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Jason Ross

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Everything posted by Jason Ross

  1. Jason Ross
    I've been pretty even keeled on it. But I think we've hit a tipping point here. In the matter of a very short time, we went from, basically, no Cub news, to: 1. Nightengale: Cubs have waned 2. Cubs and Reds still in on Glasnow 3. Cubs in on Hoskins per...a bunch of people 4. Rogers: Doesn't feel like they're signing him. 5. Rosenthal "in on an extent" 6. Counsell: Haven't met Ohtani 7. Robers: Have met Ohtani I don't think the run on Cubs news not-pertaining to Ohtani is an accident here. I'll be happy to be wrong, but it feels kind of like things are lining up that, yes, the Cubs are pretty much on the periphery of Ohtani at this stage and are pivoting. I say this, again, as someone who really wants to be even keeled and not panic here, but this doesn't feel...accidental at this stage.
  2. Jason Ross
    I think it's blatantly obvious at this stage the Cubs are out on Ohtani.
  3. Jason Ross
    Man. This certainly sucks.
  4. Jason Ross
    I liked that a lot (Lowe, that is) with Ohtani. I like it a lot less without Ohtani. Especially if it's like Glasnow, Hoskins, Lowe. That feels like all of your spending.
  5. Jason Ross
    I think there's something to be said for those things. At some point, the Cubs will find that they can't acquire truly star level talents, however, always being mindful of these things. I'm not blaming them for Ohtani here, and I can admit, I'd rather have had Correa over Swanson last year and for year 1, it looks like I was wrong. With that said, the Cubs will eventually need to make uncomfortable deals; via trade or FA. If all they do is the comfortable, they'll have a collection of good players but lacking the truly elite talents. I don't want to sound upset currently, only that I'd like to see the Cubs eventually push into that territory. Without it, we'll keep playing a revolving door of one year deals, pretty good prospects, and pretty good players without the true top line guys.
  6. Jason Ross
    Yeah, this is where I'm at. Hoskins, like many of the bats bandied around, are great second bats. But the Cubs need an actual threat at the plate. The Cubs need to aim higher than a Glasnow/Hoskins lead offseason. Those are great 2nd and 3rd moves. But they need to have a real, legitimate, shot here on a player.
  7. Jason Ross
    Yeah. It's done. I agree.
  8. Jason Ross
    Is it more speculative sounding or more...like the Cubs told him sounding?
  9. Jason Ross
    Of that group, only Horton and PCA have real star upside. Morel is fine, but at this stage has shown zero ability to play a position, and Canario has way too much variance in his profile and even then probably projects as more of "good" in his 95% outcomes. There was a really great article by fangraphs the other year, basically showing how even if you have the best pitching prospect and best hitting prospect, how unlikely it is for you to still have a star between the two of them. and while I love Horton and PCA, it's more likely neither hits that level. The Cubs have a lot of good young talent. But when you have chances to get already stars, you have to start getting some, too. I don't want the Cubs to piss away all the talent they have. At the same time, they can't become beholden to it.
  10. Jason Ross
    I wonder how much the Glasnow/Ohtani thing is tied for the Cubs. And perhaps this is where the "waning" is coming from. Because they're pulling back on Glasnow so they can shoot for Yamamoto.
  11. Jason Ross
    Eh, I don't want to try to horsefeathers on the best Cubs team in the last half decade, because that's arguably what it is; the best team the Cubs have put on the field since 2018. So, part of me would feel a bit ungrateful. Hoskins and Polanco make the lineup fairly deep, if lacking impact hitters. The rotation could be really good at the top and then you'd have Horton waiting. It's a good team. Logically, I shouldn't be mad at that offseason. It's active and the Cubs get better. It just feels a bit "more of the same" with the team. We'll see. I'm trying 'to stay neutral and not getting bent out of shape. It's not easy haha. So that's why I'm trying to be cognizant of being pissy and disappointed.
  12. Jason Ross
    It's a good team. But I'm not entirely sure I'm jazzed about the use of resources on the BP, there. And the general lack of star power for the Cubs remains. If the Cubs sit out Yamamoto, Soto, and can't hit on Ohtani, it really feels like the Cubs will kind of remain in this perpetual state of lacking truly impactful talent. That's probably a team you can count on winning high 80's, but still feel like 2025 then becomes a "Soto or bust" offseason, which has kind of just been the same revolving door for the team recently. I can also recognize I may just being pissy and disappointed.
  13. Jason Ross
  14. Jason Ross
    Yeah, I'd be pretty disappointed with that pivot. Sadly, I just don't see what other FA they could be really pushing for (outside of Yamamoto who is too far out for that to be the push, IMO). If there's a positive here...maybe this isn't the Cubs waning. Maybe it's the Cubs confident they're getting Ohtani and building around him? But that could be hopium.
  15. Jason Ross
    So, I'm going to try to accept the Bob thing as possible right now. How would Bob have that kind of information? Well, I'd assume the Cubs didn't tell Bob, so I'd guess, as someone else suggested, that the Cubs are pushing to sign other free agents, causing someone to suggest the Cubs don't have the confidence to bring home Ohtani (either that or someone told an agent that). With Yamamoto at least a week away, I guess I don't understand what free agents they could be pushing for. Matt Chapman? Jordan Montgomery? These aren't bad players, but kind of represent that "safe" option the Cubs have gone after recently.
  16. Jason Ross
    A very good reminder.
  17. Jason Ross
    I mean, maybe. But then...I guess what's the point of leaking it? The Cubs aren't getting anything from it. And to Bob? Or if not Bob and this is second hand...to whom? Feels weird. I'll admit some of it from my end is copium. But part of it is really just a bit confused. Seems like you've come this far, there's little reason to leak this.
  18. Jason Ross
    I'm a bit skeptical on where it's coming from. Maybe that's just personal hope, but I have a hard time thinking the Cubs inner circle would leak that to Bob. Seems kind of...odd, no? The Cubs are pretty good about keeping this stuff locked up and quiet. So I really don't know how this could have gotten out.
  19. Jason Ross
    Yeah, of all the places where Ohtani ends up, I just have an impossible time thinking the Angels will be that team. Maybe he will! But damn, that'd certainly be a choice.
  20. Jason Ross
    He wasn't in Toronto. He was in Florida at their ST camp.
  21. Jason Ross
    With no rudeness involved, my question would be "why do you think the Cubs aren't even in any more"? Yes, people like Bob Nightengale and Jon Morosi are not mentioning the Cubs. People like Mooney and Rosenthal claim the Cubs are still in. Overall, it's been said by a few that no one really knows what's happening with Ohtani and it's all just speculation regardless. I really want to be clear: I'm not optimistic, I think the Cubs are not the favorite, and this is an uphill battle. I just think the "woe is me, the Cubs are out" thing some are going with is...on the extreme side. I just think we need to take a step back, shrug it out, and say "well, I don't think we know right now and likely won't until the end"
  22. Jason Ross
    I just don't think we should be doing this. No one was mentioning the Cubs with Seiya Suzuki most of the winter. They got him. No one saw Counsell. They got him. I know we are used to seeing smoke and thinking fire, but this is not one where I think anyone in the media knows anything. I'm not saying we are definitely getting Ohtani, or anything of the ilk, just that...I don't think we need to be defeatest on this simply because people like Morosi (who is clearly guessing) isn't listing the Cubs. Remember, this is supposed to be a leak-free pursuit. It would go to seem that the media not hearing the Cubs would remain a good thing. We have an uphill battle, but I firmly believe the Cubs are still right in this thing.
  23. Jason Ross
    I'll say this: I had the same feelings about Nick Madrigal last season. Prior to 2023, Madrigal finished in the 20th, the 14th and the 22nd percentiles of arm strength. He's a short guy, not a lot of projected growth. And yet, not only was he a +8 DRS at 3b, his arm strength jumped to the 46th percentile. The Cubs did some work there and turned someone I was entirely convinced couldn't play 3b and not only made him serviceable, but plus (it's small sample size and it could still be error, but it's what we have to work with) at the position. I'd discount the Cubs in no way shape or for with Matt Shaw at 3b.
  24. Jason Ross
    Well, two things here: 1. I want to clarify; nothing in that post was suggesting they'll come out of this with Ohtani. Only explaining that I think the timeline matches up that the Cubs were meeting with Ohtani on Sunday based on his other meetings and timelines. 2. If the Cubs were able to get Ohtani in and out without leaks, however, that would likely go to the idea that it doesn't look promising. In many ways this is the opposite of almost any other FA, where smoke may not be a good thing. The less smoke, the better, here. It's almost a self-fulfilling prophecy. Without leaks, it will look less promising to the media, but it also may not be the case internally. I really can't say, but the lack of reporting here could also be viewed as a positive. I still think it's unlikely the Cubs get Ohtani. The Dodgers have to be the favorites. But I don't think anything we've heard in the media has changed how I feel about the Cubs being less promising than, say, two weeks ago.
  25. Jason Ross
    Yeah, unlike Cade Horton, I like the BP to SP route for Ben Brown. I want to see him continue to work as a SP in AAA to start the season (injuries happen and having him stretched won't be bad). But perhaps come around TDL, final two months, adding him to the MLB bullpen would be a good thing. You let him work on the fastball at the MLB level in short stints; creates positive feedback loops with less time for it to go off the rails. His fastball-breaking ball (you're spot on, his breaking balls, between his curve and his slider just don't have a ton of separation at times, which is both almost a good thing and a bad thing because he can mess around with it's shape as he pleases but also they're not clearly identifiably different from a velocity standpoint) would work great in the pen, as well. I like Brown as a 2025 SP option, where as Horton should be in the MLB rotation at some point mid-summer at the very least.
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