QUEST FOR STARTERS | Lopez? King?… | Cubs Baseball Rumors

Cubs missed out on Dylan CE, but so did the rest of baseball other than Toronto. What’s the next big move though to help the Cubs with the rotation. We’re going to talk about some options, including one guy that the Cubs were interested in a year ago, but didn’t get. All that right here on the Cubs baseball channel. Like, subscribe, thumbs up, hit the bell, and let’s get this show started. Let’s talk a little Cubs baseball. And I hope all of you guys are having a great holiday weekend. Let’s go. [Music] [Applause] [Music] What do you say everybody? Mick Gillespie, Cubs baseball channel and it is a pleasure to talk to you guys. Got some of these hats? The swag is here. Make sure you hit Avenue D. Our QR code’s right there at the bottom of the screen. MC Nation and uh you got an opportunity to win cash, to win swag, to have bragging rights. It’s where our web 3 home is. That’s where we’re building towards and we appreciate all of you guys for hanging with us right here. All right, next big direction. I I threw that up there because I was like, what what is the next big direction that the Cubs are going? Right. And I think that what we’ve talked about is starting pitching, right? And and even though the Cubs have a rotation right now that you could say, okay, well, we got five guys, not the burger, but five guys, what are we going to do next? And it’s like, okay, well, what are we going to do next? Uh, I think they’re going to have to get a front end uh rotation guy. And and and we talked about, you know, making a deal and maybe adding Sandy Alcantara or Edwin Cabrera, but how about this guy, Pablo Lopez, right? Last year we talked a lot about Lopez and the potential that maybe the Cubs would be interested in Lopez. Um, you know, they didn’t get Dylan Sees. Shane Bieber signed with or decided to just take the money and stay with Toronto. So, those two are going to be on the same team. Um, Jack Flity is not going to be available. So, you got some other guys and we’ll talk about those guys as well. But Lopez has been a Cubs trade target for, you know, a couple of years now. And and you’re saying, “Well, why?” Well, I mean, look, the guy has been really good. He’s a student of the game and uses modern pitching theory and analytics to his approach. He has great control, doesn’t walk a lot of batters, strikes out a ton of guys. His velocity is between 92 and 95. Sometimes he hits 97. So, you love that. The problem is that he’s dealt with in the last year, which wasn’t the case in the previous years, some injuries, right forearm strain, shoulder strain, you know, missed some time. And that was after he was really durable and fantastic for Minnesota and and obviously without him healthy, they didn’t have the seasons that they’ve had in the past. But, you know, do the Cubs take a risk here and try to trade for him? I think there there’s definitely a possibility. Um, you know, the Cubs were trying to make a trade at the deadline for McKenzie Gore of the Nationals. That didn’t get done, you know. So, I think that like there’s some guys out there, whether it’s Cabrera, Edwin Cabrera, or Sandy Alcantara of the Marlins, you know, if that would work out. Right back to Pablo Lopez, another guy that keeps popping up. You know, maybe you could go back to McKenzie Gore. I’m sure there’s some other guys out there. Would they be interested in uh TKO? I don’t know that they I’m sure they would. I just don’t know that they’re going to give up the hall that it would take to get him, right? Um so I’m curious to see what direction that the Cubs are going to go. But I mean, if they’re going to be a contender for the World Series, and this is kind of what we talked about on the show, um you know, yesterday, you’re going to have to make some moves. you know, two days ago was like, are you serious about winning if you’re not going to go out there and make the moves that it takes to win? And I think that that’s kind of where the Cubs are as far as going out and getting the right pieces to contend to beat the Dodgers, right? Rangers Suarez, uh, Philly are the Phillies going to sign him. He was 12 and eight last year, struck out 151 batters. You know, he’s one of the top pitchers in the league, at least the top 40 guys in the league. He’s a 31-year-old, you know, would would the Cubs be serious about signing him? Uh, is are they willing to pay something, you know, in the $25 million range or more? He turned down a $22.5 million qualifying offer from the Phillies, which means if you sign him, you know, you’re going to have to give up a pick as well. I I talked about Michael King. You know, he’s another guy that the Cubs may go after. 30 years old, was with the Padres’s. It was rumored that maybe the Cubs were willing to get him. He’s another one of these guys, you know, you look at 45 starts, had an 18 and 12 record in the last two seasons for the Padres’s. Um, he wouldn’t accept a 7.5 million one-year deal, and now he’s a free agent. You know, what’s his market value? You know, some people have calculated that it could be in the 20 $25 million range for a Michael King. you know, starting pitchers are are at a premium, right? So, you know, are is that the direction that the Cubs are going to go? But I think that if they’re really going to be one of the best teams in baseball, it’s going to take having topend pitching, you know, not just the guys in the back of the rotation, but when you get into these monster playoff series, you got to have guys that can go out there and dominate. I mean, the Dodgers won the the World Series and Yamamoto was the best player on their team. pitched game six and came back and pitched game seven. He had one of the best postseasons that I can remember since Madison Bumgner. Like same kind of deal. You have somebody like that that you’re developing. You know, we we’ve we’ve talked about Jackson Wiggins, but you know, he’s had a propensity to be hurt. I think he’s got excellent stuff. Somebody durable, somebody that comes in ready to win. You know, those would be the guys right off the bat that I would think about if I was the Chicago Cubs. And I think that’s what, like I said, to win, you’re going to have to have star players. You know, the other thing, too, is looking for the deals that could potentially help you win. And I talk about the Cardinals on here jokingly a lot. Uh on a every day, I try to give the Cardinals a little shout out on the show. Uh how about the trade that they made with the Red Sox, sending Sunny Gray to Boston in a deal, right? Uh, Gray had a 14-8 record and a 428 RA and the Red Sox were looking for somebody to get in that rotation. You know, Gray was what, a couple years removed from finishing second in the Ali Young Award conversation and and that’s probably why the Red Sox are going, you know what, this is a worthwhile risk, right? you’re getting someone that comes with a lot of name recognition with some some years where he’s been one of the best pitchers in baseball. You know, what can we get to to to try to add to the mix? And then, you know, the Red Sox gave up Brandon Clark and Richard Fitz. Um, okay, Richard Fitz, don’t call me my nickname, Dick. I look at this and I go, “Okay, I mean, you’re giving up some, you know, some some some players that are that could potentially come in and help you win, but you know, at the same time, the Cardinals are dropping payroll and they’re looking at this as maybe we’re getting rid of him at the right time. The Red Sox are hoping that maybe he’s got a season or two left in the tank and that that that’ll help them get to where they want to get, and that’s to uh the World Series.” and and the Red Sox, look, we’re a surprising contender this year, but pitching gets you there. Do the Cubs have a deal like this out there? I think that’s the other thing that I ask myself when I look at this and go, okay, when when it comes to pitching, we know that they got to go out, rebuild the bullpen, also like add to the starting pitching, add to the top of the starting pitching, not to the back, but to the front. What’s out there and available for these guys that can help them win? So, that’s the question. You guys tell me. Again, uh let’s give a hat away. Comment section. Make sure that you’re part of Avenue D. If you like the logo and you want to support the hat, tell me in the comment section. Thank you guys for being here. Like and subscribe, thumbs up, and all you guys that watch on a daily basis, man. Appreciate it so much. I said that for Thanksgiving, but just to reiterate that. Uh love you guys. Thank you. Uh also, give me some show ideas. It’s the off seasonason. What can we talk about that you guys are interested in? let me know cuz we’ll do that as well. So, like, subscribe, thumbs up as I always say, and uh don’t forget that we’re brought to you by the uh visit Seavirville Smoky Mountains. It’s great time to do that. Going into the mountains, hanging out with the bears and the talking fish and the birds. Now, I don’t know if they talk, but beautiful place. You’re talking about hundreds of Christmas lights and everything else in the Smoky Mountains. 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This Episode:
– Next Big Direction???
– Pablo Lopez Trade To Cubs?
– Moves That Make Sense…

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Mick Gillispie has covered the Chicago Cubs since 2007 and has been a fan of the team since the 1984 season. He has broadcasted spring training games or been heard on Cubs.com, MLB.com, 670 The Score, WGN, CSN-Chicago and Marquee Sports Network. He is an award winning play-by-play voice for the Tennessee Smokies Cubs Double-A Affiliate. He has also hosted many forums over the years at Cubs Convention including Down on The Farm

13 comments

  3. Here me out on this one. Trade for Joe Ryan and offer him a 4 year, 85M contract paid out as 15M, 20M, 25M, 25M. He’d make more money in his remaining arb years and also would most likely make more money than 2 years of arb and 2 years if he signed a Cease like AAV.

  6. Let's wait a month maybe we can save $2.00 , and if no one is left $3.00 , who the hell would want to play for this team , no sense of urgency and no we don't need another bat !

  7. I always look forward to this show in the morning!!
    It would be nice if the Cubs signed someone good!!! I don’t like to trade prospects unless it’s for an established young player.

  11. I am here in a lot of talk, but that’s all I’m hearing I don’t see the Cubs spending a lot of money in fact, the Cubs don’t need to get a picture and it’s coming off injury. We have one already in steel we need someone who is healthy. It doesn’t have any issues of injury and you mentioned the Cubs being a contender for the World Series. You’re not gonna go out and make the big deal spend the big money to do that so no I don’t see them being a contender. They’ll do some little things and that and hope for the best and if by some chance of luck they make it they make it the history in the last few years and even after the World Series, the Cubs were looking to save money you can go back to 2017 when you didn’t wanna spend the money to keep Chapman or Dexter Fowler Dickie both those guys they win in 2017 I don’t have a doubt about that not one and they didn’t do it. They didn’t bother to keep Kyle Schwarber didn’t want to spend the money. We see how that has worked out and I don’t think they’re gonna spend the money to pick him up and he made some pretty interesting trades last year that gave up great prospects for a one year rental that they never planned on keeping to begin with that was not really a smart move was more like a desperate move to appease Cubs Fans and that solve blasters’s problem but now there’s this year Tucker‘s gone and we don’t have the prospects and it doesn’t look like we’re gonna go out and do anything replace that batt in the office so as it stands right now, we are not as good as we were last year offensively in defensively or that could be as good cause we’re not gonna have that defense in the right field. It looks like Owen case it’s gonna be the guy next year in right field cups need to improve their bench that was a big problem last year, especially in the playoffs. I can see them doing little things to do that. Your bet was pretty bad so I can see that getting better when you’re bad there’s only one place to go is up you better hope that steel comes back from injury and he is lights out because we’re gonna need that next year. You better hope that. Happ is consistent the whole year on offense we better hope that PCA boys like you did the first half of the season for the whole year. We better hope that Matt Shaw really figures it out after playing a year or close to it. I’ll talk about hitting you better. Hope that he hits around 260 to 270 and has 20 to 30 home runs we better hope that damn be Swanson does the same thing we better hope the bush repeats what he did from last year you better hope that Suzuki plays like he did in the playoffs for the whole year. This whole Cubs team is based on better. Hope now it could happen it could happen, but I don’t put a whole lot stock in better hope the Reds are improving are going to be better than the world last year and the Brewers are the Brewers and I suspect the Cardinals are gonna be better next year as well so the Cubs have to get better than they were last year just to maintain and that hasn’t happened yet on paper right now the Cubs are not as good as they were last year. Things are happening fast right now we are practically at the beginning of December Cubs conventions just around the corner and won’t be long before pictures report to spring training. I like to see something that saysthis has made this team better a lot better that hasn’t happened yet.

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