Joe Maddon to the Cubs. UPDATE: He’s gone (p 19)

[33anda3rd]

Yeah, you're the Cubs. You've been tanking for several years while you build your farm up to enter a window of competitiveness. And then you mess it up by not getting permission to talk to a manager before you hire him.

Yeah, you're Joe Maddon. You are one with the front office in Tampa. You like your players. You've done a lot in Tampa for the community. And you enter into under-the-board contract talks to get out.

Sure.

[slide_into_first]

Mlb and Google developed an advanced metric to detect tampering.

[pioneer98]

Yeah, I don’t think the Cubs tampered.

I do think there are games that go on with free agents though. Again, it doesn’t look like it happened in this case, but I suspect sometimes teams will float false rumors through the media about them being interested in a free agent, even though they really have zero interest. The player and their agent will try to use this to their advantage, maybe they even had an off the record conversation with the team about it…Then the other teams interested have to try to figure out if it is a bluff or not, and whether to adjust their bid. This stuff surely happens anyway behind closed doors, but when reporters are out there reporting it, it gives it a bit more weight. This isn’t “tampering” in the direct sense, but spreading false rumors through the media is not exactly acting in good faith either.

[Jocephus]

just part of mlbs plan to market the cubs and keep them in the news and wanting them to win. clearly.

[33anda3rd]

Yes, for sure, because baseball franchise values have remained flat since the Cubs last won a world series. It's a bad investment, a baseball team. You're stuck getting taxpayers to pay for your infrastructure and get no return. If only MLB could make a winner out of the Cubs the game would be so healthy.

[Jmodene]

Yeah, I don’t think the Cubs tampered.

I do think there are games that go on with free agents though. Again, it doesn’t look like it happened in this case, but I suspect sometimes teams will float false rumors through the media about them being interested in a free agent, even though they really have zero interest. The player and their agent will try to use this to their advantage, maybe they even had an off the record conversation with the team about it…Then the other teams interested have to try to figure out if it is a bluff or not, and whether to adjust their bid. This stuff surely happens anyway behind closed doors, but when reporters are out there reporting it, it gives it a bit more weight. This isn’t “tampering” in the direct sense, but spreading false rumors through the media is not exactly acting in good faith either.

Agents also play that game. I remember the Cards GM (I don't remember if it was Walt or Mo) complaining about Boras or somebody using the Cards as a stalking horse, knowing full well their guy wasn't going to sign with us.

[Jocephus]

Diamondbacks assistant hitting coach Henry Blanco has accepted a coaching job with the Cubs.
Blanco's position under Joe Maddon will be as a quality assurance coach. He will also work closely with the catchers. The departure of the former catcher leaves the Diamondbacks without a Spanish speaker on the coaching staff, something the team plans on addressing.
Source: Arizona Republic
Nov 23 - 8:36 AM

[Jocephus]

Ryan Dempster has officially retired and accepted a job in the Cubs front office.
This confirms a report from Chris Cotillo back in October. Dempster sat out the entire 2014 season due to neck issues and a desire to spend more time with his family and now he has decided to put a bow on his career. He'll finish with a 132 wins and a 4.35 ERA over 16 major league seasons.
Related: Cubs
Source: Patrick Mooney on Twitter
Dec 5 - 12:19 PM

[ZigZagCardsFan]

Ryan Dempster has officially retired and accepted a job in the Cubs front office.
This confirms a report from Chris Cotillo back in October. Dempster sat out the entire 2014 season due to neck issues and a desire to spend more time with his family and now he has decided to put a bow on his career. He'll finish with a 132 wins and a 4.35 ERA over 16 major league seasons.
Related: Cubs
Source: Patrick Mooney on Twitter
Dec 5 - 12:19 PM

Well, Maddon's got the look, and Ryan Dempster does an excellent impression of Will Ferrell doing an impression of Harry Caray.

[Jocephus]

rizzo with sosa