Spring Training Chit Chats

[Derwood]

Also seems like Boras wants all these guys to be on the market again next winter. 

[Rcal10]

8 minutes ago, Derwood said:

Also seems like Boras wants all these guys to be on the market again next winter. 

So seems Boras is losing this round of free agency. I am for the players. But sometimes he pushes too far and this year he is getting burned. I think both these guys could have had a better deal had there been some real negotiations from the start. He set the bar too high for each and now he is stuck. I agree, I wish the Cubs could have gotten him at this amount. And they could have and stayed under the $257M line. 

[Bertz]

Chapman certainly got burned by waiting.  There's real value in shaking off the qualifying offer and having your choice of the next three years to get back out there, but it's not double.

This waiting game always seemed risky, with Chapman being limited to one position (limiting his options) it was clearly dumb.

[Tryptamine]

So Chapman supposedly turned down what, 5/100 from Toronto? Now he will enter 2025 FA, assuming he plays well enough to opt out, as a guy who will turn 32 a month into the regular season. I'd be surprised if there's a 4/80 deal waiting for him. You could justify the Bellinger deal making sense for both parties, this Champman deal was just Boras completely losing his gamble.

[Rcal10]

At this contract Chapman would have been a good get for the Cubs. Would have put them at $253M but they probably could have traded Wisdom to get his contract off the team. He isn’t paid that much where no team would take him. That would have put them around $250M to $251M. Enough cushion to add at the deadline. I would think that deal would have made the Cubs the clear favorite for the division. If they will go over $237M to add a player(s) at the deadline, why not be over now and get that player for the full year? 

[LBiittner]

15 hours ago, Rcal10 said:

Lived in Chicago suburb until 2022. Had a house here in Az. and Chicago area from 17’ until 22’. Sold in the Chicago area and moved here full time in 2022. 
Even when we had 2 houses we were not typical snowbirds. I could work from anywhere. Only worked part time anyway. But my wife worked full time. She would get something like 6 weeks in the office and then 6 weeks out. So when she could work from home we came here. But when she was in the office, even if it was “typical snowbird time in Az.” We were in Chicago area. 

We did the 2 homes thing, one in city, one at the lake. Once retirement happened, after remodel, we moved to the lake fulltime. Fun times

[Transmogrified Tiger]

4 minutes ago, Rcal10 said:

If they will go over $237M to add a player(s) at the deadline, why not be over now and get that player for the full year? 

The thing to keep in mind about the relationship to the tax line is it's not only a number to monitor for this year, but how many consecutive years you stay over it.  While both Bellinger and Chapman seem fairly likely to opt out after just one year, they have potential guarantees beyond that, and the Cubs have a non-trivial amount of those guarantees(Chapman would make 8 players with 8 figure guarantees thru 2026+).  So the question is not only 'do we have the headroom to do this in 2024', it's 'what does this do to our headroom for 2025 and 2026', where the answers are less black and white.  Also, pushing most of your chips in now hurts your ability to make other short term upgrades.  Yes, you'd have Chapman v. the alternatives for a full season, but if (as an example) Gomes tears his ACL in May, getting catching help for less time may end up more impactful given the marginal difference between the alternatives.

[LBiittner]

18 minutes ago, Transmogrified Tiger said:

The thing to keep in mind about the relationship to the tax line is it's not only a number to monitor for this year, but how many consecutive years you stay over it.  While both Bellinger and Chapman seem fairly likely to opt out after just one year, they have potential guarantees beyond that, and the Cubs have a non-trivial amount of those guarantees(Chapman would make 8 players with 8 figure guarantees thru 2026+).  So the question is not only 'do we have the headroom to do this in 2024', it's 'what does this do to our headroom for 2025 and 2026', where the answers are less black and white.  Also, pushing most of your chips in now hurts your ability to make other short term upgrades.  Yes, you'd have Chapman v. the alternatives for a full season, but if (as an example) Gomes tears his ACL in May, getting catching help for less time may end up more impactful given the marginal difference between the alternatives.

That's an explanation I never would've thought. I guess  guilty of blinders with just 24 on my mind. Thanks

[Rcal10]

1 hour ago, TomtheBombadil said:

Chapman’s got a fun set of skills, high EV flyball hitter is most of what I wanted this offseason (on a LHH or two), but it’s hard to beat up the FO for not signing a 30+ 3B with hip injuries. Btw the play pretend cap and budgets plus the nigh endless supply of cheap and/or optionable players it was always a longshot 

I haven’t seen anyone beating the Cubs up for not signing him. All I said is at that price he could have been signed. And, as I said, IMO if they do plan on going over the LT this year why not do it now? Maybe Chapman puts them too close to the next line. So I get that. 

[KCCub]

 

[Bertz]

I'm not one of those crappy fans who popped up last year who hate Happ for some reason, but he's pretty objectively the most easily replaceable of our good players.  Especially in April with the wind blowing in there's not a ton of daylight between Happ and Tauchman.

Let him take his time and get healthy and if he has to miss the first series or three it'll be fine.

[Crusader]

Hamstrings tend to be reoccurring, so he needs to take his time to get fully healthy. That probably helps Canario’s chances.

[Rob]

36 minutes ago, Bertz said:

I'm not one of those crappy fans who popped up last year who hate Happ for some reason, but he's pretty objectively the most easily replaceable of our good players.  Especially in April with the wind blowing in there's not a ton of daylight between Happ and Tauchman.

Let him take his time and get healthy and if he has to miss the first series or three it'll be fine.

Yeah, Happ is good. But between Tauchman, PCA, Canario, etc... we're not missing a ton if he goes down for a couple series. We've got a lot of capable OF guys.

[WhyCantWeWin]

1 hour ago, Crusader said:

Hamstrings tend to be reoccurring, so he needs to take his time to get fully healthy. That probably helps Canario’s chances.

Yeah my first thought was this is a great opportunity for one of the kids. In spring training and possibly when the season starts. 

[Bertz]

Quote

 

Imanaga’s four-seam fastball has special traits that rate highly in models. Even with the larger and less tacky baseball MLB uses, the Cubs have seen those characteristics have carried forward. Getting 18 inches of induced vertical break is generally considered strong. Imanaga has flashed 22-23 inches in a controlled environment this spring. Once you get to 20, it’s elite. He also comes at a lower arm slot, which helps him have a strong vertical approach angle.

During Saturday’s game, Trackman had Imanaga as high as 20 inches. Still, there are times when it doesn’t come out as well and he’s down around 16 or 17 inches. Finding consistency with the fastball will be important. The dry Arizona weather can also make the ball slicker, slightly impacting these numbers for the worse.

 

 

Quote

The Cubs are working with Imanaga on changing his mentality with the fastball. During side sessions, they’ll stop after a specific pitch and show him that fastballs he’s used to seeing called balls up in the zone are being called strikes via Trackman. That visual helps him process just how high he can go with the heater. The more he understands that the more it becomes about execution than anything else.

 

[Rcal10]

17 hours ago, TomtheBombadil said:

We need a ?? reaction button. You’re not being accused of anything or even referred to in the post? In terms of FA spending the Giants are barely expecting a starter over the life of the deal. They’ve been lurking in FA for years, got an even better deal already with Lee, and are in a better cap position than Cubs to take on the risk of a Chapman collapse. I’d even say the Cubs already made a similar signing last year with Tailllon. If either is a 2+ WAR player things are going great and if not expectations are low anyway, there’s bodies, and can’t say we didn’t spend

——

This Happ injury puts a little more spotlight on Canario and Davis? Neither has the tightest grip on their 40 spot even this whole season and opportunity to carve a niche can’t get so much better than starter out + a platoon partner for coverage 

We do need some sort of way to show content in posts and responses. I did not mean to suggest you were accusing me of anything or even referencing me. Sorry if it sounded that way. I just wasn’t sure if what I said appeared like I was complaining that the Cubs didn’t do more. So I was only trying to clarify I was not. I believe we are all good and I do understand why Chapman probably wouldn’t work. Honestly I am fine with the off season as it stands. And if I was being completely honest I would agree that Chapman puts them too close to that second line. I do wonder, however, if Belt would be a solid late spring addition if the Cubs decided Morel can handle 3rd base. He won’t cost as much as Chapman and the Cubs can move Wisdom and save a little that way. Jed indicated he is about done but always still looking to help the team. That would be an option. Short of that I think we have our team and IMO a team what should win 85+ games next year. 

[Bertz]

This makes things sound surprisingly settled for how far out we are from opening day.  Also the way it talks about Madrigal implies Morel is #1 on the depth chart at 3B

 

 

[Bertz]

 

 

[Rob]

8 hours ago, TomtheBombadil said:

Josh Donaldson, drafted by Cubs and traded for Rich Harden, retired. Pretty nuts he put up nearly 50 rWAR considering he converted from catcher and didn’t become a full time player until 27. He had a stretch from 2013-2017 avg nearly 7 rWAR plus another 5+ WAR season with Atlanta

 

I'm still convinced he might have had a little something left in the tank (after all, even a dead cat bounce from a .115 BABIP will help considerably). But I can't blame him for calling it quits after a season like 2023 -- he probably wasn't getting offers worth anywhere near what he perceives his worth to be. And he's got generational wealth at this point.

[Derwood]

Cardinals haven’t hit a homer yet in a spring game

[LBiittner]

Giolito out ucl tear. Thank goodness we didn't sign him. 

Verlander won't open the season. 

Sonny Grey hammy

Gausman shoulder

Bednar tightness in shoulder.

Manoah shoulder

Taillon legs 

It must be spring, pitchers are blooming

[chibears55]

2 hours ago, Derwood said:

Cardinals haven’t hit a homer yet in a spring game

Theyll probably start the season on a HR tear hitting one in a bunch of consecutive games 😅

[Post Count Padder]

Mike Zunino retired today. He could hit some bombs and little else. He was 3rd overall pick in the 2012 draft and it got me looking back at it. Of that first round, the Cubs had 7 picks eventually play for them (Almora, Pierce Johnson, Paul Blackburn, Addison Russell, Marcus Stroman, Eddie Butler, Patrick Wisdom). Just interesting tidbit. Almora did NOT pan out but him tagging up on that Bryant sac fly and then scoring in Game 7 is probably worth it.

[Bertz]

This is more of a regular season chit chat than a spring training one, but Cubs look to be catching a break as the Rangers have some injury issues that look like they'll impact opening day.  First

Corey Seager also looks increasingly unlikely for OD

Quote

 

Seager, who underwent surgery to repair a sports hernia in January, could conceivably get a few at-bats in Cactus League play before camp breaks, though it looks as though it will be close.

"I'm hopeful," manager Bruce Bochy said on March 5. "To be honest, I don't know for sure. ... He caught the flu -- that probably slowed things down just a hair. But we'll see where we're at by the end of this week."

 

And it's been known all winter their SP situation was going to be dicey in the first half.

 

[squally1313]

Cubs made their first set of roster cuts. Too lazy to figure out how to get the tweet on my phone into this post, but:

1. Ben Brown
2. PCA (!)
3. Luiz Vazquez
4. Brennen Davis
5. Arias
6. Hodge
7. Alcantara (5-7 all to AA)
8. Ethan Roberts
9. Riley Thompson
10. Aliendo
11. Matt Shaw (sad face)
12. Owen Caissie (also sad face)

ST games just got a lot more boring.