Spring Training Chit Chats

[chibears55]

15 minutes ago, Rob said:

Everybody wanting Madrigal to be cut is going to be sorely disappointed. About the only chance for that is something clicks for Morel and overnight he becomes as good a defender as Madrigal.

 

Otherwise, we are keeping the slick fielding high contact guy on our roster all season. And he's starting frequently.

Morel is going to be given a pretty good chunk of games to show he can handle 3B, especially if he's hitting good.

Madrigal is nothing more then depth for them

[Rcal10]

18 minutes ago, Rob said:

Everybody wanting Madrigal to be cut is going to be sorely disappointed. About the only chance for that is something clicks for Morel and overnight he becomes as good a defender as Madrigal.

 

Otherwise, we are keeping the slick fielding high contact guy on our roster all season. And he's starting frequently.

I don’t really have a problem with Madrigal making the team. I just don’t really want him and Mastrobuoni on it at the same time. I think Wisdom is a lock for the team. And I would rather have either Cooper or Peralta as the last bay over either Madrigal Or Mastrobuoni.

Because Peralta is a lefty and Cooper is a right handed bat, I would like to see Mastro paired with Cooper and/or Madrigal paired with Peralta. 

[Bertz]

There are three categories of quality bench player:

1. The guys who can just step in and be a quality starter if needed

2. The supersub types who can do a little bit of everything 

3. The guys who can do 1 or 2 things extremely well

I would consider Amaya and Tauchman category 1 guys.  Mastro if he hits like he did in the second half (which his minor league track record suggests we should expect) is a category 2 guy, potentially a high end one. 

Madrigal, Wisdom, and Cooper are category 3 guys.  Wisdom has insane power, Cooper is a lefty masher, and Madrigal is arguably the most extreme contact hitter in baseball.  He's also, in limited playing time this far, an elite glove at a position where we have major defensive questions currently.  I don't see a good argument for dumping him in order to carry a second one of Wisdom/Cooper/Canario.  At least not in the immediate term.

[Irrelevant Dude]

56 minutes ago, Rob said:

Everybody wanting Madrigal to be cut is going to be sorely disappointed. About the only chance for that is something clicks for Morel

The most likely thing to click is Madrigal's hamstring.

[PackLandVA]

I know it's only Spring Training and all, but Hector Neris....yikes!

[Irrelevant Dude]

Let's hope this was just another Spring Training rope-a-dope from Swanson.

41 at bats, 8 hits (all singles), 11 K's, 5 BB's

Woof.

[Rcal10]

1 hour ago, Bertz said:

There are three categories of quality bench player:

1. The guys who can just step in and be a quality starter if needed

2. The supersub types who can do a little bit of everything 

3. The guys who can do 1 or 2 things extremely well

I would consider Amaya and Tauchman category 1 guys.  Mastro if he hits like he did in the second half (which his minor league track record suggests we should expect) is a category 2 guy, potentially a high end one. 

Madrigal, Wisdom, and Cooper are category 3 guys.  Wisdom has insane power, Cooper is a lefty masher, and Madrigal is arguably the most extreme contact hitter in baseball.  He's also, in limited playing time this far, an elite glove at a position where we have major defensive questions currently.  I don't see a good argument for dumping him in order to carry a second one of Wisdom/Cooper/Canario.  At least not in the immediate term.

Not a huge deal to me either way. But would rather have either Cooper or Peralta over having both Madrigal and Mastrobuoni on the roster the same time.  Both of those guys gives the Cubs a little more power than carrying both Madrigal and Mastro. Won’t be upset or angry with the team choosing Mastro and Madrigal, I would just rather they only had one of them on the roster. 

[chibears55]

Cubs bench will likely be a revolving door all season, it wouldn't surprise me if by July we see 2 or 3 of these players gone from the team.

I hope outside of Amaya,  we don't have to see any of these guys get more then 1 start a week top just to keep fresh.

 

[Rcal10]

1 hour ago, chibears55 said:

Cubs bench will likely be a revolving door all season, it wouldn't surprise me if by July we see 2 or 3 of these players gone from the team.

I hope outside of Amaya,  we don't have to see any of these guys get more then 1 start a week top just to keep fresh.

 

I really do not view the bench as bad as I think you view it. It is guys that don’t start. So they aren’t going to be great. But I think the bench is fine. And someone will DH. So if they play 6 games and have to have a DH in each game, someone is always going to get more than 1 start a week. But I do agree we might see guys going up and down this season. But I don’t consider that a bad thing either. I think they have some depth in the minors who can step up if they want to mix the bench up a bit. 

Edited March 26, 2024 by Rcal10

[Tim]

2 hours ago, Rcal10 said:

I really do not view the bench as bad as I think you view it. It is guys that don’t start. So they aren’t going to be great. But I think the bench is fine. And someone will DH. So if they play 6 games and have to have a DH in each game, someone is always going to get more than 1 start a week. But I do agree we might see guys going up and down this season. But I don’t consider that a bad thing either. I think they have some depth in the minors who can step up if they want to mix the bench up a bit. 

Yeah, this is more of a "now" issue. By mid-year, they could easily have several guys ready for MLB at bats.

[Stratos]

7 hours ago, Rcal10 said:

The only thing Madrigal has going to him is he is probably the best fielding 3rd baseman we have. But for me, he would be sent down when Wisdom comes back. I think Mastrobuoni gives them a little more versatility. 

I guess they want the extra INF but I just haven't seen anything that Mastro does above average besides run well.  I don't really like the glove much either.  The BB% and other stats he's shown in the minors just haven't translated to the MLB yet.  If he has no pop he at least needs to draw more walks and not be a liability at the plate.  It would be nice if he could be the INF version of Tauchman but I just don't know if it's going to happen.

We may not have other good choices to fill his role but I just don't like Mastro on the roster.  At least Madrigal has 2 good tools.

[We Got The Whole 9]

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[chibears55]

15 hours ago, Tim said:

Yeah, this is more of a "now" issue. By mid-year, they could easily have several guys ready for MLB at bats.

That what I'm thinking,  come second half and deadline we're going to see them add guys who will either help them with a playoff push and or start adding the ready prospects that will be part of 2025.

[chibears55]

14 hours ago, Stratos said:

I guess they want the extra INF but I just haven't seen anything that Mastro does above average besides run well.  I don't really like the glove much either.  The BB% and other stats he's shown in the minors just haven't translated to the MLB yet.  If he has no pop he at least needs to draw more walks and not be a liability at the plate.  It would be nice if he could be the INF version of Tauchman but I just don't know if it's going to happen.

We may not have other good choices to fill his role but I just don't like Mastro on the roster.  At least Madrigal has 2 good tools.

I dont expect to see Mastrobuoni or Madrigal on the roster come July or sooner, there will be upgrades available by then.

[Rcal10]

14 hours ago, Stratos said:

I guess they want the extra INF but I just haven't seen anything that Mastro does above average besides run well.  I don't really like the glove much either.  The BB% and other stats he's shown in the minors just haven't translated to the MLB yet.  If he has no pop he at least needs to draw more walks and not be a liability at the plate.  It would be nice if he could be the INF version of Tauchman but I just don't know if it's going to happen.

We may not have other good choices to fill his role but I just don't like Mastro on the roster.  At least Madrigal has 2 good tools.

I think Mastrobouni is at least as good as Madrigal (probably better)at the plate and can steal bases. I also think the idea of Madrigal being this star fielder is a bit overblown. He was fine. But as we know from one year to another those metrics can change easily. Add to it that Mastrobuoni hits left handed and can play SS and even the outfield, and that is why I like him a little more than Madrigal. Honestly, to me it is splitting hairs between the two of them. Bottom line is, most likely both will make the team. My guess is both Cooper and Peralta are released when all are healthy. . 

If only one of them made the team, to me, it would be the guy who hits from the opposite side of the plate that the 26th player hits from. So if Peralta is 26, keep Madrigal. If Cooper is 26th, keep Mastrobouni up. That is how little difference I see in them. 

[Rcal10]

12 minutes ago, chibears55 said:

I dont expect to see Mastrobuoni or Madrigal on the roster come July or sooner, there will be upgrades available by then.

I think you will be very disappointed if you really feel this way. I honestly don’t know what you expect from a back up utility infielder. Maybe one will not be on the team. I doubt both will be done. 

[chibears55]

Wow,  gonna be keeping an eye on Joe Nahas this season..

Nice outing,  bases loaded no outs comes in relief and gets out of it by striking out 3 

[chibears55]

5 minutes ago, Rcal10 said:

I think you will be very disappointed if you really feel this way. I honestly don’t know what you expect from a back up utility infielder. Maybe one will not be on the team. I doubt both will be done. 

I feel Madrigal will be gone when Wisdom returns and if not one of the kids from Iowa that ready to come up then possibly a trade for an upgraded bat will make Mastrobuoni disappear, I just dont see him providing much offensively when needed.

 

I like to have guys on the bench that you can put in for 2-3 games or more if a regular has to take a couple days off or goes on Il for an injury or whatever reason and you can trust their replacement can at least be somewhat productive over that time to help the lineup and not just be a hole in the lineup that just filling a spot.

That what I see Mastrobuoni and Madrigal as being, a hole in the line up when their in it.  

[WhyCantWeWin]

 

really wish the Cubs had done this deal

[Derwood]

1 hour ago, WhyCantWeWin said:

 

really wish the Cubs had done this deal

Man, Boras taking a major L this off season

[UMFan83]

I wonder how much the Boras 4 would have gotten last offseason when it seemed like the money and years were flowing more freely (Bellinger coming off his 2023 season, not where he actually was as a FA in 2023).  Crazy that all of them basically accepted 1 year deals after all that posturing.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

I get the impression that the Dodgers updated some of their internal models this offseason, and in a couple years we're gonna find out if they were way ahead of the curve or shot themselves in the foot 

 

[Bertz]

I'm very much doing the kombucha girl reaction to that extension.  Like $140M to a catcher two years out from FA is pretty dumb in a general sense, but a $14M AAV is very forgiving.  I think I mostly come down on disliking it.

To your point though there's definitely something going on with them.  The Padres' LT nonsense, now in hindsight, was clearly about maximizing their window before Seidler died.  For the Dodgers is all of their stuff this offseason just reverberations from Ohtani's deferrals or is something else going on?

[mul21]

36 minutes ago, Bertz said:

I'm very much doing the kombucha girl reaction to that extension.  Like $140M to a catcher two years out from FA is pretty dumb in a general sense, but a $14M AAV is very forgiving.  I think I mostly come down on disliking it.

To your point though there's definitely something going on with them.  The Padres' LT nonsense, now in hindsight, was clearly about maximizing their window before Seidler died.  For the Dodgers is all of their stuff this offseason just reverberations from Ohtani's deferrals or is something else going on?

Maybe they have some working theory on what's going to happen with the CBT and are basing their moves off it being non-existent or much higher in the next 5 years?

[Rob]

22 minutes ago, mul21 said:

Maybe they have some working theory on what's going to happen with the CBT and are basing their moves off it being non-existent or much higher in the next 5 years?

Yeah, after the Boras client issues this offseason, I imagine the players union is going to take a much harder stance on the next CBA and we might see some significant changes. There's already rumblings of replacing high-ranking members of the MLBPA.