Official 2023 Chicago Cubs Season Thread Vol: (17-17)

That inning, perfect example of this series.

Bases loaded, no outs, Castro-Schwarber-Baez comin up.

1 run. :smh:
 
:frown:

Best Cubs season of my life.

We will improve during the winter, and will make another run next year. I'll start bringin in the closure of this year, and the look ahead stuff for next year and beyond.

#WeAreGood
 
Thought you guys would be in the World Series. Very good season nonetheless and you guys will be in the mix for years to come.
 
If it weren't for Mets, I'd root for all of you all the way to the World Series.

Great season. You guys have a bright future. Looking forward to playing against all of you again in the postseasons in the future. Best of luck.
 
Man that was really heartbreaking. We were totally dominated in that series and we looked awful in all phases of the game. It's been a great season but right now I'm just bummed.

All in all, no one would've expected a team with this much youth to make it this far. I hope the guys feed off of this and learn. I'm looking for Theo to add another arm (Price or Zimmerman, MAYBE even Greinke if we can afford it) and bats who get on base who don't always swing at the fences.
 
I know it hurts right now, but you guys should be proud of what you accomplished this year. Like everyone has already said, you guys are building something special. Your time will come soon enough.
 
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Nothing is promised. We had a chance this year to win a World Series. Yes, it was a great season, yes weve made astronomical strides, but in the end we are once again on the outside looking in. I hope our time will come, but im highly dissapointed and embarassed at that effort against an inferior New York team. Im not even that pissed off. Series was over when Murphy homered off Arietta in game 2. I legit knew it was over then. Sucks that i was right. Im 34.....die hard since 1990, and regardless off all our future potential...this sucks, bottomline.
 
You guys are going to be scary good for a long time. This is just year 1, remember that and cherish that you made it this far. Y'all were supposed to win 84 games max.

Sign Price and you'll win the pennant next year.
 
arstyle27 said:
Nothing is promised. We had a chance this year to win a World Series. Yes, it was a great season, yes weve made astronomical strides, but in the end we are once again on the outside looking in. I hope our time will come, but im highly dissapointed and embarassed at that effort against an inferior New York team. Im not even that pissed off. Series was over when Murphy homered off Arietta in game 2. I legit knew it was over then. Sucks that i was right. Im 34.....die hard since 1990, and regardless off all our future potential...this sucks, bottomline.
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All of this!
I'm the same age, and I truly hope that I get to see us win one before my time comes. This one doesn't quite hurt as much as "03", or even "08" that one still stings me to this day.
Worst yet is that the juiced up egomaniac that went ham on us is now working for us.

This season has been surreal. None of us thought we'd be this good, this fast. I just hope we build on this and keep adding pieces.

Start the arms race Theo.
 
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CP1708 said:
ETA's

2016
RHP CJ Edwards
CF Albert Almora
RHP Pierce Johnson
OF Billy McKinney
RHP Corey Black

2017
2B/CF Ian Happ (SS)
SS Gleyber Torres
C Wilson Contreras
CF Eddy Julio Martinez
RHP Duane Underwood
RHP Jake Stinnett
OF Eloy Jiminez

These are just guesses on my part. CJ has been close for a while now, and actually had a small taste this year. I expect with another run thru camp next year, Bosio should be able to work some more magic and get him ready to start helpin out in 2016. Probably in the pen.
Almora is insurance if Fowler leaves. (Fowler leaving would also net us another draft pick) When you think about it, if we sign Price, but let Fowler go, our salary doesn’t even really jump all that much. Maybe 10-12 mil. Almora doesn’t have the bat, or switch hitting that Fowler does, but he plays excellent defense and that alone would give him value for this roster. Montero, Russell, Almora up the middle is STRONG.
Pierce Johnson is another one that has been workin in the minors for a few years, I don’t know if he’ll be ready opening day, but he should be able to come up soon and help, again, either as a starter, or a reliever.
McKinney would be outfield depth in the corners, I suspect he starts year in Triple A, and could come up as needed. (injury protection)
Black is yet another arm that’s close. Hitting that age 24-25 where kids get things figured out, and Bosio will be there to help as well.

All five at worst should start the year in Triple A, and could be this year’s Schwarber, Russell, Bryant contributors come May-June, etc. I suppose 1-2 others could make a big jump if they prove themselves, ala Schwarber who really was supposed to just get thru Double and Triple A this year, and flourished. It’s possible we have another guy or two make a leap like that, but hard to predict.

2017 could be a really fun class. Look at those names. If Happ doesn’t make the Schwarber, he should easily be ready for 2017, and his position versatility could make him a September 2016 call up at worse. A switch hitting second baseman, that can play in the outfield too? Maddon will love this kid.
Torres I have talked about in here for months. He is jumping leaps and bounds already, he could be in Triple A early in 2016, and will just need space if/when a Baez or Castro get moved. The kid will be 19 next year.
Contreras is 2017 Montero protection, imo. As Ross leaves within a year or so, Montero will be left behind, but getting a little older, Contreras could be ready by opening day 2017 to handle the staff, and the bat.
Eddy, another Cuban prospect, he “could” make a huge leap for 2016, but safer bet he comes up in 2017. If Almora doesn’t shine, Eddy will be hot on his heels.
Underwood could/should be a solid #3-4 starter pretty soon. 3rd rounder from 2012
Stinnett, same thing. He’s a second round pick we took after getting Schwarber, with another year in the minors, he could be a #4-5 type starter in a couple years.
Eloy is the Wild Card. HE was the #1 prospect in 2013, not Torres, he’s just been surpassed is all. Kid is 6-4 and built like a tank. Lesser Soler???? Still only 18-19, If he starts to put it together………

Of course, some of these guys could also become trade bait for what we want, when Theo sees that we need it. Be it this offseason, or the trade deadline, some of these guys are likely to be moved at some point. (same as a Baez, or Castro could be moved from the big league club at any moment as well)

Only guys we know are staying, for sure, for a long time, are Lester, Arrieta, Rizzo, Bryant, Schwarber, Russell, and I think Soler. Montero, Castro, Baez, and Hammel could be around for another year (or two) but no guarantees. Fowler and Coghlan will depend on market, and if they want to stay here, or leave for more money elsewhere. Hendricks, Ramirez, Grimm, Strop, Rondon, and Travis Wood are arms that we likely hold onto a while longer, but same thing, no guarantees.

And as we have discussed, likely that Theo chases David Price and/or an equivalent free agent #3 Starter, and then possibility he makes a move for a 4th, like Tyson Ross from San Diego. (potential Castro or Baez landing spot)
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I can post this without the spoiler now.
 
Sucks there’s no game tonight. |I

Highlights from the year.
Getting Joe Maddon
Signing Jon Lester
Schwarber grand slam in his first Spring Training at bat
The Bryant, Rizzo, Baez back to back to back in Spring Training
The Fowler 9th inning home run at Colorado.
The 17-0 win vs the Indians.
Bryant walk off vs the Rockies
Bryant walk off vs the Indians
Starlin with multiple walk off wins early in the year
Bryant 4th of July 2 homer, Grand Slam game.
Schwarber game vs Reds
Starlin game vs Cardinals
The Rizzo catch
Back to back games vs Kershaw-Greinke winning both games
Addison Russell nightly web gems
Arrieta No-No
Most walk offs in the majors
WC vs Pitt
NLDS
Schwarber single season postseason home run record (5)
Rookie of the Year
Cy Young?
Manager of the year?
 
CHICAGO – The end to a surprisingly successful regular season means the beginning of the offseason for the Chicago Cubs. All eyes are back on team president Theo Epstein and his staff as they’ll look to add to the team which was four games away from the World Series. Here are five storylines to keep an eye on this winter:

Pitching: Not that Tom Ricketts or Epstein needed reminding, but if the NLCS exposed anything it’s the Cubs aren’t deep enough on their starting staff. They had two true pitchers with the capability of throwing a shutout and two who had no chance of lasting long into the game. That’s not a championship formula. The good news is this winter will be full of free agent pitchers –from David Price to Jordan Zimmermann to Jeff Samardzija to even Zack Greinke. It will cost a ton to land one or more of these players but this is where a Cubs payroll increase should be spent. They aren’t likely to fill the need internally -- at least not in 2016 and not if they want to win a championship. They simply need more depth throughout the staff as well as another elite hurler.

Dexter Fowler: The pending free agent earned himself a nice payday with a big second half as it should land him a qualifying offer from the Cubs. If he takes it he’ll make about $16 million for one year but that’s not likely to happen as Fowler will get multi-year offers for at least that much. The Cubs aren’t likely to be in that bidding, preferring to spend on pitching and replacing him internally. They’ll get a draft pick out of the whole deal if/when he leaves. It’s not clear who the opening day centerfielder would be but anyone from Kris Bryant to minor leaguer Albert Almora is a possibility. Cardinals free agent Jason Heyward would be a nice choice, but he’ll come with an even bigger price tag.

Catching: If Kyle Schwarber is indeed the long-term choice behind the plate then spending next year as the starter while David Ross is still around could be the best thing for him. There’s a good chance 2016 will be Ross’ last year and having Schwarber play under his watchful eye would be of immense value. It means moving Miguel Montero, who faded some down the stretch, didn’t hit lefties and had some issues defensively where he ranked middle of the pack at best. It’s not about him as much as it is about Schwarber. And the Cubs minor league player of the year was a catcher, Wilson Contreras, so why not find out what Schwarber really is and either hand him the job or move on with Contreras, who’s waiting in the wings?

Starlin Castro: Did his big regular season finish earn him second base going into 2016 or is he trade bait again? The latter is the most likely possibility as the Cubs could use his savings on pitching while trading him at his peak – something which looked like an impossibility midseason. It might be attractive to bring everyone back and let it all play out with Joe Maddon possibly mixing and matching and platooning all season, but that might be a luxury the Cubs can’t afford. Maddon is a big Javier Baez fan – the manager reiterated recently he thought Baez was an everyday player -- and his return in September gave hope. The most likely scenario has Castro being moved and Baez taking over at second base with Addison Russell remaining at shortstop and Bryant at third. Nothing is written in stone though as Baez could be the one on the move, or one of them could even get sent to the outfield. As of this moment it doesn’t feel like both will be on the roster next season. Remember, the Cubs were in the market for young pitching in July and one of them could be part of a package to bring some in.

Jake Arrieta: It’s not likely a long-term deal is struck with Arrieta this offseason, but the Cubs and agent Scott Boras will have the discussion. It might last 30 seconds -- it might go on for days -- but Arrieta has two years left of arbitration before he can become a free agent. He made just $3.6 million in 2015 so a huge raise is in order, it just might not be for more than one year. After or during 2016 is when the Cubs and Arrieta should have real long-term conversations as it will come after the Cubs spend on pitching outside the organization this winter and they’ll have a better idea how much and how long they want to employ the Cy Young Award candidate.
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Hello there, do you have a minute to talk about our lord and savior Kris Bryant? How about his small pantheon of powerful friends?

You may recall we had an entire Kris Bryant Day when the man with the dazzling eyes and explosive bat was first called up to join the Cubs. Some of us expected the world from young Mr. Bryant. The article I published looked at the potential dark side of Bryant's ascension by looking at the strikeout bender he was potentially about to embark on. As I noted, Dan Szymborski's ZiPS projection system pegged Bryant to post a 32.9 percent strikeout rate in the big leagues, and that was an awfully big number. Could someone strike out that often and still be an impact player? ZiPS seemed to think so. It said that Bryant would be worth 4.3 WAR.

The good news is that Bryant struck out in only 30.6 percent of his plate appearances. He also surpassed his projection and was worth 6.5 fWAR, the tenth-best mark in all of baseball. He was better than Andrew McCutchen. He was better than Buster Posey without factoring in Posey's pitch framing. He was better than teammate Anthony Rizzo. Bryant was truly exceptional.

If you're a fan of an NL Central team that's not located in Chicago, you may want to avert your eyes for the remainder of this article. You see, Bryant still hasn't theoretically hit his ceiling. Despite being the tenth-best player by fWAR and playing all over the field to the degree that at least one Beyond the Box Score writer, Bryan Grosnick, is ready to peg him as the next Ben Zobrist, we still haven't seen peak Bryant. The rookie hit only 26 home runs this year. There's a non-zero chance that Bryant is one of the few living players that can lay claim to owning true 80-grade raw power. He's not going to be a 26-homer player in his prime. He plays in tiny Wrigley Field and will have a better understanding of the pitchers he faces next year.

Bryant is a big guy but still might have room to fill out just a bit more. Once we take that and better familiarity with the pitching the league throws at him into consideration, that's where more dingers start showing up. He very clearly hits the ball hard and ranked inside the top 20 in that particular category of batted ball evaluation. A spike in Bryant's homer output may also theoretically ensue in his strikeout totals rising as well, but that's a tradeoff the Cubs may be happy to make. Here's where all his batted balls wound up in the big leagues, courtesy of Brooks Baseball. Some more of those deep fly balls are going to start going over the fence.

View media item 1758197
So we already have a potential 40-homer bat. Then there's the fact that Bryant posted glowing marks in both corner outfield positions in very limited time and held his own at third base. The potential is here for Bryant to be a very special player indeed. Bryan's assessment of the youngster's potential to be a quasi-Zobrist isn't too far outside of the realm of possibility.

I can go on and on about the potential that Bryant possesses, but there's a larger point here. The Cubs are a youth movement personified and galvanized in the heart of a dying star. They are spearheaded by Bryant. He is flanked by the Earth-shattering power of Kyle Schwarber and the brilliance of Jake Arrieta. There's Jorge Soler, Addison Russell, and Javier Baez. There's Starlin Castro and Anthony Rizzo. There's Kyle Hendricks and Hector Rondon. And there's about ten trillion more prospects fermenting down in the minors. The Cubs have made an assembly line of terror for themselves and will be laughing all the way to the bank as they churn out player after player. Not all of them will pan out, and some of them will settle in as nothing more than decent players. That's perfectly fine because the insane collection of young talent currently sitting on the 25-man roster isn't finished developing. That includes Bryant, the man who was worth 6.5 fWAR this year.

Speaking of Schwarber, you may recall that he did this the other night. Hitting mind-meltingly ridiculous home runs is Schwarber's main calling card. It's why the Cubs drafted him fourth overall last year despite their system already being flush with potent bats. He likely ends up as a full-time outfielder despite being drafted as a catcher, and he's hit only .143/.213/.268 against lefties (Joe Maddon has been using him almost exclusively as a platoon player of late), but there's so much to love here. This is a player that was drafted last year and already has signed a promotional deal with New Era and has a ball encased in plexiglass on top of the Wrigley scoreboard. Kiley McDaniel (formerly of FanGraphs, now of the Atlanta Braves) gave Schwarber a 60 FV grade on his midseason prospect update. He gave Bryant a 75 and Soler a 60.

Then of course there's more reinforcements in the minor leagues. Outfielders Billy McKinney and Albert Almora are stalking around at Double-A for starters. McKinney will likely wind up in left while providing power and average, while Almora is a young fleet-footed center fielder with the chance to profile as a leadoff type. Their teammate Wilson Contreras, a catcher, broke out in a huge way with his bat this year. A-ball shortstop Gleyber Torres could wind up as a top-of-the-order spark plug and 2015 first rounder Ian Happ will provide a pure bat at either second base or in the outfield. Donnie Dewees, also drafted this year, is yet another outfielder with the chance to hit for power, as is A-baller Mark Zagunis. And the Cubs have a couple pitching prospects as well in Pierce Johnson and Duane Underwood too.

The Cubs are to be feared. The Mets should be afraid. The Cubs can beat you every day of the week and twice on Sundays, and they're not done. There are plenty of signs floating around Wrigley Field claiming that "next year is now," but boy, just wait until next year. You're going to see something really special from Kris Bryant and 24 of his closest friends.
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Getting swept ... well, it sucks. As I remember, anyway. The Royals have been swept just twice in their postseason history, the first when they lost to the A's in a Division Series after the strike-shortened '€™81 season. Coming just a year after the Royals nearly won their first World Series, I just remember thinking, "€œIs that all there is?"€

But this one's different. For one thing, the Cubs did beat the Pirates in the Wild Card Game, and they did beat the rival Cardinals in their Division Series. What's more, the Cubs are actually ahead of schedule; as Cee Angi wrote after the Cubs lost Game 2, the organization seems well-positioned for the future.

But that'€™s the big picture. Today, while the Mets begin their long pre-World Series vacation, I'€™d like to look at some of the Cubs'€™ little things.

As you'€™ve probably heard, they'€™ve got an exceptionally young infield, which is all the more impressive since it'€™s also an exceptionally good infield, book-ended by All-Stars Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo. Rookie Addison Russell took over as the everyday shortstop in early August, and looks like a future star. Which leaves only second base, where Javier Baez and Starlin Castro both have some claim on the job. Or maybe there'€™s room for both, with Bryant potentially moving to the outfield. Whatever happens, the Cubs figure to have the best infield in the majors, with only the Giants offering any sort of competition.

The outfield picture'€™s quite a bit hazier. Yes, Jorge Soler in right field. But the rest of the current outfield mix --“ Kyle Schwarber, Chris Coghlan and Dexter Fowler --€“ raises nearly as many questions as it answers. Those three were obviously good enough for the Cubs to win 97 games and reach the NLCS. But there'€™s also room for improvement, especially when it comes to run prevention. And Fowler's probably leaving this winter via free agency. Fortunately, the Cubs have three fine young prospects in Billy McKinney, Albert Almora, and recently signed Cuban star Eddy Julio Martinez ... not to mention the Cubs'€™ presumed interest in free agent Jason Heyward.

There's no guarantee that McKinney or Almora or Martinez will help the big club in 2016 ... but then again, after seeing what Schwarber and Russell did this summer, just out of Double-A, would you want to bet against it?

The Cubs'€™ top four starting pitchers combined for 128 starts this season, and all four are signed for next year. Management will no doubt be looking for another starter this winter, if only because you can'€™t count on any quartet for another 128 starts. Still, the Cubs are nearly as set for starting pitchers as they could be.

Which leaves only the bullpen, and there'€™s work to be done there. Closer Hector Rondon looks like the real thing, but otherwise the Cubs don'€™t have two or three of those big strikeout pitchers that have become so de rigeuer in the Modern Game.

But of course now we're just picking nits. If your biggest worry is finding a couple of relief pitchers who can throw 95 and over the plate, you might as well spend January on a beach in the Bahamas.

Modern Baseball being Modern Baseball, Theo Epstein and Co. will probably eschew the Bahamas and similar dream vacations, and instead spend a cold winter in Big Shoulders City, trying to figure new ways to make people in St. Louis and Pittsburgh unhappy. And they, them.

Baseball, modern or otherwise, can be cruel. Just ask Cubs fans right now. There aren'€™t any guarantees. Two torn elbow ligaments can bring just about any team back to the pack. But there's no obvious reason to think the National League Central won'€™t be as exciting in 2016 and beyond as in 2015. And there's no obvious reason to think the Cubs won'€™t remain in the World Series hunt for the rest of this decade.
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is Alcantara basically a wash?

and yes its more than just another arm. this was a learning experience for the young core. they needed this. no pain no gain. they have to feel the hurt.

future is indeed bright.
 
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EEntegRa said:
is Alcantara basically a wash?

and yes its more than just another arm. this was a learning experience for the young core. they needed this. no pain no gain. they have to feel the hurt.

future is indeed bright.
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I don't think he's "done" yet, but I don't think he's anything more than a utility stopgap.

But, switch hitter, plays CF, 2B, and SS, can run a lil bit, I mean, he's Maddon's type of guy, and I would assume better than Jonathan Herrera, but I don't think he's a long term plan type of guy. Got kind of a Mike Olt feel about him.

He needs to have an amazing winter, and hugely strong Spring to earn any kind of spot on the bench, but I wouldn't mind havin him there with Maddon usin him for late game defense or base running.
 
The Cubs' long journey ended Wednesday night at Wrigley Field with an 8-3 loss to the Mets, who swept them out of the National League Championship Series like they were taking out the recyclables.

It was an ugly finish to a beautiful season, one that began with cautious optimism things would get better over time. It did get better, and by midsummer it got crazy, and when the Cubs vanquished the Cardinals in the division series last week, they looked scary good.

Waiting for 2016 was suddenly a fool's errand. Now was the time to strike, while the young players were too naive to realize what they were doing. The improbable dream seemed possible, and all those epic disasters of the past were irrelevant.

But just as no one saw the Cubs coming so quickly, few saw them going so quietly.

The dominant Mets staff overwhelmed the young Cubs hitters, and some guy named Daniel Murphy treated Cubs pitchers like his personal pinata, hitting home runs in all four games of the sweep while earning NLCS MVP honors.

"I'm not big on outside expectations, but we accomplished a lot as a team," Jake Arrieta said. "We won 97 games in a really competitive division with some experienced teams, and we played well from start to finish, and played better as our young players started to acclimate to this level and consistently have success.

"So it stings right now, getting swept, but to be one of four standing at the end of the year and still playing meaningful games in the middle of October is pretty special."

The Mets got off to a first-inning lead in each of the first three games, taking a 3-0 series advantage and putting the Cubs on life support heading into Game 4 on Wednesday. The mood was subdued as fans filed in to Wrigley, but the crowd of 42,227 let out a collective roar in the first when starter Jason Hammel induced Murphy to pop up for the second out.

It turned out to be a hollow victory. After a walk to Yoenis Cespedes, Lucas Duda smoked a three-run homer to deep center, and the worst-case scenario was realized. It was the beginning of the end.
Game, set, crash.

Hammel was booed off the mound when manager Joe Maddon yanked him after a one-out walk in the second, and Duda added a two-run double off Travis Wood to make it 6-0. The Cubs were doomed, and everyone who had seen this movie before knew it.

The NLCS butt-whipping by a superior Mets team might have been the best thing to happen to the Cubs in the long run. Their lack of starting pitching depth was exposed, and the young hitters will learn from their struggles.

Who knew how much the Cubs would miss the smooth-fielding Addison Russell, whose brilliant defense this season was overshadowed by the slugging of Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber?

President Theo Epstein has work to do, but after the stunning success of 2015, he has built up enough credit in this town to be given the benefit of the doubt for another decade if he wants.
Epstein knows the feeling he's looking for, having experienced it firsthand while helping end the Red Sox's 86-year championship drought, another alleged curse.

"The 10 minutes I remember more than any other was the ride when we flew back from St. Louis after the '04 World Series and landed about 7 in the morning at Logan (Airport), and took the bus ride we've all made hundreds of times from Logan to Fenway (Park)," he said.

"Just how surreal it was. Everyone recognizing us along the streets, and construction workers hugging each other and businessmen and businesswomen stopping their cars, getting out and waving and jumping up and down.

"And as we drove past a cemetery, there were already Red Sox pennants on the gravestones, Red Sox flags draped over them. And probably every day since then someone has come up and thanked me for what it meant to their family, or told me about their grandfather or grandmother who didn't live to see it, or how their grandfather or grandmother did live to see it, and how special it was for them.

"That really resonated. More than anything else, that feeling influenced my decision to come to Chicago, because that was the one place in the world where you could experience something that meaningful again, and play a small part in contributing to something that meaningful."

There may never be another season quite like this one, when everything felt so new and every day brought more joy in Wrigleyville.
It didn't end well. In fact, it ended miserably.

Yet this incredible ride will be remembered long after the shock of the Mets' sweep wears off.

So the wait goes on, even if the finish line seems to be just over the horizon.
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