2019-20 Offseason Rumors/General Chit-Chat

[Regular Show]

I'm not too concerned about the bullpen except for at Closer. Kimbrel looked terrible at times and I told my brother exactly how he was going to blow some saves last year and on what pitch lol.

 

His fastball command is bad and its tailing/running action sometimes goes into the path of RHH's swing. I'm worried he might be ineffective again and that it wasn't just rust... I don't fault Theo for going out and signing him because our bullpen needed a good shutdown reliever and we didn't lose a draft pick in the process.

 

I'm totally okay with trading Kimbrel for some prospects at the trading deadline if this Cubs team looks like a middling fringe contender again and Kimbrel is pitching well and we get a good return. The Cubs need to win some trades to improve the farm system like TB. Not to that degree, but we can't keep giving away Montgomery and players like that when their value is practically gone.

[Derwood]

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[Post Count Padder]

Interesting. You could also say the're set if they want to be, with Castro, Asdrubal and Kieboom taking turns at second and third. It lessens the pressure but also guards them if they trade Kieboom.

[Post Count Padder]

An old friend:

 

The Angels signed former Cubs’ prospect Arismendy Alcántara. Alcántara hasn’t played at the highest level since 2017, and his career .189/.235/.315 line (49 wRC+) reflects the plate discipline woes that have done him in. He’s still just 28 years old, though, and his 2019 return to affiliated ball following a year in the Mexican League went well. The utilityman was productive across two minor-league levels in the Mets’ organization last season and showed better discipline than he has in his MLB career.

[Bertz]

Interesting. You could also say the're set if they want to be, with Castro, Asdrubal and Kieboom taking turns at second and third. It lessens the pressure but also guards them if they trade Kieboom.

 

Yeah, Castro and Cabrera splitting 2B and providing coverage depth for a Kieboom-Turner left side of the infield makes total sense, so I don't think these moves say much either way about their KB intentions.

 

I do imagine this implies they're out on Donaldson though. If they were signing JD I'd imagine they would have only brought in Cabrera (with Kieboom the starter at 2B), not both.

[Bull]

An old friend:

 

The Angels signed former Cubs’ prospect Arismendy Alcántara. Alcántara hasn’t played at the highest level since 2017, and his career .189/.235/.315 line (49 wRC+) reflects the plate discipline woes that have done him in. He’s still just 28 years old, though, and his 2019 return to affiliated ball following a year in the Mexican League went well. The utilityman was productive across two minor-league levels in the Mets’ organization last season and showed better discipline than he has in his MLB career.

I think this is because I beetlejuiced him a few weeks ago. Beware the return of Antonio Alfonseca.

[Cubswin11]

Boy Asdrubal at $2.5 million certainty would’ve been a nice addition over the horsefeathers back end of the 26-man (Descalso, Kemp) or been a decent add to allow to start Nico in AAA. Also if all he got was $2.5 mil I can’t see Holt getting more than say $4 million or so. Figure it out, idiots.

[NOLA]

FWIW, Will Harris (an LSU alum) was on local sports radio yesterday and said he had told his agent he preferred signing with the Cubs or Nats, but that the Cubs wouldn’t make him an offer.

[Cubswin11]

FWIW, Will Harris (an LSU alum) was on local sports radio yesterday and said he had told his agent he preferred signing with the Cubs or Nats, but that the Cubs wouldn’t make him an offer.

I’m glad we avoided him at what he went for. He faded badly last year and is 35/36. I know he’s been remarkably consistent, but he’s gone 60+ innings 4 of the last 5 years (including playoff IP) and hit 70+ in a few of them. Seems like a trap we’ve fallen in to with with RP the last few years then get stuck with them when they suck (Brach, Carl, Kintzler and Wislon, granted they gave us a good year too, etc).

[Bertz]

 

Sounds like Donaldson is getting closer to signing and IMO it looks like it'll be the Braves.

[Cubswin11]

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[Cubswin11]

Thames signed with the Nats, could do some dot connecting they’re out on Donaldson now. Asdrubal, Starlin, Kieboom and Howie can cover 2B/3B with Howie and Thames at 1B. Castellanos to the Rangers may happen too, so Donaldson to the Braves seems likely.

[d_money]

This offseason sucks ass.

[Derwood]

This offseason sucks ass.

 

Again

[Tryptamine]

With the Orioles signing Iglesias, the Cubs are now one of 3 teams to not give out a guaranteed contract this offseason.

[Brian]

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[Bertz]

Passan bringing up the Bryant/Arenado switcheroo

 

The Cubs would make sense if they move Bryant. They are not primed for some sort of a rebuild as much as a refresh or reboot -- an always-difficult needle to thread, particularly if they hope to dip under the luxury-tax threshold. One source characterized the Cubs as doing due diligence, as they've done throughout the winter with myriad trade conversations, but the notion of trading catcher Willson Contreras and a higher-priced, underperforming player in an Arenado deal, then flipping Bryant to revitalize a mediocre farm system, squares in the short and long term. The Nationals' best trade piece, middle infielder Spencer Kieboom, would be a perfect anchor for a Bryant deal if the Cubs didn't already have Javier Baez at shortstop and rookie Nico Hoerner at second base.

 

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/28430628/mlb-superstar-trades-sign-stealing-punishment-more-passan-answers-20-questions-2020

 

So I read that as essentially KB for Prospects, and then Willson and Heyward for Arenado. Sounds unlikely obviously, but if Passan is saying it then it's not completely out of nowhere.

[Marlin Bystro]

2020 Cubs Convention will be a hit this year.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

so we've reached the 'maybe it'll work out if the Rockies get brain poisoning' stage of the offseason

[David]

2020 Cubs Convention will be a hit this year.

 

From any other poster, I'd assume sarcasm. Are you implying some sort of announcement?

[JudasIscariotTheBird]

2020 Cubs Convention will be a hit this year.

 

From any other poster, I'd assume sarcasm. Are you implying some sort of announcement?

[Brian]

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[David]

2020 Cubs Convention will be a hit this year.

 

From any other poster, I'd assume sarcasm. Are you implying some sort of announcement?

 

I don't even remember... is the Marlin Bystro here the PSD one or a joke parody?

 

iirc he was the good insider from psd and abty was full of horsefeathers

[JudasIscariotTheBird]

 

From any other poster, I'd assume sarcasm. Are you implying some sort of announcement?

 

I don't even remember... is the Marlin Bystro here the PSD one or a joke parody?

 

iirc he was the good insider from psd and abty was full of horsefeathers

I have no idea who 70% of even the regular posters here are, but I do know that was a heaping unmistakable pile of sarcasm.

[Marlin Bystro]

 

I don't even remember... is the Marlin Bystro here the PSD one or a joke parody?

 

iirc he was the good insider from psd and abty was full of horsefeathers

I have no idea who 70% of even the regular posters here are, but I do know that was a heaping unmistakable pile of sarcasm.

 

Yes that was sarcasm. The Convention should be a disaster this year. Yes I used to and still post once in a while on PSD.