Theo Epstein's rant was pretty epic. I'm not sure why he's complaining about the Cardinals when he should be bitching about the system.

Agreed to a point, AP. I think the Cubs have done a great job of tanking and racking up lots of great prospects. They did finish second in the Tanaka and Darvish sweepstakes. But, they could've added any of Greinke, Anibal Sanchez, Cano, Ellsbury or even brought Garza back. Those were the best free agents after 2012 and 2013. I understand that they were trying to take guys like Hammel, Arrieta and Feldman, inflate their value and get more prospects. They will probably even take those prospects to trade for someone like Stanton. But I don't think it's an "either or" situation when you play in the country's third largest market and can afford to spend more than $75 million on payroll.

I'm happy that they've tanked the last three years, but it's also ridiculous for Epstein to be upset that the Cardinals win a good spot in the competitive balance lottery. If the Cubs can throw out a terrible team so that they can angle for Kris Bryant in the draft, then the Cardinals, who play in a small market, should be given the opportunity to draft a player at 33.