Cubs Pre-Offseason Mega Thread

[Brandon Glick]

I don't have much to say that hasn't been said. That was just a lifeless showing over two days by the Cubs.

Thank you all for another great season that deserved a better ending. We hope you enjoyed our coverage at NSBB throughout the year -- it's our favorite thing to interact with the readership and fellow fans. There were plenty of memorable moments, and we're just about a month away from Pete Crow-Armstrong's MVP coronation. So, hey, at least's something to look forward to.

We'll have more to share about our offseason and, eventually, lockout plans in the future. For now, we'll use this space as our mega-thread so people can chat about this team in whatever manner they want before we officially get to the end of the playoffs.

See you all for some more Cubs baseball in 2027 (hopefully)...

[Tryptamine]

Sure, why not. It's probably not the most realistic, but I think this team would at least be good to very good. In my eyes Seiya is gone. Someone is going to give him 5 years at 20-25 a year and that's just too much even if this OF class sucks. Also, I don't really want Happ back, but I think I'd throw a QO at him because this OF class sucks and you could do a lot worse than him on a one year deal. 

Bringing Holmes back is almost a no brainer in my eyes and I'd throw him something like 3/80, though a 4th year might be required.

I'd also love to bring Peterson too as they seemed to figure something out with him. He had 1 absolute disaster start in the 10ER performance and 1 more bad start with a 6 ER peformance. Besides those two, he never gave up more than 3 ER in any appearance.  Is 2/24 enough? 

I'm just assuming Horton wont see any time in 2027 and I would rather never see Shaw in a Cub uniform again so I'd like to see a big SP acquisition

Shaw+Kepley+Wing for Reid Detmers

Adrian Morejon is a dominant lefty who is nails on everyone lefty or not and is the big splash the pen desperately needs, but he going to be expensive. 4/80.

I'd like to bring in Brooks Raley as your lefty on lefty guy. 2/8 to 2/10  would do it. 

I'm not sure he'd be open to it and honestly the Cubs might be better off just splurging to keep Seiya instead, because at least Seiya can play RF adequately, but the last piece I'd like to add is Randy Arozarena. I don't think he takes the 5 years it's going to take for Seiya, but the AAV is probably not all that far off. He's basically a pretty reliable mid 120s wRC+ bat so I think the ask would be around 4/88 while I think Seiya ends up going around 5/120.

C- Ayers/Amaya

1B- Busch

2B- Nico

SS- Dansby

3B- Bregman

LF- Happ

CF- PCA

RF- Pedro

DH- Arozarena

 

SP: Steele/Detmers/Brown/Holmes/Peterson/Garrett/Assad

RP: Morejon/Palencia/Zeferjahns/Miller/Webb/Raley

 

It's probably a little overzealous given that the payroll would be increased even before addressing the bench and arbitration, but it is a team I think would give them a legit shot.

 

 

[imb]

my worry i guess is that the FO, which is pretty conservative, is gonna look at this season of big in-season swings that resulted in nothing, combine that with the uncertainty over to what extent a season will even take place in 2027, and the overall kinda weak FA class, and just sit it out. 

[Outshined_One]

I can see them being active with NPB postings, depending on who's available.  It's easy to envision the Dodgers taking a pass on most of these guys, since no one's in the Ohtani/Yamamoto tier, but guys like RF Teruaki Sato (power bat) and SP/RP Kaima Taira (velocity) seem to match up nicely with the Cubs' needs going into the offseason, assuming they're posted.

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

I'm hoping two seasons without an ace and ****** pitching in general will convince PTR to pursue Skubal

Edited 3 hours ago by Tangled Up in Plaid

[Funky-daddy]

Have to make try to pursue Skubal. Morejon would be huge. I’d be interested in taking a flyer on Bubic too

[Stratos]

35 minutes ago, Tangled Up in Plaid said:

I'm hoping two seasons without an ace and ****** pitching in general will convince PTR to pursue Skubal

[gflore34]

1 hour ago, Tryptamine said:

Sure, why not. It's probably not the most realistic, but I think this team would at least be good to very good. In my eyes Seiya is gone. Someone is going to give him 5 years at 20-25 a year and that's just too much even if this OF class sucks. Also, I don't really want Happ back, but I think I'd throw a QO at him because this OF class sucks and you could do a lot worse than him on a one year deal. 

Bringing Holmes back is almost a no brainer in my eyes and I'd throw him something like 3/80, though a 4th year might be required.

I'd also love to bring Peterson too as they seemed to figure something out with him. He had 1 absolute disaster start in the 10ER performance and 1 more bad start with a 6 ER peformance. Besides those two, he never gave up more than 3 ER in any appearance.  Is 2/24 enough? 

I'm just assuming Horton wont see any time in 2027 and I would rather never see Shaw in a Cub uniform again so I'd like to see a big SP acquisition

Shaw+Kepley+Wing for Reid Detmers

Adrian Morejon is a dominant lefty who is nails on everyone lefty or not and is the big splash the pen desperately needs, but he going to be expensive. 4/80.

I'd like to bring in Brooks Raley as your lefty on lefty guy. 2/8 to 2/10  would do it. 

I'm not sure he'd be open to it and honestly the Cubs might be better off just splurging to keep Seiya instead, because at least Seiya can play RF adequately, but the last piece I'd like to add is Randy Arozarena. I don't think he takes the 5 years it's going to take for Seiya, but the AAV is probably not all that far off. He's basically a pretty reliable mid 120s wRC+ bat so I think the ask would be around 4/88 while I think Seiya ends up going around 5/120.

C- Ayers/Amaya

1B- Busch

2B- Nico

SS- Dansby

3B- Bregman

LF- Happ

CF- PCA

RF- Pedro

DH- Arozarena

 

SP: Steele/Detmers/Brown/Holmes/Peterson/Garrett/Assad

RP: Morejon/Palencia/Zeferjahns/Miller/Webb/Raley

 

It's probably a little overzealous given that the payroll would be increased even before addressing the bench and arbitration, but it is a team I think would give them a legit shot.

 

 

I'd put Steele in the same boat as Horton, also look into a platoon at 1B maybe, Alec Bohm on a one year prove it?  He's got pretty good numbers vs. LHP, career 131 OPS+.  Guess Jed made an attempt with Tyler Austin only for him to, of course, be lost for the season with an injury.

Edited 2 hours ago by gflore34

[muntjack]

Would not mind having Holmes back but there is no way I'm giving him near $30m per.  He's had one full season as a starter and was worth 1.9 WAR.  

HR rate is elite, but K/BB limits his ceiling.   Yes, he plays up in front of this defense but not to the point he's worth 25-30m.   

Edited 2 hours ago by muntjack

[muntjack]

Also, it's pretty wild that the only person I'm pretty sure is a lock for opening the season in the rotation is Braxton Garrett.  Yikes. 

[mul21]

3 minutes ago, muntjack said:

Also, it's pretty wild that the only person I'm pretty sure is a lock for opening the season in the rotation is Braxton Garrett.  Yikes. 

Cabrera as well

[ILMindState]

If Imai opts out I wouldn’t mind him as a buy low candidate. Can maybe get him on a cheap short term deal to see if he can rebuild his value. We’re gonna need a bunch of arms anyway he could be worth a shot. 

[Andy]

34 minutes ago, mul21 said:

Cabrera as well

Don't you put that evil on me Ricky Bobby

[Andy]

I didn't know where else to put this, but this is an interesting Cubs-heavy piece in The Athletic about custom bats being potentially the next market inefficiency.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7627124/2026/09/26/mlb-bat-technology-cubs-vullo-bats/?unlocked_article_code=1.FVE.1Ank.CsRlXvMwsw52&source=athletic_user_shared_gift_article_copylink&smid=url-share-ta

Quote

Vullo isn’t sure exactly how he got on the Cubs’ radar. But the company’s first big break came in 2021, when Vullo signed a deal to make the Texas Rangers training bats. When the Cubs came calling before the 2025 season, Vullo was forced to expand operations. His wife, Lori, quit her full-time job to join Vullo Bats. Now the company provides all of the Cubs’ training bats for their minor leaguers and is the bat of choice for several Cubs’ major leaguers.

A handful of the Cubs’ top prospects — including Josiah Hartshorn (ranked No. 38 in The Athletic’s latest MLB top prospect rankings) and Owen Ayers — use custom Vullo bats in games. So did Brett Bateman, who was part of the Kevin Gausman trade to the Toronto Blue Jays at the trade deadline. Big leaguers Michael Busch and Dansby Swanson are among those who have swung custom Vullo bats, while the company has made more generic team-issued bats to stock Cubs’ affiliates.

 

[chibears55]

I think alot of what may happen this offseason will be determined by how long negotiations last with CBA, and outcome of where they go with payroll. 

Do they continue with tax thresholds,  do they have a floor, and or ceiling,  etc...

I'd be surprised if Ricketts allows payroll to exceed over the Threshold again and go through a second penalty.

I dont anticipate any major signing as far as someone getting over 5 yrs at 25+ per .

They basically need 2 OFers, theyll need to decide if they want Kelly back at 7.5 mil or look for a cheaper veteran,  Ayers will likely start in Iowa, so Amaya will be looking over his shoulder up until the deadline. 

I fully expect them to start spring training with Steele,  Cabrera,  Brown, and Garrett in their rotation if all are fully healthy.

I guess itll come down to making Holmes a higher offer to return or looking elsewhere. 

Wiggins and Birdsell may be the top prospects waiting in the wings in Iowa.

I think we'll see a handful of guys return to the bullpen, the biggest question will be do they look for a new closer and add 1 or 2 high leverage arms.

Bench is the bench, hopefully they can add a solid veteran bat like Conforto was for them

 

 

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

I don't remember where I saw it, but there might be teams interested in signing Morejon and stretching him out to be a starter. 

[Outshined_One]

4 minutes ago, chibears55 said:

Wiggins and Birdsell may be the top prospects waiting in the wings in Iowa.

This came up in a different thread, I would not bank on Wiggins and/or Birdsell seeing substantial time in the majors in 2027.  Birdsell is returning from major surgery and will be on pitch/inning limits, and Wiggins wasn't looking quite right to end the season in Iowa after dealing with nagging injury issues.

The pitching in the system is improving, but there's a distinct lack of depth in the upper levels.

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

If Wiggins looks good in spring I'd start the season with him in the multi-inning relief role, like Ben Brown at the start of the year. 

[muntjack]

It's going to be such a kick in the nuts if we never get quality innings from Steele, Horton, Brown or Wiggins moving forward.   I'm afraid that may be more likely than not. 

At one point that looked like a hell of a potential 1-4.  

[Post Count Padder]

25 minutes ago, Tangled Up in Plaid said:

I don't remember where I saw it, but there might be teams interested in signing Morejon and stretching him out to be a starter. 

I would love to add Morejon to the pen but I don't know about that. If there are teams willing to offer him SP money then we're out.

[Nolo]

Pitching needs to be the focus.

Injured Players: We need Steele and Brown to be healthy and Horton to come back at some point later in the season.

New Free Agents: Need to pick up at minimum one guy for the rotation, a 1 or 2 guy. Skubal would be great but that’s a pipe dream. Michael King has a player option for $28M so he will probably stay with the padres.

Need 1-2 elite relief pitchers. The guy who stands out is Morejón from Padres. If we don’t get him then the offseason is a failure. 

Current Guys: Should re-sign Holmes or Gausman. I think Holmes has a player option but idk if either of these guys will want to return after this disaster end. Holmes didn’t even get an inning in Wild Card series.

i am not ready to give up on Cabrera yet either. He’d make a solid 4-5 guy if he can figure it out.

Rotation

1. Free Agent

2. Steele

3. Brown 

4. Holmes

5. Cabrera

6. Horton in the mix if he’s back 

Top pen guys: Morejón, Palencia, Zeferjahn, Miller, Rolison, etc. Hopefully 1-2 elite additions.

Position Players

1B - Busch

2B - Hoerner

SS - Swanson

3B - Bregman

OF - PCA

OF - Suzuki 

OF - Taylor / Conforto / ???

C - Ayers 

DH - ???

Edited 1 hour ago by Nolo

[Post Count Padder]

So as it stands we have

C- Amaya, Ayers

1B: Busch

2B: Nico

SS: Dansby

3B: Bregman

OF: PCA, Alcantara? Shaw? Ramirez?

SP: Steele, Brown, Cabrera, Garrett, Assad, Wicks, Noland, Wiggins, Kipp, Sanders

RP: Palencia, Webb, Zeferjahn, Rollison, Roberts, Hollowell, Riley Martin, etc

Pitching is pretty bleak. A lot of holes to fill. I'm kinda hoping they keep one of Gausman/Holmes but even if they keep both it's not enough.

I wonder if they let Ayers have a shot at doing a 1a/1b with Amaya next year and sign a AAA veteran or if they try to bring back Kelly or someone like him.

I love Ian Happ and would welcome him back but I think we can do better. That said, he would probably take less money to stay and I assume Seiya will command a lot on the market.

[gflore34]

13 minutes ago, muntjack said:

It's going to be such a kick in the nuts if we never get quality innings from Steele, Horton, Brown or Wiggins moving forward.   I'm afraid that may be more likely than not. 

At one point that looked like a hell of a potential 1-4.  

Given it's not arm related, Brown is the best shot, I know it's an unusual injury nevertheless, there may be a shot.  It'd be a mistake to include Steele/Horton in any future plans, Wiggins - oft injured he's trending towards a Horton/Steele outcome in that it'd be a mistake to include him in any future plans.

[Outshined_One]

19 minutes ago, Nolo said:

Pitching needs to be the focus.

Welcome!

[chibears55]

39 minutes ago, Outshined_One said:

This came up in a different thread, I would not bank on Wiggins and/or Birdsell seeing substantial time in the majors in 2027.  Birdsell is returning from major surgery and will be on pitch/inning limits, and Wiggins wasn't looking quite right to end the season in Iowa after dealing with nagging injury issues.

The pitching in the system is improving, but there's a distinct lack of depth in the upper levels.

I was looking at both more so for second half of season if needed, obviously we hope the 5 starters that begin on opening day stays healthy and perform well. 

But yea, their prospects like Wiggins and Birdsell are more likely for 2028 rotation and hopefully not desperately needed in 2027