Jed Hoyer podcast - part two

Why the core never re-signed, a multi-decade gaping hole in center and much, much, more.

Jed Hoyer podcast - part two

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If you missed part one of our exciting series on Jed Hoyer slummin’ it on a podcast, you can check it out now.

We’ll wait.

Jed Hoyer podcast - part one
Cubs president of “I have an ample player personnel budget that I am not allowed to spend all of” Jed Hoyer came on the podcast to talk about… Wait, “came on the podcast?” He was on the Pointless Exercise podcast? Uh, no. I guess more accurately, “Jed Hoyer was on

Wasn’t that great?

So last week Cubs president of “being on the front edge of things” Jed Hoyer was on The Show podcast with baseball bigfeet Joel Sherman of the New York Post and MLB Network, and Jon Heyman of #hugetits and MLB Network.

In yesterday’s installment, Jed said the word “holes” a troubling number of times, Heyman said Dansby Swanson had the best year of the “four big free agent shortstops” (nope), they talked about Ian Happ’s Gold Glove, and how Covid is really what we should blame the breakup of the World Series on. Apparently Covid was the Yoko Ono of Bryzzo.

So what does the second half of the podcast have in store for us?

Well, let’s find out.

Jon says that in addition to winners like Swanson and Bellinger that the Cubs signed a guy who was considered a “star” coming off a World Series when he signed with the Padres, Eric Hosmer. Oh, boy. Really? A star? Anyway, Jon asks how Jed thinks the first base situation will play out with Hosmer, Matt Mervis and Trey Mancini in the mix.

Jed: My expectation is that [Hosmer] is certainly going to play first against righthanded pitching.

For his career, Hosmer is a regular platoon split guy, with an .810 OPS against righthanders and a .668 OPS against lefties. But last year his OPS against righties plummeted to .693, but he smoked lefties at .324/.359/.414/.773. Huh. I can’t wait for the think pieces to come out about how he’s suddenly a reverse split guy and that Jed knew that. Because a) Hosmer’s not. His OPS against lefties was woeful the previous five years. And b) Jed would have already taken credit for it if it was true.

We talked to San Diego about him a number of times over the past couple of years. I knew this was a place where he was excited to play. He loves the idea of playing at Wrigley. He was in a tough situation in San Diego the past couple of years, constantly being rumored in deals. I’m excited to get Eric here and make him comfortable. I think he’s going to play really well for us and be given a new life that’s not under the pressure of that contract.

So, it’s been six years since Hosmer signed that big contract with the Padres. Are we still using that as an excuse? Because that shit’s supposed to last a month like it did Jon Lester, not the entire contract like it did Jason Heyward. When it lasts the entire contract it’s not the pressure of the deal that is holding the player down. The player’s just bad.