Cubswin11

Because we need better depth and yeah it’s fun to speculate on all these trades and hope for big signings, but adding quality depth is really important this offseason. The depth on offense is probably the biggest reason we fell short this year. You just can’t give 1,000+ PAs to Almora, Descalso, Cargo, Robel, Zagunis, etc.

Huh? He’d be stupid not to. He easily would get another 1-2 years and another $30-50 mil over what he has left, he has 4/90 left. He’d easily get 5/120 or 6/135 or so. Do you forget all of the health issues he's had? Would he gamble on a new deal, or take the guaranteed money? I'm not convinced he gets 5/120 No I obviously haven’t forgotten. He’s awesome when healthy and he’s healthy now and balling in the playoffs, someone will pay him. He’ll get at least somewhere in the Yu or Corbin range of contract if he opts out (or just has the Nats tack on some years/money to not opt out).

he would be stupid to opt out Huh? He’d be stupid not to. He easily would get another 1-2 years and another $30-50 mil over what he has left, he has 4/90 left. He’d easily get 5/120 or 6/135 or so.

Save some runs for tomorrow

Get Howie you cowards, he won’t cost much

Maybe Flaherty shouldn’t have thrown 120 pitches in a 13-0 game a few days ago

I can’t remember anyone turning down a manager interview request from the Cubs before we won. Just another team now. We should have kept Torres and not won the championship. It sounds like he either doesn’t want to manage right now or has the Phillies job (where he’s been working for a few years now). We also got the first interview, while his team is still playing and other teams have requested to interview him, with probably the most sought after/qualified candidate in Espada. That seems like a pretty big deal.

For one if this is more of a fact finding interview I think it’s more about his time with the Dodgers with player development stuff than any Phillies stuff. Secondly, maybe they want to take his temperature on a non-head coaching role because of his work and how he was thought of with the Dodgers and finally maybe it is a serious interview to consider him but also a bit of a favor (if he’s beloved so much) to bring him in so his name stays out there as a candidate for the other 7 teams or whatever it is looking for managers “if Theo thinks he can be a manager why don’t we give him a look.”

8 or 9 years at 250+ is my guess. Price got 7/210, Sale got 5/145 that kicks in next year, Strasburg got 7/175 a few years ago. Cole is better, as young or younger and has a cleaner record than all those guys.

There were articles specifically saying (Theo may have directly said it too) they wanted to interview guys from smart teams with the intent being to at the least pick their brains on how things are done in other orgs even if they weren’t serious candidates. Kapler doesn’t seem like a serious candidate so I think it’s reasonable for connecting given his ties to LA.

There’s been a few articles so far about him and possible destinations and we have been mentioned as one of the 6-8 teams in all of them. I do like this mock offseason though, outside of giving Will Smith big money. I don’t want to spend significant money on pen arms.

whats he ave (mph) on his 4 seamer? 94.7 MPH in 2018 before he went down for surgery. That would have ranked 15th in 2019, tied with Justin Verlander. In 2017 he was at 93.7, which would still be a top 30 velo, but more in line with Sonny Gray or Jose Berrios. Should also be noted he made some minor league appearances towards the end of the year. So he should be fully healthy and able to have a normal offseason and spring training. I think he’ll be a contributor of some kind next year, but guessing he starts in AAA like you mentioned.

Kapler worked for the Dodgers too, guessing he’s coming in more to pick the brain of a guy who worked in that organization.

Excellent news on Espada, really hoping we get him. I still think it’s going to be Ross. Hopefully the Kapler interview is just to pick his brain on hard ass tactics or something, much like Girardi. Regardless I’d assume we are making a hire soon since these are probably the last two guys to come in.

Can't really blame the guy. I feel like he's just putting all his balls into one basket. The Mets job seems like it's going to be a real good one if they can just stay healthy. He might just want to stay in New York too, I think he lives there full time.

Good luck next year

I think you're going to be disappointed. Bryant is great but he's also going to make a lot of money and teams are more protective of their top prospects than ever before. I think we'd be lucky to get a guy like Fried as a headliner and maybe a package like Lucchesi+Urias+Cantillo as a return. My rough outline for a trade for him would be a top 25-30 prospect, a top 100-75 (not top 50) prospect, 1-2 lower level prospects that either have a projectable floor and can move fast or high upside but high risk guys (like Gallardo, Pedro Martinez, Morel, Roederer, etc) a guy like another team’s Bote/Happ on the major league roster and a pen arm. I don’t know if this trade is out there or if a team would pay the rough ask but that would be what it takes for me to do it.

Remember when we had too many shortstops?

the idea should be the same - in their 20s, have had significant pro successes, are mostly healthy at least the arm is, low cost and low commit, power arms, aren't in any position to make demands about roles....those are the kind of arms the Cubs should be gambling on this offseason...I'm waaaaaaay more confident you can get anything - a SP, MR, long man/spot starter, or high leverage guy out of that kind of crowd than just cycling through the team's crappy 2019 AAA pitching staff again 100% agree and I hope we add some guys like that, my guy Pivetta fits that profile. On the non bolded part I disagree a bit, we have a lot of AAA/near ready arms I think something shakes loose if guys are given chances (and I’m talking 1 maybe 2 spots in the pen to shuffle these guys through, at least one proven/reliable RP needs to be added in some way). The mentioned Mills, Underwood, but also Adbert, Norwood, Mekkes, Rea, Graveman, Steele, Wieck off the top of my head. But having those guys doesn’t and shouldn’t preclude us from adding some more guys to it on minor league deals or acquiring guys with options.

Bold: Literally Rowan Wick's path, Edwards Jr. before him Italics: Underwood's long history of being terrible No one is downplaying the importance of landing cheap and controlled talent, but possibly the most important key is that they not suck. Mills is boring but he's been a pretty good AAA pitcher for a while and just had a nice run, fine guy to shuttle if he has options. Since he doesn't, Mills will be a tough guy to keep. Underwood is 8 years in on getting by on being young, potentially cheap, and something about upside but without anything actually being there. Hell, his stuff isn't even good. It doesn't look good, it's not power stuff, he doesn't command it, it's not high spin or sneaky or any of that stuff...Do what everyone else does and scour the waiver wire, make the small trades, gamble on healthy fallen prospects or stars in smaller roles, and promote the guys who actually get guys out in the minors consistently and in a believable way Okay, but the bold happened late in the year after Brach, Monty, Strop, etc all got way too many chances to prove they sucked and we didn’t get guys going on the shuttle fast enough. And none of this is why Gausman or Sanchez should be brought in. They’re going to cost real money and MLB roster spots, hey I’m all for dumping Underwood as you’re probably right about him but I’d rather replace him with Wick and Ryan types that we can shuffle through that don’t cost real money and hope we hit on one out every 6-8 of them.

I’m surprised a Theo run organization hasn’t dedicated a spot in the pen the last few years to shuffle through guys in hopes of unearthing a gem since every other smart team seems to have dedicated a pen spot to a AAA/DFA shuttle like that recently instead of giving the Brad Brach, Brian Duensing’s etc of the world MLB money and sticking with them too long. Finding good to decent cheap and controlled talent (especially pitchers) is kinda important right now. Mills has looked good and Underwood has been decent since the relief move in AAA. Don’t know why they’re definitely worse options and not worth trying out and instead paying guys like Gausman and Sanchez (who suck) real money is a smart move. If they aren’t used in trades I think they both should be given a look to start the year and essentially the first guys on the shuttle to begin the year, if they suck after a month or so cut bait and cycle through other dudes with options.

How are you getting to $200 mil going in 2021 with just internal guys? Spotrac has us at $94 right now. That doesn’t include the minimum $10 on Lester but includes Descalo’s $3.5 team option so let’s call it $100 mil before arbitration. We don’t have $100 mil in arbitration going in to next year, do we? Seems like that number is closer to $50-60.

4 of 5 with those two and Corbin starting and Corbin being available in the pen for game 6/7.