This is an old school blog format I used to do for Barstool when Theo was running the Cubs and Big Cat was originally stationed in Chicago. The premise is just a round up collection of notable stories with source links and original commentary. A lot of this might serve itself as an individual blog, but I think some times it’s better to lump everything together under one title so we can keep it moving.
A good example of this will be in season in-between series, when there’s a lot to discuss without weighing ourselves down with the severity of each topic. It’s an effort to recognize but then move on. And the exercise itself will keep everybody sharp on stories without having to exhaust ourselves in the long-form. That’s the general ethos of the News & Notes blog.
Another example would be the Alex Bregman saga. That’s something that stands alone in February so it gets its own updated blog series. But conversely Justin Steele’s hair is not blogworthy on it’s own but rather important for a News and Notes roundup. It’s nice hair and big flow but I don’t want to overreact if that makes sense?
The reason we like the hair is that it’s very trashy and a nice distraction from a lower 90’s two seam fastball. It gives the hitter a little more to look at and I would imagine helps Justin Steele feel confident because he looks fantastic. Just an excellent Mississippi backdoor mudflap and something I’ve been hoping to see from him for a number of years.
Does it mean contract extension? Probably not because Jed Hoyer would never under the present circumstances. Most notable is that Justin is motivated to outperform is projections, a place Jed Hoyer wants to live and breath as an organization. Giving him an extension would take him out of the headspace and I think Jed would agree that’s not what the club wants from its players. That’s shitty for the players but I think it makes sense to the organization. And as fans, we often have to pick sides. I’m of the personal mindset that Steele is the kind of guy you extend to show the rest of the organization that extensions are actually possible. But I also understand why Jed Hoyer would punt given his professional history on the topic.
Some more news and notes…
- Nicky Lopez is the ideal Chicago Cub and I’m not saying that because he’s a close personal friend and world class guy. I’m saying that because we need someone who can play 3 infield position at a high level and give you quality at-bats after sitting for 4 or 5 straight games. That’s exactly who Nicky Lopez is and I’m pumped to see him get a chance on a veteran team with other good players vs. some of the situations he’s played in historically. This is a good fit for the Naperville/Creighton crowd
Another note
- Shota is announced to start one of the first two games of the season in Tokyo against the Dodgers on March 18th or 19th. That should surprise absolutely no one while also firing up Justin Steele to ensure it’s not the season opener. I think Steele has that dog in him to take this overly-personally, which is exactly the kinda attitude you want from your #1 pitcher.
- Some of you think Shota is better than Justin, which is a decent argument if you bring every statistic and only talk about one season. Otherwise I think it’s still a long way between the 2 pitchers from the sense of trustworthiness. And I know that Shota was phenomenal but I see Justin Steele as a more competitive and hungry pitcher. I think that’s the slight difference and it makes him the #1 to me for right now.
- Does any of this matter? My answer to that is simple. If it matters to Justin Steele then it should matter to us. That’s why I’m bringing it up. Most guys, this would be a non-issue. But deep down I think Justin Steele is competitive enough to take this news personally. Otherwise I don’t think it’s really that big of a talking point because OF COURSE Shota is going to start in Japan. It’s Japan.
- Thankfully the Cubs did not sign Kenley Jansen because I think there’s much better use of $10,000,000 on the bullpen. And I also think Ryan Pressly is a better bet for Craig Counsell’s bullpen usage when you consider the cost. Jansen is probably going to have a better season but I don’t think the gap will be significant enough to regret Pressly. Especially with the depth Jed has amassed alongside the younger power arms. My gut says that we’re going to find some really good bullpen options throughout the year from within, which would be less likely if you spent $10M on a veteran closer.
- The Angels are objectively the funniest team in baseball and becoming a Must Follow based on the roster transactions. They jut announced Yoan Moncada is ahead of Anthony Rendon on the depth chart. You’ve got Soler reunited with Kyle Hendricks while Tim Anderson competes with Kevin Newman for the opening day shortstop job as Zach Neto recovers. If ever there was a time for MLB Hard Knocks, I would say it’s the 2025 Los Angeles Angels.
- Again – this is why I like a Cubs News & Notes blog… you get into so many different corners of baseball when you open it up like this.
- You don’t have to watch all of that but I wanted to share for the diehards. It’s kinda hard to like this guy as much as I need to. He just rubs me the wrong way with his smug responses and manufactured humility. My instincts say he looks down on people while doing his job, which I don’t particularly care for. And of course I could be very wrong in my read of his character as I’ve done many times before. But the overall sense of him just doesn’t sit well with me and I don’t see that changing until the Cubs win the division. Until then, my personal jury says he’s kind of a boner.
- He also said Matt Shaw will play 3rd base which is pretty obvious when you figure out we don’t have a third baseman
- Speaking of which…
- The Cubs are reported to bring in Justin Turner if they don’t get Alex Bregman.
- That’s terrific news because Justin Turner is an awesome professional and doesn’t require a ton of playing time to give you awesome at-bats. He can also play 1st base when platoon says that’s the smart thing and he can DH if Seiya throws his back out for the 57th fucking time
- I still want Bregman more than Turner, but I think Turner is less disruptive with the existing core and would be an awesome backup/alternative if Shaw doesn’t pan out
And that’s 1,200 words on some inner workings of the Cubs right now.
I’m most interested in what we do at 3rd base between now and opening day. And I would like some more clarity on the back end of the starting rotation but I don’t want to be needy. That can come with time, which we have plenty of.
First spring training game is in 10 days. Until then please let me know if you hear anything on Alex Bregman and of course, send all tips to Carl@CarlsBlogs.com