Cubs 2022 Season

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#1      

champaignchris

C
champaignchris
With the lockout looking to be over, might as well start the 2022 thread.

The compressed free agency period is going to be insane.

Will the Cubs get Correa? Someone else? Make a big trade?
 
#4      
Point-Illinois
A few weeks ago, I saw article after article about the impasse between players and owners. It was everywhere.

Then all of a sudden, it’s over? I thought there’d be more fanfare.

Was it an ugly resolution nobody wants to talk about? Did the players have to cave?

Or did they come up with something temporary to make sure we had baseball this season?

I’m glad it’s done, but what exactly happened?
 
#5      
Homecoming 2019
Point-Illinois said:
A few weeks ago, I saw article after article about the impasse between players and owners. It was everywhere.

Then all of a sudden, it’s over? I thought there’d be more fanfare.

Was it an ugly resolution nobody wants to talk about? Did the players have to cave?

Or did they come up with something temporary to make sure we had baseball this season?

I’m glad it’s done, but what exactly happened?
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Players got the minimum salary raised 23%, and bonuses for players performing well under rookie contracts. The MLBPA union executives were against the deal 8-0 (all but 1 of these players makes less than 12mil annually), but each team has a player representative who also gets a vote, and they voted for the deal 26-4, leaving the total at 26-12 in favor. So the deal was approved.
 
#6      
Point-Illinois
Homecoming 2019 said:
Players got the minimum salary raised 23%, and bonuses for players performing well under rookie contracts. The MLBPA union executives were against the deal 8-0 (all but 1 of these players makes less than 12mil annually), but each team has a player representative who also gets a vote, and they voted for the deal 26-4, leaving the total at 26-12 in favor. So the deal was approved.
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Thanks!
 
#7      
bdutts
champaignchris said:
With the lockout looking to be over, might as well start the 2022 thread.

The compressed free agency period is going to be insane.

Will the Cubs get Correa? Someone else? Make a big trade?
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Why would Correa come to the Cubs? Won't be sniffing the playoffs for 3-4 years. Could sign with Yankees and get into the thick of the playoffs. Or could stay with Astros. I doubt the Cubs offer significantly more money than all other suitors so I just don't see it.

I think they made their splash already with Miley and Stroman.
 
#8      
bdutts
IanKEvans2 said:
Not sure if the Cubs will be involved, but I'm intrigued by Seiya Suzuki, an OF out of Japan.
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What is intriguing about him? I read that article about him. Seems like he's just a guy...
 
#9      
IanKEvans2
bdutts said:
What is intriguing about him? I read that article about him. Seems like he's just a guy...
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Power hitting corner OF who is 27-year-old. I'd rather take the chance on him over Clint Frasier.
 
#10      
bdutts
IanKEvans2 said:
Power hitting corner OF who is 27-year-old. I'd rather take the chance on him over Clint Frasier.
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Kind of a low bar, no? ;) It's only money and he's not blocking anyone. Why not? Can't be worse than Kosuke, can he?
 
#11      
champaignchris
bdutts said:
Why would Correa come to the Cubs? Won't be sniffing the playoffs for 3-4 years. Could sign with Yankees and get into the thick of the playoffs. Or could stay with Astros. I doubt the Cubs offer significantly more money than all other suitors so I just don't see it.

I think they made their splash already with Miley and Stroman.
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I don’t get the whole narrative about the Cubs not being competitive in the division for 3 or 4 years. Why not? The Brewers and Cardinals are hardly world beaters.

In any case, Correa is only 26. He’ll still be good for quite some time, and with Stroman the only contract of any size on the books after 2023, they’ve got money to spend. They might as well spend that money now, because next year’s free agent class is pretty slim pickings.
 
#12      
bdutts
champaignchris said:
I don’t get the whole narrative about the Cubs not being competitive in the division for 3 or 4 years. Why not? The Brewers and Cardinals are hardly world beaters.
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You did watch the team last year, right? They have so many holes. Do you think they will spend to get payroll close to the ceiling?
 
#13      
champaignchris
bdutts said:
You did watch the team last year, right? They have so many holes. Do you think they will spend to get payroll close to the ceiling?
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They won’t max out payroll this year, but they also won’t carry a payroll in the bottom half of the league, which is where it sits now. There’s about $100 million difference between staying pat and hitting the tax threshold.

They can spend a lot this year considering how much comes off the books the next couple years, the fact that next year’s free agent class is awful and that they have zero long-term commitments past 2023.

Correa, another starting pitcher and a couple relievers gets the Cubs at least in shouting distance of the Brewers and Cardinals.
 
#14      
IanKEvans2
bdutts said:
Kind of a low bar, no? ;) It's only money and he's not blocking anyone. Why not? Can't be worse than Kosuke, can he?
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Low bar, sure.

Haven't read any chatter about him, but FanGraphs did a nice writeup about his potential impact.
blogs.fangraphs.com

Projecting Seiya Suzuki

When baseball gets back to baseballing, the NPB star ought to be one of the most sought-after outfielders available.
blogs.fangraphs.com blogs.fangraphs.com
 
#15      
champaignchris
And the Cubs big signing out of the gate…

Andrelton Simmons!!!

Ugh.

Can still pick it at short, I suppose, but he hasn’t swung a reasonably competent bat in several years.

Don’t really understand this signing with Hoerner and Madrigal already on board.
 
#16      
bdutts
champaignchris said:
And the Cubs big signing out of the gate…

Andrelton Simmons!!!

Ugh.

Can still pick it at short, I suppose, but he hasn’t swung a reasonably competent bat in several years.

Don’t really understand this signing with Hoerner and Madrigal already on board.
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That seems like a Cubs move…
 
#17      
bdutts
Jesse Chavez signed to a minor league deal...

Looks like Yankees are out on Correa. Correa just did put his house on the market in Houston, but he'll just buy a much larger one when he resigns with them. :)
 
#18      
champaignchris
I like Jesse Chavez. But he’s old. Don’t see much more than 45-50 innings out of him this year.

For those not paying attention during the lockout, Cody Huer is gone for the season due to TJS. So the Cubs bullpen is even thinner than before the lockout. They need some more bodies.
 
#19      
champaignchris
I just feel the need to point out that the projected starting payroll for the Cubs - about $102 million - would be the lowest Cubs payroll since 2014 if you don't take inflation into account. If you're talking about actual 2022 dollars, calculating in inflation, this would be the lowest payroll since 2003. The Cubs currently stand at 17th in payroll MLB-wide. They've never had an opening day payroll below 15th in MLB (2001) for as far back as I can find records (2000).

With the changes in how free agency works, no draft penalties for signing free agents, a draft lottery, and no real top notch prospects ready to play at the MLB level... failure to spend on free agents isn't being smart and gaming the system. It's just being cheap.

Just keep that in mind as they keep getting outbid for top flight free agents.
 
#21      
Bacon Butkus Swanson
Face it Cub fans….
The Ricketts family won their WS in 2016. They don’t seem to care about winning another.
I literally waited 50 years for them to win one.
Really hoping to see another someday. Also hoping the Cards continue to struggle… That helps :)
 
#22      
Emerson Bigguns
champaignchris said:
And the Cubs big signing out of the gate…

Andrelton Simmons!!!

Ugh.

Can still pick it at short, I suppose, but he hasn’t swung a reasonably competent bat in several years.

Don’t really understand this signing with Hoerner and Madrigal already on board.
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The next time either of those guys plays 60 games in a MLB season will be the first. Nico has never played more than 60 games as a pro. Madrigal got to 120 once in the minors.
Madrigal has never played SS in the majors. Nico is more of a 2nd baseman who can play SS, but is a little below average there.

Simmons is still one of the top 5 defensive SS in the game. (10th all time in Fielding% at SS)
 
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#23      
Ramrod2010
champaignchris said:
I just feel the need to point out that the projected starting payroll for the Cubs - about $102 million - would be the lowest Cubs payroll since 2014 if you don't take inflation into account. If you're talking about actual 2022 dollars, calculating in inflation, this would be the lowest payroll since 2003. The Cubs currently stand at 17th in payroll MLB-wide. They've never had an opening day payroll below 15th in MLB (2001) for as far back as I can find records (2000).

With the changes in how free agency works, no draft penalties for signing free agents, a draft lottery, and no real top notch prospects ready to play at the MLB level... failure to spend on free agents isn't being smart and gaming the system. It's just being cheap.

Just keep that in mind as they keep getting outbid for top flight free agents.
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Don't forget to shell out that extra money for the privilege of watching this team on Marquee!
 
#24      
suburbanILLINI
Bacon Butkus Swanson said:
Face it Cub fans….
The Ricketts family won their WS in 2016. They don’t seem to care about winning another.
I literally waited 50 years for them to win one.
Really hoping to see another someday. Also hoping the Cards continue to struggle… That helps :)
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I don't want them to struggle because they could reap the benefits in the draft, just be stuck in an endless cycle of mediocrity
 
#25      
bdutts
Emerson Bigguns said:
The next time either of those guys plays 60 games in a MLB season will be the first. Nico has never played more than 60 games as a pro. Madrigal got to 120 once in the minors.
Madrigal has never played SS in the majors. Nico is more of a 2nd baseman who can play SS, but is a little below average there.

Simmons is still one of the top 5 defensive SS in the game. (10th all time in Fielding% at SS)
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If the Cubs had a lights out pitching staff, I could see them loading up on D because Simmons is (nearly) an automatic out. Heyward is an automatic out. They could win games 2-1 with outstanding pitching and D. Their pitching staff is a question mark outside of three guys. Correa is still out there and only costs money and nothing else. I didn't expect the Cubs to be a serious player to land him anyway. But options were there. Heck, you could have gotten Baez for less than half the money of Correa. He can pick it well enough (maybe not as well as Simmons) and hit lefthanded better than Simmons can hit righthanded.

I wonder, can the DH hit for a position player and allow the pitcher to hit instead?
 
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