General Cubs Chit-Chat

[Bertz]

12 minutes ago, Bobson Dugnutt said:

Have there been rumblings about a Mervis call up being imminent? Based on Jed’s interview yesterday that’d be a bit of an about face.

A little bit.  Rosenthal had an article this AM and had some remarks from Hosmer about how he'd be cool sliding into the veteran mentor role after Mervis gets called up.  Definitely feels like the conversations are happening.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

It would be extremely funny to finally come down from having 5 C + 1B on the roster and then go right back to 5 a couple days later.

[squally1313]

This is almost definitely the wrong thread but I couldn't think of a better one and I'm still terrified of starting new threads for anything that's not a game thread, even 20 years in. Saw a tweet about Robinson Chirinos retiring, and figured he was maybe just calling it quits early? Nope, 38 years old, probably on the older end for a catcher. Just a name that's been bouncing around in my head for the last 15+ years thanks to you degenerates. Dude was traded for Matt Garza! With Hak Ju Lee! And the current GM of the Phillies! Sorry for reminding everyone of their own mortality, but still. A first ballot Name around these parts. 

[Transmogrified Tiger]

well now the Rays are never gonna finish getting all that surplus value from him

[Outshined_One]

TIL Sam Fuld is a GM.

[Derwood]

Brant Brown is also a coach on the Marlins

[CubinNY]

Cubs have to find a way to get rid of Barnhart ASAP and let Amaya learn from Gomes. 

[Tryptamine]

18 minutes ago, CubinNY said:

Cubs have to find a way to get rid of Barnhart ASAP and let Amaya learn from Gomes. 

Why in god's name he was given a player option for a 2nd year is baffling to me. The guy put up a 63 wRC+ in 2022 along with -.2 fWAR and .554 OPS. His defense isn't even elite and while he's a good pitch framer, that is nowhere near enough to warrant his roster spot. Unfortunately due to that second year dear, I'm sure he sticks around on the roster all year and continues to be an automatic out.

[UMFan83]

8 minutes ago, Tryptamine said:

Why in god's name he was given a player option for a 2nd year is baffling to me. The guy put up a 63 wRC+ in 2022 along with -.2 fWAR and .554 OPS. His defense isn't even elite and while he's a good pitch framer, that is nowhere near enough to warrant his roster spot. Unfortunately due to that second year dear, I'm sure he sticks around on the roster all year and continues to be an automatic out.

They were probably feeling desperate after striking out on several other catching options. Doesn’t mean it makes sense though. 

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Barnhart's option is about the same LT hit as Bote's, and they outrighted him with multiple years left on his deal.  It's not a real barrier to roster construction.  As for his performance, I think what is abundantly clear is that offense comes second at best at the catching position right now, doubly so for backup catcher where the offensive bar is through the floor.  And defense is largely a thing happening outside measurement as well, like we've seen with the hysteria surrounding Contreras's game calling and how smart teams have foregone offense at C.  Yes Amaya hasn't looked overwhelmed at the plate, but he's also 2 for 7 with those 2 hits being an infield dribbler and a bloop behind 1st(I know he has some loud outs too).  Barnhart started the year 4 for 10 with several loud outs, and while I'm not going to hold a candle that he's a league average bat, I think a slump the equivalent of a week's worth of at bats is maybe not the locked on expectation we'll have for the rest of the year.

[Tryptamine]

10 minutes ago, Transmogrified Tiger said:

Barnhart's option is about the same LT hit as Bote's, and they outrighted him with multiple years left on his deal.  It's not a real barrier to roster construction.  As for his performance, I think what is abundantly clear is that offense comes second at best at the catching position right now, doubly so for backup catcher where the offensive bar is through the floor.  And defense is largely a thing happening outside measurement as well, like we've seen with the hysteria surrounding Contreras's game calling and how smart teams have foregone offense at C.  Yes Amaya hasn't looked overwhelmed at the plate, but he's also 2 for 7 with those 2 hits being an infield dribbler and a bloop behind 1st(I know he has some loud outs too).  Barnhart started the year 4 for 10 with several loud outs, and while I'm not going to hold a candle that he's a league average bat, I think a slump the equivalent of a week's worth of at bats is maybe not the locked on expectation we'll have for the rest of the year.

Unless the guy is Pudge Rodriguez behind the plate, you can't have a guy putting up a .554 OPS on your roster even as a back up. If he can't hit at all he needs to provide elite defense and he doesn't. 

[CubinNY]

23 minutes ago, Transmogrified Tiger said:

Barnhart's option is about the same LT hit as Bote's, and they outrighted him with multiple years left on his deal.  It's not a real barrier to roster construction.  As for his performance, I think what is abundantly clear is that offense comes second at best at the catching position right now, doubly so for backup catcher where the offensive bar is through the floor.  And defense is largely a thing happening outside measurement as well, like we've seen with the hysteria surrounding Contreras's game calling and how smart teams have foregone offense at C.  Yes Amaya hasn't looked overwhelmed at the plate, but he's also 2 for 7 with those 2 hits being an infield dribbler and a bloop behind 1st(I know he has some loud outs too).  Barnhart started the year 4 for 10 with several loud outs, and while I'm not going to hold a candle that he's a league average bat, I think a slump the equivalent of a week's worth of at bats is maybe not the locked on expectation we'll have for the rest of the year.

I understand, but they have to start planning for the future and Amaya is not a young prospect. I know you said you want him to have a good season so they can trade him, but I'd rather they see if they have a good combination of all the softer skills they seem to covet and decent offensive production. Those days are long, long over for Barnhart.  Amaya is in the same position as Morel for me. They are both good enough to be on the team but are blocked. Neither of them will garner equal or potential equal value in a trade at the deadline, but maybe in the offseason. 

[Bertz]

In the last few years you have the Astros, Yankees, and Cubs going all in on soft skills behind the plate at the expense of offense.  You also have the Cardinals zagging where everyone else zigged, and then embarrassingly changing their mind not even six weeks in.

I hate the appeal to authority, but there's some pretty real evidence that this is a thing.  Add in that Amaya has skipped Iowa entirely, and I don't think there's any harm in sending him back down for Gomes and then re-evaluating dumping Barnhart for good closer to the ASB.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

1 hour ago, Tryptamine said:

Unless the guy is Pudge Rodriguez behind the plate, you can't have a guy putting up a .554 OPS on your roster even as a back up. If he can't hit at all he needs to provide elite defense and he doesn't. 

The Astros won the world series last year and their catching position as a whole hit .186/.244/.313.  The Cardinals won 93 games with  a .554 OPS from the position, the Guardians won 92 with a .530 OPS from catchers, and the Mets won 101 games with a collective .572 OPS from backstops.  The Rays, Brewers, and White Sox all were .500 or better with a sub .625 OPS from the catching position.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

2 minutes ago, Bertz said:

 

I hate the appeal to authority, but there's some pretty real evidence that this is a thing.  Add in that Amaya has skipped Iowa entirely, and I don't think there's any harm in sending him back down for Gomes and then re-evaluating dumping Barnhart for good closer to the ASB.

This is the key point, Amaya has 0 AAA at bats to his name, he's only up now instead of throwing Dom Nunez or Jake Washer on the 40 man because Gomes' injury is very short term.  If anything, I think it's promising how much they've let him catch, they very easily could've caught Barnhart every day except for night/day combos, but they clearly think Amaya is up for it and hopefully the early feedback on game management is good too.  But there's no reason to make that one way change at this point in the season, if you want to be aggressive, send Amaya down to Iowa instead of Tennessee, and revisit come the trade deadline.

[Tryptamine]

1 hour ago, Transmogrified Tiger said:

The Astros won the world series last year and their catching position as a whole hit .186/.244/.313.  The Cardinals won 93 games with  a .554 OPS from the position, the Guardians won 92 with a .530 OPS from catchers, and the Mets won 101 games with a collective .572 OPS from backstops.  The Rays, Brewers, and White Sox all were .500 or better with a sub .625 OPS from the catching position.

Those teams also had significantly more talent. Much like with Hosmer, the Cubs don't have the wiggle room for those types of players getting lots of at bats. 

[Transmogrified Tiger]

8 minutes ago, Tryptamine said:

Those teams also had significantly more talent. Much like with Hosmer, the Cubs don't have the wiggle room for those types of players getting lots of at bats. 

I think you're making the wrong inference here.  It isn't a coincidence that a bunch of the most successful teams played with a hand behind their back offensively at one position, in particular Cleveland and Tampa weren't even above average at scoring runs.  They all had a chance to upgrade at the deadline and chose not to(the Astros and Mets famously so!), it's not something they feel like they got away with, it was a conscious decision. They're doing so because they gain back more than a handful of hits and walks from having the right person calling pitches and managing the game.  Everyone wants the best of both worlds, and there is a point where an offensive black hole is a concern.  My overall point is I think you're not calibrated right if you're saying the backup C having a .550 OPS after 50 PA is an unacceptable drain on the team when a bunch of really good and smart teams were intentionally fine with that production from the position as a whole.

[Banedon]

Google "Keith Law Matt Mervis"...he's been much more consistently negative about him than most.

[javy knows my name]

15 hours ago, TomtheBombadil said:

I missed Law firing shots last week:

 

 

God he's such a little bitch lol

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I'm starting to wonder if the front office that has never figured out pitching still hasn't figured out pitching 

[Irrelevant Dude]

6 minutes ago, Hairyducked Idiot said:

I'm starting to wonder if the front office that has never figured out pitching still hasn't figured out pitching 

No need to worry. Kyle Hendricks to the rescue!

[Derwood]

Tied with the Reds and only 1.5 up on the Cardinals

[PackLandVA]

Can anyone explain why Edwin Rios is on the roster.  On one hand, they basically never use him.  On the other hand, he strikes out about 50% of the time.

[Sosa21MVP]

Worst record in the National League now but still only 4.5 games out of 1st place in our crappy division. 🤣

Edited May 28, 2023 by Sosa21MVP

[PackLandVA]

Rios with the rare start. But the not-so-rare 0-2 with 2Ks. He now has struck out 13 times in 25 ABs to go with his 2 hits.

Probably a reason the Dodgers gave up on him.