Jason Ross

I don't think it can be a "loss". Herz simply wasn't getting a chance with the Chicago Cubs. He was Rule V eligible and I don't think the Cubs would have carted him around. Considering the Nationals traded for him, I'd guess someone would have picked him in it. The last thing the team needs currently is an arm who throws more walks than they already have. I'm really happy for him that he got a shot in Washington, but I don't think he's going to stick around long term unless something drastically changes in his profile and his ability to command pitches. Over the course of 2024, he's throwing almost 20% non-competitive strikes across both levels: one MLB pitcher (Stroman) is above his 19.7% he's had on the full year. We've seen what Little, Palencia, Cuas, and the rest of the Cubs arms have done when they throw 80% competitive strikes. For Herz's sake, he seems like a fine dude and he's worked hard to get here so I'm rooting for him in whatever organization he's in. If he gets it right, it was almost always going to be in another organization because it's going to be something that needs time. Clearly when things work right he's a really good arm. But he's all over the place. He walked five in the previous eight innings in the majors and walked 19% of hitters in Triple-A. I think it's going to be a real process for him if he ever gets there. The Cubs got the best hitter at the deadline (even if it didn't work out for Candelario or the Cubs' playoff chances) for him and Made (who's been bad in his own right). They probably have a handful of starters and relievers who are either in the same vein (good stuff, spotty control) or are already ahead of him. So godspeed to Herz in Washington, but I think the Cubs and he will both be fine elsewhere.

It was a great start. And for his sake, super happy for him! However entering the game, he had walked 39 hitters in 44 innings over the season at all levels. I don't think he magically learned control last night, and it's almost assuredly his high water mark. DJ Herz remains the same walk printer he's been over the years. There's still some hope, but his cross-body mechanics will cause consistency issues. When he finds the groove like he did yesterday, he can be really good. But I'd expect him to never repeat that kind of a start, and still see him as someone who's not really an MLB arm until he can show any ability to consistently throw strikes. This feels very akin to when people were hand-wringing after they dealt Velazquez last year at the deadline. His 130 wRC+ looked very much like an outlier data point and he's followed it up with an 85 wRC+ in 2024.

God awful is a stretch. Firstly, a 99 wRC+ means he's been 1% worse than a league average hitter. That's a bit of a disappointment for someone who's been a 20% better than league average hitter the last two seasons, but "god awful"? No. Secondly, Happ has a 130 wRC+ over his last 103 PAs. That's assuredly not God awful. Happ had a rough April but has been well back to "normal Happ" for a bit.

Tommy Birch, one of closest in covering the Iowa Cubs just reposted Cohen's tweet. Which is interesting...he's usually the first to report an injury. And he seems to be agreeing with Cohen; no obvious reason for the pull. I'm keeping a bit of an eye here. There just a wee bit of smoke. Might just be a nagging injury or a callup, too.

No one online has mentioned one. But considering the name and lack of roster fit there's a possibility it's a trade.

MSBL unite.

No blame. It's hard not to be frustrated right now. The team is pretty hard to watch. They can't hit. They're (seemingly) always hurt. It's getting old.

I know it hasn't been good for two months, but Dustin Kelly was also the hitting coach last season when the Cubs finished 6th in baseball in runs scored. So not only was the Cubs offense just fine last year, as you said, it'd be at best a superficial move and the Cubs know that, too. It won't magically make someone hit better nor would it really be on merit based on how the Cubs overperformed last year (based on expectations).

The only logical conclusion one can make here is that the Cubs should add him to the 40-man and be the team's new closer to finish the season.

I grew up with a host of the friends who are United supporters. Even got to catch a United/Bayern clash at Soldier Field many moons ago in '04 at Soldier Field. Cool experience! Goal is to head to London sometime (though currently buying a house so...further down the road than originally planned haha) to hopefully catch a Brentford match. Was able to see them on Atlanta last summer but it was preseason. I'd like a proper game. Ever had the privilege of seeing United?

Rumor is BFC is interested in buying Jobe Bellingham so maybe we'll both have Bellingham wunderkids!

Brentford FC! I'm one of the weirdos who when the assignment was "pick a favorite club" I settled on the small boys. They have a history similar to the Cubs: longest record in Europe of losing promotion playoffs, cheap ownership that put forth little into the team for many, many years to finally, after 74 years make it back to the top flight. With that said, ya'll got to be excited as hell about M'Bappe. Generational talent there.

Add one more to the list.

I think the answer is fairly obvious. The first is that despite how rough he's been offensively he's still been better than the alternative, Yan Gomes in 2024. His 59 wRC+ is double that of Gomes' 21. The second is that there are only two catchers currently on the Cubs' 40 man roster, Miguel Amaya and Yan Gomes. There is no one to replace him with. The Cubs would likely replace Gomes over Amaya so the only way he'd not be on our roster is in the event of injury or the Cubs acquiring two new catching options.

While I respect that point if view, the "just get to the floor" is never a thing I advocate for, especially in mid-June. If it were the day before the deadline and there were a dearth of options, maybe getting to the floor is your best case. With plenty of time to go, getting to the floor today sounds okay, but leaves you in a similar situation as the Cubs were last year at 1b: you've tried to get yourself to a position where you're *hoping* for below average play at best. Diaz, himself, has a pretty poor savant profile and has seen his wRC+ at a 93 over his last 70 PAs (with a far more normal .306 BABIP). I think that might even be high, with his xWOBA being much lower than his actual wOBA. While Mancini and Hosmer have no baring on Diaz, there's a pretty good reason to believe Diaz would be that again if pressed into daily starting roles with Amaya from now through, maybe, October. Which is why I'd use Diaz as a way to get to the floor now with an eye in continuing to upgrade. The return on a 33 year old .6 fWAR career C should be minimal and like you said, probably stops the pure bleeding at the position. But there's not much in Diaz's profile that makes me think that is where the Cubs should rest on their laurels at a position that would still likely be the weakest position in the org and right next to RP as their biggest concerns moving forward.

I feel like in the event the Jays decide to move Vlad, their valuation on him will exceed his value on the field. None of this is to say the Cubs cannot overpay for the correct players, or that the Cubs should ignore the Jays in that front, but being his defensive position is more tied to a position of, likely, lesser need internally (1b or DH) and his contract (the Cubs being adverse to LT breaches) and the likely Jays valuation...it feels pretty unlikely the Cubs will go that route.

It really depends on what you're bringing in Diaz for. He's been roughly replacement level his entire career. And even if he's going to overplay his line (and moving forward I'm really not very confident at that, at least offensively. His savant page is pretty close to last year's stuff) you're looking at someone who might be a 1 win player. If he's going to be a backup guy, who splits some time with Amaya back and forth, leaning on the hot hand a bit more than the other? There's some value there. I'd just still remain in the Jansen market, too, if that makes sense. What I don't want the Cubs to do is to trade for Diaz and then assume the catcher position is solved for 2024. Diaz over Gomes makes sense. Diaz as the catcher...probably moves the Cubs needle very slightly but that's probably it, and not enough for me to say "mission accomplished" on the position for the '24 season.

I think Hoyer was hired because the Cubs were familiar with him and on paper, his ability to articulate the plan made both business sense to an owner who seems adverse to spending above the LT and looks solid on paper; following the Friedman model *sounds* good. I also agree, to date, he's well below Friedman (though you can argue just about every exec is). He's not Theo good either, but I think he's very different than Theo too. I think there's still hope for Hoyer. The Cubs aren't dead today and with some positive variance (injury and on the field) and with a strong cast of prospects (to either call up or trade) Hoyer has tools at his disposal. So while I think it's fair to point out disappointment and that he *really* has to get it right this summer, that there's still enough there for hope to see the Cubs on a solid path under Jed. I remain hopeful, just...cautiously hopeful. Much more cautiously than in the past.

The Cubs need a catcher, but I'm not sure Diaz is the guy. He's having a good year but his xwOBA is .282 and his actual wOBA is .344. That's a pretty big gap. He's a career 80 wRC+ with a BABIP nearing .350 this year (career is under .300). Defensively he's been really good this year, but tends to yo-yo between being good and bad. Career .6 fWAR but entered the year a negative career fWAR. If he comes exceedingly cheap he'san upgrade over the corpse of what was Yan Gomes but I'm not sure he plugs many holes unless the defensive value remains real and there's internal belief that despite very blue Savant page that the xData is wrong. Find a catcher, but I'd hope the sights remain set higher than Diaz.

I mean. I wouldn't call Adrian Gonzalez "elite" at that stage. He had a decent run of being worth three wins but that's just...pretty good. By 2016, Gonzalez was a 1 win player. Gonzalez, as well, was acquired well before Andrew Friedman; he was acquired in the summer of 2012, and Andrew Friedman was hired as the VP of the Dodgers in October of 2014. Hanley Ramirez, as well, as acquired by the Dodgers in 2013 and his final season was 2014, so Friedman had nothing to do with Ramirez as Ramirez was a free agent that winter and the Dodgers did not resign him. Zack Greinke was on the Dodgers in 2015 under Andrew Friedman, but he was acquired in 2013. It was Andrew Friedman who did not retain Greinke after 2015, his first in LA. I don't think any of those players are good examples of the plan that Hoyer is following; I believe his blueprint is not "Dodgers every year" but specifically "Dodgers under Friedman". I would also not say that's true, that Jed keeps his expensive "role players". Hoyer moved on from plenty of players at the deadline, including players with control (i.e. Kimbrel). As such, Happ has a NTC and has been the 7th best LF in baseball the last two years combined, Taillon is in year two of his contract (when exactly do you think he was going to be traded? Last year when he was hurt and mediocre? Who do you think wants the last 2.5 years of that deal desperately now?). Stroman was hurt last year at the deadline and the Cubs were two games over .500 - they were going to trade a hurt pitcher while they had a winning record? I really am not trying to be a jerk here, but this feels pretty uninformed. You've highlighted three players on the Dodgers who were acquired before Andrew Friedman and complained about Hoyer not flipping players who were next to impossible to flip, either because of circumstance or contract. Hoyer has some faults, and trust me, if we need to, I'll go on my gripes with him; his ability to enact a Friedman-style-plan really hasn't gone as well as I'm sure any of us would have hoped (and I think his seat should be warm at this stage of the plan if the Cubs cannot come out of this tailspin right now). But I don't think much in your post here is the reason why.

I've run the worst team in Lexington, Kentucky for a decade. We have a lot of fun, but by God, we suck on ice!

I'm usually, at least in my opinion, pretty sane and sensible. Today, I will admit my disappointment is a bit heightened. Haven't been able to catch the Cubs for a handful of years live and this lineup is pretty disappointing for that fact. Their season remains more than alive, but on an anecdotal, day to day thing...I'm a little dramatic haha. In my mind, I'd have seen a lineup closer to what it looked Opening Day. It's a bit of a bummer to not have seen the team for a half decade to catch this version of the Cubs versus what was possible OD. Do forgive the dramatics.

I haven't been to a Cubs game since pre-covid and the one day I go they put out this dumpster fire. And I can't even get drunk; I have to play baseball myself tomorrow.

I bought tickets for today a few months ago. On my way to the stadium. Lineup just dropped. Oof. This is the "it's so bad it's going to randomly score 9 runs" kind of a lineup or "they scored one run" kind of a lineup.

Yeah I know! I meant luck as in what was turning around. No worries though!