Spring Training Mega Thread

[cl smooth]

[Bertz]

 

There's a non-negligible chance he's already our best starter.

[Post Count Padder]

I actually posted this in transactions but we traded Quiroz to the Phillies for cash to help out PTR. I wonder what this means for Bote. I had assumed he'd get sent off to a needy team with the spring he's had but now he outlasted another depth option at Iowa. Or maybe none of this matters.

[Bertz]

I wonder how likely it is Hosmer gets cut this week. His signing always felt like it came with an expiration date, and that he was going to get cut Memorial Day-ish and replaced with Mervis. But with what Edwin Rios is doing and the positive vibes around him in camp, feels like if you're going to give someone 6-8 weeks of runway at 1B to open the season Rios makes a lot more sense. Plus he's far more in the offensive mold Jed laid out at the end of '22 of more power and fewer groundballs. Cutting Hosmer would be one of the easiest ways to open up a needed 40 man spot.

 

Somewhat relatedly, Morel and Mastro started in RF in both split squad games yesterday. With Suzuki looking more and more like he'll only be out a week or two, maybe the team is planning to forego the Tauchman addition and just make do with guys already on the 40.

[Tim]

I wonder how likely it is Hosmer gets cut this week. His signing always felt like it came with an expiration date, and that he was going to get cut Memorial Day-ish and replaced with Mervis. But with what Edwin Rios is doing and the positive vibes around him in camp, feels like if you're going to give someone 6-8 weeks of runway at 1B to open the season Rios makes a lot more sense. Plus he's far more in the offensive mold Jed laid out at the end of '22 of more power and fewer groundballs. Cutting Hosmer would be one of the easiest ways to open up a needed 40 man spot.

 

Somewhat relatedly, Morel and Mastro started in RF in both split squad games yesterday. With Suzuki looking more and more like he'll only be out a week or two, maybe the team is planning to forego the Tauchman addition and just make do with guys already on the 40.

I've been on the "Tauchman isn't the lock people are saying he is" position for a while now.

[David]

[UMFan83]

Officially official

 

[Bull]

I wonder how likely it is Hosmer gets cut this week. His signing always felt like it came with an expiration date, and that he was going to get cut Memorial Day-ish and replaced with Mervis. But with what Edwin Rios is doing and the positive vibes around him in camp, feels like if you're going to give someone 6-8 weeks of runway at 1B to open the season Rios makes a lot more sense. Plus he's far more in the offensive mold Jed laid out at the end of '22 of more power and fewer groundballs. Cutting Hosmer would be one of the easiest ways to open up a needed 40 man spot.

 

Somewhat relatedly, Morel and Mastro started in RF in both split squad games yesterday. With Suzuki looking more and more like he'll only be out a week or two, maybe the team is planning to forego the Tauchman addition and just make do with guys already on the 40.

I feel like there is no way they cut Hosmer. They surely had to make him some verbal guarantees when they picked him up. I don’t feel like we’re the only team that wanted him at league minimum.

[Bertz]

 

 

A couple surprises in here.  Namely the team carrying a 3rd catcher, though I imagine that is only until Seiya gets back?

 

[David]

Speaking of Seiya getting back...

 

 

[Transmogrified Tiger]

I don't have a particular attachment to McKinstry, but DFAing him to make sure you can carry a third catcher(and in particular *these* 3 catchers) or risk losing Torrens to opt-out seems insane to me.

 

And similarly, if retaining quality depth is such a concern, why would Rucker(who has not been good in ST) be a lock at the likely expense of Leiter Jr's(who has been excellent in ST) potential opt out?

[Bertz]

I didn't see this separately but in Brett's writeup on the roster shakeout stuff he linked to a Sun-Times article that indicated Wick hitting waivers is likely

So from a 40 man standpoint, it's a pretty clean Mckinstry+Wick out Torrens+Leiter/Borucki in situation?  Rucker down when Hughes is back, Torrens down when Seiya is back?

I'm still wondering who the horsefeathers the backup CF is.  Is Happ or Suzuki now a regular option out there after very much not being considered one last year?  Is Mastro a much better defensive OF than I realized and an option there?  Is Cody Bellinger planning to only miss an inning if he hits the IL?

[UMFan83]

1 hour ago, Bertz said:

 

 

A couple surprises in here.  Namely the team carrying a 3rd catcher, though I imagine that is only until Seiya gets back?

 

 

Quote

 The Cubs didn’t want to lose Torrens’ bat and they see him as solid, if unspectacular, defensively. If he weren’t to make the team, Torrens would likely opt out of his contract, meaning the Cubs would lose a valuable third catcher.

Despite a rough season at the plate in 2022, Torrens has looked strong offensively this spring and in previous seasons. Having him on the roster would allow manager David Ross to feel comfortable pinch-hitting for Tucker Barnhart in big moments and still allow the 35-year-old Yan Gomes to have full days off.

 

Am I looking at the wrong Luis Torrens?  His best wOBA in a season is .311 which would put him in the below average category, just a tick above poor.  I get that Gomes and especially Barnhart are also bad hitters but not sure how Torrens helps our offense at catcher, unless I'm missing something...

[Post Count Padder]

Torrens is fine but losing McKinstry for him is an odd choice. Also not shocked about Wick possibly being on the outs but Rucker has not impressed me. I'd hardly consider him a lock over other guys. 

[Bertz]

56 minutes ago, UMFan83 said:

 

 

Am I looking at the wrong Luis Torrens?  His best wOBA in a season is .311 which would put him in the below average category, just a tick above poor.  I get that Gomes and especially Barnhart are also bad hitters but not sure how Torrens helps our offense at catcher, unless I'm missing something...

Over the last three years collectively he's got a 93 wRC+, and he projects to a 92 this year.  The average MLB catcher is at 89 the last few years.  So not a monster but solidly above average for the very low bar at the position.

I think it's primarily sign that Amaya is not yet physically fit for duty if one of the top two guys hit the IL tomorrow, and they think Torrens is materially better than spinning the waiver roulette wheel to find a guy.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

The stolen bases are coming:

Worth remembering this is a sneaky source of depth on the baserunning side of the ball.  On a per 150 game  basis, Swanson, Happ, Suzuki, Bellinger, Morel, Velazquez, and even Wisdom were 10+ SB guys last year, with Hoerner, McKinstry, and Mastrobuoni (AAA) at 20+.  They were 4th in total SB last year.  They were also very good defensively(both raw SB totals and rSB) but it's hard to disentangle how much of that was Willson.

 

 

 

[pitchcs]

McKinstry traded to Tigers for Carlos Guzman (RHP)

[Bertz]

 

 

 

[Post Count Padder]

Bummer about McKinstry but this seemed like a logical conclusion. He'll get plenty of playing time in Detroit too. 

Looks like Morel starting the season in Iowa. Guessing they'd rather he get more at bats than he would as a bench guy to start. 

[UMFan83]

McKinstry seemed like a nice enough guy and I really wanted him to work out but he just couldn't hit well enough to use a roster spot on him.  Any time the Cubs acquire a minor league pitcher I'm excited that they have identified something they can tweak and turn them into another quality guy.

Edited March 27, 2023 by UMFan83

[UMFan83]

4 minutes ago, Post Count Padder said:

 

Looks like Morel starting the season in Iowa. Guessing they'd rather he get more at bats than he would as a bench guy to start. 

That basically what the Athletic article said.  They felt he was better off getting regular ABs rather than sitting on the bench. Inevitably someone will get hurt and he'll be up here.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Guzman looks like an IFA signing that converted from hitting to pitching after a couple seasons(so my guess is there's good velo there).  He's done nothing but start games so far, but between his age(25 next month), level(only got 1.1 IP in AA last year), and results(unremarkable) I'm thinking they're gonna maybe mess with his breaking pitches and tell him to go nuts in relief.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Cody Bellinger's Spring Training K% vs. Regular Season K%

2017: 29% ST/26% regular season

2018: 25%/24%

2019: 26%/16%

skipping 2020 due to Covid gap (14%/17% if you're curious)

2021: 35%/27%

2022: 49%/27%

2023: 16%/???? 

 

[Bertz]

Speaking of Spring Training performances that raise an eyebrow: Jameson Taillon ended his spring with 23 strikeouts and 0 walks (1 HBP tho).

I reeeeally wish he'd pitched more in front of Statcast so we could know how excited to be about this new sweeper.

[Bertz]

 

I believe the Wick thing becoming official + everything done right before the game means the entire roster is set except for whether the last pen spot goes to Leiter or Borucki?  And Leiter seems pretty likely.