Chicago Cubs 2023-24 OFFSEASON thread

[CSF77]

What gets me is Othani had more talent on the Angles. The best player of this generation and they still could not win the West.

So going into this thinking Othani is a savior is folly. No team is one man. Even the best player of this generation has 0 rings to show for it.

It takes a complete team. So investing 40-60M into one guy is just bad. It has historically proven to hurt that team unless it is LAD or NYY who scoffs at logic.

So Tom would have to change his business model as a owner to make me feel that this was a real thing and a smart decision. It will most likely be a bad decision and preventive of building a contender for years.

 

[Castor76]

What gets me is Othani had more talent on the Angles. The best player of this generation and they still could not win the West.

So going into this thinking Othani is a savior is folly. No team is one man. Even the best player of this generation has 0 rings to show for it.

It takes a complete team. So investing 40-60M into one guy is just bad. It has historically proven to hurt that team unless it is LAD or NYY who scoffs at logic.

So Tom would have to change his business model as a owner to make me feel that this was a real thing and a smart decision. It will most likely be a bad decision and preventive of building a contder for years.

Whichever team signs Ohtani can't care about the CBT for the entirety of his contract. He's going to eat up at least 20% of the CBT and teams will need 2 other top flight hitters, 2 top starters, and a good pen. That alone would cost another 150M. The team would most likely have a payroll in the 250-275M range and they shouldn't care. They only true negative would be if the team isn't very good at scouting, drafting, developing. That's why the Dodgers rarely ever care about the CBT because they are so good the knock to their draft picks doesn't really affect them.

IMO, if the Cubs managed to get Ohtani, and that's a Tony Stark ego sized if, I'd still like them to be aggressive in bringing back Bellinger as their combination would be dynamic. The Cubs would still probably need to look at adding a starter as Ohtani should be moved to the pen to reduce his IP and arm stress. If Ohtani, Bellinger, and SP to be named were all signed, that's probably 100M and it puts the Cubs about 25M over the CBT 2024. With the money coming off after 24, they'd be around the CBT for the next few seasons.

 

[CSF77]

Whichever team signs Ohtani can't care about the CBT for the entirety of his contract. He's going to eat up at least 20% of the CBT and teams will need 2 other top flight hitters, 2 top starters, and a good pen. That alone would cost another 150M. The team would most likely have a payroll in the 250-275M range and they shouldn't care. They only true negative would be if the team isn't very good at scouting, drafting, developing. That's why the Dodgers rarely ever care about the CBT because they are so good the knock to their draft picks doesn't really affect them.

IMO, if the Cubs managed to get Ohtani, and that's a Tony Stark ego sized if, I'd still like them to be aggressive in bringing back Bellinger as their combination would be dynamic. The Cubs would still probably need to look at adding a starter as Ohtani should be moved to the pen to reduce his IP and arm stress. If Ohtani, Bellinger, and SP to be named were all signed, that's probably 100M and it puts the Cubs about 25M over the CBT 2024. With the money coming off after 24, they'd be around the CBT for the next few seasons.

If they acquire Ohtani I expect it to be more homegrown/inhouse

Happ LF
PCA CF
Suzuki RF
Luis Vazquez 3B AA/AA: .271/.361/.456, 124 G, 20 HR, 80 RBI, 72 R, 54 BB, 10 SB
Swanson SS
Hoerner 2B
Morel 1B
Gomes C
Ohtani DH

Steele
Taillon
Hendricks
Wicks
Assad

Pen all internal. Put more on Little to help Merryweather and Leiter to support Alzolay. Give Kilian and Brown a real shot in the pen to help Smyly in the middle innings.

 

[CSF77]

2 things made me pause. Jed said no comment on Ohtani. Then he said that Morel will be playing 1B in the winter leagues. So He is already going all in here. So it comes down to Tom paying the man.

 

[knoxville7]

If they acquire Ohtani I expect it to be more homegrown/inhouse

Soto LF
PCA CF
Suzuki RF
Luis Vazquez 3B AA/AA: .271/.361/.456, 124 G, 20 HR, 80 RBI, 72 R, 54 BB, 10 SB
Swanson SS
Hoerner 2B
Morel 1B
Gomes C
Ohtani DH

Steele
Taillon
Hendricks
Wicks
Assad

Pen all internal. Put more on Little to help Merryweather and Leiter to support Alzolay. Give Kilian and Brown a real shot in the pen to help Smyly in the middle innings.

Sign Ohtani and trade for Soto. Trade away Happ for the bullpen pitching help you need

 

[Castor76]

If they acquire Ohtani I expect it to be more homegrown/inhouse

Happ LF
PCA CF
Suzuki RF
Luis Vazquez 3B AA/AA: .271/.361/.456, 124 G, 20 HR, 80 RBI, 72 R, 54 BB, 10 SB
Swanson SS
Hoerner 2B
Morel 1B
Gomes C
Ohtani DH

Steele
Taillon
Hendricks
Wicks
Assad

Pen all internal. Put more on Little to help Merryweather and Leiter to support Alzolay. Give Kilian and Brown a real shot in the pen to help Smyly in the middle innings.

Why would a team with roughly 75M in available CBT space while in a division that is on the brink of being dominatable for the next few seasons only address one spot? They could literally spend 50M on Ontani, 25M on Bellinger, and 25M on another SP and only be over the CBT for 24 as they have 42.5M coming off unless they trade away expiring deals and the only spots that would open with be Hendricks, Smyly, and Gomes. Ohtani fills one pitcher slot, pen hopefully, and by then the Cubs would be filling those slots internally.

Morel and Wisdom become expendable and obsolete for the Cubs. Mariners will be looking to add some pop as they are likely to lose Hernandez. Those 2 to Seattle for Justin Topa and Tyler Locklearis deemed fair. Topa was good in the pen last year and could be available. Locklear is outside of Seattle top 10 and has 4 IF prospects in front of him. He's a 3B/1B slotted player who is probably 1-2 years out.

 

[Discus fish salesman]

If they acquire Ohtani I expect it to be more homegrown/inhouse

Happ LF
PCA CF
Suzuki RF
Luis Vazquez 3B AA/AA: .271/.361/.456, 124 G, 20 HR, 80 RBI, 72 R, 54 BB, 10 SB
Swanson SS
Hoerner 2B
Morel 1B
Gomes C
Ohtani DH

Steele
Taillon
Hendricks
Wicks
Assad

Pen all internal. Put more on Little to help Merryweather and Leiter to support Alzolay. Give Kilian and Brown a real shot in the pen to help Smyly in the middle innings.

Little was traded a couple days ago

 

[Bust]

#woah

 

[CSF77]

Sign Ohtani and trade for Soto. Trade away Happ for the bullpen pitching help you need

I don't see that being anything. They might target Soto if they fall short on Ohtani. Soto will cost a ton of talent and it feels like a back up plan.

 

[CSF77]

Little was traded a couple days ago

Wrong one
There are 2 of them.

 

[Discus fish salesman]

Wrong one
There are 2 of them.

Oh alright. My bad. I just saw cubs trade little

 

[CSF77]

Oh alright. My bad. I just saw cubs trade little

That was the supplemental guy. He has been disappointing for a high pick

 

[TL1961]

Two Littles.
Too late?

 

[Castor76]

Two Littles.
Too late?

Wrong board, but today it was

Too late for Love

 

[TL1961]

Wrong board? What?

The discussion here was just about two players named Little

 

[Castor76]

Wrong board? What?

The discussion here was just about two players named Little

It was about the Packers losing as Love threw a pick on the last play of the game. Also a Def Lep reference.

 

[TL1961]

It was about the Packers losing as Love threw a pick on the last play of the game. Also a Def Lep reference.

Your post was. Mine wasn't.

 

[Castor76]

Your post was. Mine wasn't.

I can't help that you thought me putting in my post that it's the wrong board was in reference to your post. I wasn't implying your post was on the wrong board. I was announcing that mine was.

 

[Probie2429]

Let Ohtani be someone else’s problem. You can get 2-3 very good players for what it will cost. Don’t get me wrong, the Cubs need to be interested but only to make sure the club that signs him pays through the nose.

 

[Castor76]

Let Ohtani be someone else’s problem. You can get 2-3 very good players for what it will cost. Don’t get me wrong, the Cubs need to be interested but only to make sure the club that signs him pays through the nose.

I think if his price is legit as low as mid 40s, he's willing to go to the pen, and your team is willing to be over the CBT, then he can be worth it. If he insists on going back to starting, he's just going to get hurt again and it will eventually affect his hitting. If 45M would get him, 24M got Bellinger, and 25M got Montgomery, the Cubs would be about 18M over the CBT in 2024 without trading away any salary with 42M coming off after the season.

Line up of

Tauchman CF
Hoerner 2B
Ohtani DH
Suzuki RF
Bellinger 1B
Happ LF
Swanson SS
Gomes C
Madrigal 3B

Bench of Morel, Mastrobouni, Wisdom, Amaya.

Rotation of
Steele
Montgomery
Taillion
Hendricks
Wicks

Pen - Alzolay, Merryman, Leiter, Assad, Smyly, and which ever 3 guys look best in the spring.

Probably look to trade some guys for pen help or at least fresh blood.

All that said, I think the Dodgers make an offer he can't turn down. If he goes elsewhere, that really says something.