Irrelevant Dude

Yeah, I think with everything it takes to get one of those mega deals done, opt outs are a non-starter.

Bethancourt did a serviceable job as a backup, but isn't a guy you can pay $2.5M for when there is a need to improve the position. Wisdom at $3M is a complete non-starter. Regardless of his salary, he brings no value to the roster.

Cody opting out still feels like something Jed is trying to speak into existence. I think it could go either way, but if I had to put money on it I would bet that he won't opt out this year. The second one scares me. "The offense will fix itself if we have a normal summer at Wrigley" is not something I want Jed thinking. I know that's not exactly what he was saying, but I don't want to see Wrigley Field weather becoming this year's scapegoat for poor performance.

Just caught up on Jed's press conference from yesterday. Did he say one thing that was insightful or interesting? As far as I know, it was AI Jed just giving all the standard answers to every question.

Where do we even view the prospect lists? I don't think I ever saw the results from last vote.

I'm listening to the Braves radio feed while at my son's soccer practice and these broadcasters are awful. They are winning, yet it sounds like they are broadcasting a funeral. Maybe Zaidman isn't so bad after all. Ok, yes he is.

That is a really interesting "problem" to have. While some of those guys are still really young for AAA, it does feel like a bit of a turning point for the Cubs on a few levels. Can they make use of that AAA prospect capital now to significantly improve the Major League roster (either directly or through trades)? At the same time, can they replenish and continue to develop talent in the lower minors to maintain what is clearly a top-heavy Minor League system at the moment?

Crazy how bringing back essentially the same roster resulted in exactly the same record. Funny how that works. Maybe third time's a charm!

Cubs and Cardinals both finished 83-79. Who holds the draft position tiebreaker?

https://www.marqueesportsnetwork.com/ian-happ-honored-kyle-hendricks-with-a-touching-tribute-in-cubs-clubhouse/

As probably one of the biggest Kyle Hendricks supporters on this site, I felt it was my responsibility to create the Kyle Hendricks Appreciation Thread. It was amazing to see him (likely) finish his Cubs career today in vintage Hendricks form and it brought back memories of several of his performances in critical games. Kyle dominating the Dodgers and defeating Clayton Kershaw to lead the Cubs to the World Series was almost certainly his definining moment. Of course there was also Game 7 of the World Series, where maybe he was taken out too early, but I have come to see Maddon's side as well, so who knows what the right move was. I don't think Kyle has ever got the same level of credit as guys like Bryant, Rizzo, and Baez (and even Lester and Arrieta), but he was every bit as important to that team winning the World Series as anyone else on the roster. It was awesome to watch him get his moment today and get to take in the appreciation from a surprisingly large crowd at Wrigley. I have flip-flopped between favorite 2016 Cubs over the years, from Bryant to Baez, with Rizzo always being right up there as well, but in recent years I have come to realize that Kyle has really been my favorite out of all of them. We will see what happens in the offseason, but is appears highly unlikely that he will be back with the Cubs next year. I think he has shown enough over the last few months of the season that there will be at least one team that is willing to give him a Major League deal for 2025, and that team almost certainly won't be the Cubs. As much as I would love for him to come back and be insurance for the rotation, I recognize that the Cubs have many other priorities this offeason and it is time for both sides to move on. Whatever happens, thank you Kyle for everything, and I look forward to seeing you back with the Cubs in some form (coach, broadcaster, team representative) in the future.

To be fair, the wind is blowing in like 90 mph (what's new?)

I would be much more inclined to trade Paredes, if he has any value whatsoever.

At least he's getting his farewell tour where he starts every day.

Just caught Jed Hoyer's pregame comments on the radio and he's doubling down on Counsell's 90 win comments, so that's nice to hear. Paraphrasing a bit here, but Hoyer said something to the effect of, "If you win 90 games as a 90th percentile outcome, that's not building a 90 win team. We need to get to a place where 90 wins is the 50th percentile outcome and we don't need everything to go just right to get to 90 wins." He's saying all the right things. Now let's see him make it happen.

Well, that's fun. Stay fresh Miles, we're gonna need you down the stretch!

I don't expect Illinois to beat Penn St, but man does that 17.5 point line seem high. Of course Vegas knows what they are doing and Penn St. will probably end up winning by 18 points, but that is a lot of points to give up for a 9 vs 19 matchup.

Yeah, I didn't like that move at all. Especially considering how unlikely it is that Wisdom is actually going to get a hit. Let Vazquez try to get the monkey off his back.

I liked Bernstein & Holmes together, but I guess they needed to pair a bigger name with Spiegel.

I didn't hear the explanation for this being a bullpen game. Is it safe to assume this pushes all the starters back a day, meaning Taillon will go Friday and Hendricks will get his last start on Saturday? I'm hoping that is the case so that I can attend the (likely) final Hendricks start in Cubs uniform.

Yep. I came into the season with the Bears penciled in as a borderline playoff contender with the potential upside of a team that could win a game or two in the playoffs. The playoffs aren't completely out of the picture after only 3 weeks of football, but it is clear that there is more work to be done on and off the field before this team is a serious contender. This season is all about growth and seeing continuous improvement in Caleb and other key contributors.

I'm sure he feels good about their process for using timeouts.

Why did the colts not return that kick? Not having a kicker that can kick the ball out of the end zone could have (and should have) hurt the Bears there.

Can't say I love the quick slant to the middle of the field in this situation (even if it had been completed). Gotta get to the end zone or out of bounds.

Nice to see Odunze more involved in the offense today.