This Critical Moment for the New Cubs GM, ALCS Game One, Bo Jackson, and Other Cubs Bullets

That was enjoyable final night time to have three simultaneous video games to comply with (ALCS Recreation One, Bulls last preseason sport, Blackhawks second common season sport), but it surely was additionally a little bit of a head-on-a-swivel night time. I received lazy and didn’t truly arrange three screens, so I used to be simply bouncing backwards and forwards randomly, which implies I missed a number of the moments reside. Be higher, Brett.

•   This isn’t going to be new data to you, however I assumed the framing of the now-official Carter Hawkins rent – the timing of it, and the second for the Cubs – was fairly helpful here from Jordan Bastian:

Hawkins joins a front-office group that’s coming into an necessary offseason for the Cubs’ future course.

A sequence of blockbuster offers on the Commerce Deadline dismantled the membership’s core, however helped add a pile of prospects to Chicago’s farm system. The Cubs’ second-half spiral additionally netted the workforce the No. 7 general choose within the 2022 MLB Draft.

With Collective Bargaining Settlement negotiations coming this offseason, the Cubs might be positioned to react as they see match with a drastic improve in payroll flexibility and prospect capital. Hoyer has insisted that he doesn’t need to undertake a protracted rebuilding course of.

•   It truly is a CRITICAL time for any GM to be sliding into the Cubs, however particularly a man who’s heavy on a participant growth background. That’s all the time necessary for any group within the long-term, however boy does it really feel exceedingly necessary for a Cubs group that’s loaded on the lowest ranges with expertise … that should efficiently grow to be large league contributors, and comparatively quickly.

•   One other notice on that: *often* when a man like Hawkins will get promoted from AGM to GM in a brand new group, he is ready to carry a colleague or two with him to the brand new org. I hope that occurs right here, not solely as a result of, hey, you need as a lot entrance workplace expertise from Cleveland as potential, but additionally since you’d love for his transition to be as easy and comfy and expeditious as potential.

•   The Pink Sox received out to an early lead final night time in ALCS Recreation One, however the Astros got here again and gained it totally on the energy of homers from Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa:

•   Carlos Correa’s celebration on his homer to take the lead – oh my. The boldness:

“IT’S MY TIME!” @TeamCJCorrea | #ForTheH pic.twitter.com/2JnRKDVvTE

— FOX Sports activities: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 16, 2021

•   The Astros take the early 1-0 lead within the sequence, and I’m already irritated eager about the potential “redemption” narrative. Recreation Two is that this afternoon at 3:20pm CT. In the meantime, Recreation One of many NLCS is tonight at 7pm CT, with Max Fried going through the ole still-TBD starter for the Dodgers.

The Astros are the 4th workforce all-time to attain 5+ runs in every of their first 5 video games of a single postseason, becoming a member of the 1995 Mariners, 1987 Twins and 1971 Orioles.

Solely the 1987 Twins prolonged their run to six video games (they received to 7) and so they went on to win the World Collection. pic.twitter.com/rIYDa8qPFn

— ESPN Stats & Data (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 16, 2021

•   It got here in a shedding effort, however Kiké Hernandez was everywhere in the dang place for the Pink Sox, homering twice, and enjoying distinctive outfield protection. He was already one thing of a postseason hero within the LDS, and was additionally a 4.0 WAR participant for the Pink Sox within the common season (dude hit .250/.337/.449, 110 wRC+ this 12 months after going .235/.296/.410, 85 wRC+ the final two years mixed). Once I take into consideration the sorts of signings the Cubs must get proper this offseason, and the type they’ve utterly sat out the final 5 years, it’s guys like Hernandez, who signed for simply two years and $14 million forward of his age 29 season. That’s the tier that the Cubs ought to have ZERO EXCUSE for not having the ability to go after their most well-liked targets aggressively, even “overpaying” for the short-term targets they need.

•   You may’t ignore the final portion of this tweet, as a result of it actually goes to be a hurdle, however I do like listening to that no one is posturing to interrupt off talks simply but:

MLB labor talks for the following settlement have gotten into an everyday cadence with a prolonged assembly this week. Economics, as all the time, might be on the tail finish and be the problems with probably the most challenges.

— Maury Brown (@BizballMaury) October 15, 2021

•   That is cool:

Guests to the Museum tomorrow would be the first to see this new show on the @baseballhall about baseballs stars who additionally excelled at one other sport – like soccer, basketball, hockey, cricket, quick monitor pace skating, golf, and monitor and area. Who’s artifacts do you see? pic.twitter.com/I9hndiZ9pe

— Jon Shestakofsky (@Shesta_HOF) October 16, 2021

•   It’s additionally a reminder of simply how good Bo Jackson might’ve been in each sports activities if not for the hip harm that ended his soccer profession, and severely restricted his baseball profession. Everyone knows what a stud he was in soccer, however I really feel like a number of people don’t understand simply how good he’d turn into in baseball earlier than the harm. You’ve most likely seen the outfield spotlight clips, however the man was a stud on the plate. He improved each single 12 months within the large leagues till that last pre-injury season when he hit .272/.342/.523 (140 wRC+) at age 27. Who is aware of how good he might’ve turn into with out the harm (or how good he might’ve been if he’d solely performed baseball all alongside).

•   Extra stray ideas on the GM rent, about which I’ll have extra to say after Monday’s press convention, after which through the years of analysis (as a result of that’s simply the way it’s gotta be):

People need to know the response, which I perceive, but it surely’s gonna take time to judge. All we all know proper now could be that Hawkins had 14 years with the Indians, and wound up being answerable for their (very profitable) participant growth program. That is an enormous gold star on paper.

— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) October 15, 2021

To that finish, one other normal level – not about Hawkins or this hiring, particularly – this is hoping that is simply the primary of extra hiring strikes this offseason each to re-stock what was misplaced final 12 months, and likewise to extend the variety of backgrounds/concepts/experiences within the FO.

— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) October 15, 2021

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