Starting rotation options available now

[Transmogrified Tiger]

I think a good rule of thumb would be that at least at the moment:

• The highest end of controlled SP being floated in rumors(e.g. Gore, Ryan) would require at least one of Shaw/Horton along with one or both of Caissie/Wiggins.
• The controlled SP with good performance and potentially another level(e.g. Cabrera, Bubic, Keller) are at least asking for Caissie + Wiggins to lead a package until the deadline arrives and they potentially take less.
  
  So the game of chicken continues until those teams need to make a decision or some other team(e.g. the Rays) finds a middle ground in their willingness to accept less than those offers for their SP.  Sandy is also a wild card because of the broad variance in all directions of his situation.

[Backtobanks]

4 hours ago, Rcal10 said:

What are they going to do with Diaz? He hasn’t played 3rd since 2022. 

Bat off the bench, RH sub for Busch are other options

 

[Rcal10]

2 minutes ago, Backtobanks said:

Bat off the bench, RH sub for Busch are other options

 

I think he is too good not to play more. 

[chibears55]

Gore scheduled to pitch Wednesday, so for the cubs sake, if hes the guy, then you'd like to get him no later then that day so he can be in Chicago and can pitch on Saturday which would be Brown next day to start.

Then the rotation would be set up going forward...

Gore Boyd Rea Imanaga Horton

Of course adding a second starter via trade will replace Rea and Taillon returns can have him fill in a day to give guys an extra day off and likely limit Horton starts..

They'll also be set with having Gore Boyd and Imanaga pitching in the final Brewers series at home.

Edited July 27, 2025 by chibears55

[javy knows my name]

1 hour ago, cubfansince77 said:

So who else do you think would have to be added to those 3? Shaw maybe? If so....that's too much. 

I don't think there's any offer out there for Gore that lets a team keep their Horton 

[Rcal10]

1 hour ago, Transmogrified Tiger said:

I think a good rule of thumb would be that at least at the moment:

• The highest end of controlled SP being floated in rumors(e.g. Gore, Ryan) would require at least one of Shaw/Horton along with one or both of Caissie/Wiggins.
• The controlled SP with good performance and potentially another level(e.g. Cabrera, Bubic, Keller) are at least asking for Caissie + Wiggins to lead a package until the deadline arrives and they potentially take less.
  
  So the game of chicken continues until those teams need to make a decision or some other team(e.g. the Rays) finds a middle ground in their willingness to accept less than those offers for their SP.  Sandy is also a wild card because of the broad variance in all directions of his situation.

I don’t agree with this. I don’t think the cubs put Shaw or Horton in a trade. Sure, Cassie, Wiggins, Rojas and probably someone like Triantos or Gallagher. Which is a steep price. But not guys in the majors already. I also do not think Keller, Cabrera or Alcantara cost Wiggins and Cassie. Maybe one of them and something else.(depending on which one they go after), but not two guys in baseballs top 100. 

[Backtobanks]

11 minutes ago, Rcal10 said:

I think he is too good not to play more. 

Give each of the OFs a day off once a week and use Diaz as the DH which will give him plenty of ABs.  He can start at 1B against tough LHP.

[Rcal10]

4 minutes ago, Backtobanks said:

Give each of the OFs a day off once a week and use Diaz as the DH which will give him plenty of ABs.  He can start at 1B against tough LHP.

I think someone with a clearer need for him would be willing to pay more. Cubs have a full time DH. I understand what you are saying, but I just think someone who can use him more would be willing to pay more. When you sit any of the outfielders just to play Seiya in their position you weaken your defense. And Diaz getting AB instead of the outfielder they sit isn’t even an advantage offensively, except when he plays for Happ(now). I woulld rather just get Castro. . 

[Transmogrified Tiger]

16 minutes ago, Rcal10 said:

I don’t agree with this. I don’t think the cubs put Shaw or Horton in a trade. Sure, Cassie, Wiggins, Rojas and probably someone like Triantos or Gallagher. Which is a steep price. But not guys in the majors already. I also do not think Keller, Cabrera or Alcantara cost Wiggins and Cassie. Maybe one of them and something else.(depending on which one they go after), but not two guys in baseballs top 100. 

I was not saying what I think the Cubs will end up doing, but what it would take to actually get a deal done for that respective profile of player.

[Rcal10]

5 minutes ago, Transmogrified Tiger said:

I was not saying what I think the Cubs will end up doing, but what it would take to actually get a deal done for that respective profile of player.

I know. I don’t think it will cost that much. I think they can get Gore or Ryan without Horton or Shaw. I think they can get Keller, Cabrera or Alcantara without giving up both Cassie and Wiggins. I do agree they would not do anything you suggested if that is the actual price. 

[Wilson A2000]

Ben Brown is great. Shaw is a stud. No trades needed! 

[Bertz]

Royals are extending Seth Lugo, so cross that one off the list

[Derwood]

[Tryptamine]

Well that's unfortunate

[muntjack]

 

To offer Caissie, Wiggins and Horton or Shaw for a guy like Gore is a massive overpay (and I love Gore).  

Quintana's return was two top-100 prospects and he was a considerably more valuable pitcher (three 4.0+ fWAR seasons to Gore's 0) with the same amount of control.  

 

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

They can have Lugo, I wouldn't trust his stuff in the playoffs.

[KCCub]

Crochet with 2 years of control, 1 great season under his belt and some injury concerns netted Teel (25 overall), Montgomery (54 overall), Meidroth (Boston’s 11th), and Gonzalez (Boston’s 14th). That’s probably the closest recent barometer we’ll get to Gore (2.5 years of control and more of a consistent pitching history).

[cubfansince77]

53 minutes ago, Tangled Up in Plaid said:

They can have Lugo, I wouldn't trust his stuff in the playoffs.

Unreal to me that KC gave a guy who's soon to be 35 years old that kind of extension....jebus

[Backtobanks]

13 hours ago, Rcal10 said:

I think someone with a clearer need for him would be willing to pay more. Cubs have a full time DH. I understand what you are saying, but I just think someone who can use him more would be willing to pay more. When you sit any of the outfielders just to play Seiya in their position you weaken your defense. And Diaz getting AB instead of the outfielder they sit isn’t even an advantage offensively, except when he plays for Happ(now). I woulld rather just get Castro. . 

Suzuki is slumping and looks like he needs a rest, Tucker is slumping and looks like he needs a rest, Busch is hitting .190/.261/.317/.578 against LHP, and we can't use Diaz???????????  BTW, adding Pepiot and Fairbanks certainly would improve the team too.

[Derwood]

30 minutes ago, Backtobanks said:

Suzuki is slumping and looks like he needs a rest, Tucker is slumping and looks like he needs a rest, Busch is hitting .190/.261/.317/.578 against LHP, and we can't use Diaz???????????  BTW, adding Pepiot and Fairbanks certainly would improve the team too.

Willi Castro solves all of those problems. He's the ultimate super-sub. This year alone he's played 2B, SS, 3B, LF, CF, RF, and even pitched an inning

[Rcal10]

45 minutes ago, Backtobanks said:

Suzuki is slumping and looks like he needs a rest, Tucker is slumping and looks like he needs a rest, Busch is hitting .190/.261/.317/.578 against LHP, and we can't use Diaz???????????  BTW, adding Pepiot and Fairbanks certainly would improve the team too.

I get the Pepiot and Fairbanks side of what you are suggesting. And I never said we couldn’t use Diaz. He was actually someone I was interested in until I saw he couldn’t play 3rd. But since he can’t play 3rd and we already have an everyday DH and a first baseman who hits right handed pitching well, I do not see enough opportunity for Diaz. Because there is not enough opportunity I think another team would probably offer more for him than the Cubs would be willing to give. 
If the goal with Diaz is to move outfielders around giving each time off so he can DH and also play a little first base to give Busch a break, I might rather see them get Suarez, who can do all that and play 3rd. If you are shopping for a big bat(which I do not think is necessary) I would hope he can at least play 3rd. 

Edited July 28, 2025 by Rcal10

[Transmogrified Tiger]

10 hours ago, muntjack said:

Quintana's return was two top-100 prospects and he was a considerably more valuable pitcher (three 4.0+ fWAR seasons to Gore's 0) with the same amount of control.  

 

I don’t know if you’ll find much agreement on this, I suspect if you asked GMs they’d pretty much universally prefer 2025 Gore to 2017 Quintana.

Also, Top 100 is a big range and not a homogeneous value.  Jimenez and Cease at the time are likely 1-2 in the Cubs system today, maybe 1 & 3. Plus, the way teams value good early arb players has simply changed in the last 8 years, there’s fewer of those deals because they value them higher.

[Tryptamine]

I think people are forgetting, based on how he pitched for the Cubs, how big a name Quintana was. The guy posted 4.9, 4.3 and 4.9 fWAR seasons before the season he was dealt to the Cubs and even in that season he posted a 4.0. That 3 year stretch put him at #8 in all of baseball, barely behind Jon Lester and ahead of such names as Cueto, Bumgarner, Hamels, Greinke and Strasburg. 

[Rcal10]

15 minutes ago, Tryptamine said:

I think people are forgetting, based on how he pitched for the Cubs, how big a name Quintana was. The guy posted 4.9, 4.3 and 4.9 fWAR seasons before the season he was dealt to the Cubs and even in that season he posted a 4.0. That 3 year stretch put him at #8 in all of baseball, barely behind Jon Lester and ahead of such names as Cueto, Bumgarner, Hamels, Greinke and Strasburg. 

Don’t bother with this. People want to assume he sucked and the Cubs were stupid for making a trade for a MOR starter. They don’t want to be bogged down in facts like he was very good then they traded for him and actually did very well with them the year they got him. 

[Tryptamine]

28 minutes ago, Rcal10 said:

Don’t bother with this. People want to assume he sucked and the Cubs were stupid for making a trade for a MOR starter. They don’t want to be bogged down in facts like he was very good then they traded for him and actually did very well with them the year they got him. 

It's baffling. The trade for Quintana was basically equivalent in today's players to trading for Logan Webb and we'd all go nuts if we traded for Logan Webb to anchor this rotation. .