Position: RF 2018: .249/.393/.496, 34 HR, 13 SB, 130 BB, 169 SO, .317 TAv, 5.4 WARP How He Fits: Well, uh, yeah. He’s Bryce Harper. A team that struggled with its consistency on the offensive side of the ball in 2018 could do well to add one of the premier sluggers in the game to […]
Category: Articles
Jim Hickey And Anger Clouding Everything
It hasn’t been the story that the Cubs inability, or claimed inability, to chase Manny Machado or Bryce Harper has generated the past few weeks. Hell, even the non-story about the Cubs not trading Kris Bryant or even intending to do so created bigger waves. And yet I can’t help but find it strange that […]
Player Profile 2019: Jon Lester
Position: Starting Pitcher. Supplier of perfect metaphors for the 2018 season. 2018 Stats: 3.32 ERA, 4.35 FIP, 4.44 DRA, 1.31 WHIP, 7.4 K/9, 18-6, 1.8 WARP Year in Review: “Sometimes you need to get your dick knocked in the dirt to appreciate it. Maybe we needed that.” — Jon Lester following the Cubs’ elimination from the […]
Get Him While He’s Still Together: Michael Brantley
I’m like you. I sort of forgot that Michael Brantley existed. You just always assume he’s hurt, and you do so for so long that you kind of wonder if he existed in the first place. You know you’ve heard Cleveland fans and media mention what an addition he’ll be if he can make it […]
The Whys, Maybe Hows, Of Whatever The Cubs Budget Might Be
There was a time when the offseason was less stressful than the actual baseball season. It hasn’t been that way in a long time, but I know I remember it. I know there was a time in my life when it was cold and I didn’t think about the Cubs and what they were or […]
Willson Contreras: It’s All in the Pop, Part 2
Very early into the 2018 season, I dug into an aspect of Willson Contreras’ defensive game that fans and pundits alike have viewed as a strength for him even as he’s struggled offensively: his ability to throw runners out. I specifically focused on this because Contreras tends to get a bad rap defensively, namely because […]
2019 Player Profile: Jen-Ho Tseng
Last year I wrote about Jen-Ho Tseng being a viable starting rotation option for the 2018 Chicago Cubs. His chance came in one game and he lasted a total of two innings. Perhaps the time has come to move on from the soft-tossing right-hander? Position: Starting/Relief Pitcher 2018 Stats: Chicago Cubs: one game, two innings […]
2019 Player Profile: Cole Hamels
When the Chicago Cubs made a trade deadline deal for Cole Hamels in 2018 it was considered, by most, to be nothing more than a minor move of little consequence. Fast forward to the end of 2018 and Hamels had found himself again and become the best pitcher on the Cubs and one of the […]
The Cubs Can Afford Any Free Agent They Want
We’ve all seen the reports regarding the Ricketts’ reluctance to spend money this offseason, so I’m going to get down to brass tacks very quickly: the Cubs can afford any free agent they want this offseason. They could sign Bryce Harper or Manny Machado, add to their shaky bullpen, and nab a veteran backup catcher, […]
Player Profile 2019: Daniel Murphy
As the trade deadline passed in 2018 the Chicago Cubs had only made a few minor deals. Though those deals ended up working out very well for the team, namely in the bullpen, the front office wasn’t finished. Enter a waiver wire trade for Daniel Murphy. Position: Second Base 2018 Stats: With the Cubs, Murphy […]