Starting rotation options available now

[Rcal10]

13 minutes ago, BigSlick said:

I don't follow these things too closely but is Javier Assad totally off the table to think he could start at all this season/post-season? The best we could expect is him pitching in relief? 

Assad is not the answer, even if he comes back perfectly healthy, unless the question is who could be a good 5th starter on a Cubs team that wants to contend for the WS, To that, the answer could be Assad. 

[Donzo]

Assad sure would be handy today... But I get your point. The Cubs want a starter for the playoffs

[Rcal10]

6 minutes ago, Donzo said:

Assad sure would be handy today... But I get your point. The Cubs want a starter for the playoffs

Yes he would. As a 5th starter he would be good. 

[Stratos]

7 hours ago, Rcal10 said:

Assad is not the answer, even if he comes back perfectly healthy, unless the question is who could be a good 5th starter on a Cubs team that wants to contend for the WS, To that, the answer could be Assad. 

If that dumb beyotch Ricketts opened his pockets at all last winter maybe we'd have a better SP than Colin Rea and not have to trade prospects for one.

Cubs currently 14th in the MLB in lux tax payroll at 215m!  If we're 3rd in revenue we should have a tax payroll around 300m.

https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/tax

[BigbadB]

14 hours ago, BigSlick said:

I don't follow these things too closely but is Javier Assad totally off the table to think he could start at all this season/post-season? The best we could expect is him pitching in relief? 

He'd be a great addition to the starting rotation (along with a top 3 rotation starter) to end the regular season and as a bullpen guy for the playoffs, which is the kind of help you are looking for at the trade deadline.. Horton is going to need to slow down on his innings. 

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Colin Rea seems like a really weird punching bag this season considering what has transpired with the rotation. He's been better than Sandy horsefeathers Alcantara or Zac Gallen.

[mul21]

8 hours ago, Stratos said:

If that dumb beyotch Ricketts opened his pockets at all last winter maybe we'd have a better SP than Colin Rea and not have to trade prospects for one.

Cubs currently 14th in the MLB in lux tax payroll at 215m!  If we're 3rd in revenue we should have a tax payroll around 300m.

https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/tax

Please be specific about who exactly they should have signed.  When you go look at the guys who were available in the offseason and what they've done this year, there's about one name on the list that would be better than what they've gotten from Rea.

[Derwood]

I really realy really don't get the Colin Rea hate.

[Tryptamine]

28 minutes ago, Derwood said:

I really realy really don't get the Colin Rea hate.

Who hates Rea? He's a sufficient #5 who has had been forced to pitch at a level much higher than that. He shouldn't start a playoff game,  but besides that he's been considerably better than expected. 

[Derwood]

1 minute ago, Tryptamine said:

Who hates Rea?

*gestures broadly at NSBB*

[Bobson Dugnutt]

49 minutes ago, Derwood said:

*gestures broadly at NSBB*

I’m fine with Rea as a fifth starter. He was signed as rotation depth and I think he’s done a cromulent job since being called into action. You need rotation depth that’s not going to get bombed out of games in the second inning and tax the bullpen every five days. And I guess someone needs to drive the Colin Rea Bandwagon, so I admire your work here. But we’re still talking about a guy with a 4.48/5.48/4.78 ERA/FIP/xFIP going back to May 1. If other posters want to dream bigger than that, I see no issue.

[cubfansince77]

20 hours ago, We Got The Whole 9 said:

Stuff+ loves Alcantara. All 5 of his pitches are well above average. But holy horsefeathers has he been baaaaad in 2/3 of his starts. And he costs MORP $ next year. I would probably not offer a top 10 for him TBH. But the fact that we are the most prominently linked team to him has me thinking its gonna happen at some point. 

 

Offering a top 5 for him is totally asinine IMO. Shouldn't even be a consideration.

Couldn't agree more 9....so sick of seeing this guy's name. He has STUNK this season. I mean...wth?

[cubfansince77]

3 hours ago, Ding Dong Johnson said:

Colin Rea seems like a really weird punching bag this season considering what has transpired with the rotation. He's been better than Sandy horsefeathers Alcantara or Zac Gallen.

CR has been OUTSTANDING as a bottom of the rotation guy for 5 mil this season. Can't ask anything more IMO

[KCCub]

 

Would love Bubic but he was always a long shot. Maybe Lugo doesn't leave town?

[squally1313]

I expect Colin Rea to pitch bad in his starts because he’s generally bad at things directly within a pitchers control (strikeouts, generating soft contact, generating ground balls). I am happy with the results thus far, but I don’t expect them to continue because historically people with his profile generally (not always!) do not perform well. 

[Derwood]

33 minutes ago, squally1313 said:

I expect Colin Rea to pitch bad in his starts because he’s generally bad at things directly within a pitchers control (strikeouts, generating soft contact, generating ground balls). I am happy with the results thus far, but I don’t expect them to continue because historically people with his profile generally (not always!) do not perform well. 

FIP and xFIP are useful, but Rea isn't pitching independently of fielding. In fact, he has 5 gold glovers behind him (technically 4, but I'm counting PCA). As such, his results are going to be better than his peripherals.

[Post Count Padder]

I have to think some of the negativity stems from him being an underwhelming acquisition when it felt like resources were slim and hopes were aimed higher for another starter. Rea has pitched better than anticipated and is a fine 5th starter whose presence has really helped given injuries, but I hope we don't see him in the postseason. 

[squally1313]

7 minutes ago, Derwood said:

FIP and xFIP are useful, but Rea isn't pitching independently of fielding. In fact, he has 5 gold glovers behind him (technically 4, but I'm counting PCA). As such, his results are going to be better than his peripherals.

Yeah but so would any theoretical replacement pitchers. The defense we have moves all of our pitchers up the spectrum in terms of results based performance, but that doesn’t change my desire for improvement. 

[Derwood]

Passan’s latest article offers that the Cubs should go for a controlled arm like Gore or Ryan and shouldn’t be afraid to build a deal around Caissie 

[Tryptamine]

12 minutes ago, Derwood said:

Passan’s latest article offers that the Cubs should go for a controlled arm like Gore or Ryan and shouldn’t be afraid to build a deal around Caissie 

100% in agreement with this. They have been the two obvious big fish from the beginning. It's going to cost a lot but they're both under control through 2027 and both teams will likely be losing them before they're ready to compete again. 

[Tryptamine]

Seriously, a 2026 rotation of Steele, Shota, Boyd, Ryan/Gore, Taillon or even Horton if Taillon was traded would be stacked 1-5.

[mul21]

59 minutes ago, Tryptamine said:

Seriously, a 2026 rotation of Steele, Shota, Boyd, Ryan/Gore, Taillon or even Horton if Taillon was traded would be stacked 1-5.

Steele likely won't be pitching until July next year, so don't get your hopes up.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

50 minutes ago, mul21 said:

Steele likely won't be pitching until July next year, so don't get your hopes up.

I don't think that's true, he had a less invasive elbow surgery than TJS and had it in April

[mul21]

3 minutes ago, Transmogrified Tiger said:

I don't think that's true, he had a less invasive elbow surgery than TJS and had it in April

I meant fully back in the rotation.

[Wilson A2000]

7 hours ago, mul21 said:

I meant fully back in the rotation.

Fully back? As in he’d be a long reliever to start out?