it's finally over 
*****Official Cubs 2023 thread*****
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Yep, that’s why the Cubs should often look at the Rays and A’s as potential offseason trade partners.
The Rays are also looking at packaging some of their position players like Josh Lowe and Brujan. They like some of their younger guys coming up while also creating spots on the 40 man. I wouldn’t give up much for Glasnow, if you can get him at the right price, maybe but I’d probably pass.
I figured that this move signaled the end of the Zach McKinstry Experience. Guess not.
I think there’s still some “the end of” drops coming, I think they’ll just make them piecemeal as they add players. I think Ortega, McKinstry, Leiter Jr., Rivas, Rucker, Higgins are all at risk depending on who the Cubs pick up.
I doubt most of these guys will survive the 40-man throughout the entire offseason. I think maybe 2 of these guys at the most will hang on, with maybe another 1-2 getting non-roster invites to Spring Training for the Cubs if they're still with the organization after being outrighted.
Vizcaino's future with the organization is still up in the air, I guess.
Yeah, nobody seems to have a read on Vizcaino. He didn’t report, but it now seems like the Cubs have had some contact, so we’ll see. I think you’re right about the 40-man, but I can see the Cubs’ decision to not move some of these guys until they have a replacement. If they’re looking at trades, those drop guys aren’t going to be centerpieces, but you never know when they might be an add-on to help get a deal done because that team needs one more bench bat or a 5th OF or whatever.
Greg Huss of Northside Bound and the Cubs on Deck podcast joins me tonight!
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The problem is the Cubs need a CF and the options seem to be these (and remember the Cubs non-tendered Ortega, along with Marquez and Vizcaino):
- Sign a FA CF where the market is largely Judge, Nimmo or bust. The Cubs aren’t in the Judge sweepstakes and if they’re talking extension with Happ, going for Nimmo makes no sense with the OF prospects the Cubs have.
- Trades - maybe there is one. Dominic Fletcher is a guy largely blocked in Arizona because they’re stocked with LHH OFs and could use righty pop. Velazquez or Wisdom To AZ for Fletcher could be a better move than a low-end flier.
- Low-end CF candidates - Bellinger’s glove plays right now and while he’s been absolutely lost, maybe a new voice and a change of scenery can rejuvenate him. He has theoretical upside that no other low-end pickup has. Kiermaier is another guy who is glove-first and has never been a great hitter. He’s also coming off hip surgery. Maybe he’s right and he can get back to what he was doing 2-3 years ago or maybe it’s a struggle.
- Go with Morel/Velazquez and/or Darius Hill (as long as he’s not taken in the Rule 5) until Davis or PCA is ready.
Bellinger has sucked at the plate for 2 seasons. I assume the Dodgers tried lots of stuff. I’d rather they stick Morel out there full time if they can’t land a FA or make a deal. Or, Happ. He can play CF. I understand you don’t want to move a guy who blossomed by staying in one spot for a season, but counting on a change of scenery is like sprinkling fairy dust around.
I’d imagine that quite a few teams are interested in Bellinger, given that he isn’t that far removed from an MVP season. I’d pass on that at this point in the process and look at much cheaper options like Kiermeier or Engle, given that whomever roams CF is really just a placeholder until some of the younger guys develop.
Bellinger is going to look for a 1 year deal now that supposedly he is getting healthy and then try and get a bigger deal next year. I would give him a 1 year $12 million deal and hope you hit it big.
Yeah, of course, if you can get him at $12 million, but I doubt he comes that cheap, especially with the Mets and Yankees potentially looking for outfielders.
Let someone else roll the dice if it’s anything over $10 million. Hard pass if he gets offers over that. I don’t want lottery tickets this year.
I’m interviewing former Iowa RB and current Myrtle Beach Pelicans S&C coach Mark Weisman tomorrow. Should be interesting to get into how he transitioned from FB to baseball, some of the techniques and gear he’s using in MB and being pretty much at the point of the spear for Cubs development - lots of top guys coming through MB this year and beyond.
Happy to take questions if there are things you’d want answered.
Happy to take questions if there are things you’d want answered.
I think it's really cool how your podcast is growing and taking the conversation into different areas. Nice to see your time and hard work pay off. The question I have is, does he have any interest in becoming an offensive coordinator with a midwestern college football team? (I hope you know I'm joking...)
Haha, I’ll have to see if I can slip that in there (probably not).
Thanks, I’m trying to find areas I don’t hear discussed a lot and see if I can fill that gap. In this case, I took a shot on the Iowa connection and Weisman was super cool about it and I’m really interested to get his take on S&C role in player dev.
He probably heard that your podcast is kind of a big deal.
I would be interested on the overall mix of training. Years ago it was just throwing around the iron in the gym. What techniques and what stuff do they use that is specific to building good baseball muscle? What is the mix on training for strength versus burst and overall fitness. I am not articulate on this, but just having big muscles doesn't translate into turning a fastball into a homer. How much resistance work do they do?
He, too, can be one of tens of followers. I guess it’s an exclusive club.
Good call on what he’s doing and having the guys do and also where that fits in the overall development. In the majors, Hoerner isn’t going to sit out 3 days because of a lifting program, but in-season for guys who are young and trying to add muscle (Triantos, Alcantara, for instance) does the weight room ever take priority over a game? How tightly do the hitting/pitching coaches work with Mark on development plans? I’m also really curious about what they’re going to do with the prospect camp and how involved S&C is in that. Lots of fascinating stuff here.
Speaking of Hoerner, that might be what I was driving at with the mix of S&C he uses and what the Cubs use. He isn't winging it. A guy like Hoerner is plenty fit, but he keeps getting those bendy / stretchy injuries. Are they so advanced that they tailor programs to guys with a history of certain injuries and thinking their muscles just react differently to stress? Is he a guy they need to get with a flexibility program versus a strength centric program?
However you decide to incorporate that mash of a paragraph, I'm sure it will be interesting.
Mark - Lucas from HORT wants to know….
Seriously, good question. I already have the topic in my list, but I was thinking about it from the other side - how they handle guys coming back from injury, but prep to avoid wear & tear injuries is also a good angle.
I think you’ll enjoy the interview. Mark talked a lot about stack training and the work they do to monitor load and burst to tell when guys are dragging and to ensure that they’re hitting upper force limits regularly, but not too much. On the too much side, think Hoerner and building up fatigue leading to injury. On the making sure guys hit upper force regularly, think old fat dudes playing softball once a week and pulling a hammy the first time they move faster than 3mph.
He was great, I can’t wait to get this episode out!
Jose Abreau is off the market. He is going to the Astros.
How will this impact the Cubs? Josh Bell still lingers as a decent option. It's apparent the Cubs aren't going to hand the job to Mash Mervis, but I wonder if absent a trade for a 1B/DH, would they consider moving Wisdom over to 1B? Especially if they do make a splash with an elite FA signing in the infield.
How will this impact the Cubs? Josh Bell still lingers as a decent option. It's apparent the Cubs aren't going to hand the job to Mash Mervis, but I wonder if absent a trade for a 1B/DH, would they consider moving Wisdom over to 1B? Especially if they do make a splash with an elite FA signing in the infield.
I think 1B right now has Mervis/Wisdom platoon unless the Cubs find someone better. I don’t think they’ll go hard after Bell (and I’m not sure he makes sense at the likely 4 years he’s probably going to get). His D isn’t good at all and not sure he’s worth it at 4 years into his mid-30s.
I’m not really excited about Wisdom as the platoon partner, but in a platoon, he’s mostly facing lefties and he has a career 126 wRC+ vs. lefties (99 vs. righties in his career).
But nothing happens in a vacuum - if they do go with Mervis/Wisdom, then maybe they look at a 3B in FA or trade.
I’m not really excited about Wisdom as the platoon partner, but in a platoon, he’s mostly facing lefties and he has a career 126 wRC+ vs. lefties (99 vs. righties in his career).
But nothing happens in a vacuum - if they do go with Mervis/Wisdom, then maybe they look at a 3B in FA or trade.
Jon Heyman lists the Cubs as the favorite to sign Dansby Swanson. I'm a little like Brett Taylor, not my first choice, but I'd be good with the signing. 6 years for $140 seems decent given how much money some of the broken armed pitchers are getting so far this offseason.
https://www.bleachernation.com/cubs...-names-cubs-the-favorites-for-dansby-swanson/
https://www.bleachernation.com/cubs...-names-cubs-the-favorites-for-dansby-swanson/
He’s last on my list, but I refuse to be pissed about which guy they get if the Cubs sign one of those 4 FAs. If it’s Dansby, I’ll enjoy elite SS and 2B defense and his speed and hope last year with the bat wasn’t a fluke. 6/$140M would be very solid based on how numbers are coming in so far and would leave the Cubs with more to use elsewhere.
He costs a pick, right?
What did you think of the Eflin deal? That was a head scratcher to me. In general it inflates the market.
Yes, he costs a pick. Correa is the only SS that doesn’t, IIRC.
The Eflin deal was surprising on 2 fronts - he got more than people expected, and that it was from the Rays. So far, just about every deal has been bigger than expected. I think we’re going to see some big numbers this offseason. I think I saw a tweet that it was the biggest FA contract the Rays have ever signed, which is A) a big move for them now and B) really? 3/$40M is the biggest ever? Maybe I saw something wrong.
I would love Correa but would be thrilled with Swanson, in fact in some ways I’d prefer him over Correa. Yesterday on the radio they were talking how the Cubs might not get any of the shortstops and that would really suck. Given the years/$ that have been given out so far, it’ll be interesting to see how it plays out at shortstop
One thing that’s important to remember is that there are 4 top SS available and 10-12 teams have been rumored interested in them. I absolutely believe there are 6-8 serious players at a minimum (including at least 2-3 of the teams losing one). So there are going to be at least a couple teams that go in hard and come up short - and it could be more if there are still SS on the board when Judge signs.
I still expect the Cubs to get one. I do think Jed will do what it takes, but there are no guarantees.
Yeah, the market is really interesting right now, especially for the shortstops. Some teams I didn’t envision getting into the SS market could make it really interesting. I agree, something will get done, it’s just a matter of cost.
