Cubs trade Kittredge to Baltimore

[Rcal10]

10 minutes ago, Stratos said:

It depends on their needs. I think they were aggressive on Bellinger when they got him on the 1-year deal because there were no other similar options in CF.  They were aggressive on Counsell.  

But if there's half a dozen quality SP on the market and they just want one there's no need to be aggressive or overpay.  Just put a price on all of them and pick the one that comes in on the best contract.  They killed it with Boyd last year, and the Stroman deal was a good one at the time.

If they had a larger payroll I think they could be swimming in deeper waters much more easily.

They were aggressive with Boyd too. 

[JHBulls]

Cash considerations? Less exciting than PTBNL. 

[macarthur31]

5 hours ago, Stratos said:

It depends on their needs. I think they were aggressive on Bellinger when they got him on the 1-year deal because there were no other similar options in CF.  They were aggressive on Counsell.  

But if there's half a dozen quality SP on the market and they just want one there's no need to be aggressive or overpay.  Just put a price on all of them and pick the one that comes in on the best contract.  They killed it with Boyd last year, and the Stroman deal was a good one at the time.

If they had a larger payroll I think they could be swimming in deeper waters much more easily.

Stroman signing was certainly assertive, and the Cubs also got out at the right time with him.  (I also wondered if they were fatigued with his social media/public persona.)  On that note, I can't recall any bigger FA signing that they regret letting go too soon.  Sure, Jeremiah Estrada and Jason Adam have thrived, but they seemed to benefit better from the change of scenery/system.  Maybe Mike Tauchman?  1.9 WAR on just 1.95M is good business.  Hindsight says that he may have been able to step in for Tucker and PCA and be a steady lefty bat (.263/.356/.400), but the counter is that at some point you gotta give ABs to ONKC, Alcantara and Bally. (With regards to Shota, I align with FO that 3 years at $57 may not be worth it.)

Boyd signing was also a winner - however, at the time of the signing, it seemed like a solid upside play.  Boyd had succeeded as a starter before, and $29M/2Y was affordable and short-term.  To your point, there are TOR guys out there, and I'd love to see Jed land one sooner rather than try to wait 'em out.

All in all - I'm holding hope that this money being cleared out (Shota, Kitteredge, et al) and perhaps the uncertainty of the looming work stoppage will invite Jed to be more assertive earlier.  

Edited November 6, 2025 by macarthur31

[We Got The Whole 9]

9 hours ago, Rcal10 said:

While I agree that Jed is someone who waits out the market, I feel he is this way because of ownership mandates. You are correct, they did offer Bregman a deal late. But we can’t count on players being available late. As I said, a large market team should target a guy and get him not wait out the off season. 

 

Hes possibly largely that way because FA RP almost always suck or simply do not earn their keep commensurate to the contract. 

 

You and me threw as many postseason innings as Scott and Yates did this year. 

[Rcal10]

42 minutes ago, We Got The Whole 9 said:

Hes possibly largely that way because FA RP almost always suck or simply do not earn their keep commensurate to the contract. 

 

You and me threw as many postseason innings as Scott and Yates did this year. 

I didn’t say anything about targeting a RP. I just meant in general a large market team should be able to target a particular player (Cease, Valdez, Tucker, Alonso, Schwarber, whoever) and get that guy instead of having to wait out the market for a guy to fall to them. I agree RP is a crap shoot. A pen arm is the hardest position to fill.