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Stroman Recruiting Correa, David Bote and Jason Heyward Projections, and Other Cubs Tidbits

 


With the news that the Cubs have "a serious interest" in Correa, a lot of Cubs fans (and players) have been going berserk about potentially getting Correa.

That includes new Cubs pitcher Marcus Stroman, who has yet to play one game with the Cubs but is actively recruiting. See what he said here:


That's right, and don't stop saying it! Correa playing in a Cubs uniform would be fantastic, and I don't want to be pessimistic, but we still have to wait until this "lockout" is over...and then the Cubs can sign him.

David Bote Projections

David Bote had a very bad year in 2021, like I wrote about a few weeks ago here: What Is David Bote's Role With the 2022 Cubs?  and he ended up 64 wRC at the end of the season. Going into the 2021 season, he was projected to hit pretty well, but he really underperformed, batting .201/.280/.340 with a 68 wRC before his injury and .197/.273/.320 with a 60 wRC after his injury.

However, in 2022 he's projected to have a 94 wRC, which is certainly a big leap from where he was this past season. That would make him roughly an average player with a knack for driving in runs and hitting for both power and contact. If he does hit that well, that would give him somewhat of a platoon with Wisdom at third.

Of course, we have to remember that projections are often off (like the 2021 Bote projections) but the fact that they're optimistic that he'll rebound in 2022 is a good sign.

Jason Heyward Projections

Most fans think that Heyward is mostly a waste of money, considering how unproductive his hitting has been the last few years, and only his solid fielding and mentality redeeming values. I am somewhat of that opinion, but honestly do not think the Cubs will trade him just yet.

In 2020, he showed somewhat of a rebound, batting .265/.392/.456 with a 129 wRC, but he was pretty bad in 2021, showing a .214/.280/.347 with a 68 wRC. 

He is projected to have a 96 wRC in 2022, which is a rebound from his poor 2021 numbers, but also not quite up to his 2018-2020 numbers. His defense will likely be as valuable as ever, and if the hitting improves as predicted, he can perhaps share RF with someone like Ramirez or Frazier.

Trading For A Bad Contract (And Top Prospect)

There have been rumors lately about the Cubs trading for Hosmer (who has a $20M/year contract) and a top prospect (possibly No. 2 prospect C Luis Campusano). While they would be getting a top catching prospect (to help balance when Amaya recovers), they would also get a first baseman who was just an average player in 2021 (batting .269/.337/.395 with a 10 wRC) and doesn't have good defense. 

Although I don't like that trade idea (it was discussed in July by the Cubs and Padres), the idea of that is something that could be a great trade. Perhaps trading for someone like Hosmer, but another position (maybe third?) and a top prospect would be a better scenario. 

The reason the Cubs would do this is mainly for the top prospect (in the Hosmer case it was Campusano), who would be ready for the major leagues somewhat soon and be able to help the team compete. But with that said, you can't just ignore how the MLB player plays, since you will be paying him quite a bit.

I might come back and revisit this topic in a later article and give some trade proposals, but that's all I have on that for now.

As always, have a great day and leave any questions or comments below!


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