The Cubs remain open to adding a left-handed reliever, writes Patrick Mooney of The Athletic, though it’s not a lock that they’ll ultimately strike a deal. The Cubs are reluctant to surpass the $233MM luxury tax barrier, and an incentive-based deal for former All-Star Zack Britton could push them past that point if he’s healthy and effective. Chicago has been “monitoring” Mike Minor as well, per the report, though his struggles in recent seasons are an understandable red flag.
President of baseball ops Jed Hoyer said just last week that he “wouldn’t be shocked” to see another reliever come into camp, although the Cubs saw a pair of options come off the board over the weekend when Will Smith signed with the Rangers and Brad Hand inked a deal with the Rockies. Chicago currently sits with a projected $225MM luxury tax figure, placing them $8MM shy of penalization. Even if a deal with Britton or Minor doesn’t come to fruition, that doesn’t necessarily close the book on the Cubs making any kind of addition. Many non-roster veterans throughout the league have opt-out provisions they could trigger if told they’re not making their current organization’s roster, and there will surely be a number of arms being designated for assignment and/or placed on waivers later this month as teams set their Opening Day rosters.
More from Wrigley…
- Left fielder Ian Happ is slated to reach free agency following the 2023 season and could be positioned as one of the top names on the market with another big season in 2023, but he tells Mark Feinsand of MLB.com that his hope is to remain with the Cubs long-term. “It would be weird to wear another jersey,” says Happ, whom the Cubs selected with the ninth overall draft pick back in 2015. “I would love to stay here and I would love to be a part of the next great Cubs team, but we’ll see.” In addition to Happ, next year’s outfield market is slated to include Teoscar Hernandez, Hunter Renfroe, Cody Bellinger, Joey Gallo and perhaps Michael Conforto, depending on his player option. In general, the 2023-24 class will be a lighter group than this past offseason, and that’s especially true now that Rafael Devers and Manny Machado have foregone trips to the open market in favor of extensions. Happ could do the same, of course, but the Cubs didn’t sign any of Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez, Kris Bryant or Willson Contreras to extensions before they reached six years of service time (and thus qualified as free agents). Based on Happ’s comments, he’ll at least be open to it if they want to try to change that trend with him this spring.
- Kyle Hendricks threw a bullpen session on Monday, writes Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times. That marks the first full-strength, max-effort bullpen session for the veteran right-hander since last July, when he underwent surgery to repair a torn capsule in his shoulder. (Hendricks previously threw off a mound in late February and earlier this month but did not do so at full intensity.) The plan for Hendricks is to throw 10 bullpen sessions of this nature before he progresses to facing hitters. Hendricks will open the season on the 15-day injured list, and he’s not likely to complete that slate of 10 bullpen sessions until mid-April. From there, he’d need to throw live batting practice before progressing to a minor league rehab assignment, where he’d surely need multiple starts to build up. The 33-year-old Hendricks was one of the NL’s most durable and consistently effective starters from 2015-20, pitching to a 3.17 ERA over the life of 967 innings in that time. He’s stumbled to a 4.78 ERA in 48 starts over the past two seasons, however, as he’s become increasingly homer-prone. Hendricks is entering the final guaranteed season of a four-year, $55MM contract, though the Cubs hold a net $14.5MM decision on him for the 2024 campaign ($16MM option with a $1.5MM buyout).
Rooting for the Professor, but not expecting much this season from him.
I’m not expecting much from him either. However, as I’ve begun watching some spring training games, I feel like the pitch clock might be one of those kinda things that plays really well into Hendricks skill set of changing speeds and location. If he’s healthy, he might really surprise. Also, he’s got a good pickoff move and is a smart guy, I’d bet he can make the best of those 2 chances at pick offs and manage to still keep baserunners and the hitter in the box off balance.
Still doubt he makes more than a few starts this year before he gets surgery, Never really heard of rehab working for a torn anything.
He had surgery.
No he didn’t.
Ian Happ is beyond over-overrated.
& more over-over-overrated
And a bigger idiot
Said no knowledgeable Cubs Fan ever……
OPS+ above average every year of his career, earned a 4.4 WAR last year, gold glove…sure. Heck, one doesn’t even have to be knowledgeable to know this is a silly statement.
I understand what he can do when healthy but aside from last season this dude can’t stay off the DL. Give me 2 more years of last year then you have a valid point.
Aside from 2019, he’s consistently been healthy. Last three years, he’s played about 95% of the Cubs’ games. Called up in mid-May of 2017, and played about 90% of their games from there on out, and still played over 85% of the Cubs’ games in 2018. He’s actually been one of the Cubs’ more durable players.
Always injured? I’ve never heard that about Happ.
Incorrect
You’re an idiot
It sounds like the Cubs might be more likely to take a lefty NRI from another team, like Fernando Abad, than to give someone like Zack Britton an incentive laden deal.
Could be, but I think it could be more likely that the Cubs trade from their infield depth (Bote, Madrigal) for a LH reliever. Maybe one like an Aaron Bummer, who saves a team money, and hasn’t necessarily been living up to their contract.
Bote OR Madrigal straight up for Bummer. Who says no?
(The White Sox say no…I love the Cubs and detest the sox, but Bummer has a lot of potential, just coming off injury, I cannot see them waving goodbye to that arm.)
Cubs bullpen IMO-
Locks
Hughes,Boxberger,Thompson,Alzolay, Fulmer
Likely
Wick( still don’t like him) Leiter ( I’m slowly becoming a believer) Elias( eliminating the LH reliever problem)
To choose from
Merryweather, Rucker, Estrada, Rodriguez, Kay
Turning my head
Sanders, Brown
To add Sanders, Elias , Leiter and Rodriguez and Kay they need 5 40 man spots
No loss
McKinstry, Wisdom, Mastrobuoni, Amaya( Sorry still haven’t seen the guy catch a game and the guys they picked up look impressive to me), Sampson,
If Bote actually makes the team they need another one. unless they don’t pick Kay. That’s why I think he’ll be on waivers at the end( Bote),, And theyb save the money and 40 man spot. Still can’t help rooting for the good guy though. Gonna be interesting.
Thoughts anyone?
Mike… A lot of good BP competition. Any of those guys could potentially step up. Estrada will probably end up in Iowa but if he figures it out, he could be the closer they need. Brown is gonna be something special. Wick drives me nuts..
Bote doesn’t move the needle at all for me, but he’s having a hot spring and now that Suzuki is out for awhile, he’s probably gonna make the team. Ugh..
Cubs have a couple LHRP in camp right now: Brendon Little, and NRI’s Anthony Kay, Ryan Borucki, and Roenis Elias that they could easily fill that spot with.
Even as a RS fan, or maybe because I am a RS fan, I am rooting for the Cubs. Wrigley is of only a handful of places where you can finish 30 games out, and sell out a Tuesday afternoon game in the rain.
Is the CubbieBear still there?
Zack Britton literally has no reason to sign anything past a league minimum deal, he hasn’t been good in over 3 years, and he hasn’t been healthy. Cubs are known for reviving vet RP’s careers, EX: Jermey Jeffress, Andrew Chafin, Ryan Trepara, and more. It would be in Britton’s best interests to sign with the Cubs.
And if he does well he will be on a WS contending team by July/August. Also Cubs will most likely fleece whoever they send him to haha.
fr, its the cubbie way
if he’s taking the league minimum, he will likely have 8-10M in possible incentives. They may not be attainable unless he hits the fountain of youth, but welcome to baseball. If you’ve proven your talent in the past and only declined due to injury, you’ll be given a chance to rebound. Especially a late inning lefty
Although the Cubs have not yet spoken directly with either Mike Minor or his representation, they are in constant contact with Linda Kaye Henning and as such feel they have an “in”.
Cute Petticoat Junction reference. Unfortunately the Mike Minor you are referring to passed away.
Sell high on Ian Happ unless he’s willing to sign a 4 year $56m-$60m deal or so. A bat like his isn’t all that hard to replace. He’s a solid 2 hitter or 6 hitter, but he shouldn’t be paid anywhere near $20m/year like I assume he’ll be looking for.
I think you’re underrating him a bit, but I still mostly agree.
Between Davis, Canario, Crow-Armstrong., and Alcantara, the Cubs have four players projected as everyday OF within the next two years. They won’t all work out, but if even one or two pop, they’re in good shape. And that’s not even including Owen Caissie, Yonathan Perlaza, Yohendrick Pinango, Darius Hill, Nelson Velazquez and others who might contribute something between role players and regulars.
Happ is gonna get *paid* though, beyond what he’s worth. He’ll be one of a very, very small number of impact hitters on the 2023-2024 FA market and he’ll get absolute top dollar, based on timing alone.
Finally extending a productive regular would send a nice message, but it’s hard to see where locking up a solid but not superstar OF is their biggest need.
Between the 4 initial OF prospects and then the 5 mentioned afterward, I’d be rather surprised if more than one of them really sticks with the big league team and has a better than average career. PCA obviously the front runner if there’s any sort of star in the bunch. It sure would be nice if a second could develop and raise our hopes. I’m not gonna hold my breath. And yeah as far as Happ goes I can take or leave him. It wouldn’t be terrible to keep him around, but at what cost?
One is more likely than two, sure. Zero isn’t impossible. But with outfield being the deepest part of the Cubs system, a solid hitter for left field shouldn’t be a high dollar priority.
I mean, if Happ played 3B, sure, throw money at him. But they can cover LF, either internally, or via another FA. Better to have $20MM to spend elsewhere.
The ability for the Cubs to fill their corner OF spots internally (inexpensively) for the future is not a huge concern. They will also likely have a surplus of mid rotation arms. What they don’t have is the #1. That’s going to be a guy they’re going to have to buy. I’m in-between on Happ, but I’d make sure I have plenty of money to drop on a #1 and probably another FA at 3rd or C. They should be able to deal from their minor league surplus to fill in the gaps.
Damn, I do like Happ but you bring up very good points. Cubs have a surplus of outfield options, which is ironic because when Happ came up he was moved to the outfield because Cubs had a surplus of infielders lol
Davis is no longer projected as an everyday player. I hope he is but the sheen has worn off a bit.
He’s had a lot of injuries so that slowed down any progression too.
@remembercoop
So ‘you’ say Davis is ‘no longer projected as an everyday starter’. Where did you see that one??? Maybe you haven’t been keeping up, but Davis still appears on most MLB Top 100 prospect lists.
I’m not saying he is a shoe-in, or a lock – – but comon.
Sourbob- You’re exactly right. Happ won’t be here not because of anything he does or doesn’t do this year, He’s smart enough to look over his shoulder and see what’s coming. Low cost, Higher ceiling players. His BA and RBI totals aren’t that great to where they’d sign him to an extension at this point.
The cubs have plenty of payroll flexibility heading into next year. With Machado already off the board it might not be a bad idea to lock up a guy they know can hit in the top half of the lineup. After this year Suzuki will have 3 years left, Bellinger likely gone. There will be plenty of opportunities for the young guys. Injuries happen and most of their outfield prospect probably are not going to hit the majors until 2024 or beyond.
Call it a feeling but I think Wisdoms time in Chicago has come to an end. Rios and both Madrigal and Bote have had stellar springs and Bote has looked really good. He might just go North and be the right handed 3B option with Rios. The Cubs just might cut him to put him on waivers to see if somebody grabs him and gets the Cubs off the hook. Madrigals ability to lead off will probably get him on the team. If Wisdom goes Davis and Morel and Velasquez fighting for the 4th and 5th OF spots if they keep 5. The Pitching has been pretty much what I was expecting from them all spring, No real surprises. Sampson and McKinstry look like 40 man casualties. Ross and Hottovy will have fun picking the bottom of the bullpen, Lot’s of deserving arms.
Dr. Mike, I’m old enough to remember to saying this, “I think it’s hilarious that you guys are talking about Bote like he’s something. The Cubs rewarded him with a long contract then he trashed his shoulder and hasn’t been the same since… Move on people, Nothing to see here.” A month later you have him as the 3rd base platoon with a guy that has 4 hits and 37% K rate this spring. Along with 40% K rate last year.
You’re right on top of this doc…
Bote was decent and then lost a year and a half with a shoulder injury much like Bellingers. He finally looks like he is back to what he was which from my view is better than Wisdom, At least he hits the ball. I would of thought that was common knowledge but then I looked and saw it was you, So there’s that.
Wasn’t Bote’s injury common knowledge a month ago when you made that comment? You were so adamant that Bote was done. As sure as you are about making other injury declarations.
I appreciate your apology
A month ago I hadn’t seen him play yet, Thought that was common knowledge. Not your Forte is it? Common, or Knowledge.
If you didn’t see him play last year, why did you tell me to shut up when I suggested that Bote might be a fit for the White Sox given their issues at 3rd and 2nd?
If you hadn’t seen him play, why did you pop off and say that Bote was done and was dead weight?
I suggested Bote still had value (without seeing him this spring), so again, I appreciate you coming along on this.
I don’t remember telling anybody to shut up. The few times I I saw him play last year in the Minors he didn’t look very good. He looked done and that’s what I wrote. Since the Sox hadn’t signed anybody to play 2nd base yet, I didn’t think he’d help them much. He’s obviously worked very hard and looks good( At least better than Wisdom which isn’t much). So props to you for liking him for the Sox as I’m not sure Andrus is the answer either. So if you want an apology you’ve got it, I’m just not sure the Cubs would rather have him around or have his 4 million off the books, But at least he might provide some Major League value for the first time in 3 years. There’s also a bunch of teams who would probably take him on waivers If he keeps hitting so I guess we’ll find out. They have a logjam at those positions he plays and cheaper options to boot. So if you want me to say I was wrong a month ago OK, I was.
Mike, it wasn’t if anyone was right or wrong. it was your delivery and how dismissive you were to any idea other than yours. And now, just a short time later, you agree with an opinion you decided had no business being discussed on this forum. I’ll bury my hatchet here. Appreciate you taking some ownership.
Ultimately, I don’t know if Bote is an everyday player, but his profile is/was better than a number of teams currently have at 2nd (White Sox/Colorado). And it’s unlikely he’s part of the puzzle for the Cubs moving forward. I think they’d be happy to get the contract off the books, even if they had to retain a portion of it.
Guys… Bote is the quintessential “serviceable” player. As much as they did this offseason, there are still too many Bote/Wisdom level guys on this team. Until Hoyer commits to signing/trading for a #1 starter and a mainstay at 3rd base, we’ll be left talking about the pros and cons of players who are never gonna significantly move the needle. And, yep, I’m a Cub fan.
Rondon, you missed the entire point of that discussion. But yes, if you read through that I see him as a role player for the Cubs and Mike thinks he’s platoon at best. I’m pretty sure both of us were saying the Cubs would like to get away from his contract.
That doesn’t mean Bote can’t be a regular somewhere, like Colorado.
I disagree with your premise that Hoyer isn’t committed. Because he signed Bellinger and Hosmer? Those guys were signed for several reasons, but 1st they are “bridge” players to get to PCA and Mervis. 2nd Hoyer could have not spent the money and simply put Hermosillo in CF and Schwindel at 1st. And like most of the players Hoyer signed in the offseason, they are flexible. If he wasn’t committed the payroll wouldn’t be $8M from the luxury tax.
This year wasn’t the year to spend on the #1 IMO. You still need for young & minor league guys to develop. I’m still surprised that Cub fans are angry at Hoyer for not spending.
I didn’t say he wasn’t committed. I said until he commits to finding a #1 and a serious 3rd base mainstay, we’ll just be having conversations about guys like Bote. I get the thinking about Bellinger and Hosmer as bridge players. That’s why I only mentioned a front line starter and 3rd base.
And since Bote’s value was what you were discussing, I don’t how you perceive that as entirely missing the point. Besides, you guys were mostly bickering.
Gotcha… I see where I missed that, understand.
The actual point of the “bickering” was to mend fences from an issue we had in January. The subject was actually irrelevant.
These threads are much like texting. Sometimes what ya mean gets lost in translation so to speak. And yeah, I see you guys were discussing something from before. Well, cheers, and go Cubs!
Yeah, I admit I’m opinionated to a fault sometimes( Getting old disease) But if I actually made it even sound like I meant for him to ” Shut Up” That’s bad. Twitter like which I won’t go on for that reason. But it’s about baseball and supposed to be fun so if I made it not fun then My Bad and I totally apologize. Most of the guys on here try to be respectful and sometimes I’m as guilty as anybody of carrying other fights into the wrong place. You get in bad moods and say things you don’t mean. So again if I did, I apologize. My sister keeps saying when are you going to mellow in your old age like everybody else? All I can say is ” Workin on it”. LOL Thanks for straightening me out!
Steve, what’s the disparity between the Cubs CBT from Roster Resource at $225 and Cots at $219.4?
Steve, Cots has Cubs at $219.4. Roster Resource has them at $225. Whats gives?
I think different sites have different numbers, same for my team. Always thought one counted deferred payments to Ken Griffey Jr. and one did not.
As a result, you have amateur accountants and/or know-it-alls here saying “your numbers are WRONG!” depending on what each of you look at.
… but they are wrong. LoL
To flesh out their bullpen, Cubs may seek overseas help in BRITTON !!
I’m tired of reading and hearing about the Cubs potentially signing extensions with players. As Steve points out, it hasn’t happened yet, so why should we expect that to change with Happ? I know they didn’t like his defense, but of all these guys, I would have signed Contreras.
Coop – – do you mean the Cubs ‘didn’t like Happs defense’??? Was that before or after his Gold Glove? What planet do you reside on?
Nico is the priority of the two. I wouldn’t mind if Happ signed a 4 year 65 mil deal to keep LF warm for the youngsters but not holding my breath. I bet we end up rolling with Kay or Stout as our other lefty until we can grab someone off the waiver wire..Hope we don’t sign Minor or Britton..I would’ve went with Smith myself.