Cubs (Steele) vs White Sox (Flexen): 8/10/24, 6:15pm

[squally1313]

Not having a game today is unamerican 

[LBiittner]

53 minutes ago, Tryptamine said:

Please make this happen Jed. I don't care if you have to throw a combo like one of Alcantara/Caissie and Triantos. 

 

Also, I'm laughing at the clueless people in comments saying it would take 5 top 100 prospects for the Cubs to get O'Hoppe. As far as I know, 4 top 100 guys have never been dealt in the same trade let alone 5. 

I, for one, have renewed confidence in jeds ideas. Picking up paredes and his pursuit of Ohoppe look like a proper path. I'm hoping this coming offseason will finally be the winter of warm and fuzzy.

[Cuzi]

Also, it sounds like the Angels have absolutely no intention of trading him. So scratch his name off the list.

[LBiittner]

7 minutes ago, Cuzi said:

Also, it sounds like the Angels have absolutely no intention of trading him. So scratch his name off the list.

Posturing? No reason for them to do it now. This winter?, jeds offer might increase? 

[Cuzi]

2 minutes ago, LBiittner said:

Posturing? No reason for them to do it now. This winter?, jeds offer might increase? 

Posturing for what? They dont have to trade him. He's pre-arbitration with 4 more years of control.

The article states the Cubs "aggressively" pursued him and the Angels "firmly" denied them. They didn't even listen. That's not posturing. That's a team not wanting to trade one of their best players that they have no reason to trade.

Edited August 11, 2024 by Cuzi

[Derwood]

Small sample size, but O’Hoppe has been insanely bad since the deadline

Edited August 11, 2024 by Derwood

[Cuzi]

I'm fully preparing myself for a Carson Kelly + Miguel Amaya catching duo next year.

Kelly is an under the radar top defensive catcher and Jansen is going to get the big attention. Just feels like a Cubs move.

Edited August 11, 2024 by Cuzi

[Tim]

10 minutes ago, Cuzi said:

I'm fully preparing myself for a Carson Kelly + Miguel Amaya catching duo next year.

Kelly is an under the radar top defensive catcher and Jansen is going to get the big attention. Just feels like a Cubs move.

I'll get this on record now...

I'd be fine with that if it is paired with a bigger move. I have much more confidence in Amaya than most at this point. He has a track record of hitting at an okay level and his been stellar since his swing change. Over the past 30 days, he's at a 9.1 / 12.7% BB/K rate; .319/.385/.489 slash line; .380 wOBA and 147 wRC+

Now, I don't think he's that good. But I don't think he's going to kill a lineup going forward, either.

[Cuzi]

I'd be fine with it too, but it's hard to see where the "bigger" move is going to come from. Obviously there's Soto, which I would love to see the Cubs sign but I'm fairly realistic and I dont have high hopes for it. Then there's trading for Kyle Tucker. But beyond that, where's that franchise thumper this team desperately needs in the heart of the order?

[Irrelevant Dude]

3 hours ago, squally1313 said:

Not having a game today is unamerican 

It is REALLY strange.  Not playing baseball on a beautiful summer Sunday should be a criminal offense.

[Bertz]

Get on a three way call with the Angels and A's and treat it like an airline trying to bump someone from a flight.  Just start adding prospects to a pot and the first team to say yes gets it.

Solving catcher, and doing so at a league minimum salary, substantially raises both the floor and the ceiling for next year's team.

[Cuzi]

23 minutes ago, TomtheBombadil said:

Logan Gilbert, Robert Jr, and if they get that done there’s a real(edit: -er) shot at Soto (or FA 2026 Tucker)

Edit: Am I the only one fascinated by Tucker’s rise in popularity *after* an injury? Its funny because injuries are a major part of why the also 26 YO CF is toast. Awesome player but the roster’s not exactly dying for a corner outfielder, let alone one not particularly available and not even healthy rn 

Also I agree on someone like Kelly or d’Arnaud at catcher with bigger moves at other positions 

 

What are you even talking about? Kyle Tucker was a top prospect in baseball and has had 3 years in a row of 5 fWAR and in 60 games this year put up 3.1. He's always been popular. He's just never been a potential option until maybe now because the Astros havent been able to extend him and they are about to have to build a new core for the future with Bregman being a FA.

Dont even try to compare Tucker to a guy that's made it past 100 games one time in his career.

[Cuzi]

One of them is injured and one of them has put up 6x the production of the other in virtually the same amount of games.

To act like Houston has no incentive to trade him is laughable. They are a fringe playoff team as is. The likely only way they get into the playoffs is to win their division and they are .001 win % above the Mariners. Bregman is about to be a FA. Tucker is a year away from FA. Unless they can extend Tucker, there's all the incentive in the world to trade him in the offseason because they will be able to get a damn nice return for him.

[Bertz]

1 hour ago, Bertz said:

Get on a three way call with the Angels and A's and treat it like an airline trying to bump someone from a flight.  Just start adding prospects to a pot and the first team to say yes gets it.

Solving catcher, and doing so at a league minimum salary, substantially raises both the floor and the ceiling for next year's team.

Thinking about this more...if you go with the A's you could probably do Langeliers + Rooker as more or less a one stop shopping experience for the offense.  Plus there's ~$40M left to throw at FA pitching.  That could get you something like Robbie Ray and Kenley Jansen?

[731.4life]

3 hours ago, Cuzi said:

Posturing for what? They dont have to trade him. He's pre-arbitration with 4 more years of control.

The article states the Cubs "aggressively" pursued him and the Angels "firmly" denied them. They didn't even listen. That's not posturing. That's a team not wanting to trade one of their best players that they have no reason to trade.

Problem is they didn't want to trade any of their players other than their bullpen upcoming free agents in Estevez and I believe Garcia. Don't know what the Angels were doing holding onto Anderson and Rengifo. They need to get some speed going on their rebuild. However, I wouldn't trade O'Hoppe if I was the Angels.

Is O'Hoppe good? Yes, but I'd rather wait and see if the Cubs can go after O'Hoppe, Ford, Teel, Rushing, etc...

[Bobson Dugnutt]

5 hours ago, squally1313 said:

Not having a game today is unamerican 

First time since 1932 that the Cubs have had a scheduled off day on a Sunday, apparently.

[Bobson Dugnutt]

Decent day for scoreboard watching so far. Braves lost, Giants and Pirates are losing. Reds won.

[Crusader]

And the Mets are losing, and SD lost.

Edited August 12, 2024 by Crusader

[BKHoo]

8 hours ago, squally1313 said:

Not having a game today is unamerican 

Yes but except for AZ, every team we wanted to lost. 

[Rcal10]

3 hours ago, Bertz said:

Thinking about this more...if you go with the A's you could probably do Langeliers + Rooker as more or less a one stop shopping experience for the offense.  Plus there's ~$40M left to throw at FA pitching.  That could get you something like Robbie Ray and Kenley Jansen?

I am sure this will not be a popular belief, but if Bellinger comes back I am not sure they have a apt or a need for any extra bat. Just go with a solid catcher to share time with Amaya(Kelly) and then spend on someone like Burnes to improve the starting staff. Maybe also sign a pen arm. That is about it. Offense gets better by guys just having better years. Swanson should be better. So should Nico. PCA should be better next year. Plus they have Paredes ass year. None of the guys they have are doing well to a level they shouldn’t expect to at least be the same next year, and probably better. If their offense is middle of the pack (7th or 8th in the NL) but their rotation is too 3 and their pen is decent and they play great defense, there is no reason that team can’t win 90 games. It should be good enough. Of course, I would love for Bellinger to opt out. Then spend big and get Soto. PERIOD. That would be the ideal situation. But I am not sure they will do that. If Bellinger opts out they can also trade some young talent for Vlad or Tucker. Maybe even Robert, depending o  his cost. But if not, just add to the staff. 

[mfcubs22]

If you can guarantee me Soto, Vlad, or Tucker I want Belli to opt out so bad. If not, he might be our best option for a bat (115 wRC+ isn’t terrible) and offers nice defensive flexibility. Won’t feel great about the offense with our only addition being a catcher, though. 

[Rcal10]

2 minutes ago, mfcubs22 said:

If you can guarantee me Soto, Vlad, or Tucker I want Belli to opt out so bad. If not, he might be our best option for a bat (115 wRC+ isn’t terrible) and offers nice defensive flexibility. Won’t feel great about the offense with our only addition being a catcher, though. 

Kind of how I feel. But I do think the offense will be better with guys they have just being better. So if you add a TOR starting pitcher, a catcher to split time with Amaya and a decent pen arm I think the team is good enough to be middle of the pack offensively and very good at run prevention. So a solid 90 win team. Yes, I would rather have an upgrade  offensively to Bellinger. But if not, I think they would be ok. 

[BKHoo]

Hey everyone this season has sort of been below expectations but if you had said a few weeks back we’d be 3 GB on this date, I think we all would take it. Let’s go Cubs!! 

[Bobson Dugnutt]

43 minutes ago, Crusader said:

And the Mets are losing, and SD lost.

I don’t think SD is quite in our sights yet, but if we’re feeling ambitious, might as well point out that the Brewers lost too. This was about as perfect of an off day as possible.

[Stratos]

5 hours ago, mfcubs22 said:

If you can guarantee me Soto, Vlad, or Tucker I want Belli to opt out so bad. If not, he might be our best option for a bat (115 wRC+ isn’t terrible) and offers nice defensive flexibility. Won’t feel great about the offense with our only addition being a catcher, though. 

I think Belli is a bit better than the 115 wRC+.  I'd expect more HR as his .ISO is well down this year.  In the first half he seemed to pop-up a bunch of pitches balls he crushed last year.

A catcher and full year of Paredes will go a long way compared to this year.  Cubs have -0.4 fWAR out of 3B this season compared to 2.6 WAR last season, and -0.9 fWAR this year out of C compared to 1.5 WAR last year.  That's about 5.5 wins difference so far.

CF is also down by about 4 wins this season because PCA/Bellinger in 2024 is far less productive than Belli/Tauchman from last year.  I think we could get 2 more wins out of CF next year.  An effective pen for the first 3 months would also nab more wins.  Soto would add about 3 wins over e.g. Happ, plus whatever we get if we trade one of our current OF.  Maybe add 5-ish wins (?) if we kept all our OF.  Given all the teams that will want Soto we might have maybe a 10% shot at landing him if we're serious about it.