The late-night/early-morning spot for Cubs fans asks if you think the Cubs will sign a free agent for more than $100 million in total value this winter.
It’s another week here at BCB After Dark, the coolest club for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. So glad that you could join us. We’re officially in the offseason for baseball, but the season never ends here. We’ve still got a table of two available. The dress code is casual. 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.
Last week I asked you about a possible return of catcher Willson Contreras to Chicago. You weren’t too keen on the idea as 61 percent of you gave it a big “Nay!” Only 21 percent of you thought it was a good idea.
Here’s the part where I talk about jazz and movies. You can skip ahead if you want, You won’t hurt my feelings.
We lost Quincy Jones yesterday at the age of 91. To call Jones a “Jazz Giant” is to really understate his influence. He was a musical giant whose influence crossed many genres. He couldn’t be contained by jazz itself. Honestly, he should have gotten 50% of the credit of Michael Jackson’s Thriller album. Well, maybe 49%. He probably deserves more than 50% of the credit for Lesley Gore’s hit “It’s My Party,” which he produced.
Here’s the AP’s obituary of Jones. Here’s a tribute to Jones by Wesley Morris. Here’s the BBC explaining Jones’ genius in ten songs. And here is Variety using 15 songs that helped define his legacy.
One thing that those tributes only lightly touch on is Jones’ genius in writing movie soundtracks and theme songs for television shows. I fully believe that scripted television is much better now than it was in the sixties and seventies, but one thing that modern TV generally lacks is great theme songs. Back then, a lot of shows featured jazzy theme songs that were usually written by Henry Mancini, Lalo Schifrin or Jones. And when I scan what people are talking about in tribute to Jones, I see so, so many people saying how much they love Jones’ theme song to Sanford and Son, which was officially called “The Streetbeater.” So here it is.
And as a bonus, if you love the theme song to Ironside, I got you covered. This was the first TV theme to use a synthesizer.
I don’t have a movie to tell you about tonight, so normally when that happens I throw it out to the floor for you to talk about movies. So let’s list your favorite sports movies for each sport.
The categories are:
- Favorite baseball movie
- Favorite football movie (If you’re a Eurosnob, you can list soccer films here.)
- Favorite basketball movie
- Favorite hockey movie
- Favorite boxing movie
- Favorite other sport (you can put soccer here if you’d like.)
My choices are:
- The Bad News Bears (1976)
- Heaven Can Wait (1978)
- Hoop Dreams (1994)
- Slap Shot (1977)
- Raging Bull (1980)
- I don’t know. Ford v. Ferrari (2019) maybe?
In non-documentary basketball category, I’ll take Hoosiers (1986). Yes, I know it’s treacly, but it gets me every time. Raging Bull edges out Million Dollar Baby (2004).
I put boxing in as its own category. Even if it’s not a major sport anymore, it was in the classic Hollywood period and there have been so many great boxing movies that it’s worth its own category.
I get that my list is a bit “New Hollywood” heavy, but that was kind of a golden age for filmmaking.
So now it’s your turn to fill out your list.
Welcome back to everyone who skips the music and movies.
With Cody Bellinger coming back, the Cubs offseason plans come into more focus. They certainly seem to be looking at adding a starting pitcher to replace Kyle Hendricks. They need another catcher and relief help. They also need more power.
The free agency market isn’t really impressive this season once you get past Juan Soto, who is a generational talent and is very, very unlikely to leave the Bronx. But there are a few free agents who are worth nine-figure contracts other than Soto and the Cubs insist that they have money to spend.
So tonight’s question is “Do you expect the Cubs to sign a free agent to a deal over $100 million?” Ben Clemens and Fangraphs have their Top 50 free agents along with estimates of how much they are expected to earn.
Their top ten free agents are:
- Juan Soto OF
- Willy Adames SS
- Alex Bregman 3B
- Corbin Burnes RHP
Gerrit Cole RHP- Blake Snell LHP
- Max Fried LHP
- Jack Flaherty RHP
- Ha-Seong Kim SS
- Gleyber Torres 2B
Cole is crossed out here because he announced he was opting out of his contract over the weekend and then after this article was published, he said “never mind” late today after the Yankees refused to activate his option year that would have overridden the opt-out.
Fangraphs estimates that Fried and up will all sign for more than $100 million. Flaherty, Kim and Torres are estimated to be close enough to $100 million that it is possible they sign for nine figures.
The Cubs have been heavily linked to both Fried and Snell and lightly linked to Burnes.
So do you think the Cubs will hand out a nine-figure free agent contract this winter?
Thank you for stopping by tonight. We hope you had a good time. If you checked a coat, let us get it for you. Tell your friends about us. Please get home safely. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow night for more BCB After Dark.