*****Official Cubs 2019 thread*****
- Thread starter QChawks
- Start date
There really aren't a lot of trade options that make a lot of sense, unless the Cubs really go outside the box or some other team has a very different value scale for some of the Cub assets. The best package the Cubs could put together would be some combo of Schwarber/Happ/Montgomery or possibly Quintana. Of course, they could always go crazy and deal a Hendricks, Baez, Contreras or Bryant, but that's not happening.
While it might have been smartest to extract max value in the offseason after 2015 or even 2016, this is a reasonable play. The trade return for him right now would be light, most likely.
I tend to agree that LA/Philly are the two biggest spots to land. Harper is young enough that a 4-5 year deal makes sense. $200mil for 4-5 years and a 7-8 yr contract after that. If he signs a 10 year contract and things go bad...he's done by age 36.
Oof...at 12-14 years, I'd want no part of the deal and would, in fact, want him to go to STL.
After the failed ARod and Cano deals... there isn't a GM on the face of the earth that goes over 10. Hell... 8 years would be my max.
Hosmer got 150 for being a nice guy. I can see it being structured like Stanton but more money up front.
Agreed. He's young enough to justify 8 if there's enough competition for him. Barring injury (he hasn't shown anything chronic so far), there's no reason to think he won't be productive into his 30s. Even if he's starting to tail off by age 34, the relative cost of those last 2 seasons would likely be well worth his 26-30 seasons.
Tulo would be an interesting pickup, depending on the price. Might be able to get a reasonable 1-year deal with a team option or something. I wouldn't pay a ton, though.
Toronto owes him the rest of his contract so he can be had for the league minimum.
Yes, but if more than one team goes after him, that could pump up the price. But yeah, the Cubs should pursue him. If he has anything left in the tank, he's a nice pickup and may be that veteran leader Theo was talking about. If he doesn't have much left, then he's a cheap cover for Russell's suspension and the Cubs could keep him or dump him after that.
You had me at league minimum.
Who is going to close for the Cubs next season? I ask that in the middle of the let's give Bryce Harper $400 million discussion. This team has holes that won't all be filled by on FA
I don't hate the idea of adding to the pen and letting Strop close. I think he's capable and if the rest of the pen is bolstered, I think it would work. You'd also have the potential of Morrow later in the season.
Brandon Hyde is off to Baltimore to be the Orioles manager. There has been a lot of turnover on the staff this off season. Considering this may be Maddon's last season I have no doubt that filling some of the jobs has been a challenge.
The Cubs and the Rangers might be discussing a trade involving Jurickson Profar. That would be interesting. Profar was the top prospect in baseball in 2013 and swiftly rose to the majors. 2 years ago, I believe, I saw him in Des Moines. He's had a lot of injuries, so maybe this is a deal worth exploring. He would certainly shore up the middle of the infield.
Joe Maddon would have to win the World Series in
2019 in order for Theo to re-hire him. The window
of opportunity for the Cubs and Maddon is slowing
closing shut. Darvish, Chatwood, and Morrow were
all huge disappointments in 2018. It is unlikely that
Baez will have another year like the last one. Bryant
needs to return to 35 HRs and 110 RBIs in 2019
2019 in order for Theo to re-hire him. The window
of opportunity for the Cubs and Maddon is slowing
closing shut. Darvish, Chatwood, and Morrow were
all huge disappointments in 2018. It is unlikely that
Baez will have another year like the last one. Bryant
needs to return to 35 HRs and 110 RBIs in 2019
It sounds like David Ross wants the bench coach job.
My understanding is that when a player is released with a guaranteed contract he can only be signed for the minimum unless he is paid more than his guaranteed contract.
That would be a well struck double to the gap of a hire. I would say home run, but, it’s Ross we are talking about.
There is nothing to bid against. He has a contract that the Jays are on the hook for. It will be about comfort level for him, and what he has left in the tank.
I’m interested in profar. Could be a potential steal and a possible .260-.275 25 home run guy. Make him and Russell split time and battle it out for playing time going forward.
Maybe that's true. I'll plead ignorance here. If so, then hell yeah, I want the Cubs to get him. Tulo at the league minimum is a steal, even if he's bad.
In all seriousness, though, I have no issues with Theo listening to any offer that comes across his desk.....he just has to make sure that any deal he makes brings in an appropriate return. Any trade involving Kris Bryant would need to be an absolute blockbuster and bring the Cubs a massive return.
On Twitter this afternoon, Ken Rosenthal and Bob Nightengale both tweeted that the Cubs are in pursuit of Daniel Descalso, a utility infielder most recently with Arizona. Nightingale suggests that the Cardinals are also involved, and Cubs may be restricted for bidding because of their budget.
Most of the media reports about the Cubs have indicated that they will not be big spenders this offseason. Theo himself has even indicated as much. That said, the Cubs will likely have a top 5 payroll.
All year long, conventional wisdom was that the Cubs would likely make a big offer to Bryce Harper. This heightened when the offense broke (quoting Theo) during the second half.
Below are some possible reasons for the current narrative that the Cubs will not be spending big:
A. The new TV deal on the horizon appears to not be as lucrative as once thought.
B. Theo's poor signings last offseason have Tom Ricketts hesitant to break the bank again.
C. They don't believe Bryce Harper is worth the money, and want to get more aggressive next offseason.
D. Concerns about inability to develop cost-controlled pitching have Cubs gunshy about long-term payroll commitments.
E. This is all a smokescreen and they are giving the appearances of not spending big to avoid a multi-team bidding war.
Which of these (can be a combination) is most plausible?
Most of the media reports about the Cubs have indicated that they will not be big spenders this offseason. Theo himself has even indicated as much. That said, the Cubs will likely have a top 5 payroll.
All year long, conventional wisdom was that the Cubs would likely make a big offer to Bryce Harper. This heightened when the offense broke (quoting Theo) during the second half.
Below are some possible reasons for the current narrative that the Cubs will not be spending big:
A. The new TV deal on the horizon appears to not be as lucrative as once thought.
B. Theo's poor signings last offseason have Tom Ricketts hesitant to break the bank again.
C. They don't believe Bryce Harper is worth the money, and want to get more aggressive next offseason.
D. Concerns about inability to develop cost-controlled pitching have Cubs gunshy about long-term payroll commitments.
E. This is all a smokescreen and they are giving the appearances of not spending big to avoid a multi-team bidding war.
Which of these (can be a combination) is most plausible?
Maybe even more than that, the Cubs need to make some real decisions about Schwarber, Happ, Almora, Russell, Contreras, Hendricks and Baez. They're not all going to have 3-4 year runs with the Cubs and their costs are all going to escalate significantly over the next couple of seasons. Those decisions might have to be addressed before adding another big contract.
Also, this team, as constructed, is still a really good baseball team.
I think that’s the thing most people are missing, they won 95 games last year while playing 50 games without kB.
