Alex Bregman (Creative Commons: Stabbur's Master)
Well, it’s July 27, 2024, and another Chicago Cubs season has gone down the toilet. The Cubs have set their sights on regrouping for the 2025 season. But what does that mean? Trades? Looking ahead to free agency? Getting help from the Cubs’ highly rated farm system?
Probably whatever is low risk and doesn’t involve a serious outlay of money.
The Cubs were overrated by many, including myself
Last season the Cubs offense performed well by using the same approach as that Star Trek meanie, The Borg. If you aren’t aware of The Borg, The Borg use a collective consciousness to their advance agenda. This year some members of the Cubs Borg went solo and took away from the Cubs’ offense’s effectiveness. Some of this shouldn’t have been surprising.
For example, Yan Gomes had a career year at the age of 36 in 2023. A drop-off should have been expected. But Gomes didn’t drop off, he fell off a cliff. Hope at the catcher slot was theoretically supposed to come from Miguel Amaya. But that didn’t happen. And the Cubs haven’t had a response to the situation.
Dansby Swanson has been excellent in the field for a while, but I’m afraid his lack of offensive production is going to be the norm. He’s currently hitting .217 with an OPS of .634, which is almost 100 points below his career mark.
If the Christopher Morel experiment was a fight, it would have been stopped. I understand Craig Counsell trying it, I don’t know why he went with it so long.
While Cody Bellinger has been injured a good bit of the season, it looks like there was reason to be concerned about the underlying metrics of last year’s performance. He’s not worth $28-30 million a year.
What’s the point of all that?
Trade a position player you can. Trade more than one if possible. Open a slot for Alexander Canario, Owen Caissee, Matt Shaw and Moises Ballesteros. At this point, I’d like to see some new faces have an opportunity to fail.
What about next year’s crop of free agents?
Frankly, I don’t see a lot of help there. Pete Alonzo will be on the market, but would he be that much of an upgrade over Michael Busch? I doubt it. The money could be better spent on another bat or two.
One bat that could possibly make some sense for the Cubs is Astros’ third baseman, Alex Bregman. Bregman is having an off season, but would still be an upgrade over what the Cubs have been rolling with.
Dodgers’ outfielder, Teoscar Hernández is also a free agent after this season. Perhaps he could provide some slug that the Cubs so desperately need.
But the Cubs do have something going for them
They have excellent, cost controlled starting pitching. If they retain Justin Steel, Shota Imanaga and Jameson Taillon, that’s a foundation to build on.
Here’s a hypothetical look at the Cubs 2025 season
Assuming Nico Hoerner, Seiya Suzuki and Christopher Morel won’t be back (but most, it not all three of them probably will) here could be your new look 2025 Chicago Cubs:
LF: Ian Happ
1B: Michael Busch
2nd: Matt Shaw
3rd: Alex Bregman
C: Moises Ballesterous
DH; Alexander Canario
SS: Dansby Swanson
CF: Pete Crow Armstrong
That represents a change in four of the nine starting slots in the lineup. In addition, the bench needs a real makeover. But that’s another discussion.
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