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*****Official Cubs 2024 Thread 🪦*****

lucas80 said:
BN’s all system team. Not exactly scientific, but it is interesting. If you haven’t noticed by now, I’m a huge Moises Ballesteros fan, and he clocks in as the top catcher. He split time at 1B this season. The bat could be special. He has great contact skills, plate coverage, and the ability to go the other way. Pablo Alliendo is honorable mention. I’d be tremendously pleased if either replicates success at AA next year.
Luis Vazquez was a glove only guy at SS who added 20 lbs of muscle and blossomed at the plate in AAA this year. Potential breakout Jefferson Rojas is right behind him. Triantos is another very intriguing young guy at 2B with phenomenal contact skills.
www.bleachernation.com

The 2023 BN Cubs All-System Team - Bleacher Nation

The top Chicago Cubs minor league performances this season from each spot.
www.bleachernation.com www.bleachernation.com
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Good list and I like the guys you called out. The big question with Ballesteros is whether he can stick at catcher. Some think so, some don’t. Either way, if he hits, they’ll find a spot.

I’m really excited about Rojas and Triantos was a HS 3B when they drafted him. I think he could potentially land in a few different spots if he hits enough.
 
lucas80 said:
You won’t do any better for a 1 year commitment.
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I’m curious if they tear it up and go with a 2-year deal to bring the AAV down. Something like 2/$20M or something like that.
 
hawkifann said:
Good list and I like the guys you called out. The big question with Ballesteros is whether he can stick at catcher. Some think so, some don’t. Either way, if he hits, they’ll find a spot.

I’m really excited about Rojas and Triantos was a HS 3B when they drafted him. I think he could potentially land in a few different spots if he hits enough.
Click to expand...
Good timing on Triantos. Saw this tonight:

 
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lucas80 said:
Also from Levine, Yuki Matsui is a Japanese pitcher the Cubs are looking at. For once the Cubs have serviceable young arms arriving, but I believe they will augment the bullpen and rotation via free agency this Winter with a few multiyear signings, plus the usual reclamation projects.
https://www.bleachernation.com/cubs...is-a-name-youre-hearing-for-the-chicago-cubs/
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I think they will also. I think they probably need 2 guys. There are a lot of arms coming to be optimistic about, but adding 2 established guys really deepens things. There’s a lot to like about the arms coming up through the system, including guys like Palencia/Little/Estrada who had their struggles in Chicago last year, but they can’t go into 2024 as a contender if those guys are the plan as the back end of the bullpen.
 
lucas80 said:
The Cubs and Kyle Hendricks are working on an extension per Bruce Levine.
https://www.bleachernation.com/cubs...o-cubs-working-on-a-kyle-hendricks-extension/
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I think this makes sense. Teams need to have 9-10 starter options if they hope to contend (Cubs started 9 guys last year and 10 in 2022). Hendricks is completely fine as a back-end rotation option and he’s done great work with the young pitchers and Amaya. He’s a good guy to hang around and an extension would likely lower his AAV from the $16M for his club option this year to something more like $10-12M for probably 2 years, with maybe a vesting option for 2026 if he hits certain incentive targets. Also wouldn’t be surprised if he winds up in the Cubs FO after this contract runs its course.
 
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win1forthe said:
Cubs losing Craig Breslow to the Red Sox. That will be a loss to the Cubs…
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It will be, but if he’s done the job we think he’s done, he’ll leave behind a strong org, possibly someone very much ready to take over his spot and/or Carter Hawkins came over based on his ability to build pitching orgs. I think they’ll be ok.
 
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win1forthe said:
Cubs losing Craig Breslow to the Red Sox. That will be a loss to the Cubs…
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Meh, he was leaving one way or the other. Kind of surprised he's getting a top job, but, good for him. Also, weird that a lot of people seem to have passed on taking this job with the Red Sox.
 
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hawkifann said:
It will be, but if he’s done the job we think he’s done, he’ll leave behind a strong org, possibly someone very much ready to take over his spot and/or Carter Hawkins came over based on his ability to build pitching orgs. I think they’ll be ok.
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Have you read any of the stuff in BN lately about Jed and Carter perhaps being too risk adverse, and how it might affect offseason deal making?
 
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HawkeyeHitman said:
Fire Ross
Release Happ
No more Japanese players
Hire Joe Girardi
No big named free agents let the young players develop
Moral needs to be in the lineup everyday. If he played as much as Happ this season he would have had 40 home runs.
Ian Happ needs to be made an example of.
Suzuki should be on thin ice. Don’t be afraid to release him during the season.
Get Swanson back on track. If Ross and Happ are gone it would help immensely.
Don’t overpay for Bellinger.
Let the kids play and learn from their mistakes.
They have a great farm system don’t overreact and over pay for free agents.
Click to expand...

Obviously you are into losing.
 
lucas80 said:
Have you read any of the stuff in BN lately about Jed and Carter perhaps being too risk adverse, and how it might affect offseason deal making?
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Not specifically from BN, but being too risk averse may be Jed’s fatal flaw as POBO. There’s a lot that Jed does that I think is really sound. You need to have a solid base of sound decision making to sustain consistent success, but if you never shoot your shot, if you never take a risk, then you’re basically never going to be a favorite unless everything just all magically comes together.

Jed has done a really good job rebuilding the internals of the Cubs organization and he’s done a great job rebuilding the system. I’m not a “Fire Jed” guy yet, but if we get to 2025 and the Cubs haven’t spend upper end money on any real star talent, then I probably will be.
 
St. Louis Hawk said:
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I’m assuming whoever takes Soto will be picking up the salary, that’s the primary point driving the trade in the first place. Cubs would probably still have to toss in a lower tier prospect or two, but I think the Cubs could get a deal done with either Morel or possibly a 2 organizational top 10s (not the top tier guys) plus a couple lottery tickets.
 
St. Louis Hawk said:
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If they make a trade for Soto, I would hope they could give up less than what the Nationals gave up to attain him as the Cubs would only get him for one season where the Nationals got him for 2 1/3 seasons. That trade gave the Nationals the following package:

Padres receive

Nationals receive

Bell and Voit were pretty much a wash at the time IMO, so given that the rest of what Washington received, that seems to be less than what Morel is worth today, especially since Morel is a proven commodity who I believe is under cost control through 2027, or maybe 2028. I would hope the Cubs could maybe give up a little less than Morel's current value.
 
TheCainer said:
If they make a trade for Soto, I would hope they could give up less than what the Nationals gave up to attain him as the Cubs would only get him for one season where the Nationals got him for 2 1/3 seasons. That trade gave the Nationals the following package:

Padres receive

Nationals receive

Bell and Voit were pretty much a wash at the time IMO, so given that the rest of what Washington received, that seems to be less than what Morel is worth today, especially since Morel is a proven commodity who I believe is under cost control through 2027, or maybe 2028. I would hope the Cubs could maybe give up a little less than Morel's current value.
Click to expand...
At the time the trade was made, Abrams (9), Hassell (37) and Gore (85) were all in MLB’s top 100. The value of those guys at the time that trade was made is more than Morel is worth now.

In terms of equivalent value to that deal, it would be like the Cubs giving up PCA (12), Horton (29) and Brown (86). Obviously the Cubs aren’t going to give up what Washington did for 2.5 years of control.
 
hawkifann said:
I’m assuming whoever takes Soto will be picking up the salary, that’s the primary point driving the trade in the first place. Cubs would probably still have to toss in a lower tier prospect or two, but I think the Cubs could get a deal done with either Morel or possibly a 2 organizational top 10s (not the top tier guys) plus a couple lottery tickets.
Click to expand...
I think what drives this is Soto is still young, and even though he’s a Boras player the team trading for him wants to sign him to a long term deal.
 
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lucas80 said:
I think what drives this is Soto is still young, and even though he’s a Boras player the team trading for him wants to sign him to a long term deal.
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He’d be as good a bet as there is for a long-term deal. He’ll be 25 in 2024 and his *worst* season is a 143 wRC+.
 
We’re getting closer and closer to the true offseason. Decisions on options, waiving players to clear 40-man spots and even a few teams signing their own FAs will begin when the WS is over (as early as Thursday if Texas holds this lead and wins tomorrow), then 5 days after the WS is over, everything starts for real.

 
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Hmmm, flames appearing under the smoke about the Padres being forced to slash payroll. They had to take out a $50 million loan this year. Not wholly uncommon, and they drew 3.3 million fans, but they are having TV revenue issues.
Soto must go, apparently. Anyone else worth kicking the tires on?
www.sportsnet.ca

Report: Padres took out $50-million loan to help pay salaries

The big-spending, small-market San Diego Padres took out a loan of about $50 million to help cover salary costs and short-term cash flow issues, The Athletic reported Wednesday.
www.sportsnet.ca www.sportsnet.ca
 
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