This is best case scenario. Let's tag this post and see how it played out before spring training.
***Official 2023 Chicago Cubs Thread***
- Thread starter BigJCy
- Start date
Smyly will be back unless a team is willing to take on his $8 million salary, and I’m not sure who would. I don’t hate him out of the bullpen given the situation.
I don’t see a world Cuas is back barring injury
Cuas was really lucky this year to have ERA around 4. He cannot throw strike on a consistent basis.
I like how they can make the money work over the next two seasons. (Just ballpark numbers)
2024
Bellinger 25 mil
Yamamoto 25 mil
Alonso 20 mil final arb yr est by Lavine
Elite reliever 15 mil
2025
Hendricks 16 mil
Stroman 22 mil
Both come off the books.
Extend Alonso
Horton, Brown, Wicks, Wesneski Assad all candidates to fill the 2 opened spots in the rotation by expiring contracts.
I think there's a shot someone is willing to take a flyer on Smyly. Small budget teams are always tooking for cheaper pieces they can fix. An overview of his 2023.
Early great starter
Mid garbage
Late solid reliever
I like to think Cubs Twitter bullied Rickets into doing all this by calling him poor for the last 3 years.
I gotta believe the Cubs traded for Cuas because they liked something about his talent and his value wasn't going to be in 2023, but 2024. Would think the Cubs have development plans over the winter. His salary would be very reasonable for a reliever if he's your 5th-7th inning guy with upside.
I would think Smiley will be shopped, just a matter if Cubs can find someone interested in paying their 4th/5th starter $8.5M on a 1 year reclamation deal. But the reality is Smiley wouldn't be the worst option for the Cubs as lefty 5th starter, multi-inning reliever and lefty short reliever.
The positive about the Cubs pitching situation is there are a lot of young arms, so other than a top end starter they can build from the current roster/farm system:
Starters
1. Free Agent
2. Steele
3. Stroman ??
4. Taillon
5. Hendricks or Assad or Smiley??
Unproven Arms: Wicks, Wesneski, Kilian, Brown, Horton
Relievers
Closer: Alzolay
Late Inning: Merryweather, Leiter, Little
Mid Innings: Palencia, Cuas
Guys coming off injury: Roberts, Hughes and Heuer
It seemed like a lot of teams struggled as we got to August/September with tired bullpens and even bullpen injuries. I struggle with the idea that a reliever pitching 75 innings in a season is excessive, but maybe it is as hard as guys are throwing it. Maybe the next evolution with bullpens is focus on multiple guys who can eat-up outs by pitching 2-3 innings a couple times a week.
Can we afford him and Bellinger both? Or would they not want to block PCA in center if Belli got long term deal?
CycloneErik
Well-Known Member
We're the damn Cubs. We can afford both plus a shuttle to Mars.
My guess is it would likely be 2 of those bats and a pitcher. Morel/Mervis/Pitcher is what I'd guess.
The Cubs front office saying they are going to spend is like Campbell saying the OL is looking great in camp and is much improved.
I.DONT.BELIEVE.YOU. I won't believe you until you do it.
Now: "We are going to spend"
In a month: "We are going to spend but are going to be smart" (aka CHEAP)