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Rcal10

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Everything posted by Rcal10

  1. Rcal10
    I think Shaw will be a fine hitter and solid 3rd baseman. But he wouldn’t stop me from wanting Bregman or Bichette to play 3rd next year if Shaw (+) can be used in a deal for a TOR or at least very solid MOR controlled young”ish” pitcher. If not, I am perfectly fine with him at 3rd next year and do expect a + bat from him. I could see a 20/20 guy out of him.
  2. Rcal10
    If he is a bench bat I doubt the Cubs are interested in him. My guess is he will get too much money to be a bench bat on the Cubs.
  3. Rcal10
    Does he? Or is it the other 3rd baseman being posted? I just looked up his numbers. In 314 PA he struck out 36 times and walked 34 times. His K rate is not alarming. He still might not be what they want, but not because he strikes out too much.
  4. Rcal10
    Ranking the outfield is kind of difficult. Is the ranking based on them versus other outfielders or is it based on what is expected of them. I mean Happ, Suzuki and Tucker are all better than the average starting outfielders in baseball. So they should all be better than a C, which is considered average. Now if you are ranking them based on what you expected of them, I would agree with a C for all of them. Their numbers, when healthy, were pretty much in line with what was expected. As for PCA, if you take his entire season and his season WAR I don’t see how he doesn’t get an A. For that matter, even if you based his season on what was expected of him, he should still get an A. I mean, did anyone expect 30/30? Did anyone expect. WAR over 5? Yes, he fell off, but the grade is on the total end of year numbers. That has to be an A.!
  5. Rcal10
    I used to love the tops baseball cards. I just bought the latest season for my grandson. It was actually funny when his birthday came and I had to tell him I had a gift I was giving him but I couldn’t get it yet. His birthday is in July. The entire set of the season came out in August. Anyway, I told him I was giving him something I loved getting when I was a kid. He looked at me strange as if to say “is there anything back when I was a kid that a kid today would love”. He didn’t say that but I am sure he thought it. And in a sense I understand that mentality from a 9 year old. However I will be happy to tell you he loved the gift and now has a giant book of cards with all the players. Nie his younger brother wants a set too. Topps cards are a timeless gift across all generations.
  6. Rcal10
    Oh, I am sure Wilson will be second guessed and blamed. It is what happens to managers when the make a move that didn’t work. And the announcers were also speculating on why he didn’t go to Munez at that time. It was only the 7th but it was a high pressure situation. They suggested you put your best pitcher in there. If they were suggesting it I am sure fans will be blaming Wilson for not doing it.
  7. Rcal10
    But the point is Pham is a terrible example. He is 38 and had a terrible year against left handed pitching. Him or anyone like him (a right handed bat that can’t hit lefties) would be a terrible signing.
  8. Rcal10
    Any of those would be fine. But can any play 1st base? I do think Busch should get more AB against lefties next year, but still good to have someone for maybe a few tough lefties. Andujar makes a little sense as a bench bat too. He can play 3rd, first or the outfield as well as DH. Guess I missed that Cassie vibe. But if that is true he will probably be traded anyway. Maybe him + for a young pitcher.
  9. Rcal10
    Come on chibear, they aren’t signing Tommy fricken Pham. He sucks, is going to be 38 and is a miserable human being. He was awful against left handed pitching last year. I assume you suggest signing him to platoon. But maybe look at his numbers before repeatedly suggesting him. Him or anyone comparable to him sucks and is wasted money. All the fans that complained regularly about Justin Turner getting AB against left handed pitching, should lose their minds over the idea of signing Tommy Fricken Pham. At least Turner was a great person and teammate and actually hit lefties ok last year. I also highly doubt they trade Suzuki at the deadline. I believe they will be good again next year so he isn’t going to be traded. Besides that there is that NTC that you fail to acknowledge every time you suggest he will be traded. In the post above, I am referring to, you said you expect 90 wins. So why even discuss trading Seiya?
  10. Rcal10
    Basically this says it all. And, tbh, this goes for most organizations in all sports.
  11. Rcal10
    Your trade idea sounds like Mitch Keller to me. I can see that and maybe Bieber, Woodruff or a Japanese pitcher added. Let Imanaga walk and trade Tailon. That would leave a large chuck of money for the pen and a bat. Maybe a right handed bat who can play 1st base off the bench. Someone who hits lefties well. Maybe Andujar? So if there is a big FA spend it would be in the pen.
  12. Rcal10
    What happened the end of the season for you to suggest you don’t feel the cubs plan on either Cassie, Alcantara or Ballesteros taken over a spot in the every day line up. I mean, they may not, but I didn’t see anything to suggest that. Alcantara was actually injured and is having surgery this off season, Cassie had a concussion and when Tucker was out Ballesteros was in the middle of the line up. To me, nothing points to them not trusting those guys to take the spot. To me, the the bigger question is “would putting them there be the right move”? I am not sure it is But I do not feel the Cubs did anything to suggest one way or the other, where they were going. And, if anything, I feel Ballesteros in the middle of the line up was a sign they do believe in his bat.
  13. Rcal10
    His slugging was pretty much stable with a batting average down about 40 points from his previous years. As Jason pointed out he hit the ball much harder this year. I don’t get your line of thinking that he won’t hit 30 homers again. If he gets his average back up to the .280 mark his slugging would probably be .500 and he would most likely hit over 30 homers. Why would it surprise you if he didn’t? Do you think knee will only hit .240 again?
  14. Rcal10
    Wasn’t Caleb’s best game, but I think he was a little better than the stats showed. At least 3 drops and that ridiculous pass interference call cost him. Still runs around a little too much, but he did fine. Ground game was very encouraging. If they can run like that all they need is Caleb to be good. He doesn’t have to be great. And I think he is already good.
  15. Rcal10
    Andujar looks like a great bench guy for the Cubs next year. Hits lefties well.
  16. Rcal10
    The ‘27 team could look completely different than the team we saw last year. Good chance Happ, Turner, Suzuki, Hoerner, Kelly, Tucker, Rea, Imanaga, Boyd, Tailon and most of the pen will be different. Which is a good reason to really be all in for the ‘26 season. As Bertz said, all those guys coming off the payroll might not be a bad thing. Maybe they fill some spots with young system talent a few cia trades and spend on some high end FA. Different doesn’t have to be bad.
  17. Rcal10
    I like the idea of strengthening the staff. But I would go further. First, I definitely would not offer Shota the 2/$57M. If he didn’t take the 1/$15M I would let him walk. I would also try trading Tailon. Use that money saved on one of the top FA pitchers. 5th starter until Steele comes back is whoever isn’t traded and wins the job between Rea/Assad/Brown or Wicks. A rotation with Cease(as an example), Alcantara, Horron, Boyd and eventually Steele is a very good rotation. They will need it because they lose a lot with Cassie/Ballasteros/Kevin taking the place of Tucker.!
  18. Rcal10
    True. But it should be called what it is. Aikman being an horsefeathers because he got his feeling hurt by Caleb. As I said, he was the unprofessional one here.
  19. Rcal10
    Players miss interviews all the time, or are late. Maybe Caleb was working on something. Maybe practice ran over. That is no reason for Aikman to act unprofessional in the booth. This idea what someone else would never do what Caleb did is ridiculous. I a solitary could see Burrow missing an interview and then posting something on instagram if am analyst went at him like Aikman did Caleb. Aikman was the guy who didn’t act professional. Speaking of “imaging what would be said if scenarios”: what would have been said about Caleb if he threw an interception and then right after it he was seen laughing on the sidelines? Nothing was said when Daniels did very thing.
  20. Rcal10
    You lost me at opt outs.
  21. Rcal10
    To me it isn’t even suggesting him for 3/$57M is bad. We can agree or disagree on that, doesn’t matter. For me the issue is get someone better and pay more. That someone better replaces Shota. If you keep Shota you might not a spot for a pitcher. I would still like one if the top 4 or 5 on the market signed by the Cubs and then a trade for another young MOR/TOR starter. Again, that means no Shota and maybe no Tailon. If Tailon and Shota turn into Sanchez and Cabrera (as an example) you improved your rotation without spending that much money for next year. If someone doesn’t like those names put any FA pitcher you want in there with any controllable young front of the rotation starter(except Skenes and Skubal). If Horton is a #3 and Boyd a #4 (before Steele is back). That’s a good rotation. As for the #5 starter it can be either Rea/Assad/Brown/Wicks
  22. Rcal10
    No one is suggesting giving Bregman $40m+ a year. Cubs certainly won’t not should they give him that.
  23. Rcal10
    Well if you signed Bichette or Bregman that person would be the replacement plan for Tucker. So they can trade Cassie and/or Ballesteros plus lower level prospects to get a pitcher. Doesn’t have to be either of those guys anyway. Just responding to GH8888 regarding Bregman. If they seriously wanted him last year, this year shouldn’t be any different. But not at $ years and $40M a year, as someone else suggested. He would have to be a lower budget signing then Tucker. Maybe 5/$140M. Besides those two there is also Bellinger and even Alonso if he is ok as a DH, mainly. If they sign one of those guys the trade bait for a young, TOR/MOR starter would be Cassie/Ballasteros/Shaw/Alcantara plus lower prospects. Not all of them. But maybe a combo.
  24. Rcal10
    I agree Tom does not get the benefit of the doubt. Just never saw this before. However, I agree with Jason that it wouldn’t have mattered last year. This year, maybe he is the big bat signing. But they need at least 1 TOR starter too. Maybe they don’t offer Imanaga a contract. Maybe they trade Tailon. Maybe they replace both of them with better pitchers. Trade for either Ryan, Gore, Alcantara, Cabrera or even Lopez then sign either Cease, King, Suarez, Valdez or Gallen. In that scenerio Horton is #3 and Boyd#4 until Steele gets back. Until then #5 is any of Rea/Brown/Wicks/Assad. They also have Wiggins waiting for a call up. Even if they did sign Bregman or Bichette, I wouldn’t deal Shaw. He would be my utility guy who gets 3 games a week filling in around the infield and as DH.
  25. Rcal10
    Exactly. Where is this idea that Tom didn’t agree to a contract with Bregman coming from? I never remember a report that said Bregman agreed to a deal but Rom wouldn’t sign off on it.
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