*****Official Cubs 2024 thread*****
- Thread starter QChawks
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- qcpizzasucks
Your shtick is old. You need a new one.
I was really looking forward to the game today, especially with Horton being the SP. Unfortunately it's a rain out. Marquee went to some interviews from the Cubs Convention and I had a good laugh in an interview with Ben Zobrist. "What advice are you looking forward to giving your kids and grandkids"? My response was, "Don't marry a crazy person that thinks they can sing"?
As should everyone in this thread who is tired of a schtick versus a freewheeling discussion of the Cubs.
Happ will be the DH today. Hopefully he gets into the field quickly.
Mervis and Keegan Thompson were sent to the AAA camp today, another cut was Cam Sanders. He was no threat to make the MLB roster, but he got some good exposure this Spring, and he's further proof the system is stocked with power arms.
Mervis and Keegan Thompson were sent to the AAA camp today, another cut was Cam Sanders. He was no threat to make the MLB roster, but he got some good exposure this Spring, and he's further proof the system is stocked with power arms.
If Cam can get even a bit of command, he’s going to be a problem for hitters out of the Cubs pen for years.
So, with Smyly looking like a rotation candidate to start the season, are the Cubs going with the "no lefty in the bullpen" approach for the 2nd straight year? I was utterly shocked to see a major league team do that last year, and even more shocked that they are doing it again. At least last season they had Leiter, who was reliable against lefties; might not be so reliable this year. Not sure trading Horn was the best idea. Maybe Luke Little will break camp with the big leaguers....
It’s going to be interesting to watch. If Taillon only misses 2 turns through the rotation, that may mean the Cubs only need 1 spot start in that stretch (they can go 4 games and then back to Steele), but right now, I’d probably put odds on Assad and Little making the OD roster, which would give them flexibility to start Smyly or Assad and then have 3 guys who are effective against lefties: Little, Neris (his split plays well against L) and Leiter.
Also worth noting, though, is that the Cub rotation will have 3-4 lefties in the rotation, so most starting lineups they see will probably be pretty righty-heavy, which changes the matchup game a little bit.
They have guys who can handle lefties, but you are correct about Leiter. I’m worried that Ross destroyed his arm last year.
If he did, the Cubs have the depth to move him along when the time comes.
This is sooo much better than looking at a roster containing Rios, Torrens, Hosmer, Mancini and Barnhart.
Getting close! Padres - Dodgers started the season this morning. 
Ok - 1 week until opening day!
Everyone predict the opening day roster. Let's see who gets closest:
SP - Steele, Hendricks, Imanaga, Wicks, Smyly
RP - Almonte, Alzolay, Cuas, Leiter, Little, Merryweather, Neris, Palencia
C - Gomes, Amaya
IF - Busch, Cooper, Hoerner, Mastrobuoni, Morel, Swanson
OF - Bellinger, Canario, Happ, Suzuki, Tauchman
10-day IL - Taillon, Madrigal, Wisdom
60-day IL - Kilian
Optioned - Arias, Assad, Brown, Hodge, K Thompson, Wesneski, Alcantara, PCA, Davis, Mervis, Vazquez
I'd personally rather see Assad in the opening day rotation, with Smyly in the bullpen and Palencia getting some time to work at AAA. But, Assad has had a rough spring, the team seems bound and determined to keep Smyly as a starter and Wicks has been too good.
Everyone predict the opening day roster. Let's see who gets closest:
SP - Steele, Hendricks, Imanaga, Wicks, Smyly
RP - Almonte, Alzolay, Cuas, Leiter, Little, Merryweather, Neris, Palencia
C - Gomes, Amaya
IF - Busch, Cooper, Hoerner, Mastrobuoni, Morel, Swanson
OF - Bellinger, Canario, Happ, Suzuki, Tauchman
10-day IL - Taillon, Madrigal, Wisdom
60-day IL - Kilian
Optioned - Arias, Assad, Brown, Hodge, K Thompson, Wesneski, Alcantara, PCA, Davis, Mervis, Vazquez
I'd personally rather see Assad in the opening day rotation, with Smyly in the bullpen and Palencia getting some time to work at AAA. But, Assad has had a rough spring, the team seems bound and determined to keep Smyly as a starter and Wicks has been too good.
The Cubs better release their Japanese garbage before shit starts to hit the fan. Ohtani should be banned from baseball and Yamamoto was absolutely horrendous this morning.
I like Assad in the rotation. He's versatile, and has a good mix of pitches. He's a guy that should get you through the opponents line up twice when he starts, and with the start of the season having built in off days this shouldn't be long term. Smyly from the pen gives one lefty, in a role he proved to be effective at last season. Unless Little makes the squad you need to have one left down in the pen.
Interestingly enough the starting staff is homegrown, somewhat. Hendricks was traded for and developed with no MLB experience. Assad, Wicks, and Steele are homegrown. Shota... Well, squint and you can see an international FA as being homegrown. Squint hard and you can see it.
Seems like he should be ok. Ball bounced first and he was able to walk off with only a slight limp.
Other than which relievers make it and who starts on IL, it seems the last 40-man rosterquestions come down to Carl Edwards Jr and David Peralta.
Keeping Cooper meant sending Canario down. Yes, he hits lefties well, or did in the past, anyway. I’m disappointed to keep a 33 year old just because you kind of have to, and you know you have options in Canario. Cooper can DH and play a marginal 1B. So, does he stay when Wisdom comes back?
I know he needs to keep hitting, but at what point would they they turn to Shaw at 3B?
Assuming he continues to rake, we’ll see him this year if they need him, possibly as early as June.
Such an unavoidable problem. Jed has just been too slow to pull the trigger, plain and simple. Kilian, Wisdom and Madrigal have all been obvious trade bait since well before their injuries. None of them have a long-term future with the Cubs. Now, instead of having some more decent mid-level prospects in the system and room on the 40-man, we have a glut of injured players doing not much more than taking up space, and are now worth fringe prospects at best. I feel like Jed has the attitude of "I acquired these guys, and by-golly, I'm bound and determined to make sure they are great players for the Cubs so everyone sees what a genius I am...."
Disagree on Kilian, but agree on the other two. Kilian wasn’t really tradeable and i was confident that what we were seeing this spring was still in there.
