Thread: Scott Baker Signs with Chicago Cubs

Baker should do better in the NL. The frightening thing for the Twins isn't losing Baker but the cost of pitching. 5.5 + 1.5 in incentives for a guy coming off TJ? Who has one 200 ip season? Who is 31? I was hoping Marcum would come on a 1 yr 8m or so but, cripes, that's way low now.

Give the Cubs credit, they have money and aren't afraid to use it.

Wow. That's a lot of jing for a guy fresh off of TJ.
And why would he be on the Cub's short list?

I'm not a big fan of Baker so I won't lose sleep over this. Whatever Plan B is, though, I hope it's a good one.

If it's 5.5 Million... Good Gravy... Let him go... Congrats to you Scott... Good Luck in Chicago... Still more FA options to consider and put a bid in for.

Lewis has had better years than Baker, is coming off a smaller injury and is more likely to be 100% when teh season starts. And he took a $2M + $4M in incentive. Baker got nearly that much guaranteed.

Two things:

(1) Lewis was already under team control when he sided his contract. Without competing against the free market, the Rangers were able to secure a discount.

(2) Lewis had TJ in July while Baker had it in April. I would say Baker has a much better chance of providing innings in 2012 than Lewis.

Originally Posted by gunnarthor

Baker should do better in the NL. The frightening thing for the Twins isn't losing Baker but the cost of pitching. 5.5 + 1.5 in incentives for a guy coming off TJ? Who has one 200 ip season? Who is 31? I was hoping Marcum would come on a 1 yr 8m or so but, cripes, that's way low now.

Give the Cubs credit, they have money and aren't afraid to use it.

My thoughts exactly. That is a lot of money for a guy that won't be ready to pitch in April. If we need three starters better than Baker, will any of them sign at a price less than $10 per year?

Granted, I'm sure Baker received a little more because it was a one year deal as apposed to a multi-year offer, but this could really be a bad sign for the costs of SP going forward. Perhaps Boras was correct, the new TV money will in fact be spent.

D'oh! Congrats to him

Dang, that hurts.

Its not like Baker was stellar for us year in and year out. 2 good years in a 7 year career for the Twins. Not worth 5.5 million dollar for a guy coming off TJ.

There's a reason why the Cubs remain "the Cubs". Good luck to Scott Baker.

Originally Posted by luckylager

There's a reason why the Cubs remain "the Cubs". Good luck to Scott Baker.

Theo Epstein is very likely smarter than anyone we have in our upper management...I have little doubt he'll turn that mess around

A flyball pitcher coming off of TJ in Wrigley . . . good luck with that.

Originally Posted by ThePuck

Originally Posted by luckylager

There's a reason why the Cubs remain "the Cubs". Good luck to Scott Baker.

Theo Epstein is very likely smarter than anyone we have in our upper management...I have little doubt he'll turn that mess around

He did sign Lackey and Crawford ....

Originally Posted by gunnarthor

Originally Posted by ThePuck

Originally Posted by luckylager

There's a reason why the Cubs remain "the Cubs". Good luck to Scott Baker.

Theo Epstein is very likely smarter than anyone we have in our upper management...I have little doubt he'll turn that mess around

He did sign Lackey and Crawford ....

and Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Originally Posted by YourHouseIsMyHouse

Originally Posted by gunnarthor

Originally Posted by ThePuck

Originally Posted by luckylager

There's a reason why the Cubs remain "the Cubs". Good luck to Scott Baker.

Theo Epstein is very likely smarter than anyone we have in our upper management...I have little doubt he'll turn that mess around

He did sign Lackey and Crawford ....

and Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Julio Lugo and Renteria.

Originally Posted by gunnarthor

Originally Posted by ThePuck

Originally Posted by luckylager

There's a reason why the Cubs remain "the Cubs". Good luck to Scott Baker.

Theo Epstein is very likely smarter than anyone we have in our upper management...I have little doubt he'll turn that mess around

He did sign Lackey and Crawford ....

Yup, and he put together two W Series champions as well...in a town that hadn't had one in how many years? Crawford wasn't forseeable...anyone who says he saw that coming is a straight up liar.

Now name all the good signings...and drafts...like Pedroia, for example. How many times did the Twins pass on Pedroia again? 6 times?

Originally Posted by ThePuck

Originally Posted by gunnarthor

Originally Posted by ThePuck

Originally Posted by luckylager

There's a reason why the Cubs remain "the Cubs". Good luck to Scott Baker.

Theo Epstein is very likely smarter than anyone we have in our upper management...I have little doubt he'll turn that mess around

He did sign Lackey and Crawford ....

Yup, and he put together two W Series champions as well...in a town that hadn't had one in how many years? Crawford wasn't forseeable...anyone who says he saw that coming is a straight up liar.

Now name all the good signings...and drafts...like Pedroia, for example. How many times did the Twins pass on Pedroia again? 6 times?

The core of 2004 was signed before Theo got to Boston.

Theo didn't draft Pedroia, he was drafted by the pervious regime.

Originally Posted by Please

Originally Posted by ThePuck

Originally Posted by gunnarthor

Originally Posted by ThePuck

Originally Posted by luckylager

There's a reason why the Cubs remain "the Cubs". Good luck to Scott Baker.

Theo Epstein is very likely smarter than anyone we have in our upper management...I have little doubt he'll turn that mess around

He did sign Lackey and Crawford ....

Yup, and he put together two W Series champions as well...in a town that hadn't had one in how many years? Crawford wasn't forseeable...anyone who says he saw that coming is a straight up liar.

Now name all the good signings...and drafts...like Pedroia, for example. How many times did the Twins pass on Pedroia again? 6 times?

The core of 2004 was signed before Theo got to Boston.

Theo didn't draft Pedroia, he was drafted by the pervious regime.

What? Epstein took over GM duties from Mike Port at the end of 2002. Pedroia was drafted in 2004.

Yikes. I hate to lose Baker but that's a lot of money for a guy who may not be ready on Opening Day.

Well...if he performs well with the Cubs this will be disappointing. If he sucks, it will be a relief.

I imagine it was a difficult decision for the Twins. He's coming off a serious injury, and while he has mostly been very good, it seems like he's always been prone to giving up the long ball. You want to show loyalty to a guy that's worked really hard for us, and given us some really good performances, but going into a year where upgrading our starting pitching is an absolute #1 fans-will-revolt-if-we-don't priority, investing much money into a guy coming off TJ surgery is pretty risky, especially when you consider that he hasn't actually started a MLB game since August 8 2011.