Cubs Spring Training 2021

crunch 09/26/2023 - 09:59 pm (view)

adam wainwright is calling it quits.  he had another start (or 2) ahead of him, but he's going out with that last great outing at home (7ip 4h 2bb 3k, 0r/er).  the fans gave him a lot of love.

Finwe Noldaran 09/26/2023 - 09:46 pm (view)

Phil: With Brown, Killian, Thompson, Thompson, Assad, Wicks, and Wesneski (with Horton and others knocking on the door) competing to join Steele and Taillon in the rotation, do you anticipate us keeping either Stroman or Hendricks, or looking to add an SP in free agency?

And is Smyly signed for next year? 

crunch 09/26/2023 - 09:15 pm (view)

ATL 1-5 hitters have 30+ homers...1 of those with 40 homers, and another with 53 homers.  they have a guy with 21 homers hitting 8th.

good luck cubs.  mega-extra good luck wednesday taillon...and wesn + smyly out of the pen.

Childersb3 09/26/2023 - 09:27 am (view)

Padres want to restructure while still competing, yet decrease payroll.
Snell and Hader are FAs.
Soto has one year left on deal.
Our bullpen is in dire need of someone like Hader.
Snell would cost a ton and maybe Steele's presence makes Snell unnecessary, yet you cannot have enough pitching (I'd like Yamamoto)
But, we can put a deal together for Soto. We'd have to pony up the cash to keep him to make the trade worth it long term, but we can make a value deal for the Padres.

Morel, Canario, Mervis, Vazquez, one MiLB SP (Sanders-Arias-Gray-maybe Ferris), and Stroman (or Hendricks)
So, it's a six for one deal.
The issue here is that five of these guys have to be on the Padres 40man roster. That might be too much for them. So maybe BJ Murray instead of Vazquez.
Morel is blocked from a defensive position. So he's our DH. He'd be replaced by Soto.

We'd still keep Alcantara and ONKC to replace Happ and Suzuki eventually.
We'd still need to figure out 3B. Maybe bring back Candelario.
I'd resign Belli for 1B or CF if PCA isn't "ready" in Spring Training.
Wisdom can stay to help Soto with DH spots vs LH arms.

You'd have LH bats at DH, 1B, 3B (switch), LF (switch), CF (PCA or Tauch) with 20 HR pop at DH, 1B, LF and 15 HR pop at 3B and CF.  That's pretty solid.
It'll cost too much for the Ricketts to keep Bellinger and Soto but that would be fun to watch.

crunch 09/26/2023 - 09:48 am (view)

missing the playoffs because of an on-paper tiebreaker loss would be peak cubbery.

Hagsag1946 09/26/2023 - 09:10 am (view)

Thanks Phil. I look forward to these reports.

Mike Wellman 09/25/2023 - 09:24 pm (view)

Playoffs essentially start tomorrow for Cubs. Better pack for a week in Milwaukee.

Arizona Phil 09/25/2023 - 09:34 pm (view)

azbobbop: If Stroman does not opt out, the Cubs can trade him without any restrictions.

Stroman will make $21M in 2024 if he does not opt out, and Hendricks will make $16M if the Cubs exercise the club option. 

Also, it would cost the Cubs a $1.5M buy-out if they decline the Hendricks club option, so they would only be saving $14.5M by declining the option, not the full $16M.

azbobbop 09/25/2023 - 09:08 pm (view)

Phil, if Stroman opts in, does have any trade protection?

Arizona Phil 09/25/2023 - 09:52 pm (view)

CRUNCH: Unfortunately all of the tie-breakers work against the Cubs in the case of a tie with AZ, MIA, and/or CIN.