get ALL the guys from Tampa
Chicago Cubs 2026
Actually, I want their scouting and their minor league front office to replace our minor league management. They know how to develop talent.
bdutts
- Houston, Texas
Or Milwaukee.
It’s sad that the SouthSiders are developing players and we are not.
Almost everyone in the Tampa brain trust was brought in under Andrew Freidman... who now, of course, runs the new evil empire of baseball.
So the Dodgers have the smartest guy, AND the most money... I really dislike them.
Another solid game from Ben
That’s a little simplistic. Sox have been trading MLB players for prospects for a couple/few years now, while Cubs have been trading prospects for MLB players. Throw in the fact that Sox have also been drafting higher, and not surprising their farm system is more productive at the moment. On top of all that the Mune signing has been huge. All that said, yes, Cubs have to do better.
This. There are just more spots for youngsters to play for the CWS.
In the past year and a half, we’ve brought up Shaw, Horton, and Ballestros. Palencia is home grown, as are Brown, Porter Hodge, Assad, Robertson, PCA, and Amaya.
Obviously, Nico, Justin Steele, and Ian have been around for a while, but they were drafted here.
We also developed Cassie and Cam Smith who became immediate regulars once traded out of Chicago, where they were blocked.
We’ve been fine at developing position players. There just isn’t much opportunity to crack the lineup.
Starting pitching development has been an issue forever… Steele & Horton are exceptions, but health has been an obvious issue for both.
PK Wrigley and The Tribune Co ownership were absolutely awful owners.
PK didn’t really care about baseball. Kept the team because his dad loved them so much. He tried hard for a while to keep them competitive, after William’s sudden death, but ultimately lost interest in the team. They just didn’t try very hard for about 30 years.
The Tribune only cared about profitability, not competition, especially as their financial issues began in the 1990s.
Tom Ricketts is the most interested owner the Cubs have had in 80 years, but that bar is about as low as it gets in baseball.
Illiniaaron
- Geneseo, IL
I felt this 22-game stretch beginning on June 2 against teams that were bad to below average would have a major say in the Cubs' fortunes this season. I was hoping they could get 14 or 15 wins here. So far, they are 5-7 in this stretch with 3 against the Rockies and 3 against the Blue Jays at home and 4 against the Mets in New York left.
Yeah, it's pretty rough. Our current pitching rotation doesn't inspire a lot of confidence, which I think is contributing to our hitters pressing.
If you had told me 3 months ago that Ben Brown (as good as he has been) would be the guy were were most excited to watch pitch in June, I'd have told you something has gone terribly wrong. (It has...) Guys who were supposed to be (arguably) our 4 & 5, by now are our 1 & 2...
What should have been a strength of the team (SP depth), has been tested to the limit. It's honestly a bit surprising we aren't farther back. In a year full of surprises, the emergence of Brown is just about the only pleasant one...
Illiniaaron
- Geneseo, IL
I didn't think you could count on Boyd to repeat what he did last season. He pitched poorly early and the rest of his season has been derailed by injury. Losing Horton really hurt. You don't know whether you are going to get good Shota or bad Shota when he starts. Rea and Taillon haven't been good. Ideally Rea is a guy you don't want making this many starts anyway. Brown is #1 in confidence now and Assad is tied with Shota imo at 2a and 2b. I don't think you can really count on Steele for anything this season. It's up to Hoyer to shore this up but I'm not sure what he really has to trade.