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#Post#: 462533--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in �23
DIR By: JeffH
Date: October 28, 2022, 10:13 am
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I think Bowden's contract estimates are too high on Correa and
too low on the others.
That said, if each signs for his estimates, I'll take both
Turner and Bogaerts, please.
#Post#: 462534--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in �23
DIR By: JeffH
Date: October 28, 2022, 10:21 am
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Any interest in Cavan Biggio as a trade target? Possible 3B
candidate?
#Post#: 462535--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in �23
DIR By: CUBluejays
Date: October 28, 2022, 10:58 am
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It seems like you would be swapping power for defense over
Wisdom. Unless he was free I'd pass.
#Post#: 462555--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in �23
DIR By: JeffH
Date: October 28, 2022, 5:15 pm
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HTML https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/10/cubs-promote-dustin-kelly-to-hitting-coach.html
#Post#: 462557--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in �23
DIR By: CurtOne
Date: October 28, 2022, 6:18 pm
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This is from the Cardinal beat writer. I found his comment
about Willson interesting.
5. What should the organization do at catcher?
Mozeliak made it clear that while Andrew Knizner had a decent
season and Iv�n Herrera has potential, the team needs a
frontline catcher it can depend on defensively and to handle the
staff. Is that Willson Contreras? Not likely. Could a trade for
Oakland�s Sean Murphy be in the works? Possibly. How about
signing Tucker Barnhart or Christian V�zquez? That�s most
likely, but they won�t come cheap.
#Post#: 462560--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in �23
DIR By: CurtOne
Date: October 28, 2022, 7:00 pm
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From Cubs beat writer:
Cubs Beat
By Jordan Bastian

October 28, 2022
Welcome back to the Cubs Beat newsletter. This week, we�ll
explore five pressing questions that the team will need to
address in the coming months.
5 QUESTIONS FACING THE CUBS

1. Can the Cubs land one of the big-ticket free-agent
shortstops?

This will be the biggest question on the collective mind of Cubs
fans when Hot Stove season gets underway. Carlos Correa, Trea
Turner, Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson could all be on the
open market this winter, and there is certainly a fit on the
North Side.

Chicago has a need for offensive firepower, and manager David
Ross prioritizes strong defense. The team has roster flexibility
and the financial means. Internally, Nico Hoerner has proven he
can handle short, true, but he is an exceptional defender who
has also expressed a willingness to move to second base in the
name of winning.

This all adds up to the Cubs potentially being a major player in
this sector of the open market.
Marcus Stroman
2. How will the rotation be addressed?

The Cubs have Marcus Stroman under contract for 2023, and lefty
Justin Steele has earned a rotation spot as well. There is a
heap of question marks beyond those two.

Kyle Hendricks will be returning from a right shoulder injury.
Keegan Thompson might be best utilized as a multi-inning relief
weapon. Drew Smyly and Wade Miley could hit free agency. The
good news here is that the Cubs� in-house depth here appears as
solid as it�s been in years. Hayden Wesneski looks like an
up-and-coming talent, and there is more coming from the
pipeline.

That said, the Cubs could really use some more strength at the
top. That could mean finding some smart shorter-term deals in
free agency (much like Stroman�s three-year deal last year) or
maybe considering an intriguing option like righty Kodai Senga,
who is expected to be a free agent out of Japan.

3. Who will play center field in 2023?

There are prospects coming (among them Pete Crow-Armstrong,
Alexander Canario and Brennen Davis), but the Cubs will need to
find a way to shore up center next season. Names like Cody
Bellinger or Kevin Kiermaier could be interesting targets if
they hit the open market. Christopher Morel is an in-house
option, but the fact is that the Cubs� defense in center
(MLB-worst -18 defensive runs saved in �22) must be addressed.
Morel looks like a better fit as a super utilityman.
Matt Mervis
4. What�s the plan for first base?

The Cubs entered the offseason without a clear-cut answer for
first base. Highly-touted prospect Matt Mervis is rising fast
with a powerful bat, but Chicago should have a stopgap plan in
place. That is why reports of interest in a veteran free agent
like Jos� Abreu have already surfaced. Patrick Wisdom has mostly
played third, but he can help at first, too. Alfonso Rivas was
given a shot in �22 but went through plenty of ups and downs.
Mervis� time will come, but pairing him with another player --
on Opening Day or later in the summer -- is probably the smarter
play as he breaks into the Majors.

5. Bottom line: Can the Cubs build a realistic contender for
�23?

The 87-win Phillies just reached the World Series. The 93-win
Cardinals won the National League Central. There is definitely a
path for the Cubs to push for an October berth in �23. Chicago
played at a 90-win pace in the second half. That should be a
foundation to build upon, especially with a stronger farm
system, vastly improved internal pitching depth and some clear
holes in a year when the free-agent market has plenty of
possible solutions.
&#8202;
TRIVIA

Willson Contreras was named a finalist for a 2022 Silver Slugger
Award among catchers. Who is the only Cubs catcher in team
history to receive a Silver Slugger?

A.) Geovany Soto
B.) Rick Wilkins
C.) Jody Davis
D.) Michael Barrett
Willson Contreras
&#8202;
Ian Happ
HAPP A FINALIST FOR GOLD GLOVE
Late in the season, following a game in which Ian Happ made
another spectacular sliding catch, the Cubs outfielder was asked
if he felt he had turned in the kind of performance that could
put him in the conversation for a Gold Glove Award in left
field.

�Yeah, I think that the metrics support it,� Happ said. �It'd be
awesome. It'd be a really cool honor. I think it's one of those
things that you dream of as a kid. And it's a pretty cool
trophy.�

It was revealed last week that Happ was indeed one of the
finalists for the National League Gold Glove Award in left
field, along with Christian Yelich (Brewers) and David Peralta
(Rays/D-backs). Let�s take a look at how Happ compares to the
other finalists in a few categories:

Happ (1,233 1/3 innings)
Defensive runs saved: +13
Outs above average: +1
UZR/150: +7.9
Assists: 8

Yelich (1,008 2/3 innings)
Defensive runs saved: -2
Outs above average: +5
UZR/150: -3.9
Assists: 2

Peralta (927 innings)
Defensive runs saved: -5
Outs above average: -4
UZR/150: +4.9
Assists: 2

The 2022 Gold Glove winners for both leagues will be announced
as part of a special hour-long episode of �Baseball Tonight� at
4 p.m. CT on Tuesday, prior to Game 4 of the World Series. Among
outfielders in Cubs history, only Bob Dernier (1984), Andre
Dawson (1987-88) and Jason Heyward (2016-17) have taken home
Rawlings Gold Glove Awards.
&#8202;
MLB The Show
&#8202;
QUOTABLE
�He took a really remarkable step forward in terms of his
consistency on the field. I think his career has been marked,
prior to this year, by really high highs and really low lows.
And he made a very concerted effort with his swing and his
mentality to even that out, and I think he did a fantastic job.
And I think that there's no reason that he can't continue to do
that.� -- Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer, on
Happ
Ian Happ
&#8202;
CUBS IN THE AFL
For the latest on the Cubs� prospects taking part in the Arizona
Fall League, be sure to keep reading the work from the MLB
Pipeline crew. And give a listen to the Pipeline Podcast. In a
recent episode, Pipeline�s Jonathan Mayo caught up with Mervis,
who has continued to slug his way through AFL pitching. Outfield
prospect Owen Caissie has also been on a hot streak, as Sam
Dykstra detailed this week.
&#8202;
TRIVIA ANSWER

D.) Michael Barrett
Barrett picked up a Silver Slugger Award for the Cubs in 2005,
when he had 16 homers, 32 doubles and an .824 OPS. Soto was the
�08 NL Rookie of the Year and an All-Star, but he did not get
the silver bat trophy. Davis was an All-Star in 1984 and �86 and
won a Gold Glove in �86. Wilkins launched 30 homers in 1993, but
Mike Piazza won the award with the Dodgers.
#Post#: 462624--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in �23
DIR By: davep
Date: October 30, 2022, 10:23 am
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--- Quote from: CurtOne link ---
>
> Why Iglesias when Didi Gregory's is available.
>
--- End Quote ---
CurtOne is so dumb that when the Cubs started to play night
games, he was angry because he couldn't hear their games
anymore, since he only had an AM radio.
#Post#: 462678--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in �23
DIR By: craig
Date: October 31, 2022, 3:44 pm
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HTML https://theathletic.com/3740791/2022/10/28/cubs-fire-hitting-coach/
Athletic article about the Cubs firing hitting coach. Sharma
and Mooney offer no hint or insight or even veiled 3rd-hand
rumor as to why.
#Post#: 462679--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in �23
DIR By: CUBluejays
Date: October 31, 2022, 4:33 pm
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Brian Smith (Bleacher Nation prospect guy) tweeted it was more
fear of losing the replacement than anything the hitting coach
did.
#Post#: 462684--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in �23
DIR By: craig
Date: October 31, 2022, 5:42 pm
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Thanks, blue! That makes really good upbeat sense! I like that
explanation.
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