A reminder of the very early registration bonus available right now for those of you, like me, who are in Ohio. FanDuel sportsbook is coming in January, and if you register here for an account BEFORE January 1, you get $100 in free bets. Just like that. So make sure you check out this FanDuel Ohio promo.
Ian Happ just saying what everyone else is thinking, even a year and change later:
Out of the former Cubs core, Ian Happ thought Anthony Rizzo was going to be a Cub for life and that they'd build a statue for him outside of Wrigley.
Happ has a really good perspective on this stuff, not only because he was literally there, but because he’s just good at balancing the team, city, and individual player interests in these situations. Pointing out how it would’ve been a challenge to keep everyone, how not working it out with Rizzo was shocking, but that at least Rizzo wound up in a pretty great situation.
Speaking of which, it’ll be an interesting opt-out decision for Rizzo. He’s set to make $16 million in 2023 for his age 33 season, and just hit .224/.338/.480/132 wRC+ for the Yankees, where he’s clearly a great fit for that stadium. One year and $16 million sure feels light, though if he opts out, the Yankees can then make him a qualifying offer (one year and $19-ish million), at which point he becomes attached to draft pick compensation if he declines. Not ideal for him. Opting out seems highly likely at this point (well, maybe trying to negotiate an addition year or two before that), and then the qualifying offer seems equally likely. It’s possible Rizzo’s agent would urge him to accept, given how rough the market could be for him – fair or unfair – with draft pick compensation attached.
Oh, and for what it’s worth, no, I don’t see an obvious reunion opportunity there with the Cubs. I think the Cubs do need left-handed power, and they obviously have a huge opening there at first base. But I also think the Cubs are going to want to allocate their resources in spots other than first base, and I also wonder if it’s just too recent for each side to really try to come back together on a new deal. Also, I would think a short-term deal at first base makes the most sense for the Cubs, who probably want to at least leave open the POSSIBILITY that Matt Mervis grabs the job and runs with it. If Rizzo is opting out and declining a qualifying offer, he will not be looking for a one-year deal. Gut says he’s going to wind up sticking with the Yankees, either on the qualifying offer, or on a new two or three-year deal.
Before I share this chunk, I do want to say: I was on board with the Mets’ Jacob deGrom plan. Because of the way the schedule lays out, it only made sense to wait to decide when to start deGrom in the Wild Card series depending on what happened in Game One. The schedule is such that you have an opportunity to have your best pitcher go twice in the Divisional Series if he doesn’t start in the Wild Card series. So you at least leave open that possibility by not committing to deGrom for Game One or Game Two of the Wild Card series, and start him only in the event that you lost Game One (or win Game One, but then lose Game Two), when your season is on the line. It sounded good in theory.
In a meeting room just off the home clubhouse at Citi Field, a whiteboard calendar revealed the plans of the New York Mets on Friday afternoon. Filled into the spaces for Friday, Saturday and Sunday were dates with the Padres. In the days beyond, the club had already posted the schedule for a prospective five-game series next with the Dodgers.
You can call this necessary preparation. You can also, in the wake of a 7-1 defeat to San Diego in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series, see a metaphor for the pitfalls of prognosticating beyond the present. In openly contemplating sneaking through this series without using ace Jacob deGrom, the Mets made plain they were looking past the Padres. At best, the strategy set forth by general manager Billy Eppler and manager Buck Showalter placed one eye on San Diego and another gazing toward Los Angeles.
There is SOME LEVEL of an assumption, when making the deGrom plan in the first place, that you are highly likely to win the Wild Card series against the Padres. You do have to make your best preparations, and any smart organization would do the same. But I suppose you would have to be careful not to lose the thread, lest humans do human things and start looking ahead. And now the Mets do have to lean on deGrom to save their season anyway.
This weekend is roughly the anniversary of two of the best home runs in Cubs playoff history, one in 2015 and one in 2016:
From my playoff recap, but also of interest here in the Cubs Bullets: “Yu Darvish threw seven innings of one-run ball, because he’s awesome. I’ll admit, it’s hard in those moments, when you’re watching him last night, to not think about the trade from the Cubs and wonder if they REALLY had to do that, or if it was REALLY the right move. Darvish wouldn’t have made the difference for the Cubs in 2021 and 2022, so there wasn’t anything lost there, but obviously now we’re talking about wanting the Cubs to go out and add a front-end starter. Ah well. At least Darvish is a free agent again after next season …. “
Darvish will pitch next season at age 36, and he was as good as ever this past season. I think that trade clearly wound up a fine one for the Padres, and for the Cubs, a lot hinges on whether Owen Caissie lives up to his tremendous offensive potential, and if Reggie Preciado can develop into at least a useful big leaguer or trade piece (the numbers were terrible this year and the knee injury really screwed up the progress he was making by midseason, but he was 18/19 in a really challenging assignment). I don’t have many hopes remaining for Yeison Santana or Ismael Mena, but that was exactly how we expected it at the time of the trade: we hoped for one future very good regular, one future useful player, and it was likely that two would bust. The Cubs knew what they were realistically hoping for when they went for a very young, high-risk, high-upside group of prospects in the deal, and this is it. Well, and also some salary savings. Sigh.
I don’t actually have any bad feelings about the Darvish deal right now, even as I do wish the Cubs had Darvish already in the mix for 2023. Can’t have it both ways, though. There were some payroll dictates at the time, and a market that pretty much consisted of the Padres and no one else. Jed Hoyer did what he could, and we’ll see in the years ahead whether it was good enough. In the meantime, I hope Darvish keeps rocking this postseason and is great next year, too.
Speaking of Darvish’s outing, it was one of FOUR 7+ inning starts on the day. This is nuts:
This was a gut punch yesterday, but all the positive vibes to Sarah Langs (a fantastic follow on Twitter), and a very kind move by the Mets last night (and here’s the link to ProjectALS.org):
before another sure-to-be-incredible postseason begins, I have something I wanted to share pic.twitter.com/Ee2K9bY8Cz
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.
CUBS LINEUP — The Cubs have played thirteen series so far this season, and this is already their eighth rubber match. Let's see if Kyle Hendricks and the Cubs can bring this one in. Chicago Cubs Lineup: Nico Hoerner, SS...
Happy Mother's Day to the mothers among you, and to the mothers in my life! I'll be doing some extra family stuff today, so I'm gonna cruise through these Bullets ... Up front, because this was certainly the thing most...
The Sunday TBD has been D'd, and it's going to be Kyle Hendricks coming back an outing early. Instead of making another rehab start at Iowa, Hendricks is going to be activated from the IL to rejoin the rotation tomorrow:...
The Cubs came within 90 feet of keeping that ridiculous game going. No dice. Stupid game. Early on, it just kinda seemed like the Cubs might lose a perfectly normal - bad, but normal - game. Justin Steele did not...
CUBS LINEUP — After a little tease yesterday, Seiya Suzuki is actually, officially in the Cubs lineup today. And he'll be greeted with a tough matchup against the top pitching prospect in Major League Baseball. Welcome back! Chicago Cubs Lineup:...
Today the Chicago Cubs placed reliever Yency Almonte on the Injured List with a right shoulder strain. Jose Cuas has been recalled from Iowa to take his place in the bullpen. Almonte, together with Mark Leiter Jr., had been performing...
How did I not know that the Aurora Borealis was going to be visible last night?!?!? I woke up this morning to all these awesome pictures from friends and other people in the area, and I'm MISERABLE ABOUT IT. With...
In 2015, Kyle Schwarber hit a monster home run onto the top of the right field scoreboard at Wrigley Field, where it stayed for the remainder of the postseason. Watching the game live, I remember thinking "Dang, he got all...
Usually, I like to use this space to celebrate a great game from a top Cubs prospect, but sometimes, it's important to note when the other thing happens. Last night, Cade Horton had his very first really bad start. He...
Although I'm sure Craig Counsell would've preferred not to have to use Ben Brown today, just in case Jameson Taillon can't go on Sunday. But *if* you were going to have to use Brown today, that was an absolute best-case...
Expect a display of power when Marcell Ozuna (12 HR) and the Atlanta Braves (24-12) take on Pete Alonso (4 HR) and the New York Mets (18-20) at Citi Field at 7:10 PM ET live on ESPN. Ozuna and the...
The NBA Draft Lottery has arrived. Despite the lackluster nature of this year's prospect pool, this remains a highly-anticipated day for teams around the league. The truth of the matter is that the opportunity to snag a high pick is...
CUBS LINEUP — The Cubs have played thirteen series so far this season, and this is already their eighth rubber match. Let's see if Kyle Hendricks and the Cubs can bring this one in. Chicago Cubs Lineup: Nico Hoerner, SS...
Player props are listed for Pascal Siakam and Jalen Brunson, among others, when the Indiana Pacers host the New York Knicks at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Sunday at 3:30 PM ET.How to Watch Pacers vs. KnicksDate: Sunday, May 12, 2024Time: 3:30...
Following a stretch of four consecutive wins, the Atlanta Braves (24-12) play the New York Mets (18-20) at 7:10 PM ET on Sunday.The Braves will give the nod to Bryce Elder (1-1, 5.28 ERA), who is eyeing win No. 2...
The sportsbooks prefer the Colorado Avalanche at home (-135) over the Dallas Stars (+114) when they meet on Monday, May 13 at 9:30 PM ET.Watch the NHL on Fubo!Avalanche vs. Stars Favorite, Moneyline, TotalFavorite: Avalanche (-135)Underdog: Stars (+114)Total: 6.5Best Avalanche...
If there was an Equipment Manager of the Year award, I think my aunt might deserve it. Having to leave at about 5 a.m. to drive to my sibling's college graduation on Saturday, I may have kinda sorta broken my...
The oddsmakers are expecting a close game between the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers on Monday in New York City, with the Hurricanes given moneyline odds of -118 and the Rangers at -102.Watch the NHL on Fubo!Hurricanes vs. Rangers...
Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful moms out there. My sons are incredibly fortunate to have a great mom and two wonderful grandmas still in their lives. We hear Blackhawks players talk about hot much they appreciate their...
Happy Mother's Day to the mothers among you, and to the mothers in my life! I'll be doing some extra family stuff today, so I'm gonna cruise through these Bullets ... Up front, because this was certainly the thing most...
NEWSLETTER
