***Official 2024 Chicago Cubs Thread***
- Thread starter CycloneErik
- Start date
LOL, another classic Jed signing and I sure hope this is not his "big signing" to fill the 5th spot in the rotation! I mean FFS Jed a MLB deal? He will have no minor league options and this is the same guy that we already had in 2020 that wasn't good enough to hang around. This sure smells like his plan to finish out the rotation because why else would you sign him? He's been mostly a starter the past 2 years with the Brewers and not been that impressive and turns 35 in July so not even much upside to be anything more than a 5th starter really.
Cubs Signing Old Friend and Former Brewers Starter Colin Rea - Bleacher Nation
1 Assad is fine. His peripherals are awful and was GREATLY helped by Wrigley turning into a pitcher's park that it's not likely to repeat. His home/road splits were awful and his hard contact rates are downright terrifying.
Assad is fine because he costs nothing and has options so when it all blows up, you aren't out anything. When Rea becomes unpitchable, and he will, you've got more dead money that could have been spent on the pen or a real utility player that can have legitimate major league at bats.
Exactly, I thought we had better in-house options for the rotation than Rea if we didn't make a splash somewhere with another rotation arm. I think Assad is better as a long relief and spot starter as he fades later in the season as he pitches more innings and never really can give you more than 5 innings or so consistently. Rea to me makes no sense, better to use that $5mil towards a quality bullpen guy or bench player. Trading Belli to save money then not use that savings toward improving the roster is just another bad move by Jed. Unless he surprises us and has some big moves in the works before the season I'm fully onboard with firing his ass as soon as this team inevitable sputters like it looks like they could as currently constructed.
I'm starting to get the feeling that Ricketts slashed the budget.
'You got Tucker, you shouldn't need much more'
Going to be even better when they don't resign Tucker and Cam Smith ends up a 30 HR perennial All Star type player.
Tucker was traded for to help them eke out 86-87 wins, help Jed save his job, and sell a few more tickets. Ricketts doesn’t want to fire Jed. He’s perfectly content to spend within Tom’s budget. Private equity is going to ruin the Cubs.
I’d put it at about a 1% chance they re-sign Tucker. I don’t think they even have any interest in doing so.
I’d put it at about a 1% chance they re-sign Tucker. I don’t think they even have any interest in doing so.
Just like I am an ISU fan for life the same goes for the Cubs. That being said I am pissed lately of how this franchise wasted a golden opportunity to be a dynasty in baseball after finally breaking the curse in 2016 with a loaded roster full of cost controlled players. That team should have won at least 3 World Series but they did not build on the roster like the Dodgers have been doing lately to keep that window open for multiple years. Yes Rizzo Bryant and Baez all have fizzled once they were traded and I am glad the Cubs did not meet the contract demands they have as they would be in a worse spot today if they had. But that 2017-2020 window those guys were still mostly healthy and productive and the Cubs did little to keep the momentum going. I mean the Miami Marlins literally gutted their 1997 World Series team and rebuilt it to win another in 2003. The Red Sox broke their streak in 2004 and acted like a big market team and have won 3 more since then. The Cubs keep spending like a small to middle market team when their revenues say they should be spending like a big market team like NY LA and Boston do.
Nothing wrong with Rea in isolation. He's a solid 4th/5th starter and has been an inning eater the last couple years- averaging just short of 6 innings/start.
But not only does Rea have same velocity as Assad, he also has similar velocity on his primary pitch as Taillon, Imanaga, Steele, Boyd and Wicks. All between 91.5 to 92.5mph. That's why I was hoping the Cubs would target a starter with 94mph+ velocity on his main pitch. Just to give batters something other that L/R to adjust from game to game.
Added:
Feel it's important that Ben Brown is healthy and be a back-end starter as the season progresses.
I think they will make another sizable move but like everyone else waiting on Sasaki to determine the direction they go
Chicago sports ownership is the worst in the business, regardless of the sport. Ironically Ricketts is the best of the bunch.
Gotta be linked to all the dead people that vote in their elections
Michael Arias DFAd to make room for Rea. Not a real shocker he was the only guy on the 40 last year that didn’t get called up. He’s #18 in our system so he should have a few suitors in a trade.
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I'm generally pretty optimistic when it comes to the Cubs, but struggling with the Rea move.
Hopefully it means they are going to move some younger SP depth to get better but most likely just means they are going cheap. Time will tell.
Hopefully it means they are going to move some younger SP depth to get better but most likely just means they are going cheap. Time will tell.
I read this morning they expect him to be depth that will fill the role of swingman. Hopefully along side Assad. I think anything major is on hold till Sasaki makes a decision. Basically if we win the lottery we add a bat otherwise we need another starter.
Seems to be leaning towards going cheap lately. The Rea signing makes little sense to me which is why I fear it means Jed signed him to be the 5th starter and isn't going to spend or trade for an impact starting pitcher at this point. I know this is BN being BN but if there is any truth of the Cubs thinking of signing Raley then its the usual dumpster diving we've been doing the past several seasons. He may not even be ready to pitch until July and this team needs players than can play opening day not more rehab projects. If you can get him on a minor league deal or if he waits until midseason to sign then maybe you take a look but he turns 37 in June and is coming off TJS so I don't get the appeal other than the usual cheap aspect.
FA Releiver Brooks Raley Drawing Interest from Cubs
