BETTER ECONOMICS? Suarez over Bregman | Cubs Baseball Rumors

BETTER ECONOMICS? Suarez over Bregman | Cubs Baseball Rumors

Reports are surfacing that the Cubs may be looking past Alex Bregman for an answer at third base. And it could be a guy who used to play in the division with a lot of power and that would be Yoheno Suarez. Could he be an answer to the Cubs problem at third base? And could that be a good sign for Matt Shaw? We’re going to get into that. Cubs were reportedly signing and close to signing Zack Gallon. Didn’t happen yet. But it was reported by Bob Nightingale for a reason. There’s a reason why some people feel like he would be the right fit for the Cubs, and that’s his connection with Carson Kelly, his former teammate and Cubs catcher, and The Athletic reporting that the Cubs are targeting a high level of free agent market player this year. We’re going to get into all those things right here on the Cubs baseball channel. Like, subscribe, thumbs up. Hey, hit that QR code and win at Mick Nation and let’s have a little bit of fun today, guys. Let’s get this party started. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Hey everybody, Mick Gillespie and it is great to talk to you on the Cubs baseball channel today as we look at all the stories going on, winter meetings, maybe some signings. And I want to start with this one, which is kind of the breaking news right now. I don’t want to say it’s breaking, but the the hottest rumor out there is that the Cubs are interested in Johano Suarez potentially over Alex Bregman. Now, why would that one make sense? There’s a few reasons why I think Johennio Suarez would make sense for the Cubs. And the first thing is they gave Dansby Swanson this long-term contract. Um I think we could say that, you know, it’s been okay, right? He he hasn’t not lived up to it, but he hasn’t exceeded the contracts. He’s been kind of here. It’s a lot of money for a slightly above average player. Um, thank goodness it hasn’t turned into a Jason Hayward contract yet, but it felt like it was going that direction a couple years ago. I thought last season was a bounceback for him. And we saw in the San Diego playoff series how important his defense can be and when he gets in a zone and and some big games, he can make a difference. And of course, he won a World Series in Atlanta. So maybe the Cubs are looking at it and going, if we’re going to get Bregman, you know, it could be 5 to seven years. If we get Suarez, well, maybe we can get him because he is older, uh, for, you know, somewhere between two and three years. And that’s kind of where things are looking at right now. And projections are two or three years, 12 to$20 million uh, a season, right? So 45 to to 50 to potentially 70 million if you look at a three-year contract. I don’t know that the Cubs will do three years for Suarez, but uh maybe they do. The the thing you really like about Suarez is that he’s got proven power. And I thought he had a really good postseason for the Mariners and helped them make a run into the a game away from or a win away from going to the World Series for the first time, right? He’s affordable. Um but he is a masher and he’s, you know, he’s one of the best power hitting third baseman in baseball. Uh I think defensively he’s good enough. I don’t think you’re going to get as good of a glove from him than you are from, you know, Matt Shaw. But look, I mean, he had 49 home runs and 118 runs batted in last year. He hit .228. He’s always a threat in the lineup and he’s been an all-star a few times. Um, the Cubs are in the mix and that’s kind of what the word is right now. This one to me makes sense on a couple levels, right? Gives you the power. You you you put someone who now has some he’s had multiple levels of playoff experience and you don’t have to get rid of Shaw, right? Like you could use him as a utility guy. You could let him grow into the position. You could keep him around for insurance. You could trade him too. But if you sign Bregman, third base is gone for years. You know, if you do two years with Suarez, you know, you get this year and then maybe by next year, you know, halfway through the season or something, you know, maybe he’s dhing and and Shaw’s ready to be your everyday third baseman if that’s kind of what you want. Now, to me, I just don’t feel like Shaw is a I just don’t and I’ve said this before, I don’t think that he in my mind, in my estimation, is an everyday third baseman. I just I just don’t I think he’s be he’d be better suited to play second. I like him at shortstop in a pinch and maybe he’ll play some outfield, but you know, I could be wrong. I mean, defensively, he’s held up well, and I think that there’s a potential where he could hit 25 home runs in a season. I mean, I think over that would be surprising to me, but maybe he could. I mean, there’s a there’s a part of his game that kind of reminds me of Alex Bregman. He’s just got, you know, obviously more development to get there and, you know, obviously they’d have to have a lot of success, but I I don’t know. Like I my my thoughts on the Cubs signing Bregman are that they’d love to have him. And I think that when you add championship experience and you look at what the Astros have built in Houston, I mean, they just kind of have this thing. I know they didn’t make the playoffs last year, but they were close. They kind of got injured and eventually just had too many injuries to overcome. But you look at Tucker when he was healthy, you know, what Bregman did for the Red Sox last year and and he’s a really good player, but at the same time with Suarez, you know, you’re not locked in forever. So, that’s where I think that this could happen. Uh, and I’m going to get into why I feel like the Cubs may be willing to go ahead and pony up some money this off seasonason. Now, the the last couple of days have been filled with just intrigue over the report that Zack Allen had signed with the Cubs. and whatever information that Bob Nightingale got, you know, has obviously um been embarrassing to him, right? I mean, you just couldn’t help it, right? But it was the the his his uh ex post was the Chicago Cubs are finalizing the the Chicago Cubs are close to finalizing an agreement with free agent starter Zack Allen. He even had numbers an average of 22 million a year. uh talked about three top 10 sai young award wininning finishes um and he’s averaged 32 starts a year for the past four seasons and then Jeff Passen came back and he’s like Zack Allen does not have a deal and is not close to finalizing one and then Bob Nightingale came back and he’s like the Chicago Cubs are hopeful in capital letters of finalizing an agreement with free agent starter Zack Allen on a multi-year your deal, but the deal is not done with others still in contention. And then, you know, so it’s a tough business that these guys are in when you’re trying to go off of your sources and predict where a player is going to end up signing. And part of what these guys are paid for is being the first one there to say it, to beat the rest of everybody in baseball, to break the news. and and this time it backfired and it happens. So why would the Cubs be a destination that Gallon would uh would would like? Well, uh some of the speculation right now is that he’s got a great connection with Carson Kelly and it kind of reminded me of and you guys remember this from the Cubs World Series when John Lester and David Ross had that connection. got one, got the other one. And you remember when it was reported that Rossy had signed, I think, with the Padres’s and we’re like, what? And then he signed with the Cubs. So, the report was wrong. Kind of kind of the same thing. And so, um, maybe this is why, you know, they played together with Arizona and, you know, Don had his best seasons when those two teamed up, 20, 22, and 23. And if you don’t think that it matters to some pitchers, it does. I mean, look, I I was it Greg Maddox that like threw to the same guy every time. You the the some pitchers just want to work with the same guy. So, Gallon has thrown more innings with Kelly, 327 than any other catcher that he’s pitched with in the big leagues. And what’s crazy is his earn run average when those two are together is 281. And that comes from our friend Patrick Mooney with the Athletic, right? So, that’s why. and Kelly’s in year two of an 11.5 million contract. And why not? I mean, the Cubs are going after someone. I know that Rangers Suarez is another guy that we’re we’re keeping an eye on with this, but I just have for a long time, I felt like Zack Gallon still has something left in the tank. I love the fact that he’s been durable, and maybe that’s one of the reasons why the Cubs feel like it’d be a great fit. I bet he does, too. So, I’m curious if I’ll ever be able to find out why Bob Nightingale thought that was a done deal. Was it a bad source? Was that a deal that got done and then they backed out of it? There’s a lot of things that could be happening behind the scenes. I don’t know. But, uh, look for this to be something that pops back up really soon. All right. Now, the last thing I wanted to talk about on today’s show, talking about our friend, uh, Patrick Mooney in the Athletic, um, quote, targeting a higher level of the free agent market. So, Cubs got really close last year. I mean, they did. They lost to Milwaukee, who lost to the Dodgers, who won the World Series. They won a playoff series. the if the Cubs I feel like if the Cubs would have won the division and hosted three games at Wrigley, I think they’d have won the series. The Brewers don’t have the money to keep the roster the way that it’s been, right? And they’ve done a great job of developing players that slide in and and help him out. Cubs are going to be without uh without Kyle Tucker because he’s going to sign somewhere else. But it’s not like he was really contributing a whole lot by the time the postseason came around. And I think a lot of you guys feel like the Cubs are going to need some more pop to get back to where they were, right? But look, if Michael Bush continues to grow and it feels like he’s on the verge of being an MVP type candidate over at first base, uh you you know what you’re getting out of Nico consistent. You know what you’re getting out of Swanson. Good defense, but not a good hitter at the plate for the most part. Third base, we’ve talked about that. That’s where you’re going to spend some of your money. And then, you know, you’re locked in on Ian Hat because he’s got a no trade clause. So, as hot and cold as he is, he’s not going anywhere. Pete Crow Armstrong, we saw him as an absolute monster first half of the season, first, you know, up until the All-Star break and then after that fell off. Can he find somewhere in the middle? Could he actually do a whole season like he did the first half? We’ll find out. And then right field, Owen Casey, who to me is going to turn a lot of heads when he gets an opportunity to play a lot. Sea Suzuki, uh, Kelly behind the plate, and I still hope the Cubs go out and and try to add, um, another catcher, someone that could be a long-term solution behind the plate. So, the fact that they’re willing to add money, you know, that they want to add another starter, you know, how far are they willing to go to build on what they were able to accomplish last year? It’s good that we’re hearing they’re targeting a high level of free agent. Now, they were going after Dylan CE and then CE got the deal with Toronto and took it, but he was the number one pitcher on the market according to a lot of people. Cubs are Allen’s one of the top guys. Suarez is one of the top guys, you know. Um, you know, be immund somewhere in that neighborhood, right? Um, will they do it? Maybe. I mean, you look at the deal that Yamamoto got and look at what he did. Won a World Series uh MVP and he was brilliant. So, I you keep hearing the Cubs kind of in the mix for some of these really elite pitchers and I think that’s a good sign because they’re willing to go out there and spend the money to get better. All right, that does it for the show today. Make sure that you guys uh get in the comments section, tell me what you think. And again, uh Avenue D, that’s our web 3 home. Thank you guys for going out there and being a part of our contests and eventually we’ll have our store there. We’re building everything towards uh Avenue D and MC Nation. So, um check that out and uh get in the comments section. Tell me what you guys think. Even some of you Cardinals fans that get in there from time to time. Can’t forget about you guys. But look, have a great day and uh we’ll do it again tomorrow. Go Cubs. [Music]

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This Episode:
– Eugenio Suarez Over Alex Bregman???
– Zac Gallen Connection With Carson Kelly
– The Athletic-“targeting a higher level of the free-agent market”

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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