Interesting Fanside article ( wasn’t able to copy link) suggests by spending on Boyd the Cubs must be confident they can deal Bellinger otherwise they wouldn’t have spent this early on a lesser piece.
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As soon as Soto signs, think that'll jump start things more as you'll have some teams (Yankees) pivot to Belli if they miss out. At this point, seems pretty certain that Jed is looking to trade Hoerner and Belli.
Hoerner trade for a young starter seems like the preferred path unless you land Sasaki. Belli return could vary, perhaps prospects, perhaps contract swap for a better roster fit, etc.
Hoerner trade for a young starter seems like the preferred path unless you land Sasaki. Belli return could vary, perhaps prospects, perhaps contract swap for a better roster fit, etc.
Saw that and felt it was a bit of a clickbait story. Really nothing but conjecture and there are more realistic reasons why signing Boyd has little to do with Bellinger's status with the Cubs.
If there is a correlation, felt they could have done a better job connecting the dots:
- The Cubs saw Snell sign for $36M+ and decided "they're out" on elite FA starters like Burnes.
- The Cubs can move Bellinger, but nobody is willing to pick up his current contract. So the Cubs are going to need to pay maybe 50% of Bellinger's remaining contract. Which means the Cubs are on the hook for at least $10M of dead Bellinger money.
- The Cubs budget for a starting pitcher went from $25M-$30M to $15M-$20M annually.
Mariners seem like a good trade partner as both teams are willing to trade the other something we are looking to move. The question is if they want Nico for a SP what kind of prospect capital will the Cubs also have to include in the deal? The market should move pretty fast once Soto signs as seems like that is the biggest domino that needs to fall before teams make their offers for Bellinger or other big names start to sign.
Seems pretty likely that we're going to get a deal done with the Mariners with all the smoke there. Be curious if they perfer Hoerner or Bellinger.
If we deal Bellinger there, seems like Luis Castillo would be the return and there is probably some relatively minor propsects involved in some way.
For Hoerner it seems more likely that Bryce Miller or Bryan Woo would be the return. They'd want a lot more for Gilbert or Kirby. Probably have to throw in some decent prospect value, in any deal there. Same as you, I'd be real curious on how much that is.
Love this move. Two guys we want to replace with young talent that’s blocked for a starter that’s controllable. Shaw needs a shot this spring. Caissie could also be a centerpiece on a trade if you want to add a vet slugger like Santander.
Add a starter here. Trade for the A’s closer, sign Santander and the Korean utility guy. Then hopefully to win the lottery on the young Japanese starter.
We're kind of at a point where either you gotta clear spots on the MLB roster to give the prospects a fair chance to adjust with regular AB or you have to start including them in a trade. With all the smoke around trading Bellinger and not tendering Tauchman it sure feels like they are trying to clear that path in the OF for Caissie and eventually Alcantara too. Move Nico makes a lot of sense too with Shaw and Triantos knocking on the door for an opportunity too.
Well if they land another starting pitcher via trade the rotation will be essentially be complete with Steele, Shota, Taillon, and Boyd already taking 4 of the 5 rotation spots unless you trade Taillon to make room for Sasaki. With the current trade rumors to me it feels like the Cubs are not going to be in on any expensive hitters in free agency but are going to be active trying to bolster the bullpen and maybe add another top half of the rotation caliber starter. I'm perfectly fine with seeing what Caissie and Shaw can do in the spring. Either you gotta commit to these prospects soon or use them in a trade to acquire a proven (yet more expensive) piece to fill a void in the roster somewhere. Can't just let them toil in the minors forever in favor of starting guys that may not be significantly better than they could potentially be. Either they are your future or need to be traded soon while they have good value.
Just can't bring myself to care anymore. There's one team that's willing to spend money and 29 teams that are willing to cry poor. The Cubs, being one of the teams in a theoretical position to spend money and challenge the Dodgers, chose to be the later. Everyone is content playing for 2nd and it's a joke.
They'll ruin any future chance of landing a Japanese or international player if they try to do this. First off there is the no trade clause he has that would be a touchy subject in itself to approach him about. He may not have a great glove in RF but he sure hit well as a DH - possibly the best hitter on the team when he's healthy and got it going too. On top of that seems like a great teammate. Hope this is just unconfirmed speculation that has no truth to it else add it to the growing list of why Jed needs to go.
Surprise, another injury they waited to disclose. With all the lingering/nagging injuries that pile up and sometimes play through makes you wonder if there is an issue with the strength and training in the organization. We had a ton of guys on the 60 day IL or guys that either sat out without going on the IL that should have or wound up staying on the IL longer than originally planned.
I fully believe that we ruined the championship core this way, given the way so many have broken down so thoroughly.
Sounds like a deal with Carson Kelly is on the horizon, which would be good news and a nice add to pair with Amaya.
Have to imagine the Belli trade market heats up now that Soto has a deal.
Have to imagine the Belli trade market heats up now that Soto has a deal.
