Corbi296

With this administration in charge, I agree that his legal issues can probably be fixed with a $25mm contribution to Trump's super PAC. That's not Walter's and the Dodgers main problem right now. His Bankers are super pissed about the deception and are forcing him to unwind all these "loans" that were made by his Insurance companies to "related entities". That's the piggy bank that partially financed the Dodgers spending spree since he purchased them. So not only will those resources not be available going forward, he has to raise cash to unwind those investments. He is desperate for cash right now. That's why he had to sell the Lakers and also why he is now rumored to have put his ownership stake in the Chelsea soccer club on the market. I doubt he will need to sell the Dodgers but they will now have a budget, which was not the case before. My guess is that they won't be able to sign Skubal and will also be looking to dump contracts. Good luck trying to get rid of Tucker's albatross contract.

Some additional reporting on the matter. This is snowballing quickly and I think it is possible this may ultimately lead to a sale of the Dodgers. Regardless, I do think this signals the end of the Dodgers having what appeared to be unlimited financial resources at their disposal. I'm not saying they will become the Pirates all of a sudden, but I don't think you'll see them hand out exorbitant contracts to the relievers they did a few years back or to guys they don't really need like Kyle Tucker a year ago. I also think they may have to dump some contracts this offseason, which will be interesting to see if they can given the prospects for a lockout. It will be interesting to see how this news impacts the collective bargaining negotiations as I think it can be argued that the Dodgers will no longer behave in the outlier manner that was part of the impetus from the rest of the owners to implement a salary cap.

Man, that was a hose. Ayers really has a cannon for an arm.

Agree. He seems to already have too thick of a body to stick at SS. Not sure if he has an arm for 3rd so 2nd is his likely destination.

I think Cepeda is coming on and underrated by Cubs fans. Really hoping Conrad keeps it going and ends up using a likely Arizona Fall League assignment as a spring board to a breakout 2027 season in a way that is similar to what Owen Ayers did this year. Conrad has big upside in my opinion.

If you have not been paying attention to the problems that triggered Dodgers controlling owner Mark Walter's surprise sale of the Lakers after only one year of ownership, you should. The problems are serious and involve an FBI investigation into the business dealings of his insurance arm and some very pissed off bankers who are demanding that he raise cash to pay back some of their loans. Bottom line, it looks like Walter was using his insurance arm to support his investments in the sports teams to a much larger degree than was thought without properly disclosing it. All of this is triggering a liquidity crunch and the need to sell the Lakers to raise cash. It's not clear if at some point he'll also have to sell the Dodgers but at a minimum it's clear they will not have the financial resources going forward that they previously had because they won't be able to use Walter's Insurance arm as their liquidity piggy bank. Bad news for the Dodgers but I think good news for the rest of baseball. Mark Walter Dangled Guggenheim Stake To Quickly Secure Loans.html

Nothing wrong with that stuff. Isn't this the 10th rounder they signed for just a $10K signing bonus? If that's representative of the caliber of pitching they took ahead of this guy and gave bigger signing bonuses too, then I think our pitching prospect depth is about to meaningfully improve.

The 40 man roster crunch is real. While those others you mentioned are candidates to be DFA'd, I think people are sleeping on Thornton. I don't think he would seriously be considered for a DFA. Counsell likes and increasingly trusts him.

In my opinion Thornton isn't going anywhere. He has pitched too well to dispatch. Assad will be sent down to continue being stretched out as a starter. I also believe there is the added benefit that the Cubs add another year of control if Assad spends another 15 days down in the minors. Don't forget that Toby Milner is also soon ready to come off the DL. Will be difficult for the Cubs to keep control of everybody. Definitely a 40 man and active roster crunch.

I think 95 wins is a very reasonable goal. Need to go 25-17 the rest of the way. I think this team has upside beyond that.

5 years for $110 is something I'd totally sign up for. The Cubs should have the payroll room to do that.

Plenty of roster ramifications. He would need a 40 man spot at a time when he doesn’t need to be elevated. That will exacerbate the roster crunch at a time when the Cubs will likely need to clear 40 man spots for Brown,, Miller and possibly Steele to come off the 60 Day DL. Also, if he gets elevated to the 40 man roster for a September call up,, Ayers will be ineligible to report next Spring in the likely event of a lockout. I don’t think it’s worth it unless they think he can contribute on the field in the playoffs. That’s unlikely in my view.

I think he is a good athlete who could play either side equally well if given some time to become proficient. If the opening is in LF because Happ does not get resigned, Shaw can easily step into that position. ,

That would be really disappointing, especially because there is a lot of money rolling off the Cubs payroll. Seiya in RF, PCA in CF and a cheap Matt Shaw in LF would be a really nice combination for next year and beyond.

That's good to hear. Hopefully he fully shakes off the rust of not playing for over a year and gets going the rest of the way. I would not be surprised if he goes to the Arizona Fall League. Would love to see him replicate the type of breakout there that Owen Ayers had last year.