2020 Chicago Cubs Offseason Thread

[1908_Cubs]

It is if the plan is to tear it down and rebuilt. Sure, I want to keep him but clearly the Cubs wanted to move on.

That's still not the "right" move. If you tear things down, you don't have to throw it away for free. It's that simple. Hell, if you're going to tear it down, keep Schwarber for a year and trade him at the deadline. He's going to make $7m. He's not expensive. He's not useless, like Almora. He's a 2-3 win player most seasons.

Throwing him away after back to back 3 win seasons over 60 games is bad. It's always bad. It's cheap. Get something for him. Or use him. He's a somewhat useful player even if he's never going to be a stud. Just getting rid of him so you don't have to pay him is the worst of all options. There's nothing positive there.

[WOwolfOL]

I'm fine with the NT. At least let the market play out. How many teams would be willing to pay him 7-8m or whatever his number was gonna be. My guess is not many. He will have a slow market IMO.



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[chibears55]

How much money they continue to spend and what FA is going to look like the next time we have it (2022 is in serious doubt with the CBA) is going to have a large impact on what the Cubs do and how much they can compete. If the financials bounce back, it'll be likely the Cubs won't be the only team wanting to spend. It may not be a good market to buy, just as this market is bad to sell. Or the CBA could have major changes.

If the Cubs dump to around $150-$160m, and don't add many long term assets you can count on for 2022, I'm not sure if 2022 is really likely to come out of it. It might be 2023 or 2024, especially depending on what they sell this year. They won't easily, for example, be able to just buy a rotation and they may not want to go that route. If they don't, it'll probably be a year or two, as their minor league system matures.

I'm not saying itll be easy or they're just going to toss money around and pull a Marlins and try and buy a championship, just saying it not going to be like it was the few years before 2015 where they're going to sit on their hands and basically do nothing and tank for the next 2 3 4 5 years...
After this season, they're going to be in a better position to build up a team quicker then they did between 2010 and 2015..



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[1908_Cubs]

I'm fine with the NT. At least let the market play out. How many teams would be willing to pay him 7-8m or whatever his number was gonna be. My guess is not many. He will have a slow market IMO.



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Will anyone pay him $7m? No. But the Cubs aren't hard up for money like they're acting and could have paid him that. Someone's going to give him $5m or so on a one year deal, and the Cubs aren't going to be the team to do that.

If the plan is to save a paltry $2m on Schwarber and hope real hard he comes back, then that's a stupid plan. And it's cheap. It's still bad.

[1908_Cubs]

I'm not saying itll be easy or they're just going to toss money around and pull a Marlins and try and buy a championship, just saying it not going to be like it was the few years before 2015 where they're going to sit on their hands and basically do nothing and tank..
After this season, they're going to be in a better position to build up a team quicker then they did between 2010 and 2015..



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Right. But 2022 might not be a year they spend much in, and that's what you need to take into account. I doubt the Cubs go into a FA period and spend on a big player (or a few of them) until the system is built. You don't waste money by signing good players to big deals on a loser team. A players best year is likely to be year 1 of their FA contract. Don't waste it on a 78 win team.

What I'm saying is that if the Cubs slash and hack payroll to around $150-160, I think it's more likely to be 2023 or 2024 we see the team really consider themselves contenders again. And not just next year because they'll have a lot of money clear up. I don't think their minor league system will be mature enough for them to do that.

[chibears55]

Right. But 2022 might not be a year they spend much in, and that's what you need to take into account. I doubt the Cubs go into a FA period and spend on a big player (or a few of them) until the system is built. You don't waste money by signing good players to big deals on a loser team. A players best year is likely to be year 1 of their FA contract. Don't waste it on a 78 win team.

What I'm saying is that if the Cubs slash and hack payroll to around $150-160, I think it's more likely to be 2023 or 2024 we see the team really consider themselves contenders again. And not just next year because they'll have a lot of money clear up. I don't think their minor league system will be mature enough for them to do that.

I get what you're saying and totally agree..

yes, it will definitely depend on their movement this offseason, as far as what they do going forward with Contreras Rizzo Baez Bryant Happ Yu Hendricks Heyward.

They obviously will need a base to build on, to make a few significant signings next offseason

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[chibears55]

https://twitter.com/mlbtraderumors/s...413128705?s=19

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[thawv]

They have 55 mil in guarenteed contracts next season, theyll have plenty of money to spend and Yu and Hendricks is 30+ of that..

I'm not saying they're definitely going to win a championship in 2022, I'm just saying they will be in much better position money wise and all to put together a good contending team next offseason if they choose

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From a pure payroll stand point for guarantees for 2021, I have

Yu 22 mil
JHey 21 mil
Kimbrel 16 mil
Kyle H 14 mil
Bote 1 mil
Total 74 mil

Rizzo another 16.5 mil?

They will be in great position financially after 2021. You used a phrase that's very important in this discussion. "If they choose."

[chibears55]

Almora
Baez
Bryant
Caratini
Contreras
Happ
Rea
Ryan
Schwarber
Tepera
Winkler
Martinez

With 45 minutes remaining, so far Martinez(NT) has been the only official announcement we've heard from the Cubs unless I missed someone

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[chibears55]

...

[Stratos]

But I'm thinking its more likely the Cubs sit at $150m than $180m and they're already at $170m or so. The only way they get there is dumping. Not adding.

I think if they do drop significantly salary it may have more to do with the pandemic financials than a rebuild. I don't even think the trade market will be strong enough to do a rebuild if they wanted to. I don't see many teams wanting to give up cheap prospects to take on many millions in salary for a 1-year rental in such an unknown economic environment, especially with all the bargains available in FA this year.

The Cubs are just screwed with the timing of this pandemic, plus the bad year guys had last year. It's like a perfect storm of value dropping for most of our most valuable assets over the last several years. If the Cubs can't manage to get much in trade from our impending 2021 free agents, or if a bunch of these guys end up walking without getting anything for them, what a disaster that would be for this franchise.

It's already unbelievable seeing how far the value for guys like Schwarber and Bryant have dropped since 2016. Imagine someone in 2016 or 2017 telling us that Schwarber, Bryant, Almora, and Russell would be up to be non-tendered in a few seasons. That's half of our everyday lineup LOL, and 4 first-round picks!

[1908_Cubs]

Non tenders and tenders are rolling in now.

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[Stratos]

Figure out the walks and he’s a mildly interesting guy. I’m sure they are trying to build a bullpen for no money again so he might turn into something.

Another guy with good K's and major control issues. Basically just a dice roll that his non-wild self shows up next year i think. He'll probably be at ST in the mix.

[chibears55]

Easier..lol

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[chibears55]

https://twitter.com/JonHeyman/status...470452228?s=19

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