Re: What would you deal Garza for?

[Brian]

And Boston has had a "dismal" first half of the season.

 

 

Ken Tremendous is a funny guy but he's worse than a lot of the most whiny Cubs fans when it comes to discussing sports. I don't understand how he can go from FJM to what he is as a fan of the Red Sox.

So agree on Michael Schur.

 

Hey, it's pretty tough being a fan of THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, THE BOSTON CELTICS AND THE BOSTON RED SOX.

 

That's at least 6 championships since a team I care about won a championship - 14 years ago.

[Magnetic Curses]

And Boston has had a "dismal" first half of the season.

 

 

Ken Tremendous is a funny guy but he's worse than a lot of the most whiny Cubs fans when it comes to discussing sports. I don't understand how he can go from FJM to what he is as a fan of the Red Sox.

So agree on Michael Schur.

 

Hey, it's pretty tough being a fan of THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, THE BOSTON CELTICS AND THE BOSTON RED SOX.

 

That's at least 6 championships since a team I care about won a championship - 14 years ago.

 

don't forget the boston bruins won the cup.

[Sammy Sofa]

I don't care how much of a homer he is; the man gets a lifetime pass a billion times over for FJM.com and P&R and for being Mose.

[Little Slide Rooter]

The Royals are determined to sign a significant starting free agent pitcher for 2013 this coming offseason, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports. After a difficult first half that included a number of serious injuries, the Royals' rotation ranks 28th in baseball with a 5.16 ERA. 

 

Perfect match? Who says we need to trade him to a contender? A lot of teams with a lot more money than The Royals will be in on every SP from Hamels to Liriano. Maybe they have a chance at Dempster, Liriano, Zambrano, or Sanchez, but they may as well not bother with Hamels or Greinke, who's already demanded they trade him once.

 

Here's where Garza comes in. A young, front end starter with another year under team control. While they can't compete with the big boys as far as money, they can with prospects. Regardless of who's in on Hamels or Greinke, if we wanted to work with KC now, we'd be alone. I'm not sure if their system is as bountiful as it once was, but as far as I'm concerned the package can start and end with Wil Meyers.

 

If we can get Myers in any sort of deal for Garza, then let's do it. But ... I doubt they are going to be offering up Myers. If so, though, I'm game.

These guys are loaded with young hitters, but have no pitching, and I really can't see them able to hang with the big money teams for elite FA pitching. If they have any hope of acquiring what they need, it will have to be through trade, and I can't think of any other options for them aside from Garza, unless King Felix becomes available.

[dew1679666265]

These guys are loaded with young hitters, but have no pitching, and I really can't see them able to hang with the big money teams for elite FA pitching. If they have any hope of acquiring what they need, it will have to be through trade, and I can't think of any other options for them aside from Garza, unless King Felix becomes available.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if they have interest in Garza, but that doesn't mean they'll be willing to give Wil Meyers for him. As you said, they're loaded with young hitters and could probably (minor league gurus correct me if I'm wrong) easily put together a suitable deal for Garza without including Meyers.

[davell]

Odorizzi and Ventura are both damn good pitching prospects. Montgomery's lost some luster, but he's still a decent prospect as well. Plus, they have some high upside types in A ball, like Bryan Brickhouse and Kyle Smith. Not that I see them adding at this point, but they fit us very well.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Part of me wonders if it might be better to just try to build an offensive super team in this run environment, and simply aim for decent on the pitching side. More certainty of production, and less downside if the average pitcher is going to give up so few runs.

 

That has been the sort of thing I've been wanting them to do ever since MacPhail/Hendry decided to do the complete opposite (draft and develop pitchers then go sign bats).

 

Why not develope an offensive super team and then spend the free agent dollars, which should be plentiful on pitching. That's kind of the direction that were headed in, with Rizzo, Castro, Vitters, Jackson, and Castillo for now and Soler, Baez, Almora, Candelerio, Vogelsbach, and Amaya to join in upcoming years as well as guys like Lake, Torryes and Szczur somewhere in between. As for pitching, we should have no shortage of back of the rotation starters and middle relief.

 

The general idea of an offensive super team and addressing pitching through the FA market has it's merits. The problem I have with it, though, is you can't, for lack of a better term, get by with scraps. While the Yankees may be trying to trim their budget, more and more teams have money to spend (I mean, I can think of some clubs that might increase their payroll a decent amount next year), and outside of fluke years, there are rarely more than a couple guys that are legitimate impact starters. Unless the player in question has an affinity for the Cubs, it's a tough situation to consistently hope to win on these FA dynamics.

 

If they opt to go this way, and land the FA pitching, great.

 

We should have to money to hang in the Hamels sweepstakes. Even if it does enter 7/135 territory, this is where it's worth going overboard. Unlike with top position player prospects, top pitching prospects don't get blocked, so we aren't likely to get one in trade like we did Garza. Additionally, I would like to see what it would take for Baltimore to move Matusz or Britton. With them in contention, this would be the time to do so.

[davell]

It's Levine, but he said in his chat today he expects the Cubs payroll to be around 90 mill next year.

[Butterscup1679666578]

pardon my ignorance, what are we at now?

[Cubswin11]

pardon my ignorance, what are we at now?

I think we are at somewhere between $105-110m

[Splendid Splinter]

pardon my ignorance, what are we at now?

I think we are at somewhere between $105-110m

 

We're close to 90 since we're paying Zambrano to play for the Marlins so basically expect close to the same team as this year.

[CUBZ99]

It's Levine, but he said in his chat today he expects the Cubs payroll to be around 90 mill next year.

 

Sounds like speculation. Unfortunately, no reporter seems to have an inside source right now.

[XZero771679666304]

The press isn't getting anything from the FO. A lot of [expletive] being thrown at the wall.

[dfnowak]

I've heard on more than one occasion that payroll will be around $33 million before arbitration dealings. Z, Dempster and Carlos Pena will all be off the books.

[Magnetic Curses]

this is like the time that chief wiggum got his tie stuck in the hot dog roller.

[Sammy Sofa]

this is like the time that chief wiggum got his tie stuck in the hot dog roller.

 

Yessss.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

It's Levine, but he said in his chat today he expects the Cubs payroll to be around 90 mill next year.

 

I can totally see it.

 

Let's say they dump Soriano and save $1 million/year, and Garza is traded, Soto is either traded or non-tendered, and Stewart is non-tendered.

 

That leaves $34.17 million in firm commits (including Soler and Concepcion) with Marmol and DeJesus being the only players on the 25-man to show for it.

 

Castro, Russell, Valbuena, Volstad and Samardzija make the team as arbitration-eligible players. $12 million in total seems pretty reasonable for them, probably even a bit high. That gives us 7 players for $46.17 million.

 

The hard part is predicting how many pre-arb players make the roster. This year we ran like 10-12 all year so far. Nobody's really a lock because who knows who will be traded between now and then.

 

Best guess: Rizzo, Wood, Clevenger, Castillo, a backup OF (Campana? Sappelt), Barney (or Valbuena if he's traded), at least three farm bullpen guys (Dolis, Beliveau, Cabrera? I dunno, I'm not good at that part), at least one scrapheap bullpen guy and maybe two of Jackson/Vitters/guys we get out of trades this offseason. That's a total of 12 for about $6 million.

 

That's 19 roster spots already filled up and we've only spent $52 million. We still need a couple starting position players (at least one outfielder, maybe two) and a couple of rotation arms (depending on who we get in the Garza and Dempster trades).

 

If we're not in on the stud FA starting pitchers, and I'm betting we're not going to do more than kick the tires on them, then it's hard to even get to $90 million.

 

 

 

tl;dr: We have a crap-ton of positions likely to be filled by pre-FA guys next year.

[Guest]

It's Levine, but he said in his chat today he expects the Cubs payroll to be around 90 mill next year.

 

I can totally see it.

 

Let's say they dump Soriano and save $1 million/year, and Garza is traded, Soto is either traded or non-tendered, and Stewart is non-tendered.

 

That leaves $34.17 million in firm commits (including Soler and Concepcion) with Marmol and DeJesus being the only players on the 25-man to show for it.

 

Castro, Russell, Valbuena, Volstad and Samardzija make the team as arbitration-eligible players. $12 million in total seems pretty reasonable for them, probably even a bit high. That gives us 7 players for $46.17 million.

 

The hard part is predicting how many pre-arb players make the roster. This year we ran like 10-12 all year so far. Nobody's really a lock because who knows who will be traded between now and then.

 

Best guess: Rizzo, Wood, Clevenger, Castillo, a backup OF (Campana? Sappelt), Barney (or Valbuena if he's traded), at least three farm bullpen guys (Dolis, Beliveau, Cabrera? I dunno, I'm not good at that part), at least one scrapheap bullpen guy and maybe two of Jackson/Vitters/guys we get out of trades this offseason. That's a total of 12 for about $6 million.

 

That's 19 roster spots already filled up and we've only spent $52 million. We still need a couple starting position players (at least one outfielder, maybe two) and a couple of rotation arms (depending on who we get in the Garza and Dempster trades).

 

If we're not in on the stud FA starting pitchers, and I'm betting we're not going to do more than kick the tires on them, then it's hard to even get to $90 million.

 

 

 

tl;dr: We have a crap-ton of positions likely to be filled by pre-FA guys next year.

What are they going to do with all the loot?

[Cubswin11]

It's Levine, but he said in his chat today he expects the Cubs payroll to be around 90 mill next year.

 

I can totally see it.

 

Let's say they dump Soriano and save $1 million/year, and Garza is traded, Soto is either traded or non-tendered, and Stewart is non-tendered.

 

That leaves $34.17 million in firm commits (including Soler and Concepcion) with Marmol and DeJesus being the only players on the 25-man to show for it.

 

Castro, Russell, Valbuena, Volstad and Samardzija make the team as arbitration-eligible players. $12 million in total seems pretty reasonable for them, probably even a bit high. That gives us 7 players for $46.17 million.

 

The hard part is predicting how many pre-arb players make the roster. This year we ran like 10-12 all year so far. Nobody's really a lock because who knows who will be traded between now and then.

 

Best guess: Rizzo, Wood, Clevenger, Castillo, a backup OF (Campana? Sappelt), Barney (or Valbuena if he's traded), at least three farm bullpen guys (Dolis, Beliveau, Cabrera? I dunno, I'm not good at that part), at least one scrapheap bullpen guy and maybe two of Jackson/Vitters/guys we get out of trades this offseason. That's a total of 12 for about $6 million.

 

That's 19 roster spots already filled up and we've only spent $52 million. We still need a couple starting position players (at least one outfielder, maybe two) and a couple of rotation arms (depending on who we get in the Garza and Dempster trades).

 

If we're not in on the stud FA starting pitchers, and I'm betting we're not going to do more than kick the tires on them, then it's hard to even get to $90 million.

 

 

 

tl;dr: We have a crap-ton of positions likely to be filled by pre-FA guys next year.

What are they going to do with all the loot?

Castro and maybe Samardzija (IDK what his contract is like/when he's a FA) extensions?

 

Still would have plenty left to sign just about whoever they wanted and still be around the $90m range (assuming they don't go out and sign multiple guys out of Hamels/Greinke/Upton/E. Jackson/Sanchez group)

[Little Slide Rooter]

It's Levine, but he said in his chat today he expects the Cubs payroll to be around 90 mill next year.

 

I can totally see it.

 

Let's say they dump Soriano and save $1 million/year, and Garza is traded, Soto is either traded or non-tendered, and Stewart is non-tendered.

 

That leaves $34.17 million in firm commits (including Soler and Concepcion) with Marmol and DeJesus being the only players on the 25-man to show for it.

 

Castro, Russell, Valbuena, Volstad and Samardzija make the team as arbitration-eligible players. $12 million in total seems pretty reasonable for them, probably even a bit high. That gives us 7 players for $46.17 million.

 

The hard part is predicting how many pre-arb players make the roster. This year we ran like 10-12 all year so far. Nobody's really a lock because who knows who will be traded between now and then.

 

Best guess: Rizzo, Wood, Clevenger, Castillo, a backup OF (Campana? Sappelt), Barney (or Valbuena if he's traded), at least three farm bullpen guys (Dolis, Beliveau, Cabrera? I dunno, I'm not good at that part), at least one scrapheap bullpen guy and maybe two of Jackson/Vitters/guys we get out of trades this offseason. That's a total of 12 for about $6 million.

 

That's 19 roster spots already filled up and we've only spent $52 million. We still need a couple starting position players (at least one outfielder, maybe two) and a couple of rotation arms (depending on who we get in the Garza and Dempster trades).

 

If we're not in on the stud FA starting pitchers, and I'm betting we're not going to do more than kick the tires on them, then it's hard to even get to $90 million.

 

 

 

tl;dr: We have a crap-ton of positions likely to be filled by pre-FA guys next year.

What are they going to do with all the loot?

 

Fill in the blanks

 

1B Rizzo

2B Barney

SS Castro

3B Vitters/Stewart

LF Soriano/Sweeney (if at the right price, why not)

CF Jackson

RF DeJesus

C Castillo/Soto

SP___________

SP __________

SP Samardzjia

SP Wood

SP Maholm

CL Marmol

BP Russell

BP Dolis

BP Cabrera

BP Beliveau

BP: 2 of Bowden, Jackson, Parker, Mateo, Maine, reclamation

Bench Clevenger

Bench Sappelt

Bench LaHair/Campana

Bench Valbuena

Bench Cardenas

[davell]

At this point, we might as well wait 3 weeks to see what we look like before going through this again. I kind of figure we'll deal Dempster, Garza, Maholm, DeJesus, Soto, Camp, and Russell. Marmol too, if someone absorbs his contract. I can see us adding a couple of guys that slot into the rotation, but probably nothing else that figures in as a starter for us. Unless Kalish comes over in a Garza deal. At any rate, I don't see us adding anything that costs us a draft pick yet, as trivial as losing a 2nd rounder sounds. Upton has a sub .700 OPS right now, so he's possibly looking obtainable as a buy low guy. Adding some salary in a trade seems plausible, either a SP or an OFer. I could see Liriano or maybe Marcum as far as SP. Maybe Kelly Johnson at 2B, depending on what we do with Barney. But the 90 mill figure sounds about right to me. Hopefully, they're able to roll some cash over from year to year, so when the time comes and we need 160 mill, it won't be an issue.

[Cubswin11]

Angels are interested in Greinke, if he becomes available. Add another potential team to the Garza/Dempster list. I think it's getting to the point, with how many teams are interested in pitching, that we almost have to trade Garza with a pitcher like him in high demand and a team willing to/having to pay a premium to acquire him to so many teams in on the bidding.

[abohnhoff]

It's Levine, but he said in his chat today he expects the Cubs payroll to be around 90 mill next year.

 

1B Rizzo

2B Barney

SS Castro

3B Vitters/Stewart

LF Soriano/Sweeney (if at the right price, why not)

CF Jackson

RF DeJesus

C Castillo/Soto

SP___________

SP __________

SP Samardzjia

SP Wood

SP Maholm

CL Marmol

BP Russell

BP Dolis

BP Cabrera

BP Beliveau

BP: 2 of Bowden, Jackson, Parker, Mateo, Maine, reclamation

Bench Clevenger

Bench Sappelt

Bench LaHair/Campana

Bench Valbuena

Bench Cardenas

 

Soriano will be gone and why would you start Sweeney over LaHair? Sweeney is a 27 year old journeyman with a career high 6 homeruns. LaHair will have better numbers this year than Sweeney will have in his career. If LaHair continues to work on defense and even puts up a .250 BA against LH's next year he will be a more than viable left fielder next year and in the future.

[jersey cubs fan]

I don't care how much of a homer he is; the man gets a lifetime pass a billion times over for FJM.com and P&R and for being Mose.

 

He's not a homer. He's an incredibly whiny, woe is me, only my team, baby.

[Little Slide Rooter]

It's Levine, but he said in his chat today he expects the Cubs payroll to be around 90 mill next year.

 

1B Rizzo

2B Barney

SS Castro

3B Vitters/Stewart

LF Soriano/Sweeney (if at the right price, why not)

CF Jackson

RF DeJesus

C Castillo/Soto

SP___________

SP __________

SP Samardzjia

SP Wood

SP Maholm

CL Marmol

BP Russell

BP Dolis

BP Cabrera

BP Beliveau

BP: 2 of Bowden, Jackson, Parker, Mateo, Maine, reclamation

Bench Clevenger

Bench Sappelt

Bench LaHair/Campana

Bench Valbuena

Bench Cardenas

 

Soriano will be gone and why would you start Sweeney over LaHair? Sweeney is a 27 year old journeyman with a career high 6 homeruns. LaHair will have better numbers this year than Sweeney will have in his career. If LaHair continues to work on defense and even puts up a .250 BA against LH's next year he will be a more than viable left fielder next year and in the future.

 

I really don't have much interest in Sweeny,but Theo seems to, and I'll assume that he'd start, at first anyway. I'd prefer something better comes along, and frankly, I'd rather spend the FA $ on pitching. Again, if we can get Sweeny as a 2nd piece in a Dempster package or 3rd in one for Garza, why not.