Stratos
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Everything posted by Stratos
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2024 Game 140 2024 Benchmark 8 less wins from 2023
Stratos replied to Original Ivy Walls's topic in Chicago Cubs Talk
Both last year and this year the offense has either been excellent or just bad (and mostly only effective during the summer), same with the pen. They need to play better in the 1st half next season. Feels like they've thrown away both seasons. We're probably going to roll the dice with a pen of randoms next season again, but 3B and CF should be better over the full season and hopefully catcher too. Will be interesting to see what they do with the 2nd catcher spot this winter. Bethancourt seems solid. Besides catcher its hard to see them adding a bat since we have no other obvious holes. I've been sour on most of the big FA's the last few years due to their ages and the contracts they'd demand but we'd get several prime years of Soto if signed and can afford it if Bellinger is traded or opts out. -
Yankees (Gil) vs Cubs (Wicks): 9/6/24, 1:20pm
Stratos replied to Brock Beauchamp's topic in Fred Hornkohl Game Thread Forum
Let's see how the Cubs hit against a team not in the cellar. -
PCA's stats sucked in July. Not sure but it seems he made the major change to his hands during his batting stance/load some time after the ASB which seemed to spark his offensive explosion, and he was hitting the ball hard before Aug and not getting results if I recall. Hard to say what kind of hitting stats he'll put up going forward but things look significantly more promising than a few months ago. Would be nice if he could get more walks, he'd be an amazing leadoff hitter. Don't think the walks ever happen but he could still be a good leadoff hitter.
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I think there's a very good chance Cody could land a deal worth more total money than what he'll get with the Cubs guaranteed (52.5m next 2 seasons it looks like) and also be able to get an opt-out included on that new deal.
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Chapman got a fantastic deal. I'm very happy the Cubs didn't sign that deal to a player who will be 32 y/o and am equally happy one of the Cubs' annual wild card competitors signed a mediocre contract like that. Much happier with Paredes + Shaw at 3B given we can put all that money saved somewhere else. I think as a FA Bellinger would get something like you said, or maybe 5/110? Something under 25m AAV likely if it's longterm.
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Risking Shota being more tired for his next start is putting a player's individual accomplishments ahead of the team. Counsell's job is to do everything he can to maximize the Cubs' chance to win every single game and if he fails to do that yes he's giving up on the season and not doing his job.
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Steele imaging Ok, Hopes to pitch again this season
Stratos replied to KCCub's topic in Chicago Cubs Talk
I vote for just shutting Steele down for the season. He also threw 50 more IP last year than the previous season and got shelled in his last few starts last year. I think I remember him looking gassed last Sept. -
Counsell did the right thing. His job isn't to create fan-friendly moments around individual player achievements at the risk of making Imanaga more tired for his next start during a playoff hunt. If Counsell were to give up on the season in early Sept he should be fired.
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Hendricks has a 11.12 ERA vs the Pirates this year in 3 starts including last week where he got shelled. They have a 1.101 OPS against him in 2024. I agree they can't start him here. Fly somebody in. Kyle has a 7.34 ERA as a SP this season, including 5.25 ERA in July and 6.23 ERA in Aug. Release him.
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Cubs playoff odds now at about 7% according to FanGraphs. It's doubled in the last 2 weeks. For Mets its around 30% and Braves is around 75%. Keep the faith.
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Marquee showed a shot of the Walter Johnson statue outside of Nationals Park. Can anyone tell me what's going on here? Is this the worst baseball statue? Note that the Rogers Center where the Blue Jays play has a statue of the founder of Canada's largest and terribly unpopular/greedy tv cable corporation who own the team LOL https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/walter-johnson-statue
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Cubs didn't have many good choices. But yeah Smyly and Thompson in a save situation is a letdown in itself. I assume Hodge was unavailable.
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MLB.com and Fangraphs both gave him a 60 for speed tool He's at least a 70 and maybe a 75. That's a big whiff. Shows how much these outlets actually know. I mean how could they be so off?
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Just saw that he has thrown 81 curveballs this year and generated zero whiffs on them.
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Throws strikes? And out-pitches start in the strikezone too?
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Time of year i wish i had bought the MLB.TV package where you can watch all the teams instead of just the Cubs. Would be nice to catch the Braves/Phillies.
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We have Wicks, Brown, Assad for the #4 and 5 spots next year and i assume they'll probably add another SP this winter. Assad would be nice as a swing guy and beef out out the middle innings in the pen. I like Brown in the rotation but I thought he looked promising in the pen too if we're healthy in the rotation. I'm pretty concerned about Cade Horton. Around the day the Cubs drafted him I said on the PSD boards that I really didn't like his mechanics and he seemed to use a lot of his arm in his delivery and sort of short-arms it a bit to try to protect the elbow wothout getting the full extension. Didn't have much of a stride either. No idea if he's fixed any of this yet with the Cubs. In high school I popped my UCL while arm-wrestling some dude during class and did the exact same thing when i threw a baseball for years afterwards. I still need Tommy John and i'll never get it (true story, Canadian healthcare isn't as good as you hear haha). I said at the time that the Cubs should trade Horton when he gets healthy and is dealing. Might be too late now. Huge risk/reward with him for sure.
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Maybe they don't want Wicks in that weather?
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Let's hope you're right!
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We need to leave room for Matt Mervis. jk
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Thoughts on Wednesday's game: - Having Hendricks throw 70 pitches over 2 innings on a hot day is a wild managerial decision. I was yelling at the TV. Counsell's hook is consistently slow. Maybe that's a comment on our bullpen for much of the year. - Happ whiffed on an easy roller in the OF, was a bit slow on the pop-up that dropped between him, Paredes, and Swanson, and got horribly picked off on a play at 1B due to absent-mindedness. He plays every day and I know its not an effort thing with that guy so it looks like he could use a day off and some games at DH. Hopefully Thurs off helps a bit. - Those are some of the toughest plays to make in the field but that was Swanson's ball. He's making 25m more than PCA a year and needs to hustle a little more sometimes. I'm ok that he wants to preserve energy for the 162 but c'mon. - This was one of the best worst games i've ever seen. Down 10-3 and scoring 11 unanswered runs is insane. - We've won these games we've needed to, let's keep going vs Nats (We see DJ Herz on Sat)
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I think the Cubs have their INF in the org for next year. With Busch and Bellinger on the the team they can both play 1B, with Bellesteros possible as well at 1B/DH if not C. Paredes and Shaw are solid options for 3B and far cheaper than Chapman, who will be 32 next year. I think they have more of a chance to sign Soto than the large majority of big FA's the last several years. That might make one of Happ/Seiya/Bellinger expendable and I think they'd trade Bellinger to make more payroll room and the other 2 have no-trade clauses which I don't think Belli has. If not Soto then look for a top SP or maybe a bat elsewhere. Guerrero sure would be nice. I don't know a ton about Skubal other than the basics. Skubal has thrown twice the innings as last season after a year off from injury which seems pretty stupid by the Tigers. If its me I consider shutting him down for Sept or drastically reducing his pitch count.
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He's also been hitting 8th. If he were hitting 1st or 2nd he'd be getting more PA's to add to the WAR.
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Not to be a buzz-kill but I'm trying to remind myself that we've been playing the post-deadline Pirates, Marlins, Tigers, Jays, and White Sox the last few weeks...and got swept by Cleveland. I think PCA has been looking better obviously but i'm staying cautiously optimistic and prepared in case this is mostly just a hot streak. Same with Amaya and obviously Betancourt. These guys and this team weren't hitting the bad pitchers earlier in the year so i'll give them some credit now.
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Hendricks has the lowest K% since his rookie year and the highest walk rate of his career. Gotta think he's close to done. His margin for error is just so low now, the stuff is so hittable. When he's not on he gets creamed.
