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*****Official Cubs 2022 thread*****

I am not a huge Taylor McGregor fan, but they need to keep going back to her for views of the gal in the black top with the big rack in the first row.
 
Why doesn't Kirk Ferentz sign the 7th inning stretch at Wrigley? Bret Bielema just did.
Oh. Now I remember. Too fun of a thing to do, and he'd have to be up after 9pm on a week night.
 
Vargas and Villar are still on the roster, so yes.
I think they are also one pitcher heavy, but they have some doubleheaders coming up. I know you get the bonus spot for those, but they might make some adjustments. Frazier coming back puts more pressure on a decision about Heyward.
 
I think they are also one pitcher heavy, but they have some doubleheaders coming up. I know you get the bonus spot for those, but they might make some adjustments. Frazier coming back puts more pressure on a decision about Heyward.
Yeah, I assume Morel was supposed to be just a temporary call up, but if he keeps producing, will they send him back down for some more "seasoning"?
Madrigal and Hoerner are both due back soon too, aren't they?

Cubs are going to have some serious roster juggling coming up soon.
 
Yeah, I assume Morel was supposed to be just a temporary call up, but if he keeps producing, will they send him back down for some more "seasoning"?
Madrigal and Hoerner are both due back soon too, aren't they?

Cubs are going to have some serious roster juggling coming up soon.
I don’t expect Morel to stay up long-term (though if he keeps crushing baseballs, there’s a chance). When Madrigal and Hoerner are both back, I would think he’d go back down. It’s one thing at that point to say he’s better than Vargas/Villar, but the kid is 22 and should be playing everyday, so if there’s not an avenue for that in Chicago (at MLB level, talking 3-4 starts per week), he’s better off going back down.
 
I don’t expect Morel to stay up long-term (though if he keeps crushing baseballs, there’s a chance). When Madrigal and Hoerner are both back, I would think he’d go back down. It’s one thing at that point to say he’s better than Vargas/Villar, but the kid is 22 and should be playing everyday, so if there’s not an avenue for that in Chicago (at MLB level, talking 3-4 starts per week), he’s better off going back down.
If sent back down, do you think it will be back to AA or to AAA? Seems like there are a lot of people at AAA too. Of course, his position versatility will open more opportunities for him wherever he ends up. Looks like he will be a fan favorite when he does finally stick with the Cubs.
 
If sent back down, do you think it will be back to AA or to AAA? Seems like there are a lot of people at AAA too. Of course, his position versatility will open more opportunities for him wherever he ends up. Looks like he will be a fan favorite when he does finally stick with the Cubs.
Probably doesn't matter at this point. The organization has moved a bunch of guys the last week. In a few weeks there wlll be more moves, and some cuts. As mentioned he just needs to play every day. If it's AA, let him keep working and go to AAA in July or August to get more challenging ABs.
 
If sent back down, do you think it will be back to AA or to AAA? Seems like there are a lot of people at AAA too. Of course, his position versatility will open more opportunities for him wherever he ends up. Looks like he will be a fan favorite when he does finally stick with the Cubs.
I don’t know that level matters. AAA would seem obvious, but sometimes, depending on the league, there can be as much or more high-end pitching in AA. If they think the pitching is equivalent, I’d say it wouldn’t matter a ton. While there are a lot of guys at Iowa, Myrtle Beach is also loaded, so maybe they can smooth some things out by getting him in at AAA. The positional flexibility actually helps.
 
Time to fatten up against the stunningly good Reds.
I question the line up that Ross is putting out tonight. Wisdom and Schwindel are not batting next to each other in the order. They could have gone back to back again.
 
I am not sure, but I thought I saw David Bote in the dugout before the game. He's been rehabbing in Des Moines. I don't think he can come off the IL until June? In general there aren't AAA games on Mondays, so they might have brought him over to do an evaluation.
 
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It is nice to see Morel get a start at shortstop tonight. I want to see as much of this kid as I can before he is shipped back to the minors.
 
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Maybe Morel can be the new Javy. The team needs a new face, and he has the personality to excite the fan base.
I think the fanbase will need to be careful to evaluate these guys based on who they are, not who used to be here. Javy's ceiling is/was league MVP-level performance. It's possible Morel may become an MLB utility player who brings a lot of energy. I think a lot of times fans see a kid have some success and start extrapolating out....sometimes a player is simply a useful major league contributor and never becomes an all star or superstar.

People should enjoy Morel for what he brings to the table, rather than being eventually disappointed that he's not Javy. Justin Steele is another guy - maybe he really develops to consistently do what he's done his last couple of starts, but even if he just becomes a somewhat inconsistent 3/4 starter, there's a place for that guy on a winning team.
 
Bottom of the article talks about the 4 players (Bryant, Rizzo, Schwarber, Baez). The Cubs absolutely made the correct decision on each of them. I would have loved to have Rizzo back at the deal he signed for this off season but I still agreed with trading him at the time.


I think most rational fans understood trading them. The frustrating thing is not spending the money you were playing them on other players.

They pretty much lost Darvish (22mil), Baez ($11.5), Rizzo ($16.5mil), Bryant ($19mil) and replaced them with Stroman(25mil) and Suzuki (17m).

The cubs should never be at the league average for payroll.
 
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I think most rational fans understood trading them. The frustrating thing is not spending the money you were playing them on other players.

They pretty much lost Darvish (22mil), Baez ($11.5), Rizzo ($16.5mil), Bryant ($19mil) and replaced them with Stroman(25mil) and Suzuki (17m).

The cubs should never be at the league average for

Completely disagree. Throwing money out just because they had it would be reverting back to the 1990-2010 Cubs. Way too many holes to fill to ever plan on being serious contenders this year, no matter how much they spend.
 
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Completely disagree. Throwing money out just because they had it would be reverting back to the 1990-2010 Cubs. Way too many holes to fill to ever plan on being serious contenders this year, no matter how much they spend.
There was one big failing, which led to other failings. The inability to develop pitching from 2014-2019 forced big money deals for Hamels and Darvish (maybe this one would have happened anyway) and led to the Quintana trade. Having to spend so much on pitching didn’t force them to not extend anyone, but it certainly contributed. The Cubs had one big wave of talent that came up together, won together and left together. The Cubs should have been working on extensions, trades, etc., to pick 1-2 to keep long-term, get return for some and then let some play to the end of their contracts.

What I wanted the Cubs to do was to get more guys for the 3-5 year time horizon. They weren’t going to buy a winner this year and it’s a good thing to get answers on some of these guys, but get another starter and another bat somewhere. A couple more guys wouldn’t hinder player development from the minors and wouldn’t be a waste of money. I hope the Cubs get into the Correa sweepstakes assuming he opts out of his contract this offseason. The Cubs should be able to win within the current parameters of the Stroman and Suzuki deals.
 
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