Spring Training Moves/Transactions Thread

[Outshined_One]

Considering the Cubs are still (supposedly) active in the trade/FA market and we'll be seeing various roster moves in Spring Training, now seems like the time to open this thread up.

[Dfan25]

Cubs considering Justin Turner if Bregman goes elsewhere 

[Rcal10]

5 minutes ago, Dfan25 said:

Cubs considering Justin Turner if Bregman goes elsewhere 

I wouldn’t be opposed to that. 

[CubinNY]

As much as I love gingers that’s a big no for me. 

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Turner is probably not as good as his line last year thanks to being able to bank balls off the green monster for half the season.  But he still had a very healthy line against LHP away from home, so bench bat/platoon handcuff for Busch is a fine role for him.

[KCCub]

9 minutes ago, Transmogrified Tiger said:

Turner is probably not as good as his line last year thanks to being able to bank balls off the green monster for half the season.  But he still had a very healthy line against LHP away from home, so bench bat/platoon handcuff for Busch is a fine role for him.

Thinking of 2023? He was TOR and then Seattle last season right?

[chibears55]

So, do i now need to check this thread and the other transaction one to see if something has been mentioned 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

Justin Turner has it own thread and is now being discussed here too, you all confused the he'll out of me here.

Lol

[Transmogrified Tiger]

7 minutes ago, KCCub said:

Thinking of 2023? He was TOR and then Seattle last season right?

Yes, not sure why I had it in my head Boston was last year.  That's a more optimistic result then, though still a side eye towards how poorly he hit in more neutral/uniform conditions.

[Eeyore]

1 hour ago, Dfan25 said:

Cubs considering Justin Turner if Bregman goes elsewhere 

Brian Roberts is finally available 

[BobbyD3]

7 minutes ago, Eeyore said:

Brian Roberts is finally available 

That move would likely negate a Jake Peavy signing.

[Bertz]

Angels signed Kenley Jansen.  Wasn't an option here with him very understandably insisting on closing.  But the relief market, in terms of guys you'd probably be willing to replace one of our incumbents with, is basically just Robertson now.

[Bertz]

Quote

For the Cubs, it will not be Bregman or nothing. As an example, Cubs manager Craig Counsell did not rule out the idea of signing another reliever to a major-league contract, even though that would limit some of the roster flexibility within a rebuilt bullpen. The Cubs have also considered adding Justin Turner, who has remained a very productive infielder/designated hitter in his late 30s.

This was Tucked away in Mooney's Bregman article last night.  Combined with what Trueblood wrote, I'm assuming the Bregman backup plan is Turner and Robertson, maybe Finnegan.

[SOFNR]

4 hours ago, Bertz said:

This was Tucked away in Mooney's Bregman article last night.  Combined with what Trueblood wrote, I'm assuming the Bregman backup plan is Turner and Robertson, maybe Finnegan.

Trading for one of the Padres pitchers, and grabbing Robertson is still my favorite option. Followed by adding Bregman, and trading Nico for a good pitcher (feels unrealistic at this point). Followed by adding Bregman, keeping Nico, and exploring pitcher trades at the deadline. If none of those are on the table then Turner and Robertson is honestly a fine ending to the offseason. I've been starting to get uncomfortable they are going to miss out on all these options and go into the season with a bunch of money leftover, but hopefully the Bregman saga is getting close to it's end and we'll still have good pivot opportunities.

[JD94]

4 hours ago, SOFNR said:

Trading for one of the Padres pitchers, and grabbing Robertson is still my favorite option. Followed by adding Bregman, and trading Nico for a good pitcher (feels unrealistic at this point). Followed by adding Bregman, keeping Nico, and exploring pitcher trades at the deadline. If none of those are on the table then Turner and Robertson is honestly a fine ending to the offseason. I've been starting to get uncomfortable they are going to miss out on all these options and go into the season with a bunch of money leftover, but hopefully the Bregman saga is getting close to it's end and we'll still have good pivot opportunities.

Trading for Cease/King just feels unrealistic. If it happens, great… but seems very unlikely. 
 

I can’t speak for you, but give me the proven 4 fWAR star 3B and let’s go make a playoff run. We as fans keep asking the Cubs to act like a big market team, now they are trying to sign Bregman and we want to “moneyball” it with 40 year old Justin Turner? I just don’t get this line of thinking. Like Turner is a fine consolation if we miss on Bregman, but he’s not Alex horsefeathers Bregman. The goal should be spend top dollar and add great players. Bregman checks those boxes. He makes us better the second he arrives. That’s the goal. 

[Rcal10]

3 minutes ago, JD94 said:

Trading for Cease/King just feels unrealistic. If it happens, great… but seems very unlikely. 
 

I can’t speak for you, but give me the proven 4 fWAR star 3B and let’s go make a playoff run. We as fans keep asking the Cubs to act like a big market team, now they are trying to sign Bregman and we want to “moneyball” it with 40 year old Justin Turner? I just don’t get this line of thinking. Like Turner is a fine consolation if we miss on Bregman, but he’s not Alex horsefeathers Bregman. The goal should be spend top dollar and add great players. Bregman checks those boxes. He makes us better the second he arrives. That’s the goal. 

But it is not just signing Bregman. If they were actually a big market acting team, of course, Bregman would be the best option. But is he the best option if they then have to trade Nico? You leave out that part. You also suggest people are saying just sign JT and don’t worry about Bregman. That isn’t what most people are saying. They are saying use that money on a pitcher they trade for THEN sign JT as a bench bat. And it doesn’t have to be JT. Could be Canha or someone else. If they did that they might even have enough for another pen arm. If all they did was sign Bregman, sure, they add a 4 win player. But if you lose a 4 win player to do so have you gotten better? Why not add a 3.5WAR pitcher to replace a 1.5WAR pitcher and then add to the bench and maybe even another pen arm. That is the true discussion. Not if Bregman is better than JT. For the record I agree with you that the Cubs should act big market. They should sign Bregman, keep Nico and trade for King or Cease and be comfortably between the 1st and 2nd tier of the LT. They would be a clear favorite in the division and a 90+ win team. There is no reason a major market team cannot operate at that level, except ownership won’t allow it. 

[JD94]

21 minutes ago, Rcal10 said:

But it is not just signing Bregman. If they were actually a big market acting team, of course, Bregman would be the best option. But is he the best option if they then have to trade Nico? You leave out that part. You also suggest people are saying just sign JT and don’t worry about Bregman. That isn’t what most people are saying. They are saying use that money on a pitcher they trade for THEN sign JT as a bench bat. And it doesn’t have to be JT. Could be Canha or someone else. If they did that they might even have enough for another pen arm. If all they did was sign Bregman, sure, they add a 4 win player. But if you lose a 4 win player to do so have you gotten better? Why not add a 3.5WAR pitcher to replace a 1.5WAR pitcher and then add to the bench and maybe even another pen arm. That is the true discussion. Not if Bregman is better than JT. For the record I agree with you that the Cubs should act big market. They should sign Bregman, keep Nico and trade for King or Cease and be comfortably between the 1st and 2nd tier of the LT. They would be a clear favorite in the division and a 90+ win team. There is no reason a major market team cannot operate at that level, except ownership won’t allow it. 

I said in the other thread that we don’t have to trade Nico. That was a narrative created by Cubs fans that it has to happen. It doesn’t. 
 

I can never speak for the entirety of the fanbase, but between here and X, I’ve seen tons of Cubs fans suggest they’d rather just sign Turner and Robertson for example. That blows my mind. 
 

Also, this isn’t MLB The Show. You can’t just say, “hey let’s go trade for a 3.5 WAR pitcher, then sign player x, and follow that up with signing player y.” If trading for a 3.5 WAR pitcher was on the table and Jed thought it was the right move, he would have done it already regardless of Bregman. The fact is, we have limited options. Teams aren’t just giving out 3.5 WAR proven SP. 
 

Lastly, if we are hypothetically trading Nico after adding Bregman, you questioned how does it make us better. So again, hypothetically, you’re adding a 4 WAR player (Bregman), trading a 4 WAR player (Nico), inserting a projected 2.2 WAR player (Shaw), and adding what I would assume would be at least a 3 WAR pitcher you get from trading Nico. That’s makes us a better club than we are today. So does adding Bregman and keeping Nico. Either way you slice it, adding Bregman makes us considerably better. 
 

Now if you can go get Cease without giving up a Nico Hoerner (or any everyday position player), then we can have the “should we sign Bregman or not” conversation. I’m speaking realistically that that just doesn’t appear to be on the table. Alex Bregman is on the table, so that’s why I’m beating the hell out of this drum. It’s the absolute best option to make the 2025 Chicago Cubs better. 

[Jason Ross]

34 minutes ago, JD94 said:

I said in the other thread that we don’t have to trade Nico. That was a narrative created by Cubs fans that it has to happen. It doesn’t. 
 

I can never speak for the entirety of the fanbase, but between here and X, I’ve seen tons of Cubs fans suggest they’d rather just sign Turner and Robertson for example. That blows my mind. 
 

Also, this isn’t MLB The Show. You can’t just say, “hey let’s go trade for a 3.5 WAR pitcher, then sign player x, and follow that up with signing player y.” If trading for a 3.5 WAR pitcher was on the table and Jed thought it was the right move, he would have done it already regardless of Bregman. The fact is, we have limited options. Teams aren’t just giving out 3.5 WAR proven SP. 
 

Lastly, if we are hypothetically trading Nico after adding Bregman, you questioned how does it make us better. So again, hypothetically, you’re adding a 4 WAR player (Bregman), trading a 4 WAR player (Nico), inserting a projected 2.2 WAR player (Shaw), and adding what I would assume would be at least a 3 WAR pitcher you get from trading Nico. That’s makes us a better club than we are today. So does adding Bregman and keeping Nico. Either way you slice it, adding Bregman makes us considerably better. 
 

Now if you can go get Cease without giving up a Nico Hoerner (or any everyday position player), then we can have the “should we sign Bregman or not” conversation. I’m speaking realistically that that just doesn’t appear to be on the table. Alex Bregman is on the table, so that’s why I’m beating the hell out of this drum. It’s the absolute best option to make the 2025 Chicago Cubs better. 

I think we have to expect that any Nico Hoerner trade in the interim is going to return prospects. I'd love for the Cubs to sign Alex Bregman, keep Nico or trade him for a SP immediately...but it seems as neither are in the cards. The Cubs seemingly want to be under the LT - meaning money has to clear. And I just don't see a Nico for SP swap currently as one that happens (maybe it does! but it's hard to find that move). There have been enough minor reports out there that the Cubs would likely look to deal Hoerner and Trueblood suggested it was for prospects, that I think that's the most likely outcome.

I'll say this - I'm okay with this scenario assuming the Cubs get back acceptable prospect value from Hoerner (and I'll assume they will - Hoyer trades are rarely terrible). It would give the Cubs a bit extra ceiling, as I think Bregman's best 2025 is better than that of Hoerner's best 2025, while also allowing the Cubs to remain nimble enough to trade for their biggest need at the deadline - be that a SP, a RP, or to replace an injury. As much as I think the Cubs could use a SP, if Jordan Wicks' breaking balls progress, or Brandon Birdsell grabs a spot, or if Ben Brown is rockin' and rolling....there's a world where a SP isn't needed. These prospects would help pay for that other option, or a SP or whatever. 

I'd love for the Cubs to just snap out of it and go ham, but I just don't think that's going to happen. But I also think a Bregman signing and a Hoerner trade can remain as a viable outcome for a good season, so accepting the reality we live in, I think it's a positive outcome.

[JD94]

3 minutes ago, 1908_Cubs said:

I think we have to expect that any Nico Hoerner trade in the interim is going to return prospects. I'd love for the Cubs to sign Alex Bregman, keep Nico or trade him for a SP immediately...but it seems as neither are in the cards. The Cubs seemingly want to be under the LT - meaning money has to clear. And I just don't see a Nico for SP swap currently as one that happens (maybe it does! but it's hard to find that move). 

I'll say this - I'm okay with this scenario assuming the Cubs get back acceptable prospect value from Hoerner (and I'll assume they will - Hoyer trades are rarely terrible). It would give the Cubs a bit extra ceiling, as I think Bregman's best 2025 is better than that of Hoerner's best 2025, while also allowing the Cubs to remain nimble enough to trade for their biggest need at the deadline - be that a SP, a RP, or to replace an injury. As much as I think the Cubs could use a SP, if Jordan Wicks' breaking balls progress, or Brandon Birdsell grabs a spot, or if Ben Brown is rockin' and rolling....there's a world where a SP isn't needed. These prospects would help pay for that other option, or a SP or whatever. 

I'd love for the Cubs to just snap out of it and go ham, but I just don't think that's going to happen. But I also think a Bregman signing and a Hoerner trade can remain as a viable outcome for a good season, so accepting the reality we live in, I think it's a positive outcome.

Absolutely. I don’t disagree with any of this. I just think there’s literally multiple scenarios where it just works for the Cubs. Keep Nico, trade Nico for SP, trade Nico for prospects, etc. it doesn’t have to be an either / or and as you said, even if we did trade Nico for prospects, it doesn’t mean that we didn’t get better because we technically just swapped 4 WAR players. I’m with you that I think if each are at their best versions, Bregman is better anyways.  

[Jason Ross]

1 minute ago, JD94 said:

Absolutely. I don’t disagree with any of this. I just think there’s literally multiple scenarios where it just works for the Cubs. Keep Nico, trade Nico for SP, trade Nico for prospects, etc. it doesn’t have to be an either / or and as you said, even if we did trade Nico for prospects, it doesn’t mean that we didn’t get better because we technically just swapped 4 WAR players. I’m with you that I think if each are at their best versions, Bregman is better anyways.  

Yep! I just think that the way this goes is basically, two pronged at this stage:

1. The Cubs sign Bregman, and likely, pretty quickly move Hoerner for prospects. They bring in a pretty cheap 1b who is RHH, and offseason is done. 

2. The Cubs miss on Bregman. They sign a better bench player (Canha or Turner). They add a RP like Robertson or Finnegan as well. 

[JD94]

26 minutes ago, 1908_Cubs said:

Yep! I just think that the way this goes is basically, two pronged at this stage:

1. The Cubs sign Bregman, and likely, pretty quickly move Hoerner for prospects. They bring in a pretty cheap 1b who is RHH, and offseason is done. 

2. The Cubs miss on Bregman. They sign a better bench player (Canha or Turner). They add a RP like Robertson or Finnegan as well. 

Agree. I’m cool with either. I much prefer the scenario where we land Bregman, but I think option 2 is fine also. 

[Jason Ross]

20 minutes ago, TomtheBombadil said:

I suspect there will be other ways to get under the cap in 2025, which IIRC is an end of season thing anyway and not something Bregman is likely to actually blow up. Merryweather, Rea, Morgan, Thompson, Pearson, Brasier, even Taillon are all movable btw end of ST and the TDL, for instance

While possible, it feels unlikely that any of those names are truly on the cutting block outside of like, Thompson and Merryweather who feel like 40-man casualties on their own. The Cubs have made a habit all offseason of collecting any pitcher they can as if they were pokemon in the name of added depth. I'm not married to any single name on that list, but a few of them (Thompson and Merryweather) probably aren't enough to get under the LT enough to where the Cubs are under the LT and can make a move later on their own. Rea, Morgan, Braiser were all acquired recently - while they *could* trade them, it feels...more like fanfic than something they'll actually do. That leaves Jameson Taillon, a durable and reliable (if not particularly exciting) SP with a rotation of guys I'm not sure you really want to super count on right off the bat (be it that they have tweaks to likely show or overcoming injury, or, both). He has a limited NTC and with 2 years left, is probably more likely to be picky on the move than less. All the while. Assad and Brown are already down on the injury report. 

I don't want to entirely discount it - if you want to get creative, you could do these. But the Cubs just don't feel like a team in a position to really explore that - whether we like it or not. I don't want to give the Cubs a pass here for continued behavior of using the LT like the Boogeyman (it's nonsense and shouldn't be a thing). But I also think living in a reality where Tom owns the Cubs, that the Cubs will continue to use it as an excuse and that's just something we have to factor in here.

[Rcal10]

11 minutes ago, TomtheBombadil said:

I suspect there will be other ways to get under the cap in 2025, which IIRC is an end of season thing anyway and not something Bregman is likely to actually blow up. Merryweather, Rea, Morgan, Thompson, Pearson, Brasier, even Taillon are all movable btw end of ST and the TDL, for instance

How much do they save trying any of the guys you mentioned, especially at the TDL? And if those guys are playing well how do they trade them if you are contending. And if they are playing poorly who will want them. Look, I am all for signing Bregman and keeping Nico. Act like a major market. Maybe even add a pitcher now or at the deadline. This imaginary cap the FO uses as their budget is just ridiculous. But they do use it. It would be very difficult to stay under with both Bregman and Nico. 

[muntjack]

Good grief,  I'm tired of speculating about this. 

[Bertz]

"Don't worry, we'll just dump money at the deadline while still maintaining our competitive ability" is like the epitome of the Tobias Fünke "but it might work for us" meme.

[Bertz]

Soooooo Nick Pivetta to the Padres, and Jeff Passan wrote this yesterday 

Quote

Getting Pivetta, for example, could free up the Padres to move either Dylan Cease or Michael King, both right-handers set to hit free agency after this season. (King is far less likely to be dealt, according to sources.) San Diego also has listened to offers for closer Robert Suarez, an understandable tack considering the Padres' bullpen depth -- Jason Adam could step in to close -- as well as Suarez's ability to opt out of the final two years of his contract next winter.

Especially with Bregman sounding close, hold onto your butts?