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Bertz

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Everything posted by Bertz

  1. Bertz
    I wonder if the Bigge move is a sign they're officially throwing up the white flag on 2024, because otherwise it's probably not ideal from a 40 man standpoint. The 40 man is not packed to the gills, but there are several guys who aren't going to be long term fixtures on the roster who you do hold onto for a bit if you're trying to win. For example David Bote as a short side platoon 3B, or Kyle Hendricks as emergency SP depth. If you're trying to win still though, Jorge Lopez and Colten Brewer are the two truly painless cuts you can make. Davis too I guess though I don't love that from an off-field standpoint. So by calling up Bigge now you're using up one of your 2-3 "free" moves, with Merryweather and Alzolay also due back by the end of the month requiring two more. It doesn't lock you out of anything per se, but I do think calling up Bigge and making the 40 man move instead of just calling up Palencia likely says something about direction.
  2. Bertz
    Yeah especially with that double-header looming next Saturday they would not have fake an SP injury right now.
  3. Bertz
    Fun, earlier than I expected but fun. Curious how they're managing this roster-wise, probably a Brewer DFA?
  4. Bertz
  5. Bertz
    Probably not a huge difference maker today but likely helps a bit more than it hurts given the matchups.
  6. Bertz
    It'd be really cool if Hendricks pitched well today.
  7. Bertz
    Yeah this is my understanding as well. Especially with how much IL time they've got they're over. They probably need to move a salary to stay under, that said it shouldn't take a huge one. If they moved like Smyly that'd be plenty.
  8. Bertz
    JP Wheat Day!
  9. Bertz
    Christian Franklin on base 2x again already. Starting 6/19 and including tonight he's played in 16 games. 13 of those games he's gotten on base at least twice, only one game has he been held off base entirely. When Triantos and Shaw go to Iowa presumably coming out of the ASB Franklin needs to be with them.
  10. Bertz
  11. Bertz
    Wow who knew a player who'd been highly productive the last five years wasn't cooked after two bad months. Oh well no lesson to be learned here.
  12. Bertz
    I think you might be right. Him and Leiter both they really downplayed as "better safe than sorry", I just usually assume once they're on it'll take a little extra time to come off.
  13. Bertz
    I'd be pretty shocked if he comes off after a minimum stay but good to see
  14. Bertz
    Let's try a fun little thing where we just don't let Logan O'Hoppe leave town?
  15. Bertz
    So sans any transactions, this is likely the starting pitching depth chart to open next year? Steele Imanaga Taillon Wicks Brown Assad Horton Wesneski Birdsell Noland That is pretty phenomenal depth. Like you probably wouldn't want Noland starting a bunch of games next year but you feel good if someone like him is's your 10th starter. I definitely think there's opportunity to deal someone in the Taillon to Assad range while adding a SP in FA.
  16. Bertz
    Moving Connor Noland up to Iowa would accommodate that nicely. 10 strikeouts through 6 innings tonight, and he's only at 73 pitches so decent chance he goes out for the seventh with a chance to tack on a few more.
  17. Bertz
    It's the 3rd inning and Christian Franklin has already been on base two more time. He clearly wants to be part of the post draft moving day.
  18. Bertz
    I think if you can move Taillon’s whole salary you move him and if you can't you don't. I think Taillon’s probably a smidge above average starter right now, and you'd expect him south of average the last two of his deal. So I think you need a team that A) has been bitten by the injury bug and B) has enough going on in other facets that they mostly just want a SP who won't sink them. The Orioles would be a great fit if they weren't so unbelievably cheap. Maybe their austerity the last few years is passed with ownership changing over? but that should probably be a believe it when you see it thing. Dodgers maybe? Every SP of theirs except for Stone and Glasnow has been bad and/or hurt this year, and Glasnow's obviously got some history with the IL. Taillon being a boring innings eater next year as they transition Ohtani back to the rotation is more feature than bug. They are also less than 12 months removed from having no choice but to pitch Lance Lynn in an elimination game so understand floor raising moves Astros? Their rotation has also seen the IL extensively this year, and they definitely appear to be in "last hurrah" mode with this core over the next 1.5 seasons so $17M Taillon in '26 might be tomorrow's problem.
  19. Bertz
    I think the hole is too deep, but the schedule is really light from here. Your mileage may vary on the quality of the top teams in the AL Central, but the only good teams the Cubs face the next two months are arguably them and then the Orioles and the Brewers.
  20. Bertz
    Cubs catchers have been 24 runs below average on offense coming into today. Now league average offense from catcher isn't a layup, but the the 15th ranked team coming into today (the Phillies ironically) are at -2 runs. So Cubs catchers are 22 runs worse than average. Over 87 games that's almost exactly a quarter of a run per game. If you add a quarter of a run per game the Cubs go from 22nd to 15th. The Cubs offensive problems aren't just catcher, but they're mostly catcher.
  21. Bertz
    It's like 80% catcher, 15% 3B, 5% PCA
  22. Bertz
    The biggest problem on the roster by a country mile is C, but that's not really a "figure it out in-house" situation.
  23. Bertz
    Do we know anything about Nico Zeglin because he's putting up absurd numbers at MB, including 9 strikeouts in 3.2 IP last night. He's 24, so it's probably just him not being at an appropriate level for his age, but I'm hoping there's something there stuff wise worth paying attention to.
  24. Bertz
    You're starting to see the contours of a really good 2025 bullpen, which is probably the #1 thing to nail down these next three months. Maybe 1A with "figure out if PCA can hit enough to be a starter". - Little and Hodge are starting to look like definite guys. They, Little especially, will always have control issues but that's kind of irrelevant if you can keep the walk rate in the low double digits that's fine with a K rate bumping 40% or a GB rate bumping 70% - Merryweather and Alzolay are due back later back later this month, hopefully you can get one of them back to '23 form over the last third of the season - Leiter's already a guy - There are additional youths ready or pretty close to ready for their tryouts specifically Roberts, Palencia, and Bigge. Can we get one more of them into the Little/Hodge zone? If heading into the offseason you can have five internal options you feel good about, plus with our SP depth you've got long reliever covered as well, that's a great place to be. I'd still place a premium on adding an external closer in the offseason, someone like Pressly or Jansen. But like I said you're seeing the makings of an outstanding bullpen.
  25. Bertz
    Lot of good updates here. Surprising number of guys currently tracking for 2nd half of July, including some surprising ones like Alzolay. Definitely means the team needs to be judicious about 40 man spots
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