Happ is not the answer. I personally think Theo has one major deal in him to acquire a leadoff hitter before spring training breaks. If the season started now,I would have Tommy La Stella/Ben Zobrist
platoon at 2nd base and leading off. Baez to short and Addison Russell odd man out (trade bait?)

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favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."

Could be anyone but I am going to go with Happ and Almora depending on who is playing CF.

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

This is probably the way it goes.

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Is Happ really going to play centerfield?

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From spring training it looks like Happ.

I wonder who the Cubs will pickup. Lot of names cut this week from other teams. Relievers maybe.

I see nothing wrong with Happ and Almora leading off. Heyward can handle it every once in awhile.

In 2017, Almora had a .411 OBP against LHP and Happ had a .334 OBP against RHP. Their OPS against those same platoon advantages was about .880 combined.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

I'm still holding out hope that Heyward will return to his mid 2010's form and be a very good defender who can hit in the .250-270 range. That said, I'm assuming if for some reason the team isn't hitting going into the summer that offense will dictate who plays most.

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I expect the offense to score a bit north of last year's total, and I'm not assuming on increased production from Heyward to get there. But I expect something more from Russell, Schwarber, Contreras and I expect Zobrist to have less chances to suck.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Leave Heyward down in the order. He's been trying to find his swing again and doesn't need the added pressure of getting on-base

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Sherman remarked, "Well, Grant, we've had the devil's own day, haven't we?" Grant looked up. "Yes," he replied, followed by a puff. "Yes. Lick 'em tomorrow, though."

yeah I dont want Heyward anywhere near the leadoff spot.

Happ, Amora, and Zobrist at times can handle it just fine.

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

Except that Heyward would probably be better in a leadoff role than an RBI role, given what is wrong with him. He doesn't drive the ball. But his average wasn't terrible and his OBP was decent, especially against RHP. Right now, he is a patient slap hitter being asked to jump on fastballs early in the count and drive in runs.

Why not let him see 4.5 pitches per plate appearance, and get on base at a .350 clip.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

If opening day comes and Heyward is leading off I'm throwing my beer mug right through the fucking tv.

Probably. I'm just saying that if the offense is slumping and Heyward isn't hitting, I'd expect he'll be on the bench a lot more in favor of Happ, Zobrist and Almora. Hopefully Zobrist was just gassed after the long seasons the past few years finally caught up with him.

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I'm fine with the Happ/Almora experiment

That's fine as long as you feel Happ won't be a .300, 30HR guy who's on the bench for a slap hitter with really damned good defense.

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Happ and Almora are platooning in CF. Happ will also spell Schwarber in LF.

Happ isn't a .300 hitter. Get off that Cubbie kool-aid.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Happ is a better hitter than Heyward, get off the oxy

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Lol, sorry but I have a man crush on the guy. I just love that swing.

Didn't realize Happ was going to be platooning in center. I thought he was primarily in left?

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Schwarber is in left.

1 P
2 Contreras
3 Rizzo
4 Baez
5 Bryant
6 Russell
7 Schwarber
8 Happ / Almora
9 Heyward

Some days when Almora starts in CF against LHP, Happ can play in LF, replacing Schwarber. Zobrist will also see time at LF and RF. And sometimes at 2B, probably.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

I think what it will come down to is that Schwarber and Almora will be platooning, with Happ sliding back and forth and occasionally playing some 2B when one of the infielders needs a day off. There may be some days with fly ball pitchers on the mound, especially on the road, where Schwarber sits against RHP as well and Happ takes left.

I don't think that Zobrist will get a lot of starts this year. In fact, I think he'll see a lot of time on the DL, including maybe at the start of the year. Only if somebody struggles will Zobrist play a lot, until they start ramping him up in August and September to be ready for the playoffs.

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

Okay, thanks.

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Happ has won the job so he gets first shot (with Alomar or Zobrist when Happ isn't playing).

I don't see Heyward as a lead off guy. The OBP is just not there.

In other news, Grimm got cut!!!!

Somebody remind me to text Joe tomorrow about Heyward leading off.

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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

I still feel Russell is gone before they break camp. That opens things up for Happ and Zobrist. A closer might be coming here for Russell.

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favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."

Not happening jimmy. No trades are being made at this point. Next trade if any will be at the trade deadline this summer.

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

Not true. I could see LaStella or Almora being moved if Happ plays CF well and hits both RHP and LHP. Or if LaStella needs to be moved to fortify the bullpen. Those could be early season moves.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Maybe, but I would say the chance of that happening is slim to none, especially with Almora. LaStella more of a maybe.

But Russell is not being traded at this point

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

I always felt that Happ was drafted specifically to be traded last July, just like Jimenez. But then Russell got hurt and Zobrist sucked and Happ got called up to get showcased and never left.

The guy most likely to get traded after being showcased is Caratini. If he can demonstrate that he can get on base, pinch hit and play a respectable 1B when he gives Rizzo the occasional day off, he'll be a valuable chip to a rebuilding team come July. I expect that Caratini will spend a fair amount of time in Chicago, with stretches where he's sent back to Iowa for 10 days when they need to make a roster move, and then he gets in 7-8 starts and comes back to the big league club.

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

So you are choosing Tommy La Stella/Ben Zobrist over Addison Russell?


You are consistent, Jimmy.

Consistently wrong.

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