Well this fucking blows.
And I know people are going to tell me I’m overreacting and it’s early and all that bullshit. But the truth is that a win in March means just as much as a win in September. And we’re not the type of organization that can just write this stuff off anymore and expect to make it back with a strong 10-game surge later in the season. Those days have been so long gone and I’m conditioned to assume they won’t be returning any time soon.
The easier thing to think about is Reality, and Reality says half the starting infield will be staying home on Opening Day.
HALF.
That’s downright unacceptable, and it’s also long before we even consider the fact that we’ve anointed Matt Shaw the starting 3rd baseman without any competition.
Don’t boomer me. I’m being serious.
It’s actually crazy that our manager has to address the media regarding Shaw’s Opening Day availability when he literally hasn’t even made his MLB debut. I’m trying to think of the last time that happened in a Cubs uniform. Not even KB can say that happened because everyone knew he was starting the season in AAA. So this really is a bizarro world we’re living in to start Matt Shaw’s career.
Making matters worse is Nico Hoerner won’t be ready to play either. So right now on paper, we’re rolling into Tokyo to play the Dodgers with this guy at 2nd base:
We’re one of the richest clubs in the world coming off one of our most urgent offseasons in recent memory, and we could start Vidal Brujan at 2nd base if Opening Day was tomorrow.
This should bother people.
It definitely bothers me.
How does Tom Ricketts live with himself?
That’s a question we’re going to try to answer together throughout the course of the season.
I know Justin Turner will fill in competently and we’ve got a strong core of guys outside Nico and Shaw, but it just feels cheap and dirty that we’re even having these conversations.
And it’s even worse to answer more questions:
- Are we not smart enough to know Nico won’t be ready for opening day?
- Is Matt Shaw actually good enough for us to be this cocky about his MLB debut?
- Do we plan on giving Justin Turner more than 350 plate appearances?
- Is Michael Busch a virgin or is that just a rumor?
- When did Tom Ricketts turn into such a money grubbing pussy?
I hate that we’re just assuming Matt Shaw is ready to play every day in the big leagues. I am not saying he isn’t ready. I am saying that we’re assuming he is ready, and that’s much different than knowing he can do it.
The Cubs are big enough to not live this way.
It would be a rich friend renting a Lakeview apartment and dating a stripper from VIP’s.
Most of us agree he should probably settle down with a condo and maybe a nice girl to bring around the family. And most of us would say Don’t fuck that stripper because you might get a disease and it probably won’t work out.
That’s how I feel about giving the starting job to a complete rookie.
You’re taking a huge risk that’s completely unnecessary. And it’s time you grow up and realize you need to commit to something a little more proven.
You don’t just assume Matt Shaw can play everyday. You make him earn it.
Same thing when you start a committed relationship with a stripper. You don’t bring her around the family day 1 and introduce her to grandma. You build her confidence up from scratch slowly so as to make sure she doesn’t completely crash out post-stripper life.
Same thing goes with rookie baseball players, which is why it really bothers me that the 3rd/4th most valuable franchise in MLB (the Cubs) have less than $2M committed to the starting corner infielders.
Does that make sense?