mk49

Talking about $6m option for Rea, right? I agree with that.

You took it wrong. I wasn't suggesting at all. It's the worst case scenario, and I just said I wouldn't be surprised. Of course, I'm sure the Cubs are going to try to get one or two SP's, But, What they (we) want might not be what they could get. I want two new SP's who could pitch better than Shota.

I don't know what the Cubs are thinking about the lockout and contracts, but the fact is pretty much every player, except for Dansby and ARB/Pre-ARB guys will be FA, after next season. I think a few, like Boyd and Kelly have options for 2027. But, that's about it. I'll be pissed if they don't extend Nico, and sign at least one good SP with a longer than 1yr contract. As I mentioned in another thread, I won't be surprised if the rotation looks like Boyd, Cade, Jamo, Assad and Ben Brown/Wicks or whoever, before Steele comes back.

About Shota being a free agent, I thought more about it today. I love him, and I hoped he stayed (well, he might). That being said, I understood both the team's and Shota's decision. It's going to be hard to sign somebody who's significantly better than Shota. Now, we know Yu Darvish will be out for the next season, and the Padres will probably try to keep either Cease or King. That's two less free agent SP's (Bieber and Cease or King)., or at least, that's going to jack up the price by competing with the Padres for a good SP. I mean there are 30 MLB teams, and only 5 or so good SP's in the free agency, Valdez, Suarez, Cease, King, Gallen? A couple of them are questionable, just like Shota. The Cubs will probably have to find a good one via a trade, if they're actually willing to spend some $. No wonder they couldn't get a good SP at the trade deadline. It's hard to come by, I guess. I just read an article, and it projected; Valdez 7yr, $196m Imai 8yr, $190m Cease 6yr, $174m Suarez 6yr, $153m King 3yr, 75m Of course, we don't know how much they get, but only King and maybe, Cease would be affordable for the Cubs. Either way, they will be much more (and longer) than Shota's 3yr deal. I liked Imai that I saw on Youtube, but 8yr is too long. Teams like the Dodgers will taka that chance, like they did with Yamamoto. The Cubs won't. To be honest, I won't be surprised if our rotation looks like Boyd, Horton, Jamo, Assad and Ben Brown, until Steele comes back.

I can say one word, "wow". I guess I can say more. He didn't pitch many games in the last 2 seasons. I would think many teams pick Shota over Bieber.

Shota did great in Sep, 2024. It was just this year he didn't perform well in the 2nd half. Obviously, we have only two seasons, so we don't know for sure. He was bad in Sep, but if he came back strong in the playoffs, the Cubs would have offered the 3 yr deal. But, that just didn't happen. I think there's a team that will offer Shota a 3yr $60m.

If I remember correctly, Dansby wasn't even the three finalists. He was better than the gold glove SS, whoever got it, in the Wild Card, though.

I don't think either Murakami and Okamoto can play better 3B than Shaw. I heard the average exit velocity of MLB is quite a bit higher than the NPB guys. That would make 3B and 1B guys like Murakami and Okamoto harder to defend. When I researched those guys a few weeks ago, Okamoto had two gold glove as a 1B and one as a 3B man. Murakami never got a gold glove. I don't know how good the NPB gold glove is, because I heard Seiya had it a few times. Either way, Murakami doesn't fit the Cubs, IMO. He could replace Turner, but for the price, nobody wants him for that purpose.

IMO, there are only four available (Valdez, Cease, Bieber and King). Of course, depending on how they perform next year, they could be better or worse than Shota. And, they'll be more expensive than Shota. Also, I don't think the Cubs could actually sign two out four free agents. I feel lucky, if they can sign one them. If King can stay healthy, he would be the one I want. Valdez is probably too expensive for the Cubs. Bieber was out most of 2024 and 2025. Cease had a bad year in 2025, but he'll still be expensive. I guess Cease and King will be awesome. Oh, I almost forgot to mention this Japanese SP, Imai. I watched a few videos on Youtube, and he looked good. He'll probably be better than Shota, but will cost more. Don't know how much more. OK, I just checked, and it says "Some experts estimate his contract will be in the nine-figure range, with figures like $140 million to $150 million being suggested." Some even say over 200 million. Trade is probably easier to get a good TOR SP. But, the easiest is keeping Shota. Except for Sep and Oct 2025, he pitched very well for two seasons. I just don't like to see Shota having a great season (like he did last year) with another team, and new pitchers we get don't perform better than Shota. I agree that they should keep Rea for $6m or whatever. His option wasn't that expensive. I have a feeling Jamo will have a great season next year, if he stays healthy. Not so sure about Boyd. He performed better than expected in 2025. He won't be as good, and maybe, get injured, eventually. I try not to expect much from Steele. When he was good, he was great, but it didn't last that long. Obviously, I'm hoping he comes back strong. For Horton, I'd be happy, if you pitches 150+ inning with ERA around 3.20. Well, only time can tell.

My guess is $20m is probably too much for this guy, if it's a 6+ year contract. I heard his defense isn't good, and he could be a DH, eventually.

Somewhere, I read he's going to get $250~300 million/10years. No thanks. Our of those Japanese players, I'd like to see Imai, a SP. He's probably too expensive for the Cubs, though.

I was pretty sure for Nico and PCA, but I didn't think Happ would get it. Obviously, I'm not complaining.

OK, I didn't know he was hurt. I was just frustrated by his base running.

The Blue Jays could have won the Game 7, if their base running is as good as the Cubs. Especially, in the 2nd inning, I don't remember who the runner was, but he was on the 1st base, and the next batter hit, and I thought the runner was going to reach the 3rd, but he didn't. Then, the next batter hit, I thought the same runner, this time on the 2nd base, was score a run, and he didn't. In the inning, if they were the Cubs, they could have scored at least one run, if not more.

I don't like it, but I agree with you.

Last year, the Dodgers had only one good SP, Yamamoto, but they had good bullpen. Ohtani (and Judge for that matter) didn't do horsefeathers in the world series last year, but the Dodgers won. This year, they have crazy good SP rotation, and still losing, at least for now. I'm hoping the Jays will beat LA on Friday.

Go Blue Jays! Isn't it pretty crazy? The young dude, Yesavage pitched only a few games in the Major, before the playoffs. The Dodgers offense has been quiet. Their bullpen kind of sucks, just like their regular season, except for Sasaki.

Well, I hate the Dodgers more than any other team, so I don't like Yamamoto, just because of the team. I have to admit he's a real deal. He wasn't very good in the first few innings, but he allowed only one run. After that, he was pretty much perfect.

That would be super great. The Dodgers lost with Snell, then lose again with Yamamoto. I think the Game 1 was a pretty big win for the Jays. I'll be happy just to see the Dodgers lose against any team.

The Cubs should give Shaw at least one more year. I don't think the team will trade him this winter, unless something huge (like Skubal) comes up. At least, he's good defensively, and he should improve, hopefully quite a bit.

I checked his stats in Japan, and compared to Seiya's numbers, when he was in Japan. Seems like Okamoto hit more HR's than Seiya did, but Seiya had higher BA and OPS. I think his contract will be higher than Seiya's, and nobody pays that kind money for the Justin Turner role.

If the Cubs get Skubal, that would be great, as long as he stays. I just watched Imai for the first time. He had 17 K's. Looks like he has nasty slider, splitter and fastball that's not bad. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdfT6gHx_U8

I have never seen Imai pitches, but he's probably too expensive for the Cubs, although he won't make anywhere close to Yamamoto money.

It was a good series for sure. I wanted to see the Mariners finally make it to the World Series. Now, I'm rooting for the Blue Jays. I really want to see the Dodgers lose.

Thanks for the interesting info about Shota. His command was worse this year, too, and that's probably caused by those changes. I think he's going to be better next year, although I don't think he'll be as good as last year.