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Bleacher Bums Forum / Re: On The Farm
« Last post by Reb on Today at 12:48:36 am »
BA has Alcantara at #5 and notes his “all-star upside.”

Yeah, arguably, can make the case that Alcantara has the highest ceiling of all Cubs top prospects.

Defensively, BA says “Alcantara is a plus defender in center field with an above-average arm.”

Still, seems like he might be most likely prospect to be traded if Cubs make a big trade.

A plus CF defender with an above-average arm should be playing CF, not a corner. With rare exceptions, that’s what happens in baseball. With Cubs, Alcantara is a corner guy.

Yeah, it’s a very significant risk to trade Alcantara. If do that, better be part of a deal for a very significant player coming back.

Trading Zyhir Hope was a risk. Seems like Hope will be moving waaaaay up the top prospect lists during 2025 but Cubs got a significant guy back in that deal.
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Bleacher Bums Forum / Re: On The Farm
« Last post by Reb on Today at 12:12:13 am »
……Might Shaw's best path likewise be as a 3B/2B utility guy, with some SS as well?  Maybe next year he should get a bunch more work at both 2B and 3B,so that he can develop into a major-league-adequate utility guy at both spots?   

Dave23 mentioned Triantos as a possible “Zobrist type” but agree with Craig that Shaw is the better candidate to be a multi-position guy in Zobrist mold.

Let’s say Cubs get really super lucky and Triantos and Smith pan out at 2B and 3B. Then, Shaw could be ideal as a guy playing most every day, somewhere. Zobrist got 600 PAs numerous years playing different positions in a season. Zobrist even had about 80 starts at SS over course of three seasons in his early 30s. Yeah, unusual for a plus hitter—if Shaw does that—to be used that way but we know how valuable Zobrist was doing that.
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Chicago Bears Forum / Re: 2024 Chicago Bears
« Last post by Pekin on Today at 12:09:29 am »
It is pretty obvious that Waldron has to go.  The offense is not working.

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Bleacher Bums Forum / Re: Cubs in ‘24
« Last post by Reb on November 11, 2024, 11:56:20 pm »
…..No, this is the kind of flagrant mismanagement that sets on fire extraordinary opportunity cost year over year while sitting back as franchise valuation and revenue streams grow, prioritizing not the long right tail of outcomes, but instead that spot on the bell curve just to the right of center.

Well, Ricketts brought Cubs a World Championship within a few years of taking over.

To call that “flagrant mismanagement” is way over the top and ahistorical.

After the World Championship, Cubs were #2 and #3 in MLB payroll (2019/2020).  Flagrant mismanagement too?

2021 was the sell-off. Was it “flagrant mismanagement” not to extend Bryant, Baez, Rizzo?

Rebuilds rarely happen quickly in MLB. Ahistorical to think rebuild-to-World Championship should happen quickly.

If you think Cubs are in same or similar spending strata as Yankees and Dodgers, you are mistaken. Mets and Phillies have owners who do not care about spending—indeed, they have been quoted publicly saying that. G-d bless them, but they are outliers in MLB history. Ricketts is with the remaining 99% of owners in MLB history, sorry.

Other clubs temporarily ahead of Cubs lately move up, down, up, down. Just routine fluctuation.

Padres went from #3 in 2023 to #11 in 2024. Jays went from #5 in 2023 to #9 in 2024. Braves went from #13 and #8 in 2021/2022 to higher payrolls with some long-term commitments to 2029 that may or may not work out. Rangers were #17 in payroll in 2022. Giants were #16 and #13 in 2022/2023. Red Sox—the most similar revenue team to Cubs in MLB—were #12 in 2023/2024. Astros were #11 in 2023. Some years, Angels pop in to join top spenders depending on Artie Moreno’s whims but were #15 and #9 in 2023/2024.

We can quibble about Cubs spending another $20-25 more in a given season but Cubs have spent big at times. Ricketts could have extended Bryant, Baez, Rizzo for multi years to beef up payroll but maybe declining that turned out smart?  Can complain that Ohtani went to Dodgers or Soto going to Mets/Yankees—go ahead and blame Ricketts for that, I guess.

I know that these three whole years of 2022-24 is a lifetime of futility to our younger Whipper-Snappers out there and 2016 was a century ago.

Don’t you just hate flagrant mismanagement?
 
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Bleacher Bums Forum / Re: On The Farm
« Last post by craig on November 11, 2024, 10:56:52 pm »
100% agree.  Give Smith the full year at 3b-only and see how he progresses.  Absolutely. 

With Smith being a guy who was already hitting in AA by the season end, part of me wonders whether he might reach the majors before next season ends, or else during 2026. But I have to remind myself that only two years ago he'd never played even a college game yet. 

He's only two seasons out of high school.  Give him some time, maybe he'll improve and be good at 3B. 

Thanks for sharing those defensive analyses, reb.  I hadn't really heard anything on Cam since the draft, so reading the reports is really helpful. 

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Bleacher Bums Forum / Re: On The Farm
« Last post by Reb on November 11, 2024, 10:41:22 pm »
I wonder if we don't sometimes underestimate the value of defensive experience, and the time it can take to master a new position?….

Perhaps that will happen with Cam Smith as a 3B defensively?

BA report says: “He is a below-average defender at third base and will get out of sync with his hands, actions and footwork at times. Still, Smith’s plus arm allows him to make plays at third, and he could fit in an outfield corner as well…..Questions about his future defensive position persist, but his above-average bat should be a fit anywhere on the diamond.”

Just give him a full season at 3B and see how he progresses.
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Bleacher Bums Forum / Re: Cubs in ‘24
« Last post by craig on November 11, 2024, 10:38:32 pm »
Yeah, DH really hurt Ohtani.  If he'd had more than half the league to choose from, he might not have wasted all those years with the crummy Angels.  Crazy to imagine all the different paths he could have taken had NL teams been available. 
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Bleacher Bums Forum / Re: Cubs in ‘24
« Last post by brjones on November 11, 2024, 10:35:52 pm »
The Cubs only have Swanson's contract guaranteed after 2026. Since Hoyer has been so timid for the last 5 years, they have more financial flexibility than every other team in MLB. But it's already been reported that they're not even trying for Soto. 

They should be the favorite for Soto. But they're not even trying. I just don't care about this team anymore. I wish I did, I really used to enjoy watching them every day. But this Hoyer/Ricketts combo is awful.
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Chicago Bears Forum / Re: Today’s Game 2024
« Last post by Dave23 on November 11, 2024, 09:43:57 pm »
There are quite a few times during the games where I can look at the formation and call pass or run with great accuracy.

If my untrained eye can do that, I’d imagine opposing coaches/players are all over it.
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Bleacher Bums Forum / Re: Cubs in ‘24
« Last post by Deeg on November 11, 2024, 09:31:42 pm »
Tangent unsophisticated thoughts:
1.  Ohtani is historically unique.  Soto doesn't compare.  Nobody does. 
2.  Ohtani and Angels were a wasted pairing.  Angels blew it to not win more with him, and to not make more money with him that they could reinvest in improving their crummy team. 
3.  Ohtani's agent blew it in matching him with crummy Angels.  Should have connected him with a good, playoff team. 

No matter what his people said at the time I don’t think there was any way Ohtani was signing with an NL club. I hate the DH but if the universal DH was in play then, considering where we were as a franchise I think we’d have been in with a shot.
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