Will the Cubs sign anyone or will the Ricketts' have spent all their money on the election?

oct. 28, 2020 - the day i say loudmouth rizzo's 2021 $16.5 million option shouldn't be picked up by the cubs, but probably will be.

a recent trend is now having right-throwing first basemen (goldschmidt). maybe the place for schwarber.

I liked Maybin, he is a good 4th OF in the mold of John Jay. I'd like to see him come back.

I expect a lot of guys across MLB to be non-tendered, especially guys in the 4-7M range. I want Theo to go after guys who can hit for average to all fields, don't strike out, and can hit a lot of doubles even when the wind is blowing in at Wrigley.

I think some AL team trades for Schwarber and offers him arbitration. Probably a team that wouldn't be an attractive destination for free agents, where he can DH against righties, play LF once a week, and bat 6th

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

Springer on the market

You’d rather have schwarber at first over Rizzo for the next few years?

He’s inferior in every single way.

Yeah, it’s bad.

They are in a really bad spot on all fronts. No resources, no farm system, a lineup full of players that can’t hit.

Gonna be bleak for awhile

yeah, i don't argue that at all. i don't believe the cubs will pay the $2 million for that rizzo option anyways. my thinking is:

- no good free agent 1st basemen.
- get schwarber out of the outfield.
- rizzo is famous for choking up with 2 strikes. you'd think his average would be much better and explain the relatively weak power numbers. well, he doesn't hit for average and his power stats are poor.

schwarber is under contract next year, about half of rizzo's salary.

all in all, you have nothing to worry about. i don't believe the cubs will pay rizzo the $2 million to go away.

i'd say that the chances of the cubs buying out rizzo for $2 million are very low.

I've seen enough of both of em, don't pick up the Rizzo option and take whatever you can get for Schwarber..let him hit .195 with 30 homers for somebody else.

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Schwarber was a decent hitter but the cubs have developed him into the worst version of a 3 outcome hitter in baseball. The only thing he can do defensively is throw hard and accurately. He can't field for shit. There is no way he is better than Rizzo at anything. You buy out Rizzo and re-sign him for something like a 2 yr 13 mil deal which will will have the 2 mil buyout added to it. Schwarber can go Oakland where he can be fat, walk, strikeout, hit an occasional bomb and live in total obscurity.

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

Rizzo gets his option picked up, but if they can work a deal with the Marlins for multiple young starting pitchers, do it and let the Marlins extend the hometown kid. He is the exact guy that team needs, just like the Cubs needed Lester, and they can afford to overpay him.

Otherwise, you build the lineup around Happ, Rizzo, Contreras, Heyward, Baez from 2-6. Heyward is now 10/5 so he is going nowhere. Trade Bryant to Baltimore or non-tender him, I don't care but teach Scott Boras a lesson. Some bad AL team will give up a AA starter for Schwarber. Send Almora into orbit. Then work the nontenders for a 3B and LF, and stick Bote at 2B and send Nico to Iowa for half the season to work on batting leadoff.

Personally, I listen to offers for both Hendricks and Darvish. Probably none good enough in the off season, but plan on trading them in July when the team is 3 games under .500.

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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 agree w/ 312, get rid of both of them if you can get some talent back.

i thought they would never get rid of rizzo because he's the next 'mr.cub' but i hope that is not the case.

reality is both of them will be around as Theo isn't going to make any big moves during his last year.

As soon as I heard Theo say his objective for 2021 was to “thread the needle” meaning try to simultaneously “retool” while also fielding a team capable of winning the division, it was clear that Ricketts is not willing to completely tear it down. After all, he has a network to support, which he can’t do if the team is so shitty that no one wants to watch.

I’d love to see the Cubs trade Hendricks and Darvish, since they have the most value and would net the most in return.

I dont see that happening. And I don’t see them cutting bait with either Rizzo or Baez either, since threading the needle really just means “we have to keep some marketable names in the short term because we’re already hemorrhaging fuckin cash.”

This team is a long, long ways away from another NLCS appearance

I would try to get Molten Wong for a 3 year deal @ 25 million.

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You guys are harsh on Rizzo. His contract is at or below market rate at 16.5 and I think there is a lot of value only being encumbered for one year in the current climate, both with the pandemic and a possible labor stoppage in 2021

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

ya get guys who know how to hit. not just hr and strike out.

who can hit high velocity. get george springer. he solves many of the cubs offensive problems especially lead off hitter.

Yeah, Rizzo isn’t going anywhere, nor should he

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Springer is a nice player.

It’s going to be really interesting to see how free agency in general plays out across all sports in the upcoming off seasons.

Ricketts wants to shed payroll so bad, I’d be surprised if they added any any FA of consequence, even as money comes off the books.

That's a hot take.

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2018
#ExtendLafleur
10 More Wins

This is correct.

Also, the division is terrible so the Cubs could probably bring back most of this team as is and win the division.

And accumulate 10 hits en route to being swept.

Agreed. Despite not having a good 2020, Rizzo isn't the problem here. He will bounce back. They have bigger issues to address. Rizzo stays.

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I thought the whole Theo era was about winning pennants and championships. not divisions. if they keep winning divisions and get swept the first round of the playoffs every year clearly overmatched that would suck.

At this point it's about Ricketts staying solvent.

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what a poor businessman this guy is. I guess he inherited all his money from his father.

I know it will never happen, nor should it happen.

But I would absolutely love to see Yadi sign a deal with the Cubs just to piss off the Cardinal fans

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

im done w/ Contreras. You can trade him and get value.

someone posted here during the sweep during the playoffs that Contreras is a dumb catcher and you can't win w/ a dumb catcher. that was spot on.