I'm sorry, but reading about a team potentially upgrading the offense and defense at the 3B position by getting Madrigal, especially an organization like the Yankees, is just kinda funny.
Watch Michael Arias, too. Has a great pitch mix and a really good change to play off high 90s stuff. A bad team could probably just grab him and put him in the bullpen for 2024.
Good call, my friend. I thought he was too far away from Majors, and wasn't at risk after a really lousy stretch at South Bend, but he's on the 40-man now.
I interviewed Greg Huss from Northside Bound/Cubs on Deck podcast tonight for my next episode and we spent some time talking about those guys. Seems the consensus on Arias was that is upside was too high to risk and that in spite of the struggles, he’s a guy a bad team may well have just gone for and kept on their active roster all year. I love his velo + elite change combo and the funky arm slot that really plays his fastball up.Good call, my friend. I thought he was too far away from Majors, and wasn't at risk after a really lousy stretch at South Bend, but he's on the 40-man now.
I do like the the fact that it’s harder to hide guys than it used to be given the pitcher roster limits and the requirement for the drafted player to be active (not on IL) for at least 90 days. That said, certainly a bad team that loves him could grab him and bury him on on their bench while they lose 100+ games.
My guess is that the Cubs took a chance leaving him unprotected due to the fact that they have former top prospect Amaya just reaching the majors and 20 yo Moises Ballesteros currently at the same level of the organization. Add to that the possibility of them having to add a catcher from AAA to the 40-man (preferably with Major League experience) should they have an injury to Gomes or Amaya.
They are getting to the point of having to make tough choices, which is nice. They will have a journeyman catcher or two at Iowa in 2024. Alliendo is a superior receiver. If he develops a little more with the bat he'll have a solid career as a 1A or back up catcher. I love Ballesteros, but I am not sure he'll stick at catcher. He's kind of short to play 1st consistently. He isn't nimble enough for 3B, but, that bat...
I would think Kohl Franklin would be the most likely loss (and possibly Aliendo). Kohl probably has good enough stuff to hide in a bad bullpen for a year. Pretty sure Clarke isn’t eligible for the Rule 5 again, but I could be wrong.
www.bleachernation.com
Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus have dropped their top 10 prospect lists. Only 11 players between the two lists, so there appears to be a lot of consensus.
The First Two Cubs Top-10 Prospect Lists Have Dropped, and I'm Loving the Updates - Bleacher Nation
The Cubs have a pretty clear top couple tiers of prospects in the farm system.
What’s sneaky about this compared to times in the past is that it’s not position vacant or position heavy.Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus have dropped their top 10 prospect lists. Only 11 players between the two lists, so there appears to be a lot of consensus.
The First Two Cubs Top-10 Prospect Lists Have Dropped, and I'm Loving the Updates - Bleacher Nation
The Cubs have a pretty clear top couple tiers of prospects in the farm system.
Yes, the Cubs have targets (Ohtani), and they aren't going to wait on Boras. If Bellinger is still around as ST approaches maybe they get back in.
He is on the list provided by thecubreporter.com. I'm certainly not an expert. That site also lists Bote and Wieck as R5D eligible, but since all 3 are Article XX-D players, I think that means that they can elect free agency at any time now, so although they may be technically eligible for the R5D, it would be a waste of pick??
Yes, we don't overpay for one year of production.
I could be wrong on Clarke, but I thought it was a one-time barrier, but Rule 5 is something I know probably just well enough to screw everything up. Also interesting on Bote & Wieck, given that they’ve actually played in the bigs before. Bote is probably going to play another year in Iowa unless the Cubs just let him go. He could declare free agency, but he’s set to make $5.5M this year from the Cubs and then has a team option for 2025 with a $1M buyout. If he opts for free agency, he’s giving up that money and he won’t get that anywhere else. If a team picks him in the R5, if he’s truly eligible, they’re also picking up that contract.
I’ve heard that the rest of the Brewers staff is going to stay and work for Murphy in Milwaukee. Not sure if that‘s 100% by choice or perhaps by Milwaukee denying permission to some to talk to the Cubs.
Some of it depends on how long Boras/Bellinger hold. None of the big position players are signing before Shohei does, just as it’s unlikely many of the top starting pitchers sign before Yamamoto, who is expected to set the market. Lower tier guys may start to go at some point where there’s a clear fit or a guy has a clear preference and that team is interested, but those top guys are going to hold until the dominoes start falling. Today’s non-tender deadline might also flip a surprise guy or two into the FA pool, so things will start getting more clear very soon, especially if Shohei signs before Winter Meetings.
The Wisdom deal is fascinating. I thought he was a potential non-tender candidate and then not only wasn’t he non-tendered, he signed for $500K more than Spotrac had him projected for.
Brewers were never going to pay $11 million for someone who isn't gonna pitch in 2024. I'm guessing Burnes & possibly Williams get dealt before the season. Division should be wide open for the Cubs
With so many teams looking for pitching, they would be able to get a lot back for Burnes and/or Williams. What a world we live in where Woodruff will probably get a raise and not pitch next season.
It depends on how a deal is structured. 2-3 years with team options and I can see a lot of teams taking a flier on him being back to form in 2025. The AAV would not be crazy.
Agree - lots of contract options on both the player and team side. 2-4 year deal with incentives and club options with maybe an opt-out stuck in there after year 2 (or 3 if it’s a 4-year deal). Very interesting guy to pursue, but so much of this stuff will fall into place after Ohtani signs wherever he signs.
