Billy62

So the question of the day is, who stays and who goes? For certain we are keeping Ian Happ ($61M), Nico Hoerner ($35M), Seiya Suzuki ($56M), Dansby Swanson ($157M), and Jameson Taillon ($54M). We have to make decisions on the options of Cody Bellinger ($25M) - I certainly hope he comes back. I think what we saw was the real Cody, and I'd love to take that ride again. Brad Boxberger ($5M) - I was a little concerned about his health last year, but he could be effective when he pitched. Keeping him on the roster is not all that costly even though it would only take $800k to buy him out. I still think that there should be a spot for him in the bullpen. Yan Gomes ($6M), I think I'd say yes to twice that figure. He is getting long in the tooth but I think he still has a season or two left in him. Kyle Hendricks ($16M), unless a better replacement comes down the road, I think Kyle would be a decent #3 or #4 man. Drew Smyly ($11M), I think the club should try to deal Drew in the off-season. He started the year in good shape, but by July was totally ineffective. Marcus Stroman ($21M), it is a tough call but I think the team should maybe deal him or let him opt out. I think the money could be better spent elsewhere. There are several players eligible for arbitration. Adbert Alzolay ($2.5M), I think the team should tender him an offer. Not break the bank, but a competitive offer. As our de facto closer last season, he did a solid job. Nick Burdi ($800K), I think the team should pass on Burdi and let him test free-agency. Codi Heuer ($785K), Heuer was such a mystery with his penchant for injuries and was less than stellar when he did pitch. I think the Cubs should take a pass. I know it isn't a lot of money, but throw it back into the player acquisition fund for someone a bit more reliable. Mark Leiter Jr. ($1.6M), probably along with Alzolay, one of our most dependable relievers. Think the team should tender him an offer. Nick Madrigal ($1.9M), outside of the injuries Nick is a solid ballplayer. I think the team can retain him at not to hefty of a price tag. Julian Merryweather ($1.3M), Merryweather was pretty consistent out of the pen and should not be too expensive to keep. Justin Steele ($4.1M), A Cy Young candidate to be sure. The Cubs might want to lock him up for a few years. The future looks so promising. Mike Tauchman ($2M), unless the team can sign a better lead-off man, they should probably tender Tauchman an offer. Patrick Wisdom ($2.6M), the team should probably pass on Wisdom. He is a decent ballplayer, has good power, but really lacks in the productive out category. There is really no room for him on the roster except the bench. The team has two free-agents in Jeimer Candelario and Michael Fulmer. I think they should make a contract offer to Candelario and take a pass on Fulmer. There will be some juicy free agents available, and if the team can sign one or two it might mean they would have to reconsider the option/free-agent list. The youngsters were a little less than awe inspiring with the exception maybe of Canario. Maybe a full spring and a little more seasoning can do the trick. The team can use another big stick, an established starter, and some bullpen help. I am not sure of the status of Morel, Assad and Cuas. I assume they remain under team control. Anyway, that's how I see it. But then again, I tend to need naps and still have troubles operating my I-phone, so it could be way off. 🙂

I think the bullpen is our weakest link. It needs to be overhauled. What the Cubs are willing to spend on it seems to be the question of the day. Some nights when they came in it was akin to throwing gasoline on a fire. Very hard to watch. Or your starter just threw six innings of no run, 2-hit baseball, and the reliever comes in, walks the bases loaded before he grooves a scorcher down the line, or much worse. We will need some new faces and more importantly arms in the pen in 2024.

This is a decision that probably will keep Hoyer up at night. There are many variables here to consider, both pro and con about Kyle returning in 2024. Performance wise, he was a little above adequate for the season. On a contending team you are probably looking at a guy who will be a tick or two above .500. So he won't be your alpha starter. There is also the injury bug. It's been pretty big as of late. Are we buying an increasing share in a diminishing market here? But then the question is who are you going to replace him with? $16 million is a considerable sum, but not what it once was. Maybe it will come down to who is available. For the most part he still tends to keep hitters slightly off balance, but when they square him up, the really square him up kind of "Charlie Brown" style. But that is normal with anybody. You have good days, you have bad days. I think it is going to be a push whether he stays or not. I think the availability of replacement pitchers the Cubs feel are obtainable will be what seals the deal. I don't think Kyle hurts us on the roster, but he also is not the guy he was five years ago, but then again who is.

So this season was in a nutshell.....bittersweet. I thought they would be better than most thought, and had them picked for in between 84-87 wins. I thought they would be in contention for a playoff spot, but just miss out. Prior to the last three weeks of the season, it looked like they would even surpass my higher number and actually make the playoffs. But, just like "69" this team pulled up really lame at the finish line. It left the fan with a bad taste in his/her mouth. Excited to see an above .500 Cub team, but dejected by the plummet down the stretch. How does this get fixed? I think it starts at the top. I like David Ross, he is amiable, funny, and has good charisma. But, is he who we need to lead a competitive team? Granted, he was over the .500 mark for the first time in his managerial career. He does not come across as a loser, but as a non-winner as a manager......there is a difference. The bullpen should be a major concern. I think down the stretch, they failed the team most of all. At this level, throwing strikes and getting outs should have been way less problematic as it was. Offensively, I felt that they had played fairly decent, but defensively, the stellar play they had displayed through most of the season seemed to desert them at the final push. There are going to be roster changes for sure in 2024. I have no crystal ball as to what will develop. I think the team should make every effort to retain Cody Bellinger. I think we got to see firsthand of who he really is and can expect to see more of that down the road. I think the time has arrived for the departure of Patrick Wisdom. He is a decent player with some thunder in his bat. Just too much swing and miss for a starting roster spot. Unless he would be willing to accept a bench role. I know he is still under contract but Smyly really came apart in the second half. Perhaps the team could deal him for some youth. Madrigal is a wildcard, when he is healthy enough to play he can make a difference, but he is often injured and misses quite a bit of playing time. Likewise, I think Stroman is expendable, and I am on the fence with Hendricks. Taillon struggled early in the season, but he finished pretty strong. Then there is the youngsters. I think they make or break next years team. Canario was impressive, but the season showed that PCA and a couple others still might need a little more seasoning. Additionally, Candelario should be retainable at not to steep a price. Then comes the wanted additions. The Christmas wish list is full. A dominant starting pitcher, a bonified big stick power hitter (30-35 hr), and some dependable arms in the bullpen......please Santa, I have been a good boy! 🙂

Like everybody else, I truly enjoyed the performance of Cody Bellinger this season. I do hope the Cubs make every effort to bring Cody back next year. Because, absent of injuries this is who he really is.

I hear you Matt, this was tough to sit through. The Cubs looked like a bad baseball team all series long. I don't know if it was because they were playing the Braves, and that got into their head or if it just was fatigue. The bottom line is though it is going to be tough if nearly impossible to get that 3rd playoff spot now. It still is going to be an over .500 club, but pulling up lame at the finish line is going to mean changes for 2024. I don't think Ross survives this, of course a lot depends on who is available. A shame too because he really is a likeable guy. Bullpen probably will need an overhaul. The team will probably part ways with Wisdom, Stroman, about half the relievers. They need to bring Bellinger back, it is going to cost us a bit, but the team has never really had a problem spending the money, just spending it wisely. This will probably mean the end for Smyly with the team. The Hendricks question will need to be resolved. Regardless, there will be some new faces on the 2024 squad. Hopefully they can bring aboard a bonified big bopper and we can see some progression with our youngsters. I still will be watching this last series, but I think my mind is starting to accept reality. 🙂

Sure, Suzuki has been a plus this season......even with that extended slump he had late May through mid-June. He should be remembered for all the positives he brought to the teams success this year. Still, some will only see the miscue and remember him in a Don Young or Brant Brown similarity. 😞

Sure, the reality of a 4-2 homestand is important, a job well done. But with playoff aspirations, a road series disaster before and after that homestand, just makes you consider what would have been the case if you really dominated that series and went 5-1 or 6-0. Now as the Atlanta series moves ever so closer to a Braves sweep and us missing out on the playoffs makes one wish things could have gone better against some second division teams.

Ahhhh yes Matt, Patrick Wisdom, I genuinely like the guy and am always pulling for him. He seems to me still a decent pick for a clutch situation when he isn't mired in one of his slumps. I think for me that is the qualifier. I know a bit of streakiness is pretty much the name of the game for all power hitters. But even more-so with Wisdom. He'll go through streaks where he will tear the cover off the ball and hit 5 or 6 long ones in 25 at-bats. Then he can also fall into the tar pits, bat under .200 with hardly any signs of power for a longer than acceptable period. There are times when the numbers just do not justify a spot for him in the line-up, but then again there are times you would need an asbestos uniform on just to sit next to him. Ironically, on a wildcard hopeful team, he is the definition of the term.

When you look at the Braves you have to accept the fact that this is an elite team. If not the best team in the majors, they are definitely in the conversation. People will say yeah or nay to that for a variety of reasons. We don't have to walk into Atlanta with our hat in hand and beg for them not to treat us too harshly. We have produced a better than average club here and in any game they play they have a slugger's chance. That said though, this team has to tighten it up against the Braves. They can ill afford the throw-outs on the basepaths, the walks, the fielding errors that have popped up on us as of late. We will need pitching that resembles more of July and August and less of September. If we can make the HR ball against us manageable and of the solo variety and have on our hitting shoes too, we can be in this series. We can't eliminate the long-ball from the Braves. Too much talent here to really shut them down. I see the key as when it happens to not have walked the two guys in front of the guy that gets a hold of one. And yes, some guys need to jump in and give Suzuki some support. A smoking hot Bellinger or even Morel could even up the odds a little more for us. Still, we have to be prepared. We can play our "A" game, eliminate our mistakes, and pitch effectively, and still come up short against these Braves. All we can do is fight the good fight and hope that will be enough to eek out a win or two. We have six games on the road against two really solid ball clubs. If we can go 3-3 against these teams and get some help from others, we may see postseason play yet. If not, that egg we laid against the Pirates is going to haunt us all winter.

I think it is pretty much written in ink that if the team misses out on the playoffs that Ross will be out next year. It is the nature of the game. I think their woes as of late have been more than managerial, and some players will have to deal with the fact that they contributed to his ouster. Still, trying to stay positive here though. If the team can right the ship against the Rockies (2-1, 3-0) is possible, and do some damage against Atlanta and Milwaukee (3-3 is achievable, love to go 4-2), they still might snag that 3rd wildcard spot after-all (fingers crossed). They seem to be going through peaks and valleys here. Earlier, when they were not hitting, the pitching was lights out. Now they are hitting the ball a bit, but now getting people out has been a challenge. Let downs in the field are starting to pop up all over the place. They need to tighten this up......now. We are running out of season here. My initial pick of 87 wins for this team looks over optimistic now. I think that figure would have definitely got them into the playoffs. Probably not as Division Champ, but a pretty solid wildcard spot. Now, hopefully they hit the 84 or 85 win mark. Get some help, and still slip in. It is a difficult path, but not totally impossible. If not, there will have to be some changes to next years roster. Not an overhaul, but some tweeking will be necessary. I think the pen will be revamped regardless. It is a better than average club, but probably needs some help to take the next step.

Ok, I think we got a few conflicting expectations here, and I get it, we are all frustrated here. This team is on the cusp of having the proverbial rug pulled out from under our feet. We are looking for someone to blame so we can rationalize why the team is not performing up to expectations. Defensively, Swanson and Hoerner may just be the finest tandem in the league this year. Offensively, while Swanson's #'s are pretty good, I don't think he's the guy who puts the team on his back and says we got this. This team doesn't have that one guy in the line-up. The one who consistently hits about .270 with 35 hr and 90 RBI. We are hoping one or two of the kids grow into that role. What we have is a plethora of pretty good support players (Bellinger, Swanson, Happ, Suzuki, maybe even Morel) I left Wisdom out of the equation because he has way too much swing and miss in his stroke. But, that said he can get in a groove and go yard with the best of them. Did anybody else think he got all of it Sunday night? I usually don't get fooled, but I did Sunday night. I thought he launched one. Pitching has been a bit under the bar as of late too. That happens. We saw Steele get smacked around a bit as well as Hendricks. We knew eventually Jordan Wicks would get "Charlie-Browned" it happens to all of them, it's just the timing is bad. The bullpen has been caving in a bit, but with Alzolay and Fulmer on the shelf it should not be a surprise. We have gotten some decent pitching out of the pen from our former starters. I am speaking of Smyly and Stroman here. Are the band-aids falling off of this collection? I don't know, I'd like to think not and that this is just a phase. I watch each game in the hopes that the boys put on their hitting shoes and start scalding the ball again. I was hoping that by now, some of our Iowa talent would have shown through and made an impact. Maybe that still is going to happen, but were running out of clock. I think we have the talent to have a good home-stand here. I think 5-1 or 4-2 is a possibility. It needs to be that good though because dominant series wins over Atlanta and Milwaukee is a big ask. Basically these next six games are our season. So simply put, if the boys get hot, all will be good and my neighbors won't be trying to talk me down off the ledge next week. 🙂

Nice job Matt! As a long-time Cub fan it is sad to say that I have been here before. But then again not exactly. This year so far the team seems to have stumbled out of the starting gate, caught fire in the middle part of the race, and is looking like they might be pulling up lame at the finish line. Usually the team catches fire right out of the gate and then slowly fades away. But still, this team seems to be fighting the good fight. Is that reality? Or is my heart speaking on its own again? I am sure "Draft Kings" or whatever will give you 6-5 odds on it either way. Still one has to realize that Arizona is a pretty good club, and it will take an "A" effort to beat them. Can't fall back 6-0 and expect to do it all in the 9th inning. Last night was a good game. Two teams slugging it out to eek out a win. This time we came up short. Still hoping that this team pulls itself up by the bootstraps and finishes strong. Could we be guessing wrong a bit on the pieces of the puzzle we are trying to put together for this final run. Wisdom had been pretty much growing cobwebs on the bench. But last night that was a solid base-hit. So the potential is still there. It is kind of bothersome that we spent the starts of Steele and Hendricks so far, and have come away empty-handed. Now we need someone to rise up as a hero. Can Jordan Wicks be that guy? Or do we just hope to make bank at home against Pittsburgh and Colorado and then take our chances in Atlanta and Milwaukee. What I want is easy......a 10-game win-streak and the boys all thumping the ball all over the yard. Easy to ask for right? I think we still have the talent, I wonder sometimes though if we have the will. Maybe playing so tight is not our forte, maybe we should revert back to the July-August scheme and play a little looser.

Well Brock, When the boys are not playing, I still think about them and have my morning coffee out of one of the many Cub mugs I have. This is how sad my life really is. When the season is over I sometimes wish they could medically induce me into a coma, and bring me out of it in early March. This year though, the hawks show some promise, so maybe the winter will not be so bad. So just thinking off the top of my head, I figure this team could be 9-6 down the stretch. This would put them at 87 wins, which is what I picked for them at the start of the season. It is basically a guess and has no factual basis behind it. Just a gut feeling. I figure they will reverse the trend against Arizona and take the series 2-1. I think they will go 2-1 against the pirates as well, before sweeping the rockies. Then it gets tough with the team falling 2-1 to the braves and another 2-1 series loss to the brewers. This would put them at 87-75 for the season. Now of course they have to play the games, which means all of this conjecture could be chicken scratch. Just curious to see how close to the mark I hit, and will 87 wins be enough to qualify us for post-season play?

I know we are not going to win every game. But in the stretch run when you go 2-5 in what was considered winnable games it does raise an eyebrow. My mind is also on the tail-end of the schedule. Six games on the road vs, Atlanta and Milwaukee. Tough competition there. Even tougher if we are not scoring runs. I think solid series wins against Arizona and Pittsburgh are vital. If we don't do well here, I think that we would stand a good chance of missing the post-season. It's not just hitting either. Some pitchers suddenly find that they can't throw strikes, and we are making too many outs on the basepaths. Combine that with a suddenly anemic offense, and you pretty much have a recipe for an end of season disaster. We need to be a bit smarter and a show a bit more situational awareness on the bases. The team has the talent to do this.

I so get it Rcal! As a long-time Cub fan I have seen the rug get pulled out beneath my feet plenty of times. I hear the negativity sometimes, but it is ok to root for your team........after all are we not Cub fans!

When they pulled the tarp off this season and were getting ready to play ball, I knew this team was going to be better than initially advertised. Even bet a bottle of whiskey along those lines with my cousin, who thought they would be improved, but not to the extremes I thought. To be fair, as a long-time Cub fan, I generally jump on board the latest bandwagon pretty easily. I have been way off mark in the past on a couple of occasions, not often, but it does happen. One of things I was excited about this spring was Justin Steele. Last year, and during the spring he was pretty impressive. I expected good things from him during the season, not to the level he has shown to date. I didn't even believe that he would even be in a "Cy Young" conversation, let alone be near the top in that conversation. I see a lot of Maddux like tendencies in him as well as some early Hendricks as well. True, he does not have a blazing fastball, but it is respectable. His ability to keep hitters off-balance and his ability to select pitches for the situation has been very impressive. I am not really sure how much is Justin and how much credit goes to the Cubs catchers, but regardless the proof is right there and undeniable, he dominates his starts. It gets to the point that when I see the pitching line-up for any game and see that Justin is starting. I have gone from "this will probably be a good game" to "we got this one in the bag." That feeling has been reserved for very few. Off the top of my head, that feeling came from guys like Jenkins, Reuschel, Maddux, Sutcliffe in 1984, early Jake Arietta, even early Kerry Wood got my heart pumping. These guys were all different type pitchers, some had real gas, and some had finesse and deception. To me, Justin Steele is the real deal. A big sign of confidence for a guy that pitches half his games at Wrigley. When the wind blows out........shoot! So, now we sit in the middle of playoff contention. Like I said, I thought we would be good, but maybe not this good. Early on, I had us slated for 87 wins. If we just play .500 ball the rest of the way, we should be right about that number. 90 wins is possible, but will take a winning streak. If the boys are ready for it, hell, so am I. I imagine if that were to happen, Justin Steele would be leading the charge. 🙂

It is pretty much spot on Jeff. The trio of Bellinger, Suzuki, and Happ for the most part carried the offensive water for the team in August. There was still some pretty consistent set-up work being done by Horner, and we started to see Tauchmann shake off some of his demons toward the end of the month. Candelario continues to impress. At the end of the season we could have a decent number of players over 25 long-ones each. Disappointing has been Wisdom and even Morel. A lot of swing and miss and not too many long ones. I don't know if a competitive team can afford that in the line-up. Add to that were still throwing the ball pretty good, the two late inning let-downs in Cincinnati not withstanding. It's a good ball club, pretty well rounded, been fun to watch. Another one whose numbers probably don't match up overall, but has been pretty good in the clutch has been Yan Gomes. This stretch of games is going to say a lot. So far, it has been pretty good.

I think it was a matter of perspective. The Phillies definitely considered Sandberg expendable, and he was hardly an impact player offensively when he arrived. Defensively, he had soft hands at the outset. But, Bowa, DeJesus, and Trillo were already established major-leaguers and the Phillies thought that Sandberg was not up to the caliber of what they were trading for. Green obviously thought they were mistaken and we were the benefactors because of it. Obviously, for the Phillies, Sandberg was not the key piece of the deal. Dumping an aging shortstop probably was.

It is funny when you look at the deals teams make, and the deals they don't make. Also, who they take a flier on. Back in the early 80's I recall a deal with the Phillies that sent I believe Ivan Dejesus, and Manny Trillo to Philadelphia in exchange for Larry Bowa. The Phillies threw in a fledgling infielder named Ryne Sandberg to seal the deal. Who knew, right? Kind of helps even out the deal they made back in the late 60's that sent Lou Brock to the Cardinals. What I don't remember, is the reason why the team sent Sutter to the Cardinals. I know I was aggravated because me and a buddy both filed for fan free agency after that. Or was that it, was Sutter a free agent? I just don't recall. Then of course you have to try to wrap your head around losing Madlock after he wins two batting titles. I think I need a nap. 🙂

Ok, so we won Game #2 1-0. Good win! Steele was his usual excellent self. That feeling I had in my stomach about Suzuki being an impact player tonight, must have been gas. But, I suppose the Brewers pitching staff had a say in that. Both teams bought their "A" games to the ballpark tonight. Somebody had to win and somebody had to lose. Glad fate smiled on us! 🙂

So here we are.......we wanted to be here. It is nearly September and we are locked up with the Brewers. A first place team and we started the series about 4 games back. A bit behind the eight ball but still within striking distance. Ok, Game #1 did not go well. They jumped on Taillon early, and our old buddy Wade Miley was kind of stingy. We got a couple long ones courtesy of Happ and Wisdom, but really could not string much together. Why? as Matt points out, this is a good ball club we are facing. The effort is going to have to be at "A" game level. Less than that, and I think we come up short. I remember once hearing someone say....I don't remember if it was a coach or even one of our own broadcasters, that a MLB season in the final analysis is a 42-game season. The logic behind that statement was that for the most part every team would win 60 games and every team would lose 60 games. The won-lost record in the remaining games separated the contenders from the pretenders. I think these games are part of the 42. Why? I don't think that either team is a prohibitive favorite over the other. I am hoping we get a good or even stellar performance out of Steele, and a couple of bats heat up. Morel is due, in my belly I feel tonight could be a Suzuki night. Why? I don't know, just a feeling. But I don't think anybody is sweeping anybody here. It's probably going to be a 2-1 series, and I don't know in who's favor. But, when its all over we will look back on this series as either the one that put us on the Brewer's tail or the one that resigned us to trying to hold on to a wildcard spot. We need to be excellent for a spell.....lets go boys!

I am just excited about September. We are going to be in the hunt and we have some talented kids to take a look at. I think it will be plug and play to see what combination works best. As a fan, the prospect leaves me geeked. In my mind, I see one of the kids going on a Morel like tear or strikeout another 20. I know, I need to come back down to reality. Still, its ok to dream....right? Besides, I think I am in need of another jersey. Visa card has plenty of room and the Mrs. isn't really paying attention. 🙂

Matt, I can't help but wonder if this could be loyalty, superstition, or if the player himself is just comfortable where he is at in the lineup. I guess they could all be factors. I agree that Candelario is worthy of hitting higher up in the lineup. His numbers bear that out. Your argument for hitting #3 definitely has merit. Ballplayers and managers though are creatures of habit. Perhaps Ross does not want to upset the apple cart with the team playing well. Although, offense has been a little cooled off as of late. I remember a thousand years ago when I played (Not even close to this level), I was superstitious about batting gloves. Go on a tear and string together some hits and I would wear the same gloves until they were in tatters. A new set of gloves and go 0 for 5 and in the sock drawer they would go. I hit 5th and was comfortable in that spot. Although it seems that after the first time through the order, any spot in the lineup could be facing a key opportunity. Just a thought.

Hats off Brandon, this was a pretty solid analysis. Still, the 2016 team has something that the 2023 team does not........and that is a ring. I'd love to see it this year, and if they make the playoffs I'll be rooting for it. But, I think this team will fall short of a World Series championship this year. But 2024....who knows? The pieces are definitely there. I would be curious to see how this team aligns with the 1984 team. That team was a juggernaut and I still have no idea why they laid such an egg in San Diego. It provokes some thought for some research. Off the top of my head without looking at the numbers, I think this team is closer to the 89 cubs, but like I said I have not looked at the numbers. However, if the Cubs do win the series this year.........I am no stranger to being wrong. Then my friend I will definitely owe you a beer. 🙂