*******Official Cubs 2025 Thread*******
- Thread starter hawkifann
- Start date
Close to contending… for the Central? A Wild Card spot?
Don’t flip a top prospect for a 1 year rental unless you’re ready to win it all.
If he’s a 5 WAR player that puts the cubs in the mid to upper 80s in wins….should contend in central with Milwaukee taking a step back
Cubs traded from a position of depth. I like Cam Smith and he has a ton of potential, but he was the Cubs #7 prospect. I love the Cubs getting some star power in the lineup this year. I think they’re closer than most of you think they are. I also don’t think the Cubs make this move if they’re not ready to compete hard to get him signed long-term. One underrated aspect here is that the Cubs now have until November to have exclusive negotiation rights and the ability for him to experience Chicago in the summer, having Wrigley as home base and a year with the fans. That’s a better recruiting pitch than any 2-hr meeting with videos and PowerPoint presentations could be next November.
Most importantly to me? They’re finally starting to act with a little sense of urgency. This wasn’t a risk-free move, but that’s a big part of why I like it. This is really the first big swing Jed Hoyer has taken as POBO. There’s more to do this offseason, but I like where they’re going.
Most importantly to me? They’re finally starting to act with a little sense of urgency. This wasn’t a risk-free move, but that’s a big part of why I like it. This is really the first big swing Jed Hoyer has taken as POBO. There’s more to do this offseason, but I like where they’re going.
They won 83 games 2 years running and really didn’t lose anyone significant to free agency. Their projections were going to mid 80s wins if they did very little. Now they’ve added a 5 WAR player capable of more (he had more than 4 WAR in only 78 games last year), they’ve cleared dead wood from their bench and a deeper stable of hard-throwing arms in the pen than they’ve ever had. There’s more to do, but I think this move puts them in position to be upper 80s wins and with another good move or two, I could see that 90-92 win projection team we all want to see.
Also watch what they do with the bench. There will be space for kids to play and look for Craig to have a bench he’ll actually play, which will hopefully keep guys healthier overall and generally more productive. Dansby, Nico and Belli played through injuries most of last year and it impacted production for sure.
I really like this trade all around. Obviously thrilled the Cubs got Tucker, but on the other side, Isaac Paredes goes to a stadium that’s almost literally tailored to his swing and he’s going to thrive. Hayden goes back closer to home and lands with a team that’s among the best at player development, he’s going to have a chance for a fresh start and probably become a really productive reliever. Cam Smith remains a very good prospect and would seem to have a pretty clear path as the heir apparent to Paredes at 3B in Houston.
Don't undersell Hunter Bigge or Ty Johnson. I still consider that trade (for Paredes) to be a disaster, but I'm a lot happier now.
I've been promoting the move of Busch back to 3B for quite some time. Now it makes perfect sense (unless the Cubs actually trade Belli, which I hope they don't - I know I'm in the minority).
Like I've posted a few times, I'd sure like to see Busch back at 3B. It was the position he played most in AAA and with the Dodgers. I want them to keep Belli and put him at 1B, where he is still excellent defensively and he's much less likely to get hurt again.
The starting OF is obviously set. Canario is out of options so he'll obviously be on the active roster all season unless hurt (again) or traded, giving Alcantara and Caissie more time at AAA until needed. If he could play 1B it would be great to have him as a backup there, especially if Belli is traded, and he'd get a lot more chance to play than if he's only the 4th OF. He'd probably get a lot of starts against lefties. I've got to think that Suzuki is full-time DH while he is on the Cubs.
If Belli is traded and Busch is the full-time 1B, then I don't know what their plan for 3B would be. If we have to rely on Mastro, that would be a borderline disaster. It would be fabulous if both Shaw and Workman stay on the roster and thrive at the Major League level, but I don't know what the chances are of that. Vasquez is on the 40-man waiting for a chance, also. Whatever they come up with is better than having Paredes there, that's for sure.
I hope they don’t just give Bellinger away to the Yanks. There’s nothing wrong with Belli at 1B and Busch at 3B.
Are we trying to go 5 lefty starters and no lefties in the bullpen?
BTW, who is Owen Cassie?
Think Jesus is one of those classic tease aces as well. Always got an injury or losses some control for awhile.
Why do you think Milwaukee is taking a step back? Adames is a loss, but they just strengthened their rotation, still have the deepest bullpen in the division, getting Yelich back healthy & have a ton of young everyday players that are only getting better.
I have little-to-no interest in Castillo or Luzardo, especially with the names being thrown around going in return. I’d rather wait and try an almost free reclamation project in Jordan Montgomery.
Caissie is an AAA outfielder who hits for power and average. I think he is only 22 or maybe 23 years old.
He is the last promising prospect the Cubs received in the Yu Darvish trade to San Diego a few years ago.
They need a 3B. Wish Bergman would decide already and get the ball rolling. Too bad Yelich is too selfish to learn 1B. Team would be a heck of a lot better with him there. Milwaukee is an interesting team lots of arms there. A couple could take big jumps. Hall, Ashby, or Miz.
Castillo is 32 correct. His K numbers are going down a smidge. Never been a big inng eater every year either. Jesus is plain too risky. Unless it’s a real bargain .
Yep…I’m all for adding additional starters, but don’t particularly like either. I’d look at adding some free-agents that will be cheaper all the way around than trading for either of those guys.
As for starters, I like the Luzardo upside if the up front cost isn’t too high. Another play I really like is Walker Buehler. I think there’s a real chance to get him on a reasonable 2-3 year deal with incentives and options. He had his struggles coming back from TJ last year (not uncommon), but he looked GREAT in the postseason and I’ve heard him say he really started to trust his arm more late in the year.
3/4 like. I'll pass on Luzardo unless there is a player coming with him, preferably a reliever. Castillo is owed $60 million, and his velocity is down 2mph, but he's serviceable. I think Buehler is gettable.
Sasaki remains my pipe dream.
I think Adames and the best closer in the division are big losses. Yelich has a hard time staying healthy. I see them in the 85-88 win range. That being said they seem to always surprise.
Williams played a fraction of the season, Megill will close and he was really good in that role, they are set at closer. Replacing Adames’ production will be a big challenge.
I’ll believe Milwaukee has fallen back when they’ve fallen back. That said, I will most likely underrate them again because I think they lost some pretty big anchors this offseason.
I guess I'm not a fan of getting rid of Belli. Even if his bat never became quite what it was in '23, they would miss his excellent defense at multiple positions, not to mention his leadership.
Unless the Cubs made more moves to counter this, trading Belli would result in:
1) Michael Busch having to play 1B, with literally no one on the team with experience at 1B as a backup (unless Mervis were to suddenly emerge)
2) 4th outfielder being either Suzuki (who has only played RF and rather poorly) or someone with essentially no MLB experience (Canario, Caissie, Alcantara, etc)
3) No third baseman. The only one left on the roster with Major League experience at 3B is Mastro (46 games), who is a fringe Major Leaguer at best. They would be counting on someone currently with no or essentially no Major League experience to step into the role (Vazquez, Shaw, Workman, Triantos, etc).
I guess I don't get it, especially with the talks of the Cubs eating ~1/2 of Belli's salary if a trade were to happen (i.e. it wouldn't be just a salary dump). Yeah, I'd love it if a bunch of rookies stepped into roles and were very successful right away, but I'm not sure that counting on that would be considered a sound strategy....
Problem is we have 1 extra starter for the OF, DH, and 1B and none of them can play anywhere else so Bellinger is likey to be traded but the prospect better be great if the Cubs are covering half of his salary this year.
I don’t think the Cubs will eat half of the salary remaining on CB’s deal. And, we just don’t know the roster, yet. There are lots of guys out there the Cubs could take a 1 year flier on to back up at 1st or 3rd. Vazquez will certainly be in the mix for several spots. Spitballing, but I imagine Suzuki could stand at 1B and be credible considering he was originally a 3rd baseman. That would be an emergency deal, though.
If Canario stays on the roster he can play all OF positions.
For those of you who enjoy Al Yellon’s fascination with numbers and trivia type stuff, the Cubs will have three of the top ten picks from the 2015 draft this upcoming season.
Swanson was picked first, Tucker was fifth, and Happ was the eighth pick.
Swanson was picked first, Tucker was fifth, and Happ was the eighth pick.
Whether it’s true, or a rumor Jed is pushing, the Giants are in on Bellinger. I always thought every team that didn’t get Soto would kick the tires on Bellinger. The Cubs shouldn’t eat any money on dealing him. 2 years and $50 million isn’t terrible.
The fact that the trade isn’t done yet after seeming imminent for 3 days is telling me it may not happen. The Yankees are reportedly pushing for more and more money. The Yankees don’t have a great system and aren’t giving up Jasson Dominguez (their top prospect) for Bellinger, so if they’re not taking a sizeable chunk of the contract, then the Cubs might as well keep Bellinger or trade him somewhere else.
I can live with kicking in a little money to buy up the return a little, but to the level of like $6-8M, maybe $10M max if you’re getting back a prospect you really like.
Buying a prospect is fine. Some people are acting like the Cubs MUST trade Bellinger, and they MUST eat half the contract.
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