Cubbies Gazette

 I'll take a break from considering the problems and future of the Cubs and have a little bit of fun. It all started here: This would be fun: C: Javy Báez 1B: Kyle Hendricks 2B: Sammy Sosa SS: Nick Castellanos 3B: Kyle Schwarber LF: Derrek Lee CF: Willson Contreras RF: Mark Grace SP: 2015 Jake Arrieta RP: Kyle Farnsworth CL: Anthony Rizzo https://t.co/Z4yLsPo3X3 — OBVIOUS SHIRTS® (@obvious_shirts) January 28, 2022 That would be a very fun lineup and defense to watch. Rizzo closing? I love it. (He has a 0.00 ERA and struck out Freddie Freeman, by the way). That would definitely be a fun game to watch, made up with Cubs players from all time, but I decided to make my own fun Cubs lineup using only players on the Cubs' roster right now. Here goes nothing: C: Kyle Hendricks 1B: Ian Happ 2B: Willson Contreras SS: Marcus Stroman 3B: Michael Hermosillo LF: Nick Madrigal CF: David Bote RF: Codi Heuer SP: Manuel Rodriguez RP: Wade Miley CL: Frank Schwindel I would like to put Andrew C

I haven't been much encouraged with how the lockout and the negotiations are going. Both sides met two days in a row but based on reports not much happened besides some counter proposals and continued disagreement.  So, right now we're still wrapped in a "never ending" lockout, and while I don't really see Spring Training starting on time, and as disappointing as that may be, the lockout will eventually be over, even if it pushes the season back. And since the lockout will eventually be over, that means the "offseason" will resume, with tons of free agents having limited time to sign with a team. That may bring advantages and disadvantages all at the same time. There are plenty of teams that have big holes in their roster, and while the Cubs don't have HUGE open spots on their roster, there is still some needs. So, I'm going to discuss a little bit about what the Cubs' plans will be in an offseason that is limited and rushed. The Question of

  The Cubs made an actual minor league signing just yesterday, and like most of them they have made, it was a bullpen arm. RHP Eric Yardley is a side-arming pitcher familiar to the Cubs, as he pitched for the Brewers in 2020-2021. Yardley has seen some good success and low numbers in his career, having a 3.00 ERA or less in 8 of his 13 stints in the minor leagues, dating back from 2014. He made his MLB debut in 2019 with the Padres, and posted a 2.31 ERA, ranking with his MaxEV being only 106 MPH (top 10% of MLB). He had a great year with the Brewers in 2020, posting a 1.54 ERA, but went downhill in 2021, showing a 6.75 ERA in 23 IP before heading to Triple A again, where he had a 3.22 ERA in 36 IP. He is heavily reliant on groundballs, as he has a career 60.8% GB rate, and isn't much of a strikeout guy (career 13% K rate). The curveball has been a successful pitch for him, as it has an 85 percentile ranking on the spin and has been one of his great pitches. As to the Cubs signing

  Naturally, every team plays their division rivals the most. For the Cubs, that's NL Central, and it's been a pretty unpredictable division for the last few years. Definitely less predictable than AL West, for example. So, it's a pretty natural conclusion that the Cubs' division rivals will either give them a lot of wins or a lot of losses, which in turn decides if the Cubs make or miss the playoffs. We'll start by figuring out how the Cubs fared against their rivals in 2021. The Cubs were 4-15 vs the Brewers in 2021 The Cubs were 9-10 vs the Cardinals in 2021 The Cubs were 8-11 vs the Reds in 2021 The Cubs were 14-5 vs the Pirates in 2021 Overall, the Cubs were 35-41 vs their division rivals in 2021 and played a total of 76 out of 162 games vs them. So, playing almost half of your season vs your division is pretty important, and the fact that the Cubs had a losing record vs every team except the Pirates is very telling. The Brewers DID win the division and their p