Sounds like Wesneski has nailed down the #5 starter slot. Which is exciting.
Thompson is having velocity issues. Sounds like it’s a lower body rhythm thing and not an arm issue. He’ll be starting out in Iowa.
But the Cubs seem genuinely excited about Assad taking over that swingman role. He was hitting 97 for Mexico in the WBC. He could be quite a weapon out of the pen and occasional starts.
All the prediction models seem to hate the Cubs pitching, but I’m pretty damn excited to see some of these kids.
He had a good outing on Saturday, but he's been brutal this spring. 9.95 ERA. and surrendered 8 HR in 12.2 innings.Wonder where this leaves Sampson. He's had a good spring as well and pitched well last season. Seems a bit of a waste to throw him in a middle relief role.
I guess it depends on what Hendricks we get back. Smyly has been better than Kyle the last two seasons. Last year by a wide margin.Hendricks is also expected to be ready by early May, so someone is gonna get the boot when he returns. My guess is that it will be Smyly.
Hoyer’s strategy has been to get positional redundancy to ensure a relatively stable floor. Hendricks hurt, Thompson and Samson not performing in Arizona? Slot Wesnesky and Assad right in there.
It’s why he got both Mancini and Hosmer. It’s why he got Rios to be Wisdom’s left-handed mirror. It’s why he got two functionally identical utility men in McKinstry and Mastrobuoni. It’s why he does the “sign 9 bargain bin relievers” thing every year.
It’s the throw enough spaghetti at the wall, eventually something is bound to stick strategy.
The question is where the upside comes from? Who raises the ceiling once you have the stable floor? I don’t think the 3 or 4 guys like that a World Series roster needs are on the roster right now, nor in the upper minors.
There are a few nice free agents next year - Matt Chapman and Julio Urias to name 2 that would slot into the Cubs’ needs nicely…
But we all know who the only real difference maker in next year’s free agent class is. We just don’t know if the Cubs ownership will be willing to pay the approximately half billion dollars (not exaggerating) it will take to sign him. It’s going to be an absolute frenzy.
LAA actually had pretty decent starting pitching last year. It was just that the other position players around Ohtani and Trout Were. So. Bad. Trout and Ohtani combined for a 9.7 bWAR. Taylor Ward was a very solid 3.7. The entire rest of the team COMBINED to post a -1.4 bWAR. That's how a team with Ohtani and Trout somehow managed to be 13th of 15 (?!?!?!) in the AL in runs scored. Last year's Cubs, with all the holes in the lineup, with nobody even remotely close to Mike Trout in offensive capabilities, actually outscored last year's Angels by 34 runs.Think about LAA... Ohtani is paired with Trout, arguably the two best baseball players in the world, and they can't seem to make the playoffs. They paid a fortune to get Anthony Rendon there a few years ago, and he has played one season worth of baseball in the last 3 seasons.
They have tried and tried to compete by having great players and it keeps not working, mostly because the rest of the roster just isn't very good.
Are you better off building depth and being above average at every position, or paying massive amounts to get a few of the best players in the world?
In a sport where you can't guarantee your best player will be in a position to help you in the biggest moment, I think it's prudent to build the roster in the way Jed has. Once you are solid everywhere, you can try to add greatness.
Hopefully, one of these young guys has it in them already.
Wesnesky
Awesome shortstop. I'm interested to see how he performs at 2nd this year.I haven't followed the Cubs very closely since 2018 or so but I'm always happy to see Hoerner still with the club. Saw him play a number of times out at Stanford, probably fist-bumped with him after an anthem or two - and he seems like a fun guy to watch especially on the defensive side!
Awesome shortstop. I'm interested to see how he performs at 2nd this year.
The extension feels like a "just to shut people up that we can't ever sign any players to extensions" move more than anything, but every little bit helps.
I much prefer the Dansby Swanson approach. We just need 3 or 4 more of him. Perhaps at 1B, 3B, OF, Pitcher --- with Bellinger and Happ potentially leaving after this season.Think about LAA... Ohtani is paired with Trout, arguably the two best baseball players in the world, and they can't seem to make the playoffs. They paid a fortune to get Anthony Rendon there a few years ago, and he has played one season worth of baseball in the last 3 seasons.
They have tried and tried to compete by having great players and it keeps not working, mostly because the rest of the roster just isn't very good.
Are you better off building depth and being above average at every position, or paying massive amounts to get a few of the best players in the world?
In a sport where you can't guarantee your best player will be in a position to help you in the biggest moment, I think it's prudent to build the roster in the way Jed has. Once you are solid everywhere, you can try to add greatness.
Hopefully, one of these young guys has it in them already.
Good, now they can afford two cups or Ramen a day
Good, now they can afford two cups or Ramen a day
And it's a better development environment for these players, some of whom the organization has bet precious resources on.I don’t understand MLB’s insistence on giving poverty level living conditions to their minor league players.
I’d think that if you provided them the basics of shelter, good nutrition, etc., your prospects might be able to thrive and develop better than your opponents’ prospects.
I’d be curious to see if those organizations known for developing talent go over and above the contractual minimums in compensating their minor leaguers.
ETA - spending $10k extra in housing and nutrition on every prospect in an organization would cost less than a single starting MLB player. It’s pocket change for these organizations, but could mean the world to some of these kids.
I don’t understand MLB’s insistence on giving poverty level living conditions to their minor league players.
I’d think that if you provided them the basics of shelter, good nutrition, etc., your prospects might be able to thrive and develop better than your opponents’ prospects.
I’d be curious to see if those organizations known for developing talent go over and above the contractual minimums in compensating their minor leaguers.
ETA - spending $10k extra in housing and nutrition on every prospect in an organization would cost less than a single starting MLB player. It’s pocket change for these organizations, but could mean the world to some of these kids.