Official 2023 Chicago Cubs Season Thread Vol: (17-17)

[CP1708]

News-Notes-Rumors from CBSSports

Last year, the Cubs rebuffed the idea of trading either Kris Bryant (obviously) or Addison Russell for Hamels, who they had claimed on revocable waivers in August. However, they have so many great prospects it could be worth re-visiting if the Phillies are willing to aim a bit lower (or actually, a lot lower)...

Chicago also looks like a prime potential landing spot for one of the many good free-agent starters next winter, anyway, with some predicting either a return of Jeff Samardzija or possibly Jordan Zimmermann, who's from neighboring Wisconsin (he's from Auburndale, near Stevens Points)...

The Cubs seem willing to trade Javier Baez and Dan Vogelbach, according to an executive with another team. The executive suggests it's partly because those players were drafted by a previous regime. But the reality is, there are issues with both players. Baez has cut down on his swing and is working on the perception that he "doesn't make contact" (one rival's assessment), and first baseman Vogelbach is a "30 fielder," says a scout, using scout parlance for well below average on the 20-80 scale. It may not hurt Baez and Vogelbach, the Cubs' minor-league player of the month for April, to have fresh starts elswhere, with Vogelbach somewhere in the AL ...

Bryant has been brilliant but "he's not getting the pitches to hit" one Cubs person said. Despite missing the first week plus, he's had more 3-and-2 counts than anyone ...

Several sources have suggested Jon Lester received a seven-year offer, with one pegging it at $168 million for seven years. The rumored Giants have denied it was them, however.

 

[johnnyredstorm]

only 41.5% of the pitches Bryant's seen have been in the strikezone.

 

[CP1708]

One pitch away.

Brutal, brutal pitch by Rondon. Just terrible.

Get 7 strong innings from Lester and still burn 6 innings worth of relievers because of one pitch.

 

[arstyle27]

Rizzo bomb!!! 6th rbi tonight.....dayum

 

[CP1708]

MVP

 

[CP1708]

Infield defense has been on point so far tonight. Cubs need this one if they want to avoid going on a bit of a dry spell. Scherzer tomorrow. :\

 

[CP1708]

#KBoom

 

[CP1708]

Amazing win tonight. Pitching, hitting, fielding. Well done.

Bryant and Russell.

 

[sportsjunkie]

What can we do to fix this bullpen? My goodness. Great Walk off win last night though.

 

[sportsjunkie]

This MLB draft is around the corner. What prospects are we looking at, at the 9th spot?

 

[johnnyredstorm]

This MLB draft is around the corner. What prospects are we looking at, at the 9th spot?

If you guys go pitching: Carson Fulmer would be a good look but I think the Red Sox take him at 7. Tyler Jay could be a possibility.

From Kiley McDaniel's (baseball scout, lead prospect analyst for FanGraphs) mock draft earlier in the month (think he's releasing an update soon)

9. Cubs – Trenton Clark, LF, Richland HS (TX), Texas Tech commit
The Cubs have been tied to a number of players at this pick, either college pitchers (RHP Jon Harris, RHP Carson Fulmer, RHP Walker Buehler) or prep hitters (Cameron, Tucker, Clark). The buzz is a little stronger that they go bat here and the Clark rumor has been around for awhile, but I hear they really like Harris as well.

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/a-far-too-early-2015-mlb-mock-draft/

Daz Cameron would be dope but I doubt he's there.

 

[sportsjunkie]

Daz will be gone.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

Went to see Lester......

View media item 1553098
Got wasted...

 

[CP1708]

He made one bad pitch all night.

But Scherzer was flat out better on this night.

8th inning really hurt us.


So close to that Fowler bunt workin out perfectly.

 

[johnnyredstorm]

Update has Daz falling to you guys
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/2015-mlb-mock-draft-v2-0/

 

[sportsjunkie]

He made one bad pitch all night.

But Scherzer was flat out better on this night.

8th inning really hurt us.


So close to that Fowler bunt workin out perfectly.

Scherzer was dealing last night.




We got KC for a 3 game set. This is going to be a tough weekend for us.

 

[Retroballer]

Update has Daz falling to you guys
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/2015-mlb-mock-draft-v2-0/

Daz is in play. I've been reading up for Astros reasons and I've seen Daz from 5 to 12.

 

[CP1708]

Theo's MO is not taking high school kids tho.

I don't really think Daz is in play. College bat, or college arm. Those are basically the 2 areas he looks at early, projects he pulls later on.

 

[CP1708]

DJ (Chicago)
Keith with Schwarber at 90 in your preseason rankings was it kind of a show me rank? Not saying 90 was right or wrong but you always mentioned as a polished college bat what he was doing was expect. Did you believe in the bat and it was it just the case of you needing to see it excel against higher competition? Positional value make it tough for him to crack the top 10? (assuming no call up)

Klaw (1:37 PM)
I don't know what a "show me rank" would be, but the bat is way more advanced than I thought it was. Scouting reports are over the moon right now and of course I'm impressed by what he's doing at AA right out of the draft.

Keith Law jumped Schwarber from 90th, to 15th.

Dallas (Chicago)
Gleyber Torres turns 19 in December; he's hitting .331/.410/.408 at shortstop in Low-A for the Cubs. Do you think he will be moved to Hi-A this year or just let him spend the year in Lo-A because there's no hurry at all.

Klaw (1:48 PM)
No reason to move him up given his age, and I think there's value in letting a young player go around the league more than once to see how pitchers adjust to him and how he adjusts back.

 

[sportsjunkie]

a split with the royals this weekend. not bad. I expect us to sweep the marlins

 

[johnnyredstorm]

Theo's MO is not taking high school kids tho.

I don't really think Daz is in play. College bat, or college arm. Those are basically the 2 areas he looks at early, projects he pulls later on.

Sort of want to see you guys take Carson Fulmer if that's the case and he slips past Boston. Big power arm, plus secondary stuff. His delivery is laboring but he's improved it a lot since high school. Average to above average command that should continue improving. Floor seems like a closer, ceiling a front-line starter.

 

[CP1708]

1. Anthony Rizzo/Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs

Yes, Bryant is this good, this soon, and he's only going to get more dangerous as the season progresses. Rizzo became a star last season and is even better in 2015. Both get on base and both have power. One hits left-handed and the other hits right-handed. Rizzo is fifth in the majors in wOBA and Bryant is 25th. They rank third and 16th in on-base percentage and both could reach 30 home runs. Yes, Bryant's strikeout total is too high, but as long as he's getting on base, that simply makes him kind of a more athletic, right-handed version of Jim Thome: lots of strikeouts, but lots of walks and lots of home runs.

Oh ... and they're 25 and 23 years old.

David Schoenfield calling this duo the best in the game, already.

 

[CP1708]

View media item 1560984
Man........

 

[CP1708]

Theo's MO is not taking high school kids tho.

I don't really think Daz is in play. College bat, or college arm. Those are basically the 2 areas he looks at early, projects he pulls later on.

Sort of want to see you guys take Carson Fulmer if that's the case and he slips past Boston. Big power arm, plus secondary stuff. His delivery is laboring but he's improved it a lot since high school. Average to above average command that should continue improving. Floor seems like a closer, ceiling a front-line starter.

I still think they go bat. Crazy as that sounds, this is probably the last time they pick inside the top 10 for a while. My guess is they add one more high level bat, and then go pitching heavy in the 2-9 rounds, trying to find under slot guys and so forth.

Although I don't expect High School bats, they could look at Garrett Whitley.

As for college guys, DJ Stewart, Ian Happ, or Andrew Benintendi.

One of those 4 should be there at 9, I'd think they'd go that route. But, no one saw Schwarber being the 4th pick, and that kid is absolutely raking. So they scout better than I do, that's for sure.

Whoever they take, I've learned enough to trust Theo and his scouting department and expect that kid to be worth it.

 

[johnnyredstorm]

I've read good things about Whitley. Apparently he's talented enough for the D'Backs to consider him at 1 just to save money and be able to go overslot in their later picks, but they probably won't do it since who knows who is on the board later on.