Cubdom.

We're at Peak Castro, folks.

Apparently Chuck is some sort of fucking futurereader.

No shit. He's barely 22 and is at peak value. Everyone think about this.