Post Count Padder

And Skubal wins AL CY unanimously on his birthday.

Just gonna leave this here.

Sale wins NL CY and Imanaga finishes 5th. He also got 4th in ROY voting. Does that mean the Cubs collect a bonus pick or something?

I think this world is big enough for both of us to know we can sense a Jed Hoyer target when we see one.

Lmao I called it the other day: https://northsidebaseball.com/forums/topic/53819-general-offseason-priorities/?do=findComment&comment=3921595 Kneel before me, Mediocre Talent Nostradamus. That said, this is probably just a flyer in case the catcher/bench bat market doesn't shake out for awhile. If he makes the opening day roster then a few things went poorly.

Kneel before me, Mediocre Talent Nostradamus.

LMAO

Also the domino effect here is we've seen the last of Daily Wisdom. He's a good dude with real power. Hoping he lands somewhere where he can still rake a little.

I've low-key loved Morgan the past few years. His peripherals were great and then last year was a weird year with him also battling an injury but at his best he's a solid back end of the pen option who won't strike out a ton of guys but like it's been said, has gotten better at limited hard contact. I don't LOVE giving up Rosario but we're well stocked with OF prospects and he's still several years away.

Yeah several times when we weren't playing well I was hoping for a token call up so he could make his debut with us but then like a bad joke, he got hurt again.

Caissie and Cowles added. Adbert and Brennen Davis DFA'd. Hoping both come back. I love Adbert and hoping Davis can finally stay healthy but I can't fault him if he goes to someone like the Angels or A's or White Sox with open competitions at several positions.

Ah forgot about Adbert. I know he's out for all of 2025 and probably some of 2026 but I really hope they bring him back on a minors deal to keep him around during and after his rehab.

So today is a big 40 man roster shuffle around the league. Our 40 man is full but one or several of these guys are probably gone: Madrigal, Wisdom, Davis, Wingenter, Hollowell, Zastryszny (I missed us getting him back apparently).

Oooooooo our first real interesting trade of the offseason (if it happens):

I wouldn't be shocked if Ricketts doesn't care that much. The team makes him money. They won a World Series already. He doesn't strike me as an owner that lives and dies by his team as a fan.

I was waiting to see a list like that. Caissie is an obvious choice. I had though he'd get added before the season ended. I have a feeling they'd protect Cowles considering they just traded for him. What's Aliendo's projection at this point? I'd hate to lose him but I don't know if a team would take a gamble on a catcher who hasn't hit AAA yet. And I like Christian Franklin but I could see him used in a prospect swap. As a guy who also roots for the Phillies, no way all those guys are getting added to their 40 man. I have to think they'll trade one or just risk losing a few guys. McGowen and McGarry throw hard but have run into trouble in the upper minors. De La Cruz has a lot of potential but looked awful in his first go at AAA.

Woof Burl Carraway. Now that's a guy who couldn't throw strikes. Is he still in the system or just gone forever?

I like Wiggins a lot and am excited to see if he can continue to build with a strong 2025. I like all the info and thought 1908 put into this report and the follow-up comments. There's real bullpen risk, but he has a lot of the pieces in place to take the next step. And like TT said, I don't know if there's anyone behind him that's easily worthy of taking this spot in the rankings. Once you get past the top 5, it's kind of a crapshoot based on personal preference. I too like Birdsell a lot but he has warts. I like Derniche but he's so young and far away it's hard to predict what he'll be.

I like Buehler a lot but there is soooooo much risk involved. A one year prove it deal coupled with another SP add would be pretty good but I can't get behind giving him big money.

Also Ezequiel Pagan has been in the system forever and I keep forgetting about him.

I have to pretend all the white athletes I follow are non political or I'll just end up not following sports anymore.

Since Ron Santo was unceremoniously jettisoned crosstown to the White Sox, third base became a bit of a black hole for the North Siders. Following the December 1973 trade of Santo, the Cubs used 12 different starters over 24 years. Madlock and Cey had some decent seasons. But the rest was mostly dreck. Sandberg played one season at 3rd (1982) before moving full-time to 2nd. Moreland was a utility player who stood in as a passable third baseman in 1987. A notable thing all 12 had in common? None were homegrown. Each player was acquired via free agency or trade. It appeared there was a curse at third base. Then, in 1993, the Cubs used their first-round pick on Kevin Orie out of Indiana University Bloomington. The West Chester, Penn. native came into the organization with high expectations, given the state of the hot corner. He worked through the system quickly and reached Triple-A in 1996 after torching Double-A, pitching to the tune of an .883 OPS. This was good enough to rank him 42nd on Baseball America's Top 100 prospects list ahead of the 1997 season. He opened the year as the Cubs' starting third baseman and held his own but still scuffled to a .239 average into May. A wrist injury sent him to the disabled list, and his first major league season was not off to a spectacular start. However, the resulting rehab stint did wonders for his bat. He hit an obscene .375/.460/.594/1.053 in 9 games in Triple-A before returning to the big league club. From May 30 through the end of the season, Orie posted a solid .283/.348/.448/.796 slash with a .309 BABIP. His 2.3 fWAR was third on the team behind Sammy Sosa and Mark Grace, and his 101 wRC+ was fourth among Cubs with at least 100 games. The performance earned Orie some down-ballot Rookie of the Year votes and seemed to cement him as part of the next core. That, unfortunately, did not happen. He opened the 1998 season with a dreadful .181/.241/.282/.523 batting line and was demoted to Triple-A. He also earned some notoriety amongst fans for his play in a May 6 game. Orie could not cleanly field a ground ball by future Cub Ricky Gutierrez during Kerry Wood's historic 20-strikeout performance. The play was ruled a hit rather than an error, ending the no-hit bid for Wood, and it would be the only hit surrendered in the game. Orie once again posted incredible numbers in the minors and earned a call-back but didn't fare much better against big-league pitching. At the trade deadline, the Cubs gave up on their former top pick and prospect, sending him to the Marlins for pitcher Felix Heredia. My note here is that I was reading the newspaper's agate/sports stats page the following morning while on vacation with my family, and I was quite unhappy when I saw the news. This was not the first, nor would it be the last, time the Cubs disappointed me. Orie would hold his own with a .739 OPS in 125 games with Florida but was granted free agency following the 1999 season so the Marlins could make room for top prospect Mike Lowell. Orie would bounce around the minor leagues, playing in the Royals, Yankees, and Phillies organizations before returning to the majors with the Cubs for a brief 13-game run in 2002. He played several more seasons in the minors with the Guardians, Astros, Brewers, and Nationals before retiring after 2006. He finished with a .709 OPS in 316 MLB games against a .926 OPS in 498 Triple-A games and a 3.1 fWAR. Following his retirement, Orie moved to Pittsburgh and worked in real estate before landing a gig as a commentator for 93.7 The Fan. Orie was supposed to be the future at third base for the Cubs but became a mere footnote in a long dry spell at the hot corner. The Cubs would not have a steady presence there until a 2003 lopsided trade brought Aramis Ramirez into town. He would man the position until 2012. The Cubs' draft selection of Kris Bryant in 2013 and the quick promotion of the future World Series champion gave the club a homegrown asset at third. For a time, at least. View full player

I could get behind that. I've also decided I really want Jeff Hoffman.

I mean I LOVE Kyle Schwarber. And he'd crank some bombs at Wrigley again. But is the 7 ish mil in savings worth the loss on positional depth? Bellinger is a great fielding OF and 1B and Schwarber cannot play the field. He's a full-time DH. And the Phillies needs (pitching, power, etc) match our own so I don't know that there's an expanded version of the deal to be made.