TarzanJoeWallis

Yeah, I’ll be absolutely shocked if it is less than PCA, and I don’t know why that would make anyone upset.

The week of February 21 is nearly a month long.

I read that their third round pick last year is a natural center that they played out of position this past season and they wanted to open the spot up for him.

Are you saying Jody Davis is a sure fire Cubs hall of Famer but Jon Lester isn’t?

Nope. This clearly shows the writer has no idea that Hoerner is a primarily a second baseman: “Though he logged innings primarily at shortstop in 2025, Hoerner has long been a utility man and can play the Keystone.”

Sounded to me like he was talking about the Red Sox, not the Cubs, when he was saying they had made an offer early in the offseason.

That’s fair. But I stand by assessment that returning to Bellinger a year after giving him away and trading three guys for a player in the final year of his contract, is directionless.

Just being in touch makes them seem so directionless. Just a year ago they gave him away after they were shocked he picked up his option (even though they claimed they weren’t). They trade three guys for Tucker and now are touching base with Bellinger again. I think they were also shocked that Shota accepted the QO (even though they claim otherwise) and that has screwed them up this offseason.

I agree. I blame the Ricketts for the ridiculous budget constraints, but it does feel like Jed always seems to think he can shop at the top of the market within that budget and is always surprised that the costs are as high as they are, whether it is for contracts for free agents or prospects in trades.

1981. Early 70s also lost a few games. But 1981 lasted so long the season had to be split into two halves. The Reds had the best record in baseball but missed the playoffs because they didn’t win either half.

“Checked in” in Cubs language means they are letting them know if they don’t get what they are looking for the Cubs will be happy to do a short deal with high AAV and multiple opt outs. In the meantime, good luck with your negotiations with other teams and give us a call if you start to feel desperate.

Has he actually missed? I thought he always did the opening but stopped doing the owner’s panel.

I’m sure we will soon read that the Cubs now plan to be patient and wait out the market.

Fair take. I know you’ve been high on him.

This may sound odd, but if he ends up signing for far less than originally projected, then I’m not all that interested in him. If he signs for a big deal then the league generally views him as a top of the rotation guy. If he signs for a deal that looks like a bargain, then the league probably views him as a mid rotation guy. We already have plenty of those.