Programming note (a notes note, if you will): These are going to be short. A lot happened this weekend, but we’re going to try to catch up on much of it tomorrow. Right now, we’re here to talk about Brock Purdy, the Chicago Cubs, and the Green Bay Packers.
When Brock Purdy took over from Jimmy Garoppolo last week and played adequately, a non-Iowa State friend texted in excitement. This is always nice. It’s nice when you’re a fan of someone your friend has no tie to, or your friend’s a fan of someone you have no tie to, and you guys still connect over the team in question. Anyway, the friend texted, and in his excitement he also mentioned that he hates the whole “Mr. Irrelevant” thing.
I’d never given the Mr. Irrelevant term much thought. I never found it fun or funny, really, but I also didn’t have a problem with it, and I don’t know if I do. It’s never been one of those things that’s drawn much emotion from me. What do I care if some people like to call the last pick in the NFL Draft a very mildly disparaging nickname in exchange for getting a fun week of being celebrated? I don’t mind others liking (or hating) it, but you can only care about so many things, you know?
I do, though, think this about this specific Mr. Irrelevant: Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers need to steer all the way into this. I’m guessing it’s tricky, I’m guessing there’s trademark stuff involved, but if the Niners aren’t selling “Irrelevant” merchandise right now, with Purdy pretty clearly their quarterback as they enter the playoff push as a still-Super Bowl contender, they’re missing out on a moment. Get those t-shirts printing, and get those “Irrelevant” nameplates on those jerseys, and ruin this whole tradition by making Brock Purdy the one with whom the name forever sticks.
None for Gretchen Hoyer
The Cubs have a Gretchen Weiner moment going on, in that they are not getting anything even as their classmates are showered in Christmas gifts. Koudai Senga signed with the Mets. Atlanta traded for Sean Murphy (three-team deal, William Contreras is a Brewer now). Even Chris Bassitt just got snapped up by the Blue Jays. The Cubs? Maybe in on Carlos Correa, probably in on Dansby Swanson, seemingly only in on a few others, but no other big splashers. The likeliest way for this offseason to turn out currently seems to be the Cubs acquiring Swanson, Corey Kluber, and Christian Vázquez, plus a few fringier characters, especially in the bullpen. If this is what they do, 80 wins will probably be a reasonable expectation, but they’ll need to overachieve or get aggressive at the deadline if they’re going to get to 85, or to 90, or to wherever the playoff threshold is because it’s not going to be 80.
There is a positive, and that’s that they’ll still be very flexible next winter, but fans are impatient for a big landing, and it’s partially understandable. Finding great deals in free agency and building up a farm system is the best way to build a sustained contender, but it shapes the Cubs for a bad 2023 on the heels of a bad 2022 and a bad 2021 (and failure to reach the Division Series in 2020, 2019, and 2018). Impatience is growing.
None of the free agency/trade misses hurt terribly badly in an individual sense, but the possibility this ends with Elvis Andrus or someone as the biggest offseason acquisition is real and a little scary. With Senga out, will they pivot to Carlos Rodón? It sounds unlikely, with so many more aggressive teams reportedly in on the guy. It seems like the Cubs’ rotation is going to be, to use a phrase, “trash.” It seems like the Cubs’ lineup is going to have a lot of medium prospects and medium pros and the hope is that it’ll work like the Rays’ lineup always finds a way to work, but we’ve yet to see the Cubs pull that off. Hoyer seems to have his price and stick to it, and that’s the best way to do it in an ideal world, but I’m not sure it’s going to be the best way to do it in this world. Maybe they’re about to sign Correa. More likely, we’re going to need overachievement if we’re going to see a winning record.
God Bless the Panthers
The Packers got the results they needed this weekend (aside from the Lions losing, which would have helped—I misread the standings and am not sure the Packers do control their fate against Detroit). The Giants lost. The Seahawks lost. The result is that the FPI playoff probability number on Green Bay is up to 8.1%. Not even 1-in-10, but better than it was. The Packers definitely still need help, and the unlikeliest piece is the one where they win out, but it’s not time to turn the page on the season just yet. There’s enough of a chance to justify exclusive focus on the present.
**
Viewing schedule for the night, second screen rotation in italics:
Best College Basketball
- 9:00 PM EST: Creighton vs. Arizona State (FS1)
Best NHL
- 7:00 PM EST: Dallas @ Pittsburgh (ESPN+)
Best NBA
- 10:30 PM EST: Boston @ LA Clippers (NBA TV)
Monday Night Football
- 8:15 PM EST: New England @ Arizona (ESPN)
