He started missing the zone in the 6th. Got ripped in the 7th. But, yeah, if you have no confidence in the bullpen might as well see if he can get bailed out with a couple of grounders or a pop up. Not good either way.
MLB: 2020 Chicago Cubs Season Thread
- Thread starter Cyched
- Start date
He started missing the zone in the 6th. Got ripped in the 7th. But, yeah, if you have no confidence in the bullpen might as well see if he can get bailed out with a couple of grounders or a pop up. Not good either way.
I don’t really blame Ross for trusting Hendricks. If Ross goes to the bullpen and someone gives up a HR, the same people would be complaining that you have to trust Hendricks in that situation. Hell, people got on Joe all the time for pulling Hendricks too early
Hendricks command wasn’t great today but I don’t hate a manager trusting his SP who has been great all year and throwing a shutout to go another batter, especially when the hits he was giving up were weak
My $0.02, if we lose this series, we need to reconfigure this entire roster. Moves I make if I’m running things -
Call individual player meetings with agents with KB, Rizzo, and Baez. If they’re not willing to be realistic about contract extensions, move them. They’ve proven since 2017 they can not be the best team in the NL without supplemental supports, and everything certainly seems like they think they’re worth more than their play has shown. Lets not waste 2021 with more high expectations and more KB playing 50% of games, Baez being El Mago 10% of games, and Rizzo will be 34 when his times up and recent history has shown first basemen do not age well.
If these three have no interests in being a Cub in 2021, say good riddance this winter and find a little pitching for them and sign some FA position players that can do exactly what this squad has done the last two years for 25% of the price
This coming from a guy who’s had their backs the last 4 years. These guys for whatever reason just stink now.
Call individual player meetings with agents with KB, Rizzo, and Baez. If they’re not willing to be realistic about contract extensions, move them. They’ve proven since 2017 they can not be the best team in the NL without supplemental supports, and everything certainly seems like they think they’re worth more than their play has shown. Lets not waste 2021 with more high expectations and more KB playing 50% of games, Baez being El Mago 10% of games, and Rizzo will be 34 when his times up and recent history has shown first basemen do not age well.
If these three have no interests in being a Cub in 2021, say good riddance this winter and find a little pitching for them and sign some FA position players that can do exactly what this squad has done the last two years for 25% of the price
This coming from a guy who’s had their backs the last 4 years. These guys for whatever reason just stink now.
Agree, just wonder how much value we would even get back for those guys right now. They have played horribly, some oft injured, and they want a lot of money coming up shortly. Don't know how much teams would be willing to give up for that.
I honestly think Jed and Theo have become a bit too "attached" to this bunch. They seem like really good, likable dudes. But it has basically been the better part of 3 years of "they'll get it figured out", and it's becoming readily apparent that isn't happening. Moves should have been made a few years ago and Theo and Jed doubled down. Now they have to live with that.
CycloneErik
Well-Known Member
Sorry, it was too early in the morning to be posting something as unpleasant as that.
Yep, agree. Most think Theo is going to leave after next year by his choice (contract is up) so maybe with those being "his guys" he just doesn't want to make those moves before he leaves. After this year I don't think he has much of a choice this off-season but to make major moves though. If I was Ricketts I would demand it.
IMO the Cubs will re-tool this team in the off-season. Ross was hired in the hope that in 2020 he could get these players to win playoff games and resurrect their talent.
I think we have 2 starters back next year in Darvish and Hendrix (as 3rd/4th starter). Alzolay looked OK at end of year and he may be a solid #5 starter.
Cubs should roll back the truck for an elite #1 starter like Trevor Bauer. Like it or not playoff baseball success has always evolved around strike out pitchers.
I think we have some solid relief guys on this year's team. We just need to compliment with 1-2 guys who push 98-100 mph. Maybe Marquez can be one of those guys if he is brought along slowly during the 1st half of 2021.
The offense is a 4-5 player rebuild. We need professional hitters. Guys that don't stretch their strike zone and are willing to hit singles & doubles vs. 450 foot home run swing every time.
It's OK to have a few Baez/Bryant like hitters. Problem is we 6-7.
I think we have 2 starters back next year in Darvish and Hendrix (as 3rd/4th starter). Alzolay looked OK at end of year and he may be a solid #5 starter.
Cubs should roll back the truck for an elite #1 starter like Trevor Bauer. Like it or not playoff baseball success has always evolved around strike out pitchers.
I think we have some solid relief guys on this year's team. We just need to compliment with 1-2 guys who push 98-100 mph. Maybe Marquez can be one of those guys if he is brought along slowly during the 1st half of 2021.
The offense is a 4-5 player rebuild. We need professional hitters. Guys that don't stretch their strike zone and are willing to hit singles & doubles vs. 450 foot home run swing every time.
It's OK to have a few Baez/Bryant like hitters. Problem is we 6-7.
Why on earth was the offense so bad this season? For guys with at least 100 ABs the highest batting average was Jason Heyward with a .265 average! Bryant and Baez barely managed to finish above the Mendoza line at .206 and .203 respectively. No way around it, the offense was very bad this season. Luckily they started 13-3.
Ross has been burned multiple times this year for giving guys too long of leash.
As for Hendricks yesterday, he was clearly out of gas and didn't have his best stuff all day to be honest. The two singles prior to the home run were 105 mph rockets. Comparing yesterday to Joe pulling Hendricks at 63 pitches in game 7 is far from the same.
It was a head scratching sequence all around in that he used up Jeffress afterwards anyways. And no, the offenses poor contact tendencies continue to not do us any favors so I'm not "blaming" Ross' pitching decisions for losing game 1.
The offense has too much of the same type of hitter. Almost every regular is a guy who ideally hits for power and takes walks but at the sacrifice of contact. It's fine to have some of those guys but we need to diversify our batting profile. Tommy LaStella, Michael Brantley, Justin Turner, Kevin Pillar are some guys I would target in free agency (DJ Lemahieu ain't happening). Doesn't sound optimistic though on what they're going to be willing to spend with the current world situation impacting things.
Regardless, getting nothing from Rizzo, Bryant, and Baez isn't going to be something the Cubs can overcome anyways.
I don’t really blame Theo for holding onto these guys (KB was an MVP, Baez was a runner up, Rizzo led the franchise turnaround) and I don’t think we’ve held on for too long.
However, this offseason will officially be too long if they come back yet are not willing to sign an extension. Get what you can while they have a little value.
However, this offseason will officially be too long if they come back yet are not willing to sign an extension. Get what you can while they have a little value.
I’d agree with your point on Rizzo, Baez and Bryant but Theo should’ve unloaded schwarber after they won the series to an AL team for a bunch of Top shelf prospects. His value was never going to get any bigger at the time and some good prospects would have been huge right about now.
