Chicago Cubs 2021 season

#26      
If true that would indicate a complete demolition and rebuild, which is probably the best in the long run.
Some follow-up chatter on Twitter indicating rumors of a potential Contreras or Caratini inclusion in a Darvish deal. San Diego has been busy these last few days.
 
#31      
Absolutely unacceptable return. Needed to get one or two of Padres' top prospects - not #11, 13, 15 and 16
I’m not bothered by the rankings so much as the ages. These are all teenagers a long, long way from the Majors.

This trade was not the act of a team that thinks it will be competitive in 2022.

Or 2023.

Or 2024.

If this trade had included a young controllable MLBer like Cronenworth or a MLB-ready bat like Campusano, I could have rationalized this as rebuilding on the fly.
 
#32      

altenberger22

South Carolina
I’m not bothered by the rankings so much as the ages. These are all teenagers a long, long way from the Majors.

This trade was not the act of a team that thinks it will be competitive in 2022.

Or 2023.

Or 2024.

If this trade had included a young controllable MLBer like Cronenworth or a MLB-ready bat like Campusano, I could have rationalized this as rebuilding on the fly.
Teenagers - that's the key. I believe we passed on Cronenworth (age 27 in 2021) for all the youngsters. This certainly has to signal that Baez and Contreras are next. Bryant was already obvious. Hendricks too?

Mets, Blue Jays, Dodgers and Braves --- please step forward. Show us your young talent. (BTW, I'm ok with building back the Farm System. Just wish we would have adopted the Tampa Bay approach over the past 3 years.)
 
#33      
I’m not bothered by the rankings so much as the ages. These are all teenagers a long, long way from the Majors.

This trade was not the act of a team that thinks it will be competitive in 2022.

Or 2023.

Or 2024.

If this trade had included a young controllable MLBer like Cronenworth or a MLB-ready bat like Campusano, I could have rationalized this as rebuilding on the fly.
Especially in a NL Central that isn't very good.
 
#34      

Illiniaaron

Geneseo, IL
I dunno....trading Darvish before the season starts, under Covid conditions, I'm not sure what you could expect. I think you either dump salary and get a middling return (which they did) or still be on the hook for a decent chunk of Darvish's salary and get some better prospects. I don't think you could expect to dump salary and get a good return. The Cubs were in a position where if they stood pat they would contend in the Central, but they are a long way from beating the Dodgers or Braves in a playoff series. So what do you do? It looks like tear it down to the studs and start over. If they move Bryant it should probably be at the trade deadline; you hope he has a decent comeback season and has some value to a contender because dealing him now would just be a give away.
 
#35      
Yep, hate this. The Cubs are now officially the White Sox: small market team playing in a large market.
Cubs are just returning to their mean...sell beer and hot dogs ... Cash cow and Ricketts wants to keep the cash. Like the Trib, like Wrigley...interesting to see if it will work post covid...and how the TV channel goes haha. they could probably have made a bunch of revenue from TV if they stayed competetive. Still might...Lovable losers return...
 
#36      
I initially hated this trade when I first heard the news, but after analyzing the youngsters we received, I feel a little better. They seem to be contact type hitters, which we need. Yeah, they're years away from the big leagues, but this is what we're gonna be seeing, IMO. Fill up the minor league rosters with these type of hitters, then you can sign the power guys in FA or trades. I think this may also signal that KB isn't going anywhere, at least until the trade deadline, so they had to cut salary somewhere to get under the cap to avoid a 3rd year of overage. Yeah, they seem to be punting on this season, but I think they'll get "back in the game" so to speak, starting next year. Plus, I don't think they'll be terrible this year, could still win this crappy division, but yeah, no WS playoff run. Hendricks, Davies, Adbert, Mills and maybe Lester, ain't a bad staff to work with. And may be more moves to come yet.
 
#37      
This team was still the betting favorite to win the NL Central with Yu, and come playoff time anything can happen. This is purely a financial decision from the Ricketts imo, and he's going to get a lot of deserved flack for this offseason for a while. The cubs have made all the wrong moves since 2016, the biggest being marquee, and the only good acquisition in the last 4 years has now been traded for pennies.
 
#38      
I initially hated this trade when I first heard the news, but after analyzing the youngsters we received, I feel a little better. They seem to be contact type hitters, which we need. Yeah, they're years away from the big leagues, but this is what we're gonna be seeing, IMO. Fill up the minor league rosters with these type of hitters, then you can sign the power guys in FA or trades. I think this may also signal that KB isn't going anywhere, at least until the trade deadline, so they had to cut salary somewhere to get under the cap to avoid a 3rd year of overage. Yeah, they seem to be punting on this season, but I think they'll get "back in the game" so to speak, starting next year. Plus, I don't think they'll be terrible this year, could still win this crappy division, but yeah, no WS playoff run. Hendricks, Davies, Adbert, Mills and maybe Lester, ain't a bad staff to work with. And may be more moves to come yet.
In today's MLB where sabermetrics reign supreme, contact hitters aren't worth all that much. See the white sox who are dealing with the decision to take Nick Madrigal 4th overall. He might have a high average, but he isn't a positive bat in the lineup. Now if these guys can turn that narrative around like Tim Anderson and Ozzie Albies and develop some power then that's another story. So for me right now, these prospects don't get me as excited as the prospects in a Yu Darvish trade should.
 
#39      

bdutts

Houston, Texas
Cubs are just returning to their mean...sell beer and hot dogs ... Cash cow and Ricketts wants to keep the cash. Like the Trib, like Wrigley...interesting to see if it will work post covid...and how the TV channel goes haha. they could probably have made a bunch of revenue from TV if they stayed competetive. Still might...Lovable losers return...

Might be...we'll know in a couple of years.
 
#40      

bdutts

Houston, Texas
I initially hated this trade when I first heard the news, but after analyzing the youngsters we received, I feel a little better. They seem to be contact type hitters, which we need. Yeah, they're years away from the big leagues, but this is what we're gonna be seeing, IMO. Fill up the minor league rosters with these type of hitters, then you can sign the power guys in FA or trades. I think this may also signal that KB isn't going anywhere, at least until the trade deadline, so they had to cut salary somewhere to get under the cap to avoid a 3rd year of overage. Yeah, they seem to be punting on this season, but I think they'll get "back in the game" so to speak, starting next year. Plus, I don't think they'll be terrible this year, could still win this crappy division, but yeah, no WS playoff run. Hendricks, Davies, Adbert, Mills and maybe Lester, ain't a bad staff to work with. And may be more moves to come yet.

What makes you think they'll get "back in the game" as you put it? No fans in the stadiums means no money. And why would Lester want to come back to the Cubs while they are tearing it down? He's in his late 30s and only has a couple more years to try to get another WS.

Your second to last sentence is what really angers me about this move. They are in a crappy division that is there for the taking. Get in the playoffs and anything can happen. No one gave the Marlins a chance versus the Cubs this year and we know how that ended. Granted, the odds are very slim for them to win the WS with Yu next year but making the playoffs means more money in the coffers for the Ricketts family. I would have thought they would know that but after this, nothing is surprising to me.

I guess we'll see in four to six years how this trade turns out. By then, I'll probably opt out of my season ticket sharing group. Don't want to fly in from Houston to watch a team win 78 games.
 
#41      
In today's MLB where sabermetrics reign supreme, contact hitters aren't worth all that much. See the white sox who are dealing with the decision to take Nick Madrigal 4th overall. He might have a high average, but he isn't a positive bat in the lineup. Now if these guys can turn that narrative around like Tim Anderson and Ozzie Albies and develop some power then that's another story. So for me right now, these prospects don't get me as excited as the prospects in a Yu Darvish trade should.
I think things may be changing regarding that type of thought. The game has suffered with the all or nothing approach (HR's or K's) to hitting, IMO. And I think GM's are seeing this too. We've seen how this has worked in Cubbieville the past 4 seasons. Give me a contact guy who can hit liners into the gaps any day over all or nothing guys. Players who can move runners over, get a guy in from 3rd with less than 2 outs, that type of thing.
 
#42      
Schwarber signed a 1 year-$10MM deal with the Nats. Likely, that's more than he would have gotten through arbitration had the Cubs tendered him a contract.

So, good for Schwarbs!
 
#43      
Schwarber signed a 1 year-$10MM deal with the Nats. Likely, that's more than he would have gotten through arbitration had the Cubs tendered him a contract.

So, good for Schwarbs!
Don't think that he is worth $10 mil but I wish him nothing but the best. Will always remember the mammoth HRs in 2015 at Pitt and against STL and his determination to return during the World Series
 
#44      

Deleted member 747784

D
Guest
has MLB formally stated if the NL is having the DH this year ? i don’t think so and that’s hard to understand . i mean in theory , spring ball starts in 5 weeks
 
#45      

jmwillini

Tolono, IL
As far as I know, no. You have to remember, EVERYTHING negotiated in MLB is a war between the players and the owners Neither side really cares for the game like they should. Yes, this should be an easy decision, (thought I hate the DH), but the DH helps salaries, so MLB wants something back. Sad, between spreadsheets running decisions and labor issues, the game I grew up loving has become almost unwatchable.
 
#46      
These moves needed to be made. Schwarbs was a luxury. Darvish is not a consistent number 1. Need to trade Bryant as his value drops every time he hits the ball to third with runners in scoring position with less than 2 outs or swinging at a ball in the dirt as he has no feel for the strike zone. Our farm system, is 23rd. We can complete this year as the rest of the division is similar to the NFC East. We need to get players in the minors who can move up when we need to fill spots. I like the direction the Cubs are taking. You have to build from within and this is step one.
 
#47      

KBLEE

Montgomery, IL
has MLB formally stated if the NL is having the DH this year ? i don’t think so and that’s hard to understand . i mean in theory , spring ball starts in 5 weeks

Unlikely...
 
#50      
So a full tear down? Better than another wasted year I guess.
How is winning the division and going to the playoffs a wasted year?

Even after letting Lester, Kipnis, Chatwood, and Jeffress all walk in free agency, the Cubs were favorites to win the division again before they dumped Schwarber, Darvish and Caratini and only got back Zack Davies and a bunch of teenagers.

A tear down requires repopulating the system with younger talent. They haven't acquired anything that will be seeing Wrigley Field any time in the next five or six years if ever.

They have, however, cut about $50 million from their payroll, and all indications are that is what's really motivating the team.

The Cubs are currently projected at 12th in MLB in payroll, and they're still reportedly shopping Contreras and Bryant.

Ship out Bryant and the Cubs will have a smaller payroll than the Cincinnati Reds. Awesome!

This isn't Theo 2012 redux or the Houston Astros. This is a Marlins-style sell off.