CubinNY

Ross and his staff and just about everyone else should be on the hot seat for this team's performance.

Happ has to make that catch.

Steele battled through after that first inning and had a pretty good night.

Great night on the farm.

I thoroughly enjoyed the game last night with Pat, Doug, and Dempster in the booth. So much better than Boog and JD's forced comradery.

It just makes way too much sense compared to other options. Alderson also was specific about saying how they don't want to deal from the top of the farm system(name-checking Alvarez and Baty) and lamenting the loss of PCA from last year, so there may be a pretty thin line to tread. Fangraphs finally got the Mets prospect list updated, which means we now have that to look from and it's including very recent reports/rankings so it should be more relevant than a November list for deadline purposes. A quick rundown of players that are interesting to me: - 3B Brett Baty - 55 FV - Big power corner infielder w/ .370 wOBA at AA. Seems like it's going to be very difficult to talk them into using him for Contreras, possibly even if Robertson was going too. - OF Alex Ramirez - 50 FV - Think a lot of Alcantara(young OF with tools and great Low-A performance) and a little bit of PCA(already at High A, possible CF). I like the value he represents but it's not a great fit with the Cubs org depth - SP Matt Allan - 45+ FV - Mets spent a ton of draft budget signing him and he has some big potential, but he's still rehabbing TJS and hasn't pitched since 2019(10 IP at R & A-). Not a great fit as a primary return and maybe ambitious as a secondary/more distant piece - 3B Mark Vientos - 45 FV - A rumored return for Bryant last year, Vientos is a probable 1B with big power and big swing and miss in the Wisdom mold, with a good not great AAA line. His report namechecking Bobby Dalbec is not inspiring, but it also points out he's much younger at same levels, and the Cubs have had some success reforming this profile's swing for greater viability. - SP Eric Orze - 45 FV - Orze hasn't started a game in his pro career but Fangraphs thinks he has the repertoire for it. He's already to AAA, but since he dosn't need to be rostered until next December you could take your time building up the innings - SP Jose Butto - 45 FV - SP with a solid fastball (sit 92-94) and a good changeup acquitting himself well in AA. Would make a nice bridge of potential rotation options between Kilian and Wicks/Herz - C Nick Meyer - 35+ FV - A plus defensive catcher with a .258/.381/.367 line and 23/31 BB/K (157 PA) seems like a really useful throw in for the current state of the org's catching I'm just going to say right now, whoever they get I will not like because I think they are monumentally stupid in trading Willson. Then when the player is good and knocking on the door be in MLB, I will like the trade a lot better.

I'm convinced this is about the end of the NCAA as it relates to big-money college football.

They have a lot of good young talent.

Great booth - Pat, Doug Glanville, and a very much improved Dempster.

Nico double, stole third, came home on a Rivas single

Does Wisdom have any trade value?

Sampson dealing and Happer has a dong.

I don't think Pinango gets enough love. His ISO has literally doubled and while it's not amazing, he's putting up a 114 wRC+ at A+ in his age 20 season. I don't know that he has any star power, but I could see him as good 4th OFer type or a a cheap 3rd OFer putting up 2-2.5fWAR seasons. If it carries over to AA this season, I think he has to be in the top 15. He's a great trade candidate for when the Cubs start buying.

Well put. More to the point, if that's all you can get for Happ while he's at peak value, he's of more value to the current and future Cubs than what you can get for him. To me, at least, it makes little sense to trade him.

Of my.

Kershaw has them hypnotized at the plate, but Stro in doing fine. 0-0

It’s like getting a new player, he’s so much better than Clint.

My emotions exactly

I know I'm not the first person on the bandwagon, but if I'm betting on futures, I'm betting long on Matt Mevis. All he's done is hit.

That is not at all what I expected that dude to look like. With a name like that, he's exactly what I expected him to look like the first time I saw him. He's kind of shaped like a bowling pin. Wide hips, narrow shoulders.

This game starts past my bed time but I feel like we owe it to Fred’s memory to have a thread for every game. Tough assignment for the Cubs, the Dodgers are a legitimately good team, as opposed to a fake good team like the Brewers and Cardinals.

Boy, the Bears are having an offseason to remember.

I can't find the tweet, but twitter baseball seems to think Happ will be shopped. I really don't understand this organization's philosophy at all. They are behaving like a small market team. I would assume Happ has more value to the Cubs than they can get in any trade due to his positional limitations. I guess seller's market is the reason.

MB - Ezequiel Pagan is blowing up in June and now July. Prospect or filler? He was the hitter of the month in the Cubs org.