Javy Is Still A Cub

Slugging 1b, Closer, #2ish Strikeouting SP - that's what we need so absolutely yes to Bedard. Hader got: LHP Trevor Rogers, RHP Dinelson Lamet, LHP Robert Gasser, OF Esteury Ruiz. Hader's better but Bedard has more control. What's a comparable trade for us? Seems like it'd be far from cheap, but - see above.

You look at Madrigal's '20 and '21 seasons, and his pedigree, and his second stint this year, and it seems really unlikely that was all a mirage. Is he Arenado? No. Can he be the best #9 hitter in MLB? Yes. Is that something the Cubs can use? Yes, especially because the rules of the game require a #9 hitter. If we can get a top SLG 3b for a package that includes Madrigal - go ahead. But if the brass doesn't do something about the 1b black hole we can't possibly be a "if we get in the playoff we've got a shot at a ring" team. That approach would really be reliant on Mervis coming in and being close to the "Rookie of the Year: 2nd half edition", which is very pie in the sky. Or we could spend 3-5 of the #52 prospects to get a long-term solution at 1b instead. That'd be better. And is the plan to wait for Heuer to get healthy until we get a top closer? If so, why did we give out those contracts? I gotta believe the brass is going to make a move, and one which doesn't prioritise ticket sales down on the farm.

Take it up with Fangraphs. The Cubs have 52 prospects, some of which should be turned into our 3 main needs in order to make this a complete, contending team.

"I don't think your overall conception of a good team here is completely off base, but I think you'll find most people here are thinking about roster building at a more detailed level than the "slugging 1B" "strikeout #2" roles you're describing. So more people are gonna disagree with the initial assumptions even before you get into the specifics of a player like Madrigal" Well TT, what is there to disagree with, other than semantics? We're locked in at all places except 1b, closer and another good SP. This is the team. We have some flexibility at 3b/DH, but I'd say just develop Morel & Madrigal there. If we don't build those 3 spots of our roster, we will have failed in fixing what are clearly our biggest holes. I appreciate the Madrigal sidebars, but he's not a ginormous problem like those 3 spots. I can't believe our brass wouldn't see it this way either - they better use some of these #52 assets this year... as opposed to waiting years for Caissie and Horton to be the saviours WHEN our team is mostly all set -3 everywhere else.

Juan Pierre had a really good career, and was unfairly denigrated by Cubs fans, but Madrigal can be better if he stays healthy (at least over a few years, though maybe not over a whole career) Pierre only finished in the top 10 in BA twice, even though he hit nearly .330 both times. It's a different era. Pierre had SB but he also had a noodle arm - Madrigal is looking like a plus defender at 3rd. Madrigal playing a full season and not hitting .304, i.e. #4 in BA this year? Seems unlikely. If he stays healthy he's a top 5 BA guy year in and year out, because BA has become so undervalued/Madrigal is so good at it. Anyway, the point is: BUY what's needed with the prospects we have, don't SELL to get even more prospects.

Nah, not when he's healthy. Anyway, a WS-winning team has - what - 15 good-to-great pieces? 7 G-to-G hitters, 3 G-to-G fielders, 3 great SP, 2 great reliever. That's a minimum. Which proves the point of my reference of him in the OP: Madrigal is not the problem. The problem is no SLG 1b, no closer and no #2 Strikeouter. Madrigal is a very good piece on the right team, but the Cubs won't be "right" until they get the above 3. If they gotta trade Madrigal to get one of the above 3, fine, but he's not the flaw that needs fixing. Use the #52 to fix them. The Cubpocalypse of 2020 should be paying off now, ESPECIALLY because we have set in stone many pieces and ONLY have those 3 major holes.

Because only 4 players are hitting .300 in the NL this year, thus it's actually hard to do, and Madrigal can do it? And because a lineup stuffed with 3-outcome hitters has produced 1 playoff win since 2017?

My bad, Turner was 10th last year at .278. Madrigal is at .278 this year (i.e. tied for #10 in BA this year, if he had enough plate appearances), despite a very rough start. Betts is #9 this year at .287. Madrigal is a lifetime .287, despite a bad year last year and bad start this year. The guy is a top 10 BA hitter, guaranteed. There's got to be a place for him in today's MLB or the world is upside down. It's not what this team needs - which is SLG - but to undervalue him is an obvious mistake. We need a true HR masher #4 hitter at 1b - that's what those 52 prospects should be going to buy first. And then a closer and #2 pitcher. If we get those things, then we can complain about Madrigal at 3b.

Not really. The only 3 needs we have (the only 3 places we can even make changes) are quite big and would have a major impact. #4 hitter, #2 SP and closer - these are huge game changers. Unless you're talking about trading Happ or Seiya, this is our team. Everywhere else is locked in except 1b, closer and #2ish strikeouting SP. Trading for more prospects we don't need, instead of using our many prospects to fill those 3 needs, is crazy dumb. Only Stroman could bring us something which fills one of those 3 needs, anyway.

What did we go through selling our heroes off for? To be here now: just a few pieces from a new core for years And we are indeed here, or, we have definitely made our choices: The Cubs are locked in long-term at 2b, SS, LF, RF - no change possible. We are also locked in at 3b and DH, despite contrary opinion: Both Morel and Madrigal must be in the lineup every day. It's insane to old heads, but Justin Turner is currently 10th in the NL in BA at just .278. .278! I find it impossible to believe that there's truly no spot in the modern MLB for a guy who is a GUARANTEED top 10 BA guy year in and year out like Madrigal would definitely be. I hold this truth on principle, but I also think his OBP and SLG would not be so atrocious as others think. If Madrigal could hit .299 - totally realistic - he'd currently be 4th in NL in BA. Crazy, but true, and you can't tell me a guy who is 4th in BA is a 4A player. His original nickname was "Nicky 3,000" after all, and not "Nicky 2 strikes", after the 3,000 hits he could get if he could avoid being "Nicky Medical". Morel is by far the most dynamic bat we have, and his game has matured this year in a way no one could imagine. Both of these cheap guys need to share DH and 3B and develop - hopefully both do. Locked in. We are locked in - if we're smart - with Steele, Taillon, Stroman and - assuming his first 9 starts are maintainable - Hendricks through next year. CF will be manned by PCA next year (spoiler: there's not many HR there, FYI). C is being held by Jhanny Bench Gomes and Barnart, with Amaya as the obvious future. All locked-in pieces. Where does that leave us? We NEED TO USE OUR MANY ASSETS to get a slugging 1B, a closer and a #2 strikeouting starter. Baseball Prospectus has us having a whopping 52 legit prospects - Matt Mervis is just #46, to give some indication of how deep we are. The kool-aid is strong on our farm right now, we have only these 3 actual spots to improve, we cannot improve in ANY OTHER spots as we have made our choices already, and we have NO ROOM for all these prospects, many of which came over during the Cubpocalypse. So trade away our assets now, again? What on EARTH do we need more prospects for? Why on earth would we do ANOTHER white flag trade, and with this division? Why would we commit to Seiya, Happ, Hoerner and (we should) Stroman if we're not competing now? We get these 3 things and WE ARE SET - that's our team, for better or for worse. A slugging 1B is the top priority because we have NO other place who can give SLG - every other lineup spot is set. We have to get a closer because our original plan - create a closer via our great bullpen development from the farm - went out with Codi Heuer's elbow; WS contenders have lockdown closers, and we do not. Sure we'd love a true #1 Ace but with Steele, Stroman and another #2, one who can provide us with the strikeouts/lane-changing game to game look we need - that's a darn good 3-headed monster for the playoffs; that's one which can actually win. So they MUST USE as many of these 52 prospects AS IT TAKES to get these 3 things THIS YEAR because WE HAVE OUR TEAM ALREADY, practically. The only untouchable prospects are PCA, Horton, a guy who might be the Strikeouting ace we need and Caissie, a guy who might be the HR monster we need at 1b/DH. Morel is untouchable because he's the only guy who has some of what we most definitely need and can only get from a new 1b - HR and SLG power, so that'd be robbing Peter to pay Paul. I wouldn't like it but Madrigal can be traded in the right deal, I suppose. I wouldn't like it but Amaya can be traded in the right deal, as we have some C prospects and Jhanny Bench/Barnhart do so very well calling games. But ONLY for these 3 needs, and 1b is by far the most urgent need on our team. Wake up! We have our team already! From what I see there aren't hardly any 1b FA this offseason, so use our vast quantity of good-not-great prospects to get one. Use Jordan Wicks, possibly next year's Caleb Killian, or Alcantara, who could become next year's Brennan Davis - the point is STOP overrating prospects cuz we have TOO MANY already. Use them to BUY! And we have just literally a few true holes: a homer-heavy 1b, a Strikeouting #2ish SP, a closer. That's a team that actually could go all the way. What else was the Cubpocalypse for? We're closer than we think, but not if we hoard prospects like it's August 2020, still! It ain't! I think the Cubs brass knows this - they gave out the contracts I talked about - so if they don't come thru with those 3 needs this year as it's SO CLEARLY the correct move - it's off with their head, in honor of yesterday's Bastille Day.