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Adding Kyle Tucker and Matt Shaw to the starting lineup and Carson Kelly, Yon Moncoda, Alexander Canario, and Luis Vazquez to the bench is a vast improvement over the 2024 Cubs. The starting rotation with Roki Sasaki and a healthy Matthew Boyd joining, Imanaga, Steele, and Taillion presents a formidable five-man rotation. With a healthy Jordan Wicks and Ben Brown in the pen, with Birdsell and Horton waiting at Iowa, available if a starter goes down, the Cubs are in good shape. Porter Hodge, Luke Little, and Ben Brown give the Cubs three young flame throwers who can develop as formidable closers. After the Sasaki decision, if the Cubs don't sign him, more moves will be made to acquire another starter. I left Assad, Poteet, and Roberts off for that reason. A trade may be inevitable for an established mid-rotation starter, or a closer. Triantos, Vazquez, and Alcantara are also trade bait. I see ONKC as spending another year at Iowa to sharpen his skills and be available for RF if we don't sign Tucker to an extension. What do you guys think? C: Miguel Amaya ($0.80M) 1B: Michael Busch ($0.80M) 2B: Nico Hoerner ($11.50M) 3B: Matt Shaw ($0.80M) SS: Dansby Swanson ($28.00M) LF: Ian Happ ($21.00M) CF: Pete Crow-Armstrong ($0.80M) RF: Kyle Tucker ($15.80M) DH: Seiya Suzuki ($19.00M) 4th OF: Alexander Canario ($0.80M) Utility: Luis Vazquez ($0.80M) Utility: Yon Moncoda ($3.00M) Backup C: Carson Kelly ($5.75M) NA: Add Dead Money Here ($7.50M) SP1: Shota Imanaga ($13.50M) SP2: Justin Steele ($10.0M) SP3: Jameson Taillon ($18.00M) SP4: Roki Sasaki ($7.50M) SP5: Matthew Boyd ($14.50M) RP: Jordan Wicks ($0.80M) RP: Julian Merryweather ($1.30M) RP: Tyson Miller ($0.80M) RP: Porter Hodge ($0.80M) RP: Ben Brown ($0.80M) RP: Nate Pearson ($1.40M) RP: Eli Morgan ($1.00M) RP: Luke Little ($0.80M) NA: Add Dead Money Here ($2.50M) Payroll is 13.61% under budget

Last year for both Smyly and Heyward.

C: Miguel Amaya ($0.80M) 1B: Michael Busch ($0.80M) 2B: Nico Hoerner ($11.50M) 3B: Isaac Paredes ($6.90M) SS: Dansby Swanson ($28.00M) LF: Ian Happ ($21.00M) CF: Pete Crow-Armstrong ($0.80M) RF: Seiya Suzuki ($19.00M) DH: Cody Bellinger ($27.50M) Backup C: Matt Thaiss ($0.80M) NA: Add Dead Money Here ($0.00M) SP1: Shota Imanaga ($13.50M) SP2: Justin Steele ($6.40M) SP3: Jameson Taillon ($18.00M) SP4: Javier Assad ($0.80M) SP5: Matthew Boyd ($14.50M) RP: Nate Pearson ($1.40M) RP: Julian Merryweather ($1.30M) RP: Tyson Miller ($0.80M) RP: Porter Hodge ($0.80M) RP: Keegan Thompson ($1.00M) RP: Ethan Roberts ($0.80M) RP: Eli Morgan ($1.00M) RP: Luke Little ($0.80M) NA: Add Dead Money Here ($0.00M) Payroll is 19.00% under budget

With the addition of Kyle Tucker, the Cubs finally have a Bonafide slugger combination base stealing threat for the top part of the order. The Yankees are holding the Cubs hostage on paying $10M of Belli's remaining salary to not play for the Cubs. So I decided to trade Nico to the Mariners for Castillo to bolster the starting rotation. That means shuffling the position players so Belli plays 1st, Busch shifts to 2nd, Shaw makes the starting line-up at 3rd. Suzuki becomes a full time DH with spot starts in RF. The bench consists of all rookies, with the exception of the back-up catcher, with the veteran Carson Kelly backing up Amaya. Canario, being out of options, becomes the 4th outfielder with spot starts at DH and in the OF. James Triantos is the super utility guy to cover 2nd, 3rd, and the corner outfield spots. When PCA needs a day against a tough lefty, Canario plays CF. When Busch or Shaw needs a day, Triantos plays. Dansby needs a day, Vazquez plays SS. Belli needs a day, Busch shifts back to 1st and Vazquez or Triantos plays 2nd. I realize this leaves ONKC and the Jaguar in Iowa, but they are both just 22 years old. Another year in AAA isn't going to hurt either one of them. If the Cubs stumble out of the gate and are out of the race by July 1st or they fail to extend Tucker, they may flip Tucker for more prospects at the break and bring up Cassie to play RF at the break or to start '26. Depending on how PCA and Alcantara progress this season will determine the future for Alcantara with the Cubs. Mo Baller needs a full season at Iowa as a catcher to hone his skills behind the plate to determine if he can handle the position, or if he is just a DH/emergency catcher. With the heavy left-handed starting pitching staff, Javier Assad makes the team as a 6th starter/long relief over Jordan Wicks. The bullpen will shake out during spring training, as injuries/tired arms/performance will determine who makes it and who doesn't. Ideally the Cubs land Roki Sasaki for the starting rotation and trade Bellinger along with Caleb Kilian, Chase Strumpf, and Raphael Morel for a Mason Miller type closer. 😄 Miguel Amaya ($0.80M) 1B: Cody Bellinger ($27.50M) 2B: Michael Busch ($0.80M) 3B: Matt Shaw ($0.80M) SS: Dansby Swanson ($28.00M) LF: Ian Happ ($21.00M) CF: Pete Crow-Armstrong ($0.80M) RF: Kyle Tucker ($15.75M) DH: Seiya Suzuki ($19.00M) 4th OF: Alexander Canario ($0.80M) Utility: Luis Vazquez ($0.80M) Utility: James Triantos ($0.80M) Backup 😄 Carson Kelly ($5.75M) NA: Jason Heyward ($5.00M) SP1: Shota Imanaga ($13.50M) SP2: Justin Steele ($6.40M) SP3: Jameson Taillon ($18.00M) SP4: Luis Castillo ($24.15M) SP5: Matthew Boyd ($14.50M) RP: Nate Pearson ($1.40M) RP: Julian Merryweather ($1.30M) RP: Tyson Miller ($0.80M) RP: Porter Hodge ($0.80M) RP: Javier Assad ($0.80M) RP: Ben Brown ($0.80M) RP: Eli Morgan ($1.00M) RP: Luke Little ($0.80M) NA: Drew Smyly ($2.50M) Payroll is 2.57% under budget

Ronald Edward Santo (February 25, 1940 – December 3, 2010) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) third baseman who played for the Chicago Cubs from 1960 through 1973 and the Chicago White Sox in 1974. In 1990, Santo became a member of the Cubs broadcasting team providing commentary for Cubs games on WGN radio and remained at that position until his death in 2010. In 1999, he was selected to the Cubs All-Century Team. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012. Santo was an All-Star for nine seasons during his 15-year career. He led the National League (NL) in triples one time, in walks four times, and in on-base percentage two times. He batted .300 or more and hit 30 or more home runs four times each, and is the only third baseman in MLB history to post eight consecutive seasons with over 90 runs batted in (RBI) (1963–70). He also was a Gold Glove Award winner for five consecutive seasons. He led the NL in total chances eight times, in games, putouts and assists seven times each, and in double plays six times. From 1966 to 1974, he held the NL record for assists in a single season. He also set NL records for career assists (4,532), total chances (6,777) and double plays (389) at third base, all of which were eventually broken between 1986 and 1988 by Mike Schmidt. His NL total of 2,102 games at third base is 52 short of Eddie Mathews' league record, and he ranks sixth in putouts (1,930) and ninth in fielding percentage (.954). Santo enjoyed his success despite battling diabetes since he was a teenager, a condition which was concealed from the public until 1971; it eventually necessitated the amputation of the lower half of both his legs.[2] Since 1979, Santo endorsed the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's annual Ron Santo Walk to Cure Diabetes in Chicago. He helped raise over $65 million for the foundation. In 2002, he was named the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's "Person of the Year." Santo was raised in southeast Seattle, attending Franklin High School, and played newly organized youth baseball in the Babe Ruth League. He grew up near Sicks Stadium, home of the Pacific Coast League's Seattle Rainiers, and had summer jobs there as a batboy, groundskeeper and clubhouse attendant, while playing three sports in high school. At age 14 he made the Seattle all-star team that advanced to the 1954 Babe Ruth World Series. In a game at Washington DC Stadium, Santo was inserted at first base, by Coach Dave Tacher, to replace a 15-year-old player who broke his thumb. In that game Santo hit a grand slam over the 354 foot mark in left center field and the Washington All Stars defeated Tennessee. Santo was signed as a free agent by the Chicago Cubs in 1959, and made his debut on June 26, 1960. In 1961 he set a Cubs record with 41 double plays at third base, breaking the previous mark of 33 set by Bernie Friberg in 1923. In 1962 he led the National League in assists for the first time with 332, setting the team record for assists at third base, breaking the mark of 323 set by Randy Jackson in 1951. Santo continued to lead the NL in assists every year through 1968, breaking Ned Williamson's major league record of leading the league six times; Brooks Robinson went on to lead the American League eight times. Mike Schmidt eventually tied Santo's NL mark of seven. In 1963 Santo broke the modern NL record with 374 assists at third base, passing Tommy Leach's 1904 mark of 371. In 1966, he set the all-time league record with 391, the previous record being Billy Shindle's 382 in 1892; his total was 99 higher than that of league runner-up Ken Boyer. Santo broke his own record in 1967 with 393 assists,[10] which remained the NL record until Schmidt posted 404 in 1974. He also finished fourth in the 1967 NL Most Valuable Player Award voting results.[11] Santo's assist totals from 1963 through 1968 were the six highest by an NL third baseman between 1905 and 1973. He also led the NL in putouts every year from 1962 through 1967 and again in 1969, tying the league record shared by Pie Traynor and Willie Jones in leading the league seven times; Tim Wallach later tied the mark as well. Santo was deeply saddened by the loss of teammate Ken Hubbs, the Cubs second baseman, killed in a plane crash just prior to the 1964 season. Santo was interviewed by Tom Harmon, narrator of the film A Glimpse of Greatness–The Story of Ken Hubbs, in which Santo paid the highest respects to the young Hubbs.[citation needed] In 1969, Santo and the Cubs were in first place in the National League East for 180 days, before going 8–17 in their final 25 games, while the New York "Miracle" Mets went 37–11 in their final 48 games.[13] During that season, the Cubs sent their entire starting infield, including Santo, to the All-Star Game in Washington, D.C.; he and Cubs shortstop Don Kessinger started for the NL team.[14] Santo finished the season with a .289 batting average, 29 home runs and a career-high 123 runs batted in (RBI), and finished fifth in the NL's MVP voting. Santo in 1973 The next day, Santo walked into manager Leo Durocher's office; Durocher asked him to keep clicking his heels whenever the Cubs won at Wrigley Field to motivate the team. Santo continued this after every home win. The stunt antagonized opponents and served to make the team a target for payback in the final weeks of the season. When the Cubs began their September swoon, which took place shortly after Santo called out rookie teammate Don Young in public after a loss against the Mets in New York, he discontinued the heel click routine suddenly. His final "click" was performed on September 2, the last Cub home victory while still in first place. During and after the epic collapse, Santo never again performed the heel click, as critics decried the routine for its arrogance and overconfidence, which many believe was at the root of the late fade. [citation needed] On the day Santo was enshrined in the Hall of Fame, the Cubs' starting lineup all did the "kick" at the start of the game in tribute. Trade veto Santo became the first player to invoke the ten-and-five rule under the collective bargaining agreement that was signed to end the 1972 Major League Baseball strike. The rule allowed players with ten years' service, the last five with the same team, to decline any trade.[18] The Cubs had agreed upon a deal to send Santo to the California Angels; the ballclub would have received in return two young pitchers: Andy Hassler, who went on to have a middling career as a reliever/spot starter, and Bruce Heinbechner, a very highly regarded left-handed pitching prospect, who died before the beginning of the 1974 season.[19] Santo's desire to stay in Chicago was his motivation to veto the deal on December 8, 1973. Death Santo died at 12:40 am on December 3, 2010, at the age of 70 in a hospital in Scottsdale, Arizona, due to complications from bladder cancer and diabetes. (Many media outlets reported the date as "the night of the 2nd" or "overnight.") Santo had lapsed into a coma on December 1.[27][28][29] [30] A funeral mass was celebrated at Holy Name Cathedral on December 10, where Santo's casket was carried in by former teammates Ernie Banks, Ferguson Jenkins, Randy Hundley, Glenn Beckert, and Billy Williams, draped with the No. 10 flag that flew over Wrigley the day his number was retired. He was eulogized by his longtime broadcast partner Pat Hughes, along with Cubs owner Tom Ricketts and MLB Commissioner Bud Selig. Following the service, the procession paused outside Tribune Tower, home of WGN Radio, before heading north to circle Wrigley Field, starting at third base. Santo was later cremated and his ashes scattered on the field at the Friendly Confines. On August 10, 2011, Santo was memorialized and "immortalized" at Wrigley Field with the presentation of a statue in his likeness. The statue is a portrayal of a young Santo playing defense at third base, leaning to his right while throwing a ball. Hall of Fame election On December 5, 2011, the 16-member Golden Era Committee that began voting on ten candidates selected by the BBWAA screening committee,[52] was composed of Hank Aaron, Pat Gillick, Al Kaline, Ralph Kiner, Tommy Lasorda, Juan Marichal, Brooks Robinson, Billy Williams, Paul Beeston, Bill DeWitt, Roland Hemond, Gene Michael, Al Rosen, Dick Kaegel, Jack O'Connell, and Dave Van Dyck. They were charged with determining whether Santo would be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame's Class of 2012. Williams, Santo's long-time teammate and friend, had made a fresh case for Santo, emphasizing his personal struggle with diabetes during his career, and his post-retirement charitable work to try to find a cure. Santo received 15 of the 16 possible votes and was the only one of the ten Golden Era Ballot candidates to be elected to the Hall of Fame by the committee's first vote.[50][23][53] Santo's widow Vicki accepted the plaque on Induction Day, and spoke about his love of the Cubs and his devotion to people with diabetes.[54] View full player

I agree with all of you for the most part. No one has mentioned Brandon Hughes. If his knee surgery worked, and he is healthy, he would slot into that 7th or 8th inning setup man against lefty's. I like Little a lot and he didn't give up a run last year for the Cubs. Put a healthy Hughes, Leiter Jr. if his slider is back, and Little in the pen and we have 3 good lefty's. A luxury we didn’t have last year. Wesnasty needs to go back to Iowa and develop a pitch to get lefty's out. I look for Killian to be packaged with Sanders, Perlaza, and Vazquez in some form as part of a package for a left handed power bat. Either 1st base or Soto.

Iowa can use his bat to replace Canario to the Cubs.

Canario coming up gives us a power option from the right side with 2 lefty's pitching in this Reds series. Curious what the plans are for Vazquez and Perlaza?