Baseball is back tomorrow, and so is OV’s erratic coverage of the 2021 Cubs season. Baseball has certainly been far from my mind since the weirdness that was the 2020 season. However, listening to the occasional radio broadcast during the spring has re-stoked some of that fan energy that I had forgotten I had.
For the rest of you who have been checked out this offseason, here’s the projected opening day roster:
- C: Willson Contreras
- 1B: Anthony Rizzo
- 2B: David Bote
- SS: Javier Baez
- 3B: Kris Bryant
- LF: Joc Pederson
- CF: Ian Happ
- RF: Jason Heyward
- SP: Cyle Hendricks
- SP: Jay Carrieta
- SP: Zach Davies
- SP: Trevor Williams
- SP: Adbert Alzolay
- CL: Craig Kimbrel
- B: Austin Romine*
- B: Matt Duffy
- B: Eric Sogard
- B: Jake Marisnick
- RP: Rowan Wick
- RP: Brandon Workman
- RP: Ryan Tepera
- RP: Dan Winkler
- RP: Alec Mills
- RP: Rex Brothers
- RP: Dillon Maples?
- RP: Jason Adam?
- RP: Andrew Chafin?
- RP: Jonathan Holder?
I guess the roster isn’t finally final so we don’t know who the back half of the bullpen will be. We’ll expect to see most of these guys anyway.
*Romine is dealing with knee problems and it sounds like the Cubs are going to bring in Tony Walters or one of the other end of spring roster cut types (Lucroy?) to start the year as Contreras’s backup.
Other offseason-y news
The rotation certainly looks a lot different from last year. Jon Lester is gone, signed by the Nationals for 1/$5m despite strongly signaling that he’d be interested in coming back for a discount. The Jose Quintana era also ended with a whimper after a 1/$8m free agent deal with the Angels, saving me from the need to reflexively defend the Eloy Jimenez deal every five days. Tyler Chatwood went to the Jays for 1/$3m, which eh. And most notably Yu Darvish (and Vic Caratini) were traded to the Padres for a bunch of barely-ranked 17 year olds and Zach Davies. Yeesh. The Cubs seem to be tripling down on soft contact guys and their defense this year.
It seemed like something freed up later in the offseason (probably attendance projections), so the Cubs were able to spend some of the salary they shed with all those guys, but it basically amounted to 1/$7m for Pederson, 1/$6 for Arrieta, and a bunch of fliers on bargain bin guys like Williams, Sogard, Maybin, and Shelby Miller.
As far as majors-ready types go, Nico Hoerner was sent to AAA to start the year to get some regular ABs/work on his approach at the plate, and Cameron Maybin and Shelby Miller are likely to be parked down there for the time being. As far as any other prospects go, it’s crickets as far as I can tell. I’m not exactly the best resource when it comes to keeping tabs on prospects though (dying laughing).
There was some vague extension talk over the offseason, and KB sounds much more amenable than he was in the past. That’s a pretty low bar to clear however, and chances going from 0.0001% to 5% is not that big an improvement (dying laughing). The guy that everyone figured was most likely to sign was Rizzo, but it sounds like he’s cutting off negotiations as the season starts. It doesn’t help that the Cubs offer was 5/$70, which seems pretty low for someone who’s been the face of the franchise for quite some time and has a lot fewer red flags than the other Cubs extension candidates. But I digress.
I’ll close with uncle dave’s updated lyrics to “Hey Hey, Holy Mackerel”
Hey, hey, holy mackerel,
no doubt about it,
the Cubs are gonna play!
The Cubs might get a hit today
six guys are gonna pitch today
stand in the field today
come what may,
the Cubs are gonna play today!
Hey, hey holy mackerel
no doubt about it
The Cubs are gonna play
we’ll call it hustle
they’ve got no muscle
the Chicago Cubs are gonna play
the Chicago Cubs have lost their way
Comments
*rubs eyes* what’s this now?
uncle daveQuote Reply
I’m excited for baseball. I recently moved to Southern California, so the ability to (eventually) go watch good baseball is extra exciting (dying laughing)
Wenningtons Gorilla CockQuote Reply
All the money——>Francisco Lindor
PerkinsQuote Reply
To-day’s base ball squadron
CF Happ
C Contreras
1B Rizzo
3B Bryant
LF Pederson
SS Baez
RF Heyward
2B Bote
P Cyle
berseliusQuote Reply
Wenningtons Gorilla Cock,
Yeah, the Angels should be good this year (dying laughing).
uncle daveQuote Reply
Series preview: the Pirates are the worst team in baseball, so the Cubs should win one game in the series if a few things break their way.
berseliusQuote Reply
Entering the 18th season of my yahoo fantasy league I deleted the Cubs themed team name from my profile and left it blank. The system default setting is teamname.
Go teamname!
SKQuote Reply
Gotta love MLB’s tradition of rolling out new features/infrastructure changes for mlb.tv on opening day instead of during spring training. I could set my watch to my work firewall’s confusion each year.
berseliusQuote Reply
Chicago Cubs baseball is on the air!
berseliusQuote Reply
Not hearing Len Kasper feels weird.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Perkins,
I like Boog a lot more than most other broadcasters, but yeah it’s strange. I already switched to the Pat and Coom overlay (dying laughing).
berseliusQuote Reply
bump
berseliusQuote Reply
Cubs lose
SKQuote Reply
Cubs blow
Wenningtons Gorilla CockQuote Reply
Tony!
berseliusQuote Reply
Baserunning!
berseliusQuote Reply
Coom is blaming the weather for Cyle’s control issues today…not sure I follow that logic.
berseliusQuote Reply
#Pierats
berseliusQuote Reply
Is there a dispensary in Wrigley Field now?
SKQuote Reply
Did Illinois legalize?
berseliusQuote Reply
hey tone down the enthusiasm a little, we’ve already got one optimist ’round these parts
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
I think it did.
But I noticed the organist is now riffing on Rainy Day Women — that “everybody must get stoned “ Bob Dylan song
SKQuote Reply
Looks like uncle dave was the optimist around here today (dying laughing)
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
Not being able to grip the ball in the cold. FWIW, that was what he was saying before the game got underway.
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
I was going to say that it certainly didn’t bother him on opening day last year, but something tells me the weather was a little different (dying laughing).
berseliusQuote Reply
looks like the offense finally got all of the kinks worked out in the offseason, you guys
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
EnricoPallazzo,
Nowhere to go but up!
berseliusQuote Reply
holy shit….these des moines commercials are fantastic. they make the village of bedford park sound like a fucking shithole.
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
EnricoPallazzo,
“the s’s are silent, the city is buzzing.” well done, des moines.
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
EnricoPallazzo,
(dying laughing), I just looked that up myself.
berseliusQuote Reply
Do the Cubs play today?
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Cubs lose
berseliusQuote Reply
*glances at Monkey’s paw after wishing the Cubs would get nothing but extra base hits*
berseliusQuote Reply
I wonder if the Cubs will be above .500 at any point this season.
PerkinsQuote Reply
teamname finished the day 0-8
SKQuote Reply
SK,
Truly the Washington Football Team of fantasy baseball in every possible way.
uncle daveQuote Reply
2021 ASG ————> not Georgia
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
The Georgia GOP just inadvertently saved Cobb County millions of dollars (dying laughing)
uncle daveQuote Reply
And now we got a congressman babbling about taking away MLB’s antitrust exemption. This is quickly spiraling into one of the most entertainingly stupid things I’ve seen in a while, and that bar is high.
uncle daveQuote Reply
uncle dave,
I think everyone is gobsmacked by MLB actually taking swift action to do the right thing on something, rather than setting up 15 consecutive delaying actions/blue ribbon panels.
berseliusQuote Reply
Trevor Bauer is doin the thing, assuming no one flies a drone past him.
berseliusQuote Reply
Yet another year in which the Cubs rely way too heavily on the sacrifice fly.
andcountingQuote Reply
To-day’s be lated base ball squadron
C Contreras
3B Bryant
1B Rizzo
SS Baez
LF Pederson
CF Marisnick
RF Heyward
2B Bote
P Carrieta
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
And of course Cubs are already losing (dying laughing).
berseliusQuote Reply
Javy!
PerkinsQuote Reply
Yay, an RBI.
Javy’s legs seem well rested.
berseliusQuote Reply
Bryant!
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
KBoom!
PerkinsQuote Reply
KB?
andcountingQuote Reply
KB!
/belated
berseliusQuote Reply
Missin that NL DH.
berseliusQuote Reply
The sponsor of the Cubs’ cleanup hitter is a dumpster service. If that isn’t well-placed advertising, such a thing does not exist.
andcountingQuote Reply
Arrieta looks pretty good?
SKQuote Reply
J_EHY!!!
SKQuote Reply
Hayward!
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Hey.
andcountingQuote Reply
Screw the closer!
PerkinsQuote Reply
Why do pitchers throw Javy strikes on 0-2? Or ever?
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Kimbrel looking good?!
berseliusQuote Reply
M———> inverted
berseliusQuote Reply
Kimbrel!
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Good Kimbrel
PerkinsQuote Reply
Cubs pitching today: 12k, 1BB
berseliusQuote Reply
You guys are still watching baseball!? Haven’t you heard — Banana Ball is the future.
Also, are the Cubs any good? Eh — who cares.
Hey Rickettses — get fucked!
ceruleanQuote Reply
In other news: J&J is taking over.
What a fucking cock-up of a company.
ceruleanQuote Reply
To-day’s base ball squadron
CF Happ
C Contreras
1B Rizzo
3B Bryant
LF Pederson
SS Baez
RF Heyward
2B Sogard
P Davies
berseliusQuote Reply
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Bryant!!
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Runs!
berseliusQuote Reply
Davies is really filling in that “looks like a little leaguer” role that the Cubs left vacant when Edwards left last year.
berseliusQuote Reply
Happ!!
berseliusQuote Reply
Happ!!
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
(dying laughing) Rizzo stolen base
PerkinsQuote Reply
I love it when baserunners put up the safe sign as they cross first base. You’re not the umpire!
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Well I guess the Darvish trade is no longer a success.
berseliusQuote Reply
(dying laughing), pierates defense.
berseliusQuote Reply
Pretty good double play by Bryzzo there
berseliusQuote Reply
The Cubs’ bullpen is looking to get its first blown save of the year.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Whew.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Kimbrel brought the good stuff again today.
berseliusQuote Reply
Contreras has actually gotten decent at stealing strikes.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
M————> inverted
berseliusQuote Reply
http://www.obstructedview.net/cubs-4-pirates-3-2/
berseliusQuote Reply