***Official 2024 Chicago Cubs Thread***
- Thread starter CycloneErik
- Start date
I keep thinking that the Tucker trade is going to be one of the worst in Cubs history especially if he doesn’t sign an extension. Cubs are not winning the WS this year and likely gave up an All-Star prospect in Cam Smith. Wesneski and Paredes are cheap pieces as well.
Tucker is a stud but 1 year to win 87 games is a horrible trade.
Tucker is a stud but 1 year to win 87 games is a horrible trade.
Would not surprise me as they need someone that can back up 3B and 1B. Problem is he is 40 years old and on the decline although he posted a 1.5 WAR still last year which was better than any of our bench players last year sad If they actually sign him it better be on a really cheap 1 year deal so it won't hurt much to cut him if he is a flop.
Will be curious what Bregman's contract details look like. The headline is 3 years at $120M. But I saw a report the present value of the detail was $90M. That would tell me the deferred salary is pretty substantial and pretty far into the future. If reports correct, sounds like Bregman will be the next generations Bobby Bonilla.
Also saw that Nick Pivetta signed with the Padres. I would have liked for the Cubs to have gone after Pivetta when they missed out on the first tier free agent starters. It looks like teams either have to be willing to spend the big bucks or structure contracts creatively. Below is language from ESPN on Pivetta's contract:
Pivetta's deal, still pending the completion of a physical exam, includes opt-outs after the second and third seasons and is heavily backloaded. The contract will pay him a $3 million signing bonus and only a $1 million salary in 2025, then calls for salaries of $19 million, $14 million and $18 million from 2026 to 2028, sources told Passan.
Also saw that Nick Pivetta signed with the Padres. I would have liked for the Cubs to have gone after Pivetta when they missed out on the first tier free agent starters. It looks like teams either have to be willing to spend the big bucks or structure contracts creatively. Below is language from ESPN on Pivetta's contract:
Pivetta's deal, still pending the completion of a physical exam, includes opt-outs after the second and third seasons and is heavily backloaded. The contract will pay him a $3 million signing bonus and only a $1 million salary in 2025, then calls for salaries of $19 million, $14 million and $18 million from 2026 to 2028, sources told Passan.
This late in the game, he's probably a solid add. Even last season he was a .259 hitter with 11 HR's & 24 doubles. Over his career I would classify him as a professional hitter. He doesn't shrink in the big moment.
Feel like his floor is a .250 doubles power pinch hitter. His upside is a 20HR & .270 hitter. So for the likely price he's a solid insurance piece in case Shaw isn't ready to be an everyday starter or Busch 2nd half 2024 is what the Cubs get early in 2025.
The only curious thing for me is he hasn't played much 3B the last 2 years. Mainly a DH & 1B. But he did play some 2B for the Red Sox in 2023 and maybe younger guys like Devers blocked his playing 3B vs. a decline in his fielding.
It's simple really. It's about giving the appearance of trying. It was a relatively cheap "splash" they could make for fanbase that wanted an offseason win after being out on literally everyone worth a **** the last 2 winters.
I understand the Cubs are a big market team and should act like it, but has our farm ever been this good? If Hoyer wasn’t making decisions to save his job, I think the smart play should have been to infuse some talent, ride out Hoerner, Happ, Suzuki, and Taillon (if they can’t be traded for more prospects) and build again for a future.
The quality of our farm system right now is up for debate IMO. Other than PCA who was the last impact position player they have called up lately? Maybe Shaw, Caissie, Alcantara, Triantos, Ballestreros, and Rojas hit but the odds are half of those guys either don't pan out or are traded before we find out. Steele is the last SP I can think of and he has been up since 2021. Have some bullpen guys lately that look promising but SP wise been a lot of bottom of the rotation/swing arms that haven't stayed healthy or couldn't keep a spot in the rotation. We'll see if Brown and Horton can be the next guys to make an impact on the pitching front but they gotta stay healthy first to do so.
If you look at what likely will be the opening day roster only PCA and Shaw are recent products of the farm system. Amaya took a long time to come up due to injuries and we still aren't sure what we have in him yet, Happ and Hoerner have been with the big league team several years now and are good but not superstar players, and we have sprinkled in some pitchers through the farm system but Steele is really the only one that has been a mainstay in the rotation. Everyone else has been acquired through trade or free agency. Before the 2016 run we had guys on the fast track to the big leagues like Rizzo, Bryant, Baez, and Schwarber that all made immediate impacts. Obviously they all fell off a cliff with production 1 way or another that led to the Cubs parting ways but I don't feel like the Cubs system is at that point we have a train of guys like that ready to hit the ground running and make a difference, especially with several of them blocked at the big league level too.
I’ve been overall pretty impressed with Jed this offseason. I think my hatred has done a full shift towards Tom.
That being said, I think my biggest disappointment this offseason is going in expecting to improve the SP room and ending up with Boyd and Rae.
I do think Boyd will be good. Rae is a $5M joke. But we need one more.
That being said, I think my biggest disappointment this offseason is going in expecting to improve the SP room and ending up with Boyd and Rae.
I do think Boyd will be good. Rae is a $5M joke. But we need one more.
Also, while my blame has shifted towards Tom, pretty damn disappointing we’ve had Luzardo, Scott, Yates, and Bregman in our sights and couldn’t finish the deal
I think Brett pretty well nails it to start. It used to be win your division, get to the playoff, see what happens. But with the current structure, you have to aim a little higher. No one wants the randomness of a 3 game wild card series.
Just so ******* sick of this front office not even being near competitive with big name guys. It's an embarrassment. Just an outright refusal to spend in an amount that commensurate with their value.
You do know 90% of this issue here has nothing to do with the front office? A GM get's told what is budget is by ownership, it's then up to that group to do what they can within that budget. Hoyer said that he had to get ownership approval to stretch the budget in the Bregman pursuit and 4 years/$115mil was the best offer the Cubs could make in that "stretched budget" scenario. So your problem should be with Tom Ricketts and not Jed Hoyer.
I get so sick of the whining about the front office by our fan base. Hoyer is not perfect, or even great, but there are definitely things holding that group back from doing what they might want/should do.
This is true and FO is probably an unfair categorization. I guess I'm kind of lumping in ownership too. I know Hoyer can only spend what he's allowed.
