Rodon Comes to Wrigley (And He Should Stay), Happ, Frazier, Attendance, and Other Cubs Bullets

Random heads up: I just saw that Disney+ is doing a one-month deal for $1.99. I presume they want to give people a cheap chance to check it out for a month, hoping that you’ll be hooked from there. I got it originally mostly because the kids love it (and, I’m sorry, but sometimes you need a TV babysitter), but I have also watched every single MCU and Star Wars show and movie on there at least once already, so I guess it was for me, too …

  • The Cubs will get an up close look at Carlos Rodon again this afternoon, as he’ll start for the Giants in the series opener at Wrigley Field. Rodon, 29, can opt out of his deal with the Giants after the season (one year and $22.5 million), which is almost certain to do. The big question on him this year was health, and he’s now thrown 157+ healthy innings at a 2.92 ERA and 2.34 FIP. He’s been a stud of the highest order for the second season in a row. Rodon will turn 30 in December, but I don’t know that age would be the concern in a long-term deal, just the health questions. His contract will be a fascinating one, as I expect he’s going to get a huge AAV, but not necessarily more than four years (and it might have some protections built in for health for the team, and say an extra year or two tacked on for Rodon if he stays healthy). Rodon will receive and reject a Qualifying Offer, so he’ll be tied to draft pick compensation, but I don’t think that should be a serious hindrance to his market.
  • Yes, I’m saying I think the Cubs should very much be in the market for Carlos Rodon this offseason. Adding an impact starting pitcher to a staff that already includes a lot of quality depth is essential if the Cubs want to compete in 2023. Is Rodon risky for health reasons? Even more than your typical 30-year-old starting pitcher? Absolutely. But, as we’ve discussed with Jacob deGrom (who is obviously even more extreme on the awesome-but-always-injured scale), you’re never going to get a superstar pitcher in free agency or trade without absorbing some risk. The Cubs are in a spot where they can very much afford to absorb financial risk. (Also, the lost pick – second round in 2023 – may be lower than it was this past year, and the Cubs may also add an extra pick from losing Willson Contreras.)
  • Ian Happ made two beautiful plays in yesterday’s game, which got his manager reminding folks after the game that he should be in the Gold Glove conversation (Sun-Times): “I haven’t looked at the rest of the league, but it feels like he’s played some of the best defensive left field in the league for me,” Ross said. “Hopefully he’s starting to get into that Gold Glove conversation.”
  • How’s this for a statistical fun fact? In the National League, just one qualified outfielder – Mookie Betts (13) – has more Defensive Runs Saved in the outfield than Ian Happ (11).
  • Not so fun fact from the Tribune on yesterday’s game against the Reds: “The announced crowd of 23,910 was the Cubs’ lowest in a season of full capacity (excluding 2020 and ‘21) since Sept. 4, 2013. They drew 20,696 that day for a game against the Miami Marlins.” Chronologically tracks, though.
  • It was a nice story for a while, but so far at Triple-A Iowa this year, through 235 plate appearances, Jackson Frazier is hitting just .195/.289/.307/63 wRC+. He’s striking out a ton, isn’t hitting for power, and hasn’t been able to bounce back.
  • I didn’t like that the Cubs chose more playing time for Jason Heyward over more runway for Frazier (and guys like him) earlier this year. but I do appreciate that they were right that Frazier would clear waivers and stay at Iowa, that they wound up giving more playing time to guys like Christopher Morel and Nelson Velazquez, that they finally shut down the Heyward thing, and that they snagged Franmil Reyes when they had a chance and just let him keep starting. In other words, at the big league level, this all kinda worked out in the end. Just not for Frazier. He’ll head back to free agency after this season and see if a team offers him a minor league deal and another chance to win his way back.
  • The big rules change vote is coming today, at which point we’ll have some final clarity on whether the pitch clock, limited shifts, bigger bases, and limited pick-offs are coming to MLB in 2023. The vote is expected to pass, so stay tuned.
  • He’s a good dude, that much is still true:
  • I’m not even kidding – I couldn’t place it in my brain, but I was thinking that I felt like I’d seen a throw like that from the bullpen area before. Well done, Marquee:
  • https://twitter.com/WatchMarquee/status/1567875414797721602

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    Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

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