Looking at a possible 2024 rotation of.
Ohtani
Steele
Stroman (takes the player option)
Taillon
Brown
And 2025
Ohtani
Steele
Taillon
Brown
Horton
That's pretty salty.
***Official 2023 Chicago Cubs Thread***
- Thread starter BigJCy
- Start date
Ohtani
Steele
Stroman (takes the player option)
Taillon
Brown
And 2025
Ohtani
Steele
Taillon
Brown
Horton
That's pretty salty.
CycloneErik
Well-Known Member
And don't forget Wicks and I haven't given up on Wesneski yet either. Plus Ferris and Wiggins are probably a year behind those guys too. Michael Arias has the best pure stuff other than Horton. There are waves on the way.
True, but you can only fit so many in a 5 man rotation. Plus that's sending Assad back to long relief.
I’ll preface by saying I don’t think we get Ohtani, though I’d give my left nut for him. Money, location, and competitiveness were his 3 reasons the cubs didn’t work out the first time. Location is unfixable, unless his buddy Seiya can convince him otherwise.
You’ll have, at a minimum, $70 million to spend this off-season before hitting the second tier. I would guess closer to $80 million given not a lot of arbitration eligible talent. This doesn’t include $7 million “saved” when Bellinger opts out, $5 million saved if Boxberger opts out, and the $21 million/$16 million saved if Stroman or Hendricks are opted out.
If you sign Bellinger, based on your current MLB talent and current prospect projections, you have outfield and every infield spot except 3B pretty much covered. Jed wants to build the pen through the farm.
You have no reason you can’t sign Ohtani on top of that. You would certainly be over the first threshold for the luxury tax, but you’ll have a lot of dead money alone the following year coming off the books that you wouldn’t need to worry much about the tax penalty hitting 3 consecutive years.
You’ll have, at a minimum, $70 million to spend this off-season before hitting the second tier. I would guess closer to $80 million given not a lot of arbitration eligible talent. This doesn’t include $7 million “saved” when Bellinger opts out, $5 million saved if Boxberger opts out, and the $21 million/$16 million saved if Stroman or Hendricks are opted out.
If you sign Bellinger, based on your current MLB talent and current prospect projections, you have outfield and every infield spot except 3B pretty much covered. Jed wants to build the pen through the farm.
You have no reason you can’t sign Ohtani on top of that. You would certainly be over the first threshold for the luxury tax, but you’ll have a lot of dead money alone the following year coming off the books that you wouldn’t need to worry much about the tax penalty hitting 3 consecutive years.
14 of Hendricks 17 starts he has given up 3 earned runs or less. He is pitching well-worth a $16 million contract next year.
If Stroman opts out (i don't think he will) they probably pick up Hendricks' club option.
I trust Madrigal there and then hope Shaw can make it work there. Don’t need an all star at every position, but I would argue they could be playoff caliber.
I think Chapman will get a bigger contract than he's actually worth. Would be nice if Candelario came back but I have concerns he'll get overpaid.
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Well, if anything, we've learned removing Symly from the rotation was the smart move.
Will be interesting to see if we go with our **** around lineup tomorrow with a lefty going for the Tigers or if Ross will try and get a win
Will be interesting to see if we go with our **** around lineup tomorrow with a lefty going for the Tigers or if Ross will try and get a win
Competitiveness and Angels don't go together. He would love Chicago and Wrigley IMO, especially with a fellow Japanese player on the roster. Why can't the Cubs spend as much money as they need to get him? Why is $70-80 mil the amount they have to spend? Why can't they spend $100 mil? $200 mil? $400 mil? It's all funny money anyway.
Even if we come back. This needs to be his last start.
This is going to further tax a tired bullpen.
This is going to further tax a tired bullpen.
I'm just curious why we have given up on Wesneski as a starter.
Baseball Reference has 12 of his last 14 starts negatively impacting your teams probability of winning. Dude is a walking L yet we accept it.
Baseball Reference has 12 of his last 14 starts negatively impacting your teams probability of winning. Dude is a walking L yet we accept it.
Anyhow, lefty tomorrow, who's excited for Morel to leadoff and Wisdom to play first?
Sam Olbur says it best - if we miss the playoffs, it is 100% on managements obsession with playing guys who do not deserve to play.
Sam Olbur says it best - if we miss the playoffs, it is 100% on managements obsession with playing guys who do not deserve to play.
I just can’t fathom there not being anyone in the whole organization who doesn’t give us a better chance to win than Smyly. I don’t care what age, what class, what’s best for development. Start guys who give us a shot.
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