Cody Opts In

[Cuzi]

48 minutes ago, Donzo said:

How'd Washington do without Harper?

That team still had Juan Soto, Trea Turner, Anthony Rendon, Ryan Zimmerman turning back time, Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, and Patrick Corbin. Name the equivalent on the Cubs roster.

Aside from Zimmerman being clutch in the playoffs, all of those names are 5 WAR players at the time. The Cubs have a grand total of 0 of those.

Edited November 3, 2024 by Cuzi

[Rcal10]

35 minutes ago, LBiittner said:

That's probably where jed gains the power this roster needs.

Any trade for either realistically would require Amaya going in return. Probably plus Alcantara and...? A young infielder or young pitcher?

I don’t necessarily agree that Amaya has to go back in a trade for a catcher. Especially if it is to the A’s. I don’t think anyone has any idea of what the A’s value in trades. That said, I wouldn’t be opposed to a deal if Amaya had to go back. And I also agree it would take probably 2 top 100 prospects and maybe Amaya or another guy further down on the Cubs list of prospects to get Langeliers or O’Hoppe. 

[Tank]

37 minutes ago, Donzo said:

How'd Washington do without Harper?

Comparing a $330 five year old contract to a $600M + contract tody isn't the same.

The Cubs have many paths to success without Soto.

And a $600 million contract today won't be the same as an $800 million contract in 5 more years. 

[Donzo]

11 minutes ago, Cuzi said:

That team still had Juan Soto, Trea Turner, Anthony Rendon, and Ryan Zimmerman turning back time. Name the equivalent on the Cubs roster.

Yeah, I know the team, my buddy is a Nat fan. They also had three excellent starting pitchers.

Zimmerman was toast by 2019. Him and some other guy were the 1B and it was a weak spot. Turner was good, not great. Sometthing like 3.5-4.5 WAR... I would 100% take Busch and Swanson at 1B/SS in 2025 over what the 2019 Nat's had in 2019. Catching up to Rendon and Soto will be the task.

So, again, how'd the Nat's do after losing their $330M player?

[Cuzi]

9 minutes ago, Donzo said:

Yeah, I know the team, my buddy is a Nat fan. They also had three excellent starting pitchers.

Zimmerman was toast by 2019. Him and some other guy were the 1B and it was a weak spot. Turner was good, not great. Sometthing like 3.5-4.5 WAR... I would 100% take Busch and Swanson at 1B/SS in 2025 over what the 2019 Nat's had in 2019. Catching up to Rendon and Soto will be the task.

So, again, how'd the Nat's do after losing their $330M player?

Turner was absolutely a 5 WAR player back then, not sure what you are talking about. He put up 5.1 in 2018, 4.4 in 2019 in 40 less games, 2.8 in 59 games in 2020, followed by 7.1 and 6.4. There's a pretty good reason why Swanson got a fraction of the contract when they were both a FA at the same time.

They had multiple $300M players on that roster. Name the single one on the Cubs.

Edited November 3, 2024 by Cuzi

[Donzo]

9 minutes ago, Tank said:

And a $600 million contract today won't be the same as an $800 million contract in 5 more years. 

Not the same math as $330M to $600M in five years. The same math goes $600M to around 1.1B- BILLION!!!

I don't know what MLB's earning projections are, but I don't see that.

 

 

[Donzo]

6 minutes ago, Cuzi said:

Turner was absolutely a 5 WAR player back then, not sure what you are talking about.

They had multiple $300M players on that roster. Name the single one on the Cubs.

Nope and Nope.

Looked, Turner's WAR was 4 in 2019. Sames as Swanson's in 2024.

No $300M players on 2019 Nats.

For Rendon, he's been junk since 2019. How do ya think the Angels are liking that big contract they gave him?

So, again, how'd the Nat's do after losing Harper?

[Cuzi]

Lol. Turner played in 27 less games in 2019 and still had more WAR than Swanson last season.

Wtf does Rendon's performance since 2019 matter? What was he in the year you are talking about?

The fact that you are trying to argue the Cubs are in anywhere near the same situation as the 2019 Nationals is hilariously dumb. You need more than 1 hand to count the number of 5 WAR players on that roster and you dont even need 1 finger to count them on the Cubs.

Edited November 3, 2024 by Cuzi

[Donzo]

2 minutes ago, Cuzi said:

The fact that you are trying to argue the Cubs are in anywhere near the same situation as the 2019 Nationals is hilariously dumb.

What's hilarioudly dumb is the spinning I'm getting when asking how the Nat's did after losing Harper. I've made no Cub comparison to the 2019 Nats other than I'll tak=ke the Cubs 1B/SS combo over the 2019 Nats.

You're butt hurt and got your panties in a wad over me asking how the Nats did without Harper. Then deflected by compairing the 2019 Nats to the 2025 Cubs. I had nothing to do with the comparison.

The Rendon reference is for awful he's been since signing a big FA cotract. If that reference goes over your head in regards to signing a FA to $600M contract, that's your problem.

 

[Cuzi]

You are asking that question as if the Nationals only had 1 great player. That's where you argument fails. The Cubs dont have a single great player. This team needs an influx of great players, whether thats from cost controlled players like the 2019 Nationals, or FA players like Juan Soto.

I'm not arguing the Cubs can't win without Juan Soto, just that you bringing up that specific team as an example to act like you prove a point by doing so is complete ignorance. That team was loaded with top flight talent. The Cubs are loaded with merely solid players aiming for death by a thousand cuts.

No one in their god damned right mind is taking a 31 year old Swanson over a 26 year old Trea Turner... except you.

Edited November 3, 2024 by Cuzi

[Stratos]

4 hours ago, Cuzi said:

People spend too much time on this RHH vs LHP and vice versa horsefeathers. Tauchman carries the exact same career wRC+ against LH and RH pitching. He carrries a better average against LHP than he does RHP.

They have to first get that 5th outfielder before Tauchman becomes redundant. They havent done that and there's no reason to believe they will. They have $50M to work with to find a catcher and pitching and replace the infield bench.

Don't they dare cut Mastrobuoni 

[Stratos]

4 hours ago, Transmogrified Tiger said:

Tauchman has 9 career PH PA against LHP, 1 of those has come with the Cubs.  He’s not an infielder. If you think they may keep him as the last bench option because he’s got a contact profile that is more split neutral, that’s fine.  But the idea that platoon splits are irrelevant in a bench role or that Tauchman would take any meaningful playing time that went to Wisdom is silly.

Tauchman has even career splits against LH vs RH though.   Only 290 career PA vs LH, but thems the numbers.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

I am going to become the joker

[Stratos]

5 different websites will have 5 different numbers for what the Cubs payroll was for luxury tax purposes in 2024.  

Exactly how much the Cubs have to spend under the tax this offseason is one of life's mysteries that nobody knows besides God and Jed.

[Donzo]

20 minutes ago, Cuzi said:

You are asking that question as if the Nationals only had 1 great player. That's where you argument fails. The Cubs dont have a single great player. This team needs an influx of great players, whether thats from cost controlled players like the 2019 Nationals, or FA players like Juan Soto.

I'm not arguing the Cubs can't win without Juan Soto, just that you bringing up that specific team as an example to act like you prove a point by doing so is complete ignorance. That team was loaded with top flight talent. The Cubs are loaded with merely solid players aiming for death by a thousand cuts.

No one in their god damned right mind is taking a 31 year old Swanson over a 26 year old Trea Turner... except you.

Ok, I'm doing none of this. I simply asked how did the Nat's do after losing their $330M player. Instead of answering the question you've gone into convulsions trying to spin out of it.

Againg, for the 3rd time, I'd take the Cubs 1B/SS combo in 2025 over what the Nats had in 2019.

... Ya know, I'm gonna stop. Yur just gonna keep spinnin' stuff up... Good day.

[JBears79]

16 hours ago, Stratos said:

Amaya has some upside but i don't think the FO should make decisions for next year based on 2 good months when the others were terrible (including Sept).  Anyone can hit well for 100 AB's.  I hope they see him as a 2nd catcher at this point until he proves otherwise and can find an upgrade to pair with him.

We did get some reports that the Cubs were pursuing catchers like O'Hoope at the trade deadline. I imagine they revisit that in the offseason. We gotta get some pop back there. Langerliers would be nice to pair with Amaya like everyone keeps saying.

[Tank]

1 hour ago, Donzo said:

Not the same math as $330M to $600M in five years. The same math goes $600M to around 1.1B- BILLION!!!

I don't know what MLB's earning projections are, but I don't see that.

 

 

Neither of us know their earning projections, but that is also why your same math argument doesn't work. Soto isn't going to be the last $600 million player. Nor is that contract going to look near as bad later on down the road given even modest earning projections. What it comes down to is that at some point the Cubs either need to get an elite level hitter and they can do that by either having deeper pockets in free agency, finding a trade partner, or drafting one. What some of us are saying is that the opportunity is there and we want to see the Cubs take it. 

[jersey cubs fan]

2 hours ago, Donzo said:

.

The Cubs have many paths to success without Soto.

And they won’t take one 

[Bertz]

1 hour ago, Stratos said:

Tauchman has even career splits against LH vs RH though.   Only 290 career PA vs LH, but thems the numbers.

Two things

1. There is a pretty large element of selection bias here.  Tauchman generally only gets to face lesser lefties, which makes his numbers against them superficially solid (TT talked about this last page)

2. From a bench player, being split neutral is kind of bad actually.  With an everyday starter you want someone who had a chance to produce, well, every day.  From a bench player you want leveragable skills.  And being solid at everything great at nothing limits situations where it makes sense to insert you.  This is why Tauchman stopped playing in August.  He doesn't have anything he does better than both PCA and Bellinger.  Contact is his only above average skill and Bellinger's already great there

[Rcal10]

6 minutes ago, Bertz said:

Two things

1. There is a pretty large element of selection bias here.  Tauchman generally only gets to face lesser lefties, which makes his numbers against them superficially solid (TT talked about this last page)

2. From a bench player, being split neutral is kind of bad actually.  With an everyday starter you want someone who had a chance to produce, well, every day.  From a bench player you want leveragable skills.  And being solid at everything great at nothing limits situations where it makes sense to insert you.  This is why Tauchman stopped playing in August.  He doesn't have anything he does better than both PCA and Bellinger.  Contact is his only above average skill and Bellinger's already great there

I also think 2 things can be true about him. 

1. He is a nice bench bat, 4th outfielder.       
 

2. He is not a good fit for the Cubs. They have enough left handed bats in the outfield and can use an outfielder who hits right handed.

 

[LBiittner]

Trey Mancini is coming back to mlb. He might be that right-handed bat off the bench some people lust after

[imb]

1 hour ago, LBiittner said:

Trey Mancini is coming back to mlb. He might be that right-handed bat off the bench some people lust after

platoon him with a lefty bat like i dunno, a hosmer? then we can trade busch for a reliever and call it an offseason

[Tank]

3 minutes ago, imb said:

platoon him with a lefty bat like i dunno, a hosmer? then we can trade busch for a reliever and call it an offseason

Stop it before you two speak this into existence.

[Stratos]

5 hours ago, Bertz said:

Two things

1. There is a pretty large element of selection bias here.  Tauchman generally only gets to face lesser lefties, which makes his numbers against them superficially solid (TT talked about this last page)

2. From a bench player, being split neutral is kind of bad actually.  With an everyday starter you want someone who had a chance to produce, well, every day.  From a bench player you want leveragable skills.  And being solid at everything great at nothing limits situations where it makes sense to insert you.  This is why Tauchman stopped playing in August.  He doesn't have anything he does better than both PCA and Bellinger.  Contact is his only above average skill and Bellinger's already great there

I wonder how Tauchman's right- left splits were in the minors, especially AAA, he had a ton of minor league reps.  That could give us more of a clue since we'd assume he'd be get regular playing time as a starterdown there.  Not 1:1 to MLB pitching but better than nothing.

[Stratos]

10 hours ago, Transmogrified Tiger said:

Splits matter because a player's usage can heavily impact how lopsided they are.  Do you think Tauchman would have even splits if he faced the same LHP that Wisdom did?  This is the same thing from people wringing their hands about Wisdom playing over Busch, there's a cause and effect, and setting aside the hitter side of it there's a structural disadvantage many LHP have against RHH.

And this is not a criticism of Tauchman, I like him a lot.  It's a reality of the roster around him.  Tauchman is a very good bench player and in some teams may even be more than that.  On a Cubs roster that has 3 very good LHH OF, 2 of which play CF at least as well as Tauchman, he just won't have as much opportunity as he did before PCA took the reins(and Bellinger was hurt).  That's why people think it's a fair thought that he will be traded, several teams might want him to start more games than not in the OF, and on 3 million that could bring something more useful to the 2025 Cubs than Tauchman's role from the 2nd half of 2024.

Even though I like Tauchman and he could fill in if someone gets hurt too I think the way our lineup is built it would be ideal to get more HR power on the team, even if it's the bench. 

If one of our OF get hurt Tauchman probably gets a bunch of paying time in OF or DH.  Losing the power of Belli, Suzuki, or Happ and replacing with Tauchman would hurt on a team already with mediocre HR.

I do like having a solid vet with a short simple swing like Tauchman on the bench though.  Younger guys like Canario probably need more regular playing time to stay effective, especially if they haven't seen a lot of MLB pitching.

Edited November 4, 2024 by Stratos