Cubs Pre-Offseason Mega Thread

[Hunter]

Any plan that includes getting a fair amount of innings out of Steele as a starter is probably doomed to fail. He is also a free agent after this next season. Horton will probably not be back for any significant amount of innings as a starter either. Wiggins could be used like Ben Brown was in 2025, but there is still some questions about his health and drop in velocity. We blew through a lot of our prospect value acquiring pitching this past season, which sucks because we're right where we were before needing starting pitching and a better bullpen.

[mul21]

In the pen you for sure have Maton, Miller, Palencia, and Rolison back.  Ethan Roberts is also available for the Iowa shuttle along with Assad.  Definitely need another impact arm there but I suspect Morejon will be high on many team's lists.

For the rotation, you're looking at Cabrera as the only highly likely candidate to give you 25-30 starts who's currently on the roster.  I think I'd probably make an effort to bring back Peterson in concert with a dogged pursuit of Skubal.  They just don't have anyone who can be a top of the rotation guy anywhere near MLB ready and maybe not even in the system at all. I kind of hope the clunky end to the season for Holmes leads to him exercising his option and you add him to the mix with Steele, Garrett, and Brown filling out the rest of the staff.  I'd also look at Civale in the Rea role for 2027 if not a straight pen role since he's obviously figured something out since coming to the Cubs.

I probably try to bring Kelly back and have him work at 1B in the offseason as a platoon partner with Busch so you can break in Ayers without having to worry about a 3rd catcher really screwing up the roster.  I'm making a QO to Seiya for sure and probably Happ depending on how that discussion goes.  Assume Happ is back, Alcantara is his platoon partner, and I'm not sure what you do at the other OF position. Maybe a buy low Jarren Duran trade or something like that? That leaves you a bench of Pedro, Shaw, Ayers, and Amaya with one of the first 3 hanging out in Iowa to start the season so the roster fits the Happ/Alcantara platoon.

[Derwood]

I am going on the extremely negative notion that none of the current starters are going to be of any use whatsoever next year. Steele, Horton, Cabrera, Brown, Boyd.....all dead to me. Start from scratch

[squally1313]

13 minutes ago, mul21 said:

In the pen you for sure have Maton, Miller, Palencia, and Rolison back.  Ethan Roberts is also available for the Iowa shuttle along with Assad.  Definitely need another impact arm there but I suspect Morejon will be high on many team's lists.

not calling him an 'impact arm', but Zeferjahn is also under control for a while 

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

Zeferjahn is def an impact pen arm unless they want to stretch him out 

[mul21]

16 minutes ago, squally1313 said:

not calling him an 'impact arm', but Zeferjahn is also under control for a while 

Bah, Spotrac didn't have him listed.  Good call.

[squally1313]

13 minutes ago, Tangled Up in Plaid said:

Zeferjahn is def an impact pen arm unless they want to stretch him out 

Relative to the 2025 Cubs bullpen? Sure. But we should set our sights higher than a 3.88 ERA/3.82 FIP. That's basically mop up duty numbers for the Padres and Brewers. 

[Funky-daddy]

Yankees have a glut of starting pitching. Would like to move Ramirez or Shaw + for someone 

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

2 minutes ago, squally1313 said:

Relative to the 2025 Cubs bullpen? Sure. But we should set our sights higher than a 3.88 ERA/3.82 FIP. That's basically mop up duty numbers for the Padres and Brewers. 

You're right, I guess I should have said potential impact arm, because stuff wise he's #1

[gflore34]

4 minutes ago, Tangled Up in Plaid said:

You're right, I guess I should have said potential impact arm, because stuff wise he's #1

Him and Cabrera both, the stuff is there, very few guys with better stuff then them.  Now, the execution, well, that's an entirely different matter.

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

4 minutes ago, gflore34 said:

Him and Cabrera both, the stuff is there, very few guys with better stuff then them.  Now, the execution, well, that's an entirely different matter.

Zef's start with the team was rocky but he def pitched well down the stretch and even yesterday. I can't lump him in with Cabrera.