Rcal10

But who? I agree with you but I think it needs to be a right handed bat who can sub at first at times. My choice would be Moncada. Can he be signed for $5-&7M?

Trading for Luzardo and saving even $18M by trading Bellinger sets the Cubs up well to add whatever else they think they need to add. They can get one or two solid pen arms and even a solid right handed hitting 3rd baseman as a guy they can plug in at 3rd if Shaw struggles. They are at $215 now. Save $18M on Bellinger puts them at $197. The line is $241, so assuming they want to be about $5M-$8M under it they would have at least $36M to spend and Luzardo only cost $6M.

I would like to have one guy who can play 3rd in the event Shaw struggles. In this scenerio it would be the cheaper of Moncada or Solano.

I think if they trade Bellinger they will add something. but nothing that big. A guy to cover third and first. Moncada, Solano…. Someone like that.

I like the move assuming heath. TBH, this actually would free up additional money to improve elsewhere.’They can get a better insurance policy/bench bat for Shaw at 3rd. And they can get a better pen arm. Maybe even Scott. Or if not him maybe 2 pen arms (Minter and Finnegan?). I like the idea of Shaw starting the year at 3rd. But I do want a decent guy in the bench.

Sure hope the Cubs can keep heathy. Also wish he had a 3rd year. But a healthy Luzardo would be amazing. I know… 4 lefties… blah, blah, blah. But he is not like any other lefty on the team. He throws hard.

Yep, Cashman really screwing this up for the Yankees.

I would say he isn’t even an option.

Busch is a first baseman. Why would you trade Hoerner to put a far worse fielding player at 2nd. And why would you trade Hoerner for a pitcher making $24M a year? I have no real issue with Castillo, if he is traded for Bellinger. But not for Hoerner. If Bellinger isn’t traded and moves to first that would mean either Busch is traded or Suzuki is traded and Busch/Bellinger split first and DH. And neither Busch nor Suzuki should be traded for Castillo. I want better if either of them is traded.

Agreed, it is not hard to find AB for all guys. If only the Cubs were a major market team they could keep Bellinger and still get a good pitcher and some pen and bench upgrades without worrying about their payroll.

I don’t know. But isn’t that what Hawkins is actually insinuating by his statement of Bellinger’s versitility? If Cody could play 1st that would mean either they would trade Busch or Suzuki or Busch would play 3rd.

Fair enough. I don’t really like the idea either. Just tossing it out there as something the Cubs should at least leave out there so they have some leverage when talking a Bellinger trade. I still think they will get Bellinger done. They just need to let the Yankees know they could pivot if they don’t give them what they want. TBH, I am more interested in saving money than getting a prospect for him.

Was Paredes a 3.$ WAR projection with the Cubs? I would have thought more like 2.5-3.0. Regardless, IMO Fhcker for Paredes in the line up is a huge advantage to the Cubs. I think you are a little high on Paredes and low on Tucker when it comes to WAR. I would call it a 3 WAR gain. Then, I think this fan base is incredibly high in Smith. He had 115AB in pro ball. Had 5-8 of the balls he got hits in been caught I don’t think people would have been so high on him. Had he started slowly I don’t think anyone would care about him. But neither would the Astros. IMO the Cubs took great advantage of a young kid starting hot and having great value because of it. For everyone of these guys who does make it there are probably 5 or more who never become a solid everyday player. He was a guy in the back end of the top 100. So many of them fail. Even guys higher up fail to amount to much. Yes, maybe he becomes the next Manny Machado or Fernando Tatis and we are all talking about what a terrible decision the Cubs made to get rid of him. But more likely than that, he turns into the next Keiboom or Robles, Brennan Davis, or Adell, or numerous other top 75 prospects at one point who we never end up hearing about. Cubs took a horsefeathers at greatness. I applaud them for that. Yes, they now need to sign him. And that’s not a sure thing. But they do have to try.

If no one is offering anything of value for Bellinger(salary relief would be value to me) then the Cubs could keep Cody and play him at 1st and Busch at 3rd. I don’t like the idea of Busch at 3rd, but if they can convince a team they can do this, maybe they do get what they want for Bellinger. If we play this plan out and trade for Luzardo they still have $10M they can spend for one more pen arm. I mean the team played Morel at 3rd last year. Can Busch be worse? in the end, trading Cody and using his salary to add a guy who can play 1st and 3rd and handing more money for the pen would be the way I would hope they would go. But if their backs are Against the wall and no one is as I g them enough money, maybe they keep him. The other option is Bellinger to the Phillies, Castillo to the Cubs and Seattle gets Bohm. Seattle sends a prospect to the Phillies to even the deal up for the Phillies.

With depth of Brown, Assad, Wicks, Horton and Birdwell, I think if it was Triantos and maybe a small piece, I would do it. If Nardi was added I would be ok with a better second piece. The deal gives the ins a decent amount of money to spend elsewhere, too. And IF Luzardo can stay healthy and still throw 96 mph, he could give the Cubs a different look from the left side.

The hold up was the money. Still is, I imagine.

I would say that could get them Finnegan, Scott and Moncada. Or sign Torres to play 3rd and go with Minter and Finnegan. Not sure Torres wants to play 3rd, however. Regardless, they would have a lot of options. And honestly if it got tight. I would be fine with just dumping Bellinger to anyone who took his entire salary. Don’t care about getting anything back. His money used elsewhere is more important then getting a prospect who would end up outside the Cubs top 12-15.

If the Jays will sell, what does Berrios cost? He is signed thru 2028 at about $20M a year.

When you mention Twins I go to Pablo Lopez. But I am not sure they would want to move him.

That is my concern with him as well. But who then. I know you like Cease. I do too. But let’s face it, he would only be 1 year. And he would probably cost more. Who does that leave the Cubs. Mariners have pitching, but they don’t want to part with it. And even if they did they want major league talent. Earlier I heard Cristopher Sanchez was a guy the Phillies would consider moving. But, again, I am sure they want major league talent. Bellinger + a prospect? Keller is available. Not sure I care. Would have loved Clarke Schmidt in a Bellinger + prospect deal. But with Cortez gone, I doubt Schmidt is an option. The trick is to find a guy on a team that will take prospects back. There aren’t many of those teams available.

Circling back to Luzardo, if the Cubs did trade for him and then got rid of Bellinger saving $20M where does their budget stand? I feel they would have a decent amount of money to still spend and only need a bench bat that can play first and third and a pen arm or two. Would they be able to get Scott and Finnegan? Then sign Solano, Moncada or Wisdom? Do they have that much left? If so maybe Luzardo does work. But I wouldn’t do it for Cassie and I wouldn’t add Brown or Wicks. Triantos and Assad might work. Still not a huge fan of Luzardo, but if getting him allowed them to go bigger elsewhere that could work.

Not a huge fan of the idea of Luzardo. And he only has 2 years left. Hopefully they do something else.

Actually there is no reason to discuss this anyway. Mariners don’t want to add payroll. Robert would add payroll. But I do not think Woo or Miller will cost 2 more high end prospects for Woo or Miller. The problem is Seattle doesn’t want salary, so that wouldn’t work anyway.

I think they are, and he would be amazing. But do the Cubs really want another 1 year rental? I can believe they will at least make a huge effort to keep Tucker, how would they keep them both?

Because people are never happy. If he didn’t do this people would complain he doesn’t do anything.