Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Cubs' New Hype...Buy or Sell?

The Cubs hired former Joe Maddon to manage the young prospects of their future on Tuesday.

I saw a headline today on ESPN Chicago that said "Cubs' Savior has Arrived"

BUY or SELL?

SELL.

Wait a tick, how is a manager going to be the savior of a team? Is he on the field? Does he make the plays? How much effect on a game does he truly have as a manager?

The manager puts together a lineup card, makes pitching changes, etc. BUT he doesn't make the plays. The players in the Cubs uniforms have to make the plays. They're the ones who have to hit and pitch and field.

Dont get me wrong, Joe Maddon is an excellent game manager, and I like what he did with David Price, Evan Longoria and the Rays, but how many World Series has he won? None. His career record is a hair over .500 at .517 and the Rays had some solid teams.

Now, you're throwing a guy who averages a 84-78 season a year to a team who has maybe one star player in Anthony Rizzo. No David Price or Evan Longoria type players on the roster and all the sudden Cub fans are talking World Series.

Say that the Cubs do win 84 games next year. In a division with the St. Louis Cardinals that ALWAYS find a way to win, the Brewers who are a solid team who have already started improving by adding Adam Lind, and the Pirates, 84 games doesn't get you into the playoffs.

The move to hire Maddon is an improvement and congrats to the Cubs on making the big move, but don't deem this guy a savior.  The team still has to play the game.

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