When the Cubs were put together by the previous mgmt, under the Chicago Tribune ownership, the team was a bunch players who were too highly paid &/or not well developed players from the Minors. This collection of Cubs gave the Northside Chicago fans hope for winning, but in truth, was more of a facade in order to keep Cubs fans happy. When new ownership bought the team and analyzed the team as it was comprised, the decision was made to find the best , most experienced, baseball management available, to do whatever it took, to change the Cubs from "Loveable Losers," into a team, as it stands now- on the brink of competing for division titles, league titles and perhaps, even a World Series. The current owners -The Ricketts family, have not been afraid to rid themselves of every part of what the Cubs were, they bought the team. Starting with management, the Cubs chased down and pryed Theo Epstein away from the Red Sox, who in turn, brought in Jed Hoyer to help with process. Since taking over the mgmt, Epstein and Hoyer have built the Cubs on the model of sell everything and get the most in potential talent in return. An over priced Soriano went last year to the Yankees (with the Cubs paying the majority of his salary that was left) and now Soriano is nowhere to be found on any MLB roster.Soriano was past his prime, working on a bad contact (for the Cubs) and blocking the path of younger, cheaper talent. Garza also went last year and has since been thriving in Milwaukee, while the Cubs added to their hoard of minor league prospects on both trades.This year, the Cubs just sent Samardzija and Hamel to Oakland while the Cubs once again, added to their minor league prospects with highly touted guys, that are not far from reaching Wrigley Field. This way of management, combined with good Drafting, has the Cubs, on the brink of success. Javier Baez, Kris Bryant and several others, are so close to joining current Cubs youngsters- Rizzo, Castro and Alcantara, and will soon show everyone, that the "Loveable Losers" image is gone for good. In 2015, the Cubs will be close to being a legitimate contender and a force to reckoned with, in the National league East. In 2016, barring any rash of major injuries, the Cubs will be as good as anyone in either league.
Selling now on Mauer, Gibson, Perkins, or any other current big league Twins player, can and will offer frustrating times for the next 3-5 years for Twins fans, but if the Twins get prospects like Addison Russell, as the Cubs got from Oakland this year, the future - as in 2018, 2019 and beyond, will be a team of several players who can legitimately compete with anyone, rather than just doing what the Twins have been doing, since their last World Series appearance, in 1991, which has been to barely hold at status quo. No more Pavano or Radke posing as a so called ace of a pitching rotation, No more holding all hopes on one or two players like Mauer or Morneau, who are good when healthy, but are nothing, if not an injury waiting to happen...
If the Twins sell everything and everyone now, the true rebuilding process can begin and a minor league ststem, flush with Uber talent, can begin to take place, of the sparce system that now exists. With a great flow of minor league talent, the Twins not only will compete, but will have talent built up for years, so when a player like Johan Santana, hits his free agency years, the Twins can trade him away, and know they have someone who can move up into his place. While this method is not new (See Tampa Bay), it is one that is proven and requires true willingness to throw loyalty to hometown favorites like Mauer, out the window. The Pohlad family mgmt needs to start working this franchise into something viable, rather than what Calvin Griffith, turned the Twins into years ago... and what the Twins are now again, which is nothing but a barely able to compete, farm system feeder, to the real competitors in MLB