JotCast | Cubs Offseason Chat With Tim Dierkes

Cubs Offseason Chat With Tim Dierkes

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Tim Dierkes

9:56

It would be diametrically opposed to what Hoyer has been doing the last few winters on the bullpen, and he's had success with his approach of signing five dudes to one-year deals.

I think Diaz is a luxury the Cubs cannot afford given their many other needs.

Mary

9:56

Your article got me thinking about 3B solutions. Just curious if Detroit would eat money to get out of the Baez contract now. The Cubs probably won't compete in 2023 but definitely won't without premium infield defense.

Tim Dierkes

9:57

Hard to know what the Tigers are thinking, but my guess is they'll want to hope Baez just settles in and hits better. Not sure the Cubs would want to take on even 80 mil of the 120.

Capi

9:57

Brandon Drury a fit?

Tim Dierkes

9:58

Certainly...3B and 2B are fairly wide open right now. Even if you sign a big SS, there's room for Drury at third. He could potentially moonlight in LF as well.

Eric

9:58

Do you think Joey Gallo is a good reclamation project for the Cubs?

Tim Dierkes

9:59

I do, actually. Could play some 1B, DH, even CF. Low-pressure environment compared to NY and LA.

Unclemike1525

10:00

Brennen Davis got hurt already in the AFL but there is no explanation. He came out in the middle of a game and hasn't played in 4-5 days. And no word. You know anything?

Tim Dierkes

10:00

I did not catch that.

Chico Walker

10:00

Javy Baez is 30 years old with a career onbase percentage of .300. He's massively overrated. Please move on people.

Guest

10:00

Great website, refresh it multiple times a day. Great work and insight. Thoughts on potential starting catchers? I love Willy and hate to see him go but I understand the reasoning. Just don’t see Gomes as a Full time starter. Who do you think would be the best fit?

Tim Dierkes

10:02

Hard to say which prospects they'd need to get three years of Sean Murphy. He's the best available. It's easy to see the Cubs just signing a Christian Vazquez/Tucker Barnhart type though.

Felix Pie

10:02

If the Cubs are considering old and declining corner infielders, I'd much rather sign Justin Turner than Jose Abreu.

Tim Dierkes

10:02

At this point it's hard to picture JT in any other uniform, but this could be the winter where he has to go elsewhere. Cubs certainly have spots for him.

Sasmith

10:02

Just a comment…amazing now the hindsight not to resign the original core to massive contracts…I love my Cubbies but would be more disappointed with knowing the Cubs killed a long-term window rather than doing a much shorter rebuild. Maybe that is a reason Ricketts isn’t keen on huge long-term deals.

Tim Dierkes

10:04

Heyward was such a brutal miss, plus a rough start for Darvish and Kimbrel and the pandemic. It really made Ricketts gunshy on spending. But it is fair to say that if the Cubs had Bryant, Rizzo, and Baez signed on monster deals right now, fans would not be thrilled.

Catcher spot

10:04

James McCann seems to need a change of scenery in the worst way. Wouldn’t the Mets unload him for nothing and eat his salary? Could be worth a look

Corey Patterson

10:04

If nothing else, the last few years have proven to me that Ross and Hottovy know how to put together and run a bullpen. They seem to get good production from guys who are honestly nothing more than dime-a-dozen relievers.

Coolerking

10:04

Team specific chats is great! Is there any idea to a schedule for future teams and times? I would hate to miss certain team chats

Tim Dierkes

10:05

The idea just occurred to me after I ran the Cubs post yesterday. So we'll have to go back and do chats for all the teams for which we already ran offseason outlooks, and we'll try to announce those on the site and on Twitter in advance somehow.

For the teams that we did not run outlooks for yet, at the top of those posts we'll list the chat date and time. The chatter will match the author of those posts, so I'll also do the White Sox chat at some point.

Ty griffin

10:05

Have there been any indications that Rodon will opt out??

Tim Dierkes

10:06

I think just common sense...this is Rodon's best career shot at a huge contract. He's been dominant this year and abandoning a one-year, $22.5MM commitment is a no-brainer when teams will be lining up to give you $100MM+.

Kodai Senga

10:06

It's always a gamble paying for foreign players but I do not see a deep SP FA market. If the Cubs are unwilling to pay for a TOR starter than I think they need to make a gamble and pay for Kodai Senga. It could blow up in their face or he could project into Masahiro Tanaka type MLB career.

Tim Dierkes

10:07

I agree with that. I think sometimes with NPB players there is a lure of the unknown (or at least untested in MLB) and you talk yourself into thinking Shogo Akiyama is a starting-caliber player. But we have seen many, many NPB free agent deals bring a strong ROI.

10:08

As with every year, there are some interesting second-tier pitchers like Heaney or Eovaldi. You just have to take on extra health/performance risk with that.

The Cubs got sucked into one of those buzzy "upside" guys with the Tyler Chatwood signing.

bob

10:08

any salary dump candidates that would make sense for the cubs to take on for a prospect or two?

Tim Dierkes

10:09

Let me know if you guys have suggestions, but someone threw out James McCann and that's a reasonable one.

Jeff Pico

10:09

Can you see the Cubs making a run at Arenado if he hits free agency?

Tim Dierkes

10:10

I hope he does hit free agency, because it'd be fun and unexpected and I like that. I do not think he will, but it's not totally settled like some treat it.

I think he'd want more than Freddie Freeman and at 32 in April next year I can't see the Cubs wanting in.

Jae

10:10

Will qualifying offer scare Cubs this offseason?

Tim Dierkes

10:11

To a degree, yes. But I don't think it takes Trea Turner off the table right out of the gate or anything. But if Tyler Anderson somehow turns one down, yes, I think the Cubs would be out.

Guest

10:11

Will we consider this offseason "disappointing" when all said and done?

Tim Dierkes

10:12

Pretty simple equation for me: one of the big 4 SS: no, don't get one of them, yes.

I'm not even saying the Cubs "should" sign a big 4 SS, but I do think the fanbase expects it.

10:12

What would it cost to get Trea Turner 6 years for 180 mil do it 30 mil a year

Tim Dierkes

10:12

You're about $100 mil light my man