Along with this post, Tim Dierkes held a live Cubs-centric chat. Click here to read the transcript.
After falling just short of a Wild Card berth, the Cubs must re-sign Cody Bellinger or replace his production, while also considering improvements at the infield corners and in the starting rotation.
Guaranteed Contracts
- Dansby Swanson, SS: $157MM through 2029
- Ian Happ, LF: $61MM through 2026
- Seiya Suzuki, RF: $56MM through 2026
- Jameson Taillon, SP: $54MM through 2026
- Nico Hoerner, 2B: $35MM through 2026
Option Decisions
- Marcus Stroman, SP: can opt out of remaining one year, $21MM
- Drew Smyly, SP/RP: can opt out of remaining one year, $11MM
- Kyle Hendricks, SP: $16MM club option with a $1.5MM buyout
- Cody Bellinger, CF/1B: $25MM mutual option with a $5MM buyout
- Yan Gomes, C: $6MM club option with a $1MM buyout
- Brad Boxberger, RP: $5MM mutual option with an $800K buyout
Arbitration-Eligible Players (service time in parentheses; salary projections via Matt Swartz)
- Codi Heuer (4.000): $785K
- Nick Madrigal (3.163): $1.9MM
- Mike Tauchman (3.143): $2MM
- Nick Burdi (3.140): $800K
- Julian Merryweather (3.109): $1.3MM
- Patrick Wisdom (3.058): $2.6MM
- Adbert Alzolay (3.050): $2.5MM
- Mark Leiter Jr. (3.031): $1.6MM
- Justin Steele (2.143): $4.1MM
- Non-tender candidates: Heuer, Burdi, Wisdom
Free Agents
The Cubs generally weren’t being picked as a playoff team in the preseason, but by the end of August a Wild Card berth was looking likely. Instead, the team played to a 12-16 record in September and ultimately fell one win short of the Marlins and Diamondbacks (who held the tiebreaker over them anyway). The shape and timing of the team’s record was painful for fans, but in the end this was simply an 83-win team.
Last winter’s big addition, Dansby Swanson, played just about as well as the Cubs could’ve hoped. Mirroring the team as a whole, the shape of his contributions was less than ideal, as Swanson limped to an 86 wRC+ over the season’s final two months. Still, Swanson hit well enough overall and led all MLB shortstops in defensive Outs Above Average en route to a 4.9 fWAR season that bested fellow 2022-23 free agents Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts, and Carlos Correa.
The Cubs are in great shape in the middle infield, having added a year of control for Nico Hoerner in a late March extension. Hoerner provided similar value to his double play partner Swanson, ranking fourth among second baseman in Outs Above Average and posting 4.7 WAR.
On the catching front, free agent signing Tucker Barnhart was inked to a two-year deal in the offseason but was released by August. The lion’s share of work behind the dish went to Yan Gomes, whose 821 2/3 defensive innings at catcher were his most since 2018. Gomes put in solid work, and the Cubs figure to pick up his option. But at age 36, he can’t be counted on for the same workload in 2024.
Longtime Cubs catching prospect Miguel Amaya made the team for good in June, supplanting Barnhart. Amaya hit well enough overall in his 156 plate appearances, though he did not receive consistent playing time from manager and former catcher David Ross. The Gomes-Amaya job share seems likely to shift more toward Amaya in 2024, and a significant addition at catcher seems unlikely.
The Cubs are also set at the outfield corners with Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki, both of whom are under contract through 2026 after Happ’s April extension. Similar to the Cubs’ middle infield combination, Happ played about as well as could be expected. Suzuki’s season was uneven, but could be viewed as a leap forward given a wRC+ jump from 116 to 126. He had a brutal June, perhaps affected by neck issues. But once the calendar turned to August, Suzuki started hitting like a superstar. His 183 wRC+ over the season’s final two months ranked third in all of baseball, behind only Mookie Betts and Marcell Ozuna.
The Cubs may need Suzuki to anchor their lineup next year, because Cody Bellinger’s excellent bounceback season could lead him to greener pastures. Bellinger, 28, made good on his one-year deal to lead the Cubs with a 134 wRC+. The likely Comeback Player of the Year split his time between center field and first base, cutting his strikeouts dramatically and crushing 26 home runs. Bellinger started out strong in April but had been in the midst of a slump upon hitting the IL in late May for a bruised knee. After a monthlong absence, Bellinger failed to hit the ground running.
Something clicked around June 27th, and Bellinger amazingly hit .414/.448/.682 with 11 home runs over his next 172 plate appearances. It was, quite possibly, a $100MM hot streak. Bellinger posted a 103 wRC+ from August 13th forward, but on the whole did well to erase the 2020-22 struggles that led him to a one-year deal.
Those struggles were explained away by agent Scott Boras as injury-related, with Boras saying the Dodgers had “asked [Bellinger] to play with a 35% strength deficiency.” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman called that “a very convenient narrative,” and Boras subsequently walked back his comments somewhat. Understanding how Bellinger went from the 2019 MVP, to one of the worst hitters in baseball, and back to a 4 WAR level this year is crucial in valuing Bellinger as a free agent and projecting his long-term future. Teams will also be considering Bellinger’s Statcast metrics, which as MLBTR’s Steve Adams pointed out in mid-August, may serve as red flags.
I have seen suggestions that a team could sign Bellinger for $150MM this winter. My guess, without talking to Boras, is that the agent has a number roughly twice that high as a target. Bellinger has youth, the ability to play a premium defensive position, elite offense in his contract year, and an MVP award on his shelf. He’s also reaching free agency in a market devoid of MVP-caliber position player talent, aside from Shohei Ohtani. Right now, I’m setting my expectations north of $250MM.
Circling back to the Cubs, they can scarcely afford to lose Bellinger, but if I’m in the correct neighborhood on the contract my guess is that the Ricketts family won’t have the appetite for it. The Cubs pretty clearly moved toward the least expensive of the Big Four shortstops last winter in Swanson, and don’t appear to have made competitive offers to any of the other three. Cubs ownership last shopped in the luxury aisle of free agency about six years ago, landing the #2 free agent in Yu Darvish. They had done the same for Jon Lester and Jason Heyward previously, so there is precedent. It’s just that it’s been a while, and there have been several missed opportunities to sign top free agents that would have supplemented the team well. Bellinger also feels particularly risky on a megadeal, given how far he’d fallen to want to sign a one-year deal in the first place.
Another point against the Cubs signing Bellinger is the presence of Pete Crow-Armstrong. If the Cubs believe in Crow-Armstrong, then Bellinger could spend most of a theoretical huge contract at first base, where a 120 wRC+ bat (my estimate) is a lot less exciting. This year Crow-Armstrong conquered Double-A, did fine at Triple-A for a month, and then got a big league look in mid-September. Crow-Armstrong drew only one start before the Cubs were eliminated, and went hitless in 19 plate appearances. But much like Swanson and Hoerner, Crow-Armstrong’s calling card is elite defense. Crow-Armstrong’s defense is good enough that he may be a credible regular at age 22 next year even if he doesn’t hit much.
If Bellinger prices himself out of the Cubs’ range and they decide to lean into the elite defender idea, Matt Chapman could be a target. This year, the Cubs had four different players log 150+ innings at third base: Nick Madrigal, Patrick Wisdom, Miles Mastrobuoni, and trade deadline pickup Jeimer Candelario. Madrigal and Mastrobuoni didn’t hit enough to fit as regulars at third base, while Wisdom was used as a short-side platoon bat and struck out nearly 37% of the time.
Chapman is something of a Dansby Swanson type player, only at third base. He makes his reputation on his glove, but is generally good for a 110 wRC+ bat. With Chapman, Crow-Armstrong, Swanson, and Hoerner, the Cubs could have four top-five defenders on the field. That said, Chapman turns 31 in April, and his bat was even streakier this year than any of the aforementioned Cubs.
Candelario raked for about three weeks upon joining the Cubs, and then he was terrible for the final month or so, a stint that included a lower back strain. In a thin market, he could be in line for a four-year deal, yet could still be a safer signing for the Cubs than Bellinger or Chapman. He also has the ability to play first base, a position where Eric Hosmer, Trey Mancini, and Matt Mervis failed to impress. Mervis, 26 in April, hit well at Triple-A and remains an option at first base or designated hitter. Rhys Hoskins or Brandon Belt could also be possibilities at first base, if the Cubs are seeking a free agent on a short-term deal.
The Mets’ Pete Alonso represents an intriguing first base target for the Cubs. In August, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic noted that the Cubs were among the teams that spoke to the Mets about Alonso prior to the deadline. MLBTR projects a $22MM salary for Alonso in 2024, his final year before free agency. Trading for Alonso would represent a way to replace Bellinger’s bat without making a long-term commitment. The natural question is who would the Mets want from the Cubs for Alonso? I don’t love some of the rare precedents for this type of trade, such as the Teoscar Hernandez or Paul Goldschmidt deals, so I’ll just say that Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns would likely seek two MLB-ready potential regulars, and the Cubs might at least have a few options on the position player side in Mervis or Kevin Alcantara.
The other big bat who could be available in trade this winter is the Padres’ Juan Soto, also under control for one more season. Assuming the Cubs don’t want to push Happ back into center field, Soto is a less-than-ideal fit position-wise since he plays the corner outfield. A Soto acquisition would be all about his bat, however, and his glove is shaky enough that increased DH time would be a fine one-year solution if the player is on board. The cost in young controllable players would be significant, and Soto will earn more than Alonso next year. I do think the Cubs could pull off a Soto or Alonso trade without parting with Crow-Armstrong.
One variable in all of this is the Cubs’ plan for Christopher Morel. Morel put up a strong 119 wRC+ this year in 429 plate appearances with Statcast data to match, though at times his strikeout rate reached dizzying heights. Though he’s only 24 years old and has the speed and arm to play just about anywhere, the Cubs have yet to find Morel a position. Morel took about 38% of the team’s DH at-bats, and in his 220-game career he’s played all three outfield spots as well as second base, shortstop, and third base.
From the outside, there’s a pretty obvious long-term solution here: make a major offseason effort to teach the kid to play a competent third base. Morel was one of six players the Cubs used at the hot corner this year, yet logged only 39 1/3 innings there. Morel is too young and athletic to be pigeon-holed as a DH, but also doesn’t seem like he’ll flourish in a super-utility role. If the Cubs don’t think he can play average defense at any position, perhaps Morel will wind up as trade bait.
As poor as this winter’s market is for position players, it does offer a fair number of DH types who should receive short-term contracts, such as Belt, J.D. Martinez, Mitch Garver, and Justin Turner. Such a player could be a fit for the Cubs as a sort of Trey Mancini replacement. Like Barnhart, Mancini was released before completing the first year of a two-year deal.
Before we get into one other free agent DH, who has also served as one of the best pitchers on the planet, let’s take a look at the Cubs’ payroll situation. Under the Ricketts family, the Cubs have reached the competitive balance tax threshold in 2016, 2019, and 2020, though the taxes were not actually paid in 2020. Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer noted to reporters in October that “We’re in a place now where our books are clean long term,” and that “There’s been a willingness [by ownership] to go over [the CBT] in the past.”
The first CBT threshold is $237MM in 2024, and the second is $257MM. The Cubs did exceed the second threshold in 2019, so a $260MM payroll next year would not be without precedent in a CBT sense. However, talking to reporters about payroll in October, Tom Ricketts said, “We were aggressive this year. I think we’ll stay at those levels.” He was non-committal on exceeding the CBT.
There are several key variables in saying where the Cubs’ payroll will sit when the offseason truly begins, but the one in which I’m least confident is Marcus Stroman’s status. We’ll get to Stroman shortly, but if Stroman and Smyly stay put, Hendricks and Gomes’ options are exercised, and a few players are non-tendered, the Cubs’ CBT payroll could sit around $211MM. That’d drop to around $188MM if Stroman opts out. It’d be difficult for the Cubs to sign Shohei Ohtani and add other needed pieces without getting into the $260MM range. I don’t think that’s likely, but let’s talk Ohtani anyway.
Back in 2017, the Theo Epstein-led Cubs made a strong enough initial pitch to Ohtani to be one of the player’s seven finalists – the only one located in the Midwest. Aside from geography, the lack of the DH in the NL at the time was a major stumbling block. Now, the Cubs have a DH spot and Ohtani will be a free agent without contract restrictions. Ohtani had elbow surgery in September and will not pitch until 2025, yet we still believe he’ll require an average annual value in excess of $40MM and a contract exceeding $500MM.
The Dodgers figure to loom large on Ohtani, as a perennial contender that plays on the West Coast. The Cubs can’t do anything about where they play, and one 83-win season hardly positions them as a regular contender. It’s possible that most of the other teams bidding on Ohtani also can’t make a strong claim as a perennial contender. So I think beyond a huge contract offer that I’m not convinced the Cubs would make, the team would have to assure Ohtani that they’re adding other key pieces this winter and will project to regularly make the playoffs.
It’s been four years since the Cubs actually paid the CBT, and six since they’ve signed a top-two free agent. Ohtani is a once-in-a-generation player, and this might be the only offseason in which he’s technically available to any team. It’s possible the Cubs are planning a run at Ohtani, but they don’t seem like a favorite.
As I mentioned, Stroman’s opt-out decision is tough to predict after a season in which he started quite strong but tanked in his last 11 outings and somehow fractured his rib cage cartilage. MLBTR’s Anthony Franco wrote about this a few weeks ago for Front Office subscribers. The points in favor of the opt-out, according to Anthony: “It’s possible he’d prefer to take the strong one-year salary, stay in a place where he’s comfortable, and bet on better health when he’d be a true free agent next winter.” Anthony went on to counter, “That said, I don’t think it’s quite as likely as many Cub fans might expect. While Stroman’s value is down, there’d still be multi-year offers on the table if he did test the market. While they might come at a lower annual salary than $21MM, the overall guarantee should be strong enough to make opting out still worthwhile.” Recent precedent in favor of Stroman opting out: Nathan Eovaldi turning down a qualifying offer from the Red Sox to sign a two-year, $34MM deal.
Justin Steele made a run at the Cy Young this year in a breakout season. Jameson Taillon disappointed in his first year as a Cub, but his peripheral stats suggest he can get back to the low-4.00s ERA pitcher the team thought they were getting. Ricketts indicated Hendricks will likely return, which makes sense after a solid bounceback season. If Stroman stays, that’d be four rotation spots locked up with veteran arms. Javier Assad, Jordan Wicks, and Hayden Wesneski could compete for the fifth starter job, with Drew Smyly around in a swingman role. Top pitching prospect Cade Horton reached Double-A this year and could make the leap to the bigs at some point in 2024. Ben Brown and Caleb Kilian could be in the mix as well, though they did not have success at Triple-A this year.
The Cubs’ 4.26 rotation ERA ranked sixth in the National League. Running mostly the same group out there in 2024 wouldn’t be exciting, but it’s not out of the question. Even if Stroman stays, I can see the Cubs making some sort of rotation addition to improve their depth. But I assume they wouldn’t mind the payroll flexibility they’d gain if he opts out, and would become more aggressive in the market in that case.
The free agent market for starting pitching this winter looks strong, led by 25-year-old Orix Buffaloes ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Yamamoto checks a lot of boxes for the Cubs, much like Seiya Suzuki did. Yamamoto is in the prime of his career, which is almost never the case for a free agent starter. A team could reduce his AAV by stretching the years to eight or so, and they’d still only be committing through his age-32 season. Plus, the posting fee paid to the Buffaloes doesn’t count against the CBT. Hoyer took a scouting trip to Japan in September, where Yamamoto and lefty Shota Imanaga were among the players he saw.
As risky as a $200MM+ deal for Yamamoto could be, the rest of the top end of the free agent market would also require a leap of faith, with players like Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, Aaron Nola, Sonny Gray, and possibly Eduardo Rodriguez. The trade market doesn’t feature a ton of obvious targets, aside from perhaps Shane Bieber.
The Cubs’ makeshift bullpen also ranked sixth in the NL in ERA. The group had the NL’s highest strikeout and walk rates, so it was a mixed bag. David Ross leaned the hardest on Adbert Alzolay, Mark Leiter Jr., and Julian Merryweather in the second half. MLBTR projects the trio to earn less than $6MM in total next year, so the Cubs have good value there. Alzolay, 29 in March, broke out as the team’s closer this year but hit the IL at a key point in September with a forearm strain. The wheels started wobbling on Leiter and Merryweather as well.
Out of desperation, Ross also used Jose Cuas, Smyly, Daniel Palencia, and Javier Assad in key spots in September. They’ll all be in the mix next year. Lefty Brandon Hughes should be back after missing most of the season due to knee surgery. On his way back from March 2022 Tommy John surgery, Codi Heuer had June surgery to repair an elbow fracture. His timeline is currently unknown.
Hoyer’s bargain-buy veterans last winter were Michael Fulmer and Brad Boxberger. Both were non-factors this year due to injuries and ineffectiveness. The Cubs haven’t signed a reliever to a multiyear deal since Craig Kimbrel in June of 2019, instead preferring cheap one-year deals in recent offseasons.
In trying to predict the Cubs’ offseason, payroll is the biggest consideration. If the Cubs are to run, say, a $235MM CBT payroll and Stroman stays put, they’d have an estimated $24MM in AAV to add this winter. That wouldn’t be a ton of wiggle room, in contrast to the $88MM in AAV the Cubs added last winter. With Bellinger possibly departing, it’s tough to see the Cubs improving upon 2023 without a notable payroll increase.
The Cubs are heading into a challenging offseason, and there are several critical issues they need to address. Their roster faces significant uncertainties, especially with key players like Cody Bellinger potentially leaving. The team’s ownership has historically been hesitant to make major financial commitments, which could limit their ability to compete in a rapidly changing NL Central.
Furthermore, the article doesn’t delve into the Cubs’ recent underperformance and what led to their failure to secure a playoff berth despite having a competitive roster on paper. They need to critically assess their coaching and management strategies to ensure they don’t repeat past mistakes.
In a highly competitive free-agent market, the Cubs might struggle to attract top talent without offering substantial contracts. Their recent track record in free agency hasn’t been stellar, and this could hinder their ability to build a championship-caliber team.
Overall, the upcoming offseason for the Cubs is critical, and they need to make bold and strategic moves to address their shortcomings and rebuild a competitive roster.
I don’t think Bellinger is coming back. Rickets will not spend 250 million dollars, that’s probably what Boras will be asking for, even though his bat is needed. They won’t trade for one year of Soto as the article suggests, he’s going to cost even more than Bellinger after 2024. Candelario’s got a good chance of coming back. Adding bullpen depth is crucial, that really hurt towards the end of the season. Pete Crow-Armstrong is most likely getting the CF job out of Spring Training, furthering the likelihood of Cubs moving on from Bellinger.
@kylesmom
Yeah there’s no reason to rush PCA going into next season. Tauchman and Canario are a very capable tandem. Plus it allows them both to showcase their value while the Cubs let PCA, Caissie and Alcantara get closer to MLB readiness.
250 million for Bellinger? He won’t even get a 150 million.
I think Bellinger’s going to get $150MM with ease. $250MM is going to be an albatross.
He may wind up like Correa and settle for way less than the initial ask if that’s what he has in mind. The Brandon Nimmo contract would be reasonable but it sounds like they’re shooting way higher. I expect he’ll take quite awhile to find a home.
Jason Heyward, Dansby Swanson, Jon Lester
The only reason the Cubs avoided long contracts were because they couldn’t afford to add them thanks to their inability to develop any pitching. They had interest in Machado and were very interested in Harper but couldn’t move enough money to accommodate his salary.
@Old York, underperformed?? They were signing guys like Bellinger on prove it deals cus they did not where they were at from a competitive stand point. Even up until the deadline they were unsure if they were buying or selling. The notion that they underperformed expectations and/or on the field is simply not the case.
I’d assume they view the season as a success overall they were more competitive than most expected. They figured out where their strengths are and where they have needs. They re in a good position for next season. The biggest unless they bring Candelario back will be addressing 3B. The market is extremely thin and Wisdom seems to clearly not be the solution.
Still, not a bad swing at the playoffs considering the previous years and what they were building on.
Agree though that there are a lot of excuses. Using junk math to elevate Swanson above Turner and Bogaerts is glossing over some poor decisions that hindered their comeback to relevance.
I just can’t see how theirs easton came labeled as underperformed. Most did not really view them as contenders prior to the season and buying or selling was up in the air.
Overall I’d view there season as somewhat of a success. I do think they missed a golden opportunity not selling at deadline though. They did not have the pitching to make any real noise in the playoffs. They also had some pieces that could have brought in a decent bit of talent.
Bye bye Belli. Was nice knowing you. Gonna want big bucks from a season the advanced metrics were very poor.
I’m not supporting any of those trade ideas – Soto, Alonso. Not willing to give up prospect hall for one year. If a new contract can be worked out prior to the trade…. Fine. If not, wait until they hit free agency.
The biggest mystery is the payroll. How high are they willing to spend? If they’re not willing to exceed CBT, then they won’t be many FA signings of note.
Ricketts is willing to exceed the CBT if they have a team that can make noise in the playoffs. It’s sort of a catch-22. But personally, I don’t blame any ownership group that is hesitant hand out monster contracts when they don’t guarantee anything.
There are red flags all over Bellinger’s advanced hitting metrics. He put up excellent numbers (somehow) but I wouldn’t even put up a bid if I was the Cubs, Jays, or any other team tied to him .
Honesty, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them go past the lowest tax threshold and push close to the next level without going over. Even if Stroman just picked up the option and they resign Hendricks that money would come back off the books at the end of ‘24 anyway.
So if they identify a long term player they really wanna lock in and it’s better than free agent options the following offseason, then they will go for that player. It truly is the only way this team will stay at the same, or improve their competitive level.
And they definitely have pitching and position prospects that are close and will be helping round out rosters over the next couple years. So even if they go over the threshold this year, if they realize more of what they got, they might even be able to duck under and reset it again.
Basically they can go over it a couple years in a row before the bigger penalties escalate so they also need to plan that to coincide when they are really going for the gold and sustaining it over 2-3 years. They won’t have a problem escalating into higher tax penalties if they’re making it to World Series for any sort of stretch run.
Yup I’m an optimist.
Very well thought out and stated. I agree completely and I think you should email Jed!
In short, it’s going to be another year of trying to win at the margins and counting on a weak NL Central to foster their hopes. I can easily see another low-to-mid 80-win season in 24.
doubtful they stay the same, the young guys will only get better
No guarantee of that, which is why they’re called prospects.
What is there a guarantee of with players of any age?
None, which is why he made a foolish statement.
It’s not a foolish statement if you’ve watched them play. And I have. Killian did not have a down year at AAA. he was actually pretty good. You can’t take AAA ERA’s at face value because at any time the Organization might decide to have you work on a certain pitch and might get hammered until you get it right. If you watch Killian he’s either really good or bad which is why I haven’t given up on him. Brown has awesome stuff but not great command. They have all winter to polish things up. So don’t pretend you know anything about the Cubs farm system, Because you obviously don’t.
I don’t need to know anything about the Cubs farm system to know that many prospects in every organization top out at AA or AAA.
Not every hitter can hit MLB pitching – exploding sliders and sharp curveballs – and even if they don’t suffer career-threatening injuries, not every pitcher can consistently get MLB hitters out.
If you are not cognizant of this, you’re either naive or don’t know how hard it is to play baseball. Maybe both.
Sure, but you can say all this about any team, so it’s equally foolish
Exactly my point. The Cubs and their farm system are no different from any other organization.
They need another frontline starter and at least two more big bats and a couple of reliable, veteran arms for that BP.. I could totally see Ricketts/Hoyer rationalizing doing none of the first two on the FA market, but some of the last. (At least Hoyer admitted he didn’t give them enough to work with in the pen.) Maybe they’ll go the trade route… And their continued commitment to Ross is head scratching. All he’s proven is he’s just gets more stubborn every season and is still clueless in BP usage.
Well this is gonna be intresting, probably the most important offseason since 2015./2016
My thoughts are that they are going to get one of Beli, Chapman, or Pete. Getting 2 would be the best but I have my doubts. Ideally my perfect vision of this offseason would be resigning Beli to play 1st, and signing Matt Chapman to play 3b. You now have the best defense ever assembled.
Keep Morel at DH and let him focus on hitting, keep Wisdom, Madigral, and Tachman, Thats some pretty soild depth right there.
with a starting 9 like this:
CF: PCA
RF: Seiya
LF: Happ
3B: Chapman
SS: Swanson
2B: Nico
1B: Beli or Pete
C: Amaya or Gomes
DH: Morel
I dont see how yall can debate the fact that is a top 15 Lineup at least,
Def best defense in the league
The pitching is very good looking long term, they have rly had a focus on developing pitchers with drafts and trades
S1: Steele
S2: Stro
S3: Assad
S4: Talion
S5: hendricks/ or wes
E-Rod seems like a viable option, probably looking for a similar AAV that stroman got
^ only if stro opts out
I have much trust in the makeshift bullpen tactics, with that said though, we gotta spend some money. Matt Moore, Kimbrel, Kelly, Pomeranz all good options
our current pen has talent in depth with guys like Adbert, Leiter, Merryweather, Wez, Little, and etc
overall, they need to spend big now to contend in what is going to be a very weak NL Central next yr,
Brewers and Cardinals are on the downward, Pirates probably will get little close to 80 wins with the reds being our main competors.
lets fly that W offseason
Ricketts will never pay for Belli AND Chapman AND Moore or Kimbrel.. They just won’t do it.. They also need another frontline starter. Wicks and Assad don’t miss enough bats. Stroman will not opt out. I’m not nearly as optimistic.
Anything can happen of course but I really can’t see the Mets trading Pete (if that’s who you’re referring to). In the Wilpon years, maybe. But Alonso is a franchise icon and Cohen loves that kind of thing. Plus Cohen has shown he’s willing to spend a lot of money, especially to re-sign guys (Nimmo and Diaz) or extend players (Lindor and McNeil). I fully expect Pete to sign a massive deal with the Mets. Whether that’s a smart move is debatable but I think it will happen this offseason.
The A’s will sign Ohtani
And he’ll moonlight as a lounge singer on the Las Vegas strip.
The rotation needs at least one upgrade. If that’s the 5-6 we roll out with, we’ll be in trouble. Time to let Kyle walk. Loved the guy. Always will. Take his money and the Heyward money and get a front line to pair with Steele.
but kyle was fantastic last season, 3.74 ERA, and hes a crucial clubhouse leader
108—at some point, probably about 20 years from now—somebody is going to look back and say–“hey, that Kyle Hendricks—minus that 98 mph heater, was every bit one of the best five pitchers in baseball—right up there with Verlander , Scherzer, Kershaw, etc from about 2015-2020 and probably pitched through some hurt 21-22 and when back healthy, was pretty dang good.”
Definitely the most underappreciated pitcher of the last 10 years or so, if not the most underrated.
Cubswin108- There’s a ton I don’t like about that lineup of yours.
1. Chapman has stunk for 2 years in a row and wants top dollar. Boras client. I’m out.
2. E Rod is a flake and can stay put IMO.
3. Alonso or Bellinger prices will get out of hand and will force a major salary dump somewhere.
4, I’m with Tim. How long will Hendricks fool guys with his slow,slower, slowest style? How sound is his arm to even throw those puff balls? Not worth 14.5 mil to me.
5. I bet Stroman opts out. Which would be fine with me. with the 21 million on Stroman and the 14.5 you save on Hendricks you have more than enough money saved to throw down on Yammamoto.
6. Making the rotation Steele-Yammamoto-Tallion- Assad-Wicks with Smyly and Wesneski for long and fill in. Unless they can find a sucker for Smyly which would save more money.
6. I think the team in the field is capable.
7. Leaving my team
C-Gomes-Amaya with Higgins and Aliendo at AAA
1B- Mervis or resonable 1B. Lets get someone better than Mancini- Hosmer boys
2B- Hoerner
3B- Morel- or short term contract
SS-Swanson
LF- Happ
CF- PCA-Canario- Tauchman
RF-Suzuki. Which Suzuki shows up next year?
DH- Morel-Canario- Mystery man.
A couple of bullpen arms for depth.
Not much more payroll added- My lineup might be cheaper even with Yammamoto, With Belli-Stroman-Hendricks salaries gone.
I love how Cubs fans wail about the Cubs having a Farm System, And the minute they get one the want to sign every FA available. TRUST THE SYSTEM for one time in my life. The one thing I loved about MLB.Com this year was they added all the Minor League Games. I watched a lot of games and I’m telling you the kids can play. Let them play! If Ross won’t do it, He needs to go. And soon. I don’t think Counsell will go anywhere but NY, But if they could get him would be a major upgrade
My long winded plan- Sorry
Addendum- My plan would be get Hoskins for 1B-DH platoon with Mervis. If Mervis struggles Hoskins can take over. If you need someone you can get a platoon 1B at the dealine. Hoskins cheaper than Belli or Alonso
If you’re going to pay either Bellinger or Alonso then you have to dump salary somewhere. Since Hoyer loves handing out NT contrats like candy on Halloween that’s gonna be difficult. I didn’t mind the Happ extension so much but the NTC blew me away. Although I was always against extending Happ
Little was a starter all through his Cub career til this year. What if they stretch him back out as a starter in the spring? Possibilities abound.
Palencia needs less break on his slider and better command.
Burdi is a real possibility if the Cubs can find the witch doctor who put a curse on him and get that removed.
Horn-Hughes and the other Little intriguing LH bullpen arms.
The two best closers that could probably be had are Diaz-Reds and Bedard-Pirates. Unfortunately they probably won’t trade either of them to the Cubs.
So hopefully a Little-Alzolay closer thing to start works out until the deadline where maybe they can be a little more active this year. No pun intended. OK-now I’m done
Uncle I really like this lineup I think Rhys Hoskins is a good first base bat and I think Yamamoto is the key target the Cubs need to focus on. I think the mystery man for DH may be JD Martinez. He hit 33 homers last year and had 134 wRC+ so I believe him and Hoskins could be brought in to equal Belli’s contributions from last year. I think a 1 year 15m contract would get Martinez and I think Hoskins could be had for 3/50. I think Yamamoto could potentially be had at 6/180 and that would give you a great offseason while keeping the books flexible in the long run.
Nice post mike ! So there are sensible cubs fans lol.
Cubs scouting department is elite. I don’t watch the games but from an analytical perspective, you know their scouting is elite with the quality of returns they get for rental players. Then you want to see actual production from your top prospects instead of just hype. All of their top prospects are producing !
Cubs prob take a step back next year bc of the blow of loosing bellinger while not over reacting to replace him. Also with other central teams improving but they just need to keep doing what they’re doing. Cubs are way ahead of schedule on their rebuild and that’s concerning as a reds fan
thats a much worse team then last yrs, like that team you’ve put together would probably win 75 games
so we sign zero depth and just base our entire offense on suzuki and swanson carrieing it. Where is the money being spent? your lineup is literally the same minus beli, wisdom, no additions to fill those roles?
it feels like we dont need a starter given our starters ERA was 7th in MLB, and we have a boatload of prospects waiting for a oppotunity to get in the roation
wicks, assad, steele, weszeski, horton, but you want us to sign yammaato?
1. Chapman’s defense makes him worth the money imo, also hes not gonna be worse then wisdom
2. I would tend to believe E-Rod can still be a good 3rd/4th guy for us, def not gonna have a 2 era again, but teams seem to like what he has going. The dodgers were willing to trade for him so they obv liked him
4. We’ve been saying this about hendricks since 2016, but every year he goes out there and performs. If I had to bet he will contiume to be a solid number fjve and hes just so crucial for this clubhouse
5. We’ll see what Stro does, im not so certian he opts out given he missed the entire 2nd half, if he does opt out his top team will probably be the Cubs, he seems to have a good relationship with the team
6. The rotation is just same basically if we can expect yammaato to put up a mid 3 era. Why sign a entirely new pitcher who will have to deal with a new league instead of bringing the trusted stro-show back
7. I already said this in another comment but that lineup you put together would set us back an entire season, forcing the FO to possibly buy at the deadline and trade from your vaunted farm system to save their asses
dont mean any hate tho, just responding to ur comment
Which half of last season was the “trusted Stro-show? He needs to go. Wesneski has no idea where his breaking pitches are going to end up and Assad and Wicks don’t miss nearly enough bats. Steele, who ran out of gas late and Tallion, who was as ‘consistent’ as Stroman, are the 2 best arms, but the rest? That is not a playoff contender group. They must add.
So Hoskins and Mervis can’t replace Bellinger? Wisdom stinks and I hope I’ve finally seen the last of him. So you want to pay over 100 million for a 3B who can’t hit ? That’s pretty silly on the face of it There are way cheaper 3B who can’t hit but can field if that’s what you want. Let’s face reality, Stroman isn’t coming back without an extension and hopefully Hoyer isn’t dumb enough to give him one because he’ll probably toss in a NTC. When Stroman walks Yammamoto makes for a more than adequate replacement to go with the Cubs young pitchers that you admit they have but still want to bring back a fossil. That statement is ambiguous at best. E-Rod is a flake and just took off on his team because, Well nobody really knows why, So he’s a moron and I sure don’t want him around any of my young talent. And you have no idea what my lineup would do just like you have no idea if Bellinger would even be able to recreate his stats anywhere near the level he did this year or that Mervis-Hoskins- PCA-Canario wouldn’t pound those stats into the ground. I’d like to find out. Not hating, Just explaining why I don’t agree with you at all. Trade Madrigal, Bring back Mastro, Launch Wisdom, Anybody can replace him. Heck Morel right now can hit 30 HR’s and strike out 30% of the time so what do we need him for and play bad 3B. When Stroman walks Yammamoto slides in rather nicely and he’s only 26, It’s not like you’re getting your usual Chinese guy who’s washed up when he gets here. Cubs have a ton of possible starting options the problem is figuring out a bullpen that Ross can’t abuse.
P.S. I would fire Hendricks and give him 16 million dollars to coach and go around the Cubs Farm System and teach every Pitcher they have how to throw his change up. It would probably be his greatest achievement that he could make next year.
Not to mention that Hendricks missed the first half of the season and Stroman basically took the 2nd half off so between them they cost 40 million dollars for 1 P. Yammamoto would be a more than capable replacement for the price.
Rondon- You don’t have to miss bats to be a good Major League P. The Cubs have an elite defense which will be even better with PCA in CF. And if not, Tauchman and Canario can hold the fort until he does get there. Cubs need a short term 3B who can at least field to keep the defense at least the same as last year. Getting weak contact is just as valuable as a K and in some instances better because you can use 1 pitch to get 2 outs. The Cubs starters basically all have the same problem. They throw way too many pitches. Starters,relievers they all end up 3-2 on just about every hitter. Jon Lieber used to pitch 9 innings and throw 90 pitches, Some of the most enjoyable games I ever watched.
Cause I think we’re from a generation prior to this, Mike, I have a feeling that’s out of date thinking. It’s not”wrong” but just look at the teams in the playoffs with multiple guys in their rotations and bullpens regularly throwing in the high 90’s and several consistently hitting 100. The Cubs have too many guys throwing well under that, including Steele, and if you don’t have a couple of fireballers to mix it up, you’re just too predictable. I’m just saying they need a couple more fireballers.
Even if they make all those moves, it’s far from the best defense ever assembled. Even the Cardinals’ defense from just two years ago was better.
Also, while the Cardinals may or may not compete next year, they are certainly not trending downward, as it would be pretty hard for the team to do even worse next season with the team committed to make upgrades this offseason.
They at least had 5 SP’s last year lol
Jed will do what it takes to make them Word Series favorites this off-season.
Doubtful
Favorites?! Not a chance. You realize what that means right? You think Jed can turn this Cubs team into the best team in the NL in a single offseason?
Two words. Yes
Three words: No way
Stroman is going to get booed out of town if he stays and falls anything short of a Cy Young Award since he’d block them from getting Ohtani
Marcus Stroman’s one year deal isn’t stopping anyone from signing Ohtani. Were you being serious!?
I booed him when I saw him pumping gas the other day just bc of that bizzy
The pearl clutching over the Cubs minor league system that brought sure fire MLB stars Felix Pie, Corey Patterson, Kevin Orie, Gary Scott,Brooks Kieschnick,Josh Vitters,Ryan Harvey, Lance Dickson,Mike Harkey, Andrew Cashner,Hayden Simpson,Paul Blackburn and on and on. Why did the Mets trade PCA?-couldn’t hit. Mervis looked lost as well.
Hoping and wishing won’t work, maybe a new scouting dept. or new ownership. Ricketts knows fans show up and cheer for David Bote and Frank Schwindell and bring in $ so he can build some more crap around the park..
Jhanley, are you suggesting that out of all of the 6 professional games he played with the Mets, they figured out PCA couldn’t hit?
And btw in that 6 game span, he hit .400. So I’m not sure how they figured all this out
That list of players were from the old regime and I noticed you left off Baez, Schwarber, Bryant and a few others, but hey nice cherry-picking there…
It’s the culture of the entire franchise, fans. It needs to change, but Tommy is a tool and will take your $ gladly.
The team won a World Series in 2016, so tell us again about this culture you are referring because that was the previous owners that did what you are claiming.
Still want to know how you know, (and the Mets knew, PCA couldn’t hit), and that’s why they traded him…
Yeah, I had a single tear roll down my cheek watching Schwarber launch two bombs in the first NLCS game. Still wish they hadn’t dumped him for Joc Pederson, especially with the NL DH.
You lost the internet today jhanley.
Just like the Cubs-awesome!
Really?
Cubs finished ahead of the Red Birds and the Southside Bums were a mess.
If they didn’t have that swoon in September they would have made the playoffs, but I will state I never thought they would go far.
The Cubs are building up and next year will be better only if Ross removes his head from you know where or they get a real manager.
If they weren’t losers in September they’d be winners. Thank you for this.
Aren’t you a white Sox fan?
How that rebuild go?
Thank you for this
What place did the Southside Bums place this season?
Yeah, so tell us again how Jerry is running his team and show us the marvelous way of losing!!!
If he resigns with LA that’ll be like getting cheated on by your ex’s ex.
And you paid for their limousine – J Hey contract
Nothing about Luke Little. He should be a big part of the bullpen. Stop dumpster diving.
I agree with most all of the previous comments. Lots good thoughts and insights. It will be fascinating to see what Hoyer does or doesn’t do. I don’t want to be redundant here with my comments but here they are.
The Cubs won’t resign Belli. Too rich and too long of a deal and the Cubs will pass.
No trade for Soto or Alonso. Each have one year remaining. At least as of this time. They will require a haul of prospects. I suppose there is a remote possibility that an extension deal can be worked out before a trade but unlikely. No moves here.
Resign Candelerio. That’s the Cubs insurance for 3rd and/or 1st. A no on signing Matt Chapman.
PCA starts the season in the minors. This is a wait and see. I’m no baseball expert But I’m very cautious with prospects.
Hoyer will attempt to do his usual signing with the bullpen. Hits and misses expected here.
Mervis gets to start at 1st at the beginning of the season. The Cubs will hope he comes through. We will see.
No signings of another starter. Hoyer probably feels comfortable with Steele,Stroman, Assad, Talion, Hendricks plus assorted pitchers in the minors. Pick out a name here if there is an injury or set back.
I agree with most of what you wrote, except Stroman will opt out and the Cubs will sign a high-priced ace pitcher like Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell or the like.
I definitely like a Gomes and Candelario reunion. I like cutting Wisdom and I do not believe Morel has much trade value so he probably remains as a part-time DH and sub. Morel is such a fun player to watch but I just don’t think they can teach him to be an average defender at 3B or CF.
If you’re a cubs fan, you have to hope to sign Yamamoto and trade for Alonso. Make a run at extending Alonso and roll PCA out in center. If Pete doesn’t sign, trade him at the deadline if the team is not competitive. Yamamoto would give the cubs a 2025 rotation of: 1. Yamamoto 2. Steele 3. Horton 4. Wicks 5. Taillon
Morel has to hit the offseason working solely at 3rd base. If he can stick at 3rd, the offense can take a step forward. Canario at DH….although I see one of Canario/Morel in any Alonso trade.
Horton will be in the minors most of 2024 and Assad will be in the rotation. Wicks might even start in the minors if Hendricks comes back.
I am calling it right now they sign Shota Imanaga. Beyond that I am not sure Maybe Hoskins, Michael A. Taylor and a few relievers.
They have a pretty good system, everyone wants the big names, but how often does getting the big name equate to success?
Bryce had a few rough seasons, initially with the Phillies. How often does Giancarlo Stanton get you a series?
Swanson worked as a FA signing, cubs don’t need another Hayward quitting on the team. Ohtani would be an excellent addition so to every other team. They should trade for ozuna if they have bullpen or a starter chips. Do the cubs even have minor league depth? The players brought up so far this year look promising.
How can you say he worked 1 year into a 7 year contract?
No to Ozuna, ever.
Kyle will stay but Marcus should be gone and will someone keep James T. from starting!
I believe the Cubs will sign a starter and would love it if Cody came back, but the money talks and he isn’t worth a long term contract.
Those comparing PCA to Felix Pie or Corey Patterson, well you guys need to watch the kid and understand PCA has the tools and if he puts it together in the Big Leagues that kid is special!
The Bullpen is a mess and the Cubs need arms there.
Finally, please get rid of Ross!
That is all folks.
If the Cubs were a 80s teen comedy they’d be The Breakfast Club
More like the Goonies
Aren’t the natzi fans at Wrigley, the ones who screamed obscenities at African American players including baseball analyst and former Cub Doug Glanville, made Aunt Jemima comments to an African American reporter for the Sun Times and hurled slurs at their own player Fukudome?
I think that should be reserved for the team that failed miserably at their rebuild and just lost 101 games.
Exactly
Southside Bums fanboys are fun to watch how they write trollish nonsense about the Cubs and Cubs fans…
Let us know when yoar team gets it together because Jerry his a horrible owner…
I see them taking a step back in 2024. Players will go and new players will come but that’s not the biggest issue. David Ross was a poor manager when he started and he’s still a poor manager showing no improvement and constant bad decisions. They got where they where this season not because of Ross but in spite of Ross.
They needed more than Candelairo to succeed in 2023.
Lots of names bandied about as possibilities for the Cubbies. However, one name that did not get a lot of the author’s chatter is David Ross. JMHO, but the Cubs would be better off with someone else as their manager.
Ross is supposedly a great guy and was a great teammate (His book said as much.). However, I think the blame for the Cubs missing the playoffs can be laid at the feet of Ross.
Doubt Cubs would make that change. And of all the names mentioned in the article, I think Rhys Hoskins (1B-DH) makes the most sense. Thirty-plus HR and 100 RBIs would almost be a guarantee. JMHO, but don’t think Mervis is the answer. He looked pretty bad during his brief stay with the Cubs,
Hoskins won’t cost a fortune coming off a torn ACL..
I’m about to break the hearts of Cubs fans, myself included.
The Cubs are going into the off-season with pretty much the same question marks as they did last year aside from Swanson. The still have a hole at first base, third base and center field and none of the prospects they called up showed they were ready to take the reins.
The bullpen pretty much has the same questions because aside from Alzolay pitching well, we still lack high leverage arms.
The rotation looks like we can fill the fifth slot with Wicks or Assad which is at least something.
Mervis was passed over for Jared Young for the playoff push and there at least seems to be some validity in the Alonso rumors, that tells me just about all I need to know about the Cubs opinion of Mervis. I.e. he isn’t in their plans.
Ross screwed the pooch by not playing Canario, PCA and Little more. Littles command was erratic but he has the make up to be a high leverage arm and was never given a chance.
Cubs fans believe they are in on everyone and that’s just not the case. Mets have unlimited payroll, they’ll never let Alonzo leave and it’s more like bellinger and Alonzo will both be mets than either a cub. And ohtani going to Chicago is nothing but comic relief.
Hader is a good fit though. Cubs could surely outbid everyone for his services if he hasn’t fell in love w California.
2024 cubs take a small step back and 25 is when they rise to top of central and have one of the better NL teams
After the ridiculously stupid spending spree your knucklehead owner went on, exactly how far in the playoffs did they go? “Unlimited spending” means squat if your team stinks the place up. There sir, is your “comic relief”.
But Mets are going nowhere anytime soon in the NL East, might as well restock the farm now and wait as the Phils and Braves are on the way down, Tank and grab a top-3 pick or two. Trade Alonzo to kickstart it. Cubs overpay.
Cubs finished 1 game ahead of the Reds in 2023. Likely that the 2024 Central Division title will be won by one of these 2 teams. Reds have more youth and versatility, Cubs have more proven veterans. Cubs start with an $80MM higher payroll (w/o options) for 2024 ($125MM higher with all options), but are willing to spend a lot more. Both fan bases appear to loathe their current manager. Frankly, I believe the respective GM, scouting, coaching, and management personnel will be the difference this winter and spring.
I highly doubt the NL Central is a race between just the Cubs and Reds next year.
The Brewers should still contend next year at the very least, and depending on how their offseason goes, the Cardinals could easily be back in contention as well.
The Cardinals are as likely of a “worst to first” team as there is. They still have two amazing players on their corners and a lot of young talent.
As much as I hate Ross, the Cardinals were probably the worst managed team in the NL. Everyone should have expected the rotation to take a step back with Molina gone but even still the Cardinals should have been much much better. Someone has to explain to me why the Cardinals thought Jordan Walker made sense in the outfield! I mean a guy that young kicking off the season in St Louis playing an unfamiliar position made zero sense. The outfield in general was a never made any sense, where Ross only played “the guys who got us here” Marmol just played everyone
To get better in the outfield, Walker does need to play there. I do think Walker should’ve played more DH than he did, but his defense did improve as the season went on, and he could yet be playable out there.
Marmol only played everyone in the OF at the beginning of the season when he didn’t know what he had yet. After the first month or so, he did a perfectly fine job of giving playing time to those who deserved it.
Yepez was terrible, so he barely played even when he wasn’t in AAA. Burleson played poor defense and only hit at the level of a bench player and only against righties, so he was demoted to the bench and only played against RHP when he did play. Carlson played great defense but only hit well against LHP, so he became a short side platoon player. When O’Neill came back from the IL, he played well (unitl he got hurt again), so he was a starter during that time. Waler hit well after he returned from AAA, so he was a starter. Gorman was great, so he was a starter, although he still sat against a few lefties here and there solely due to the logjams. DeJong hit decently (until he was traded) and played very good defense, so he was a starter. Donovan hit well and played decent defense almost anywhere, so he got a lot of playing time. Edman had a down year at the plate against RHP but played great defense and still hit LHP , so his playing time was adjusted accordingly. Only in September once they were out of it and most of the usual position players got hurt did Marmol start experimenting with playing time.
Walker had no business playing in the outfield until he had experience playing there in AAA.
Platooning young players is stupid, no if ands or buts about it. Managers have to let young players get experience against off-handed pitchers, especially when it’s a player like Carlson.
I don’t know why Cardinal fans adore O’Neil as much as they do. He’s terrible. For the past two years he’s posted below league average offense along with negative defensive ratings. But he’s jacked and had a good seasons once so apparently he can do no wrong.
Fair enough on the first point, and it’s partly why he was sent down in the first place, but he did have some experience once he returned from AAA. He probably should’ve played more DH than he did until the Cardinals were clearly out of it in mid-June, but after that there was no reason not to play him out there.
Don’t forget that Carlson couldn’t hit righties in 2022 either. When he continued to struggle against them this year, with the logjam they had, platooning him was absolutely the right thing to do. Burleson’s 87 OPS+ vs. RHP was still much better than Carlson or Edman did against them. You can only afford to play someone like Carlson full time to try and improve against RHP if you aren’t in contention (check) and don’t have such a logjam, and he was one of the injuries that cleared up that logjam in September. Otherwise, it’s stupid not to platoon young players who deserve it.
The only problem with O’Neill is his health. Otherwise, he’s clearly the best overall outfielder the Cardinals currently have. While he may never duplicate his 2021 career year, when healthy he still hits well above average, plays great defense, and has great speed. His offensive numbers only fell barely below average the past two seasons due to the times he was playing hurt, and his defense has continued to be good when he’s not shoehorned into center field.
They have no pitching!
Your payroll numbers are…interesting? I’m seeing between $176 – 190 million for the 40 man roster in 2024. How do you arrive at your numbers?
Cots: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1He7WB2TXeoGRjWmS3-…
Fangraphs: fangraphs.com/roster-resource/payroll/cubs
According to Cot, the Cubs are only 46 million under not including options, if options are picked up and/or exercised, the Cubs are in a bad spot.
My unpopular opinion would be guns blazing for Yamamoto with Urias being a fall back option depending on the whole domestic violence thing. Then trade Hendricks and Stroman if he exercises his option. Exercise Gomes option, non-tender Wisdom. I’d try to move Smyly and Botes contracts also, send a prospect so a team absorbs Bote.
Those moves would still give the Cubs roughly 40-50 million to work with. I’d try to sign Hoskins on a pillow contract and I really want to try to bring Bellinger back as well.
Whoever gives Bellinger what he wants will regret it. Too streaky of a hitter without knowing what pitch is coming. Did put up a pretty decent season now that the shift is banned.
Oddly enough, the banning of the shift had little impact to Bellingers success. I thought he’d see some upticks in power and ba due to being able to cheat more but Bellinger did a 180, shortened his stroke with two strikes and used the entire field.
Bellingers season was text book for young hitters, his slugging was through the roof when he was ahead in the count (batting average was low) but with two strikes he hit over .300 with a ton of well placed singles.
The cubs #1 priority should be to re-sign Bellinger.
Boras is going to try to get the Cubs to bid against themselves because he knows how much they need his bat.
Yeah I know. That’s one of the reasons I dislike Boras. He’s a greedy slimy beaded eyed man. Who really only cares about his own payday. If he gets Belli the best deal and most money possible then his payday is bigger.
I mean I hate it from a “the Cubs need Belli” standpoint and a “Boras reps most of the best players which makes them hard to afford” standpoint, but his job is to get the best deal for his clients, and in that regard he’s the best in the business.
I don’t think there’s a sports agent in the world who represents players for free (other than the odd case of a family member) and Boras getting a bigger payday for getting his clients bigger paydays is not only fair, but mutually beneficial and a vital incentive as far as his clients are concerned.
So in the end, you might not like Boras because his clients are difficult to get good value on, but that’s what makes him the best agent in baseball and maybe all of American sports. He absolutely delivers for his clients.
Basically what I’m saying is I don’t think Boras is any more slimy or greedy than any other sports agent. He’s just better.
Nah, Boas plus red flags. Ill pass and save the money to use elsewhere.