Cubs fans get their last chance to savor the 2021 season. The Cards have clinched the second NL Wild Card spot. And the Cubs can neither rise nor fall any places in the division. Despite the lack of stakes, this is a rivalry series and most of the Cubs' roster has something to prove. Games will begin at 7:15, 6:15, and 2:15 central time on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
The penultimate series of 2021 has the 4th place Cubs facing the 5th place Pirates in Pittsburgh. The Cubs can continue to audition and indulge fringey minor league vets as they sort out potential 2022 contributors. Mills, Hendricks, and Steele will start for the Cubs, facing Keller and a pair of question marks. The games will begin at 5:35 central Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
The Cubs take on the Cardinals in a four-game set. This gives the 2022 auditionees a chance to take a chunk out of the redbird's wild card lead. They'll kick things off with a day-night double-header and follow up with a pair of matinees.
The Cubs face the Twins for a two-game series.
The Cubs are trying to wring every last bit of good things out of the end of the season. As I am in an analogous situation with my father, this is the full post. Like many of you, my father is my first connection to baseball. Enjoy these games with your people if you can.
The Cubs dropped three to K.B. and the Giants--two close ones and a laugher. Next, they'll visit the recently underwater city of brotherly love for three games. See below for the daily matchups.
The Cubs welcomed back Kris Bryant and dropped game 1 of the series on Friday. They continue the series against the contending Giants as the North Siders get their say in the NL Wild Card throughout the final month of the season.
The Cubs have taken six in a row from sub-.500 teams and now turn their attention to the Cincinnati Reds. This will be the final matchup of 2021 between the Cubs and the second place Reds. The Cincinnati crew enters the series only half a game out of a wild card spot and eleven games back in the NL Central. See below for the daily matchups.
I didn't get to put up a post and the Cubs won two close games in Minnesota. Does that mean I should continue to not post? We'll never know! Next up, four games against the last-place Pirates. See below for the matchups.
The Cubs split their doubleheader to take two out of three from the Milwaukee Brewers. Next up they play spoiler to the cross-town Sox, who stand at 74-55 and a full 9 games up in the AL Central. See below for the weekend's matchups.
Recent comments
Childersb3 10/03/2023 - 10:46 pm (view)
I understand this is a cost saving and control idea. But I wouldn't be happy giving up ONKC or Alcantara for Hayes and/or Bednar.
I'm not saying they aren't good players. They are. They've never been "tested" with playing for a good team, but that isn't their fault. They produce good results. But not Jaguar and Big Red.
Canario won't get to play for the Cubs, just like Velazquez, so he should probably go. Same for Mervis and Vazquez. Wesneski can get better but Bednar would certainly help us.
But not to big power hitting OFs that are 21 yrs old and younger at AA already. I'm still holding out hope for the ONKC-PCA-Jag left to right OF. I'm just not giving up on that.
Hayes for Morel kind of stings. I'd love for Morel to get a full year at 3B. Even if he failed there miserably, I'd like to give him a shot.
Phil always comes up with common sense angles. This trade idea fills needs for sure and fills them with cost saving effective players.
I'm thinking Morel goes to NYM for Alonso.
We'll see what Jed cooks up.
Arizona Phil 10/03/2023 - 10:18 pm (view)
It used to be that teams did not want to trade within their own division for PR reasons, but I don't see that with Ben Cherington in Pittsburgh or with Hoyer / Hawkins in Chicago, so the Cubs might target Pirates 3B Ke'Bryan Hayes and closer David Bednar.
Hayes is a Gold Glove defender, a decent enough hitter (105 OPS+ in 2023), and he's under control at a VERY reasonable price ($8.75M AAV) through 2029 (with a club option for 2030).
Bednar is first-time salary arbitration-eligible post-2023 and under control through 2026.
One thing about the Cubs is that they can afford to overpay (which is what they would have to do to get both Hayes and Bednar) with a package consisting of a decent young MLB position player to replace Hayes in the lineup (like Christopher Morel, who could play LF in Pittsburgh) and prospects like outfielders Alexander Canario, Owen Caissie, or Kevin Alcantara (Pirates pick one, leaving the other two for the Cubs), a power-hitting 1B-DH like Matt Mervis or Haydn McGeary (Pirates pick one, leaving the other one for the Cubs), SS Luis Vazquez (who is MLB-ready but will never play SS in Chicago), 3B B. J. Murray (who could replace Hayes at the hot corner in Pittsburgh by 2025 if not sometime in 2024, and he obviously would be blocked in Chicago if the Cubs get Hayes), and an MLB-ready SP like Hayden Wesneski.
crunch 10/03/2023 - 10:02 pm (view)
boog and glanville calling the PHI@MIL game on ESPN2.
crunch 10/03/2023 - 10:59 pm (view)
bellinger is my #1 want, but i fear he's the #1 want of many teams and will get crazy money + years, with the years being the big sting. they need to replace bellinger's production if they don't get him no matter what position(s) played.
George Altman 10/03/2023 - 10:40 pm (view)
I hope their top priorities are Bellinger, 2 RPs better than Fulmer/Boxberger (ideally 1 LH), and a 3B (Chapman my 1st Choice). That will put them right up to $237-257M AAV limit, but I don't see a playoff berth doing anything less.
If they really want Alonso, Morel would be a good opening piece of that offer.
Unfortunately, Stroman will opt in ($23.7M) and Smyly ($11.5M) will be back. Steele, Taillon, Assad, Wicks will be rotation pieces. Would love a SP2 FA but don't see how they keep an effective offense and improve their bullpen while adding that.
crunch 10/03/2023 - 10:03 pm (view)
i cannot imagine getting a legit 3rd, whether signing or via trade, isn't the highest priority for the team. it's almost obvious they don't see morel there.
Dolorous Jon Lester 10/03/2023 - 10:19 pm (view)
I’m just hoping they have an actual 3B next year so we don’t need to worry about the M boys, Bote, and P Whiffy eating all the 3B at bats next year.
Dolorous Jon Lester 10/03/2023 - 10:13 pm (view)
Willson was a OF/3B when we signed him too.
On a less successful but still got to the show note, PJ Higgins was another college IF converted to C
crunch 10/03/2023 - 10:03 pm (view)
truth...and personally, i'd give him ABs (especially at 3rd) over the 2 singles-hitting-ceiling guys that got the shot. i'm sure he can cover the ob% and defense while surpassing the power of anything masterboney and madrigal brought to the team.
i don't view bote as a solution at 3rd, but i find it hard to believe he couldn't outperform either of the main options they had there for a huge chunk of this season.
KingKongvsGodzilla 10/03/2023 - 10:47 pm (view)
Color me impressed by this assignment for Trice right out of the draft as a convert. Seems worth following after the success of Caratini