Screw Winter Doldrums! The Get a Big Bat and Call It an Offseason Thread

[Irrelevant Dude]

6 hours ago, mul21 said:

Total dollars are likely to be half, not AAV.

Worrying about total dollars is stupid.

[We Got The Whole 9]

I thought Belli was looking for 6/180. I cant see any way he actually gets 200+.

[chibears55]

Cubs 2027 Rotation could have 4 guys under 20 mil combined.

 

Cabrera Arb

 

Steele Arb

 

Horton 

 

Wiggins

 

You think Ricketts might be able to put a TOR type starter in his SP budget next offseason 😅

Edited January 9 by chibears55

[mk49]

16 minutes ago, chibears55 said:

Cubs 2027 Rotation could have 4 guys under 20 mil combined.

 

Cabrera Arb

 

Steele Arb

 

Horton 

 

Wiggins

 

You think Ricketts might be able to put a TOR type starter in his SP budget next offseason 😅

Skubal?😁  Peralta?  Maybe.

Edited January 9 by mk49

[squally1313]

1 hour ago, chibears55 said:

Cubs 2027 Rotation could have 4 guys under 20 mil combined.

 

Cabrera Arb

 

Steele Arb

 

Horton 

 

Wiggins

 

You think Ricketts might be able to put a TOR type starter in his SP budget next offseason 😅

Those four, plus Shaw at pre-arb, Busch/PCA/Amaya all in their first arb year. Like 23 WAR for $30m?

[Geographyhater8888]

20 hours ago, Connor McConnor said:

 

  4 hours ago,  17 Seconds said:

i want tucker back pretty badly

For what it's worth:

"Similarly, a return to Chicago doesn’t seem to be in the cards, because for as good a season as he had as a Cub, Tucker really didn’t seem to enjoy hitting in Wrigley Field, where his slugging percentage was 129 points lower than it was on the road."

From this article:

https://www.mlb.com/news/which-team-needs-kyle-tucker-most

I worried about that possibility last year with Tucker’s fly balls dying at the warning track. Man I hope the wind doesn’t deter future free agent sluggers. Not that the Cubs are ever in the market for any big names so maybe it’s a wash.

Edited January 9 by Geographyhater8888

[Rcal10]

8 hours ago, squally1313 said:

Those four, plus Shaw at pre-arb, Busch/PCA/Amaya all in their first arb year. Like 23 WAR for $30m?

Right. That is why this idea that they get to the cliff in ‘27 is ridiculous to me. Sure, they are losing a lot of guys. But they can retain a few if they want. And they have a lot of cheaper talent. That is why now is a good time to get Bichette. I would even trade Tailon now and add Gallen on a 4 year deal. The cliff gets lower. I honestly think Mo is going to be a solid bat. So he can DH. The infield is set with Bichette, Shaw, Dansby and Busch. Amaya catching, Mo as DH and PCA in center. You would also have Gallen, Steele, Horton, Cabrera and hopefully Wiggins in the rotation. And still more than $100M to spend. So even if they go over this year they will be back under in ‘27. I doubt the new CBA hinders spending at the level the Cubs spend to. Whatever they need, they can add FA, trade or even fill the spot from the system. 

[Rcal10]

8 minutes ago, Geographyhater8888 said:

I worried about that possibility last year with Tucker’s fly balls dying at the warning track. Man I hope the wind doesn’t deter future free agent sluggers. Not that the Cubs are ever in the market for any big names so maybe it’s a wash.

This is another plus for Bichette. He isn’t a slugger. Just a good hitter who may hit 20 homers. The wind didn’t seem to deter Swanson’s power since coming here. Bichette has similar power potential (17-24 homers) with a better overall hit tool.

[CubUgly]

19 hours ago, Thusly Boned said:

I'd just be shocked if Bellinger doesn't end up back with the Yankees. They need him, all indications are he loves it there, and the ballpark is a perfect fit.

And he's now on the wrong side of 30, and I don't think he produces like he did last year virtually anywhere else. If there is a bidding war, I don't want any part of it.

It's such a better place for him - he'll get an extra 5-7 cheap home runs there at least.  Unless they just don't want him - or he just loves Chicago more than New York - it would be foolish of him to not go back there if they want him. 

[Rcal10]

3 minutes ago, CubUgly said:

It's such a better place for him - he'll get an extra 5-7 cheap home runs there at least.  Unless they just don't want him - or he just loves Chicago more than New York - it would be foolish of him to not go back there if they want him. 

Well whoever gets him this will probably be his last contract. So it is not like he should go back to NY because better numbers there will get him a better contract on his next one. So I doubt it matters to him if he has better numbers at one place or the other. He doesn’t need to prove anything for another deal. So it comes down to money (MOST IMPORTANT BY A LOT) and then comfort with the city and team (very small consideration-but maybe if contracts are similar it is the decider). I think the numbers he can post don’t play a part in this particular case. 

[Geographyhater8888]

17 minutes ago, Rcal10 said:

This is another plus for Bichette. He isn’t a slugger. Just a good hitter who may hit 20 homers. The wind didn’t seem to deter Swanson’s power since coming here. Bichette has similar power potential (17-24 homers) with a better overall hit tool.

Just no Bellinger. That would be disappointing.

[Rcal10]

8 minutes ago, Geographyhater8888 said:

Just no Bellinger. That would be disappointing.

I would rather have any of the other 3 top guys, but I wouldn’t say I was disappointed if the Cubs got Bellinger. 

[Petrey10]

Bichette

busch

hoerner 

 

What different lineup in today’s age of homer or strikeout at bats

[Geographyhater8888]

41 minutes ago, Rcal10 said:

I would rather have any of the other 3 top guys, but I wouldn’t say I was disappointed if the Cubs got Bellinger. 

His X stats aren’t very good and benefited a lot from the Yankee stadium dimensions. Which version of a bellinger shows up, 2023 of 2024?
 

With the chance for Bregman or Bichette I’d be disappointed if that’s who we end up with. Outside of a defensive upgrade in right field he’s been inconsistent since his MVP season and his upside is par for the course on the cubs roster.

Edited January 9 by Geographyhater8888

[Rcal10]

7 minutes ago, Geographyhater8888 said:

His X stats aren’t very good and benefited a lot from the Yankee stadium dimensions. Will we get 2023 Bellinger in hitter friendly wrigley or 2024 with the wind blowing in and his X stats dipping toward his actual numbers? With the chance for Bregman or Bichette I’d be disappointed if that’s who we end up with. 

I would be disappointed we didn’t get Bichette or Bregman. That is a separate issue.

But Bellinger’s hard contract was up a lot last year. Even if we split the difference between 23 and 24, he would be a valuable player. As I said, he is my last choice. But I wouldn’t be disappointed  if he came back to the Cubs. 

[Geographyhater8888]

16 minutes ago, Rcal10 said:

I would be disappointed we didn’t get Bichette or Bregman. That is a separate issue.

But Bellinger’s hard contract was up a lot last year. Even if we split the difference between 23 and 24, he would be a valuable player. As I said, he is my last choice. But I wouldn’t be disappointed  if he came back to the Cubs. 

His upside is par for the course for the cubs.  He’d be an upgrade over Suzuki as a defender but has been inconsistent since his MVP year. His xWOBA was league average, his OPS was nearly 200 points lower away from Yankee stadium too. He consistently beats out his X stats to his credit. If the price is reasonable then it’s better than nothing I suppose.

Edited January 9 by Geographyhater8888

[DrCub]

12 hours ago, chibears55 said:

Cubs 2027 Rotation could have 4 guys under 20 mil combined.

 

Cabrera Arb

 

Steele Arb

 

Horton 

 

Wiggins

 

You think Ricketts might be able to put a TOR type starter in his SP budget next offseason 😅

 

[chibears55]

Was looking to see an update for how much the Cubs have to spend if they stay under, and noticed theyre still paying Bellinger 2.5 mil 😅

Ricketts probably telling Hoyer any offers made to Cody you make sure that 2.5 gets taken off lol

 

[CubUgly]

2 hours ago, Rcal10 said:

Well whoever gets him this will probably be his last contract. So it is not like he should go back to NY because better numbers there will get him a better contract on his next one. So I doubt it matters to him if he has better numbers at one place or the other. He doesn’t need to prove anything for another deal. So it comes down to money (MOST IMPORTANT BY A LOT) and then comfort with the city and team (very small consideration-but maybe if contracts are similar it is the decider). I think the numbers he can post don’t play a part in this particular case. 

I don't know - numbers matter to those guys.  I don't think for a second hitting 25 homers instead of 17 in a season and 50 more homers over 7 or 8 years doesn't matter to Belli or any player.  List to Happs podcast when they talk baseball, those things matter to them.   Now to what percentage that matters in deciding where to go, hell I could not begin to say definitively, probably varies from player to player. 

[Rcal10]

8 minutes ago, CubUgly said:

I don't know - numbers matter to those guys.  I don't think for a second hitting 25 homers instead of 17 in a season and 50 more homers over 7 or 8 years doesn't matter to Belli or any player.  List to Happs podcast when they talk baseball, those things matter to them.   Now to what percentage that matters in deciding where to go, hell I could not begin to say definitively, probably varies from player to player. 

I would lump that in with comfort in a city and a team. I wouldn’t put personal numbers as a separate category, unless it is for a future contract. Using Happ as an example doesn’t really pertain. He wants good numbers for a better contract. I agree all athletes have egos. They all want to see big time stats. But a big time back account far outweighs stats. 

[chibears55]

Cubs have a golden opportunity to really make a splash now if only Ricketts allows Hoyer to go over the Threshold this season and it doesn't even need to be crazy.

They can easily grab Bichette and Tucker/Bellinger which would totally upgrade 2 positions and really solidify the offense for maybe just under 60 total and payroll would be under 275.

What a lineup that would be

 

[Rcal10]

1 minute ago, chibears55 said:

Cubs have a golden opportunity to really make a splash now if only Ricketts allows Hoyer to go over the Threshold this season and it doesn't even need to be crazy.

They can easily grab Bichette and Tucker/Bellinger which would totally upgrade 2 positions and really solidify the offense for maybe just under 60 total and payroll would be under 275.

What a lineup that would be

 

This is a complete about face. Aren’t you the guy who continually says you don’t expect them to do anything? Aren’t you all about just bringing up prospects who will magically be as good as Happ and Suzuki? Now you are suggesting something that we all know has absolutely no chance of happening? Obviously you know it too. Just surprised you even suggested it.
Honestly, I would rather see them get Bichette and Gallen. Trade Tailon. That would cost them a net of around $32M to $38M. They would be over the LT, but not by that much. And they can get under next year. While I think this is also pretty unlikely, I think it is way more likely than what you suggested. 

[Radar3454]

13 hours ago, Irrelevant Dude said:

Worrying about total dollars is stupid.

I think number of years is almost as important as AAV. How many years of decline are you paying current production for? I think Bellinger is the best fit as he could fill RF and backup PCA/Busch, but I worry about him on a long term deal. 

[Petrey10]

22 minutes ago, chibears55 said:

Cubs have a golden opportunity to really make a splash now if only Ricketts allows Hoyer to go over the Threshold this season and it doesn't even need to be crazy.

They can easily grab Bichette and Tucker/Bellinger which would totally upgrade 2 positions and really solidify the offense for maybe just under 60 total and payroll would be under 275.

What a lineup that would be

 

Haha I was ridiculed for going all in on Bichette now we are wanting Tucker and Bichette?!? lol wow what turn of events 

[Dfan25]

Looks like the Dbacks have just pulled Marte off the trade market . This takes the Dbacks out of Bregman  and the Red Sox more likely to try and close the deal with him .

 

I think Cubs will add a bat now after the Cabrera trade , just not one of the top ones . My guess is Suarez 

Edited January 9 by Dfan25