This team could very well end up with 75 wins.

Somehow theyve developed some decent startin' pitchin', but u know what theyre gonna do: Trade them because theyre building "the next great Cubs team"

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I can see them trading Adzolay if they think Hendricks will really come back. They really don't need four multi-inning relievers in Sampson, Thompson, Adzolay, and Leiter, and I think they will re-sign Smyly as well as a better starter like Rodon.

So Rodon, Stroman, Smyly, Steele, Hendricks would be the rotation, with Sampson, Thompson, and Leiter each pitching 2-3 innings once a series. That still leaves them 5 "traditional" relievers.

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"When people want their version of the truth, they go find it, no matter how baseless their beliefs." -- Ken Rosenthal

I think the way Sampson has pitched down the stretch he will be in line to be a 4 or 5 starter for them next year along with the kid they got from the Yankees.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

Sampson has been ridiculously good and consistent. This isn't 1 or 2 good outings here and there. He gives a quality start every time out. He kind of reminds me of lieber. Not a big K guy but doesn't walk many and just gets outs. He has also been matched up against everyone's ace. I don't have the list but I have seen it posted before and he has gone toe to toe with so many great pitchers. Its not like they actually face eachother but to give a great start knowing you will get no offense is pretty impressive. That is also why his record isn't great.

They have a decent and young rotation going foraward. Steele, Sampson, Wisniewski, Thompson if he isn't the 2 inning guy out of the pen and Caleb. That is ignoring Stroman too.

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

cubs fans - they need to grow their talent!

cubs fans - they should trade them for better talent

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the world will always the world. your entire existence is defined by your response.

231 days combined days IL in '22.

Yeah I forgot about Wesneski. He goes into the rotation. I don't have much hope for Hendricks.

The key is to keep on upgrading a few pieces each year. The Effross for Wesneski trade was a good example - the Yankees really needed Effross to bolster their bullpen and thus it was a good trade for both teams. I think they will find a team who can give Adzolay the consistent starts as a #4 starter that he won't get in Chicago and who will give up some young hitting in return.

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"When people want their version of the truth, they go find it, no matter how baseless their beliefs." -- Ken Rosenthal

Adzolay can't get lefties out. He will never be a starter

Miguel Montero threw out the first pitch yesterday??

WTF?!

They shipped him outta town just because he said something "bad" (which he didnt), and now they have the balls to bring him back?

Fuck Ricketts.

What about Sosa?? Fuck Ricketts.

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Man you need to move to Oakland and root for the A's.

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"When people want their version of the truth, they go find it, no matter how baseless their beliefs." -- Ken Rosenthal

JD has been calling the painfully slow working Manny Rodriguez "Man Rod". The first time I heard him do it a month back there must have been 30 seconds of dead air after he said it. They must have killed their microphones laughing their asses off.

Grandpa Rossy has repeatedly praised the 2nd in all '22 MLB most "outs on base" Cubs base running.

The Cubs hitting coach was asked during the TV broadcast what Christopher Morel needs to improve to be an everyday player.

He (Christopher Morel) is an authentic human.
-Greg Brown

i wouldn't expect a cubs coach to talk about the weakness/es of a cubs hitter.

i do expect the cubs to get weighted down by the poor hitting- absolutely no power rivas and quiroz. clear to me that hoyer wants to manipulate the mlb service times of mervis, triandos and on and on. tells me that the plan is to sign free agent pitching and trade some of the young and old arms who have had fairly decent seasons - unless an assad or sampson come flying out of the gate next season.

contreras homered last night, have we seen enough from p.j. higgins to be the #2 catcher behind gomes? will gomes likely hit .230 with 10-14 HRs if given 400 ABs next season? not good enough with the current line-up.

I think Higgins will be the backup catcher for at least the first half of 2023. They want Amaya to succeed but he has missed most of the last three years between COVID and injuries, and is going to have to prove at Iowa that he can still catch 4 out of 7 days. If Amaya becomes ready then either Higgins is gone or they trade Gomes at the deadline.

Rivas and Quiroz are just filler. McKinstry will stick around unless and until they sign a big FA middle infielder, and even then the Cubs might trade Madrigal instead because of his lack of either defensive versatility or power. Velasquez is in a similar situation in the OF as Higgins at catcher, probably the 5th OF to start next season but will be bumped when either Davis or Canario are ready.

Morel and Wisdom are the two "everyday" backups: Morel at MI/CF, and Wisdom at CI/LF/RF. Both will still get 400PA because they will give guys DH days as well as Wisdom DHing himself.

So that makes the five man bench/DH (in order of PA): Wisdom, Morel, Higgins, Velasquez, McKinstry. And Franmil Reyes or David Bote might stick around because it's inevitable that someone will always be on the IL.

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"When people want their version of the truth, they go find it, no matter how baseless their beliefs." -- Ken Rosenthal

There is no reason to keep that pile of shit Franmil Reyes around next year.

Probably not, but I could see them offering and him accepting a NRI to Iowa with a Memorial Day opt-out. Let them see what a winter of undoing the Guardians' contact approach does at low cost.

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"When people want their version of the truth, they go find it, no matter how baseless their beliefs." -- Ken Rosenthal

The position players are overloaded with end of roster players. With the keepers, prospects emerging, and wise free agent signings hopefully only a few will remain to be true scrubs at the end of the roster as the tank unwinds. Even Rickets was critical of the poor quality of play being beneath loyal Cubs fans. I dont think Hoyer's bar is set that low to be counting on throw away position players in a major role after 2 brutal tank years so far hoping not too much more. Hopefully the praising Wisdom's SO% dropping from 40 to 35, Reyes great clubhouse guy, Zach McKinstry high baseball IQ will be faded memories sooner than later.

It's easy to shit on them, especially for you since you shit on everything. But they did finish a full 12 games ahead of both the Reds and the Pirates. So it's not like the team is totally fucked here.

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"When people want their version of the truth, they go find it, no matter how baseless their beliefs." -- Ken Rosenthal

Ok guys, that wraps up the season.

Wow, what a day David Bote had.

And what a difference one day makes.

2-4, a HR, 5 RBIs.

He went from a sub-.700 OPS to a respectable .745 OPS for the year.

4 HR and 12 RBIs.

David Bote was injured most of the year but he came back and finished strong. Hopefully he can build on it next year.

Cubs win, 15-2. Nobody thought they'd get 73 wins.

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love the fool's gold I'm seeing being coveted by cubbie fans in october. It feels like the good old days.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

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Besides the mult, who is heaping praise on the Cubs? Bote is a backup at best. Desperate times in the subdivision.

No one is, dolphin is just making himself feel better after the pile of dog shit that the Sox laid for him this year

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

Huh ? The Sox are Series contenders . Can’t wait to see their first playoff game after annihilating that tough AL Central this year.

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

Your manager said that two outfield spots are already locked down next year...for a team that went 15 games below .500.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Happ is the LF until he cannot reach agreement on an extension, and since he is the union rep that is highly likely. He has maximum trade value this off-season because the acquiring team can still slap a QO on him after 2023.

But that was not the time for Ross to point that out.

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"When people want their version of the truth, they go find it, no matter how baseless their beliefs." -- Ken Rosenthal

Happ will be interesting to follow in '23 if he can put up big numbers in a contract year. He & Seiya Suzuki are pretty similar numbers wise being good but not great. If he continues to be under 800 ops and a 70 rbi guy per 500 ab I don't see Hoyer paying him big dough being saddled wth Suzuki in RF.