Offseason rumors/discussion thread

[chibears55]

Cards were a worse team going in. Cubs at 100% still are a better team. Even the Crew wouldn’t have been that good unless they had a unexpected MVP performance to tie a injury plagued Cubs.

Right now Cubs have the best team on paper. Crew and Cards are close. I would give all 3 90 plus. Baez repeats and Bryant and Rizzo go back to norms. Best 5 rotation in the central. Strop showing that he can close games. Morrow might end up his set up with his delay.

I still think they are the best team on paper. Even with the Russell drama.

Right now the rotation is the cubs strength on paper and they need to hope they all pitch to their capabilities ..

The bats are still a concern with question marks

Contreras: hoping for a better year
Rizzo: hoping he regains form
Bryant: hoping he regains form
Baez: probably fall back a bit
2B/SS: unknown
Schwarber: hoping he figures it out
CF: unknown
Heyward: hoping he good for more then a month or two

Lotta hopes for this group

 

[CSF77]

Right now the rotation is the cubs strength on paper and they need to hope they all pitch to their capabilities ..

The bats are still a concern with question marks

Contreras: hoping for a better year
Rizzo: hoping he regains form
Bryant: hoping he regains form
Baez: probably fall back a bit
2B/SS: unknown
Schwarber: hoping he figures it out
CF: unknown
Heyward: hoping he good for more then a month or two

Lotta hopes for this group

Not really hope. Hope is expecting a rookie can perform like a stable vet.

What this is players moving back to their normal production. Honestly that is really not a hope thing that is a normal thing.

Hopeis hopping that the team doesn’t get wrecked by injury again.

Darvish then Bryant then Morrow then Edwards then Strop. I would call that jinxed

Chatwood was a poor judgement call. He never proved that he was justified to be offered it. I see it as Theo being Theo and looking for a frugal purchase. He did it with Morrow and it worked. Chatwood blew up in his face. He could have gone more established but chose higher risk to pinch a penny.

 

[chibears55]

Not really hope. Hope is expecting a rookie can perform like a stable vet.

What this is players moving back to their normal production. Honestly that is really not a hope thing that is a normal thing.

Hopeis hopping that the team doesn’t get wrecked by injury again.

Darvish then Bryant then Morrow then Edwards then Strop. I would call that jinxed

Chatwood was a poor judgement call. He never proved that he was justified to be offered it. I see it as Theo being Theo and looking for a frugal purchase. He did it with Morrow and it worked. Chatwood blew up in his face. He could have gone more established but chose higher risk to pinch a penny.

Outside of Rizzo and Bryant we have no clue what normal production is for most of these guys...

Contreras had a good year and bad year

Baez went from average to mvp

Schwarber basically a HR hitter or nothing

Heyward pretty much struggled last 3 years

So yeah, were hoping for a good year from these guys with the bat cause we dont know what normal is from them

 

[anotheridiot]

Not really hope. Hope is expecting a rookie can perform like a stable vet.

What this is players moving back to their normal production. Honestly that is really not a hope thing that is a normal thing.

Hopeis hopping that the team doesn’t get wrecked by injury again.

Darvish then Bryant then Morrow then Edwards then Strop. I would call that jinxed

Chatwood was a poor judgement call. He never proved that he was justified to be offered it. I see it as Theo being Theo and looking for a frugal purchase. He did it with Morrow and it worked. Chatwood blew up in his face. He could have gone more established but chose higher risk to pinch a penny.

It worked with Morrow? There was never much of a question of stuff for Morrow, it was always health. I mean 60 games, 45,26,26,30,21,10,13, 5, and 45 and you were going to ask him to close an entire season? His injuries seemed to stem from clumsiness. Back injury putting on pants? Did we ever know how he got the contusion on his arm? I say he could have gone more established but chose higher risk to pinch a penny in both cases.

 

[CSF77]

I think the best way to view Theo is you want a apple but it is at $5 per pound. So he buys a pound of pears at $3 per pound and says it’s still a fruit so eat it. That is Theo methods.

 

[CSF77]

It worked with Morrow? There was never much of a question of stuff for Morrow, it was always health. I mean 60 games, 45,26,26,30,21,10,13, 5, and 45 and you were going to ask him to close an entire season? His injuries seemed to stem from clumsiness. Back injury putting on pants? Did we ever know how he got the contusion on his arm? I say he could have gone more established but chose higher risk to pinch a penny in both cases.

You really know his history? He was nothing until he sparked with SDP who did a high trade with LAD. Then he glowed in the play offs.

That is not buying established talent. Morrow could have been a fluke. There was risk involved beyond injury.

 

[CSF77]

Ok I would concider Strop not a fluke. He is the most establish reliever in Cubs history. Look it up if you don’t believe it. Last year he was finally put into a role that showcased what he really is to the team.

I’ll say it now. Not making him the closer is a mistake. Morrow is still high risk. High risk should never hold roles that impact every day business.

 

[chibears55]

Another reliever off the board

https://twitter.com/BleacherNation/status/1076115506778779648?s=19

Yankees and Phillies are supposedly top teams for Britton

 

[anotheridiot]

You really know his history? He was nothing until he sparked with SDP who did a high trade with LAD. Then he glowed in the play offs.

That is not buying established talent. Morrow could have been a fluke. There was risk involved beyond injury.

I know he was never a full time pitcher, so I go back to actually look at how many games he pitched per season over his career to show he should not have been considered for 70 games a year and I am still wrong. Schwarber glowed in the playoffs too, but he does not get an ounce of consideration for it.

I know bringing in a good 8th inning guy and calling him a closer was a chance to save a few million on Davis, so either case was high risk for cheap with Morrow and Chatwood..

 

[CSF77]

I know he was never a full time pitcher, so I go back to actually look at how many games he pitched per season over his career to show he should not have been considered for 70 games a year and I am still wrong. Schwarber glowed in the playoffs too, but he does not get an ounce of consideration for it.

I know bringing in a good 8th inning guy and calling him a closer was a chance to save a few million on Davis, so either case was high risk for cheap with Morrow and Chatwood..

2017 over wrote 2016 for Schwarber. What it did show is he has holes but it shows that he is a hard worker and attacks his holes. I accually have him as the big break out this year. It is not based off of hope. Rather time and work ethics

 

[CSF77]

I’m on the fence with Almora also. I don’t think the impact is the same as Schwarber but we got a taste of what he could become.

 

[zack54attack]

Miller is interesting for STL. If he's 2016 or 2017 Miller, that bullpen got that much better. But if he's last year's version then..

 

[chibears55]

https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/1076154319337082889?s=19

Not sure who left after Britton

 

[beckdawg]

Dodgers are trading Puig, Wood and Kemp to the reds for Homer Bailey ++. Saves them like ~$20 mil this year. Might be harper related but I'm not entirely sure myself.

 

[beckdawg]

Dodgers are trading Puig, Wood and Kemp to the reds for Homer Bailey ++. Saves them like ~$20 mil this year. Might be harper related but I'm not entirely sure myself.

Jeter Downs is also apparently going to LA. Pretty interesting prospect.

 

[CSF77]

Prelude to Harper signing

 

[chibears55]

Reds getting better
Cardinals getting better
Dodgers gearing up for Harper probably
Phillies trying to lock down Machado

Cubs got DeScalso

 

[chibears55]

If this happens as I mentioned this a possibility before, it definitely for Harper

https://twitter.com/CharlsMeow/status/1076172081581060097?s=19

 

[anotheridiot]

I guess we will see, LA was almost forced to take Kemp back last year, they have been looking to move Puig for two years, so its basically Alex Woods for Homer Bailey and prospects. Those prospects must be good.

 

[chibears55]

Machado prefers the Yankees and Yankees are looking to trade Andujar