Rcal10
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Everything posted by Rcal10
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I agree with all of this. Exactly where I am in this.
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If you set yourself up for being pissed if they don’t get Flaherty or Scott that is more about you not being realistic in your hopes. Nothing the Cubs have done the last several years would suggest they would pay a closer $60M to $80M for 4 or 5 years. And they aren’t going to give Flaherty a 4 or 5 year deal. Now they may still end up with Yates or Robertson. But that is only if Ricketts allows the budget to be close to the LT line. And if he doesn’t it is hard to blame Jed.
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I agree with that. Which is why I am trying not to overreact to Rea right now. If they can go to just under the LT Rea might be the guy that replaces Assad when they include Assad in a trade for a good starting pitcher. Or, if they really are going to try working out an extension for Tucker they might have to have a cheaper pitcher in the rotation or the pen. They can extend Tucker and still add a solid back end arm, or a solid starting pitcher, but they can’t do both, if either the back end arm or the starting pitcher costs $12M or more. Rea can be either the fall back for the rotation or the pen. It is not ideal, but, again, there is a budget they are going to abide to.
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Honestly, what do people expect Hoyer to do? The bullpen is such a volatile part of a baseball team. If Jed can’t spend freely how does anyone expect him to improve the pen. It would have to come from small moves like trading for Pearson and Morgan. Picking guys off waivers like Miller. Signing someone like Thielbar. From year to year these pitchers go from good to bad. Look at the Yankees last year. What did they spend on some of the pen arms they picked up. Weaver, Kahnle, Holmes. Going into last year where any of them highly sought after? If Jed can’t spend even to just under the first LT line exactly what is he supposed to do? He may still sign Roberson or Yates. But only if Ricketts allows the payroll to be higher. If he doesn’t, again, what is Jed supposed to do? Best case scenario is the pen improves from players in the system getting it done. Brown, Palencia, Little, Hodge, Assad, Wicks, etc….. Unless Ricketts opens up the pocketbook I am not sure how else it gets better.
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Actually he started building the bullpen last year. Added Pearson, Miller, brought up Hodge. This year added Morgan and Thielbar. If he can’t spend to close to the LT this year what do you expect him to do? Is that his fault or Ricketts? And if he can’t spend spend he can still add a back end arm like Robertson or Yates. You can certainly get your point across without the anger you have shown in almost every post. Just being honest now. This isn’t that serious to get that worked up about.
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Hey buddy, relax. I understand your frustration. But guys OUR age shouldn’t get this worked up. Especially in January about a team who doesn’t even start playing for real until March. I say this because if you are this worked up now I worry about you when the season starts. This is NOT a criticism of you. This is one old timer telling another not to get all worked up. They team doesn’t care about us, so why get so worked up about the team? Being a fan of our age we have seen a lot of bad teams. No reason to get this excited this soon. Enjoy the day and playoff football (another Bearless year) and try not to get so worked up about this team. Just not good for your health. 😅
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Another bullpen construction with about just as much a chance of what you are suggesting would show more interchangeable pieces. I am not so sure Merryweather and Thompson make the team. As you already mentioned Rob Z will probably be replaced by a more solid back end guy. But what if he isn’t. What if they went with Little there. And instead of Merryweather in MR they went with either Palencia or Brown(both hard throwerssimilar to a healthy Merryweather). Then the long relief guy is Assad instead of Thompson. Now you have added 3 more interchangeable pen spots if they don’t get a late inning guy, or 2 spots if they do. That would be several spots in the staff they can move guys in and out of. They may even trade for a starting pitcher and put Rea in the pen. That would eliminate an interchangeable spot. But if they did that, they might not add a back end guy. The point is, what you suggested is very possible. But there are also a lot of other very possible scenarios. Which is why right now it is hard to figure out what they will do. I tend to think there will be multiple spots to move guys in and out as well as multiple injuries throughout the year, so having a lot of options is good.
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I get not giving Hoyer the benefit of the doubt. I also am not happy about the way thr Xubs organization does abusing a team. But if they start the season $30M or more below the LT I am putting that blame on Ricketts. If they are that far under that is by design of ownership, not Hoyer.
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You do you biitner.
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I am talking about guys he can trade for. IMO since they are not going to go after Flaherty or any pitcher making $20M+ in this FA class, there isn’t a guy I want. I am asking if you think they were actually talking about Crochet and Luzardo. Again, I do. And I think they will TRY to add another starter who will, at the very least, push Tailon and Boyd to the 4th and 5th starter with Rea as a swing starter/middle relief. They may not pull the trigger and go with Rea as the 5th starter. But I really hope that isn’t the case and really do not think that is the plan.
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Assad is hardly a guy I would get upset about if he wasn’t on the OD roster.
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He has options. That would be why.
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I agree that once they find out they are not getting Sasaki they need to make a trade for a pitcher that drops Tailon and Boyd to 4th and 5th in the rotation. So if you don’t think they are “after” anyone, do you think it was just bs when they were said to be in on Crochet or Luzardo? I believe they were. I also believe they will TRY to add another starter via trade. Maybe Lopez or Cease🤷. There are several other options. They may not succeed, but I do think they will try.
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Wrong answer!😥 Edit: after looking at the remaining FA pitchers outside of the couple what will make $20M annually, Rea might have been the best one left. Or at least equal to anyone else. Which is why the Cubs will only add a solid starter via trade, if they add one. And, man do I hope they add one.
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Now that Hoffman is gone is there any FA starting pitcher worth going after? Realistically they aren’t going after Flaherty or any FA pitcher making $20M+ a year. Hoffman was the last guy in the $10M to $15M range I would have been interested in. Are we looking at Kyle Gibson now? YUCK! I think IF they add another starting pitcher it will either come from a trade or it will be a guy like Gibson as a FA. So I am hoping for a trade.
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I am going to reserve my judgement on this until we see what else happens. If they add another staring pitcher and Rea going into Asaad’s spot on the team (swing starter/long relief) and Assad is either traded or starts the season in Iowa, I would be ok with this. If, however, Rea is the last addition to the staff this is a horrible move. And, even if they added a pen arm but counted on Rea to be the (th starter and Assad goes to Iowa, this is still bad. Rea cannot be one of the 5 starters. But as I said, maybe they aren’t done yet. So I will wait to be angry.
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If the Yankees DFA Lemahieu I am pretty sure the Cubs wouldn’t pick him up. He is done.
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I actually thought of Stroman with the Yankees taking a portion of his contract. He was actually not bad on the road last year. He got hit hard by lefties in Yankee stad. Short right field. I would bet he wouldn’t suck here. But he definitely would not be one of my top 5 choices. I don’t think you have to worry about Lemahieu. Probably not Stroman either.
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Best I have is he is here to replace Assad because Assad is going to be traded along with whatever else is needed for someone like Lopez or Cease. How is that???🤷
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I assume Cease is here?
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I don’t think that’s is enough for all 3 of those guys. But that is exactly what I am hoping too. Maybe add Palancia and Wiggins. 🤷love to somehow do one stop shopping and come away with Jax, Lopez and one of those infielders.
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I don’t disagree with this. If they signed Rea to be that swing starter because Assad is dealt that is fine. However, if they trade Assad+ for Lopez, between Lopez and Rea they are taking $26M of that salary they have available. They might want that for bench strength. So they might not sign a late inning pen arm.
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That is fair. I just don’t get the signing. Trying to make sense of it. I would rather they signed him to fill in as middle relief because they are trading Assad, and then spending bigger (either on a guy they traded for or a FA) on a solid #2 or #3 starting pitcher and go with what they have in the back end than go with Rea in the rotation and sign Yates.
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They might not feel they need a back end reliever. He might be just who replaces Assad as long reliever. I know you are extremely knowledgeable about baseball and the Cubs. But that doesn’t mean that just because you say they have to get a back of the pen guy, they think they do too.
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Sure is. Not any better than Wicks and Assad.
