The Cubs are showing interest in veteran second baseman Scooter Gennett, according to Bruce Levine of 670thescore.com (via Twitter). The status of talks isn’t fully evident.
Gennett is looking for a rebound opportunity after a brutal 2019 campaign. He was shelved early with a significant groin strain and never got going with the bat. The 29-year-old ended the season with a .226/.245/.323 batting line in 139 plate appearances.
There’s reason to hope that Gennett can get back on track after a full offseason of rest. He was a surprise force in the prior two seasons, turning in a robust .303/.351/.508 slash with fifty long balls.
It’ll be interesting to see whether the former Brewers and Reds infielder can line up with his third NL Central team. For the Cubs, adding Gennett would bring in yet another mix-and-match option to deepen a still-unsettled position-player mix. Gennett could battle in camp with fellow left-handed-hitting veteran infielder Daniel Descalso, who is under contract for 2020 but turned in equally rough results last year.
dynamite drop in monty
DuhhhHrrr dUMPsTEr DIvIn thEow
watup0100
Nah, this could be a good get. Great bounce back candidate.
anthonyd4412
Watup I totally agree
dynamite drop in monty
I was being sarcastic. I clearly used the mocking font.
Catuli Carl
The mocking font couldn’t have been clearer.
22Leo
I wasn’t even online but I felt that familiar tingle and I knew…someone just used the mocking font.
mistry gm
Yah sure. Keep him in the infield with Kris (I can’t wait to leave Chicago) Bryant and I doubt if Baez will want to re-sign. This has turned into the “Rickets clown show”. I’m a 70 year Cubs fan and it makes me long for the days of the wrigleys.
batteryoutlet
you arent a cubs fan at all you loser troll lmaooo
dynamite drop in monty
Damn you’re 70? I thought you were like 12.
Jock2854
Were the Cubs ever that good? One year mayb not some dynasty. I wish Scooter well too bad it’s with those blowholes
oldtimer
Sad but I agree!
Cubby
Ah yes. The Wrigleys. The good old days of bad teams and an empty stadium.
Macomb Cub
You long for the days that the Cubs were owned by the Wrigleys? You must also get excited watching a 1950-1990 Northwestern basketball/football highlight video.
sportsfan38
I agree, with the Rickett’s clown show comment. Went to first Cubs game at Wrigley in 1947, have been fan since then. I have never seen a team with so much promise, 2-3 years ago, be allowed, through owner neglect to fall so far off the pace. I might be a pessimist, but I see them as the weakest team in division this year. I think Rickett’s thought is, I got them a WS, now I can save $s & let them go back to lovable Cubbies, where people don’t care if they win or not. Just go to Wrigley & have fun, win or lose.
wordonthestreet
Yea the Cubs were that good. Though that is past tense
SaintBreesy09
This is just a sad comment from someone who I’d think is an educated, mature Cubs fan if you are truly in your 70s. I am 41 and can f’n die a happy man that ALL of my favorite Sports teams have reached the pinnacle….with the Cubs of course bringing up the rear but still….it HAPPENED!!!
Sellerslou
When has this charade panned out in the past 5 years? Every injury “reclamation” project turd they have tried to polish leaves brown on their buff rags.
Logjammer D"Baggagecling
Actually this is a good thing. Scooter Gennett is underrated
greenguy
Yolmer Sanchez available
wkkortas
The Cubs are making a lot of Statue of Liberty signings–the wretched refuse of other teams’ teeming shores.
Dbird777
As a Reds fan, I hope Scoot can get all the way back. Doing it with the Cubs would be a bitter pill though lol
craigmiller13
I’m with you on both counts…as another Refs fan.
dynamite drop in monty
The Ref is a criminally underrated Christmas movie
Varmit
harder job, ref or an umpire
dynamite drop in monty
Sneeze guard repairman
DarkSide830
bicycle repairman
22Leo
Arthritic fluffer?
Cubby777
Well as a Cubs fan I wish they could have nabbed Nick C., but better the Reds have him than the turd birds.
cards04
It’s ok that your team is going to trash Cubby. You had your window now your back to the average
Catuli Carl
Cards 82 wins this year. Cubs 90. Wait and see.
iml12
Cardinals lost their cleanup and haven’t improved anywhere else.
CubsFanWhosNotaDick
Pretty sure I’m gonna try rooting for the reds this year. I’m so sick of cubs brass. And the more I follow baseball I’m less a cubs fan and more a fan of the game. I just like seeing good young players w good character succeed, as they’re role models to my kids. And the cubs FO and fanbase have just set terrible examples the past few years.
SaintBreesy09
C’mon dude. I get it, I have kids (4) but where the hell can you go in any city this day in age and not hear and see too much? I don’t necessarily condone it in extreme forms but I was a teenager-30s ass-hat at one point too…lest we not forget where a good chunk of us came from and forgot how to act in some forms.
I wish all of you “fake” f’n Cubs fans would stop pretending we’re some kind of dynasty like STL or NYY and just f’n appreciate the title Theo and Co brought to Chicago finally. Jesus, do you know how hard it is to win a championship, sustain long-term success, and keep pouring $$ into something like a Pro Sports team? Would you rather us cheat like some teams!?? Or would you rather be the Dodgers of late or Buffalo Bills of the past and never lift meaningful hardware above your heads?
Sick of y’all posers man…just f’n enjoy the Cubs being in the running for Division winners and making a real post-season run. I think the Nats just showed us ANYTHING is possible in a given year/post-season.
CubsFanWhosNotaDick
For real? I’m born and raised northsider. Just Bc I’m pulling for a terrible team to succeed doesn’t mean I’m not also rooting for my cubbies. But your post proves my point, a large portion of cubs “fans” are complete pieces of trash like you. Don’t worry about me or what I do w my energy. That’s pathetic
dewssox79
not a bad move if healthy. can be flipped at deadline
funnyjacket13
Or can actually produce at 2B
doffbhoya123
i am really starting to feel like this is the cubs’ year
mistry gm
lol lol lol lol lol.
rondon
You can empty your drool cup now.
cards04
Lol. He better not be serious
batteryoutlet
this is huge. scooter had a very serious injury he came back from and didnt mash the ball out of the gate so he was dropped. if scooter is healthy i suspect he will rebound and would have an awesome year with the cubs. this would be a great signing by the cubs especially if its a minors deal.
i like al conin
Totally agree. He’s really underrated at 29 yo and having had 2 great years then 1 injury year. Man deserves a mulligan.
krillin89
This actually makes a lot of sense
mistry gm
This is a garbage move. I’m sure, no matter how bad he is, he will keep him and DeScalso and send Horner to some other team.
Maybe ownership should step in and hire a baseball person to take over as G.M. Epstein seems to have lost it.
batteryoutlet
wanna know how i know you know nothing about baseball? you dismissed this as a ‘garbage move’ and started talking about other players that aren’t scooter gennett to try to prove your hatred for the cubs organization. in 2017 scooter was 80/27/90 with a .295 AVG and a .874 OPS. In 2018 he was 86/23/92 with a .301 AVG and a .847 OPS. If you think thats garbage you need to stop commenting on baseball forums.
mistry gm
Lets see who’s right when the season ends. Epstein has given away more talent than he has and Scootet will take the place of someone else that could have helped the Cubs.
dynamite drop in monty
Will he? Who?
geg42
Not to mention Gennett more than doubled his OPS+ moving from the Reds to the Giants. From 28 to 69.
babybears
you are an idiot signed, Arrieta, Strop, Hendricks, Baez, Rizzo, Schwarber, Contreras, and 4 top 100 prospects in 2020……. Give up Cease, Torres, Jiminez…….. and who else?
Cubby777
That’s all in hindsight…..context is important you know. Something most sports fans lack…..
Macomb Cub
Too many fans think that the only way to build a team is signing players who are already near the end of their peak years to 8-10yr, $300m+ contracts. Obviously, these type of fans know very little about baseball, and are incapable of noticing that throwing money at players does not always equal Wins. For example, the Angels are always signing guys to huge contracts over the last 10 years. What have they won? Not easy to win when only 3 players make up around $100m of your payroll for a single season. This isn’t the NBA. You don’t build a team around 2-3 players.
windycitykid89
For being a so called Cubs fan, you can’t seem to spell any players name correctly. Interesting…
mike127
@ windycity–not to mention he continually calls Epstein the GM…….he has never been the GM of the Cubs…never!
IronBallsMcGinty
It’s always talked about what Theo does or doesn’t do. He can only operate within the budget set by the owners and they have to approve on major signings. It’s too bad because the man does have three championships on his resume. But I always wonder what the hell Jed Hoyer does as GM.
dynamite drop in monty
Grabs the lattes.
Erik
Cubs are finished
nemolee.exe
Agreed.
Theghostoftycobb
Now that they signed Nick, we can put this rumor to bed.
Look at the Reds trying to contend.
Gotta love the gusto.
Rangers29
Did the Cubs even end up signing Souza, I knew there were a few things that said it was imminent and whatnot, but I don’t remember seeing him actually being signed.
Varmit
Last I seen was pending a physical
iml12
I’ve been looking for contract details for two days. I hope it’s not a guaranteed major league contract, makes no sense.
Matfactor2
I’m jealous as a Reds fan…. and scared if he signs with them.
Rangers29
I’m waiting for somebody to take your comment way to literally.
BigB
Cubs have never in the history of their team have made a bad move. Just ask their fans.
Ryan The Riot Theriot
Signing Heyward long term, trading La Stella, the Chapman deal (though it did land us a championship, we gave up a lot in Torres), the Quintana deal, signing Descalso, tendering Russell a contract last off-season, and so many more.
These are just recent examples, coming from a Cubs fan. It’s okay to be critical of the team you love and failing to see their mistakes would make it harder for me to personally appreciate the success they have had.
My hopes aren’t super high and the Cubs remaining hugely stagnant this off-season has been disappointing, but I also look forward to an interesting Spring Training. There are a ton of guys competing for gigs, be it for the bullpen, last spot in the rotation, bench bat, or even a starting gig.
As a baseball fan, I’m really excited to see how the NL Central shapes up. The potential for a 4 way race is real and it should be thrilling to watch.
dynamite drop in monty
….. whoosh
babybears
Good God people. Just leave off all of the good signings and trades we have made under this regime. You are all bipolar fans
Logjammer D"Baggagecling
I don’t get the hate for signing Heyward. He was great the first few years in Atlanta. He has one bad year with the cubs and he’s overrated and is garbage. He’s half way done with the deal. He has won 3 gold gloves. His deal his nowhere near as bad a alfonso Soriano or milton Bradley or Brandon Morrow (who btw was solid before getting hirt
shoelessjeff
I can still stomach the Chapman for Torres trade..it helped them win the WS. It was the Quintana for Eloy Jimenez & Cease that was the killer. That was some stupid right there.
Mick1956
Valid point. Many teams would trade their top prospects for a championship, if given the choice.
Mikel Grady
Cubs and a Theo have never made a good move , just ask the haters. But talk slow so they can understand .
kingquackatac
Really enjoyed Scooter in otherwise dismal losing seasons – he’s a great guy with surprising power. Hope he doesn’t beat us up too bad, just the other teams
letmeclearmythroat74
Strange … when Scooter was in Cincy I doing so well I thought for sure the Reds would have extended Him … he was productive and a local guy from Cincy area. I always wondered why they didn’t but I guess they saw something … when he’s healthy he’s a player. I wish him the best
Aaron Sapoznik
The Cubs seem to be stuck in MLB purgatory right now with their ownership putting the shackles on front office spending due to the luxury tax while an arbitrator is taking forever deciding the Kris Bryant service time dispute. Meanwhile, the Reds have been improving their roster and now appear to be co-favorites in the NL Central with the Cubs most bitter rivals down in St. Louis.
Theo Epstein is as much to blame as anybody for this situation with some poor decisions in free agency along with his method of roster building that prioritized developing hitters over pitchers. That said, Scooter Gennett would actually appear to be a wise investment now as a cheap bounceback candidate who could buy some time for top Cub 2B prospect Nico Hoerner while also potentially filling the shoes of versatile veteran Ben Zobrist down the road. The left-handed bat of Gennett would also help balance out a Cubs lineup that leans more right-handed and might also help fill the void at the leadoff spot if he could duplicate his OBP numbers from 2017 and 2018.
dynamite drop in monty
Quality post.
Uncleherb
Why isn’t anybody looking at Brad Miller? He proved he was healthy when he got regular starts in September and crushed the ball. He can play every infield position, logged a lot of innings in LF and hit 12 dingers in 160 AB’s!
mike127
Aaron, I always try to figure out if your lifelong profession is that of lawyer or higher education English teacher/professor.
I tend to go with lawyer with the highly defined statements for novice readers (versatile veteran Ben Zobrist—at this point, he’s just Ben Zobrist) and then flip to English teacher as your writings are such a welcome relief from the bang on the keyboard, guess on spellings, and randomly throw commas and apostrophes in so people think the writer is smart entries.
I do agree with you a high percentage of the time and appreciate the ability to read your posts without guessing what words are on the screen. Thanks!
Bill walsh
Cubs seem lost. Time to get rid of. Bryant and mo e on.
Pay Baez, at least he has speed, some d and hits in the clutch.
Bill walsh
Cubs seem lost. Time to get rid of. Bryant and mo e on.
Pay Baez, at least he has speed, some d and hits in the clutch.
Cubfan Mike
Cubbies loading up on has been talent st low cost could be a smart move by Theo. If only one pans out we could win fivision
nemolee.exe
Goddamn it. Cubs are doing all they can to lose the division. Fuck this team.
KnoxReds13
No reason to cuss on this sight or use Gods name in vain. Just saying
dynamite drop in monty
Lol
chicagofan1978
How did that even get through? I can’t even type gobbedly gooker without it going into moderation!
Mick1956
Yeah, that one kind of amazes me. My statements kept reading that they were in moderation and there was nothing questionable about them. They were just responses to others. Very strange how censorship is applied on this site.
Mick1956
KnoxReds13 – Thank you.
Cubby777
The Nats just won with a team that wasn’t exactly loaded. The Cubs don’t need to buy a championship; there is plenty there to do it. It comes down to Ross managing them and keeping the team a team.
Logjammer D"Baggagecling
You dont like it. Jump off the bandwagon
ChiSox_Fan
Nemo should join Rose and be banned for life!
dynamite drop in monty
We’d have to find him first.
jbasser1
Scooter will be an excellent addition to the Cubs. Miss him in Cincy. When he is healthy he knocks the cover off the ball.
tomh
If he gets back on the juice, I’m all for this
22Leo
What do scooters run on? AAA batteries?
ICanSeeTheFuture
Gives Hoerner a chance to play everyday at AAA unless Bryant is moved, That or he could replace Descalso.. Overall I think it’s a good signing if they can make it work and he passes his physical. He returned from a huge injury, so there’s reason to believe he could bounce back and make an impact if healthy again.
bigbadjohnny
I like it….
I like it !
1738hotlinebling
Just go get Yolmer
Cubby777
I actually like this.
Goetta
There you go Cubs… replace Castellanos production with Scooter. You guys will be just fine…..
bobtillman
I hope Scooter doesn’t want much. The Cubs don’t have any money.
Frisco500
I like Scoot. But even if he finds heath and his stroke, its offset by the poor defense. These arent the moves of a team looking to win a Championship.
frankf
A career nobody who happened upon a few strong seasons. Those always end well.
james5150
lovely
Paulie0514
Dumpster diving Theo!
Mick1956
He should consult with Cruz and maybe he can provide which Ageless Male clinic he’s going to. Cruz can get Scooter back to Scooter in no time. Then he too can have another 12 years of solid production.
Go Scooter!
Cubs65
First off, it strikes me as somewhat fitting that since the Cubs delayed Bryant’s call-up to the Majors to leverage one more year of big league service, that now the moderator is taking his sweet old time in rendering a decision on the dispute. It’s been painful to watch and wait but I can’t help but think that this it somehow someone’s version of payback.
Some have suggested that all the Cubs off season plans were hinging on them winning the dispute and trading Bryant. Maybe so, but I guess a trade or two is still possible and we may hear something by the end of this week.
IF that happens here’s my dream trade scenario:
1) Bryant to the Braves for as many high end prospects as they are willing to part with.
2) Wilson Contreras, and any combination of Cubs “H” players Happ or Heyward or Hoerner, and maybe even one of the lesser prospects to Colorado for Arenado.
This is assuming that the Cubs would be willing to pay Arenado what he’s worth— which to me is a better bet than paying Bryant the same money.
You move two core players. Get some future core players back (hopefully) and you get one AllStar stud who can actually carry the team on his back the way you would expect.
Cubs65
First off, it strikes me as somewhat fitting that since the Cubs delayed Bryant’s call-up to the Majors to leverage one more year of big league service, that now the moderator is taking his sweet old time in rendering a decision on the dispute. It’s been painful to watch and wait but I can’t help but think that this it somehow someone’s version of payback.
Some have suggested that all the Cubs off season plans were hinging on them winning the dispute and trading Bryant. Maybe so, but I guess a trade or two is still possible and we may hear something by the end of this week.
IF that happens here’s my dream trade scenario:
1) Bryant to the Braves for as many high end prospects as they are willing to part with.
2) Wilson Contreras, Happ (or Heyward), and one of those prospects to Colorado for Arenado.
Finally, as to the thread—oh yah, Scooter would be a welcome upgrade at 2nd base. Dude can flat out play ball.