6/21 Cubs (Wood) vs. Pirates (Worley) FOX 6:15

[soccer10k]

Go Cubs! Edited June 21, 2014 by soccer10k

[Schwarber Fan]

I don't believe this game is on WGN.

[PackLandVA]

Fox national game.

[NOLA]

Um, don't look now but I am actually excited every day to watch Cubs baseball. If Alcantara were up it would be must see TV.

[Sammy Sofa]

Castro over the last month:

 

.323 .369 .583 .952

 

Rizzo over the last month:

 

.310 .408 .607 1.015

 

That's good soup.

[NOLA]

Castro over the last month:

 

.323 .369 .583 .952

 

Rizzo over the last month:

 

.310 .408 .607 1.015

 

That's good soup.

Actually, you nailed it. That's why I'm watching at least as much as the winning. Now we can realistically start to see how our future pieces might fit around these guys.

 

I don't even want to think about how we'd feel right now if they were sucking.

[Sammy Sofa]

If Baez can seemingly flip the switch as he's done before then I am going to be out of my mind for 2015.

[NOLA]

If Baez can seemingly flip the switch as he's done before then I am going to be out of my mind for 2015.

I think I already will be but that would take it to another stratosphere.

Just for fun, standing pat:

1. Valbuena 3B

2. Rizzo 1B

3. Castro SS

4. Bryant RF

5. Baez 2B

6. Alcantara CF

7. Castillo C

8. Ruggiano, Sweeney, whoever LF

[Hairyducked Idiot]

If Baez can seemingly flip the switch as he's done before then I am going to be out of my mind for 2015.

I think I already will be but that would take it to another stratosphere.

Just for fun, standing pat:

1. Valbuena 3B

2. Rizzo 1B

3. Castro SS

4. Bryant RF

5. Baez 2B

6. Alcantara CF

7. Castillo C

8. Ruggiano, Sweeney, whoever LF

 

If we assume that our prospects don't completely poop the bed, then I don't hate our lineup next year.

 

It's the rotation that worries me.

[NOLA]

If Baez can seemingly flip the switch as he's done before then I am going to be out of my mind for 2015.

I think I already will be but that would take it to another stratosphere.

Just for fun, standing pat:

1. Valbuena 3B

2. Rizzo 1B

3. Castro SS

4. Bryant RF

5. Baez 2B

6. Alcantara CF

7. Castillo C

8. Ruggiano, Sweeney, whoever LF

 

If we assume that our prospects don't completely poop the bed, then I don't hate our lineup next year.

 

It's the rotation that worries me.

Playing the standing pat game again, our current rotation with maybe a Jackson swap for a stretched out Ramirez and this is a pretty interesting team. And then there's our already insane bullpen. Make N Ramirez the 5th starter and skip him in the rotation where you can. He can also get some shorter outings because of our ridiculous bullpen.

Profit.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Playing the standing pat game, here's a roster I put together minus Samardzija, who is all but gone:

 

Lake (PA), Alcantara (PA), Bryant* (PA)

[Sweeney ($1.5), Ruggiano($2.5#)]

 

Valbuena ($3#), Castro ($6), Baez* (PA), Rizzo ($5)

[Barney ($3.5#), Watkins (PA)]

 

Castillo ($2#) [Lopez (PA)]

 

Wood ($6#), Arrieta ($1.5#), Jackson ($11), Hendricks (PA), Grimm (PA)

 

Rondon(PA), Ramirez (PA), Strop ($2#), Vizcaino (PA), Rivero (PA), Russell ($3#), Wright ($2#)

 

Total cost: $56m, if you assume the pre-arb guys get $500k each.

 

* - Coming up in late April after the service-time deadline

# - Arbitration WAG

PA = Pre-arbitration

 

It's ... interesting, yeah, but there's some clear problems. Starting pitching being the biggest. I expect them to handle it, but we need to add probably three starting pitchers in the next nine months. At least one outfielder, an entire bench. We're *probably* OK on relief depth (Rosscup, Schlitter didn't even make the cut, although I'm sure we'd non-tender Russell) but one more wouldn't be the worst idea.

[Guest]

Blake Parker and Hatley factor into the pen, too.

 

What is Kyuji's status for next year?

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Blake Parker factors into the pen, too.

 

What is Kyuji's status for next year?

 

$500k guaranteed buyout at the end of this year.

[Guest]

Blake Parker factors into the pen, too.

 

What is Kyuji's status for next year?

 

$500k guaranteed buyout at the end of this year.

And then?

 

In addition to Parker, there's Hatley and Rosscup in Iowa.

[Guest]

Even Antigua could be an interesting piece in the pen next year.

 

 

All that pen depth is just one more reason to shift Ramirez to the rotation.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Blake Parker factors into the pen, too.

 

What is Kyuji's status for next year?

 

$500k guaranteed buyout at the end of this year.

And then?

 

In addition to Parker, there's Hatley and Rosscup in Iowa.

 

And then have fun spending the $10m we paid you to rehab? I dunno, I have no interest in bringing him back.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

All that pen depth is just one more reason to shift Ramirez to the rotation.

 

I wouldn't. "Depth" doesn't replace a guy who has been super awesome. Having that one guy who can be a shutdown setup man is more important than having three guys who might be OK.

 

But then, I'm super skeptical of guys reconverting in general.

[Guest]

All that pen depth is just one more reason to shift Ramirez to the rotation.

 

I wouldn't. "Depth" doesn't replace a guy who has been super awesome. Having that one guy who can be a shutdown setup man is more important than having three guys who might be OK.

 

But then, I'm super skeptical of guys reconverting in general.

Why the skepticism? I understand there have been failures there, but there are plenty of successes, as well. Heck, it used to be standard practice in baseball to introduce young pitchers to the majors in the pen and then have them go back to the rotation.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

It's different to take a guy you are happy with, put him in the pen for a year with the full intention of putting him back next year, versus taking a guy who got moved to reliever because he wasn't cutting it.

 

Neil Ramirez got moved to the pen because he couldn't stay healthy and walked too many. Moving him back is just an invitation to revisit those problems.

 

I only put Grimm back up there because we needed a fifth and I don't care as much about him as I do about the others. I'd like to enter 2015 with 7-8 guys we can be happy with starting games for us. I'd rather none of them be guys who are already in our pen, so that means we'd probably need to add 3-4 guys in trades and free agency.

[Schwarber Fan]

Len doing the pbp for FOX. Good for him!

[weis21]

Does anyone know if this game is subject to blackout? I'm getting the dumb braves/nats game.

 

I thought I remembered the fox blackout had gone away?

[KaiserCesar]

While its still June 2014....

 

Cubs' Lineup Today

 

Coghlan LF

Ruggiano RF

Rizzo 1B

Castro SS

Valbuena 3B

Lake CF

Barney 2B

Whiteside C

Wood P

 

Looks like it may be a delayed start due to rain in the area. Radar looks pretty nasty.

[Bull]

While its still June 2014....

 

Cubs' Lineup Today

 

Coghlan LF

Ruggiano RF

Rizzo 1B

Castro SS

Valbuena 3B

Lake CF

Barney 2B

Whiteside C

Wood P

 

Looks like it may be a delayed start due to rain in the area. Radar looks pretty nasty.

Can we delay it until 2015?

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Using my expert weatherologying (looking at the radar on google maps and trying to remember where in Chicago Wrigley is), I think we're going to just barely be OK?

[KaiserCesar]

3 miles west of Wrigley here. Its a lot of water. It may let up by the start time but it will be a little while before the game starts.