2025 Regular Season IGT

[Discus fish salesman]

I cant imagine someone was actually upset about the trade for Chapman that was absolutely a big part of the cubs winning the world series in 2016.

My biggest issue with the cost was too high narrative is that I don't particularly like most of the cubs prospects.

I think caissie is a fairly low upside, low floor player.

Alcantara may be high upside (really have to squint to see him developing into that in the mlb), but he's a even lower floor.

Triantos is low upside, high floor.

Rojas and hernandez are far enough away that I don't particularly care if they are packaged. Rojas looks good but he's also likely to be blocked but swanson who cubs will never be able to get rid of and hoerner who is probably a better player than Rojas will be.

Ballestroes is going to be a phenomenal offensive player as he has shown at every level, he can flat out rake. I guess the question is are the cubs eventually going to clear the dh spot for him. He can't play outfield. At 5'8" I think he's too small for 1b. Probably isn't a good enough catcher for the mlb.

Long, I don't have much on. I assume he'll be a utility player. Maybe in the zobrist mold. He actually appears to have potential to be better offensively than Castro who they just acquired but it's hard to say for certain since he didn't get an mlb opportunity for some reason (I guess he was blocked by brujan/berti).

Wiggins is the one prospect that would've been as close to untouchable as anyone for me but for gore/Ryan, he would've been available too.

I also hate the Taylor Rodgers addition. Sure he didn't cost much but his whip/fip imply that he's more of a ticking time bomb than an actual good pitcher.

 

[knoxville7]

This is the reasoning this board sees too infrequently.

Sure, minus the part about not wanting to trade for Aroldis Chapman in 2016

At a certain point you have to put your chips in and go for it like Theo did with Chapman. Without Chapman, the cubs don’t win the World Series that year

To sit around the poker table and never play your hands and just get blinded out isn’t the kind of reasoning I’m looking for in a GM

 

[TL1961]

Sure, minus the part about not wanting to trade for Aroldis Chapman in 2016

At a certain point you have to put your chips in and go for it like Theo did with Chapman. Without Chapman, the cubs don’t win the World Series that year

To sit around the poker table and never play your hands and just get blinded out isn’t the kind of reasoning I’m looking for in a GM

Agree. You need to make moves like that when the situation calls for it. The Chapman move worked out and for there certainly is an argument to be made that this year called for similar.

But the point I agree with most of all is you don’t make a move simply for the sake of saying you made a move, and there are some - including a notable person here - who oversimplify the process and want trades for trades sake.

I am disappointed that they did not pull off a trade for a starter who will help them and can be a starter in the postseason. That would have made me happy, but I’m not suicidal that they didn’t give up a price they deemed too high.

I think Beckdawg’s point that you don’t throw away a 4-5 year window thinking that you’re a clearcut favorite this year is a good one. They are well positioned going forward with or without Tucker.

And I for one believe they will re-sign Tucker. I believe I’m one of the very few who think that, but I would still consider the Cubs to be favorites to sign him.

 

[knoxville7]

Agree. You need to make moves like that when the situation calls for it. The Chapman move worked out and for there certainly is an argument to be made that this year called for similar.

But the point I agree with most of all is you don’t make a move simply for the sake of saying you made a move, and there are some - including a notable person here - who oversimplify the process and want trades for trades sake.

I am disappointed that they did not pull off a trade for a starter who will help them and can be a starter in the postseason. That would have made me happy, but I’m not suicidal that they didn’t give up a price they deemed too high.

I think Beckdawg’s point that you don’t throw away a 4-5 year window thinking that you’re a clearcut favorite this year is a good one. They are well positioned going forward with or without Tucker.

And I for one believe they will re-sign Tucker. I believe I’m one of the very few who think that, but I would still consider the Cubs to be favorites to sign him.

100% agreed. you dont make moves just for the sake of placating @CSF77 lol

and i actually tend to agree about the cubs chances to re-sign tucker. it's no guarantee, but i would have the cubs in the pole position currently

on the starting pitching front, i agree with @beckdawg 's take on it. starters were getting a straight up ransom at the deadline, and it would have cost the cubs a lot prospect wise to acquire one of the "better" starters on the market. and tbh, those guys weren't really needle movers outside of a couple like gore that would have broken the bank.

Soroka, i think has potential to be a nice addition. plus, we do get Taillon and Assad back at some point soon. none are TOR types by any means, but they will have to hope Shota and Boyd are come playoff time

 

[CSF77]

Agree. You need to make moves like that when the situation calls for it. The Chapman move worked out and for there certainly is an argument to be made that this year called for similar.

But the point I agree with most of all is you don’t make a move simply for the sake of saying you made a move, and there are some - including a notable person here - who oversimplify the process and want trades for trades sake.

I am disappointed that they did not pull off a trade for a starter who will help them and can be a starter in the postseason. That would have made me happy, but I’m not suicidal that they didn’t give up a price they deemed too high.

I think Beckdawg’s point that you don’t throw away a 4-5 year window thinking that you’re a clearcut favorite this year is a good one. They are well positioned going forward with or without Tucker.

And I for one believe they will re-sign Tucker. I believe I’m one of the very few who think that, but I would still consider the Cubs to be favorites to sign him.

Word is the Cubs are the fav and the price is $450M.

Now will Tom pony up? His track record no. Jed's track record. No

So until it happens it is not happening.

Jed should have pushed some chips in for something. Cubs have 3 guys on the rotation right now that are not sure things. They have 1 guy that you can lean on returning

Assad is not a play off pitcher. He is a innings soaker.

In this situation. I would shut down Horton when Taillon returns and ramp him up for the play offs

They will need a arm that is not meh going in.

 

[SilenceS]

Rumor is the Nats wanted Cade Horton, Matt Shaw, and Cassie. Yea, if so, get fucked

 

[Discus fish salesman]

Word is the Cubs are the fav and the price is $450M.

That's not the "word". That's what Jeff passan guessed while we are 4-5 months from any real decisions actually being discussed or made.

 

[TL1961]

Rumor is the Nats wanted Cade Horton, Matt Shaw, and Cassie. Yea, if so, get fucked

This!

So many people just think if you didn’t buy then you didn’t want to spend anything at all. But anyone who’s ever been in a negotiation successfully will tell you that you have to be willing to walk away.

While we don’t know for certain what any team would have accepted or what the Nats asked for we can at least acknowledge the Cubs were in discussions until the end and if the price didn’t come down to what they were willing to pay, they said no.

That’s not the worst trait in a general manager or in anyone in a negotiation and I don’t know why some people think that it is.

 

[TL1961]

Word is the Cubs are the fav and the price is $450M.

Now will Tom pony up? His track record no. Jed's track record. No

So until it happens it is not happening.

Jed should have pushed some chips in for something. Cubs have 3 guys on the rotation right now that are not sure things. They have 1 guy that you can lean on returning

Assad is not a play off pitcher. He is a innings soaker.

In this situation. I would shut down Horton when Taillon returns and ramp him up for the play offs

They will need a arm that is not meh going in.

There won’t be any resolution until the winter so don’t spend your every waking moment typing out 280 different scenarios or this or that or changing it from Wednesday to Thursday to Friday. Just relax and wait. There’s nothing you can do about it.

 

[CSF77]

That's not the "word". That's what Jeff passan guessed while we are 4-5 months from any real decisions actually being discussed or made.

Better than most

And some guesses are educated as knowing the market on such players before tossing his credentials into the firing squad

 

[CSF77]

There won’t be any resolution until the winter so don’t spend your every waking moment typing out 280 different scenarios or this or that or changing it from Wednesday to Thursday to Friday. Just relax and wait. There’s nothing you can do about it.

There are no scenarios. There is just watching the Titanic set sail for 2 months

 

[CSF77]

Yankees Release Marcus Stroman

The Yankees released veteran right-hander Marcus Stroman. Read more at MLB Trade Rumors.

www.mlbtraderumors.com

There ya go Jed. Savior on a silver platter

 

[CSF77]

 

[beckdawg]

I never really wanted to dig up the past with the Chapman comment. So i'll quickly address it. The 2016 cubs needed bullpen help and I agree with them addressing that area. I just would have preferred multiple cheaper options because ultimately what happened was Maddon leaned so heavy on Chapman that he was gassed by the world series.

And ultimately the larger point was more about paying arguably controllable starting pitching prices for a rental reliever. I don't think Torres ever would have played for the cubs for what it's worth but he absolutely was someone who could have headlined a package for a better controllable starting pitcher than Quintana. And then the trickle down happens because maybe Cease is never traded....etc.

What I'm basically contrasting here is the astros in that era vs the cubs. Maybe you argue given the unique circumstances of the 1 title's importance that Theo's era was fine. But they should have had a run like the astros did and my rationale for why they didn't was their willingness to push chips in to win now vs being more reserved.

 

[CSF77]

https://x.com/Taylor_McGregor/status/1951314389690110110?s=19

So Soroka is now a starter.

 

[CSF77]

I never really wanted to dig up the past with the Chapman comment. So i'll quickly address it. The 2016 cubs needed bullpen help and I agree with them addressing that area. I just would have preferred multiple cheaper options because ultimately what happened was Maddon leaned so heavy on Chapman that he was gassed by the world series.

And ultimately the larger point was more about paying arguably controllable starting pitching prices for a rental reliever. I don't think Torres ever would have played for the cubs for what it's worth but he absolutely was someone who could have headlined a package for a better controllable starting pitcher than Quintana. And then the trickle down happens because maybe Cease is never traded....etc.

What I'm basically contrasting here is the astros in that era vs the cubs. Maybe you argue given the unique circumstances of the 1 title's importance that Theo's era was fine. But they should have had a run like the astros did and my rationale for why they didn't was their willingness to push chips in to win now vs being more reserved.

So why? Why bring up 9 YO news?

Cubs needed a few things

1 pen arm. Kittridge is fine. No biggy not a sense of urgency move but a good slider pitcher

1 back of the rotation arm. Soroka seems like that guy. Same not a sense of urgency move. Can fill in some innings.

1 utility guy. Ya I guess this works. The bench sucked. But Cubs could have targeted Suarez and pushed Shaw there. It is a needle move but Craig doesn't lean on the bench much. Maybe he will more and this is more of a well rested maintenance move. So I get it. Moves need to happen to lower IL stints. Not a impact move but a needed one.

Rodgers in the pen. So a 3rd lefty? I don't see the clear need. Marginal upgrade to Pressley.

No TOR. No big bat. No clear set up.

Just ya I can see the need for that types.

So the sense of urgency really was not there and up until his extension that was not the case.

Behind close doors stuff? Absolutely. You don't change your tune like that. Unless you are me.

 

[beckdawg]

So why? Why bring up 9 YO news?

So the sense of urgency really was not there and up until his extension that was not the case.

I was illustrating a point of what happens when you "act with a sense of urgency". The entire point was talking about chasing 1 title vs chasing multiple titles. The 2025 cubs are good enough to win a world series. Are they the favorites? Probably not. But fans want to believe 1 guy will put you over the top. The reality is even if they got Gore he maybe increases their odds 5%.

The bigger problem is at Horton/Shaw/Caissie prices that drastically decreases your chances of winning 2026+.

 

[Szlachcic]

Good news.
RHP Ryan Pressly has been designated for assignment

 

[TL1961]

There are no scenarios. There is just watching the Titanic set sail for 2 months

Then turn off the tv and stop visiting this forum.

 

[TL1961]

Message from Jed: (or was it from Cade Horton ?)

“Quit yer bitchin’ about the pitchin’!”