Author Topic: Cubs in '20  (Read 49061 times)

Bennett

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Re: Cubs in '20
« Reply #15 on: September 30, 2019, 06:12:32 pm »
That was a really good interview.  Theo is really good with those, and that one may be his best I've ever heard. 

After that, I'm more confident than before that Russell is gone.  Theo made a couple of references to "consequences" being "evident" for not being prepared.  I may not remember it correctly.  But I kinda think the only guys who I recall experiencing evident "consequences" were Russell and Almora, the two guys who got sent down.  Almora was consequences for being completely unable to hit, but I'm not sure effort or preparation were at issue.  I'm guessing not being prepared and consequences would seem to have Russell's name on it? 
One of Addison Russell's most egregious offenses was missing signs. 

CurtOne

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Re: Cubs in '20
« Reply #16 on: September 30, 2019, 06:12:46 pm »
Hank White is currently with the Nationals.
so is Dave Martinez.

Reb

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Re: Cubs in '20
« Reply #17 on: September 30, 2019, 06:25:17 pm »
Had an interesting comment about supplementing starting rotation—-getting younger and a different look (along with the usual comment about depth). Guessing that might mean Theo looking for a youngish power pitcher for 2020.
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Deeg

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Re: Cubs in '20
« Reply #18 on: September 30, 2019, 06:35:00 pm »
I wonder if Dylan Cease is available.

Playtwo

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Re: Cubs in '20
« Reply #19 on: September 30, 2019, 06:51:22 pm »
Theo is a master at those news conferences.  He made it clear that significant changes are needed, but the proof will be in the pudding.  I inferred two things from what I heard.  Like Ron, my sense is that Rossy is far from the preferred candidate.  Secondly, I was struck with Theo praising Contreras and then immediately talking up the season that Caratini had.  I might be reading too much into it, but I'm sensing that they will be ready to move Contreras for the right return.

Deeg

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Re: Cubs in '20
« Reply #20 on: September 30, 2019, 06:54:12 pm »
Theo is a master at those news conferences.  He made it clear that significant changes are needed, but the proof will be in the pudding.  I inferred two things from what I heard.  Like Ron, my sense is that Rossy is far from the preferred candidate.  Secondly, I was struck with Theo praising Contreras and then immediately talking up the season that Caratini had.  I might be reading too much into it, but I'm sensing that they will be ready to move Contreras for the right return.

Indeed - Theo sounded many of the same notes after last season and then stood pat.  The question is whether he was blowing smoke, or genuinely thought he had license to do what he needed and had the rug pulled out from under him by ownership.

Playtwo

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Re: Cubs in '20
« Reply #21 on: September 30, 2019, 06:54:29 pm »
I wish someone would have asked Theo about the failure of the 2018 and 2019 Cubs to "rise to the occasion".  How does a team like Milwaukee lose their star player and yet play so well down the stretch whereas the Cubs just seem to shrink from the spotlight.  How do you change that "culture"?

Bennett

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Re: Cubs in '20
« Reply #22 on: September 30, 2019, 07:01:49 pm »
A factor that nobody has brought up so far is that once you win, you have a target on your back.  You get everyone’s best shot.   That will be gone in 2020.

Ron

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Re: Cubs in '20
« Reply #23 on: September 30, 2019, 07:09:03 pm »
As for Castellanos there’s a lot there to like.  But I just don’t see how he and Schwarber fit together long term.

I agree, unless they are platooned, which seems highly unlikely.

Ron

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Re: Cubs in '20
« Reply #24 on: September 30, 2019, 07:10:32 pm »
so is Dave Martinez.

Yeah, but more than any other theme Theo stressed was not looking back, but looking forward. Dave Martinez would represent looking back.

davep

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Re: Cubs in '20
« Reply #25 on: September 30, 2019, 07:17:41 pm »
Bryant has pretty well let it be known that he intends to test the free agent market.  I think he will be the first of the "top line" Cubs to be traded, most likely this winter.
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Ron

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Re: Cubs in '20
« Reply #26 on: September 30, 2019, 07:26:20 pm »
I had several overall impressions from Theo's  press conference.  The first thing is how consistently he stressed the need to focus on the future, not 2016 and the past. He took responsibility for relying on the talent of the young players from 2016 and his belief in those players' abilities to continue to grow.  But over and over he kept saying the Cubs need to look forward and not backward to prior successes.  He talked about building something new. 

The second thing was his focus on hitters making contact, as opposed to relying on power, given the current MLB environment.  Somewhat related was his clear preference for players with high on base percentage.

The third was his firm commitment to not simply focusing on the current "window" but rather building toward the future, while still being committed to the goal of winning the World Series in 2020. He was clear in not being willing to sacrifice the future for the short term (even though his own contract runs only through 2021).  He implied regretting some deals he'd made in the past in that regard, I thought.

The fourth was his emphasis on embracing change, at all levels of the organization.  I would be very surprised if there is not at least one player who at least some of us have considered to be core players.  My own expectation is that Kris Bryant, after being unwilling to sign a long term contract, will be very aggressively shopped.  I think it's very likely that some team will be willing to make a sufficiently attractive offer for the Cubs to trade Bryant over the winter. 
« Last Edit: September 30, 2019, 07:29:57 pm by Ron »

Bluebufoon

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Re: Cubs in '20
« Reply #27 on: September 30, 2019, 07:47:10 pm »
Do the Mets have enough top young prospects to interest us in a trade for Bryant ? Noah Syndaguard and prospects ?
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craig

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Re: Cubs in '20
« Reply #28 on: September 30, 2019, 07:54:02 pm »
I agree, unless they are platooned, which seems highly unlikely.

I wonder.  He talked about the difficulty of finding a CF, and suggested other workarounds as opposed to just finding an every-day CF. 

CF:  "have in house options but...."  "prototypical"  "not a position with great surplus"  "have to be realistic"  "maybe platoon, or complement with a more attainable player from outside the organization". 

In that context, I wonder if a "more attainable" "complementary" players might be the workaround.

I don't necessarily think Castellanos would necessarily be prohibitively redundant.  1.  Guys get injured or need some rest.  2.  Schwarber-Heyward-Castellanos isn't a great defensive outfield, but it might be a very good offensive OF.  3.  "More attainable" "Complementary" guy could pick a bunch of starts (depending on if he's any good); Heyward's bat could take some rest; Schwarber has plenty of lefties that he doesn't match up well; guys get hurt, etc.. 

If you added a "more attainable" "complementary" RH guy who picked up 50-100 starts, I'd consider that as an interesting workaround.  Typically ~45 starts are LHP.  So if for those starts you rested either Heyward or Schwarber, that seems perfectly reasonable to me.  Maybe Heyward would play 50 starts in center, maybe 100.  But there wouldn't be a shortage of starts for either of them, or Castellanos....  as long as you're willing to play Schwarber-Heyward-Castellanos together for 50-100 starts. 

He talked up Schwarber, "breakthrough season", etc.; maybe that's pure trade salesmanship, maybe he's sincere. 

Also with Castellanos, "we'd love to have him back" but he knows that "it's not as simple as that".  Maybe it's "not as simple" because it's all about the money.  Or maybe it's "not as simple" because they'd need to find a worthwhile deal for either Schwarber or Heyward to make it work, beats me.  Or maybe it's "not as simple" because Cast and Schwarber are just too similiar as bad-fielding outfielders. 

But he also a couple of times referred to "parts of the strike zone we're otherwise vulnerable too", "harder to game-plan for", and "team that can be game-planned-for", and that Castellanos is NOT vulnerable to those same part of the strike zone. So if he's trying to improve contact and not be so "game-plan" vulnerable to anybody who can work the upper half, Castellanos still seems to be a good fit lineup-wise. 

Obviously the "game plan" is the upper half.  Bryant, Schwarber, Baez, Happ, Bote, none of those launch-angle guys thrive up there.  Not sure with Willson.  Almora was supposed to do well there, but not this year. 

craig

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Re: Cubs in '20
« Reply #29 on: September 30, 2019, 08:02:08 pm »
 "least contact"  "fewest fastballs" "parts of the strike zone we're otherwise vulnerable too" "harder to game-plan for".    "Schwarber, breakthrough season.."  "team that can be game-planned-for"

"environment for development at major-league level"   "young players don't fully develop in the minor leagues"

Some interesting quotes, I thought. 

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