squally1313
-
Posts
11,309 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
28
Content Type
Profiles
Joomla Posts 1
Chicago Cubs Videos
Chicago Cubs Free Agent & Trade Rumors, Notes, & Tidbits
2026 Chicago Cubs Top Prospects Ranking
News
2023 Chicago Cubs Draft Picks
Guides & Resources
2024 Chicago Cubs Draft Picks
The Chicago Cubs Players Project
2025 Chicago Cubs Draft Pick Tracker
2026 Chicago Cubs Draft Tracker: Picks & Bonuses
Blogs
Events
Forums
Store
Gallery
Everything posted by squally1313
-
That’s a whole lot of experience packed into one inning against the pirates
-
Welp
-
Definitely fair on taking that into account. I think, to come full circle, splitting the difference between his wOBA and his xwOBA puts him kinda just on like, the second tier of first basemen? First basemen by fWAR, and then their wOBA this year: Freeman .412 Olson .403 Walker .369 Y Diaz .398 Goldy .356 Alonso .358 Lowe .356 Naylor .379 Noda .363 Wade Jr .354 I'm not saying it's easy to find one of those guys, obviously. I'm just saying his numbers look way better in an outfield spot.
-
I've already hijacked this conversation enough, but while we're here, can we talk about Bellinger's numbers vs his expected numbers/Savant numbers? Dude is out wOBAing his xwOBA by 58 points, and his xwOBA would put him 185th in the majors this year. Savant batted ball numbers aren't that better. His results this year have been great, and obviously he has a stretch of being genuinely elite in his past, but kinda feel like we'd be avoiding this guy if he hadn't delivered so much for our team this year.
-
My scenario was an obvious over exaggeration to try to illustrate that paying top dollar to create a glut of good hitters comes with a lot more complications than the glut developing naturally through the system. We've got one and a half good starters under contract for next year. Of course we could use a bat like 2023 Bellinger, but it's A. far from a guarantee, and B. a lot easier/cheaper (either in dollars or prospects) to find that kind of production out of the first base position than it is from center fielders. Trying to avoid turning this into a Ricketts conversation, pick whatever number you want for your fake salary cap number, adding Bellinger to the 2024 and beyond mix takes up a big chunk of it. If we sign Bellinger and explore trading PCA, I would hope to god it's not for some other prospect. The window would officially be declared open (you'd argue it already is), go get someone who can play at Wrigley for the next 4 years.
-
None of this is wrong, I don't think, but when you're talking about paying top of market prices for these guys, the 'you can't have too many good hitters' conversation is different than like, the conversation around the glut of players in the minors. If you can't have too many good hitters, go get Cody and Ohtani, sign Chapman too, make a trade for Alonso and sign him too, we'll figure out where they go down the road. You can make plenty of arguments for signing Cody, and I get most of them. But if you go that route, I think you need to be open to things like trading PCA, or figuring out how to get value for Happ/Seiya, before you just move him down to first sometime in early 2024 if PCA continues his current path.
-
I don't think, in an intelligent market, it's wise to try and outbid teams who are valuing him as a centerfielder. To make a more extreme hypothetical, Adley Rutschman's bat plays everywhere, but he absolutely gets more money if he went on the open market tomorrow because he can catch. The Dodgers probably shouldn't go offer him the biggest contract to play first base/DH. To TTs point, I know you don't want to be locked in to a rigid set of players, though I think there's a difference in having a bunch of shortstops locked up, under team control rather than this situation of having to pay top dollar for that flexibility. But also, if he's available for a price they think is attractive for someone to mostly play center, go do it, and no one says we need to be anchored to PCA? Go turn him into a cost controlled pitcher or whatever.
-
That's fine, regarding PCA. You said 'if and when' he is ready. I'm more saying that I don't have really any interest in a long term Bellinger deal if he winds up spending the vast majority of it at first base. Pete Alonso is a much better hitter than Clay Bellinger.
-
I know this is off topic, but it's annoying to me how many people are seemingly cool with (and pining for) being the top bidder for Bellinger for a long term extension and then within weeks/months moving him from a premium defensive position to the easiest one on the field (with the highest bar for offensive production outside DH).
-
Yeah spot on. I have a Braves fan friend and I drunkenly went on a hot take about how, actually, being a Cubs fan is better this year, because they'd had nothing to play for since like May, and the extent of their high-intensity games could come down to a week in October. Whereas we 'get to' live and die with this team for the next 5 weeks, and hopefully longer, and that's in addition to what we've already gotten so far this year. And, to your later point, it's better than the 2018/2019 versions just gasping at one last chance before we had to break up the core of our lifetimes. Obviously there are decisions to be made and key players will be lost (and hopefully replaced). But this is year one of whatever this run is.
-
Had a pair of bleacher tickets from 2017-2021 (good timing huh). Gave them up, didn't really get any pressure to renew. Just got an email from the Cubs offering access to half the Cubs post season games in exchange for a non-refundable deposit of $1000 to a full season or a half season plan next year. Showing how long that line really is. Exact details below: Place a $1,000 nonrefundable deposit toward a 2024 Full or Half-Season Plan and receive access to purchase half of the potential 2023 postseason games played at Wrigley Field (alternating games Wild Card Series through World Series). By placing a deposit, you will have the opportunity to purchase up to two (2) seats for your postseason games.
-
Will take my 'everything is fine stop being so negative' hat for a moment and say that I'm having some flashbacks, potentially misguided, to 2017-2018 where the team just seemed so exhausted by the time they got to late September/October that it seemed only natural that the dam would break open, which is did. Then again, the ultimate results of those seasons would still exceed this years expectations, so whatever. Saw a tweet earlier, either Matt Clapp or Cerami (do either/both lurk/post here) about how it's tough to comprehend Good Teams rather than Great Teams or Bad Teams. This Cub team is Good. But they are definitely not great. Usually that just means they are some combination of fun and stressful, depending on your approach. But, for me, it was pretty fun being glued to the television on a Wednesday afternoon in August after the last few years.
-
Series win. 5-3.
-
F the closer?
-
Damn, totally spaced on Suzuki being on base. My bad. Makes that other post about staying on 1st and 3rd make a lot more sense (happy I chose to ignore it)
-
The upside of getting to second with two outs vs staying at first is so big that I think it’s worth the risk. Just kinda bad luck the throw was offline towards second and the catcher got to walk into that throw.
-
Don’t mind this version of merryweather taking the heart of the order. Give adbert a bit more of a soft landing.
-
He’s hit the ball so hard all game. What a stud. Go win a baseball game.
-
In hindsight, that’s the most important AB of the game and man would it be nice to have a lefty in the pen ready to go for that moment. going into it, he’d been pretty dominant through 5 and had done the job on the 2 and 3 hitters.
-
Welp
-
Get a ground ball, limit the damage to one or two. Add a couple on.
-
Certainly another way to get him out of the game
-
Just realized that they decided to go with madrigal over wisdom at third. Probably more damning for his future prospects here than anything else.
-
We will certainly take that
-
Im a big happ defender but that ball needs to get put in play
