Cubs 2023 Season

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#1      

champaignchris

C
champaignchris
With free agency starting, figured I might as well start the new thread.

Reasonable free agency expectations:

Bogaerts or Swanson
Abreu or Bell
2 of Senga, Syndergaard, Heaney, Manaea, or Eflin - probably another half dozen or so starting pitchers can fit on this line.
Various random bullpen pieces that are either no names or cheap rehab projects.

A payroll in the $190-195mm range, Heyward included, putting the Cubs back solidly in the top 10 in MLB.

Will project to 80-85 win team, with forecasters evenly split over whether Cubs or Brewers are 2nd or 3rd in Central.
 
#2      

champaignchris

C
champaignchris
For what it’s worth, while I predict that the Cubs end up with one of the (relatively) cheaper two options at SS, I think karmically they should end up with Correa.

Correa is what Addison Russell was supposed to turn into. They’re 9 months apart in age. The Cubs should think of signing Correa as the contract they would have given Russell had he not imploded as both a baseball player and a human being.

I think having their All Star shortstop evaporate into nothingness is one of the more under-appreciated factors in the Cubs’ failure to follow up on 2016.
 
#3      

IanKEvans2

IanKEvans2
IanKEvans2
I hold a delusional/childlike whimsy with my wish list for the Cubs' offseason:

1B) Bell
CF) Bellinger
SS) Correa
SP) Senga & Manaea
 
#4      

IanKEvans2

IanKEvans2
IanKEvans2
IanKEvans2 said:
I hold a delusional/childlike whimsy with my wish list for the Cubs' offseason:

1B) Bell
CF) Bellinger
SS) Correa
SP) Senga & Manaea
Click to expand...
I also imagine they'll explore available catcher options with Willson likely leaving town.
 
#5      

bdutts

bdutts
Houston, Texas
bdutts
IanKEvans2 said:
I hold a delusional/childlike whimsy with my wish list for the Cubs' offseason:

1B) Bell
CF) Bellinger
SS) Correa
SP) Senga & Manaea
Click to expand...
Why Bellinger? He hasn‘t had a good year since 2019. He still is fairly young so he could rediscover what he had, I suppose. I guess if it’s a cheap contract…
 
#6      

champaignchris

C
champaignchris
bdutts said:
Why Bellinger? He hasn‘t had a good year since 2019. He still is fairly young so he could rediscover what he had, I suppose. I guess if it’s a cheap contract…
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Decent defensive CF with unlimited offensive upside. If he gets non-tendered by the Dodgers, he might be worth a 1 year flier to hold it down until Davis and/or Crow-Armstrong are ready.
 
#9      

KBLEE

KBLEE
Montgomery, IL
KBLEE
The rich get richer.
 
#11      

Mr. Tibbs

Mr. Tibbs
southeast DuPage
Mr. Tibbs
KBLEE said:
The rich get richer.
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it all comes down from the owner of the franchise

are they in it to make money ?
or
are they on it to win baseball games?

whats crazy is, if and when the Ricketts ever sell, they will make a multiple of 10x to 20x of their investment ,
and they still watch quarters like they are sewer covers
 
#12      

champaignchris

C
champaignchris
The Brewers just traded Wong for Winker and a backup infielder.

Since the last trade deadline, they’ve now traded Wong, Renfroe and Hader, and lost Narvaez, McCutcheon, Pederson and Boxberger to FA, getting really only Winker back in immediate help while apparently not looking to spend in FA and shopping some of their starting pitching.

They’re ceding 2nd place to the Cubs the same way the Reds ceded 3rd place to the Cubs last year.

This division is so bad that the Cubs’ apparent refusal to spend their way to a wild card slot is a joke.
 
#13      

Mr. Tibbs

Mr. Tibbs
southeast DuPage
Mr. Tibbs
1670022926269.png

Old man Ricketts
 
#15      

SKane

SKane
Tennessee
SKane
www.espn.com

Sources: 1B Bell, Guardians agree on 2-year pact

Veteran first baseman Josh Bell, 30, and the Cleveland Guardians have agreed on a two-year, $33 million contract, sources familiar with the deal told ESPN's Jeff Passan on Tuesday.
www.espn.com www.espn.com

Looks like Bell is off the board. Now Cleveland is outspending the Cubs.
 
#17      

champaignchris

C
champaignchris
Kaplan and others are reporting that Ricketts has expressly re-opened the money bag for Jed.

Shrug.

Honestly, the last 5 years have made me cynical enough to think maybe they're putting that out there to cover the owner's butt more than anything.

We're a month into the off-season, big names are coming off the board, and the Cubs are sitting at $92MM payroll/17th in the Majors, approximately $135MM under the luxury tax, and they have signed exactly ZERO free agents. (And remember, $22MM of that $92 is Heyward, who isn't playing for the Cubs this year.)
 
#18      

Warren Carter Fanclub

Warren Carter Fanclub
Warren Carter Fanclub
SKane said:
www.espn.com

Sources: 1B Bell, Guardians agree on 2-year pact

Veteran first baseman Josh Bell, 30, and the Cleveland Guardians have agreed on a two-year, $33 million contract, sources familiar with the deal told ESPN's Jeff Passan on Tuesday.
www.espn.com www.espn.com

Looks like Bell is off the board. Now Cleveland is outspending the Cubs.
Click to expand...
More pressing needs. Don't have a problem platooning Mervis and Wisdom if they spend that money elsewhere.
 
#19      

champaignchris

C
champaignchris
Warren Carter Fanclub said:
More pressing needs. Don't have a problem platooning Mervis and Wisdom if they spend that money elsewhere.
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On a team that already has a ton of holes to fill, pulling Wisdom off 3B seems to just create another hole. There's also still the issue of who's hitting in the DH spot. At this point, it's... Velazquez?

And if they're going to spend that money elsewhere, they should probably start, because the guys who are actually worth paying that money to are starting to fly off the board.
 
#22      

Emerson Bigguns

Emerson Bigguns
Emerson Bigguns
champaignchris said:
On a team that already has a ton of holes to fill, pulling Wisdom off 3B seems to just create another hole. There's also still the issue of who's hitting in the DH spot. At this point, it's... Velazquez?

And if they're going to spend that money elsewhere, they should probably start, because the guys who are actually worth paying that money to are starting to fly off the board.
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If you believe hot stove rumors, the Cubs' plan A is to get both Bogaerts and Swanson.... moving Xander to 3rd. Obviously, a fever dream, but so was 2016...

Regardless, I'm of the opinion that playing Wisdom anywhere creates a hole wherever he is. He hit .207 last year and graded out as a below average 3rd baseman. The next good Cubs team probably won't have him in the lineup regularly.
 
#24      

champaignchris

C
champaignchris
Hey! See, kids. This is what you get if you !!!!! enough. Your team actually signs a player.

I don’t hate this. Bellinger is a better defensive center fielder than the Cubs have had in ages. He still has some left handed power even if he has trouble (to put it mildly) putting the bat on the ball. It’s a decent gamble, with no risk after this season when we presume the Cubs’ in-house CF options will start coming up.

So, I figure that pushes Morel to 3rd and Wisdom to 1B/DH.
 
#25      

IanKEvans2

IanKEvans2
IanKEvans2
champaignchris said:
Hey! See, kids. This is what you get if you !!!!! enough. Your team actually signs a player.

I don’t hate this. Bellinger is a better defensive center fielder than the Cubs have had in ages. He still has some left handed power even if he has trouble (to put it mildly) putting the bat on the ball. It’s a decent gamble, with no risk after this season when we presume the Cubs’ in-house CF options will start coming up.

So, I figure that pushes Morel to 3rd and Wisdom to 1B/DH.
Click to expand...
What about this Mervis kid that kind of came out of nowhere (to me at least who's been less aware of the farm system in recent years)?
 
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