So...Now What?

[Bertz]

https://twitter.com/Kevin_Goldstein/status/1437817347197358085?s=19

[CubinNY]

https://twitter.com/Kevin_Goldstein/status/1437817347197358085?s=19

Fangraphs thinks 2022 is going to be another lost year for the Cubs.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

https://twitter.com/Kevin_Goldstein/status/1437817347197358085?s=19

Fangraphs thinks 2022 is going to be another lost year for the Cubs.

Don't we all?

[Tryptamine]

https://twitter.com/Kevin_Goldstein/status/1437817347197358085?s=19

Fangraphs thinks 2022 is going to be another lost year for the Cubs.

 

I expect a couple middling FAs and severe regression for Wisdom, Schwindel and Ortega. My guess is 70ish wins.

[Cubswin11]

https://twitter.com/Kevin_Goldstein/status/1437817347197358085?s=19

Fangraphs thinks 2022 is going to be another lost year for the Cubs.

I think it’s way too early to claim that. They have so much money to spend even if they run a “cheap” payroll. If 1-2 of these guys actually remain a thing to some level and they hit on the spending/trades they could easily be back to a division competing team. It really shouldn’t be that hard to build a team that can compete for the division without trading any major prospect pieces with the money they have and ancillary prospects to add a bit as well. They also are starting to amass the prospects to go make a major trade (Soto) if they go that route.

[Backtobanks]

https://twitter.com/Kevin_Goldstein/status/1437817347197358085?s=19

Fangraphs thinks 2022 is going to be another lost year for the Cubs.

I think it’s way too early to claim that. They have so much money to spend even if they run a “cheap” payroll. If 1-2 of these guys actually remain a thing to some level and they hit on the spending/trades they could easily be back to a division competing team. It really shouldn’t be that hard to build a team that can compete for the division without trading any major prospect pieces with the money they have and ancillary prospects to add a bit as well. They also are starting to amass the prospects to go make a major trade (Soto) if they go that route.

 

They have money to spend, but they don't plan on spending according to all of the articles that I've read. They just have too many holes and weaknesses to fill to compete next year. I think we're looking at a much improved team in 2023 and a competitive team in 2024. Next year will be spent finding out whether Wisdom, Ortega, and Schwindel are for real, whether Hoerner/Madrigal is their middle infield for the future, whether Steele and/or Thompson can be a rotation piece, whether Happ is really fixed or not, etc.

[muntjack]

The rotation is a total wreck. Spending on a SS and an OF would be welcome but they still have a bunch of mediocre, 4.1 IP kind of arms that they're relying on.

[Cubswin11]

Fangraphs thinks 2022 is going to be another lost year for the Cubs.

I think it’s way too early to claim that. They have so much money to spend even if they run a “cheap” payroll. If 1-2 of these guys actually remain a thing to some level and they hit on the spending/trades they could easily be back to a division competing team. It really shouldn’t be that hard to build a team that can compete for the division without trading any major prospect pieces with the money they have and ancillary prospects to add a bit as well. They also are starting to amass the prospects to go make a major trade (Soto) if they go that route.

 

They have money to spend, but they don't plan on spending according to all of the articles that I've read. They just have too many holes and weaknesses to fill to compete next year. I think we're looking at a much improved team in 2023 and a competitive team in 2024. Next year will be spent finding out whether Wisdom, Ortega, and Schwindel are for real, whether Hoerner/Madrigal is their middle infield for the future, whether Steele and/or Thompson can be a rotation piece, whether Happ is really fixed or not, etc.

They have to spend something, even just running a cheap ass Brewers payroll gives them like $80 mil. There’s paths to building a team through FA, a trade or two and 1-2 of these guys remaining being a thing to a degree. They just aren’t going to run out a $40 mil payroll and keep this current roster next year. I’m not betting on them being good next year as of today but think there’s a reasonable path with not spending up to the $180-200 mil mark/not giving out any 9 figure deals to being a competitive division team.

[Bertz]

Fangraphs thinks 2022 is going to be another lost year for the Cubs.

I think it’s way too early to claim that. They have so much money to spend even if they run a “cheap” payroll. If 1-2 of these guys actually remain a thing to some level and they hit on the spending/trades they could easily be back to a division competing team. It really shouldn’t be that hard to build a team that can compete for the division without trading any major prospect pieces with the money they have and ancillary prospects to add a bit as well. They also are starting to amass the prospects to go make a major trade (Soto) if they go that route.

 

They have money to spend, but they don't plan on spending according to all of the articles that I've read. They just have too many holes and weaknesses to fill to compete next year. I think we're looking at a much improved team in 2023 and a competitive team in 2024. Next year will be spent finding out whether Wisdom, Ortega, and Schwindel are for real, whether Hoerner/Madrigal is their middle infield for the future, whether Steele and/or Thompson can be a rotation piece, whether Happ is really fixed or not, etc.

 

I'd love to see some of these articles. Because just about everything I've seen, both on the record and on background, has said some variation of either "retool not rebuild" or "¯\_(ツ)_/¯ until we know what the CBA looks like."

[Backtobanks]

I think it’s way too early to claim that. They have so much money to spend even if they run a “cheap” payroll. If 1-2 of these guys actually remain a thing to some level and they hit on the spending/trades they could easily be back to a division competing team. It really shouldn’t be that hard to build a team that can compete for the division without trading any major prospect pieces with the money they have and ancillary prospects to add a bit as well. They also are starting to amass the prospects to go make a major trade (Soto) if they go that route.

 

They have money to spend, but they don't plan on spending according to all of the articles that I've read. They just have too many holes and weaknesses to fill to compete next year. I think we're looking at a much improved team in 2023 and a competitive team in 2024. Next year will be spent finding out whether Wisdom, Ortega, and Schwindel are for real, whether Hoerner/Madrigal is their middle infield for the future, whether Steele and/or Thompson can be a rotation piece, whether Happ is really fixed or not, etc.

 

I'd love to see some of these articles. Because just about everything I've seen, both on the record and on background, has said some variation of either "retool not rebuild" or "¯\_(ツ)_/¯ until we know what the CBA looks like."

 

I consider a 3 year "retool" a "rebuild".

[Backtobanks]

I think it’s way too early to claim that. They have so much money to spend even if they run a “cheap” payroll. If 1-2 of these guys actually remain a thing to some level and they hit on the spending/trades they could easily be back to a division competing team. It really shouldn’t be that hard to build a team that can compete for the division without trading any major prospect pieces with the money they have and ancillary prospects to add a bit as well. They also are starting to amass the prospects to go make a major trade (Soto) if they go that route.

 

They have money to spend, but they don't plan on spending according to all of the articles that I've read. They just have too many holes and weaknesses to fill to compete next year. I think we're looking at a much improved team in 2023 and a competitive team in 2024. Next year will be spent finding out whether Wisdom, Ortega, and Schwindel are for real, whether Hoerner/Madrigal is their middle infield for the future, whether Steele and/or Thompson can be a rotation piece, whether Happ is really fixed or not, etc.

They have to spend something, even just running a cheap ass Brewers payroll gives them like $80 mil. There’s paths to building a team through FA, a trade or two and 1-2 of these guys remaining being a thing to a degree. They just aren’t going to run out a $40 mil payroll and keep this current roster next year. I’m not betting on them being good next year as of today but think there’s a reasonable path with not spending up to the $180-200 mil mark/not giving out any 9 figure deals to being a competitive division team.

 

I expect them to sign some mid-level FAs that will accept a short term deal, with the hope that they can be flipped to a contender at the deadline.

[Bertz]

 

They have money to spend, but they don't plan on spending according to all of the articles that I've read. They just have too many holes and weaknesses to fill to compete next year. I think we're looking at a much improved team in 2023 and a competitive team in 2024. Next year will be spent finding out whether Wisdom, Ortega, and Schwindel are for real, whether Hoerner/Madrigal is their middle infield for the future, whether Steele and/or Thompson can be a rotation piece, whether Happ is really fixed or not, etc.

 

I'd love to see some of these articles. Because just about everything I've seen, both on the record and on background, has said some variation of either "retool not rebuild" or "¯\_(ツ)_/¯ until we know what the CBA looks like."

 

I consider a 3 year "retool" a "rebuild".

 

That's fair. I'd still love to see some of these articles.

[UMFan83]

https://www.audacy.com/670thescore/sports/chicago-cubs/jed-hoyer-cubs-plan-to-be-really-active-mlb-free-agency

 

Cubs plan to be really active in FA, which can mean a million different things. Also, David Ross isn't going anywhere

 

"We plan to be really active in free agency,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said Friday. “We plan to spend money intelligently. That is about the easiest way I can say it.”

 

"We will sit down and talk as an organization on how to mold this in the right way,” Hoyer said. “Obviously, we are scouting that free-agent market heavily. We are going to analyze that market heavily. There are offseasons when free agency is what you do a little bit of. This year, we are going to be a little more active than usual for our roster because we have a lot more open spots. We just want to do it in a thoughtful intelligent way.”

 

While it’s unclear which players the Cubs might add in free agency, there’s clarity on who will be leading them on a daily basis again. Hoyer had high praise for second-year manager David Ross, who’s expected to be signed to a contract extension soon. Ross originally signed a three-year contract upon being named Cubs manager ahead of the 2020 season.

 

“He is already an excellent manager, and I think he can be someone really special in the job,” Hoyer said. “I think talking about David or the other people in our front office will be more appropriate next week after the season concludes.”

[17 Seconds]

"intelligently" meaning no big free agents

[Bertz]

I still think we do something like the Blue Jays. One star and then a bunch of 1 or 2 year deals.

[UMFan83]

I still think we do something like the Blue Jays. One star and then a bunch of 1 or 2 year deals.

 

That will go great with our versions of Vlad, Bichette and Teoscar Hernandez

[17 Seconds]

I still think we do something like the Blue Jays. One star and then a bunch of 1 or 2 year deals.

 

That will go great with our versions of Vlad, Bichette and Teoscar Hernandez

 

with the world series win in hand, the ricketts are content to go for 80-85 wins

[Sammy Sofa]

I still think we do something like the Blue Jays. One star and then a bunch of 1 or 2 year deals.

 

That will go great with our versions of Vlad, Bichette and Teoscar Hernandez

 

with the world series win in hand, the ricketts are content to go for 80-85 wins

 

Pretty much. They're gonna just aim/hope for just sniffing .500 most years, and gamble that they either stumble into enough cheap internal quality player development to give them a few extra games, or the division sucks enough for them to broken clock their way in every few seasons.

 

Basically if they do anything with FA beyond patching holes with their bare minimum they think they need to spend and meatball fan-appeasing deals to bring back old Cubs, I'll eat the fuckin' Cubs hats I should have thrown out years ago.

Edited September 25, 2021 by Sammy Sofa

[Cubfanintheknow]

Jed Hoyer says the Chicago Cubs plan to be ‘really active’ in free agency: ‘We want to do it in a thoughtful and intelligent way,’ the team president says.

 

Allow me to translate: "We're going to make lowball offers on a bunch of free agents, shrug our shoulders when they go someplace else and end up signing Frank Schwindel to a multi-year deal.

 

https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/cubs/ct-chicago-cubs-jed-hoyer-free-agency-20210925-2uzcof7kfnejliad3bgxfh4yxi-story.html

[Tim]

Jed Hoyer says the Chicago Cubs plan to be ‘really active’ in free agency: ‘We want to do it in a thoughtful and intelligent way,’ the team president says.

 

Allow me to translate: "We're going to make lowball offers on a bunch of free agents, shrug our shoulders when they go someplace else and end up signing Frank Schwindel to a multi-year deal.

 

https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/cubs/ct-chicago-cubs-jed-hoyer-free-agency-20210925-2uzcof7kfnejliad3bgxfh4yxi-story.html

You know Frank is a pre-arb player, right?

[soccer10k]

Also, David Ross isn't going anywhere

 

Eh, going to suck for a couple years. Might as well let Ross fumble around the dugout and continue to butcher pitching decisions if that's the case.

[UMFan83]

Is Cody Bellinger a potential buy low guy or at this point is he not even worth it?

 

I cannot believe how bad he has been. -1.6 bWAR this season and he’s actually gotten even worse of late, a .323 OPS since August 12th

[UK]

Is Cody Bellinger a potential buy low guy or at this point is he not even worth it?

 

I cannot believe how bad he has been. -1.6 bWAR this season and he’s actually gotten even worse of late, a .323 OPS since August 12th

 

He might be worth it but I wouldn't trade anything for him. LA should non-tender him since he has 2 years left of team control and should get around 20 mil next year. Even a team well over the luxury tax isn't that irresponsible.

 

Cubs will be bad enough to where they can afford to watch him struggle and not impact the standings.

 

I imagine that many other teams think the same.

[Cubfanintheknow]

Jed Hoyer says the Chicago Cubs plan to be ‘really active’ in free agency: ‘We want to do it in a thoughtful and intelligent way,’ the team president says.

 

Allow me to translate: "We're going to make lowball offers on a bunch of free agents, shrug our shoulders when they go someplace else and end up signing Frank Schwindel to a multi-year deal.

 

https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/cubs/ct-chicago-cubs-jed-hoyer-free-agency-20210925-2uzcof7kfnejliad3bgxfh4yxi-story.html

You know Frank is a pre-arb player, right?

 

Like that's gonna stop them?

[Backtobanks]

I still think we do something like the Blue Jays. One star and then a bunch of 1 or 2 year deals.

 

That will go great with our versions of Vlad, Bichette and Teoscar Hernandez

 

with the world series win in hand, the ricketts are content to go for 80-85 wins

 

To get to the 80-85 win level, they're going to have to spend more than they want to spend or get really lucky.