Teams
Forum List
Toggle sidebar

***Official 2023 Chicago Cubs Thread***

ScottyP said:
I think they hoped that Hosmer and Mancini would go on a hot streak before the deadline and flip them for prospects.

Mancini was poor defensively and offensively. He had some defensive lapses that cost the Cubs at least a couple of games.
Click to expand...

Which, the point of the person you quoted, is the whole issue. Serious teams don't play ****** veterans for the sole purpose of trying to drum up enough value to get some marginal prospects. This team was always good enough to contend if they'd put their best lineup out regularly. The key was it taking 2 months to figure out that included Tauchman.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ScottyP
Clonefan32 said:
Which, the point of the person you quoted, is the whole issue. Serious teams don't play ****** veterans for the sole purpose of trying to drum up enough value to get some marginal prospects. This team was always good enough to contend if they'd put their best lineup out regularly. The key was it taking 2 months to figure out that included Tauchman.
Click to expand...
That's how the Cubs rebuilt the farm system. Signing reclamation projects and dealing them for prospects.

This year was a bit different in that the possibility of contending for a playoff spot was there. I agree we stuck with them too long but replacing Hosmer with Mervis was more about waiting for Mervis to be ready then Hosmer's lack of production. Turns out he still wasn't.

As for Mancini if you look back in this thread there was more excitement for his signing then Bellinger's so keeping him longer was somewhat expected. Plus his numbers were basically on par with the other bad options.
 
Mancini had a productive run with Baltimore from 2017-last season where he was a 20+ HR guy that hit for pretty decent average, In 2019 he hit 35 HR and 97 RBI while batting .291. He was having a decent 2022 season before he got traded to the Astros then had a rough 51 game stint with them. On paper he looked like a decent signing but he never got his bat going and was a defensive liability when he had to play the field. Hosmer was just taking a low risk flyer on a guy with 4 gold gloves that wouldn't cost them more than a minimum wage contract to cut him if he didn't pan out. We'll likely still be paying Mancini next season after he picks up his player option.

They payroll is setup where they will shed enough money after this season to be aggressive in the offseason. Hopefully after being in the playoff mix this season and with some top prospects getting close the days of signing multiple reclamation projects to fill out the roster are done for now.
 
ISUCubswin said:
Smyly might be the next Mancini-like DFA. 11 of his last 13 appearances have led to a negative chance of winning. 35 earned runs the last 41 innings he's pitched.

Absolutely ******* terrible. Let Wesneski, Assad, or Killian get experience over this ****.
Click to expand...
When Stroman comes back. Smyly has to be the guy headed to the pen.
 
ISUCubswin said:
Smyly might be the next Mancini-like DFA. 11 of his last 13 appearances have led to a negative chance of winning. 35 earned runs the last 41 innings he's pitched.

Absolutely ******* terrible. Let Wesneski, Assad, or Killian get experience over this ****.
Click to expand...
Got to think he's hurt at this point with all these short outings. They signed him to a pretty friendly deal where coming out of the bullpen was an option. At this point may as well give Wesneski his spot in the rotation and make him the lefty reliever they don't currently have.
 
CYdTracked said:
Got to think he's hurt at this point with all these short outings. They signed him to a pretty friendly deal where coming out of the bullpen was an option. At this point may as well give Wesneski his spot in the rotation and make him the lefty reliever they don't currently have.
Click to expand...
Agree with pulling him from the rotation. Needs an IL stint to figure things out.
 
David Freshman1982 said:
Smyly, done with him. If they can eat Mancini money, they can eat Smyly money.
Click to expand...
He's not a lost cause, probably is battling injury or something as they used Fulmer to start one of his games recently and have been piggybacking a long guy on some of his starts too. 8 mil this year, 8.5 mil next year and a 10 mil mutual option for 2025. Makes no sense to eat that kind of money when moving him to the lefty out of the pen next year is a possibility and he can eat up some innings in long relief.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ScottyP and CycloneErik
CYdTracked said:
He's not a lost cause, probably is battling injury or something as they used Fulmer to start one of his games recently and have been piggybacking a long guy on some of his starts too. 8 mil this year, 8.5 mil next year and a 10 mil mutual option for 2025. Makes no sense to eat that kind of money when moving him to the lefty out of the pen next year is a possibility and he can eat up some innings in long relief.
Click to expand...
Agree if you can pay 8.5 million for a guy who coinflips his starts historically you do it and put him as your 4th or 5th guy. Assuming he doesn't fall off a cliff like some guys do in their mid to late 30s
 
Rabbuk said:
Agree if you can pay 8.5 million for a guy who coinflips his starts historically you do it and put him as your 4th or 5th guy. Assuming he doesn't fall off a cliff like some guys do in their mid to late 30s
Click to expand...
The only way you eat his contract is if we have too many guys coming up that are proving to be better options. Even if that's the case you still try a reclamation project to recoup some of the costs.
 
ISUCubswin said:
Smyly might be the next Mancini-like DFA. 11 of his last 13 appearances have led to a negative chance of winning. 35 earned runs the last 41 innings he's pitched.

Absolutely ******* terrible. Let Wesneski, Assad, or Killian get experience over this ****.
Click to expand...

I fully support this, however it's pretty clear, based on his career history and stats, that he's best utilized as a reliever. Why MLB teams (including the Cubs) continue to miscast him, despite the relative aberration of last year, is beyond me.
 
CYdTracked said:
He's not a lost cause, probably is battling injury or something as they used Fulmer to start one of his games recently and have been piggybacking a long guy on some of his starts too. 8 mil this year, 8.5 mil next year and a 10 mil mutual option for 2025. Makes no sense to eat that kind of money when moving him to the lefty out of the pen next year is a possibility and he can eat up some innings in long relief.
Click to expand...

The problem is he's in his mid 30s and has never had any prolonged success as a starter. He's thrown over 150 innings ONCE and his most effective season was when Detroit used him as a reliever eons ago.

Now, if you could count on him to pitch a full season around a 4.3-4.6 ERA as a 5 starter? Last year was completely out of nowhere and this year he's pitching closer to his career norm as a starter. He's also pitched more innings the last 3 years than he has in any (previous) 5 year stretch in his career. Expecting him to hold up and be successful, at age 34 no less, is wishful thinking.

Move him to the pen and see how he handles it. If he doesn't I'd cut and run now as it's very unlikely he remains healthy (as a starter) and/or effective going forward. And that's hard to deal with when the team is good/on the cusp of being contenders.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RivClone23
ZRF said:
The problem is he's in his mid 30s and has never had any prolonged success as a starter. He's thrown over 150 innings ONCE and his most effective season was when Detroit used him as a reliever eons ago.

Now, if you could count on him to pitch a full season around a 4.3-4.6 ERA as a 5 starter? Last year was completely out of nowhere and this year he's pitching closer to his career norm as a starter. He's also pitched more innings the last 3 years than he has in any (previous) 5 year stretch in his career. Expecting him to hold up and be successful, at age 34 no less, is wishful thinking.

Move him to the pen and see how he handles it. If he doesn't I'd cut and run now as it's very unlikely he remains healthy (as a starter) and/or effective going forward. And that's hard to deal with when the team is good/on the cusp of being contenders.
Click to expand...
I am all for using him out of the pen. Not only do you have to pay him but he fits a role this team doesn't have right now. With the off days and Stroman coming back its the perfect time to make the move.
He can come back next year out of the pen and as a depth starter in a pinch.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CYdTracked and ScottyP
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Help Support Us

Become a patron
Top Bottom