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***Official 2023 Chicago Cubs Thread***

Cyforce said:
SI had a story saying Hoskins is only a fallback if they miss on Bellinger. Really doesn't make much sense. I like Tauchman but not everyday and don't figure PCA or Mervis to be in the majors opening day either.
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Seems interesting and I've been stewing on it since you posted it and something hit me. Hear me out on this scenario.

- Cubs land Bellinger. He mentors 1B/CF and helps in the corners.

- Hoskins/Boras are pushing for a multi-year deal, $17 AAV. Cubs are uncomfortable with multi-year given 1) Hoskins is not a great defender and 2) You can cover 1B in other ways

- For just $5 MM more a year, better defense, a power bat whom analytics loved but results didn't, Cubs sign Matt Chapman.

Main problem with this scenario is you are counting on Bellinger to be the mainstay at 1B, Mervis to be able to be productive if called upon, or Morel to be able to not be a clown show.

To be honest, I don't hate the idea of just throwing Mervis up and giving him a chance to **** or get off the pot. If he doesn't figure it out, bring up McGeary. And by that time, maybe Caissie can handle 1B defensively.
 
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ISUCubswin said:
Seems interesting and I've been stewing on it since you posted it and something hit me. Hear me out on this scenario.

- Cubs land Bellinger. He mentors 1B/CF and helps in the corners.

- Hoskins/Boras are pushing for a multi-year deal, $17 AAV. Cubs are uncomfortable with multi-year given 1) Hoskins is not a great defender and 2) You can cover 1B in other ways

- For just $5 MM more a year, better defense, a power bat whom analytics loved but results didn't, Cubs sign Matt Chapman.

Main problem with this scenario is you are counting on Bellinger to be the mainstay at 1B, Mervis to be able to be productive if called upon, or Morel to be able to not be a clown show.

To be honest, I don't hate the idea of just throwing Mervis up and giving him a chance to **** or get off the pot. If he doesn't figure it out, bring up McGeary. And by that time, maybe Caissie can handle 1B defensively.
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I'd rather throw Mervis in there than multiple years for Hoskins, probably.
 
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ISUCubswin said:
Seems interesting and I've been stewing on it since you posted it and something hit me. Hear me out on this scenario.

- Cubs land Bellinger. He mentors 1B/CF and helps in the corners.

- Hoskins/Boras are pushing for a multi-year deal, $17 AAV. Cubs are uncomfortable with multi-year given 1) Hoskins is not a great defender and 2) You can cover 1B in other ways

- For just $5 MM more a year, better defense, a power bat whom analytics loved but results didn't, Cubs sign Matt Chapman.

Main problem with this scenario is you are counting on Bellinger to be the mainstay at 1B, Mervis to be able to be productive if called upon, or Morel to be able to not be a clown show.

To be honest, I don't hate the idea of just throwing Mervis up and giving him a chance to **** or get off the pot. If he doesn't figure it out, bring up McGeary. And by that time, maybe Caissie can handle 1B defensively.
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If we only add one bat we really need to add a quality starter.
 
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CycloneErik said:
I'd rather throw Mervis in there than multiple years for Hoskins, probably.
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I’d like to see Mervis get a better shot than he did his first time up. My only concern is the two times I’ve seen him in Des Moines, he looked like someone tailgating in the Jack Trice parking lot 6 beers in for basic fielding plays. And the crazy thing is, I don’t think he made any errors, he just looked silly
 
ISUCubswin said:
I’d like to see Mervis get a better shot than he did his first time up. My only concern is the two times I’ve seen him in Des Moines, he looked like someone tailgating in the Jack Trice parking lot 6 beers in for basic fielding plays. And the crazy thing is, I don’t think he made any errors, he just looked silly
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I saw him all season and I never came away with that impression. Footwork?
 
Cubs need to decide if their future is a year or 2 away with their minor league prospects and stick with that plan or start making moves if they aren't confident those guys will be the answer. I don't know if it was Ross or the front office that kept PCA Canario and Mervis from getting the playing time they needed when they got called up but hoping with the money they gave Counsell he has full control over the roster.
 
CYdTracked said:
Cubs need to decide if their future is a year or 2 away with their minor league prospects and stick with that plan or start making moves if they aren't confident those guys will be the answer. I don't know if it was Ross or the front office that kept PCA Canario and Mervis from getting the playing time they needed when they got called up but hoping with the money they gave Counsell he has full control over the roster.
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Hopefully they won't rush and add just to add. Because of 2016 they don't have the pressure to win at all costs. Bellinger is a good add as long as the contract isn't outrageous. Lot of solid rotation options hopefully we can get one to pair with Steele. I think Chapman is a past his prime guy I hope we pass on. Bichette as of now is the only guy I'm ok with parting with a couple good prospects for not named Horton or PCA.
 
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Cubs have holes at SP1, 1st, 3rd, CF and DH. Gotta believe the Cubs need to fill the SP1 and 2 positions with FA's.

Seems like the best option for Cubs is:
  1. Go big bucks and 4+ years on Bellinger and SP1 (Snell, Montgomery, etc.)
  2. Sign a slugger at 1st, 3rd or DH on a 1 or 2 year deal. Pay a premium if needed. Hoskins make sense. At a premium maybe a guy like Chapman signs a 1 or 2 year deal if the Cubs can prove they want to win immediately.
  3. Rely on either Morel, Mevis, PCA or Canario to be the other 2 bats. The 2 guys that don't play everyday are sent down to Iowa.
  4. If ownership find some seat cushion money sign Hader.
  5. Use Wisdom, Tauchman, Madrigal and Mastrobuoni as core bench players.
 
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Yeah I don't see why Hoskins would be tied to if Bellinger signs or not as the Cubs have multiple spots to fill so it's not like they would block each other if the Cubs signed both. The biggest hole IMO is 3B and the options there aren't great either. Don't want to be the team that signs Chapman and the internal options aren't great either. Of the internal options just committing to developing Morel there is probably the best because he has the most potential offensively even if there are some issues with the glove. Madrigal can't stay healthy for extended stretches so far and lacks the power you want from your 3B and Wisdom really doesn't belong on a roster of a team trying to win a pennant but it is what it is. Mastrobuoni is 4 years younger than Wisdom so there is at least some room for possible growth there but none of those 3 are guys you want starting everyday at 3B on a good team.

Just a weird market this offseason. While I am glad the Cubs didn't go nuts on a contract they may later regret would at least like to see some kind of movement of what direction they are going. As fans we probably aren't patient enough to wait but the farm system could provide a big boost soon if they let it play out right.
 
ISUCubswin said:
I’d like to see Mervis get a better shot than he did his first time up. My only concern is the two times I’ve seen him in Des Moines, he looked like someone tailgating in the Jack Trice parking lot 6 beers in for basic fielding plays. And the crazy thing is, I don’t think he made any errors, he just looked silly
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He was kind of the anti-Bellinger. The peripherals and hard contact were great and he just had some really bad luck in a tiny sample with no leash from Rossy.

This isn't a Hosmer/Mancini situation. You have to give him a little rope to see what he really is.
 
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1UNI2ISU said:
He was kind of the anti-Bellinger. The peripherals and hard contact were great and he just had some really bad luck in a tiny sample with no leash from Rossy.

This isn't a Hosmer/Mancini situation. You have to give him a little rope to see what he really is.
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The handling of the young guys was my biggest frustration with Rossy. He didn't give Mervis a chance to be successful.
 
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ScottyP said:
The handling of the young guys was my biggest frustration with Rossy. He didn't give Mervis a chance to be successful.
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Or Canario or PCA too. All Canario did in the very limited AB he got was hit and was on a hot streak at Iowa at the time he was called up too. Goes 2-4 with a HR and 5 RBI in his first start then Ross doesn't start him again for 11 days and he goes 3-5 with a triple. With the DH and Tauchman struggling a bit down the stretch there were plenty of chances to get that hot bat in the lineup in September. PCA was basically a pinch hitter/defensive substitution and his track record through the minors showed he needs and adjustment period when he moved up a level before his bat got going so it's no surprise he didn't get a hit in mostly pinch hit duty as he was not given a chance to see MLB pitching on a regular basis to have a chance to adjust. Whenever they deem him ready for the big leagues he as to be given the chance to be the every day starter in CF if they want him to be successful. Using him as a 4th OF or bench option is not going to help get him going at the next level given what we've already seen when he's moved up through the minors.

Mervis seemed frustrated and lacking confidence at the plate right before they sent him back to Iowa then I saw him in Iowa maybe a month later and he was back to looking comfortable at the plate and hitting well so hopefully he gets the chance to play everyday when he gets his next chance in Chicago. People may forget that Rizzo has a really bad 1st stint when San Deigo first called him up so I haven't given up hop that Mervis can't be more successful with his next stint if they manage him right next time.
 
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Read an ESPN+ article today that was making some predictions on remaining free agents. Cubs were listed at several positions but like so far they didn't put them as the place some of the names we are hearing will wind up.

SP: Snell to Giants Montgomery to Yankees, Imanaga to Angels. You gotta think the Cubs are going to be in on a SP at some point and who it is may be a bit of a surprise? Stroman is still sitting out there, I don't necessarily want him back but he may have overplayed his cards opting out if he can't land a deal longer than 1 year.
RP: they threw the Cubs a bone here and predict Hader because of the tie to Counsell and just that they have to sign someone really
1B: Hoskins to Cubs
3B: Chapman to Giants
OF: Bellinger to Angels
 
Maybe the Cubs could have hand-held their young players in 2023. But at some point the players need to perform.

Mevis was given a shot in May/early June. He batted .167 in 27 games and 99 PA. Bellinger played 1B when he returned and the Cubs played great ball.

Canario and Crow-Armstrong use was puzzling, if one looks at it from a player development standpoint. But if your a manager in the middle of a pennant/wildcard race- he's going to lean on players that put the Cubs in that spot. And use Canaro(PH/DH) and PCA(defense) in defined roles.

In hindsight, probably would have been better to only bring up 1 and call up an experienced Iowa bat like Bote.

The good thing is spring ball will be here soon!! The young blood will start fresh.
 
isucy86 said:
Maybe the Cubs could have hand-held their young players in 2023. But at some point the players need to perform.

Mevis was given a shot in May/early June. He batted .167 in 27 games and 99 PA. Bellinger played 1B when he returned and the Cubs played great ball.

Canario and Crow-Armstrong use was puzzling, if one looks at it from a player development standpoint. But if your a manager in the middle of a pennant/wildcard race- he's going to lean on players that put the Cubs in that spot. And use Canaro(PH/DH) and PCA(defense) in defined roles.

In hindsight, probably would have been better to only bring up 1 and call up an experienced Iowa bat like Bote.

The good thing is spring ball will be here soon!! The young blood will start fresh.
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I think whatever happened with the September call up mess was poorly handled either by Ross, the front office, or combo of both. Canario and PCA were both playing well at Iowa at the time of their call ups so from a pure development standpoint not playing them regularly after they were called up was not in anyone's best interest. Like you said you could have just called up someone else but bringing someone else like Bote or Perlaza who hit well would have required adding them to the 40 man roster. Would love to know whose decision it was to hardly play them because if it was solely on Ross then that justifies his firing more IMO if he was not on the same page with the front office on how to use Canario and PCA when they called them up. It's even more baffling that once Canario finally got a start after sitting for a while he had a big game at the plate then he didn't get another start again for 11 more days when the Cubs were finally out of it. There was just no point in calling either up if you weren't planning to use them regularly during a playoff push, there were other guys at AAA that could have filled the bench role instead and allowed them to continue playing every day at Iowa.

As for Mervis he needed to be sent down because he was struggling and lost his confidence at the plate. He got a decent run as the primary 1B although like the Cubs tend to do sometimes they don't let certain players start against same handed pitchers which analytically I understand playing the matchups but how do you ever develop young players if you never let them face certain pitching as they never will get a chance to learn and make adjustments. Will be interesting to see how he is handled coming out of spring training if they acquire someone to play 1B.

I guess going into 2024 season they need to determine if they are committing to developing prospects when they are called up or committed to winning at all costs even if that means platooning or using prospects in limited roles. Guys like Canario and PCA are not guys that are on the path to be career platoon guys right now they are being developed to be everyday players. If that is not how they are going to be used then we may as well trade them away now while they have good value instead of messing them up by incorrectly using them when they get to Chicago. And if they Cubs are going to give these guys some runway as everyday players when they do get called up you're going to have to take the good with the bad as they adjust which may mean they will struggle at the plate at times and cost us a few games while they learn to hit big league pitching. If they aren't going to make a big splash this offseason and bring in some pieces to compete for the division in 2024 then let's just be open about it and commit to seeing what the guys in our farm system can do even if that may mean taking some lumps along the way.
 
I want them to hard pass on Chapman and Shota which means they will probably sign both. Shota might give up 20 HR's in Wrigley alone.
 
Here is my wild idea. Sign Joey Votto to a veteran minimum with the understanding that it’s a DH, platoon 1B, and mentor role with the team. His wisdom and the fact he hit .308 in Wrigley in his career could go a long way with the team in terms of leadership.

Go ahead and sign Bellinger to play CF, RF, and 1B until PCA is ready or Mervis pans out.

Take a flyer on Trevor Bauer, Michael Lorenzen, or Woodruff.

Sign Hader to close and Gio Urshela on a 1 year deal to play 3B.
 
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