Chicago Cubs 2026

#1,302      
Just the fact that there is an argument of where they need help more accentuates the fact that they shouldn't deplete an already weak farm system for a 2 month rental.
Skubal or Miller alone won't win a championship.
I have also figured out how long a Cub will be out when he first goes on the IL. Take how long the Cubs originally say and multiply it by 3.
 
#1,303      
Do better than 0 for 6 with RISP, and Thornton doesn’t have the pitch the 10th in the first place.

Also might have been different if PCA had been called safe at first with no outs earlier in the game. Buerleson clearly came off the bag. There is no way he got back before PCA got there. It looked to me like PCA beat him. At worst it was a tie, which goes to the runner.
 
#1,304      
Just the fact that there is an argument of where they need help more accentuates the fact that they shouldn't deplete an already weak farm system for a 2 month rental.
Skubal or Miller alone won't win a championship.
I have also figured out how long a Cub will be out when he first goes on the IL. Take how long the Cubs originally say and multiply it by 3.
Miller wouldn’t be a rental — believe he has 2 or 3 more years of arbitration — but cost would be too high IMO. I disagree though that because there is argument about where help is needed means don’t trade for a rental(s). Every team needs pitching and there are few if any teams each year that don’t need pitching at this time of year.

Obviously one doesn’t want to go crazy and trade half of the Cubs top 15 prospects for rentals and players with some team control are preferred, but the latter also cost you more in prospects and are in great demand. But refusing to trade prospects who may or may not become effective major league players instead of improving your team for a stretch run is a recipe for being perennial also rans.


Not all the trades at the deadline last year worked out, but who are the prospects that were traded then are you pining for?

Wilfri De la Cruz — Now Orioles #22 prospect and hitting .221 in Rookie ball?

Ronny Cruz — Now Nationals #5 prospect who started out season very well but only hitting .217 since promotion to A+?

Christiano Franklin — Now Nationals #29 prospect hitting .245 at AAA?

Ryan Gallagher — Now Twins #16 prospect who has a 6.82 ERA and opponents BA of .286 at AAA?

Sam Armstrong — Not in Twins top 30 with a 4.92 ERA and less than a K per inning at AA?

Ivan Brethowr — Not in Pirates top 30 and batting .194 at AA?
 
#1,305      
Not all the trades at the deadline last year worked out, but who are the prospects that were traded then are you pining for?

Wilfri De la Cruz — Now Orioles #22 prospect and hitting .221 in Rookie ball?

Ronny Cruz — Now Nationals #5 prospect who started out season very well but only hitting .217 since promotion to A+?

Christiano Franklin — Now Nationals #29 prospect hitting .245 at AAA?

Ryan Gallagher — Now Twins #16 prospect who has a 6.82 ERA and opponents BA of .286 at AAA?

Sam Armstrong — Not in Twins top 30 with a 4.92 ERA and less than a K per inning at AA?

Ivan Brethowr — Not in Pirates top 30 and batting .194 at AA?
It sounds like the guys they are talking about moving this year are considered much higher level prospects (or already on the Major league roster) than this group.

I just felt better about going all in last year than this year. And if Dodgers or Brewers get Skubal....yikes.
 
#1,306      
It sounds like the guys they are talking about moving this year are considered much higher level prospects (or already on the Major league roster) than this group.

I just felt better about going all in last year than this year. And if Dodgers or Brewers get Skubal....yikes.
I get that. Thrre was a fair amount of chatter last deadline about Cubs trading some of their top prospects and that didn’t happen. So we’ll see how serious some of the reports are this year. Jed seems to be pretty conservative at the deadline, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I think value at the deadline is usually pretty poor. But farm system is there to improve your team. Sometimes that means call ups and sometimes that means trading them away.
 
#1,307      
I know I am cherry picking after a tough loss, but I do standby my call for another big arm in the pen. We are putting all our eggs in the Palencia basket and if he gets back and is healthy that isn't a bad basket but bullpens can derail a team quick. I know this isn't advanced metrics'y' enough for some, those don't look great for our entire staff, but we are now below league average in blown saves at 19th in the league and, this stat I like even less, we are 27th in save percentage at 55%. Not in freakout mode or anything but giving away games late is a demoralizing thing and it is happen to the Cubs more often then most other teams.

Bullpen era is 3.99 on the year and that is 14th in the league, so again this pen has not been a disaster but we really do need to get a big boy, either back or through a trade, at the back end. Just think if we had two along with Webb! that is what I am dreaming about.
With as tough as a loss as it was, the issue wasn't the pitching. If you let up 0 runs in 9 innings, you need to win that game 100 times out of 100. If you have to go to the pen multiple times, SOMEBODY is due to have a tough game. The Cards pitcher collapsed in the 10th and so did Thornton.

Much of the same today with the Cubs offense.
 
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