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Stratos

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Everything posted by Stratos

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Stratos
    His numbers look like what Yamamoto might put up in MLB.
  6. 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.
  7. Stratos
    Agree, I can't see him signing here
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. Stratos
    Gripping Tucker Barnhart rumours: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/12/astros-diamondbacks-interested-in-tucker-barnhart.html
  12. 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.
  13. Stratos
    I think the likelihood of this is close to zero. I think Yamamoto is Plan B.
  14. 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.
  15. 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.
  16. Stratos
    With all the secrecy I agree
  17. Stratos
    Maybe they're just Japanese LOL. Just cultural differences. Though I know nothing about either of them personally.
  18. Stratos
    Is this you tweeting this?
  19. Stratos
    Levine seems to just throw stuff out there sometimes and not backed by much. He could be the "unofficial guy" the Cubs use to leak stuff out that they want out there, so he may know more than Sharma etc. He has the links with Marquee.
  20. Stratos
    We don't really know when the official pitches were all made, or where they are in the negotiation process. Lots of major FA's sign later in the offseason than Dec. 02. This is a 500-600m decision and the next 10-12 years of your life, I would think teams and the player/agents can't do that in a flash. I have no expectations of when this will get done at this point. Having a timeline of the Winter Meetings would be convenient for the teams but Ohtani doesn't care about Winter Meetings, he's in the drivers seat so his side will dictate the process and timeline.
  21. Stratos
    Agree 100%. Teams will want things done but I doubt he or his agent care, and I doubt they'll want to out too much pressure on him.
  22. Stratos
    Yeah but then there's the back and forth of negotiations, then he needs to decide. This could drag out weeks.
  23. Stratos
    I dunno,, this deal is going to be pretty ridiculous and complex and unprecedented, could see it taking longer than typical big contracts. Hopefully you're right though
  24. Stratos
    Well I don't think LA is a lock for him but it just seems such an overwhelming favorite in what they can offer. The midwest is not a good market compared to the coasts. Good point about the timezone in LA. You're right we have no idea what factors are most important to him. Financially it will likely go well beyond the contract dollars to include the market as an opportunity to build revenue streams for him outside the MLB and keep building his own brand. But who knows. I have no doubt Ricketts is licking his lips at the revenue opportunity here. This is a corporate business decision above everything, and they'll run the numbers and revenue projections and decide that way IMO, it's definitely not just about his WAR. Just imagine the presentation package they'd lay out for him. The Cubs have turned into Disney LOL, and I haven't been the biggest fan of the Ricketts/Crane approach, it's just way too corporate and feels dead inside.
  25. Stratos
    I can't see how we beat the Dodgers. They have the players/team, the revenue, the west coast location and asian locals, plus he doesn't have to move. Only thing Cubs can offer better is taxes.
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