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Stratos

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  1. Stratos
    I wouldn't be surprised at all if that turns out to be the case. Ricketts is cheap as heck so paying 70m to players for nothing if there's a work stoppage for 2 months of the season next year is probably something he wants to avoid. Shota on 1 yr would be good for them for that reason. Could be a weird offseason. Could be a lot of 1 year deals made among many teams.
  2. Stratos
    I can see the Cubs signing 2 more SP. If Shota rejects the QO it will likely be a Soroka low-cost upside type plus an established quality SP.
  3. Stratos
    This won't sound exciting but I think they do exactly what they did last offseason besides a big trade. That means they go after a good SP (even if Shota accepts the QO), probably targeting higher than a Boyd type. They sign some veteran setup arms and a bunch of bargain binners while kicking tires to get a good deal on a FA late inning closer type if possible. Sign a Goldschmidt type or 1b/3b guy (they need a RHB 1B and a backup for Shaw). Then stay open to snipe a good player whose market falls through like they tried with Bregman. I think some of the extra money might also go towards trying to get some extentions done like PCA and Busch. I don't expect any major trades. I think they'd like to keep everyone who was in Iowa this past season. They need that depth for injuries and future vacancies. They can fill SP needs in FA easily.
  4. Stratos
    I think he can be the 6th starter with Assad and stay in the pen otherwise as a longman. He started in the pen last year but was needed when Steele went down along with Assad. It's possible they think they can do better for a 6th man but it's still a good deal.
  5. Stratos
    Can't see them not picking up the option
  6. Stratos
    Maybe they feel overall spending will be down this offseason because of the looming CBA and potential work stoppage? And they'll try again after the CBA is signed. Could be a lot if 1 year deals this winter. It might get weird.
  7. Stratos
    They don't care as long as people keep buying what they're selling. We're loyal fans and have a beautiful ballpark. This is the real Cubs curse.
  8. Stratos
    It depends on their needs. I think they were aggressive on Bellinger when they got him on the 1-year deal because there were no other similar options in CF. They were aggressive on Counsell. But if there's half a dozen quality SP on the market and they just want one there's no need to be aggressive or overpay. Just put a price on all of them and pick the one that comes in on the best contract. They killed it with Boyd last year, and the Stroman deal was a good one at the time. If they had a larger payroll I think they could be swimming in deeper waters much more easily.
  9. Stratos
    I don't think they'll change their approach to the pen. I don't think Kittredge points to anything other than they either 1. Had a prior agreement in place with Baltimore to send him back, or 2. They don't think he's worth 9 mil. Given he's in his mid-30s and probably projects to a mid-3's ERA i would have declined on him as well. All that declining Shota means is that they didn't think he was worth the 3 years. I agree with that as well. They can do better.
  10. Stratos
    I don't think their payroll this past season was set in stone. They were in on Tanner Scott and Bregman. I think they stay flexible to snipe on good contracts for good players if they happen, but they just didn't last offseason. They'll probably be around 10m under the tax per usual.
  11. Stratos
    I figured he'd resign there, but didn't think that would happen. He said during the WS he loved playing in Toronto, closest team he's ever played on. Scherzer could resign too. Bichette and Vladdy are bffs since low minors as teens. Jays had a magical run. I think the Jays definitely have the inside track on Bichette if they want to spend the money.
  12. Stratos
    They could sign anyone now in theory. They have to rebuild almost the entire pen so I'm thinking they spend around 25m on that. About 10m on the bench. That leaves 50m on good players.
  13. Stratos
    This was inevitable. Shota was a big beneficiary of the wind conditions at Wrigley the last 2 years plus the Cubs excellent defense. Not sure I'd even want him back on a QO. Acquire someone better. I think Framber Vakdez is the best SP on the market.
  14. Stratos
    Well "TORP" doesn't neccessarily mean a #1 starter. #2 would also be fine
  15. Stratos
    No interest in him. Seems like Robel Garcia, or left-handed Patrick Wisdom with more walks. Wouldn't mind Okamoto if he can hit LHP well. Can be insurance for Shaw, can DH, can platoon with Busch. Probably wants a guaranteed everyday job somewhere though.
  16. Stratos
    Not sure why any team would consider Albert Pujols, an 1B/DH, to be a managerial candidate.
  17. Stratos
    I'd rather they put that money into SP upgrades. My preference is they decline on Shota and sign 2 TORP SP, Pick up Rea's option for depth. FA TORP, FA TORP, Boyd, Horton, Taillon is a good rotation, with Rea as a swingman and Steele coming on at some point in the year. If by miracle everyone is healthy when Steele is back they could always use Horton in relief, or put any of those guys in the pen for a period to manage their workloads if necessary.
  18. Stratos
    I saw them on ticketmaster, they were official tickets not re-sale tickets, and not great tickets. Maybe they were cheaper for season ticket holders. Keep in mind this in Canadian dollars. So your $280 would be around $400 in 2016.
  19. Stratos
    Probably another reduction LOL. Jk. Hard to say. We know they probably aren't going over the cap though.
  20. Stratos
    Odd. Went from AAA to AA. Maybe sees and easier path to the majors in that org?
  21. Stratos
    The Jays were pulling $1000+ per ticket this WS. 45k x $1000 x 4 games = 180k. Plus concessions and TV ratings (Jays ownership also owns the TV channel that has national broadcast rights in Canada even during the WS & pulling in 10 million viewers a game across the country). That doesn't even include the previous rounds. Dodgers would be raking it in too. Dodgers can keep affording their insane payrolls if this is their business model.
  22. Stratos
    For me the Jays lost on their bone-headed baserunning plays. Bichette walking off the bag and getting picked off at the beginning of Game 3 would have scored and been the winning run preventing the 18 innings extras. Barger getting picked off to end Game 6. Springer stopped running during a SB attempt and got caught in no-man's land in Game 7. Can't assume anything in a WS. IKF whatever, probably didn't want to get doubled-off. Anyways, great series and amazing Game 7. Dodgers bought themselves this WS with Ohtani, Yamamoto and the rest of their rotation. Everyone thought the Jays were going to get steam-rolled but their bats and pitchers went toe-to-toe with probably the best 4-man playoff rotation i've seen since i've been alive, maybe best rotation ever. They saw them all in Game 7 and still went toe-to-toe. Vlad is a legend, and incredible player on both sides of the ball and a true leader. The Jays have heart and fight to the last out. Would like to see more of that from the Cubs, who seem to sometimes just roll over and die in unison, at least in the regular season.
  23. Stratos
    Bieber pitched his first game of the season on Aug 22, and coming back from TJS. He was an unknown. Hindsight = 20/20.
  24. Stratos
    I'd also suggest the forum do some kind of thread on end of session awards for the Cubs we could all vote on. Not just the usual awards but all sorts of fun categories like "most improved player", "best team leader", most hustle", "best offseason acquisition" etc as well as maybe some dubious awards like "worst fielder" etc. We don't even have to add up the vote totals if it's too much work, it would just be fun to see everyone's responses. Something to pass the time between the end of playoffs and start of free agency.
  25. Stratos
    Congrats winners. Would love to see a hall of shame for most disliked post haha
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