bdutts
- Houston, Texas
Who needs a starter? Smyly or someone else can go.
Cubs 2023 Season
- Status
Smyly???? If Hendricks can duplicate what Smyly has given us so far (4-1, 3.05 ERA, 0.97 WHIP) I'd be ECSTATIC. If he does anything close to that we are in the race until September.
bdutts
- Houston, Texas
Got to get to .500 to be in the race…
Maybe not in this division.
bdutts
- Houston, Texas
How do you put Fulmer in a relatively high leverage situation?
I thought Adzolay was supposed to be a multi-inning reliever. No reason to take him out after one inning.
The bullpen has been bad enough recently without Ross screwing it up even more.
I thought Adzolay was supposed to be a multi-inning reliever. No reason to take him out after one inning.
The bullpen has been bad enough recently without Ross screwing it up even more.
Shane Walsh
aka "Captain Oblivious"
- Cynthiana, Kentucky
I am starting to question David Ross' ability to become a successful manager.
KBLEE
- Montgomery, IL
Morel is a defensive liability in the OF. Unless he's playing on the IF, he should be the DH. Gotta have his bat in the lineup.
Shane Walsh
aka "Captain Oblivious"
- Cynthiana, Kentucky
Yep, that is precisely what I was thinking when typing that out.
Minute Maid is not the left field to stick a defensive liability unless there is something wrong with Happ. If there is, why is he DH?
Morel could also play third, right? DH Wisdom in that situation. Hard to understand for a layman like me I guess.
This team has lost the plot.
It’s going to be a long season.
It’s going to be a long season.
My disappointment and frustration after each loss is slowly turning to apathy. There is nothing worse for a sports team than to have apathy set in with their fans.
The starting pitching is really beginning to falter. Hoyer was only able to sell his soul to the devil the last two years regarding the relievers. He couldn't make that deal this year.
Bellinger, Hosmer and Wisdom returning back to old form. Seiya looks lost. Madrigal has only one purpose: making contact with a man on third and less than two outs. And Ross refuses to put him in, in that situation.
How long does Ross have left?
The starting pitching is really beginning to falter. Hoyer was only able to sell his soul to the devil the last two years regarding the relievers. He couldn't make that deal this year.
Bellinger, Hosmer and Wisdom returning back to old form. Seiya looks lost. Madrigal has only one purpose: making contact with a man on third and less than two outs. And Ross refuses to put him in, in that situation.
How long does Ross have left?
KBLEE
- Montgomery, IL
This lineup is putrid. And batting a guy with a .275 OBP in the leadoff spot is indefensible. #RossyOut
It's still very early and thanks to the expanded playoffs, the Cubs are still only 2 games out of a wild card spot. But, another 4 weeks like the 4 weeks that just went by and it'll be time to start thinking about selling at the deadline. Again.
Likely candidates:
Bellinger - He has a mutual option for $12.5, which he'll decline if he has any sort of season at all. He's been a nice story despite his recent slump. If he can keep his OPS in the .800s while continuing to play Gold Glove defense, he'll be the best CF on the market. He could net a team's top 10 prospect.
Barnhart - He has a player option for $3.5 next year that he will pick up. He looks to be becoming extraneous with Amaya's return to health and nice season thus far. Probably would only net a Rule 5 eligible non-prospect.
Wisdom - Hear me out. A guy trapped in MLB's late-bloomer contractual Hell. He's 31. He's got massive power and a great arm at 3rd. He makes inconsistent contact and strikes out a ton. He's still on a rookie contract and only gets to his first year of arbitration next year. So he's cheap with 3 more years of team control. I don't think the Cubs see him as part of their future core and he's certainly not the kind of player you'd extend, but absolutely is the type of guy who could be the 7th or 8th best bat on a championship caliber team. I think he'd be more valuable to someone else than to the Cubs and might net a relatively nice multi-prospect haul. He'd be a perfect fit for the Phillies or Yankees.
Stroman - He's got a $20 million player option next year that most guys would decline given the season he's having thus far. But Stroman is a bit of an odd duck who does things his own way, and has made it clear that he wants to stay in Chicago. I'm sure he'd like the Cubs to negotiate a multi-year extension, but I'm not sure that's the Cubs' plan for a guy that just turned 32 and a team that really likes its young pitching coming up. He'd certainly net at least a team's top 10 prospect.
Smyly - He's got a $8.5 million player option that he'd be insane to pick up at this point. Likely looking at a multi-year contract in the $12-15 million per year if he can stay relatively healthy. Given the cheap contract he's on and the year he's having, he could be worth as much on the trade market as Stroman is. That said, if the Cubs weren't to trade him, he's almost the ideal QO candidate.
Hendricks - He's got a team option that the Cubs won't pick up. He's been bad/hurt for 2+ seasons now. He'll be coming off rehab soon and will have until the trade deadline to establish some sort of value for a trade partner. It would be great if he could be back to his old self for one more ride with the Cubs before netting them a mid-level prospect of some sort.
Boxburger and Fulmer will both be free agents next year. (Boxburger has a mutual option that won't be picked up.) They've been utter disasters and look more like DFA candidates than trade chips.
Likely candidates:
Bellinger - He has a mutual option for $12.5, which he'll decline if he has any sort of season at all. He's been a nice story despite his recent slump. If he can keep his OPS in the .800s while continuing to play Gold Glove defense, he'll be the best CF on the market. He could net a team's top 10 prospect.
Barnhart - He has a player option for $3.5 next year that he will pick up. He looks to be becoming extraneous with Amaya's return to health and nice season thus far. Probably would only net a Rule 5 eligible non-prospect.
Wisdom - Hear me out. A guy trapped in MLB's late-bloomer contractual Hell. He's 31. He's got massive power and a great arm at 3rd. He makes inconsistent contact and strikes out a ton. He's still on a rookie contract and only gets to his first year of arbitration next year. So he's cheap with 3 more years of team control. I don't think the Cubs see him as part of their future core and he's certainly not the kind of player you'd extend, but absolutely is the type of guy who could be the 7th or 8th best bat on a championship caliber team. I think he'd be more valuable to someone else than to the Cubs and might net a relatively nice multi-prospect haul. He'd be a perfect fit for the Phillies or Yankees.
Stroman - He's got a $20 million player option next year that most guys would decline given the season he's having thus far. But Stroman is a bit of an odd duck who does things his own way, and has made it clear that he wants to stay in Chicago. I'm sure he'd like the Cubs to negotiate a multi-year extension, but I'm not sure that's the Cubs' plan for a guy that just turned 32 and a team that really likes its young pitching coming up. He'd certainly net at least a team's top 10 prospect.
Smyly - He's got a $8.5 million player option that he'd be insane to pick up at this point. Likely looking at a multi-year contract in the $12-15 million per year if he can stay relatively healthy. Given the cheap contract he's on and the year he's having, he could be worth as much on the trade market as Stroman is. That said, if the Cubs weren't to trade him, he's almost the ideal QO candidate.
Hendricks - He's got a team option that the Cubs won't pick up. He's been bad/hurt for 2+ seasons now. He'll be coming off rehab soon and will have until the trade deadline to establish some sort of value for a trade partner. It would be great if he could be back to his old self for one more ride with the Cubs before netting them a mid-level prospect of some sort.
Boxburger and Fulmer will both be free agents next year. (Boxburger has a mutual option that won't be picked up.) They've been utter disasters and look more like DFA candidates than trade chips.
I really hope the Cubs can find a way to get a mutually beneficial contract for Stroman. Selfishly, he's my current favorite Cub, but logistically for a team who is looking to get younger, he brings great leadership and mentoring, alongside being a solid spot in the rotation.
Illiniaaron
- Geneseo, IL
Not disagreeing with anything you said here, but it made me feel depressed. 8-17 over the last 25 games.
Cubs are on pace for a worse record than they had last year with an approx. $50 million higher payroll. That’s the kind of thing that gets managers fired.
+23 Run differential (3rd best in the NL, it was a LOT better before the Twins thumped us...) suggests we are better than our record. It's been a tough couple of weeks. Even on paper, this is not a championship caliber team. There were bound to be stretches like this.
Fun one to watch tonight. /s
bdutts
- Houston, Texas
Probably time to move on from Ross. His buddies from the 2016 are long gone. Get some fresh blood in from outside the organization.
Illinois vs. Toledo
September 2
September 2
Hosmer DFA’ed, Bellinger to the IL. Thompson down to Iowa. Hoerner off the IL. Rios back up. Tauchman to get his first shot.
They’re one pitcher short. I assume Hendricks is coming off the IL with the next open slot in the rotation and a position player will be sent off. Plenty of candidates to choose from for that.
They’re one pitcher short. I assume Hendricks is coming off the IL with the next open slot in the rotation and a position player will be sent off. Plenty of candidates to choose from for that.
Mr. Tibbs
- southeast DuPage
Girardi is often mentioned
I will absolutely guarantee that there’s no way Girardi will ever manage the Cubs so long as Hoyer is President. He is the complete opposite style of manager the Cubs brain trust prefers.
bdutts
- Houston, Texas
I think I’d prefer a young up and comer instead of an old retread. I’d feel differently if the Cubs were ready to contend in the next year or so but they are not.
- Status