Rcal10
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I just hope if he visits Chicago the city isn’t in an a artic freeze or having a blizzard. Hope for mild weather if he does visit.
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So to be clear, you are saying no pen and and no bench bat will be added. Just, maybe a pitcher. Correct? You may be right, but I sure hope you are not.
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There are still many options. None are great, but obviously if they were we wouldn’t be talking about them being a bench bat. Dejong, Moncada, Solano and Urias are all still available. I think SF has a guy that might fit as well. Forgot his name but he is a second year player. Maybe they will do as you suggested, but there are still options.
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I don’t see RHH as a con. They need one anyway. Might as well be one that can play a little first base too. Then they only need one bench bats. Let Workman or Mastrobuoni be the lefty infield bat off the bench.
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If saving it was the difference in extending Tucker now versus signing him at the end of this year, I would agree with you that they should save most of it to extend Tucker now. Or even if they did an extension for PCA and that cost them $10M on this budget, fine, spend less. But I don’t think that is the case. I do think they won’t sign anyone to high dollars at multiple years so that next year they can sign Tucker and not go over. That is why someone like Scherzer interests me a little. He would be one year.
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Cubs are mentioned with 5 other teams as a possible landing spot for Scherzer. It is also mentioned he would probably want around $20M on a 1 year deal and he expects to pitch in 25’. This was in mlb trade rumors. Probably nothing, and just speculation. But I guess it is possible.
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Absolutely. Might have to acquire guys through trades. Which, if anyone remembers, Jed said he expected more activity via trades than FA.
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That’s not really the point. The point is I would rather just buy one bench and that at cover 1st and 3rd. I am not upset if they do add two bats, one being a lefty infielder and another being a guy who can cover 1st and the outfield. It is just a personal preference that whoever they added for Shaw insurance can also cover 1st to give Busch a day off. Not a big deal either way. I just like the idea of more money going to pitching. But now that they have Thielbar for $2.75, maybe 2 bats is fine with Rojas being one of them. Maybe Canario can be traded as a 3rd piece in deal for a staring pitcher.
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Except he doesn’t cover 1st when a lefty pitches. Getting him means they have to get someone else too, which means Canario is let go. I would rather not give Canario away.
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Rojas has been better the last few years than Urshella. Apparently he is a better fielder too. Honestly, I am not the right person to ask because I also didn’t mind Urshella. I like that he hits right handed. Maybe I used the wrong wording by saying aiming higher. Maybe aiming elsewhere is a better choice of words. To not spend a lot on the bench and leave as much as possible for pitching I would have been fine with Urshella and Mastrobouni/Brujan/Workman as back up infielders with Canario and Kelly as the last 2 on the bench. Then have almost $40M for pen and a starting pitcher. But apparently the Cubs didn’t see it that way.
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The point I was making by my post is the cubs do have a legit chance at the playoffs. You suggested, along with AB, he would probably want to sign with a team with a legit chance. I think the only reason he wouldn’t sign here is the AB, Oh, and of course the Cubs aren’t going to pay him what he needs. 😬 I don’t think that is where they want to put money.
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There are not that many teams who have a more legit shot at the post season than the Cubs, and need a guy who can play 1st and 3rd AND where he will get 400AB.
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So now that they didn’t can you accept it and realize they still can spend $40M pretty easily on 3 or 4 players? Might have to get 1 or 2 in a trade. But it can be done.
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This is one example with all FA. Personally I don’t think it will be all FA from here on out. But, to your point, this is a good example of how they can spend it and not get a high priced guy.
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Well said. Seems the negative posters love to point to an article that suggest they might not spend. Or point to not many FA available. But how about Jed saying, at the beginning of the off season, that he expects most of the big moves to come from trades, not FA. Why isn’t that discussed. Who cares what FA pitchers are left? IMO the Cubs never considered the big 3, and then after Eovaldi got what he got and even Buehler got what he got, that pretty much took them out of Pivetta and Flaherty(if they were actually considering them anyway-which I doubt they were). I expect any larger contract ($15M to $22M) for a pitcher will be on a pitcher they traded for. Then add a pen and in the $10M-$13M range, and a bench bat or two.
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I will only respond on the one thing I agree with you on. I wouldn’t mind Turner. But I think he will want to go somewhere he can get 400+ AB and probably cost too much if the Xubs do plan on adding a decent starting pitcher. And I think they do.
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I guess my plan to spend the $40M never had signing a top FA pitcher anyway. So that could be why I don’t see any change. But, exactly who is gone that you really, honestly thought they would sign? Beside Flaherty isn’t Pivetta available? I don’t expect either, but to your way of thinking, there are still a few. If you really thought they would sign Burnes that’s on you. That is you not being realistic from the start. It is very easy to spend $40M and not have to sign a top FA pitcher. At the very least they can use one more pen arm, 1 bench bat and one starting pitcher. $40M is enough for all, but not if you are going to spend $35M Burnes.
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But why? What changed? You said you thought they would spend at least $40M once they dealt Bellinger? Why has that opinion changed? Even the story in the private equity investors did not suggest they won’t spend to close to the line this year. That was more about signing a guy to a mega deal. So why won’t they spend $40M+ now? Something like Yates for $14M, Joe for $3M, Thielbar for $3M, Rojas for $6M gives the gives them $14M to maybe $18M to add add starting pitcher. Maybe Jed likes Lopez. He cost a bit more. So he isn’t making a move elsewhere until he sees if he can get Lopez. Maybe he likes Jax too. So again, not going to sign Yates if he thinks he has a chance at Jax and Lopez. Maybe he has had talks with SD about Cesse. But SD is waiting on Sasaki. No action up until now doesn’t mean they changed their plan. It could very well mean they have a lot of balls in the air and don’t want to eliminate a possibility by signing someone before exploring all options. Why does lack of action now, still very early, turn into gloom and doom?
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This is how I see it. 4 more without Sasaki or 5 with him.
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Exactly right. You don’t know. Nor do I. I am just saying that nothing that has happened so far should concern you if you did think they would spend. I never thought they would spend big on a FA pitcher anyway. At least not once they traded for Tucker. But they can spend most of that $40M we all say they have on 3 more players and none of them would be considered big spending. Too many people want things NOW. So far, IMO, the Cubs have done a good job this off season. They need to do more, but nothing they have done or haven’t done leads me to believe they won’t do more. Let’s let the FO do what it is going to do before we start complaining and/or worrying about the 25’ season.
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I don’t think what has transpired since they traded Bellinger should have us now worried they won’t spend the money. It is still early. And no one I expected or hoped they would go after is off the board now. I do think they will spend but I can also see saving some to try extending PCA. Maybe they won’t spend $40M, but I think there will be at least $20M more spent.
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Or Thielbar and Joe but spend more on a pen arm (Yates) an add another starting pitcher taking between $15M and $22M (Lopez, Alcantara, Cease) Again, like you said, not a trick question. But this is also an option.
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I would have been ok with Urshela. But it appears they are aiming higher if they are actually going after Rojas. I just think a right handed bat makes more sense unless they are adding a second bat, which they might do. As a second bat, Urshella would work, but that would mean the two recent adds wouldn’t make the team. And I think at least one of them will, as utility. So if the Cubs signed Rojas I would expect the second bench bat to be able to play 1st and outfield. Regardless, in this case Jed did not pass on Urshella because he didn’t want to spend $2M. He just didn’t want him.
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I have been suggesting Yates and Minter on several posts. So I am not opposed to spending on the pen. I just don’t think spending necessarily means the pen will be good. Thielbar is ok, if they also add more talent to the pen, bench and starting rotation, because they saved money on him. I am neither excited nor upset by this signing. kind of meh. It will depend on what else they do.
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Wouldn’t that be a big signing? I mean $20M+ for a guy? Honestly if the Cubs felt either could still pitch I don’t disagree that they would consider this. Not sure of what the cost would be. But if they are going to make any real attempt at Tucker next year they need to not have that much payroll in 26’ So a one year deal for a pitcher does make sense. And if they did sign one of them and he did well there would be no reason to flip him. The Cubs will be winning the division. And if he sucks, no one will want him on a flip.
