Jason Ross

I don't really think they'd get laughed at if Christopher Morel was the headliner. Christopher Morel has 5 years of control remaining. He's 24 years old. He's a career 114 wRC+ hitter, has been worth 3 fWAR in 220 games and while the Cubs have primarily turned him into a DH, I don't think he's a DH-only-yet (I think work is needed to convert him fully to 3b, but his profile and scouting report was always that his glove was solid, and I expect he's a pretty decent 2b if given a full slate there). Soto only has one year of his deal remaining. so even as a roughly 5 fWAR player, the value you're trading isn't impossibly high. If you're "high" on Morel (as Levine claims the Padres are) you'd probably see a 2+ fWAR player over the course of that 5 years (at least 10 fWAR total). Add in something useful that isn't a Cub-10 prospect but has some good potential and I think you're pretty close on value. I know he's Juan Soto but we have to separate name from value. We're used to thinking everything in the aspect of "ceiling, ceiling, ceiling" and I'm sure there would be packages that included players with higher ceilings than Morel. But Morel has already posted that 114 wRC+ in 850 PA's so there's a bunch of data that suggests Morel is an above average MLB hitter who might have more upside than that in the tank. There's a lot to be said about that kind of certainty, especially for a team like the Padres who aren't built to win in 2 or 3 years, but today. I actually like Morel as a player, and I'd be a bit bummed to see him go. I do still have some questions about his contact rate. But I can see where a team may be high on Morel and see him as an option to add offense today, and still have $30m to go get another player, too. This really comes down to the Padres. Are they really high on Christopher Morel? None of us can answer that.

Morel would be someone I'd be fine with moving as the big piece. Happy, honestly.

Levine, as well as Cerami, claims Cubs will be seriously involved in the Juan Soto sweeps this offseason.

The Cubs' Luiz Vazquez is not a name you'd have found on any Cubs-top-20 lists entering into the 2023 season, but exiting it, he's one of the players who helped his cause. Is it enough to create a real-deal MLB regular? Image courtesy of Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images 2023 Season Review Very few Cubs prospects had their prospect star rise as much throughout the 2023 season as Luis Vazquez did. A player with whom very few were acquainted, Vazquez ended the season as the de facto shortstop in Iowa despite starting the year in Tennessee as a repeater. A strong glove and hit tool propelled him into Iowa, and he's now knocking on the doors of the Major League club. But how did we get here? For Vazquez, the season began back in Tennessee after receiving a small cup of coffee in Iowa in the 2nd half of 2022 that didn't go particularly well, as Vazquez compiled a 20 wRC+ in just under 100 PAs. Even at just 22 years old entering the season, there wasn't a lot of excitement around Luis Vazquez as a prospect. Even in his 2022, Vazquez could only muster a 72 wRC+, and the only "successful" stints were always of the short kind. A glove-first prospect, Vazquez hadn't shown any ability to take a 50/55 grade hit tool and make much out of it at the plate. 2023, however, something clicked. Vazquez increased his power, posting a career-high .198 ISO in AA, increased his walks, and lowered his strikeout rate. This outbreak in AA caused the Cubs to move Vazquez up to Iowa midseason, and the renaissance continued. Posting an equally encouraging .171 ISO in Iowa, Vazquez continued to lower his K% to the low 20s and increase his walk rate to the double digits. All of this can be seen in his exit-velocity gains, showing the biggest gains of any prospect in the Cubs system from 2022 to 2023. He's hitting the ball more often and has more power; this is only a good thing. Vazquez finished 2023 with a 109 wRC+ in Iowa, capping off a really good season. On the defensive side, Luis Vazquez is a wonderful glove man, and there's little debate. It's fair to give him a 60+ grade on the glove, and if you want to be very bullish, a 65 is probably okay. His glove has never really been in doubt, giving him a relatively safe floor as we move forward. If not for Pete Crow-Armstrong, an argument that Vazquez winning "Cubs MiLB Defensive Player of the Year" could be made. 2024 Season Outlook and ETA Luis Vazquez is in a weird spot for the Cubs right now, and despite the amazing season, I'm not entirely sure where we go from here. I think Luis Vazquez belongs on an MLB roster at some point in the 2024 season and has an upside somewhere between an up/down organizational type and a 2nd division starter (like a Jose Iglesias type). Vazquez also enters 2024 as a Rule 5 draft-eligible player, and I have little doubt an MLB team wouldn't pick him. The problem for the Cubs is how do they maximize his value if they aren't sure they can fit him into their plans? Vazquez's roster spot is a somewhat odd fit, causing some confusion. The Cubs already have built-in shortstop protection on the MLB roster with Nico Hoerner, 2B/3B players like Christopher Morel and Nick Madrigal, and someone like Matt Shaw, who could be ready to help at second and third as soon as late June. The Cubs have many questions about who to protect on the 40-man roster, as well as how many of these players Vazquez would be ahead of. On top of that, the Chicago Cubs will likely make trades this offseason. There's a good chance Vazquez will have more value to another team and could be used as a piece in a trade (either as a 3rd option in a larger trade or as a 1st/2nd option in a smaller one). We'll get a little clarity on his situation early with the need to either add him on the 40-man being an early-off-season choice or even the Cubs choosing to move Morel or Madrigal and keeping Vazquez instead. Regardless of this choice, Luis Vazquez has intrinsic value to the Cubs when, 365 days ago, he probably didn't have any, so it's a win either way you slice it. View full article

I don't have concern about the raw power. But I do question the game power for that very reason. It's fixable, but many things are, in theory, fixable, for many players and they never fix. In the end, it's a polish, and all prospects have them, so it's not a major concern. Just something to watch over the years. With that said, a very fun AFL showing for him.

I've got disagree with this. I think the Chicago Cubs draft strategy between 2021-2023 is absolute as good as you could have. I'm not blaming a soul for 2020. A year in which scouting was slashed and dashed from the organization, a year of no HS seniors, or any real college ball, and only 5 rounds. Drafting in the MLB is hard to begin with, and 2020 was about as hard as humanly possible. The Cubs, post-2020, expertly scouting the 2020 draft class, picking up PCA and Caissie via trades, which is certainly in part of Kantrovitz being head of scouting. So while I think it's fair to say that the 2020 class the Cubs piced has generally failed, they've made up for it by grabbing two of their top-four or five prospects from that very same draft (and developing them, almost exclusively). I think 2021 gets an A- from me, We can debate whether they could have gone with Montgomery, but taking a SP who's already made his way to the MLB and has the looks of FIP beater, GB% machine. There's polish to go, but it's hard to knock that pick. 2nd round picks are losers most of the time, and the Cubs went and grabbed a borderline-top-100 prospect who has done nothing but hit. I'm a little skeptical of where he plays, but MiLB defense can be worked on. Then you have Drew Gray, BJ Murray (in the 12th!!), Zac Leigh (who could be a future mid-inning BP arm), and Riley Martin is interesting enough that I think he makes the MLB some day somewhere. I don't think you can realistically ask for much more. 2022? This is what an A+ draft looks like one year past. I was never super hot on Brooks Lee, personally . He's fine, but he's a tweener defensively and offensively there's nothing he's done that's blown me out of the water . Lots of contact, but a pretty mediocre showing in AAA so far. Cade Horton looks every bit of a TORP, and there's no way they get Ferris with Lee. Birdsell in the 5th has MLB upside, McCullough has MLB upside (I think more as a BP arm), Rujano's taken big steps forward, McGeary is MLB upside as a 15th round pick, and we still have some bunch of HS prospects in Paciolla, McGwire, Wheat and Mule who have barely seen action. 2023: Too early so far, but I love the strategy. Dan Kantrovitz is a damn fine drafter. The Cubs have crushed it in areas where people complained they failed in the mid-2010's; outside of the first round. 2021 and 2022 both have brought borderline top-100 prospects, have found winners in typical "senior-sign" territories of rounds 3-10, and found MLB upside players in rounds 11+. I think he's gotten no grade lower than a solid A from me. I think Breslow is a big loss. I think Kantrovitz is as big of a loss, if not more.

Kantrovitz sounds like he might end up with the Mets. I've really enjoyed the Cubs drafting strategy, and losing both Breslow and Kantrovitz would be pretty hard to overcome in the same offseason.

Kim Ng just declined an interview with Boston (she was considered to be very high on their list when she declined her option with the Marlins). Perhaps she has a different plan, but that might point to Breslow being considered a very likely hired in Boston.

Perhaps. While I don't disagree it's good to get new ideas in, I also don't think the Cubs are necessarily at the "need new ideas" stage, either. I'd prefer, if possible, the Cubs to keep Craig Breslow at the top and have a bit more time of implementation before I'd really be worried about innovation yet (I actually think the Cubs are already on the forefront of a few things like seam-shifted wake and identifying oddball pitch types).

Nope. Gammons mentioned it could happen, but it was refuted as being done very quickly. That said, this would be a big loss. Selfishly, I wanted the Cubs to consider Breslow for the job Hawkins took a few years ago. Which isn't to say that I think Hawkins was a bad pick, or that I'm necessarily disappointed about him, just that I really think that highly of Craig Breslow.

I think the ultimate trade for Soto will be somewhere in the middle. Juan Soto is a really good baseball player, and he's going to have a lot of suitors, the Chicago Cubs aren't living in a vacuum. I also think he'll come in under what some people are going to suggest a talent like Juan Soto will go for because he's only got the one year. We cannot factor in the potential resigning into a trade; those two things are separate. Whether he resigns or not, that's between Soto and the Cubs, whereas a trade is between the Padres and the Cubs. I think we have to accept it'll take one prospect who hurts, and probably a secondary upside piece. I think Perlaza and Alcantara is light; Perlaza is fine, but he's DH level defensively and a bat that at his absolute upside is a ~120 wRC+ type with plenty of outcomes below that with it being more likely he's a 95-105 wRC+ DH type. So while I think Perlaza may interest the Padres as a "plug-and-play" guy, I think he's piece number 3. We have to win the trade over other teams, so I'd look at something like Alacantara/Brown/Caissie (one), plus someone in that 2nd/3rd fringe tier of prospects with upside. Maybe it's a BJ Murray if the Cubs think he's more on the DH track, or someone like Cristian Hernandez who has the prospect acumen but hasn't broken out. Maybe it's Michael Arias and his big, raw stuff, or maybe it's Canario instead of Perlaza and a lottery ticket. Either way, I think it'll be above the Alcantara/Perlaza (not calling anyone out, just using that as a springboard for the conversation!) in terms of how it'll hurt, but I'm not going to pause on any player I just listed off if I get Juan Soto. He'll be traded in the offseason, so there's a 2nd round pick coming back worst case if you can't resign him, which would take some of the hurt out and you get a career 154 wRC+ player coming back on the other side. Where do you play him? I don't really care right now, because he's just such a game changing hitter. Juan Soto for me is about as "Best Case Scenario" as they come for the offseason. I want Juan Soto in Chicago and I want him here for a while.

I think David Ross makes those choices in-game, when I say decisions being organizational, I'm talking about things like playing time, what relievers are being used in which types of situations, general lineup constructions, the "big" organizational things. I expect in-game stuff is David Ross (and I don't think Hoyer calls in mid-game), but I also think they're pretty small things and they get fixed between the FO and the manager pretty quickly even if they disagree in meetings during the week. If there wasn't understanding and Ross was going way off script, I think Ross would be gone quite quick regardless of his situation within the organization or connections.

Someone takes responsibility, for sure, I don't mean to sound like it's a free-from-criticism position. What I do think is that many of the complaints levied at managers from fans are reactive when things don't work, without regards for the situational logic that went into a decision, and why I think if you look across the board, every fan base thinks their manager (on the whole) sucks at lineup construction, or BP management, or whatever, when they're probably just mad because it didn't work, not because the logic didn't sus out. There are times I wonder what Ross is doing on a micro-level with leaving a pitcher in too long, or a choice to bunt when I wouldn't have, etc, and those criticisms are always valid from everyone (as long as they explain their logic, of course). Overall, I think Ross is what almost all other managers are; merely fine at his job. I don't think Davis Ross actively makes the Cubs worse or is a major reason why the season ended where it did. I do question some things, and I wish the Cubs would have done some things differently, but I think those things I question come more from the organizational philosophy as whole moreso than just David Ross (not enough where I think Hoyer needs to go, either). I don't think he's actively making the Cubs much better, but I think it'd be hard for any manager to do that considering the way the Cubs see the manager (as an extension of the FO rather than a truly independent entity).

My feelings on managers rarely change, and Ross is no different. Every manager is decided by fans to have poor in-game strategy because what fans really remember are all of the things that go wrong. When a manager does the right thing, the player gets the credit generally for performing. When a choice fails, many times it's on the manager (in the fans mind) because he put that player in a poor place. Many times choices with logic behind them are deemed to be "poor" choices because they fail. I think Ross makes some choices I wouldn't make from time to time, but most of the time, he's fine. I think the Cubs will be fine with David Ross, as well, because it's pretty obvious that David Ross and the Front Office are very much in agreement on how to use players. I don't think Hoyer tells Ross on a daily basis the lineup, or who should start. I do think they meet fairly regularly to discuss strategy, ideas, and generally who should be playing the bulk of the time. In that regards, if you want something to change, it'd have to be at the top, and likely, not from Ross, which seems like something that in no way will change. Their overall strategy on who plays the bulk of the time, which BP arms are used in high-leverage and others not used at all, probably doesn't come from David Ross to begin with, and those would be things that could really change outcomes.

If Stroman opts in, then I think the Cubs will probably have to make a hard decision on Hendricks. I'm not sure they will let him go, but I don't think the Cubs should be bringing back both Hendricks and Stroman personally. Hendricks is a player who is probably better than his xFIP because of the kind of contact he creates, but he's going into his age 34 season fresh off an xFIP in the 4.40 range with a K/9 that is touching the low 6s. That's a razor thin margin to success, and the Cubs have players like Wicks/Assad who can fill a rotational spot today. At some point the Cubs need to improve the rotation, and the spot that Hendricks creates will help give you that opportunity. Whether it's Nola, or Yamamoto, or a trade for a controllable-younger-arm, I'm not sure, but the $16m you clear with a decline of Hendricks option would likely go a long way into helping do just that. I'd love to believe we live in a world where Taillon can be shipped out to save money, but I don't think we live in that world, so he's going to be here. It doesn't have to be an either or, but we probably have to accept that the Cubs will not blow past the LT line enough where it realistically can be. Based on how Ricketts has operated in the past and his recent comments, I'm not entirely sure the Cubs will go above the LT, but even if they do, I'd expect no more than $10m or so above. If the Cubs are really looking to improve in 2024, than I think it's likely we'll need to do the following things: 1. Improve on one spot in the rotation 2. Replace or resign Bellinger 3. Upgrade at 3b/1b/DH with a heavy emphasis on them being a hitter over a defender 4. Add a few more BP arms. They'll probably be more of the same concept we've gone with, but based on their history, this should be doable fairly cheap-ish I'm not sure they can make it all happen, but that'd be my blueprint. It creates a strong bench, a pretty solid rotation/lineup combination, and the Cubs would have a few players who would be capable of helping July on from the system (who those players are would probably be hard to determine today because that blueprint above almost assuredly requires the Cubs to make one significant trade, if not two). And why I'm not sure the Cubs can keep both Hendricks and Stroman if they're going to accomplish #1.

Mutual options are really just opt outs, anyways. Players only opt in if they're hurt, and teams only opt-in if they think they're getting a deal. It's probably pretty unlikely to see a super back-loaded deal so good he wouldn't opt out. I think we have to accept that Yamamoto is someone who's going to get a ton of looks from a ton of teams. I don't think you lead with a player opt out, but here's the thing: I'd rather the Cubs get the first 3 or 4 years of Yamamoto than another team get those years. If an opt out is what you need to do to get the deal done, get the deal done. He'll get it here or there, at that point. I'm not sure he'll need one, who knows? But holding strong on "no opt outs ever" is a bad business plan if you really want someone. If the Cubs want Yamamoto, we'll just have to give him what he wants with the amount of choices he will have.

Combination of work and personal emergencies and fall break! I'm finally back home and capable of doing baseball again!

Two weeks ago saw the South Bend Cubs season come to an end. Last week, it was Myrtle Beach who's season came to a halt. With only two teams left playing, Iowa finishing up the regular season and Tennessee in the playoffs, did two become one? Or are there two teams still playing into this week? Image courtesy of © MATTIE NERETIN / USA TODAY NETWORK Iowa Cubs, AAA (3-3) Sadly, two did become one, with Iowa missing out on the AAA playoffs, ending their 2023 season. The week started strong, winning three more games, until they hit a speed bump and dropped the final three. It's hard to blame Iowa for the late-season struggles, as injuries to Ben Brown and call-ups of Pete Crow-Armstrong, Alexander Canario, Luke Little, and Jordan Wicks left the team pretty shorthanded. That said, it's a good problem, and I hope this will be a recurring problem. Matt Mervis: 143 wRC+, 21.7% K%, 21.7 BB%, 2 HR, 1 2B: Mervis finished the season on a high note in Iowa. After his demotion, all Mervis did was hit, putting up a 131 wRC+ over the final three-plus months of the season. Mervis has clearly shown that he's too good for AAA and deserves to be on an MLB roster to show if he can stick at that level or if he's a "AAAA" player. Whether or not that MLB chance will come with Chicago in 2024 has yet to be determined. For his sake, I hope he can take his AAA success and find MLB success. Ben Brown: 1.2 IP, 3 K, 4 BB, 5 R, 5 ER: Yeesh. Control issues abound for Ben Brown, who has not looked comfortable since returning from a lat injury. Rust? Residual pain/discomfort from the injury? Just a bad few games? Hard to tell. A good offseason, rest, some tweaking, and hopefully, Ben Brown returns next season in form. A healthy Ben Brown, and one who was controlling his pitches, would have been a nice BP addition to the Cubs in 2023, but hopefully, he can make an impact in 2024. Just remember that a few poor outings at the end of the season don't erase all of the good. Brennen Davis: 34 wRC+, 11.8% K%, 5.9% BB%: Early season Brennen Davis returned this week, making a lot of contact, almost all of it being weak. Is this better than K-happy Davis? I can't tell because it's just a different side of the same coin: that of an unproductive hitter. That's two lost seasons in a row for Davis. He's not completely gone as a prospect, but this offseason will be very important for him, and he must put in some heavy work. There must be a middle ground between Brennen Davis, the K-machine who displays plus power, and Brennen Davis, the contact machine with zero ability to hit the ball hard, right? Caleb Kilian: 5.1 IP, 8 K, 1 BB, 6 R, 5 ER: I'm just at a loss with Kilian right now. The K's are really good, and it's been nice to see the velocity back to what it was at the start of 2022, but despite the strikeouts, he gave up a lot of contact. This is the third time in his last six outings that he got hammered when he came into the zone. Is a permanent switch to the bullpen in the cards? I've never been a big believer in his pitch mix in the BP, but this season has been pretty poor, up and down, for Kilian. I still think some value can be had out of him, but I don't know what it is. Tennessee Smokies, AA - Moving on to the Championship In stark contrast to the Iowa Cubs, the Tennessee Smokies have only received helpful reinforcements, and the results show. Tennessee was able to dispatch the Chattanooga lookouts in their best-of-three series and is now just a single win away from being crowned league champions. However, they'll have to do so on the road, playing Pensacola on Tuesday and Wednesday. Game 1 vs. Chattanooga: Win, 3-1: Surprise, surprise, but Cade Horton took the mound for the Smokies in their most important game of the season, and it should be no surprise that Horton was dominant. Horton went five, striking out seven and giving up nary a run. The Smokies got on the board in the third inning with three runs, provided by a BJ Murray single, an Owen Caissie double, and a Hayden McGeary fielder's choice, and they never looked back. The only blemish was a 6th inning from Zac Leigh (though the blame should be placed on the feet of Porter Hodge, who only got one out, hitting a batter and giving up two other singles). Leigh battled, struck out the next hitter, and finished with a popout to strand the bases loaded. Riley Martin and Hunter Bigge closed the affair, and Tennessee took game 1. Game 2 vs Chattanooga: Win, 5-1: Walker Powell took the mound and, much like Cade Horton the night before, was given an early multiple-run-lead, this time, from a three-run shot off of Kevin Alcantara (his only hit of the night). Powell gave up a run in the bottom of the second but ended the night with six strikeouts. The bullpen took over, with Frankie Scalzo Jr., Riley Martin, and Hunter Bigge finishing the job. With the win, the Smokies moved onto the Championship series against Pensacola with relative ease. Game 1 vs. Pensacola: Win, 8-4: Today was more about the bats than the previous wins, but much like the first two playoff games, the Smokies got off to a smoldering start. By the end of the third, the Smokies were up 7-1 behind RBI knocks from BJ Murray, Hayden McGeary, Ezequiel Pagan, and Kevin Alcantara. Pablo Aliendo also took a bases-loaded hit by pitch, and the Smokies never looked back. Brandon Birdsell threw five strong, striking out five and surrendering only one. The usual suspects of Porter Hodge, Frankie Scalzo Jr., Riley Martin, and Hunter Bigge closed out the game, though they did give up a few runs on an HR given up by Bigge. One more win and the Smokies wrap up their seasons as Champions of the Southern League. View full article

Well, the Cubs are 17th probably due to how much time Patrick Wisdom has played there. Patrick Wisdom has been a -5 DRS at 3b. A better example for what you're suggesting about arm, is to look at Nick Madrigal at 3b, and Madrigal alone. Nick Madrigal has an arm in the 46%. This represents a significant upgrade over his time at 2b. Whether this is mechanical, physical, added strength, just being healthy, I cannot speak to it, but whatever the reason, the Cubs have shown an ability to drag extra value via arm out of Madrigal in some way. Despite having a >50% arm rating, in 560 innings, Madrigal has put up a +7 DRS. This is why I think it's unfair to show the Cubs are 17th in whatever you want; Patrick Wisdom is really bad there and he drags things down. It's not a large enough sample size defensively for me to say "Nick Madrigal is a gold-glove type at 3b" but it's enough to suggest that he's actually...pretty decent over there despite the less than stellar arm. In a similar vein, the Cubs extracted excellent defensive value from Nico Hoerner at SS for a season, a position I also did not believe he had the arm for. There's pattern for success. What does this mean for Shaw? He's a highly athletic player who's arm and range just won't be good enough at SS, but very well could find himself in the Nick Madrigal/Nico Hoerner camp of "The Cubs were able to extract value out of the arm". I expect the Cubs will prioritize Shaw over Murray as well, at 3b. Murray can play 1b, where as the other positions Shaw can play (2b, OF) are all solved currently, and probably long term. Maybe an injury will change the math there in 2024, but Shaw at 3b and Murray as a 1b/DH is probably your best bet to give both routes to the MLB next season. So far, in AA, they don't seem to have done that, but I think some of that is the makeup of the roster. They don't have a SS or a 2b that's so good they need to play, and the Cubs already have McGeary at 1b there. When push comes to shove, my guess is that Shaw will be the chosen 3b over Murray as a "path to the MLB" is concerned. We'll see, it's a guess. None of this is a knock on Murray as a prospect, but just attempting to guess where the Cubs will go with that.

Sadly, South Bend's season has been over for a while, but Iowa, Tennessee, and Myrtle Beach entered the week with things to play for. How'd Myrtle Beaches' first playoff series go? Tennessee saw a handful of reinforcements make their way to them; how did each of them do? Find out this week in our recap! Image courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports Iowa Cubs, AAA (5-1) It's good to see Iowa have a great week for once. Not only did Pete Crow-Armstrong get his much-anticipated promotion, Iowa rattled off five straight wins. The Cubs had been struggling recently, but a home set against St. Paul seemed to be the cure. Iowa has one last regular season series on the road. 🔥Matt Mervis: 20% K%, 4% BB%, 1 HR, 4 2b: Another week for Mervis on the hot list. He was better than others, as his K% wasn't touching 30% like it had been. He also hit his 20th home run of the AAA season, hitting a monster shot to left-center field. 🔥Jeremiah Estrada: 2 IP, 4 K, 2 BB, 0 R, 0 ER: Estrada is working his way back from injury. A reliever with some of the highest-end stuff in the system pre-season, Estrada has battled injury throughout the season. There's still hope he can rediscover the fun velocity/slider combination that made him a possible high-leverage reliever, but he'll be competing with many young BP arms next season. Don't entirely count him out. 🔥Luis Vazquez: 103 wRC+, 25% K%, 10 BB%: 1 2b: Vazquez hit .313, so while there wasn't a lot of power production, I'm giving him the fire emoji. I wonder what will happen with Vazquez entering next season. He's got enough skill to make an MLB roster, and his glove gives him a nice floor. A Jose Iglesias type of journeyman bat-to-ball skill with a plus glove can't be ruled out. But does he get a chance in Chicago? I could see him being moved in a trade this offseason for a team with an opening up the middle as a cheap, effective 3rd piece in a trade. 🥶Brennen Davis: 16 wRC+, 31.6% K%, 10.5% BB%: Man, it's been hard to watch Davis this year. He's either making a ton of weak contact or swinging and missing. Even in a strong week for Iowa, Davis doesn't look right. I'm not entirely abandoning ship. He's had no consistent baseball for years at this point, but he's waiving a lot of really major red flags on his own. Maybe a strong week, a strong winter, and we'll see old Davis. Or maybe there's no more old-Davis in there anymore. Tennessee Smokes, AA (5-1) Tennessee got a lot of help this week, with players like Moises Ballesteros, Kevin Alcantara, and James Triantos all added to an excellent team. The results are evident. The Smokies took 5 of 6, and each of the aforementioned players played a role in their success. Tennessee's playoffs begin this week against the Chattanooga Lookouts in a best-of-three-set. 🔥James Triantos: 119 wrC+, 15.4% K%, 7.7BB%, 1 2B: That's how you make yourself noticed in AA. James Triantos showed zero issues in his first three games in handling AA pitching, making a lot of contact, and overall, being the same Triantos we've known. I'm glad to see him hit the ground running, and hopefully, 2024 will continue that upward trend. 🔥Kevin Alcantara: 130 wRC+, 33.3% K%, 14.3% BB%, 1 HR, 1 2b: It's probably going to be a bit rocky with the strikeouts for a bit for Kevin Alcantara, but that's not crazy considering his jump. He's a long-levered hitter, and as he moves up, pitchers will attack up more and more with velocity. The good news is he's hitting for power and taking walks, so that we can accept the strikeouts for now. There's a shot Alcantara could be on pace to make his MLB debut next year if things progress quickly; however, it is probably more likely he won't be up until 2025. 🔥B.J. Murray : 215 wRC+, 10% K%, 20% BB%, 1 HR, 5 2b: A pretty ho-hum week for BJ Murray, with a .375 batting average, five XBH, doubling his walk total from his strikeout total. What a season Murray has had, and he's remaining a standout even after the Cubs brought up a handful of interesting prospects throughout the year. 🥶Kohl Franklin: 4IP 7 K, 0 BB, 6 R, 6 ER: This is such an odd line for Kohl Franklin. Normally, Kohl Franklin blowups are walk-related, but Kohl Franklin struck out seven in four innings while walking none. Instead, Franklin got pounded in the zone, giving up four extra-base hits and two home runs. It's good not to walk people, but forcing meatballs into the zone doesn't work out. Myrtle Beach, Low-A (1-2) Myrtle Beach had a short week as their playoffs began (sadly ended) this week. Nothing is to take away from their excellent season. Many great prospects started in Myrtle Beach, only to end up in South Bend or even higher. 2023 draft pick Zyhir Hope also made his professional debut above Arizona this week. With the system's depth, I'm excited about the fun players coming through. 👎Game 1: Loss, 2-1: Game 1 was a close affair, started by Jackson Ferris. Sadly, Ferris (4.2 IP, 3 K, 3 BB, 2 ER) didn't have his sharpest stuff in his most important turn in the rotation, and the Pelicans got down early. None of the Pelicans star players had big games today. Brian Kalmer, Jonathon Long, Jefferson Rojas, and Cristian Hernandez were all held hitless, with the only run coming from a Brendon Bateman single. Credit goes to the Pelicans bullpen, led by Koen Moreno, who kept the score close. 👍Game 2: Win, 3-0: Game 2 was much better for Myrtle Beach, who could stabilize themselves behind standout Drew Gray. Gray struck out six while walking three, and Pedro Ramirez hit a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth. From there, Jefferson Rojas added two singles, while Brian Kalmer and Jonathon Long both hit doubles, and the bullpen was able to lock things down. Kevin Valdez finished with four innings on the mound, striking out a whopping nine hitters. 👎Game 3: Loss, 18-4: Well, that sucks. At home, and staked to an early two-run lead compliments from an RBI single off the bad of Pedro Ramirez and a double play from Brian Kalmer, starting pitcher Marino Santy couldn't hold the lead. Santy gave up seven runs while walking three in just two innings. His defense didn't help him much, but Santy was poor overall. By then, the wheels had fallen off the wagon, and the game was simply never in doubt. View full article

I'll handicap Matt Shaw as the most likely. I say this as a pretty strong Caissie supporter (among the largest), but I think, as we stand today organizationally, Shaw is probably going to be the quickest riser. I think Caissie will struggle for a few months in Iowa, much like he has both in South Bend, and Tennessee before getting it together around the June/July mark. The Cubs have a few others who an fill in during injury at COF and DH, so I'm not sure he'll have a clear path, at least in 2024, even with an injury. However, 3b doesn't seem to have a real in-house option, and while they certainly can fulfill that position outside of the organization pre-2024, today they still have a pretty clear path. Add in Matt Shaw's ability to get bat to baseball, and his easy power, and he's got a lot of the markers of someone who could be in Iowa come May 15th next year and at that point, would be "next up" at 3b if someone falters or someone gets hurt. BJ Murray is the only other in house prospect at 3b, and the reports on the defense aren't entirely promising. Considering the Cubs affinity for strong defenders he might not be a strong consideration there.

I refuse to believe Pfaadt is a real name.