***Official 2024 Chicago Cubs Thread***

[Clonefan32]

I won't stick up for Jed, but this is wrong. It wouldn't take much for them to be Division winners next year.

I just have no idea how you can think that. Offensively this roster is what it is. Who is taking a huge leap? Where does this newfound run production come from? Brewers will continue to Brewer and the Reds and Pirates are improving. We have a bunch of very average players that have been average in years past, and will continue to be average next year. I don’t know where you see this magic jump coming from. Again we have the 4th worst record in the NL, and that’s with half our starting pitching playing out of their minds for a lot of the season.

 

[Rabbuk]

I just have no idea how you can think that. Offensively this roster is what it is. Who is taking a huge leap? Where does this newfound run production come from? Brewers will continue to Brewer and the Reds and Pirates are improving. We have a bunch of very average players that have been average in years past, and will continue to be average next year. I don’t know where you see this magic jump coming from. Again we have the 4th worst record in the NL, and that’s with half our starting pitching playing out of their minds for a lot of the season.

Hey we just need 5 major league average or better hitters who play defense and then we're really cooking.

 

[CYdTracked]

At some point the FO has to bring in a wiley veteran that knows how to win and can set the tone for the rest of the team. Guys like Hendricks and Happ don’t seem to have that presence. I had advocated for the Cubs to sign Votto for the veteran minimum because he is that type of tough love clubhouse guy.

Votto is going to be 41 in September and hasn't played a MLB game in 2024. Currently on a minor league deal with Toronto and is still hurt. Not arguing that he is the type of clubhouse guy this team is lacking but it would have been dumb to sign him. A guy I would love to bring back before he retires is Anthony Rizzo. This piece would make you think he might be on the outs soon and a possible DFA candidate: https://yanksgoyard.com/posts/antho...de-deadline-remains-very-unclear-01j400xy4vas

I doubt they DFA him but if they did and he clears waivers he's a great DH and backup 1B option at this point in his career and definitely a leader in the clubhouse. He's probably one of my all-time Cubs favorites. When his career is over and if it does not include 1 last season with the Cubs I hope they sign him to a 1 day contract to retire as a Cub.

 

[CycloneErik]

I'm not trying to dwell in the past, it was time to break up that core when they did and I am glad they did although probably was a year or 2 late with some of them. I am just using it as a reference as to how we built the last competitive team we had through the farm system and acquiring the right prospects and other guys at the right time to fill in the missing pieces. And I don't think that adding Paredes all the sudden fixes the problems the offense has, this is essentially the same kind of roster we had last year with even worse hitting at the bottom of the lineup. We added Candelario to the lineup last year and still had an epic failure down the stretch. The only difference with this lineup than the one we had last year is we don't have garbage at 1B but we are much weaker hitting at the bottom with the catching position and PCA right now. Everyone else is basically the same and many of them are not having the same kind of season that they had last season. This team is not making the playoffs and I doubt we see anything in the 2nd half with the offense to get us excited about next season without adding a couple significant bats. Maybe someone like Caissie comes up and crushes it but judging how all the other prospects have been handled lately and have done with their call ups I am not holding my breath that he'll be one of those power bats in the middle of the lineup next year. Hope he can be that guy but odds are probably not.

The Cubs are kinda like the Chicago Bulls roster right now, on paper it looks like it should compete but in reality it's a bad mix of players that can't win. And just like the Bulls front office lately they keep running the same team out there again expecting different results that don't happen. This team could play .600 baseball from here on out and probably still will miss the playoffs. Paredes hopefully fixes what has been a problem for years at 3B but we got bigger issues than that now when half the team struggles to bat over .200 for long periods of time. We're going to be stuck with Bellinger's contract next season because he has not played as well as last year and likely will opt in. There was a reason no one offered him the big money deal with years that he was seeking and I am not surprised this is how it turned out either. Suzuki and Happ both had extended cold streaks with their bats this year too and both have had similar stretches in the past too.

Whoa, now. No offense to get excited about? Once in a while, we get 2-3 runs, man. Get crazy!!!!!!

 

[CYdTracked]

Whoa, now. No offense to get excited about? Once in a while, we get 2-3 runs, man. Get crazy!!!!!!

That's my point. Just look at some of the games this pitching staff has thrown this season that the offense has not helped them. Early in the season it was the bullpen that was blowing close games. The past couple months its been the offense not supporting good pitching and losing games that good teams would win.

 

[ISUCubswin]

This offense was elite for 2 months last year because Bellinger played like a superstar. I believe Juan Soto alone would give us an elite offense. Happ/Soto/Suzuki/Belli/Paredes/Busch is a pretty salty lineup. You just need to figure out the three pitchers hitting behind them

That being said, I don’t see our starting staff coming anywhere near repeating wha they’ve done - we’re already seeing cracks in the system.

 

[isucy86]

I just have no idea how you can think that. Offensively this roster is what it is. Who is taking a huge leap? Where does this newfound run production come from? Brewers will continue to Brewer and the Reds and Pirates are improving. We have a bunch of very average players that have been average in years past, and will continue to be average next year. I don’t know where you see this magic jump coming from. Again we have the 4th worst record in the NL, and that’s with half our starting pitching playing out of their minds for a lot of the season.

The summer trade deadline doesn't sneak up on GM's. But I feel it's a bit like speed dating. So it can be harder to structure a deal that both sides can live with. And contracts are harder to navigate for established players.

C - I expect Cubs will add an established MLB catcher with a bat. But trading a catcher mid-season has a carry-over impact on teams pitching staff.

2B - I like Hoerner, but feel he has trade value. This would open path for Shaw, Vazquez, etc.

SS - Either Swanson's swing is broke OR his knee is bothering him more than Cubs let-on. I am hopeful it's the later and Swanson in 2025 is .250 hitter & 20+ HR

LF/RF - Cubs should trade either Happ or Suzuki. And use money on elite power bat. I'd love Soto. But if the Cubs are going to be patient with PCA, they need an upgrade at LF or RF.

DH - Add a bopper. Personally, I'm not an Alonso fan, especially if he's looking 4+ year deal. Player's like Soler or Eloy Jimenez are risks, but upside is 25+ HR's.

 

[ISUCubswin]

The summer trade deadline doesn't sneak up on GM's. But I feel it's a bit like speed dating. So it can be harder to structure a deal that both sides can live with. And contracts are harder to navigate for established players.

C - I expect Cubs will add an established MLB catcher with a bat. But trading a catcher mid-season has a carry-over impact on teams pitching staff.

2B - I like Hoerner, but feel he has trade value. This would open path for Shaw, Vazquez, etc.

SS - Either Swanson's swing is broke OR his knee is bothering him more than Cubs let-on. I am hopeful it's the later and Swanson in 2025 is .250 hitter & 20+ HR

LF/RF - Cubs should trade either Happ or Suzuki. And use money on elite power bat. I'd love Soto. But if the Cubs are going to be patient with PCA, they need an upgrade at LF or RF.

DH - Add a bopper. Personally, I'm not an Alonso fan, especially if he's looking 4+ year deal. Player's like Soler or Eloy Jimenez are risks, but upside is 25+ HR's.

Worth noting, Matt Cozzi said on X that the Cubs were close to getting a cost controlled catcher. I’m sure he knows who but hasn’t said

 

[CyState85]

Of note that Matt Shaw has played every game since the AA break at SS and will continue there now that Rivera was traded to the Bluejays organization.

 

[ISUCubswin]

Of note that Matt Shaw has played every game since the AA break at SS and will continue there now that Rivera was traded to the Bluejays organization.

Very interesting. Didn’t think about it until now, but I guess if you lose Hoerner, you don’t have a backup SS.

 

[cycloneman003]

The tough thing about this team is that there are a lot of players who are clearly good MLB regulars but for whatever reason the sum is less than the individual parts. I feel really good about a Busch/Hoerner/Swanson/Paredes infield going into the offseason. Heck, I even think Happ/Belli/Suzuki is a good OF crew. But clearly you have to figure out ways to upgrade that lineup, most obviously would catcher and DH, plus somewhere in that OF making a change IMO.

On the pitching side, I think you can feel good about the rotation regardless but obviously if you can land a Burnes you've got give it a run. Then you'd be looking to address other need by trading from that SP depth (Taillon/Assad/Wicks/Wesneski/Brown/Horton).

Back end of the pen needs some help though

 

[CYdTracked]

Caleb Kilian is another guy they need to figure out a role for or move on from too. He was supposed to be the big piece we got for KB but has had control issues as well as injuries too. Would not surprise me if they convert him to a reliever like they did with Alzolay and see if his stuff plays better in shorter stints vs going through a lineup 2 or 3 times as a starter. Between the other guys in the mix for starting pitching depth I'm not concerned about the back end of the rotation as there are some good young options there. The problem has been keeping those guys healthy and when they have been getting consistent results from them. Feels like Wicks has spent more time on the IL than he has appeared on the mound lately and we have him, Brown, Kilian, Alzolay, Almonte, and Little all on the 60 day IL right now along with Thompson and Wesneski on the 15 day IL which is a lot of pitching just sitting on the shelf right now that the Cubs aren't able to get a look at and see what arms could be part of the 2025 picture.

 

[1UNI2ISU]

Caleb Kilian is another guy they need to figure out a role for or move on from too. He was supposed to be the big piece we got for KB but has had control issues as well as injuries too. Would not surprise me if they convert him to a reliever like they did with Alzolay and see if his stuff plays better in shorter stints vs going through a lineup 2 or 3 times as a starter. Between the other guys in the mix for starting pitching depth I'm not concerned about the back end of the rotation as there are some good young options there. The problem has been keeping those guys healthy and when they have been getting consistent results from them. Feels like Wicks has spent more time on the IL than he has appeared on the mound lately and we have him, Brown, Kilian, Alzolay, Almonte, and Little all on the 60 day IL right now along with Thompson and Wesneski on the 15 day IL which is a lot of pitching just sitting on the shelf right now that the Cubs aren't able to get a look at and see what arms could be part of the 2025 picture.

Kilian needs to be a back end arm. Let him throw gas for 1 inning and stop changing what you want him to be all the time.

 

[Clonefan32]

The summer trade deadline doesn't sneak up on GM's. But I feel it's a bit like speed dating. So it can be harder to structure a deal that both sides can live with. And contracts are harder to navigate for established players.

C - I expect Cubs will add an established MLB catcher with a bat. But trading a catcher mid-season has a carry-over impact on teams pitching staff.

2B - I like Hoerner, but feel he has trade value. This would open path for Shaw, Vazquez, etc.

SS - Either Swanson's swing is broke OR his knee is bothering him more than Cubs let-on. I am hopeful it's the later and Swanson in 2025 is .250 hitter & 20+ HR

LF/RF - Cubs should trade either Happ or Suzuki. And use money on elite power bat. I'd love Soto. But if the Cubs are going to be patient with PCA, they need an upgrade at LF or RF.

DH - Add a bopper. Personally, I'm not an Alonso fan, especially if he's looking 4+ year deal. Player's like Soler or Eloy Jimenez are risks, but upside is 25+ HR's.

So all we need to have go right is to find a good catcher, have all of our prospect call ups pan out (which hasn't happened in the last 5 years), have Dansby achieve form he hasn't had for years, sign Juan Soto which would require money our FO has never been willing to spend, and find a 25+ HR DH on the cheap. Seems easy enough.

I really do appreciate your optimism and I'm sure there's a path there somewhere. But I just have no faith in the FO to do anything that's required to make this team competitive. We couldn't make the playoffs last year out of a historically bad division. We are last place in a very average division right now. We are miles away from being competitive again.

 

[RivClone23]

At some point the FO has to bring in a wiley veteran that knows how to win and can set the tone for the rest of the team. Guys like Hendricks and Happ don’t seem to have that presence. I had advocated for the Cubs to sign Votto for the veteran minimum because he is that type of tough love clubhouse guy.

I'm as big of a Joey Votto fan as there is, but I'm not sure how you put him and "knows how to win" in the same sentence.

 

[Cyforce]

The tough thing about this team is that there are a lot of players who are clearly good MLB regulars but for whatever reason the sum is less than the individual parts. I feel really good about a Busch/Hoerner/Swanson/Paredes infield going into the offseason. Heck, I even think Happ/Belli/Suzuki is a good OF crew. But clearly you have to figure out ways to upgrade that lineup, most obviously would catcher and DH, plus somewhere in that OF making a change IMO.

On the pitching side, I think you can feel good about the rotation regardless but obviously if you can land a Burnes you've got give it a run. Then you'd be looking to address other need by trading from that SP depth (Taillon/Assad/Wicks/Wesneski/Brown/Horton).

Back end of the pen needs some help though

I think Suzuki is the solution at DH/ 4th OF. Bellinger is the most likely solution in right. Soto is the dream. My question is would I prefer Burnes and Bellinger or Soto and Taillon. Burnes is going to be 10-15 mil more than Taillon and Soto will likely be that plus over Bellinger. Odds are we fail to get Soto and hopefully Bellinger doesn't opt out. In fact if he doesn't I doubt we even make an attempt at Soto. Tailon/ Burnes is a little better situation. We can go all out to sign Burnes knowing Taillon can be dealt if successful.

 

[ISUCubswin]

Cutting Bote, Smyly, Neris saves $26 MM. Trading Taillon saves $18 MM. My guess is we see Caissie and Ballestros in September to decide if we spend multiple million on Wisdom and Tauchman.

This gives the Cubs $130 MM to spend on the offseason. Say $100-110 after arb-pre-arb guys finish up. Soto AND Burnes are financially possible, we just can’t have a guy who has never proven he can win in the MLB running the FO.

Before people say Jed doesn’t sign big names, if he’s fired, my guess is the new guy will be able to have more sway than Jed because we’re handcuffed in the corner outfield until 2026. Ricketts won’t be able to get top FO guys if he’s telling them they’re stuck with what they got.

 

[ISUCubswin]

I think the worst thing that can possibly happen for this organization is they get hot and somehow squeak in. This will both guarantee Jed keeps his job AND he will use a hot month as an excuse to do minimal work in the offseason.

He already said last night that August and September will dictate a lot of what moves are made this offseason. WHY!? Two years in a row your team has damn near removed you from contention in May/June and you’re using the last 2 months to decide what you’d do with guys?!

 

[Clonefan32]

I think the worst thing that can possibly happen for this organization is they get hot and somehow squeak in. This will both guarantee Jed keeps his job AND he will use a hot month as an excuse to do minimal work in the offseason.

He already said last night that August and September will dictate a lot of what moves are made this offseason. WHY!? Two years in a row your team has damn near removed you from contention in May/June and you’re using the last 2 months to decide what you’d do with guys?!

I don't think you have to worry about that. This team has been lifeless since May and we lose about every possible tie-breaker scenario with the teams in front of us.

What you've described is not necessarily an uncommon thing to feel as a fan. If we are going to be bad, be so bad it forces change.

 

[CYdTracked]

Cutting Bote, Smyly, Neris saves $26 MM. Trading Taillon saves $18 MM. My guess is we see Caissie and Ballestros in September to decide if we spend multiple million on Wisdom and Tauchman.

This gives the Cubs $130 MM to spend on the offseason. Say $100-110 after arb-pre-arb guys finish up. Soto AND Burnes are financially possible, we just can’t have a guy who has never proven he can win in the MLB running the FO.

Before people say Jed doesn’t sign big names, if he’s fired, my guess is the new guy will be able to have more sway than Jed because we’re handcuffed in the corner outfield until 2026. Ricketts won’t be able to get top FO guys if he’s telling them they’re stuck with what they got.

Also add Hendricks $16.5 mil coming off the books too as I don't think he is resigned. Really see no need to keep Wisdom and Tauchman around next year. Gotta clear some roster spots for additions as well as clear paths for prospects or protect guys from the rule 5 draft and those 2 just aren't valuable enough IMO to keep around at this point. I like Tauchman but he's part of the logjam that is blocking the OF in the minors right now. Speaking of which it will be interesting to see what they decide to do with Davis in terms of the 40 man roster since he can't seem to stay healthy. He was on track to get a shot this year I think until his latest set back. Got Caissie, Canario, and Alcantara still in the mix too. There is no need to keep Wisdom around as he'll be 33 and other than an occasional hot streak of HR is a defensive liability and strike out machine. Spend that money on a younger utility player to fill out the bench or give Vasquez a chance.

Steele will get a pay bump in arbitration as well Paredes too. Swanson's contract goes from $26 to $28 mil starting next year while Suzuki's goes from $21 to $19 so those 2 kind of cancel each other out. Shota's contract also goes up by $4 mil next season. Bellinger's $27.5 mil option really is the key to how aggressive they can spend.