BCB After Dark: How did I do?

Welcome back to BCB After Dark: the swinging-est soiree for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. I hope you enjoyed tonight’s Cubs’ game and are ready to keep the party going. Come on in and cool off. There’s no cover charge and we still have available tables. The show will start shortly. Bring your own beverage.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

Tonight, the Cubs destroyed the Reds, 20-9 in a game that wasn’t that close. Anthony Kay gave up four runs in the bottom of the ninth after retiring the first two batters of the inning. The Jeimer Candelario reunion tour got off to a good start with four hits including a double, although he did make an error at first base. Which, considering he hasn’t played an inning there since 2020, I’m willing to forgive. Dansby Swanson hit two home runs and I hope that every Cubs fan who didn’t want Swanson this past off-season or who saw him as the consolation prize among the four free-agent shortstops eats some crow.

In fact, the Cubs hit seven home runs tonight, which ties the most that they’ve hit in a game during the modern (post-1901) era.

Last night I asked you if you thought the Cubs would make another move today. Sixty percent of you said that they’d make a minor deal, although Adrian Sampson and Manuel Rodríguez for Josh Roberson is so small I’m not sure it even qualifies as a minor deal. Because this trade involved no one on a 40-man roster, it could have been made even after the deadline.

On Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, I don’t normally do a film essay. But I always have time for jazz, so those of you who skip that can do so now. You won’t hurt my feelings.

Tonight we have a performance from the legendary bassist Ron Carter in Baltimore last year. Carter is joined by Renee Rosnes on piano, Jimmy Greene on sax and Payton Crossley on drums.

Welcome back to everyone who skips the jazz.

Tonight’s question is a simple one: grade the Cubs’ trade deadline. They made three deals, one big, one small and one microscopic.

The big deal was getting corner infielder Jeimer Candelario from the Nationals for two prospects, left-handed pitcher DJ Herz and shortstop Kevin Made. Both players are legitimate prospects, but neither one is among the Cubs top prospects. Herz has a violent crossfire delivery that both gives his pitches a lot of movement and makes it hard for him to hit the strike zone. Made is a no-doubt shortstop with a strong arm but is repeating High-A and has struggled to hit. But he’s still young (20) and there’s some chance he starts to hit for either average or power. Or maybe even both. But it’s not a good chance.

The second deal, which I’d call minor, was Nelson Velázquez for José Cuas. I think you’re probably already familiar with Velázquez. Cuas is a funky, sidearming right-handed reliever with a good story about failing as a position player, converting to the mound, ending up in independent ball and working his way all the way to the majors. But he’s going to start his Cubs career in Iowa.

In the microscopic deal, the Cubs got right-hander Josh Roberson. Roberson will also start his Cubs career in Iowa and has yet to pitch in the major leagues. Robertson is a 27-year-old right-hander whose fastball reaches the upper-90s. He combines that with a sharp, upper-80s slider. But like a lot of guys, he needs to improve on his control and command.

As I said earlier, this deal did not need to be done today.

I think you’re probably already familiar with Adrian Sampson and Manuel Rodríguez.

So, grade the Cubs trade deadline. You can also grade them on the deals they didn’t make. They didn’t get a left-handed reliever. They did not get a back-end starter. They didn’t get Dylan Cease from the White Sox, whom the Pale Hose would have almost certainly have asked for Pete Crow-Armstrong in return. Whether you’d make that deal, or try to talk the White Sox down, is up to you.

So grade the Cubs 2023 trade deadline.

If you want to give pluses and minuses, you can do so in the comments.

Thank you so very much for stopping in this evening. I hope you enjoyed the blowout win tonight and the little celebration we had here. Please get home safely. Clean up your table and recycle any cans or bottles you may have brought. Tip the waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow for more BCB After Dark.