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Post by Clark Street on May 26, 2024 15:21:18 GMT -5
Sign this guy.  |
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Post by batman66 on May 26, 2024 15:26:44 GMT -5
www.bleachernation.com/cubs/2024/05/25/danny-jansen-cubs-target/FanGraphs writer speculating that Toronto (23-27 and in the brutal AL East) could make free agent to be Danny Jansen available at the deadline. Cubs pursued Jansen a couple seasons ago but obviously no deal materialized. Jansen would be an upgrade on both defense and (massively) offense. He’s slashing an insane .313/.391/.625 with excellent K and BB rates. I don’t know if he’d be available now or not but I’d love to see the Cubs aggressively pursue upgrades sooner rather than later if they intend to compete this season. The production from catcher has been miserable and both Miguel and Yan can’t throw runners out to save their lives. Jansen could be a massive addition to this team and getting him earlier rather than two months from now would allow much more opportunity to learn the pitching staff and get comfortable here. Again, is he actually available? This is pure (but logical) speculation. The Cubs need help and have some positional glut in their system. Maybe the Cubs should have kept Contreras. Hoyer took a position [catcher] that wasn't a weakness and turned it into one. Offensively yes , as far as handling a pitching staff and results from your pitchers absofuckinglutely not. |
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Post by thisbuds4u on May 26, 2024 16:56:36 GMT -5
Maybe the Cubs should have kept Contreras. Hoyer took a position [catcher] that wasn't a weakness and turned it into one. Offensively yes , as far as handling a pitching staff and results from your pitchers absofuckinglutely not. Don't buy the pitch-handling BS one bit. Don't blame the catcher because you can't execute pitches. Teams are running at will on the Cubs battery which compounds the lack of offense by Gomes and Amaya. The deal with pitch-framing is so subjective and that falls on the umps. Hoyer is running out of people to blame for the team's lack of success. |
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Post by lu13cubbie on May 26, 2024 17:15:01 GMT -5
Who has Hoyer blamed again?
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Post by batman66 on May 26, 2024 19:10:48 GMT -5
Offensively yes , as far as handling a pitching staff and results from your pitchers absofuckinglutely not. Don't buy the pitch-handling BS one bit. Don't blame the catcher because you can't execute pitches. Teams are running at will on the Cubs battery which compounds the lack of offense by Gomes and Amaya. The deal with pitch-framing is so subjective and that falls on the umps. Hoyer is running out of people to blame for the team's lack of success. There is more to catching than pitch framing and that's not even what I was talking about. It's working with pitchers ,game prep etc and we've gone through all this before. And let's not ignore the fact STL pulled him from behind the plate after his first month there and it doesn't take detective work to figure out why. And why do you think a lot of the better pitchers the Cubs had preferred to work with whoever was the Cubs other catcher. Why do you think they also didn't find many takers trying to trade him. His bat and throwing arm are a plus, every other aspect of catching he's not really very well thought of. |
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Post by kfidd on May 27, 2024 19:34:12 GMT -5
Long post but that’s what happens when the Cubs are floundering as they have been.
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The high water mark on the season is 16-9 coming off the sweep of Houston. Since then we are 11-18. Milwaukee has a 4.5 game lead at the moment and while we currently have sole possession of 2nd place just 3 games separates us from last place in the division.
What would be your approach right now? How would you shake things up in attempts to inspire this lackluster effort on the field?
While the offense is the biggest problem at the moment bar none, I think step one is to execute better on the fundamentals. While many of us entered the season with questions on various aspects of this team and how they’d perform (mine was the pitching staff), one thing almost no one questioned was what should have been a very strong defense. Even with more mild expectations of our corner infield tandem the strength of our up the middle defense looked so strong on paper and yet they’ve fumbled the bag in a pretty significant way. The defense simply has to be better so that if you are still losing games you can at least not say it’s because we gave away extra outs. Make the opposing team earn it on the field.
The second thing is this team needs a spark and the high paid veterans sure aren’t providing it. Lo and behold, we have a deep crop of position players in the minors that is just itching for a chance. Can they be game changers? Only one way to find out. Find the ones who check both of these boxes (improved defense and high energy play) and get them in the field yesterday.
PCA needs to be back up and playing centerfield everyday. He might be an unfinished product at the plate but as I clamored for this past offseason you reach a point where you simply want your top prospects up at the bigs and learning from the best coaches and players the organization has to offer. Bonus is we know he is an emotional player which is something this apathetic group of Cubs desperately needs right now.
With the promotion and EVERY DAY PLAY of PCA that leaves some question marks around the rest of the outfield. For as uninspiring as Bellinger has been he is still one of our best hitters and needs to be in the lineup. He should be rotating around the outfield/1B/DH filling in the gaps while giving the struggling performers (specifically the veterans in my eyes) some bench time. Ultimately we’ll need everyone to start hitting if we expect to be competitive and that includes both Happ and Suzuki. But for now if someone is routinely hurting us as they have been they need to sit until they can prove otherwise (lesser on Happ who has hit the ball well of late but still he has obviously been a problem).
In the infield I still think both Morel and Busch need to get lots of opportunities and leeway at the corners. They are young, talented, and cheap, and we need to know what roles they might play for us in the years ahead. That is only happening with regular playing time. It doesn’t have to be every single day as they both have been quite rough at the plate for an elongated stretch now but it’s still important for them to get regular opportunities.
It’s also time to cut the dead weight. For me that is specifically Madrigal. He is not the reason we lost today, it’s a team wide effort. But he is an awful hitter that needs to be a pristine fielder at his limited positions in order to warrant a roster spot. He provides very limited value for his spot and the potential upside of seeing what a younger and more talented player can provide exponentially outweighs that very limited value. For now that player is Luis Vazquez not a top prospect but one that emerged in 2023 and is known for immaculate defensive work (even knowing it’s been spotty in Iowa this season). Glove work, young rookie trying to earn his keep, positional versatility. Stop calling up kids like this just to let them rot on the bench while the veteran performers rot on the field.
Lastly I want to stop seeing us give some many shits over lefty right matchups. Ross was famous for it, Counsell appears the same, and yes I am aware that many managers construct their lineups similarly. The problem is our matchups aren’t working and haven’t been working. I want to see the players who give the best quality plate appearances get the most looks. That means you Tauchman. Him sitting today in favor of Madrigal was a farce. Cut that shit out and play your best players.
There are other arguments to be made for what to do with players like Canario, Wisdom, our catching tandem, etc, but I think that’s a good starting point. Tomorrow we face a very good starting pitcher in Freddy Peralta and I don’t give a shit which arm he throws with (he’s a righty for what it’s worth), this is fielding lineup:
C Amaya
1B Bellinger
2B Hoerner
3B Vazquez
SS Swanson
RF Tauchman
CF PCA
LF Happ
DH Busch
Pull the names out of the hat for the lineup for all I care, I just want to see more youth and improved defense. Suzuki and Morel grab some bench for a couple games, they can sub back in for the next struggling players as needed.
Too long didn’t read?
It’s time to start giving youth more regular playing time. Losing with struggling and high priced veterans for as long as we have doesn’t do us any good in the long term. Give us high energy youth that executes on fundamental baseball (defense and plus speed). Give them the chance to ignite something under this sorry sack of losers.
Bonus:
I would heavily consider trading for Danny Jansen immediately as long as you do so ready to give him a fat extension contract. No free agency, sign and extend. He’s a better defensive backstop then either of Amaya/Gomes and he’s had a very strong offensive start to his season (which while should not be expected to continue at such a pace should be recognized that he’s consistently been an above average hitter throughout his career). Find the right package of players to bring him to Chicago. I’d try and hold onto Caissie if I could but they’ve been seeking left handed slugging for years now. Could we get away with a package headlined by Alcantara instead?
The point is if you want to contend don’t want until the deadline to see where we stand. We were promised better (even if I didn’t see it coming out of the offseason). Improve the team now for both the short and long term if the player you want is out there.
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Post by fine09 on May 28, 2024 8:07:57 GMT -5
Yes, the broken arm was the reason for my “weirder” comment. Gomes hit very well last year & if they are a part of the reason our 4 starters are so good offense should come fro elsewhere but not so much yet If Amaya and Gomes deserve credit for 4 starters being good then they deserve blame the failure of the other pitchers. But I don't believe that either way. I don't believe pitch framing is as big an issue as compared to inconsistent umpiring. The Cubs are getting no offense from their catchers and they can't control the running game, not that Cub pitchers give them much help in that department. For a team that supposedly has a top-rated farm system, I doesn't see any catching prospects that justify letting Contreras walk. Being a good catcher is much more than just pitch framing, it is being a good game caller & setting up where they need to and inspiring confidence in your staff. Keep in mind the overall body of work the starting pitchers are putting out is fantastic (not Kyle) & not Steele right after he came back from injury but he is looking great again now. AND, our BP staff had led all of MLB in ERA for almost 3 weeks so the question isn't if we need more production from the catchers spot, it is where is all of the production from the other 8 guys because we really cannot make any noise if we are going to be bad at hitting & scoring runs.. |
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Post by TheChico on May 28, 2024 10:42:07 GMT -5
If Amaya and Gomes deserve credit for 4 starters being good then they deserve blame the failure of the other pitchers. But I don't believe that either way. I don't believe pitch framing is as big an issue as compared to inconsistent umpiring. The Cubs are getting no offense from their catchers and they can't control the running game, not that Cub pitchers give them much help in that department. For a team that supposedly has a top-rated farm system, I doesn't see any catching prospects that justify letting Contreras walk. Being a good catcher is much more than just pitch framing, it is being a good game caller & setting up where they need to and inspiring confidence in your staff. Keep in mind the overall body of work the starting pitchers are putting out is fantastic (not Kyle) & not Steele right after he came back from injury but he is looking great again now. AND, our BP staff had led all of MLB in ERA for almost 3 weeks so the question isn't if we need more production from the catchers spot, it is where is all of the production from the other 8 guys because we really cannot make any noise if we are going to be bad at hitting & scoring runs.. it is a collective effort on why the team sucks, it is just not one guy but the whole offense itself and now the known dependable bullpen arms are now struggling. Amaya has a lot of strengths, he is excellent with the soft skills which is the most important thing you want from your catcher but he cannot control the running game because he has a below average arm and struggles with accuracy at the same time while his bat is below average for a catcher, it makes him look more like a solid backup instead of the long term answer as the primary catcher for the Cubs. |
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Post by cfin on May 28, 2024 12:03:45 GMT -5
I would heavily consider trading for Danny Jansen immediately as long as you do so ready to give him a fat extension contract. No free agency, sign and extend. He’s a better defensive backstop then either of Amaya/Gomes and he’s had a very strong offensive start to his season (which while should not be expected to continue at such a pace should be recognized that he’s consistently been an above average hitter throughout his career). Find the right package of players to bring him to Chicago. I’d try and hold onto Caissie if I could but they’ve been seeking left handed slugging for years now. Could we get away with a package headlined by Alcantara instead? The point is if you want to contend don’t want until the deadline to see where we stand. We were promised better (even if I didn’t see it coming out of the offseason). Improve the team now for both the short and long term if the player you want is out there. Before I'd trade for Jansen, I'd call up either Canario or Davis - send Madrigal down and put them into some type of rotation with Busch, Happ, and Suzuki. I'd stick Tauchman in CF everyday and slide Bellinger to RF or 1B depending on if Busch is playing. If that doesn't work, then I'd call up PCA (no clue what the corresponding roster move would be), stick him in CF everyday. And expand the rotation to Busch, Happ, Suzuki, and Tauchman. I'm getting a little tired of seeing Happ and Suzuki in the lineup everyday and not producing. Happ had a couple of homers on Saturday, but didn't do anything yesterday. So I'm not really buying that the two homers were anything more than just luck. But still, I'd probably give him a bit more leash at this point than Suzuki. I'd be hoping to find a bit more power from Canario or Davis and that's why they'd get the call before PCA. If you have to sit $37M on the bench to find out what you have in the minors, then you just have to do that. I'd like to know what you've got in Canario and Davis first. Caissie's probably your biggest trading chip. If I'm trading Caissie I'd kind of hope to get a bigger offensive piece than Jansen for him. If Canario and/or Davis work out and if you can't trade Happ or Suzuki, then you might as well trade Caissie to fix another hole. I'd probably try to fix 1B, 3B, or the other outfield corner (which would mean that $37M would probably sit on the bench). And I'd definitely give Vazquez a couple of starts at 3B. And just see what he does. Maybe he does nothing, I don't know. But if he's a hot hand, then Morel sees more bench or gets added into the Busch, Happ, Suzuki rotation. I'm just tired of seeing the lack of production. You're at the point to where you just have to try different things. Because the same ol' same ol' ain't working. |
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Post by kfidd on May 28, 2024 13:00:46 GMT -5
I would heavily consider trading for Danny Jansen immediately as long as you do so ready to give him a fat extension contract. No free agency, sign and extend. He’s a better defensive backstop then either of Amaya/Gomes and he’s had a very strong offensive start to his season (which while should not be expected to continue at such a pace should be recognized that he’s consistently been an above average hitter throughout his career). Find the right package of players to bring him to Chicago. I’d try and hold onto Caissie if I could but they’ve been seeking left handed slugging for years now. Could we get away with a package headlined by Alcantara instead? The point is if you want to contend don’t want until the deadline to see where we stand. We were promised better (even if I didn’t see it coming out of the offseason). Improve the team now for both the short and long term if the player you want is out there. Before I'd trade for Jansen, I'd call up either Canario or Davis - send Madrigal down and put them into some type of rotation with Busch, Happ, and Suzuki. I'd stick Tauchman in CF everyday and slide Bellinger to RF or 1B depending on if Busch is playing. If that doesn't work, then I'd call up PCA (no clue what the corresponding roster move would be), stick him in CF everyday. And expand the rotation to Busch, Happ, Suzuki, and Tauchman. I'm getting a little tired of seeing Happ and Suzuki in the lineup everyday and not producing. Happ had a couple of homers on Saturday, but didn't do anything yesterday. So I'm not really buying that the two homers were anything more than just luck. But still, I'd probably give him a bit more leash at this point than Suzuki. I'd be hoping to find a bit more power from Canario or Davis and that's why they'd get the call before PCA. If you have to sit $37M on the bench to find out what you have in the minors, then you just have to do that. I'd like to know what you've got in Canario and Davis first. Caissie's probably your biggest trading chip. If I'm trading Caissie I'd kind of hope to get a bigger offensive piece than Jansen for him. If Canario and/or Davis work out and if you can't trade Happ or Suzuki, then you might as well trade Caissie to fix another hole. I'd probably try to fix 1B, 3B, or the other outfield corner (which would mean that $37M would probably sit on the bench). And I'd definitely give Vazquez a couple of starts at 3B. And just see what he does. Maybe he does nothing, I don't know. But if he's a hot hand, then Morel sees more bench or gets added into the Busch, Happ, Suzuki rotation. I'm just tired of seeing the lack of production. You're at the point to where you just have to try different things. Because the same ol' same ol' ain't working. I agree with specifically that last part, just try something different. What do you have to lose? |
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Post by kfidd on Jun 14, 2024 18:58:30 GMT -5
The move I’d like to see is a trade with Oakland for Mason Miller and Shea Langliers. It’s not a deadline all in kind of move because they both have tremendous team control remaining, so while they will cost a boat ton of capital I think it’s worth it to shore up the closer and catcher position for the next several seasons.
Mason Miller
Closer
Age: 25
Free agent: 2030
30.0 ip, 12/13 sv, 2.40 era, 55 k, 0.87 whip
Shea Langeliers
Catcher
Age: 26
Free agent: 2029
12 hr, .701 ops, 98 wrc+, 21% cs
We all know about Miller by now. Averaging 101mph fastball and sharp 87mph slider on the season. He alone will cost a mountain. Do it.
Langeliers is renowned for his defensive work behind the dish. Framing, blocking, arm strength, all of it. The caught stealing is down a bit this season to 21% (still better than our current duo, especially Amaya at… 3%!!!). He’s a great backstop that would be a huge boost for this organization that otherwise doesn’t have much of a future at the position. Bonus: 12 home runs (22 last season) so yeah, we’ll take that as well.
Cost? Who gives a fuck. These two have a combined 10 years of team control remaining. They fill massive needs on the roster and can do so for many years to come. Let’s repurpose some of our prospects that are perceived as blocked with two players that can step in on day one and again, be here for the next 5 seasons but as established players rather than prospect gambles. I still think our best prospect is Caissie so he’s the only one I’d fight overly hard to keep. Anyone else is fair game in a trade like this for me.
LF Happ
RF Bellinger
DH Suzuki
3B Morel
1B Busch
C Langeliers
SS Swanson
2B Hoerner
CF PCA (assuming not part of trade)
It’s not a world beater but it’s an improvement. If this group can help us get to the postseason in 2024? Cool. But I’m more concerned about the beyond. That’s why I’m sticking with Morel and Busch at their respective positions, full time. People will scoff the most at Morel but on all seriousness, who is the replacement option right now? We knew it would be a giant learning experience this season. Just roll with it as we recognize that finding out where he and Busch stand as corner infielders today is far more important than short term gains.
If anyone were willing to take on the risk of Bellinger and/or Happ was willing to waive his NTC I’d strongly try and move them. I expect a bit more from Bellinger over time here as the season goes on but at 30m he’s not cutting it in terms of either production or value leading this team out of their now 7 week funk. Happ I still expect to be here until his contract concludes with us but I’m open to moving him if the opportunity strikes. I like cfin’s idea of calling up Atlanta about the possibility. Country boy Happ could be on a more competitive team in the southern heat and their corner outfield production has been really subpar. Maybe an opportunity in there.
One step at a time. If prospects that are doing well at AAA and are considered potentially huge parts of our future (primarily Caissie and Canario right now with Davis a distant third bubble guy) can’t be considered during a brutal, BRUTAL stretch like this? Turn them into something else.
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Post by batman66 on Jun 14, 2024 19:29:14 GMT -5
The move I’d like to see is a trade with Oakland for Mason Miller and Shea Langliers. It’s not a deadline all in kind of move because they both have tremendous team control remaining, so while they will cost a boat ton of capital I think it’s worth it to shore up the closer and catcher position for the next several seasons. Mason Miller Closer Age: 25 Free agent: 2030 30.0 ip, 12/13 sv, 2.40 era, 55 k, 0.87 whip Shea Langeliers Catcher Age: 26 Free agent: 2029 12 hr, .701 ops, 98 wrc+, 21% cs We all know about Miller by now. Averaging 101mph fastball and sharp 87mph slider on the season. He alone will cost a mountain. Do it. Langeliers is renowned for his defensive work behind the dish. Framing, blocking, arm strength, all of it. The caught stealing is down a bit this season to 21% (still better than our current duo, especially Amaya at… 3%!!!). He’s a great backstop that would be a huge boost for this organization that otherwise doesn’t have much of a future at the position. Bonus: 12 home runs (22 last season) so yeah, we’ll take that as well. Cost? Who gives a fuck. These two have a combined 10 years of team control remaining. They fill massive needs on the roster and can do so for many years to come. Let’s repurpose some of our prospects that are perceived as blocked with two players that can step in on day one and again, be here for the next 5 seasons but as established players rather than prospect gambles. I still think our best prospect is Caissie so he’s the only one I’d fight overly hard to keep. Anyone else is fair game in a trade like this for me. LF Happ RF Bellinger DH Suzuki 3B Morel 1B Busch C Langeliers SS Swanson 2B Hoerner CF PCA (assuming not part of trade) It’s not a world beater but it’s an improvement. If this group can help us get to the postseason in 2024? Cool. But I’m more concerned about the beyond. That’s why I’m sticking with Morel and Busch at their respective positions, full time. People will scoff the most at Morel but on all seriousness, who is the replacement option right now? We knew it would be a giant learning experience this season. Just roll with it as we recognize that finding out where he and Busch stand as corner infielders today is far more important than short term gains. If anyone were willing to take on the risk of Bellinger and/or Happ was willing to waive his NTC I’d strongly try and move them. I expect a bit more from Bellinger over time here as the season goes on but at 30m he’s not cutting it in terms of either production or value leading this team out of their now 7 week funk. Happ I still expect to be here until his contract concludes with us but I’m open to moving him if the opportunity strikes. I like cfin’s idea of calling up Atlanta about the possibility. Country boy Happ could be on a more competitive team in the southern heat and their corner outfield production has been really subpar. Maybe an opportunity in there. One step at a time. If prospects that are doing well at AAA and are considered potentially huge parts of our future (primarily Caissie and Canario right now with Davis a distant third bubble guy) can’t be considered during a brutal, BRUTAL stretch like this? Turn them into something else. EXACTLY !!!! I agree, it won't fix all the problems but those two would be huge additions for now and years ahead, that's the kind of trade they should be making that they lose top prospects in , not short term fixes. I'd be open to trading any of the prospects to the A's other than PCA , Caissie and Horton. The Cubs have enough high value prospects to maker Oakland happy in a deal like this. Triantos is a climbing the charts top 50 prospect and interestingly is playing CF tonight for the first time in AA , he played out there a handful of times in A ball |
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Post by TheChico on Jun 17, 2024 9:52:38 GMT -5
The move I’d like to see is a trade with Oakland for Mason Miller and Shea Langliers. It’s not a deadline all in kind of move because they both have tremendous team control remaining, so while they will cost a boat ton of capital I think it’s worth it to shore up the closer and catcher position for the next several seasons. Mason Miller Closer Age: 25 Free agent: 2030 30.0 ip, 12/13 sv, 2.40 era, 55 k, 0.87 whip Shea Langeliers Catcher Age: 26 Free agent: 2029 12 hr, .701 ops, 98 wrc+, 21% cs We all know about Miller by now. Averaging 101mph fastball and sharp 87mph slider on the season. He alone will cost a mountain. Do it. Langeliers is renowned for his defensive work behind the dish. Framing, blocking, arm strength, all of it. The caught stealing is down a bit this season to 21% (still better than our current duo, especially Amaya at… 3%!!!). He’s a great backstop that would be a huge boost for this organization that otherwise doesn’t have much of a future at the position. Bonus: 12 home runs (22 last season) so yeah, we’ll take that as well. Cost? Who gives a fuck. These two have a combined 10 years of team control remaining. They fill massive needs on the roster and can do so for many years to come. Let’s repurpose some of our prospects that are perceived as blocked with two players that can step in on day one and again, be here for the next 5 seasons but as established players rather than prospect gambles. I still think our best prospect is Caissie so he’s the only one I’d fight overly hard to keep. Anyone else is fair game in a trade like this for me. LF Happ RF Bellinger DH Suzuki 3B Morel 1B Busch C Langeliers SS Swanson 2B Hoerner CF PCA (assuming not part of trade) It’s not a world beater but it’s an improvement. If this group can help us get to the postseason in 2024? Cool. But I’m more concerned about the beyond. That’s why I’m sticking with Morel and Busch at their respective positions, full time. People will scoff the most at Morel but on all seriousness, who is the replacement option right now? We knew it would be a giant learning experience this season. Just roll with it as we recognize that finding out where he and Busch stand as corner infielders today is far more important than short term gains. If anyone were willing to take on the risk of Bellinger and/or Happ was willing to waive his NTC I’d strongly try and move them. I expect a bit more from Bellinger over time here as the season goes on but at 30m he’s not cutting it in terms of either production or value leading this team out of their now 7 week funk. Happ I still expect to be here until his contract concludes with us but I’m open to moving him if the opportunity strikes. I like cfin’s idea of calling up Atlanta about the possibility. Country boy Happ could be on a more competitive team in the southern heat and their corner outfield production has been really subpar. Maybe an opportunity in there. One step at a time. If prospects that are doing well at AAA and are considered potentially huge parts of our future (primarily Caissie and Canario right now with Davis a distant third bubble guy) can’t be considered during a brutal, BRUTAL stretch like this? Turn them into something else. Miller and Langeliers in a trade? sign me up, this kills two birds with one stone. These are the type of moves Jed should be looking into, Langeliers would be a excellent long term catching option, he fits what the FO wants in a catcher and comes with some power too. In the minors he Caught Stealing rate was 42% and has a very strong arm, so it is likely the A's pitchers are slower to get the ball to the plate more than anything, so not concerned with that . |
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Post by Returnofstevefitz on Jun 17, 2024 11:18:23 GMT -5
Rumors came out that Oakland is telling teams they are not trading Mason Miller.
I don't think there's a trade out there that Jed could make to help this ball club. They relied waaaaaay too heavily on Busch, Tauchmann and Morel (playing 3B) and it seems to have backfired. I don't think there's an offensive player out there that will be available that will help.
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Post by foolforthecity on Jun 17, 2024 11:27:34 GMT -5
I’m about to the point of selling. See who you can unload, and start bringing up the kids. This team is going nowhere.
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Post by Returnofstevefitz on Jun 17, 2024 14:12:51 GMT -5
I’m about to the point of selling. See who you can unload, and start bringing up the kids. This team is going nowhere. Locally, the Cubs will take a beating by the media and fans if they look like they are selling at the deadline. You bring back Belly, you sign Shota, you showed interest in Ohtani and then to sell at the deadline.... does that mean a new rebuild? That'd be crazy. I will say this..... I do not hate Michael Busch. That trade set the Cubs back IMO That trade was so unnecessary. I'm not talking about what the Cubs gave up, I'm talking about how they set themselves up at the MLB level. Trading for Busch put him at 1B, Belly in CF and with Suzuki/Happ pretty much guaranteed the corners. The Cubs forced all their closest prospects like PCA, like Canario, Like Caissie, etc. back to the minors. And with Tauchmann having a nice start pretty much gave them no shot at the MLB level. The Cubs shouldn't have traded for Busch, put Belly at 1B, Morel at DH, signed a 3B (or traded for one in the offseason) and let the young kids rotate in the OF. They could of had Jemier Candelario at 3B, who was on the roster, with his current 119 wRC+ at 15-15-12 million per year if Chapman was too expensive. |
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Post by batman66 on Jun 17, 2024 15:14:32 GMT -5
I’m about to the point of selling. See who you can unload, and start bringing up the kids. This team is going nowhere. Locally, the Cubs will take a beating by the media and fans if they look like they are selling at the deadline. You bring back Belly, you sign Shota, you showed interest in Ohtani and then to sell at the deadline.... does that mean a new rebuild? That'd be crazy. I will say this..... I do not hate Michael Busch. That trade set the Cubs back IMO That trade was so unnecessary. I'm not talking about what the Cubs gave up, I'm talking about how they set themselves up at the MLB level. Trading for Busch put him at 1B, Belly in CF and with Suzuki/Happ pretty much guaranteed the corners. The Cubs forced all their closest prospects like PCA, like Canario, Like Caissie, etc. back to the minors. And with Tauchmann having a nice start pretty much gave them no shot at the MLB level. The Cubs shouldn't have traded for Busch, put Belly at 1B, Morel at DH, signed a 3B (or traded for one in the offseason) and let the young kids rotate in the OF. They could of had Jemier Candelario at 3B, who was on the roster, with his current 119 wRC+ at 15-15-12 million per year if Chapman was too expensive. I don't think trading for Busch was really a plan or a target , it became a situation where LA really could not keep him in AAA any longer and the Ohtani signing slammed the door on his last possible opening in their line up so he was getting shopped and I can't blame the Cubs for not passing up an opportunity to get a top 50 prospect who fills a need they had , lefty potential power bat. I also think they at that point did not think they would be able to bring Bellinger back , so if they don't make the Busch trade and Bellinger ends up somewhere else , then it's a real shitty off season for them after they also lose out on Ohtani who I really think they think they had a legit chance at but never really did , it was LA all the way. Where they messed up was extending Happ , popular player among the team and long time Cub who wanted to stay and fans and media screaming at them they never extend anybody .........I see to a small point wht it happened , but with the shit ton of OF prospects they accumulated it really didn't make much sense to keep Happ. |
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Post by Returnofstevefitz on Jun 17, 2024 19:05:40 GMT -5
Jed reiterated again what he said on The Score last week, “The answers have to come within”.
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Post by irishcubfan on Jun 17, 2024 19:34:02 GMT -5
If the Cubs are sellers a big if in my opinion, they won't get much for those who they would trade, just a matter of clearing space.
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Post by kfidd on Jun 17, 2024 19:58:51 GMT -5
The Cubs aren’t set up to sell in any meaningful way. It absolutely would be just about clearing roster shots and commitments. Buying doesn’t seem particularly practical at this point either as they just aren’t good enough. But again, repurposing makes sense.
Either swallow your pride and eat some money to clear some roster spots in order to promote your deemed future or turn those future parts into present day parts that fit our current needs for the long haul. That’s why I mentioned Miller and Langeliers. Who cares about prospects when you can fill needs for the long haul like that?
The worst case scenario feels like the same as last deadline (which is exactly the route they went) and that’s a half assed attempt at being buyers that misses out on the playoffs while losing trade capital to be used in more meaningful ways. Hopefully they don’t make that same mistake again but I don’t have much faith in our front office to do anything other than perceived value buying.
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