Cuzi

He'll make far less than half. Alonso wont be setting a record for 1B and Freeman is already signed for less than half of what Soto will get. I would be all about targeting Soto over Alonso, but it's hard to argue that Alonso isn't an easier plug and play fit. And like I said at the deadline, you are probably only looking at giving up an Alcantara type to get him. You do that without blinking. The Cubs have built up their prospect currency. It's time to invest a little bit of it because they sat out the majority of the FA bonanza that happened over the last 2 years.

I think there is enough out there to make a good team with what the Cubs have, but they have to make a splash trade. I feel like that "splash" is going to be closer to Alonso than anything insane like Soto. But say they get Alonso. He's now your 1B/DH. Then they sign Chapman to a moderate deal for 3B. That's 1 great power bat and 1 good power bat injected into the lineup. Mervis starts the year in the majors. PCA probably starts the year in AAA and the team makes a short term commitment on some defensive ace in CF like Harrison Bader. The rest of the money goes to pitching.

Sure. But unless they trade PCA they aren't going to be offering Bellinger CF salary. They'll offer him 4 WAR salary for a 1B while others who are in dire need of a CF will offer him 4 WAR salary for a CF. I wouldn't bet anything that the Cubs will be in the same ballpark as what the Yankees, Giants, or Rangers might offer.

Because you dont understand definitions. I said "he was the mediocre pitcher we thought he was at signing." For his career he hovers in the low 4 ERA. Generally he's a lock for 30 starts with low IP per start. He's the definition of mediocre. He was still mediocre this year, but a little worse. Instead of right around average he was a few percentage points lower than average. So still nothing unacceptably bad, still performing at his pay grade, still for better or worse keeping you competitive through 2 trips down the lineup card (minus a few weeks at the start of the season), still the same pitcher he's always been. Something the Cubs had in spades. Something the Cubs didn't need to advance the roster. Still mediocre.

They won more games that I expected them to, but meh. We won a whopping 83 games and got eliminated from the playoffs by a team with a -56 run differential. Bust out the party horns! Taillon was the mediocre pitcher we thought he was at signing, easily worse than expected. Bellinger had a surprisingly good offensive year, but thanks for playing and good luck in the future. We have SS/2B locked up now so we can cross one need off the copy paste list from the last few years. Suzuki's batted ball profile finally shut up the haters thinking he was a bad hitter. The record shows progress, but some of the main positives to the season wont be back and the 2021 and 2022 FA classes are a thing of the past. You look at this teams needs and you are just left wondering where they are going to fill them. I'm sure Chapman is probably at the top of their list for 3B, but he became one of the best FA's in this class with a big chunk of the others signing extensions, so are the Cubs going to get scared on the price? What is the plan at 1B? Are they actually going to let Mervis play or send him down because his 110mph line drives aren't finding outfield grass? Is PCA starting the season in AAA and Mike freaking Tauchman going to be the starting CF? Who is the ace of the pitching staff? Who is the pitcher that's coming out of the bullpen to lock horsefeathers down? Is Hoyer finally going to stop hoarding prospects and make some legitimate trades? There's still so many priority questions that need to be answered before opening day to feel any kind of optimism about this franchise going forward.

Dont let your dreams be memes. The Cubs wont be outbidding anyone for his services with PCA so close to a legitimate call up. He'll probably be wearing Yankees pinstripes in 2024.

Maybe he and Smyly should swap roles.

Canario swings a bat. Who knew. Shame hes only seen 11 PAs since being promoted to swing that bat in the majors.

Yankees activated Frankie Montas. Jed Hoyer on a plane to KC.

Cubs had the easiest strength of schedule leading up to the Braves and got their asses handed to them.

Sure, but it doesnt seem all that likely. If they played him at 3B I could see it, but they immediately put him at 1B upon arrival. If it wasn't for injuries he probably wouldnt have played an inning at 3B for the Cubs. I would expect Hoyer to be pushing hard for Chapman who's one of the better defenders at 3B in the game with a bat that profiles for the position. He's also 30 and not a premier player so the chances he lands a crazy deal that would place him outside of Hoyer's comfort zone seems unlikely. And for 1B he should probably sit back down with the Mets for Alonso.

My guess would be Hoyer would value Chapman ahead of Candelario. He's building this team on run prevention. Hes looking for good defenders and pitching.

So fire Hoyer and find someone who will.

Yes, but the Marlins are sitting on a game in their back pocket which they have about an 86% chance of winning, should they need to even finish that game.

Could probably trade a couple middling prospects for Yoan Moncada to play 3B. He's got 1 year left. Fits the mold.

That has nothing at all to do with your defense of the decision that "it didn't make sense to do it." You are giving the FO of the Cubs a get out of jail free card by saying that. It's why they keep doing it, because fans keep defending it. Sitting here with the frames of a house exposed to the elements hoping for a sale on sheathing before the wood rots.

3.8%. Lower than the Reds now. The Cubs are essentially eliminated right now. The only thing keeping their hopes alive are the fact rain suspended a game the Marlins were winning with runners on base in the 9th.

I hate the idea that anything regarding a splash doesn't make sense for the Cubs. They are the Cubs. They are the 4th largest market in baseball. At no point should it not make sense to make a splash, unless the team is already good like the Dodgers are when they decide against spending on something that might be a marginal improvement. The Cubs need to stop believing that spending money on the MLB roster is in anyway connected to MiLB development.

They are. For whatever reason BRef defaulted to 2022. I edited it.

Cubs are 21-24. Marlins are 33-13.

Ya. Put him on the market. I'm sure another Cuas is what this team REALLY needs.

He absolutely plays the game with the same passion that Baez did. He may not be as good as Baez was at his peak but that's not what I said.

The guy has 416 PAs this year. Who cares what position he plays. He's a solid bench player. Every team needs them. He has 2 more years of prearb. There's literally no reason to be looking to trade him unless he's a player the other team covets for whatever reason and his inclusion in the deal is the make or break point for a guy that is a legitimate difference maker.

Why would you want to sell Morel? He's a multiposition 30 HR power bat off the bench that plays like Baez. There's nothing not to like about the guy.

I will say that probably the only defensible time to bunt is when you are the home team in the bottom of the 9th/extras only needing 1 run to end the game. The chance of scoring that run with 1 out and the runner on 2nd goes up about 10% versus hitting with him on 1st and no outs.