Thoughts after the season

[CSF77]

Just curious but they are under a lot of pressure to change things up though right?

We don't know that. All we know is what Theo said regarding climate. Getting away from individual and going more group mind set.

IE 1 player is not greater that the combined parts.

So IMO if they do bring in or remove that is a underlying factor.

 

[CSF77]

Accually Ommy. We don't know what the current team's potential is. They have underperformed sense 2016. 2017 they had real holes in the line up. 2018 the O just died and 2019 they never looked like a competitive unit.

Getting these guys to meet thier combined potentials would make them a real force.

wRC+ favors them. Rizzo, Contreras, Bryant, Baez are all 120-150 range. Schwarber and Happ are 115-100 range. Heyward 100 rated. Nico is a unknown factor but seems to be in this pack.

Not many teams can even say this.

Now removing PA from sub performance like Almora and Russell is addition by subtraction.

 

[anotheridiot]

I think the most likey scenerio is

Schwarber LF
Heyward CF
Happ RF
Bryant 3B
Baez SS
Nico 2B
Rizzo 1B
Contreras C

Bote 3B/2B
Caratini C
Kemp 2B/OF
Short SS/2B

Almora and Russell DFA to not pay their Arb costs.

Then rotation

They need a arm. I just don't see them going with 3 pitchers that are back of the rotation.

Pen. They need a set up. Ryan and Wick did a nice job but they need a pitcher like Benetes. He stablizes the pen and alows the manager to utilize Wick and Ryan in high pressure spots earlier.

About it. It is little change but I just don't see them paying increasing costs on utility types.

If we are stuck with Heyward again, he needs to play right field. I would rather see Happ make mistakes in center than right.

As far as the individual and group mindset, I see that as a complaint with hitting.

This guessing pitches and looking at strike 3 is happening all thru the lineup. But is it, Rizzo does it, so I guess I should do it or the coaches telling them to do it. Seems to be that is where the individual stuff is happening, because no coach, no matter how little MLB experience he has is going to tell a player to guess pitches with 2 strikes.

We watched Schwarber start to turn it around in the second half, moreso when he was put in the middle of the lineup.

Javy and Nico on top of the lineup, forget this Maddon crap about getting the best hitters the most at bats and have your best hitters hitting when runners are on base. This blow your load in the first 4 hitters is like losing your load when your underpants come off. So that means Javy or Nico 1 and 2, Bryant, Rizzo, Schwarber. I am hoping the new manager sees the trouble of Rizzo going station to station in front of mr electrifying. If that means Rizzo bats 5th than so be it. I know Maddon was never gonna drop rizzo past 4th. Of course the pocket protector crew will say we gotta be RLRLRLR, especially now with relievers facing 3 hitters, but you figure you score 7 runs you dont have to worry about matching up.

Russell will not get a raise from his 3.4 million arbitration and there is really no reason to not let him go to arbitration this year. The people who decide the salary are not baseball people, so knowing the alledged wife beater wont get him to his asking price.

Almora wont pass 600K, so DFA'ing Almora is just plain stupid.

 

[Omeletpants]

Accually Ommy. We don't know what the current team's potential is. They have underperformed sense 2016. 2017 they had real holes in the line up. 2018 the O just died and 2019 they never looked like a competitive unit.

Getting these guys to meet thier combined potentials would make them a real force.

wRC+ favors them. Rizzo, Contreras, Bryant, Baez are all 120-150 range. Schwarber and Happ are 115-100 range. Heyward 100 rated. Nico is a unknown factor but seems to be in this pack.

Not many teams can even say this.

Now removing PA from sub performance like Almora and Russell is addition by subtraction.

Not buying. Past performance is usually an indicator of future and this was/is a third place lineup and without Castellanus who was the best player on the team. MEH

 

[CSF77]

If we are stuck with Heyward again, he needs to play right field. I would rather see Happ make mistakes in center than right.

As far as the individual and group mindset, I see that as a complaint with hitting.

This guessing pitches and looking at strike 3 is happening all thru the lineup. But is it, Rizzo does it, so I guess I should do it or the coaches telling them to do it. Seems to be that is where the individual stuff is happening, because no coach, no matter how little MLB experience he has is going to tell a player to guess pitches with 2 strikes.

We watched Schwarber start to turn it around in the second half, moreso when he was put in the middle of the lineup.

Javy and Nico on top of the lineup, forget this Maddon crap about getting the best hitters the most at bats and have your best hitters hitting when runners are on base. This blow your load in the first 4 hitters is like losing your load when your underpants come off. So that means Javy or Nico 1 and 2, Bryant, Rizzo, Schwarber. I am hoping the new manager sees the trouble of Rizzo going station to station in front of mr electrifying. If that means Rizzo bats 5th than so be it. I know Maddon was never gonna drop rizzo past 4th. Of course the pocket protector crew will say we gotta be RLRLRLR, especially now with relievers facing 3 hitters, but you figure you score 7 runs you dont have to worry about matching up.

Russell will not get a raise from his 3.4 million arbitration and there is really no reason to not let him go to arbitration this year. The people who decide the salary are not baseball people, so knowing the alledged wife beater wont get him to his asking price.

Almora wont pass 600K, so DFA'ing Almora is just plain stupid.

Jr will be over 1 M

I like your vibe on Kyle.

Javy is a 40 HR bat also

Come to think of it. If they nerf the baseball again they still have 4 30 HR bats. Happ IMO 25 range. Heyward pushing 20.

That is over 600 PA.

end of the day you want guys on base for these guys to explode.

I don't think that guy is on the team.

 

[Castor76]

God, I love stats. A lot was made about how the Cubs were't clutch this season. As a team in the RISP w/ 2 Outs, that Cubs were only 13th in MLB in BA. Not great. Here's some of the teams though below them. Houston, Atlanta, Oakland, Milwaukee, and St Louis. In fact, STL and MIL were 28th and 27th in the league. The Cubs were 5th in OBP and 6th in SLG and OPS. I think this points more to the number of outs they made with bad base running versus not coming through when it mattered. I say this because the Cubs were only 24th in PA in that situation. where 4 of the top 8 were playoff teams and only the Yankees had fewer PA than the Cubs of the playoff teams.

 

[SilenceS]

God, I love stats. A lot was made about how the Cubs were't clutch this season. As a team in the RISP w/ 2 Outs, that Cubs were only 13th in MLB in BA. Not great. Here's some of the teams though below them. Houston, Atlanta, Oakland, Milwaukee, and St Louis. In fact, STL and MIL were 28th and 27th in the league. The Cubs were 5th in OBP and 6th in SLG and OPS. I think this points more to the number of outs they made with bad base running versus not coming through when it mattered. I say this because the Cubs were only 24th in PA in that situation. where 4 of the top 8 were playoff teams and only the Yankees had fewer PA than the Cubs of the playoff teams.

Baseball is a funny sport.

This same core has been one of the best base running and fielding teams since 2015. This year its like everything went against them. Those aggressive sends were outs. Those easy plays were getting bobbled.

The offense would hit. The pitching would fail

The pitching would be good. The bats would fail.

This was the most injuries as a team that they have dealt with since the creation of this team.

Same core has crushed lefties. This year, they were absolutely terrible.

A lot of this season didnt make sense. Most are going into their prime and you would think some are past their prime.

I have a strong feeling. Things will even out next year. Why? Because I have watched a lot of baseball and it usually does.

I dont see big swift changes coming. I see tweaks. Theo has not had many great moves since 2016. He needs to be better at rounding out the team.

 

[Steve_A]

Baseball is a funny sport.

This same core has been one of the best base running and fielding teams since 2015. This year its like everything went against them. Those aggressive sends were outs. Those easy plays were getting bobbled.

The offense would hit. The pitching would fail

The pitching would be good. The bats would fail.

This was the most injuries as a team that they have dealt with since the creation of this team.

Same core has crushed lefties. This year, they were absolutely terrible.

A lot of this season didnt make sense. Most are going into their prime and you would think some are past their prime.

I have a strong feeling. Things will even out next year. Why? Because I have watched a lot of baseball and it usually does.

I dont see big swift changes coming. I see tweaks. Theo has not had many great moves since 2016. He needs to be better at rounding out the team.

Agree with most things said but one thing I do worry is a weak SP market in 2021 with Lester riding off into the sunset. I personally think we should sign Cole for whatever the cost.

 

[Parade_Rain]

Cubs were one of the worst teams at contact rate. Cardinals? One of the best. This team strikes out too much or pulls balls to be a big hero instead of moving runners over. That was what was so fun about watching Castellanos. He could take an inside pitch and hit it into RF to score a guy from 3B with a Sac Fly. Not enough team AB. This is what I think Theo means about working out as a team. They were up to the plate to get theirs’ and not thinking about QAB, IMHO.

 

[JimJohnson]

Because he has kept pay roll in check and he has been bringing in new talent. He has 2 too 100 and 2 more on the cusp.

He did not do a complete fire sale of the farm and go over 2nd tax.

Theo only has a couple years left with the Cubs and he knows the window is closing FAST. If he's not going to go for it now, when?

 

[anotheridiot]

God, I love stats. A lot was made about how the Cubs were't clutch this season. As a team in the RISP w/ 2 Outs, that Cubs were only 13th in MLB in BA. Not great. Here's some of the teams though below them. Houston, Atlanta, Oakland, Milwaukee, and St Louis. In fact, STL and MIL were 28th and 27th in the league. The Cubs were 5th in OBP and 6th in SLG and OPS. I think this points more to the number of outs they made with bad base running versus not coming through when it mattered. I say this because the Cubs were only 24th in PA in that situation. where 4 of the top 8 were playoff teams and only the Yankees had fewer PA than the Cubs of the playoff teams.

I like stats, dont love them. It is unbelievable some of the stats. Javy leading MLB in opposite field home runs, Kyle close second. Last years presser Theo said the cubs led the league in opposite field hits. No way that passes an eye test when you watch Heyward and Rizzo grounding out to right field. But stats dont lie, right?

Theo knows he has 2 years left, which is why he is talking about figuring out mistakes and getting enough to keep the team rolling.

Everyone in baseball knows if Theo leaves when his contract his up, he is going to get another job pretty much his choice. I still say he needs to go to Cleveland to bust their curse.

 

[CSF77]

Theo only has a couple years left with the Cubs and he knows the window is closing FAST. If he's not going to go for it now, when?

 

[Steve_A]

Theo only has a couple years left with the Cubs and he knows the window is closing FAST. If he's not going to go for it now, when?

SP - Decline the option on Q and go all in on Cole especially with Lester gone next year (although he seems to prefer the west coast)
CF - Rare throughout the league so try to find the best out there or have Happ focus there
2nd - Howie Kendricks / Eric Sogard or have Bote focus there

 

[TL1961]

Baseball is a funny sport.

This same core has been one of the best base running and fielding teams since 2015. This year its like everything went against them. Those aggressive sends were outs. Those easy plays were getting bobbled.

The offense would hit. The pitching would fail

The pitching would be good. The bats would fail.

This was the most injuries as a team that they have dealt with since the creation of this team.

Same core has crushed lefties. This year, they were absolutely terrible.

A lot of this season didnt make sense. Most are going into their prime and you would think some are past their prime.

I have a strong feeling. Things will even out next year. Why? Because I have watched a lot of baseball and it usually does.

I dont see big swift changes coming. I see tweaks. Theo has not had many great moves since 2016. He needs to be better at rounding out the team.

I share the thinking that we have the same guys defensively that were very good a few years back, but it has been a steady decline not a sudden anomaly.

Javy and Contreras need to be more conservative. Stop giving up an extra base trying to get an out that is unlikely.

They are both talented but cost us defensively more than some who are less so.

Contreras especially. I don’t need to see you trying to make Sportscenter. I need you being smart. Cole Hamels alluded to all this after the season. Pitchers don’t like having to get extra outs.

Contreras on the bases, too. Great hitter. Too reckless on the bases. New manager needs to address that. Not difficult to tighten that up.

 

[TL1961]

SP - Decline the option on Q and go all in on Cole especially with Lester gone next year (although he seems to prefer the west coast)
CF - Rare throughout the league so try to find the best out there or have Happ focus there
2nd - Howie Kendricks / Eric Sogard or have Bote focus there

Opening a season with Howie Kendrick or David Bote starting on the middle infield is waving a white flag.

 

[SilenceS]

I share the thinking that we have the same guys defensively that were very good a few years back, but it has been a steady decline not a sudden anomaly.

Javy and Contreras need to be more conservative. Stop giving up an extra base trying to get an out that is unlikely.

They are both talented but cost us defensively more than some who are less so.

Contreras especially. I don’t need to see you trying to make Sportscenter. I need you being smart. Cole Hamels alluded to all this after the season. Pitchers don’t like having to get extra outs.

Contreras on the bases, too. Great hitter. Too reckless on the bases. New manager needs to address that. Not difficult to tighten that up.

Javy has one of the highest DRS as a SS this year and should be in the running for gold glove.

 

[Steve_A]

Opening a season with Howie Kendrick or David Bote starting on the middle infield is waving a white flag.

Like trying to make due with Russel and Descalso wasn't?

 

[Steve_A]

I like stats, dont love them. It is unbelievable some of the stats. Javy leading MLB in opposite field home runs, Kyle close second. Last years presser Theo said the cubs led the league in opposite field hits. No way that passes an eye test when you watch Heyward and Rizzo grounding out to right field. But stats dont lie, right?

Theo knows he has 2 years left, which is why he is talking about figuring out mistakes and getting enough to keep the team rolling.

Everyone in baseball knows if Theo leaves when his contract his up, he is going to get another job pretty much his choice. I still say he needs to go to Cleveland to bust their curse.

Hope he stays around to become an executive legend here but that's just me.

 

[Steve_A]

San Diego will not trade both Urias and Patino for Bryant. It is nice to dream and it would be great for the Cubs, but it will not happen.

Agree.

 

[Steve_A]

I doubt it.

Boston can remove payroll by trading Betts and reloading their system. He is a top 5 player in baseball and is going to get a haul. There will be a war to get him.

Sale most likey rebounds. You never sell low.

I think Sale will some day in the future go under the knife.
Innings are piling up + there was always doubts about his delivery holding up.