Chuck Nuggets
Dip your nuggets in my staff source sauce.
Only down 0-6. Got 'em right where we want 'em.
Chicago Cubs 2024
4 hits 2 errors. That's something.
Assuming Hendricks goes to the IL, and including Horton and Killian, the Cubs now have 11 of the organization’s top 17 pitchers headed into the season on the injured list.
They have their 3 highest paid position players in Bellinger, Swanson and Suzuki making $74.5 million this year and combining to give 2.9 bWAR so far.
A team built on defense, they have 3 projected starters in Morel, Amaya and Suzuki who’ve been benched because their gloves are unplayable.
They have their 3 highest paid position players in Bellinger, Swanson and Suzuki making $74.5 million this year and combining to give 2.9 bWAR so far.
A team built on defense, they have 3 projected starters in Morel, Amaya and Suzuki who’ve been benched because their gloves are unplayable.
Chuck Nuggets
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We're seeing why the Cubs were able to get Bellinger back at a fairly good price. His days of being a dangerous bat are long gone. Bellinger, Happ, and Suzuki are perfect complimentary pieces, but if they're your most important hitters you're not going to be a good team. You have 3 moons with no planet.
Bellinger is overpaid for his output this year
Chuck Nuggets
Dip your nuggets in my staff source sauce.
There's no doubt, but coming off the year he had last season the Cubs probably got him for as good a deal as you could have hoped for in today's salary environment. His OBP is 30 points lower and his slugging is over 100 points lower. He's slightly better than a replacement level player right now. If we were seeing last year's Bellinger, the Cubs might be a couple games better. Unfortunately, this team is so bad that doesn't really help them much. Every bat is worse, except for Happ, and there's no Yan Gomes stepping up to give an unexpected boost.
Mastrobuoni could be a fun little player if he didn’t spend the first half of every season looking utterly lost at the plate.
And then the second half
He was actually one of the few guys on the team last year that finished strong in September.
Chuck Nuggets
Dip your nuggets in my staff source sauce.
Swanson? Bellinger? Morel? Hoerner?
Hello. Your teammates need you. Anytime now.
Hello. Your teammates need you. Anytime now.
Is Swanson "Heyward 2.0" ?
yes I've been saying this for a few months. big contract, no hitting and gold glove defense, although this season his defense has been spotty.
I think this is forgetting both how bad Heyward was in 2016 and how good Swanson was last year.
Swanson doesn’t have to hit too much to be a valuable shortstop, while there was basically no amount of great defense that would make Heyward a valuable right fielder with that bat.
There's still a lot of time left on Swanson's contract but in 2016 Heyward's OPS was .631. Just about his worst full year. He then had 3 straight years in the 7's before he started to get hurt.
Swanson's is .611 this year.
And I'm not a Swanson hater and realize a good defensive SS is worth more than a good defensive OF.
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Chuck Nuggets
Dip your nuggets in my staff source sauce.
Yes. He swings a wet noodle for a bat just like Heyward. Seems like a good guy and great defensive player just like Heyward. Signed to way too big a contract just like Heyward. At some point the Cubs as an organization have to realize you want the guys the Braves want, and you don't want the guys the Braves don't want.
Chuck Nuggets
Dip your nuggets in my staff source sauce.
Belli to IL w/fracture. Canario up.
Hurts the Cubs whether you want to keep him or trade him.
Hurts the Cubs whether you want to keep him or trade him.
Chuck Nuggets
Dip your nuggets in my staff source sauce.
Maybe rest will do him some good. I am excited to see Canario come up. He's a big league hitter. He's rotting in the minors. If the Cubs aren't going to play him, trade him. He's already 24. He should be getting ABs in the majors.
Just as an FYI for everyone on here, tomorrow night's game at Busch is only on Apple TV+.
Just caught the tail end an interview of Lee Smith on Marquee as I was flicking channels. Said Dallas Green always complained about how slow he was pitching. Lee said that he had buddies on the ground crew who made time and a half after 4:30. So he intentionally took a little more time when he came in.
Since Steele blew up at the dugout and told everyone to wake the f up, he’s pitched 19 innings and given up 2 earned runs.
Break up the cubs! Won 6 out of 7....
Still 4 under water... what a weak back half of the lineup
Still 4 under water... what a weak back half of the lineup
“Surge” is too strong a word, but Mastrobuoni is having another July bout of adequacy at the plate.
Given he’s clearly the best glove option at third, I’d expect to see more of him in the lineup going forward.
When Tauchman or Bellinger comes back, I don’t know how they play both Morel and Suzuki in the same lineup. Suzuki showed again last night that he needs to be at DH when the Cubs have enough healthy outfielders for him to do so. But then, if Morel never starts hitting, it doesn’t really matter.
Given he’s clearly the best glove option at third, I’d expect to see more of him in the lineup going forward.
When Tauchman or Bellinger comes back, I don’t know how they play both Morel and Suzuki in the same lineup. Suzuki showed again last night that he needs to be at DH when the Cubs have enough healthy outfielders for him to do so. But then, if Morel never starts hitting, it doesn’t really matter.