Cubs 2025 Season Review/Offseason Preview Thread

[Rcal10]

1 hour ago, Bertz said:

Gut feeling is we're looking at something like this:

- Shota accepts his QO

- Jed circles back to the conversations he had last summer and pulls down a cost controlled starter in the Gore/Ryan/Cabrera neighborhood

- Add a RHH bat in the $10-15M AAV range.  Maybe that's Okamoto, maybe that's a trade for Taylor Ward, maybe that's Paul Goldschmidt

- Sign a second tier FA closer.  Robert Suarez, re-signing Brad Keller, etc.

- Something a bit surprising or weird a la the Matt Boyd signing last winter.  Cody Ponce?

- Trade for a late inning reliever.  Maybe one stop shopping and add Jose Ferrer into a Mack Gore trade or Ronny Henriquez into an Edward Cabrera trade?

- Just a laughable number of small trades and waiver roulette using all the open 40 man slots

Your scenerio is very much like my thinking. I would add Bohm as a possibility as well. Or maybe Laureano, Hays, or Andujar signed as a right handed bat. I think the least likely would be the surprising, weird move. I don’t see that. However, I do think Soroka is a possibility. Not sure that fits in the surprising weird narrative. But everything else I do agree is a very realistic view of a decent off season. 

[Stratos]

5 hours ago, Bertz said:

Gut feeling is we're looking at something like this:

- Shota accepts his QO

- Jed circles back to the conversations he had last summer and pulls down a cost controlled starter in the Gore/Ryan/Cabrera neighborhood

- Add a RHH bat in the $10-15M AAV range.  Maybe that's Okamoto, maybe that's a trade for Taylor Ward, maybe that's Paul Goldschmidt

- Sign a second tier FA closer.  Robert Suarez, re-signing Brad Keller, etc.

- Something a bit surprising or weird a la the Matt Boyd signing last winter.  Cody Ponce?

- Trade for a late inning reliever.  Maybe one stop shopping and add Jose Ferrer into a Mack Gore trade or Ronny Henriquez into an Edward Cabrera trade?

- Just a laughable number of small trades and waiver roulette using all the open 40 man slots

This won't sound exciting but I think they do exactly what they did last offseason besides a big trade.

That means they go after a good SP (even if Shota accepts the QO), probably targeting higher than a Boyd type.  They sign some veteran setup arms and a bunch of bargain binners while kicking tires to get a good deal on a FA late inning closer type if possible.  Sign a Goldschmidt type or 1b/3b guy (they need a RHB 1B and a backup for Shaw).  Then stay open to snipe a good player whose market falls through like they tried with Bregman.

I think some of the extra money might also go towards trying to get some extentions done like PCA and Busch.

I don't expect any major trades.  I think they'd like to keep everyone who was in Iowa this past season.  They need that depth for injuries and future vacancies. They can fill SP needs in FA easily.

[Stratos]

4 hours ago, Rcal10 said:

Your scenerio is very much like my thinking. I would add Bohm as a possibility as well. Or maybe Laureano, Hays, or Andujar signed as a right handed bat. I think the least likely would be the surprising, weird move. I don’t see that. However, I do think Soroka is a possibility. Not sure that fits in the surprising weird narrative. But everything else I do agree is a very realistic view of a decent off season. 

I can see the Cubs signing 2 more SP.  If Shota rejects the QO it will likely be a Soroka low-cost upside type plus an established quality SP.

[Bertz]

Great news.  This opens the 45 day window so he has to sign before Christmas.  Hopefully the other major imports are right behind him.

[Tryptamine]

59 minutes ago, Bertz said:

Great news.  This opens the 45 day window so he has to sign before Christmas.  Hopefully the other major imports are right behind him.

I'd be shocked if the Cubs were in on him and frankly I don't want them to be

[Bertz]

Joe Adell is kind of a fun option for a RHH bat

Cons

- He's purely an outfielder, can't help with 1B or 3B

- Even in the outfield, he was horrific this year

- He's no longer quite Patrick Wisdom bad like he was a few years ago, but there's a lot of swing and miss to his game

- He's pretty clearly a platoon bat

Pros

- He has huge power and top of the scale swing speed.  Like here are his statcast numbers, look at all that red

- He's a god damned monster against LHP.  .261/.320/.583 the past two years.  Yes you're reading that right that's an ISO over .300.  He has hit at a 43 homer pace against LHP

- He's clearly a platoon bat.  Yes in one sense that's a limitation, but in another it  means he doesn't have to take any playing time from Caissie/Mo against RHP unless he earns it

- He's under control for two more years

- He's only going to be 27 next year, so between age and the Angels' general incompetence you can reasonably wonder if there's a good deal more upside to be tapped

- Speaking of upside, he had a disastrous defensive season this past year despite being plenty fast.  You do have to wonder if better coaching, better positioning, etc. is a very easy way to juice those defensive stats

[UMFan83]

1 hour ago, Tryptamine said:

I'd be shocked if the Cubs were in on him and frankly I don't want them to be

This kind of soured me on him.  He'd be better off on a team that faces the Cubs a lot.  I'm sure with constant exposure to 98+ mph he'd likely adapt, but its a risk

Edited November 7, 2025 by UMFan83

[We Got The Whole 9]

93 or higher, lmao

[Soul]

3 hours ago, UMFan83 said:

This kind of soured me on him.  He'd be better off on a team that faces the Cubs a lot.  I'm sure with constant exposure to 98+ mph he'd likely adapt, but its a risk

I'm out.  He's gonna see 95+ every game.  100 MPH regularly.

[Cuzi]

12 minutes ago, Soul said:

I'm out.  He's gonna see 95+ every game.  100 MPH regularly.

Brewers are going to sign him and only play him against the Cubs.

[Jason Ross]

3 hours ago, UMFan83 said:

This kind of soured me on him.  He'd be better off on a team that faces the Cubs a lot.  I'm sure with constant exposure to 98+ mph he'd likely adapt, but its a risk

He also has a 50% whiff rate on breaking balls. 

[Bull]

I would love for the Cubs to sign Woodruff. Mostly because that's my last name and it would just be awesome.

[Post Count Padder]

Hey we won something

 

[Geographyhater8888]

15 hours ago, Soul said:

I'm out.  He's gonna see 95+ every game.  100 MPH regularly.

He’s unplayable in the postseason. 

Edited November 8, 2025 by Geographyhater8888

[We Got The Whole 9]

19 hours ago, Bull said:

I would love for the Cubs to sign Woodruff. Mostly because that's my last name and it would just be awesome.

I would too. The stuff is overpowering. He came back extremely strong. 

 

I also want to sign Keller and try to convert him. 

[Neuby]

6 hours ago, We Got The Whole 9 said:

I would too. The stuff is overpowering. He came back extremely strong. 

 

I also want to sign Keller and try to convert him. 

No interest in Woodruff for me now that he will cost a draft pick.

[CubinNY]

10 hours ago, Neuby said:

No interest in Woodruff for me now that he will cost a draft pick.

That should not factor in their decisions one bit. 

[Geographyhater8888]

Valdez seems like such a perfect fit as one of the leagues best ground ball pitchers behind our gold glove middle infield. His  numbers would be great here. Too expensive I know but he’s perfect for this roster.

Edited November 9, 2025 by Geographyhater8888

[Bertz]

It's not the same people, and I don't think anyone is being unreasonable, but it's very funny to me that the two conversations happening on this page are dunking on the Cubs for not having any velocity in their rotation and "Let's sign Brandon Woodruff".

[We Got The Whole 9]

5 hours ago, Bertz said:

It's not the same people, and I don't think anyone is being unreasonable, but it's very funny to me that the two conversations happening on this page are dunking on the Cubs for not having any velocity in their rotation and "Let's sign Brandon Woodruff".

It doesn't have to be velocity. The guy strikes out a lot of batters and doesn't walk many.

[Bertz]

10 minutes ago, We Got The Whole 9 said:

It doesn't have to be velocity. The guy strikes out a lot of batters and doesn't walk many.

I just think the juxtaposition is funny

[Rcal10]

10 hours ago, CubinNY said:

That should not factor in their decisions one bit. 

Depends on the contract offered. If they are willing to give him or any pitcher a 4 year or more deal, I agree with you. The draft pick shouldn’t matter. But I am not sure Woodruff gets that length. I wouldn’t sign someone for a year or two and lose the draft pick. And I think if Woodruff doesn’t take the QO(I think he will) he won’t get a long term contract. 

[Bertz]

GM Meetings start today.  So don't expect the hot stove to immediately start roaring but I'd expect this week is when we'll start actually getting rumors and it won't be so quiet.  For instance Jed said the Kyle Tucker talks started in earnest at last year's GM Meetings.

[thawv]

On 11/7/2025 at 8:01 PM, Bull said:

I would love for the Cubs to sign Woodruff. Mostly because that's my last name and it would just be awesome.

Then you can wear your own name on your jersey and nobody will know it's you! 

 

On 11/7/2025 at 8:01 PM, Bull said:

I would love for the Cubs to sign Woodruff. Mostly because that's my last name and it would just be awesome.

 

[KCCub]

Been away for a while, was it announced that the Rumors and Transactions forum was going away? I noticed it was missing and I couldn’t find a notification anywhere.