Post Count Padder

I wanted Higashioka or Jansen most. I don't think they're gonna settle for Thiass but this is annoying. Gotta be Carson Kelly or a trade.

Jed has gone mad with power. And not in a good way. Since all I do is think about this stuff: Mariners get Bellinger, Hoerner, Mervis, Wesneski Cubs get: Castillo, Luke Raley, Mitch Garver, Emerson Hancock, Tai Peete, Logan Evans

I wanted Jansen at the deadline and hoped they would sign him but I kinda gave up on that idea. If they can get him, I'd be thrilled. Solid defender who can hit and with Amaya you can play matchups and have a 1A-1B situation. That's my preference, as I believe in Amaya's future but he should split the workload at this point. What's his possible contract? 2-3 years and 12 mil each?

So what would the framework look like? Cubs get Crochet Mariners get Hoerner, maybe a pitcher from either us or the Sox? White Sox get Caissie, Cole Young, Celestin, Birdsell? Triantos? Rojas? Crochet is great but he is still a pitcher. I'd feel a bit nervous giving up that much and getting just him in return but maybe I'm being naive. Hell, maybe this blows up and Robert also goes to Seattle.

Chris Cotillo was in the same boat and was just a teenager and seen as an insider wannabe and then he against all odds broke the Arietta/Strop trade.

My preference is to keep Bellinger. But if we're intent on trading him and blowing things up a bit, what about this wild and unrealistic series of deals: Bellinger + Paredes to the Yankees for Oswald Peraza, Roc Riggio, Clayton Beeter Nico to the Mariners for Woo or Miller Triantos + Jefferson Rojas + Drew Gray + Will Sanders to the Rays for Brandon Lowe + Fairbanks + Cleavinger Alcantara + Killian+ Mervis (lol) to the A's for Langeliers Peraza and Shaw handle 3B. All other positions accounted for. Pen gets a closer and a lefty.

The Rangers scooped up Higashioka. I know there are other catchers out there but he was a good fit here. Bummer.

Thinking about this more and just thinking about Boyd's durability is maybe the plan is to start him and get 4 innings and piggyback Assad or Brown. It's not the best use of resources but it would limit the usage on Boyd's arm? Idk.

I like Boyd and his stuff and thought he'd be an interesting secondary SP add but this seems like a lot of money for a guy who hasn't pitched a full real season since 2019.

In my head, we really need: - Late-inning relief - SP consistency - Power bat off the bench - A backup middle infielder who can hit better than Mastrobuoni. - A catcher to go with Amaya. In this scenario, I like Higgy on a two year deal at catcher. Pederson can also rotate with all the OFers based on rest and matchups, as with Belli and Busch. Iglesias gets a one-year deal off a solid season and helps as a contact hitter with a glove at multiple positions. Shaw and the other AAA outfielders are available for call-ups if Canario and Iglesias get hurt or flop. I also have something like Caissie or Alcantara and Triantos and Jefferson Rojas to the Mariners for Bryce Miller to bolster the rotation. Not sure if that would be enough but I think it's a good framework. This is a more well-rounded roster that helps in the short- and long-term without going overboard on spending because we know PTR won't. If Dansby bounces back offensively and Amaya and PCA hit the way they did at the end of the season, this is a more potent lineup. Tell me how wrong this is! C: Miguel Amaya ($0.80M) 1B: Michael Busch ($0.80M) 2B: Nico Hoerner ($11.50M) 3B: Isaac Paredes ($6.90M) SS: Dansby Swanson ($28.00M) LF: Ian Happ ($21.00M) CF: Pete Crow-Armstrong ($0.80M) RF: Seiya Suzuki ($19.00M) DH: Cody Bellinger ($27.50M) 4th OF: Alexander Canario ($0.80M) Utility: Jose Iglesias ($4.00M) Utility: Joc Pederson ($11.00M) Backup C: Kyle Higashioka ($7.50M) NA: Add Dead Money Here ($0.00M) SP1: Shota Imanaga ($13.50M) SP2: Justin Steele ($6.40M) SP3: Jameson Taillon ($18.00M) SP4: Bryce Miller ($0.80M) SP5: Michael Lorenzen ($6.00M) RP: Clay Holmes ($10.00M) RP: Jeff Hoffman ($10.00M) RP: Tyson Miller ($0.80M) RP: Porter Hodge ($0.80M) RP: Nate Pearson ($1.40M) RP: Ethan Roberts ($0.80M) RP: Eli Morgan ($1.00M) RP: Javier Assad ($0.80M) NA: Add Dead Money Here ($0.00M) Payroll is 4.59% under budget

Kikuchi to the Angels is a weird one. Makes little sense for either side. They're not winning anytime soon.

In the early 2000s, the Cubs had some dynamite starters in Kerry Wood and Mark Prior. Behind them was the stalwart Jon Lieber. Image courtesy of © Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images The 2001 season was a wacky one for the Cubs. It was an 88-win season sandwiched between two seasons with 90+ losses. Nothing really stands out on the offensive side as to the spike in wins. Only Sammy Sosa posted a bWAR above 2.5 that season among all Cubs batters (granted, it was 10 WAR because he was in the midst of an insane stretch of seasons). On the pitching side, you can see how things took shape. The staff finished 4th in ERA in the league at the height of the steroid era. The bullpen was led by four former starting pitchers: Tom "Flash" Gordon, Jeff Fassero, Kyle Farnsworth, and (somehow) former top A's prospect Todd Van Poppel. But the starting pitching itself had success, too. Kerry Wood was dominating batters as he usually did, generating a lot of strikeouts. But he might not have been the steadiest starter on the staff. The Cubs that year had two All-Stars. One was Sosa. The other? Underappreciated Jon Lieber. Lieber, a native of Council Bluffs, IA, was originally a 1992 2nd-round pick by the Royals out of the University of South Alabama. A year later, he was traded to the Pirates in a deal for Stan Belinda. Lieber made his MLB debut the following season. Aside from a disastrous 1995 season, he was generally a solid pitcher in Pittsburgh, starting as a spot starter/long reliever before cementing a spot in the rotation. However, with the Pirates looking to clear some roster and payroll space following the 1998 season, they traded Lieber to the Cubs for Brant Brown. Brown, who infamously dropped a fly ball during the playoff chase late in the season, would play just one season with the Pirates. Lieber, meanwhile, was immediately an upgrade for the Cubs. He helped lead a 1999 Cubs rotation that sorely missed Kerry Wood after his surgery. The club finished last in the NL in ERA, but Lieber posted a 4.07 ERA and 3.79 FIP, which went along with a career-best 8.2 K/9. In 2000, Lieber almost literally anchored the rotation again, leading the majors with 251 innings pitched. In the 24 years since, that number would be topped just four more times (Curt Schilling in 2001, Randy Johnson in 2002, Roy Halladay in 2003, and Livan Hernandez in 2004). That brings us to the culmination of his dependable work. Lieber hit the ground running in 2001. On May 24, he one-hit the Reds, throwing just 78 pitches. Lieber entered July 4 that year with 11 wins and a sterling 3.14 ERA and 3.21 FIP, making him an obvious choice for the All-Star Game. While his appearance there didn't go well (he served up home runs to Derek Jeter and Magglio Ordonez), he nevertheless deserved the honor. He would finish the season with 20 wins and a 3.80 ERA/3.79 FIP. He also earned Cy Young Award consideration on the ballot and placed 4th in the voting after the season. No Cubs pitcher would tally 20 wins in a season until Jake Arrieta's terrific and award-winning 2015. Lieber followed up his 2001 with a solid 2002 campaign that ended prematurely. He had a 3.70 ERA and 3.39 FIP through 21 starts but was dealing with elbow pain all season. It became too much, and he required Tommy John surgery in August. A free agent at the end of the season, Lieber's Cubs tenure was over for the time being. Lieber received a prove-it contract from the Yankees and returned from surgery to lead MLB in the fewest BB/9 (0.9). He parlayed that into a multi-year contract with the Phillies and pitched adequately, if unspectacularly, for three seasons in South Philly. He departed via free agency following the 2007 season. Had he spent one more year there, he may have collected a World Series ring when the Phillies defeated the Rays to win the title. But his heart was in Chicago, and he signed a one-year contract to return to the North Side. Lieber's MLB career ended in 2008 with 26 appearances in Chicago, after which he retired after the season to spend more time with his family. He finished with 131 career wins and a 25.5 bWAR. His career BB/9 and BB/K ratios are both in the top 50 all-time among qualified pitchers. He was a true workhorse and innings eater, an under-appreciated bright spot on some oft-neglected Cubs teams due to his poor performance. View full article

I have had that thought. A follow up prospect for prospect trade with the Dodgers like last year. They have Will Smith locked in for nearly a decade and have Rushing and Cartaya knocking on the door. Maybe something crazy like Alcantara or Caissie and Ben Brown or Jordan Wicks for Rushing and a pitching prospect like Maddux Bruns.

Well that's why I have to look at the full stats... I'd be down for Rojas as well.

The Rockies non-tendered Brendan Rodgers, which is surprising. I'd take him as a utility infielder for sure.

I was sure Tauchman at least had a little trade value. That's surprising but I guess Canario is cleared for a bench spot.

The Nationals non-tendered All-Star closer Kyle Finnegan.

Is this a legit rumor or someone on reddit/twitter throwing horsefeathers at a wall? I like Stro and I like Selvidge but I don't think that does it for me.

They have some rotation depth and now they don't have to rely on Massey and Loftin at 2B (or they move India to 3B or the OF). And they add Joey Weimer, who was an interesting prospect pretty recently. I think the Reds make out better here but I can see why the Royals were into it.

And the Singer for India trade is happening.

Pirates non-tendered Connor Joe. Always been a fan. Not a need but not a terrible cheap 1B-OF bench bat.

Ha, I almost started this thread. Madrigal is so unsurprising it barely registers as news. The Blue Jays just non-tendered Jordan Romano. He had an awful and injury-plagued season but he was lights out the couple years before that. Would be a good buy-low get, unless he goes back to his hometown Jays on a cheaper deal.

I know Caissie didn't put up the HR numbers this year some may have expected but that seems a bit reactionary given he still held his own fairly well as a 21 YO in AAA for the first time.

As has been said, Bellinger is still quite valuable to us next season and isn't THAT overpaid for what he brings to the table. My fear is they trade him for financial flexibility but then don't really add to the roster in a meaningful way. An injury means Tauchman is starting in the outfield or Mervis is starting at 1B. I am pretty against trading Belli but if you can pull off something like: Bellinger for Kris Bubic and Brady Singer, then sign Max Fried and add someone like Joc Pederson and a decent backup catcher, then we're cooking. But I don't think that's likely.