Kimbrel traded to the White Sox

[David]

There is no way they're flipping Madrigal into something else. They've gone on for too long about needing more contact, and they added the most contact-oriented hitter in the game. It's so frustrating to me because a contact guy like Castellanos, who, again, wanted to continue playing for the Cubs and who had the ability to actually hit the ball hard, was shown the door.

 

Every issue this team had this season was easily addressed by simply keeping players that were already here. Hoerner got hurt, but his profile + Castellanos would have gone a long way toward mitigating those issues. Darvish, of course. Schwarber instead of Pederson. The front office created this mess, and now we're back to 2011.

 

we are not back to 2011

[Backtobanks]

Kimbrel, Tepera, Cease and Eloy. I’d say the WS won the trades. Holy crap did the Cubs get fleeced.

 

the guy is going to kill himself in the outfield...

 

 

That's why MLB has the DH.

[Sammy Sofa]

There is no way they're flipping Madrigal into something else. They've gone on for too long about needing more contact, and they added the most contact-oriented hitter in the game. It's so frustrating to me because a contact guy like Castellanos, who, again, wanted to continue playing for the Cubs and who had the ability to actually hit the ball hard, was shown the door.

 

Every issue this team had this season was easily addressed by simply keeping players that were already here. Hoerner got hurt, but his profile + Castellanos would have gone a long way toward mitigating those issues. Darvish, of course. Schwarber instead of Pederson. The front office created this mess, and now we're back to 2011.

 

we are not back to 2011

 

Your creepy avatar says otherwise.

[David]

There is no way they're flipping Madrigal into something else. They've gone on for too long about needing more contact, and they added the most contact-oriented hitter in the game. It's so frustrating to me because a contact guy like Castellanos, who, again, wanted to continue playing for the Cubs and who had the ability to actually hit the ball hard, was shown the door.

 

Every issue this team had this season was easily addressed by simply keeping players that were already here. Hoerner got hurt, but his profile + Castellanos would have gone a long way toward mitigating those issues. Darvish, of course. Schwarber instead of Pederson. The front office created this mess, and now we're back to 2011.

 

we are not back to 2011

 

Your creepy avatar says otherwise.

 

that's the damn joke (and really that would be more like 2003)

[CyHawk_Cub]

Yeah what's up with the avatar David? Why not use a normal, super cool one like mine?

 

I'm an unabashed lover of dingers, so that's my underlying bias. I under-appreciate contact guys in general. I'm just hoping the Cubs don't shift hard away from slugging to all the empty calories of slapdick hitting.

[David]

the link to whatever site was hosting my st louis sucks/axl avatar died a few weeks ago. the other day i finally tried to fix it, but the imgur link didn't work for some reason, and the limits for nsbb to actually host it (under 6kb i think) were giving me a hard time, so i just gave up and decided it would be funny to use one of those goofy built in 2003 hccf style avatars for a while instead of wasting any more time on this nonsense.

[cl smooth]

Yeah what's up with the avatar David? Why not use a normal, super cool one like mine?

 

every time i see your avatar, i think it's a gremlin.

[Bertz]

 

If you're down on the trade I really recommend this piece from Dan Szymborski. Madrigal projects to ~13 WAR the next 5 years, at or above 2.5 per year, and at or above a .297 average each year. Similarly, Heuer projects to a 3.50 - 3.80 ERA every remaining year of his. These guys are part of the core right now. No wishcasting or development needed.

 

Maybe Madrigal's style isn't part of your baseball aesthetic, or maybe you preferred actual prospects, but this was a coup from a value standpoint. And considering the team has a whole crop of carved up hams down in the DR and AZ I think it's a fantastic compliment to what's already in house and what they did with other deadline deals.

[SouthernmostCubFan]

I’ve determined I must be an optimistic person. Reading all the talk here about too many lower level prospects coming in trades and how that means a long rebuild. And then Hoyer takes a player that looked like a lost cause not that long ago and turns him into two current major leaguers…though Madrigil won’t play in what’s a lost season anyway. But two major leaguers with one of them being an every day player. Too weird.

[Derwood]

On my phone I thought that said -13.5 and I almost puked

[squally1313]

You can win a lot of games with Nick Madrigal as the fifth/six best bat in your lineup. Having that locked up for dirt cheap, and ready to go opening day next season, is plenty valuable, and he’ll always be an attractive trade chip because every team in baseball thinks their lineup strikes out too much. You just have to, you know, fill out those top four spots. Here’s to hoping it’s Davis, KB, Contreras, and some top FA.

[CyHawk_Cub]

I just imagined a whole season of Nico at SS. I did not enjoy it.

[WrigleyField 22]

I just imagined a whole season of Nico at SS. I did not enjoy it.

I guess it depends on if it's supposed to be a pointless season or not? I'm in favor of shopping both this offseason though and signing another SS.

[jersey cubs fan]

maybe i'm just happy that this hints at more of a retool than a rebuild,

What in the Sam Hill?

[17 Seconds]

maybe i'm just happy that this hints at more of a retool than a rebuild,

What in the Sam Hill?

 

what? I'm saying it looks like they're going more for a couple down years than a full on tank and rebuild

[Backtobanks]

I just imagined a whole season of Nico at SS. I did not enjoy it.

 

I think Nico is going to be a very solid player for a long time. Maybe with Madrigal and Nico we won't see so many frustrating situations where nobody can put the ball in play with runners in scoring position. I got tired of watching guys strike out on pitches a foot off the plate when all they had to do is make contact.

[jersey cubs fan]

maybe i'm just happy that this hints at more of a retool than a rebuild,

What in the Sam Hill?

 

what? I'm saying it looks like they're going more for a couple down years than a full on tank and rebuild

They’ve traded away everybody and stink. It’s a total and complete rebuild.

[17 Seconds]

What in the Sam Hill?

 

what? I'm saying it looks like they're going more for a couple down years than a full on tank and rebuild

They’ve traded away everybody and stink. It’s a total and complete rebuild.

 

okay pick apart my terminology but you knew exactly what I meant. it means we are probably going to attempt to be competitive faster than some thought. teams dont typically trade away their best asset for 2 major leaguers when they're doing total and complete rebuilds. not to mention they did keep hendricks and willson.

[David]

have you met goony before?

[jersey cubs fan]

 

what? I'm saying it looks like they're going more for a couple down years than a full on tank and rebuild

They’ve traded away everybody and stink. It’s a total and complete rebuild.

 

okay pick apart my terminology but you knew exactly what I meant. it means we are probably going to attempt to be competitive faster than some thought. teams dont typically trade away their best asset for 2 major leaguers when they're doing total and complete rebuilds. not to mention they did keep hendricks and willson.

I honestly have no idea why you think that. They traded away everybody and will stink next year. They got what they could get to field a team. How does one witness this trading deadline and think it’s just a retooling? They gutted the roster and have garbage left.

[Tim]

They’ve traded away everybody and stink. It’s a total and complete rebuild.

 

okay pick apart my terminology but you knew exactly what I meant. it means we are probably going to attempt to be competitive faster than some thought. teams dont typically trade away their best asset for 2 major leaguers when they're doing total and complete rebuilds. not to mention they did keep hendricks and willson.

I honestly have no idea why you think that. They traded away everybody and will stink next year. They got what they could get to field a team. How does one witness this trading deadline and think it’s just a retooling? They gutted the roster and have garbage left.

We don't need to stink next year. Jed has implied in his comments that they want to be competitive again as quickly as possible. Hence the "reload" phrasing as opposed to "rebuild" that the team has been very specific about.

[Tim]

Not to mention their examples of Boston coming back and winning immediately after a sell-off during a down year.

[Little Slide Rooter]

maybe i'm just happy that this hints at more of a retool than a rebuild,

What in the Sam Hill?

 

what? I'm saying it looks like they're going more for a couple down years than a full on tank and rebuild

 

My thoughts exactly. An all out fire sale would have seen Hendricks and Contreras shipped out. This was a purging of expiring contracts with very rights emotional strings attached. We may not have another

 

Anthony&

Kris&

Javy&

Kyle&

Albert&

Jorge&

Mendy.

 

To look forward to, but Madrigal, Contreras, Hendricks, Nico, Happ, and a whole lot of cash coming off the books leave me cautiously optimistic about a new window opening sooner than later.

[17 Seconds]

They’ve traded away everybody and stink. It’s a total and complete rebuild.

 

okay pick apart my terminology but you knew exactly what I meant. it means we are probably going to attempt to be competitive faster than some thought. teams dont typically trade away their best asset for 2 major leaguers when they're doing total and complete rebuilds. not to mention they did keep hendricks and willson.

I honestly have no idea why you think that. They traded away everybody and will stink next year. They got what they could get to field a team. How does one witness this trading deadline and think it’s just a retooling? They gutted the roster and have garbage left.

 

I used the word retool because I had just read a fangraphs article saying there were reasons to think the cubs were looking at more of a retool than a full on rebuild.

 

like I said, you can say that retool is a bad word, but the rest of what I said is perfectly reasonable. they have way more in place at this moment than they did when theo took over. with a weak nl central and their lack of big contracts, they SHOULD be looking at being competitive by 2023.

[Bertz]

 

okay pick apart my terminology but you knew exactly what I meant. it means we are probably going to attempt to be competitive faster than some thought. teams dont typically trade away their best asset for 2 major leaguers when they're doing total and complete rebuilds. not to mention they did keep hendricks and willson.

I honestly have no idea why you think that. They traded away everybody and will stink next year. They got what they could get to field a team. How does one witness this trading deadline and think it’s just a retooling? They gutted the roster and have garbage left.

We don't need to stink next year. Jed has implied in his comments that they want to be competitive again as quickly as possible. Hence the "reload" phrasing as opposed to "rebuild" that the team has been very specific about.

 

Yeah, there's no reason to think they won't be trying next year. Jed said it publicly during his "we're sellers" press conference, he's been saying it on background to the writers all month since, and the Kimbrel deal backs it up. If they're bad next year it'll be because they make a bunch of bad bets this winter. But they're gonna make those bets.