Saw a thing this weekend about a new half-marathon record, and the thing about these kinds of records that just blows me away is how I could not even come REMOTELY CLOSE to running a SINGLE mile at the pace they sustained over a marathon or half. It’s just a physical ability on a level I can’t even wrap my head around. Like, hitting a baseball at the MLB level is something I know I could never do, but I can at least imagine what it’s like. But running a 4:30 mile for over 26 straight miles?!?! I don’t even … I can’t … I just can’t even put myself in the imaginary shoes there.
In Jayson Stark’s survey of baseball insiders, asking which front office/manager groups are feeling the most heat this year, the Cubs got the second-most votes, behind only the Blue Jays:“Their curse-busting World Series was (gasp) nine years ago. Their last postseason win was (what?) eight years ago. And the Cubs are now entering their fifth season since Theo Epstein headed off to figure out the inner secrets of the pitch clock. So one voter said this as clearly as it can be said: ‘The Cubs have to win.’
You should know that our voters like this roster. It feels as though Hoyer, the club’s president of baseball operations, has pushed many of the right buttons. And there’s a reason Counsell is the highest-paid manager in the game. But when you’re the one team spending big money in the NL Central Thrift Shop, you need something tangible to show for it. Will this be their time?”
Toronto is a fair pick at the top, though their road is a lot tougher than the road for the Cubs. The pressure is on the Cubs for so many obvious reasons, ranging from a roster that closed to maxed out (on their allowable budget … ), to a front office working on one-year deals, to a division that is extremely winnable this year and may not be as winnable next year. I would actually argue that there is no team in baseball outside of the Dodgers that should feel as much pressure to win their own division, or for whom it would be more disappointing if they do not. Also, the Cubs are spending “big” relative to the rest of the NL Central, but they are DEFINITELY not spending big relative to other large-market clubs that have this much pressure to win. Buttoning up the final price tag on Alex Bregman, it was more like a 3/$90M deal, not 3/$120M, because it is maaaaassively deferred:With guidance from Theo Epstein, Craig Breslow brokered the largest free-agent deal of his Red Sox tenure.Dozens of phone calls, daily ownership check-ins, 16 pages of questions from Boras and Bregman, Dustin Pedroia texts.Inside the Alex Bregman deal t.co/l8JxJianoM
— Jen McCaffrey (@jcmccaffrey) February 17, 2025The deferrals on the Alex Bregman contract lowers the present-day value of the contract to $89.864 million, according to the Major League Baseball Players Association. @jonheyman.bsky.social on it.
— Bob Nightengale (@bnightengale.bsky.social) 2025-02-16T22:46:12.539Z The Athletic piece – which discusses how Theo Epstein helped* the Red Sox land Bregman – has the exact structure of the deferrals: “There is $20 million deferred in each year of the deal. He will receive $15 million in salary in 2025, $20 million in 2026 and $20 million in 2027, with player opt outs in ’26-27. The $20 million deferred will be paid $2 million per year, beginning 10 years from the year it is earned, meaning the $20 million of deferred money from his 2025 salary will be paid in $2 million increments per year from 2035-2044.” *(Remember, Theo is part of Red Sox ownership now.) That means that the Cubs’ four-year, $115 million offer – with no deferrals – was at nearly the same AAV in real value, and with an extra year attached. It is just flat out wrong to say that the Cubs did not make a competitive offer. I suspect the differences, ultimately, were the opt out after the first year (the Cubs’ initial opt out came after the second year), the home ballpark (Fenway is just perfect for Bregman), and the ability to for Bregman and Boras to say they got a “$40 million AAV” deal. On that last one, so long as the Cubs’ ownership group has a philosophical opposition to huge deferrals, then they’re not going to be able to play that game like other teams. In theory, it shouldn’t matter – the value is the value – but as we’ve seen again and again in practice, it DOES matter. Speaking of which, Matt Trueblood writes at length about the financial considerations associated with the Bregman pursuit, and the particulars of the deal he decided to take. I don’t know that I agree with every conclusion Trueblood draws, but I do think it’s a very useful write-up of all that can go into thinking about this kind of signing. Just in time for the start of the college season, FanGraphs has some college numbers on the player pages now, which is awesome. Lots of videos out there of new Cubs slugger Kyle Tucker taking live BP … but not swinging. Why? Because he was just tracking pitches. He apparently doesn’t do a lot of preparatory hitting in that way, which, hey, whatever works for him!Kyle Tucker has not been spotted hitting on the field yet.Said Counsell with a smirk: "You’re not going to see it a lot."No issues. Tucker just has a low-volume routine."He keeps it simple," Counsell said. "The hitting coaches are big fans already. He’s really good and he doesn’t hit a lot."
— Jordan Bastian (@bastianmlb.bsky.social) 2025-02-15T21:55:26.875ZFormer Astros turned #Cubs Kyle Tucker and Ryan Pressly squaring off in live BP pic.twitter.com/s94ZDaTBy1
— Josh Frydman (@Josh_Frydman) February 16, 2025 It really is great to see Ryne Sandberg around camp:For Cubs Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg, it’s a welcome return to spring training and sunshine as he continues cancer treatments.“To get my fill of baseball and to do it with the anticipation of being at Wrigley Field with this group is very meaningful to me.” www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/16/c…
— Meghan Montemurro (@mmontemurro.bsky.social) 2025-02-17T12:44:28.007Z“In a lot of ways, it takes us back to our late 20s and 30s, being players. And the stories just continue and pick right up as if I saw them last week."The Cubs are thrilled to have Ryno in camp this spring, and a couple of his old friends made a surprise visit this weekend.Story ⤵️
— Jordan Bastian (@bastianmlb.bsky.social) 2025-02-17T00:14:40.832ZMORE FROM BLEACHER NATION: Check Out BN Fantasy | Subscribe to The BN Newsletter
Chicago's front office continues to be called out of their underwhelming trade returns …
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@bn-bulls.bsky.social) 2025-02-16T17:59:41.473ZCHICAGO BEARS MOCK DRAFT ROUNDUP? There is a focus on offensive & defensive linemen in the first three rounds (for obvious reasons)? Don't sleep on running backs and tight ends late? One pundit forecasts a trade of the 10th pick to get Myles Garrett…www.bleachernation.com/bears/2025/0…
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@bn-bears.bsky.social) 2025-02-15T22:16:04.135Z? NEW ?Updated #Blackhawks Top 20 Prospect Rankings www.bleachernation.com/blackhawks/2…
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@bn-blackhawks.bsky.social) 2025-02-13T16:06:57.365Z Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( The Pressure Is On, Bregman Deal Notes, Tucker Process, Ryno, and Other Cubs Bullets )
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