Seth Stohs

The Chicago Cubs have locked up their second baseman, Nico Hoerner, for the next three years. The deal buys out one year of free agency. The 2023 season will be Nico Hoerner's fifth season in the big leagues. He won't turn 26 for about six weeks. However, he just guaranteed financial security for him and his family for a lifetime. In mid-January, Hoerner and the Cubs agreed to a $2.525 million contract to avoid arbitration. However, since that point, the sides didn't give up on an extension. On the cusp of the 2023 Opening Day, the two sides have reached an agreement that will pay $35 million over the three-year extension that will start in 2024. He will make about $15 million between 2024 and 2025, and in 2026, he will get approximately $20 million to hold off on free agency for one more year. Without a future extension, he would still become a free agent after the 2026 season when he is just 29 years old. Nico Hoerner grew up in Oakland and stayed close to home when he spent three years at Stanford University. 2018 was a busy year for Hoerner. As a junior, he hit .345/.392/.496 (.887) with 17 doubles, six triples, and two homers over 57 games. He also stole 15 bases. That summer, the Cubs made him their first-round pick (24th overall). He played for three Cubs' affiliates that summer and ended the year by playing 21 games, and hitting .337, over 21 games in the Arizona Fall League. In 2019, he played 70 games for Double-A. However, in September, he was called up to the Cubs and played in 20 games and hit .282. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, he played in 48 of 60 games. he hit just .222 with just four doubles and no other extra base hits. In 2021, he played in just 44 big-league games. He hurt his hamstring in late May. He returned to the lineup in July but soon after that, he strained his oblique. After a couple of setbacks, he returned to the Cubs and played a handful of games at the conclusion of the season. That said, in his 44 games, he hit .302/.382/.369 with 10 doubles. Last year, things came together for Hoerner. In 135 games, he hit .281/.327/.410 (.737) with 22 doubles, five triples, and 10 home runs. he also stole 20 bases in 22 attempts. It is on defense where Hoerner can really stand out. He's got good range. He makes the plays that he gets to. He's got a strong arm. In fact, in 2022, all 128 of his starts were at shortstop. However, with the signing of Dansby Swanson for the next seven years, Hoerner is making the move back to second base, a position he had played quite a bit before 2022. The move allows Swanson and Hoerner to grow together and get comfortable with each other for at least the next four seasons. We are certain to dive deeper into this signing in coming days, but what are your initial thoughts on the news? Leave a COMMENT below. View full article

In a minor deal on Monday, the Cubs traded utility man Zach McKinstry to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for minor-league pitcher Carlos Guzman. What was your favorite Zach McKinstry moment in a Cubs uniform? The 27-year-old played around the infield for the Cubs in the second half of the 2022 season was traded to the Detroit Tigers on Monday. In return, the Cubs received 24-year-old pitcher Carlos Guzman. Coming into the spring, McKinstry was going to be given an opportunity to fill a utility role for the Cubs. In fact, he got plenty of playing time this spring. He played in 20 games and hit just .079/.222/.105 (.327) with a double. He had three hits in 38 at-bats. And sure, we all know that spring training numbers don't really matter much, but when you're fighting for final roster spots, it isn't ideal to post those kinds of numbers. McKinstry was the 33rd round pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016 out of Central Michigan. He made his big-league debut as a 25-year-old in September of 2020. He played 60 games for the Dodgers in 2021 and then 10 more games in 2022. At the trade deadline, the Dodgers dealt him to the Cubs in exchange for reliever Chris Martin. He finished out the season with the big-league club. In 47 games, he hit .206/.272/.361 (.633) with six doubles, three triples, and four homers. Carlos Guzman is 24 years old. He originally signed with the Tigers way back in March of 2015 from Venezuela. He spent 2017 in the GCL and then 2018 in the New York-Penn League. In 2019, he moved up to Low-A West Michigan where he made seven appearances. Like most, he did not pitch in 2020 due to the pandemic. In 2021, he returned to Low-A, now in Lakeland, Florida, where he went 7-9 with a 4.65 ERA. Last year, he returned to West Michigan. The Midwest League affiliate is now the Tigers' High-A affiliate. He made 23 starts and went 9-6 with a 4.16 ERA. in 106 innings, he walked 34 batters and struck out 89. He dropped his WHIP from 1.58 in 2021 to 1.17 in 2022. Why? He reduced his Hits/9 IP from 10.0 to 7.6. He also reduced his walk rater from 4.2 BB/9 to just 2.9 BB/9. Of course, at the same time, his K/9 dropped from 9.3 to 7.6. He finished the season with two appearances out of the bullpen at Double-A Erie. He faced four batters and got all four of them out, one on a strikeout. Guzman has a fastball that has been clocked between 89 and 97. I know, a huge range. Generally speaking, he sits between 92 and 95. He reportedly has a nice changeup. Beyond that, he has struggled with a third pitch. In reality, he may have a chance to advance if he moves to the bullpen where his stuff does have a chance to play up. Christopher Morel will likely begin the season in Triple-A Iowa. With McKinstry dealt, it appears that Miles Mastrobuoni has taken one of the final bench spots as a utility option. Mastrobuoni, also 27, hit .333/.500/.333 (.833) over 24 plate appearances this spring. Mastrobuoni was originally drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2016. He slowly worked his way up the Rays system and made his big-league debut last year with eight games in late September. In November, he was drafted to the Cubs in exchange for Alfredo Zarraga. What are your thoughts on the trade? How do you feel about the Cubs choosing Mastrobuoni over McKinstry? Leave a COMMENT below. View full article

For an introduction, my name is Seth Stohs. I am one of the four founders of Twins Daily. I have been blogging since 2003 (I'm old), and Twins Daily started in spring training of 2012. I am old enough to remember the Twins World Series championships in 1987 and 1991. I love following prospects. And I love the history of the 60+ years of the Twins. That said, the Twins games weren't on TV all the time, at least not in West Central Minnesota in the '80s. But you know who was on TV almost every day? The Atlanta Braves! Ha! I had to say that... But the Braves were on TBS and the Cubs games were on WGN. And they played in the afternoon, so I could actually watch their games too. Nothing better than a doubleheader day! But if I'm being honest, my early fandom was for the Braves, not the Cubs. In the early '80s, the Braves had Brett Butler, a little, slap-hitting, bunting, speed guy. Phil Niekro was with them early in the year. But the answer to why I was a Braves fan... Claudell Washington. I was 10 years old. I loved watching him play because he was really fast, but he also had power. His legs were huge... and I absolutely loved when he would take a pitch and just stare at the pitcher. He didn't track the ball. He didn't turn toward the catcher. It was just such a cool look, and I was young. Side Story - Washington played for the Braves from 1981 until he was traded to the Yankees in 1986. My parents knew "CW" was my favorite player. When the Yankees came to the Metrodome, we begged my mom to take us to the game. She did. The drive was three-plus hours each way. We got tickets in left centerfield. Claudell was playing center for the Pinstripes. A couple of times, I used my 10-year-old lungs and scream "Hey Claudell! Hey CW! Hey Claudell!" And once, he turned and looked toward us and kind of waved. Pretty sure he was waving to me. Anyway, I liked speed, and Atlanta had several guys who had speed. Probably no one more than RHP Pascual Perez whose antics on the mound were very entertaining. It wasn't until a few years later that I learned why he acted like that on the field and understood that the word "speed" had multiple meanings. (Do you remember when, in 1989 while with the Expos, Perez threw a ball from the mound into the Cubs dugout?) (The below video has nothing to do with the Cubs, but it was a really fun look back at his interesting career and his unfortunate suspensions and later his death.) The Cubs were just boring to me in the mid-80s. They had so many players like Ron Cey, Keith Moreland, Bill Buckner, Jody Davis, and Ryne Sandberg. The pitching staff included the likes of Rick Sutcliff and Dick Ruthven (and no, it wasn't until years later that I learned that the Twins had made him a first-round pick but he shunned them). All of these guys were really good players. Sandberg was a Hall of Famer. Buckner is vastly underrated. The Penguin had a build that looks more like I do now than I did then. Keith Moreland did a cartwheel after a home run once. I may have been the only one, but I was not a big fan of Harry Carey (sacrilege?) I will say this... The turn started in 1986. You see, I played a ton of baseball. Little League. Babe Ruth. I was a shortstop, and I could hit, but I loved playing defense. And watching Shawon Dunston play defense, for me, was so much fun. For those too young to remember, Dunston would field the ball, and then take several steps toward first base before absolutely unloading a throw toward first base. What an arm! My transition from Braves fan to semi-Cubs fan started in 1988. I enjoyed baseball cards, and it was about this time that I started to realize that I really enjoyed prospect cards. Donruss Rated Rookies. Topps Future Stars. Fleer Major League Prospects. In 1988, Greg Maddux was an All-Star for the first time. Damon Berryhill was splitting time with Davis behind the plate. Dave Martinez and Darrin Jackson were young guys in the outfield. Oh, and Mark Grace and Rafael Palmeiro were getting their feet wet too. They were becoming younger, and that was fun. Then came 1989. The Cubs played a fun brand of baseball. They got strong defense behind a solid pitching staff. But the offense was very good and they had a good amount of speed. The players that made me a Cubs fan, even if just for a few years, were rookie outfielders Jerome Walton and the late Dwight Smith. Walton played 116 games in center field. He hit .293/.335/.385 (.721) with 23 doubles, three triples, and five home runs. He also stole 23 bases. During that season, he had an impressive 30-game hitting streak. Smith played 109 games, mostly in left field. He hit .324/.382/.493 (.875) with 19 doubles, six triples, and nine home runs. Based on those numbers, it's a little surprising that it was Jerome Walton who won the NL Rookie of the Year award that year. As important, that team was really good. They went 93-69 and won the NL East. It seemed every game was close and they played a fun brand of baseball. Then after college and jumping into the real world, it was the 1998 Sammy Sosa/Mark McGwire home run race that brought me back to baseball. It was absolutely amazing. I didn't want to miss a game. I admit. I was a Sosa guy. He had so much fun on the baseball field. He smiled. He ran out to right field and welcomed the fans out there. He had that fun hop when he knew he got a hold of one. He did the thing where he put two fingers to his lips, then his first to his heart, then the two fingers back to his lips, and then with a big smile, point those two fingers to seemingly every fan, everyone watching. And the thing that impressed me the most was his ability to look relaxed and look like he was having fun. While the Cardinals' first baseman looked beaten down by the pressure and didn't really want to talk to anyone, Sosa smiled, joked, hugged... and he had fun interviews in which he spent time speaking in both English and in Spanish. 25 years later, and I'm still in awe about that. Since then, more and more Twins games have been on TV, so that's been my viewing focus. I am really excited about this site starting, especially knowing how big of a Cubs fan @Matt Trueblood is and what a great writer he is. His passion for the Cubs will certainly come through your monitor, or your device, as you read his words. And along with just enjoying this site and this great community, I am looking forward to getting back into the Cubs... I'd love to hear your thoughts on my blog here about those 80s teams. Leave some Comments below. But I'd also encourage you to start up your own Blog on this site, and I'd love to read how and when you became a Cubs fan.

Is it bad to type here that I actually could see Jason Heyward having a resurgence in LA? Too soon? And, I'm certain I underplayed how good Swanson is and can be. Maybe he's not as good as the numbers he put up in 2021, but he doesn't have to be. It'd just be great if he can put up strong all-around numbers and play great defense and lead.

Like you wrote, Swanson isn't Turner, Seager or Correa, and that's OK. He's a solid all-around player. Not sure if he has any plus-plus tools, but I don't think he has any real minus tools either. Solid defense. Reliable. Just feels like a nice, stable guy at such an important position for an extended period. Seems he and his wife will be happy there. Spring numbers don't worry me, but I'm sure he would love to get off to a strong start to the regular season.