Jump to content
North Side Baseball

Stratos

Old-Timey Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    3,777

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    1

 Content Type 

Profiles

Joomla Posts 1

Chicago Cubs Videos

Chicago Cubs Free Agent & Trade Rumors, Notes, & Tidbits

2026 Chicago Cubs Top Prospects Ranking

News

2023 Chicago Cubs Draft Picks

Guides & Resources

2024 Chicago Cubs Draft Picks

The Chicago Cubs Players Project

2025 Chicago Cubs Draft Pick Tracker

Blogs

Events

Forums

Store

Gallery

Everything posted by Stratos

  1. Stratos
    He's supposed to say nothing per Ohtani camp.
  2. Stratos
    He's ridiculously good, but will also get a ridiculously expensive contract. We'll be paying for what he's worth just like everyone else in FA. I don't expect much of the extra revenue he generates to go back into the Cubs, it'll go into Ricketts' pocket just like everything else. What would an extra roster spot nab us? A late inning pinch runner or another loogy? A platoon guy at some position? And there's zero guarantee his arm comes back 100%. Fans want big stars but the only thing that matters is scoring more runs and preventing more runs, who that comes from is typically irrelevant.
  3. Stratos
    Agree.
  4. Stratos
    Sounds like Hoskins might get a 2 year deal with an opt out: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/12/cubs-rumors-rhys-hoskins.html
  5. Stratos
    It's not even that big of a issue we're out on Ohtani. He's a 4-6 WAR DH who is going to cost 55-60m in luxury tax room. He was not going to earn this luxury tax salary next year. We could sign e.g. Snell plus Bellinger + a solid pen arm for the same cost and be a better team next year.
  6. Stratos
    The fact that multiple people are saying we're out on Ohtani plus right now hearing reports about specific details about Cubs interest in Glasnow and Hoskins is very good evidence that they're out on Ohtani. Just accept it and move on folks.
  7. Stratos
    My thought is he probably went to Wrigley or will if it hasn't happened. He may not have gone to Toronto because he has to go through customs and has been to the city/ stadium many times, unlike Wrigley. Much, much harder e.g. virtually impossible to go through customs undetected than a private domestic flight.
  8. Stratos
    Because it shows they're interesting in other players and don't need Ohtani. But more likely it's Boras being Boras. It's all nonsense speculation really, we have no idea. But I wouldn't be surprised if the report is true to the extent that the Cubs did their due diligence and at least contacted Boras to inquire on Chapman (and the others). Jed also likes to avoid players outside their prime years where possible. I don't think Chapman is impossible but it doesn't seem a perfect fit. I think Hoskins fits better if they miss on Ohtani, he definitely has the power the Cubs are looking to add.
  9. Stratos
    Counsell is coming to Nashville for the Winter Meetings on Tuesday, Jordan Bastian reports. Sounds like he may be in LA for the Cubs pitch. Good article about what Hawkins said about this offseason: https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/cubs-preparing-for-shohei-ohtani-decision
  10. Stratos
    This could also be Cubs-fed leverage in Ohtani negotiations. Or just Boras being Boras haha.
  11. Stratos
    I think they'd likely need Hoskins + another decent bat to get to where they were last year offensively. Hoskins was a 130 wRC+ guy, but coming back from injury you might expect more like 110-120 wRC+. Maybe someone like Belt or another DH or 1B/3B type. Wildcards are Canario and Mervis, hopefully we get some decent performance out of one of them next year. Canario can DH or possibly platoon in CF with Tauchman. If we can improve on what we got from 1B/DH the first 2-3 months of last season we'd be in a better spot already. The nice thing is we'll have a number of hitters besides Mervis/Canario knocking on the door in AAA that may help in the 2nd half of 2024: PCA, McGeary, Davis, Murray, Caissie. A bunch of guys in AA might also make their debut in a pinch: Shaw + others lesser likely in Triantos, Alcantara, Ballesteros.
  12. Stratos
    They have 2 slots to fill in the rotation, Stroman's and the slot where Smyly/Wicks pitched last year. I think they definitely push sign a TORP to replace Stroman. Then Smyly is a contender for that last slot, as are Assad, Wicks, Wesneski, and maybe Brown. It's always possible they fill that last slot with another short-term acquisition like Glasnow, but i'm not sure, they may want to use that money on a position player. But they do have prospects to trade. I think Glasnow is a target if they get Ohtani. If no Ohtani then pivot to someone like Yamamto or Snell and acquire a bat like Hoskins or whomever.
  13. Stratos
    Exactly. His is a totally logical answer and what I want to hear from the FO. If you want to be a very good team and still afford players like Yamamoto, Ohtani then you're going to want some cheap young surplus. It's not like we should have traded Bryant, Baez, and Contreras in 2014 for high priced veterans or blocked their progress.
  14. Stratos
    Cubs will need to keep some guys stretched out in Iowa. I think Brown and Horton may stay stretched out in case of injury. But I guess pen roles aren't out of the question at some point. They both need more work as SP in AAA for now.
  15. Stratos
    His numbers look like what Yamamoto might put up in MLB.
  16. Stratos
    That's a lot for a guy whose never pitched in the MLB. I'd be curious about what teams and the Cubs FO project for him.
  17. Stratos
    Agree, I can't see him signing here
  18. Stratos
    Sorry, it was 2/40. Another user said "i wouldn't even sign him for 2/40". Agree it would never happen, but that's beside the point.
  19. Stratos
    The argument was for 2/20 we shouldn't even sign him. Based on his age (31 at the end of April) i'd be very hesitant to sign him for the years he'll get, but for 2/20 that's a solid move. He's a 4 WAR player. Wanting "star power" is fine but also comes with its own tradeoffs, like very high risk longterm deals into their late 30's/40's, speaking of "age" as a factor.
  20. Stratos
    He's been above-average offensively his entire career except 2021, where he was average. They should try to replace Bellinger's production, but their run prevention was quite a bit worse than their offense last year and they should prioritize improving that that this winter.
  21. Stratos
    Gripping Tucker Barnhart rumours: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/12/astros-diamondbacks-interested-in-tucker-barnhart.html
  22. Stratos
    Why not for 2 years? He's been a pretty good player consistently throughout his entire his career and has stayed mostly healthy. He'll probably hit better outside of Oakland/Toronto too.
  23. Stratos
    I think the likelihood of this is close to zero. I think Yamamoto is Plan B.
  24. Stratos
    We have to assume the Cubs have talked to most or all of the agents of players they're most interested in for Plan B, or to continue Plan A. I do remember this happening in a lot of offseasons, with top guys holding things up. Teams got their offseasons done very quickly in the lockout year, this isn't an issue, there's a ton of time left.
  25. Stratos
    Would be odd to trade for a Madrigal-type at 3B but likely with a lesser glove. Why not target someone with more power? Like...Christopher Morel? LOL.
×
×
  • Create New...