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

[sportsjunkie]

He's extended thru 2019, and I think he has a small part in ownership of the team.


If we end up with Addison, Shark, Hammel, and McKinney tho, he needs to fire himself.

That was a bad deal. Billy thought that Hammel and Shark was going to put them over the top to winning a World Series.

 

[johnnyredstorm]

sometimes you gotta go all in. didn't work, but hey, can't get mad at someone trying to win it all.

 

[CP1708]

The Chicago Cubs just keep picking up inexpensive, intriguing bullpen options.

In the last couple weeks, alone, the Cubs have added Ryan Cook, Andury Acevedo, Jack Leathersich, and Spencer Patton, and now you can add Rex Brothers.

Today, the Cubs traded lefty pitching prospect Wander Cabrera to the Rockies for Brothers, who was recently designated for assignment by the Rockies. That move was a surprise to many in the game, including Brothers, given that the 27-year-old lefty reliever has been, at times, quite excellent.

It hasn’t been a perfect road for Brothers, and we’ll get into that soon, but there’s a lot to like. The Rockies, it seems, never had an intention of tendering the arbitration-eligible Brothers a contract, so they DFA’d him at the rostering deadline last week, and decided to shop him.

Brothers projects to make about $1.5 million next year, and you can say he’s already got an inside track on a job in the Cubs’ pen if he comes to camp looking healthy and effective. There’s a lot to like about this move.

As for what the Cubs gave up, Cabrera is an 18-year-old lefty that the Cubs signed last year out of the Dominican Republic. His debut in the DSL was solid, though obviously there’s only so much you can take from that. He was not a huge bonus guy, for what it’s worth, though he did get $250,000, and pitching prospects tend to get less at that age because of the greater difficulty in projecting.

The Cubs’ 40-man roster is now up to 38. With some more movement there, you’re going to see the Cubs have to start moving some guys off the roster.

 

[CP1708]

Ken Rosenthal and Tom Verducci both speculated that David Price will end up with the Red Sox. They are not along. From last Friday to Tuesday I heard the same thing from a half-dozen GMs, one of whom said “I just think that Dombrowski loves him and he is part of the job Dave took.” Hey, Dombrowski’s manager in Detroit, Brad Ausmus, called Price “the best pitching teammate I’ve ever been around,” a thought seconded by Joe Maddon. Another NL GM Tuesday speculated “Boston will go $30-40M above anyone else.”

Price has been understandably humorous on Twitter. Some feel he is uneasy about Boston, but David is so sophisticated, so talented and so intelligent he will make the best of any situation. Rosenthal and Verducci made well-thought guesses on Price’s whereabouts. I have thought the same thing for nearly a week, but that is not a “the deal is close” thought. Sift through five days of calls and there is a lot of John Lackey and Alex Gordon to the Cubs speculation. A split on Zack Greinke and Jordan Zimmerman to either the Dodgers or Giants. One GM speculated that the Cardinals could pass on Jason Heyward, sign Price and bridge to their next generation of big-time young pitchers, including the suspended Alex Reyes, who one baseball man calls “the best pitching prospect I’ve seen in a year.”

 

[sportsjunkie]

David Price to the Red Sox isn happening. I don't believe it

 

[sportsjunkie]

Jordan Zimmerman sign with Tigers, he off the market

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

^
Damn!!
They got a good deal on him too 5/110 mill.
Would've thought Zim would've waited for the big dominos to fall first, and some team would've got desperate and overpaid him.

 

[secretzofwar]

I don't want Zimmerman anyways. Price or Shark.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

I don't want Zimmerman anyways. Price or Shark Greinke.

I don't want to say that Shark is a lock to return but if he wants to have the most success and return to form teaming up with Bosio is a no brainer, hopefully we can add him along.

 

[CP1708]

Starting to wonder if we could pull off Cueto + Shark.

Zimm was my #2 if we couldn't get Price.

 

[sportsjunkie]

I feel like we can get The Shark for dirt cheap. I don't see teams paying a lot for him. He been average since Theo traded him.

 

[illmatic34]

I think Shark is better than Hammel or Hendricks but what makes us think he isn't on the downside of his career? He got rocked plenty of times this year. Although you might be able to attribute that to team problems, but still.

 

[sportsjunkie]

I think Shark is better than Hammel or Hendricks but what makes us think he isn't on the downside of his career? He got rocked plenty of times this year. Although you might be able to attribute that to team problems, but still.

i agree he is better than Kyle Hendricks and Jason Hammel. he will be an upgrade but at what price?

 

[CP1708]

David Price, 7 years 217 million. Red Sox.

Theo will now chase either Cueto/Shark, or maybe trade Soler to land one of the Braves' young starters, or perhaps Mike Leake.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

No thanks at 7/217
No need trade Soler just yet and no need to overspend on a second tier starter.
Cueto turned down 6/120
He knows once the big names go some team will get desperate and just throw $$ at him.

We might be out of the price range for Greinke but there's still a shot there, and if we overspend I rather it be on Greinke.
I see the Shark market getting bigger as the big names start to drop, so I hope Theo reels him in on the low.

 

[sportsjunkie]

Cubs offered Cueto 6 years, 120 million?

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

^

Sorry about that SJ, I should've clarified.
Cueto turned down the Dbacks offer for 6yrs 120 mill.
Not sure if he just doesn't like Arizona and the disaster they got or if he really thinks he's worth more.
Sad part is after all the big names are gone some team might get desperate and throw more at him (hopefully it won't be the Cubs)

 

[CP1708]

For the Cubs, they’ll now resume – indeed, had probably already long resumed – turning their attentions elsewhere. Zack Greinke, too, seems unlikely at this point, so it’s going to be the middle tier of starters and trades for the Cubs. Thankfully, there are so many interesting options and roster angles there for the Cubs that I have to admit: I’m really not all that bothered by this Price news. Best of luck to him in Boston. For me, an ideal Cubs offseason involves them landing a controlled, younger pitcher in trade, signing a mid-tier guy like Jeff Samardzija or John Lackey, and signing/acquiring a quality outfielder (plus, you know, typical annual ancillary depth stuff). That’s all still very much on the table.

 

[arstyle27]

Welp....i really thought Price wanted to be a Cub. Oh well.

 

[sportsjunkie]

^

Sorry about that SJ, I should've clarified.
Cueto turned down the Dbacks offer for 6yrs 120 mill.
Not sure if he just doesn't like Arizona and the disaster they got or if he really thinks he's worth more.
Sad part is after all the big names are gone some team might get desperate and throw more at him (hopefully it won't be the Cubs)

No Problem bro

 

[illmatic34]

Lackey to the Cubs for 2 years 32-34 million. More cash than I wanted but at least the deal is short. I think Lackey has some solid innings left in him. Probably will be followed up by a trade I'd assume.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

^
Ok. I can dig it
Short deal. Low risk / high reward.
Lackey still got something left.

 

[CP1708]

I don't like giving up a first round draft pick for Lackey, so there better be another arm to follow.

 

[sportsjunkie]

I don't like giving up a first round draft pick for Lackey, so there better be another arm to follow.

I wasn't a fan of that either, but do we get some compensation if Dexter Fowler sign with another team. "2nd rd pick"

 

[CP1708]

Yes, we could get a pick for Fowler, but if we sign another FA, it would take away our 2nd rounder too, so it would be a wash really.

Still tho, after signing Eddy Julio Martinez, he's basically our first round pick anyways I guess.


I just don't get why we would go after Cueto or Kazmir first, since they both were traded and untied to Draft Pick compensation.