Cubs offseason chit chat...

[17 Seconds]

nobody thinks Jed is a genius. that is not a thing

[LBiittner]

31 minutes ago, Transmogrified Tiger said:

But they didn't sign Lee, and we don't know if they were deep in negotiations to give him near 100 million like the Giants, or if they scouted and him and liked him as a depth option and bowed out when someone was ready to pay him 8 figure AAVs.  Searching for this type of meaning out of brief mentions of FA interest(especially from national/agent-side sources) is an exercise in futility.

I read an interesting report by AL Yellon.

He was saying how the current players association contract stipulates mlb teams can not claim lack of interest in any player. Players could claim the team hurt their chances of earnings. 

So I would presume if morisi we're to say : hey jed, are you in on Augie Ojeda? Jed would have to say sure.

[Derwood]

2 hours ago, Jfoley89 said:

This is year 3 of Jed being incompetent in the offseason while getting defended aggressively by people who somehow think he's a secret genius

Who thinks that?

[Bertz]

We can all be mad about Jed mostly foregoing the tippy top of the market, but all this "doesn't have a plan" stuff is more or less a temper tantrum because you want a move now. 

Players don't magically put up more wins if you buy them in December instead of January.

[Rcal10]

Anyone see the mlb trade rumor chat? The question was “who says no”

Brown, Morel and Mervis for Alonso.

The response was “the Mets”. WTF!!! How is that even possible? And if it is, that explains why Jed can’t make trades. 

Hiw can 1 year of Alonso cost anywhere near that much?

[Layoutman]

The next couple of years will define Jed's legacy. Sure, he won a ring but that was under the umbrella held by big brother Theo. At this point I think it's safe to say that Jed can build a farm system. Theo saw the writing on the wall and knew he couldn't operate under the Rickett's constraints and bailed. Can Jed take the organization to the next level?  

[Stratos]

3 hours ago, LBiittner said:

The frustrating thing to signing a 1 year deal with Hoskins is we get to do firstbase all over again in 2025.

As a side note - Does Boras have every decent player as a client?

They have Mervis to give more PAs to this year plus Alonso as FA next year.  BJ Murray sounds also start this year in AAA.  McGeary too, and Bellesteros is in AA this year who also plays some 1B.

[Rcal10]

22 minutes ago, Stratos said:

They have Mervis to give more PAs to this year plus Alonso as FA next year.  BJ Murray sounds also start this year in AAA.  McGeary too, and Bellesteros is in AA this year who also plays some 1B.

What have they done the last several years that would lead you to believe they would win a bidding war for Alonso. And as far as the guys you mentioned within the organization, it is hardly inspiring. 

[Stratos]

4 hours ago, Rcal10 said:

What have they done the last several years that would lead you to believe they would win a bidding war for Alonso. And as far as the guys you mentioned within the organization, it is hardly inspiring. 

Sure both of these points are valid.

I do think signing Hoskins to platoon with Mervis vs LHP (along with Wisdom) to see if we can work Mervis in as an everyday guy vs RHP is a good plan.  If Mervis can handle RHP duties then we can DH Hoskins.  If he can't then Hoskins can play 1B full-time.  It may be that Mervis never hits LHP well, but it's way too early to tell.

I don't think we should count on prospects becoming good MLB players, but I also think we should give them a fair shake at showing whether they can be or not.  We're simply never going to be a great team without significantly more surplus.  Having a loaded farm and blocking them all with longterm contracts is insane.  The Braves have given young guys a shot and its paid off.

Edited December 18, 2023 by Stratos

[Jason Ross]

9 hours ago, Bertz said:

We can all be mad about Jed mostly foregoing the tippy top of the market, but all this "doesn't have a plan" stuff is more or less a temper tantrum because you want a move now. 

Players don't magically put up more wins if you buy them in December instead of January.

While not directed at me (at least, I don't think I've been throwing a temper tantrum, but maybe I need to be more self reflective) I know I've been vocal that the Cubs don't appear to have a clear and defined plan, so I do want to clarify my feelings. I do think the Cubs have a plan. but where my frustrations lie is in the seemingly lack of agency, the Cubs plan has. 

Clearly, I can't know the plan for the offseason as sadly, Jed forgot to CC me on that email (which I find rude, frankly), but as an outside observer and how the offseason is being framed by those who are close to the Cubs, it's hard to tell where the Cubs plan to have much agency in their offseason. Seemingly, the Cubs offseason plan from here on out is "wait the market out, sign the guys who's market doesn't materialize". And there's an argument to be made that maybe the Cubs don't see any difference between all of the players out there in the second tier so they'll be happy with anyone they can get in that tier,, so this allows for the Cubs to maintain flexibility and get guys in on cheaper contracts, which fair, if that's the case. On the other hand, if your plan is "sign the players others don't want" then I wonder who do you actually like? 

Where my fear is is that there's a fine line between an offseason in which the Cubs come away with a bunch of smart spending and flexibility and another that is highlighted with prospect hoarding and indecisiveness in the name of those two things. Right now, maybe the market isn't moving super fast, however a bunch of teams have dipped into the secondary tier and come away with players on perfectly acceptable contracts/trades, so it's not like it's impossible to have gone in there. And while I don't think the Cubs are doing nothing it's not like the Cubs couldn't have accomplished something by now either. There comes a point when you have to have a plan and attempt to execute it past "maybe a few guys will slip through the cracks and we can hoover 'em up" and my fear is that I'm not sure the Cubs have the aggressiveness to accomplish something like that.

None of that is to say I want the Cubs to spend ridiculously and overpay, just that I question how much agency the Cubs are giving themselves versus how much is being put on other teams. I hope my fears are misplaced. I don't mean to sound like I'm doom-bonering, or throwing a tantrum, only expressing my fears that the Cubs aren't being run in the way I'd necessarily like to see the Cubs run. 

Edited December 18, 2023 by 1908_Cubs

[CubinNY]

The 7 stages of Cub fans offseason free agency

1 - Irrational exuberance- The Cubs have been linked to multiple big name free agents and reports are out that the Cubs are making a play and going to get their man

2- Giddy optimism. - Reports are that this time the Cubs are "all in" on player X

3 - Stoic realism - Other teams are making a bid and the Cubs are in the mix. It could come down to who makes the best offer

4 - Sticker shock - Reports are that the bidding is getting high

5 - Sour grapes - Team A really overpaid for player X. Aren't we all glad the Cubs didn't do that?

6 - Maudlin defeat - The Cubs will never sign another big-name player but the ones they did sign are kind of decent

7 - Spring training - If you squint hard enough, they have a chance. 

 

[Brian707]

9 hours ago, Layoutman said:

The next couple of years will define Jed's legacy. Sure, he won a ring but that was under the umbrella held by big brother Theo. At this point I think it's safe to say that Jed can build a farm system. Theo saw the writing on the wall and knew he couldn't operate under the Rickett's constraints and bailed. Can Jed take the organization to the next level?  

Jed will see the light eventually too and want to move away from the small market Cubs. Maybe a larger market like Minnesota or Kansas City will be his next stop

[Rcal10]

40 minutes ago, CubinNY said:

The 7 stages of Cub fans offseason free agency

1 - Irrational exuberance- The Cubs have been linked to multiple big name free agents and reports are out that the Cubs are making a play and going to get their man

2- Giddy optimism. - Reports are that this time the Cubs are "all in" on player X

3 - Stoic realism - Other teams are making a bid and the Cubs are in the mix. It could come down to who makes the best offer

4 - Sticker shock - Reports are that the bidding is getting high

5 - Sour grapes - Team A really overpaid for player X. Aren't we all glad the Cubs didn't do that?

6 - Maudlin defeat - The Cubs will never sign another big-name player but the ones they did sign are kind of decent

7 - Spring training - If you squint hard enough, they have a chance. 

 

Well done👍

[Cuzi]

12 hours ago, Bertz said:

We can all be mad about Jed mostly foregoing the tippy top of the market, but all this "doesn't have a plan" stuff is more or less a temper tantrum because you want a move now. 

Players don't magically put up more wins if you buy them in December instead of January.

Guess that depends on who is available to buy in December versus January.

[Tryptamine]

The problem is this. Right now the Cubs do not have much room for error on landing who they need to land. If they wait until January that margin for error is even smaller. With each free agent that comes off the board, their job becomes harder and harder. Even if the Cubs weren't targeting that particular free agent, that's one less target for other teams who were targeting that free agent and now they potentially pivot to a target the Cubs are in on. So yes, things could still work out alright, but with each passing day with each free agent agreement it becomes less and less likely

Edited December 18, 2023 by Tryptamine

[CubinNY]

7 minutes ago, Tryptamine said:

The problem is this. Right now the Cubs do not have much room for error on landing who they need to land. If they wait until January that margin for error is even smaller. With each free agent that comes off the board, their job becomes harder and harder. Even if the Cubs weren't targeting that particular free agent, that's one less target for other teams who were targeting that free agent and now they potentially pivot to a target the Cubs are in on. So yes, things could still work out alright, but with each passing day with each free agent agreement it becomes less and less likely

If they are in on Boras clients they will need to be patient. It's the way he operates. Even if they have given their final offer, they have to wait and see. I suppose they don't necessarily have to wait, but if they don't they probably aren't getting the guy. Boras seems to like the deadline negotiation strategy. 

[PackLandVA]

Think this is a pretty good article ...

...regarding where the Cubs, and free agency as a whole, is right now. A few snippets:

-1/3 of MLB teams have done nothing so far in free agency (to include the Yankees, Red, Sox, Jays, Mariners and Cubs)

-only 3 of the Top 10 free agents are signed, and 16 of the Top 50; plenty of really good players to fill needs

 

 

 

 

[chibears55]

Watch the cubs bring Stroman back on a cheap deal because nobody else wants to pay him and the other starters are out of the cubs price range or trade range.

Lol

[ToolDRT]

No ricketts family panel at the upcoming Cubs convention… 

[chibears55]

My  prediction 😅

Gomes/Almora

Mervis/  Belt

Hoerner 

Swanson

Brian Anderson/ Madrigal/Wisdom 

Happ

Bader/Tauchman/ Morel

Suzuki 

 

[chibears55]

...

Edited December 18, 2023 by chibears55

[Transmogrified Tiger]

8 minutes ago, ToolDRT said:

No ricketts family panel at the upcoming Cubs convention… 

Looks like they got rid of the Farm system panel too?  Definitely seems lighter on sessions in total than when I last checked(which admittedly was over 5 years ago) compared to the 'expo' type stuff.

[SOFNR]

10 minutes ago, ToolDRT said:

No ricketts family panel at the upcoming Cubs convention… 

That's not a great sign. My optimism they plan to start 2024 with a better team then they ended 2023 is slowly declining.

[Rcal10]

12 minutes ago, ToolDRT said:

No ricketts family panel at the upcoming Cubs convention… 

Which may be the case because he doesn’t want to field questions and complaints about the off season. I really doubt they do much. Seems the more they talk the more they are bracing the fan base for a disappointing off season. 

[Tryptamine]

21 minutes ago, ToolDRT said:

No ricketts family panel at the upcoming Cubs convention… 

Cowards