***Official 2024 Chicago Cubs Thread***
- Thread starter CycloneErik
- Start date
If NYY is the partner for Bellinger, I wonder what sort of package they could get. I assume the Cubs eat some of the contract, but are we looking at prospects or established guys coming to Chicago?
I won't get my hopes up, but he'd be the perfect start to sign long term. Even as a one year rental however, absolutely transforms the lineup with him in the middle of the order. Have to build on this now though.
I’ll eat crow if this deal somehow works out but a one year rental for a team that isn’t even close to winning the World Series should not have included Cam Smith.
Hoyer throwing a Hail Mary to save his job and setting the franchise back after he inevitably gets canned.
Hoyer throwing a Hail Mary to save his job and setting the franchise back after he inevitably gets canned.
Cam Smith has played 8 games above A ball.
A deal like this is why you build a farm system. If I told you last summer that we were going to turn Christopher Morel, Wesneski and the 14th pick into Kyle Tucker, you'd have taken it immediately and not thought twice.
Well, as I see it, here's what's now locked in at the moment.
C: Amaya
1B: Busch
2B: Hoerner
SS: Swanson
LF: Happ
CF: PCA
RF: Tucker
DH: Suzuki
SP1: Imanaga
SP2: Steele
SP3: Taillon
SP4: Boyd
RP1: Hodge
RP2: Miller
RP3: Pearson
RP4: Morgan
Assad will also be there, assuming that'll be bullpen if/when we add another starter.
I'm 100% assuming Belli gets traded now. Shaw seems like he's penciled in to start the year at 3B. We need to add another starter (ideal would be Sasaki). 1-2 proven bullpen arms. A backup catcher (Carson Kelly deal finalized soon?). A couple more bats, ideally one more impactful bat but at least a few more proven bench options.
C: Amaya
1B: Busch
2B: Hoerner
SS: Swanson
LF: Happ
CF: PCA
RF: Tucker
DH: Suzuki
SP1: Imanaga
SP2: Steele
SP3: Taillon
SP4: Boyd
RP1: Hodge
RP2: Miller
RP3: Pearson
RP4: Morgan
Assad will also be there, assuming that'll be bullpen if/when we add another starter.
I'm 100% assuming Belli gets traded now. Shaw seems like he's penciled in to start the year at 3B. We need to add another starter (ideal would be Sasaki). 1-2 proven bullpen arms. A backup catcher (Carson Kelly deal finalized soon?). A couple more bats, ideally one more impactful bat but at least a few more proven bench options.
I agree. You draft a whole new crop of guys every year. We have a glut of prospects-- they can't all be big leaguers.
Bellinger for Will Warren will be next. Cubs essentially will lose Parades and Belli for Tucker while SAVING $24 MM. Absolutely nuts!
The fact that you just got a superstar and barely dipped into your farm is HUGE. My guess is we’ll still look to trade for high leverage bullpen arms and a front line starter
The fact that you just got a superstar and barely dipped into your farm is HUGE. My guess is we’ll still look to trade for high leverage bullpen arms and a front line starter
And I do love it was Cam Smith that went. The guy furthest from the bigs and the most unknown as a prospect. Maybe he pans out, but at this point he's a long ways from a sure thing.
I think Tucker is a hell of a player but it is for 1 year and we don’t have a roster to win a WS. Shouldn't surrender 13 years of team control to 3 guys who are quality MLB contributors for a guy who may us get the Wild Card.
Is it though? It's nearly the same roster as last season but replacing Bellinger with Tucker and Hendricks with Boyd plus still have a huge hole at 3B. Yes PCA and to some extent Amaya both improved as the season progressed so they are upgrades over the 2024 opening day roster but I don't see Tucker as a savior that turns this team into a division winner without some other big moves coming to build a stronger middle of the order lineup. He's just 1 piece to the puzzle but a step in the right direction if they are serious about building a winner for 2025 as we only have a 1 year window with Tucker right now.
You just have to get in and the Brewers are much, much worse on paper minus Adames and Williams.
Last year was a major outlier in the expanded playoffs era where the two best teams actually got to the World Series.
Plus, Tucker's agent is Goldschmidt's agent too so there is a history of sign and extend there.
I just hope this is the first domino to fall for a series of moves the Cubs are going to make next to turn this into a team that might contend for a wild card spot to a roster that should win the division and make a run in the postseason. Far cry from that yet IMO. Bellinger certainly is going to be traded now unless there is some crazy plan to keep him and play him at 1B and then what do they do with Busch? Nico probably is on the trade block too. If they make a run at Bregman to play 3B then I will finally take it as a sign that Jed and the Ricketts are done messing around with the spending like a small market team crap and are serious about winning again.
