Offseason Rumors & Transactions Thread

[Guest]

Castillo traded for some too old A ball reliever. WSR will be intrigued.

 

Wood traded for an organizational top 20, maybe a former high pick. (Don't like this)

 

Jaxon kept as a long-man until he's DFAd in June.

 

Turner wins 5th starter job?

[Guest]

Or Doubront. Or Wada.

[SouthSideRyan]

Castillo traded for some too old A ball reliever. WSR will be intrigued.

 

Wood traded for an organizational top 20, maybe a former high pick. (Don't like this)

 

Jaxon kept as a long-man until he's DFAd in June.

 

Turner wins 5th starter job?

 

Wada

[Some Guy]

I don't envision anyone giving up a top-20 org prospect for the right to sink $5.7M into Wood.

 

Mayyyybe if we eat salary.

 

So assuming minimal trade value, I'd rather just keep him as overpaid rotation depth and relief.

 

Glad the zeitgeist is starting to catch up with the near-worthlessness of Castillo though.

[Tryptamine]

I don't envision anyone giving up a top-20 org prospect for the right to sink $5.7M into Wood.

 

Mayyyybe if we eat salary.

 

So assuming minimal trade value, I'd rather just keep him as overpaid rotation depth and relief.

 

Glad the zeitgeist is starting to catch up with the near-worthlessness of Castillo though.

 

Your anti Castillo boner is rather troubling. I'd wager at least half of your posts involve calling Castillo worthless in some form or another.

[Deeg]

Castillo traded for some too old A ball reliever. WSR will be intrigued.

 

Wood traded for an organizational top 20, maybe a former high pick. (Don't like this)

 

Jaxon kept as a long-man until he's DFAd in June.

 

That sounds pretty close to me. I don't expect either Castillo or Wood to bring back a real prospect or useful major league piece, but if the Cubs ate about half of Wood's salary they might just get something fringy. Jax is effectively untradeable, a sunk cost, so I suspect they'll get one last look at him and see if he can give them anything at all before they flat-out eat the money and release him.

 

As to the 5th starter job, I think Wada has a good shot at it.

[Some Guy]

 

Your anti Castillo boner is rather troubling. I'd wager at least half of your posts involve calling Castillo worthless in some form or another.

 

Why troubling? It's only true. The only reason I post about it so much is cuz people keep denying that obvious truth. That blindness is what's troubling.

 

I wish framing didn't matter so much and that he could be good for us. Or that his badness wasn't so widely known by FOs and we could trade him for something interesting. But these tea leaves have been obvious to me since December, and market evidence has mounted in favor of my unpopular view every day since then.

[Guest]

Troubling is ignoring the huge chasm between "Castillo is not good enough to get much back in trade" (especially when he wasn't truly expendable til after Christmas) and "Castillo rates bad at framing so he is literally not worth the air he breathes". Castillo isn't a zero who would pass through waivers because he catches with a frying pan, he's a catcher that's on the wrong side of average (overall) in a league that has a lot of those types right now.

[Guest]

Wellington Castillo Drawing Interest

 

Per Carfado Castillo is drawing interest from teams. "It's too early in Spring for a deal" but once exhibitions start, scouts will start filing their reports and Castillo trade talk will pickup.

 

The Phillies, D-Backs, Padres, Red Sox, and Rangers reportedly showed interest in Castillo earlier in the offseason.

 

The Sun-Times indicated 11 days ago that the Cubs have talked to multiple teams about Castillo including the Phillies. The front office is not in a rush to move Castillo and is willing to hold on to him in order to maximize his value and the team's return.

[Banedon]

HE'S BACK.

 

Red Sox signed 1B Bryan LaHair to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.

LaHair, 32, spent last season between Double- and Triple-A with the Indians, batting just .223/.309/.318 with five homers over 111 games. The former All-Star is merely organizational depth.

 

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2015/03/03/worcester-native-bryan-lahair-happy-for-another-shot-majors/BywKzUy2EVnnUGOoxQfZeP/story.html

 

If you run into the paywall, try googling the headline "Worcester native Bryan LaHair happy for another shot at majors"

 

He made $5.2 million over two seasons in Japan? Good lord...every AAAA player should go there.

[RynoRules]

HE'S BACK.

 

Red Sox signed 1B Bryan LaHair to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.

LaHair, 32, spent last season between Double- and Triple-A with the Indians, batting just .223/.309/.318 with five homers over 111 games. The former All-Star is merely organizational depth.

 

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2015/03/03/worcester-native-bryan-lahair-happy-for-another-shot-majors/BywKzUy2EVnnUGOoxQfZeP/story.html

 

If you run into the paywall, try googling the headline "Worcester native Bryan LaHair happy for another shot at majors"

 

He made $5.2 million over two seasons in Japan? Good lord...every AAAA player should go there.

 

Yeah, I've never understood why more of those guys don't go. I realize its a major change in culture and lifestyle, but you can set yourself up for life in two or three years and then go back to MLB if you are just dying to ride a bus around the Southern League.

[jersey cubs fan]

HE'S BACK.

 

Red Sox signed 1B Bryan LaHair to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.

LaHair, 32, spent last season between Double- and Triple-A with the Indians, batting just .223/.309/.318 with five homers over 111 games. The former All-Star is merely organizational depth.

 

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2015/03/03/worcester-native-bryan-lahair-happy-for-another-shot-majors/BywKzUy2EVnnUGOoxQfZeP/story.html

 

If you run into the paywall, try googling the headline "Worcester native Bryan LaHair happy for another shot at majors"

 

He made $5.2 million over two seasons in Japan? Good lord...every AAAA player should go there.

 

Yeah, I've never understood why more of those guys don't go. I realize its a major change in culture and lifestyle, but you can set yourself up for life in two or three years and then go back to MLB if you are just dying to ride a bus around the Southern League.

 

supply and demand, for one. They aren't going to give them all $5.2m. It probably helps that he had the MLB All Star on his resume.

[ctcf]

I can't believe the Profar for Gee rumors actually got any press. Mets fans can be so [expletive] stupid.

[Guest]

I believe the Japanese teams have limits on how many foreign players can be on the roster. That limits the opportunities guys have to go over there.

[toonsterwu]

I can't believe the Profar for Gee rumors actually got any press. Mets fans can be so [expletive] stupid.

 

That was a rumor? I've been traveling, so I missed some things.

 

That said, while I think that rumor is somewhat ridiculous, I have long though Profar was a bit over-hyped coming up. He was an accumulation of across the board solid to above average tools, IIRC, without many plus tools (I really don't recall many people suggesting he had many plus tools, if any). If he put it together, yes, that's' a very, very valuable asset, but a lot of things have to click.

 

[Of course, thinking about it, that's how I view Torres, although off the top, Torres probably, as of now, has better reviews tools-wise than I recall Profar having. I might be forgetting some reviews of Profar, though.].

[KingCubsFan]

Cubs sign Phil Coke to a minor league deal.

[Banedon]

Cubs sign Phil Coke to a minor league deal.

 

Yep, being talked about in the other thread.

 

viewtopic.php?p=3176502#p3176502

[ctcf]

clarkspencer @clarkspencer

#Marlins made $53m offer for Hector Olivera, but backed away after hearing #dodgers offered $77m, source says. #padres 52m; #braves 44m

 

Jeez, Dodgers. That just seems irresponsible.

[davell]

Can't see that being true. He'd already be a Dodger, if it was.

[Bull]

Has there been any recent speculation on Castillo, Jackson, and Wood? Have the recent injuries and Wood's latest performance changed anyone's thoughts towards him? I was the one chanting last spring that Wood wasn't any good, but I wouldn't mind opening with him as a lefty in the pen and have him around as an options or the rotation if needed.

[Guest]

It seems like Wood is currently in the lead for the 5th spot in the rotation, which added with Turner and Wada's injuries(plus Straily getting traded) makes trading a SP less likely. I'm curious what the plans are for Doubront, there hasn't been much chatter on him this spring and he's gotten bombed when he did take the mound, so current guess is they risk DFAing him.

 

Jackson would seem to have the track on being the long man if he doesn't get the 5th starter spot, he's been effective this spring after meh to bad performance the last 2 springs. He's kinda the guy by default if Wood is in the rotation, Wada and Turner are hurt, and Doubront is terrible. You could go with someone like Parker or Schlitter I suppose, but losing Jackson entirely leaves the rotation depth a bit shaky.

 

Castillo's name came up briefly for the Padres since Federowicz went down(how did they go from surplus to needing one so quick?), but I don't think anything substantial has come up there. The DBacks remain Castillo's best fit, but Dave Stewart appears to be too busy screaming 'you can't tell me what to do!' at anyone who suggests they don't have any catchers.

[sweetpeteman]

It seems like Wood is currently in the lead for the 5th spot in the rotation, which added with Turner and Wada's injuries(plus Straily getting traded) makes trading a SP less likely. I'm curious what the plans are for Doubront, there hasn't been much chatter on him this spring and he's gotten bombed when he did take the mound, so current guess is they risk DFAing him.

 

Jackson would seem to have the track on being the long man if he doesn't get the 5th starter spot, he's been effective this spring after meh to bad performance the last 2 springs. He's kinda the guy by default if Wood is in the rotation, Wada and Turner are hurt, and Doubront is terrible. You could go with someone like Parker or Schlitter I suppose, but losing Jackson entirely leaves the rotation depth a bit shaky.

 

Castillo's name came up briefly for the Padres since Federowicz went down(how did they go from surplus to needing one so quick?), but I don't think anything substantial has come up there. The DBacks remain Castillo's best fit, but Dave Stewart appears to be too busy screaming 'you can't tell me what to do!' at anyone who suggests they don't have any catchers.

 

 

As of right now I'm guessing the pitching staff ends up:

 

ST: Lester, Arrieta, Hendricks, Hammel, Wood

 

Long: Jackson

 

LHR: Britton

 

RHR: Strop, Ramirez, Grimm, Motte

 

CL: Rondon

 

Optioned: Jokisch, Ortiz, Beeler, Edwards, Parker, Rosscup

DL: Turner, Wada

DFA: Doubront, Schlitter

 

Schlitter might have an option left, but I think he probably will be dropped to open up a 40-man roster spot.

[Guest]

Those seem like pretty safe bets, although I might have Coke a bit ahead of Britton as a guess. Basically there's 5 RH that have a lock on bullpen spots and a failed SP will get the 7th spot, so some LH from either the bullpen or failed SP group will get that 6th spot. Keeping someone who's out of options and sending Rosscup/Jokisch to Iowa seems like the best way to maximize the value since we can't really be sure of the level of performance from any of them.

[Guest]

I thought Jackson was very good last spring. Something crazy like 10-1 k/bb ratio iirc. I remember because I was super high on him having a good year.

[Guest]

I thought Jackson was very good last spring. Something crazy like 10-1 k/bb ratio iirc. I remember because I was super high on him having a good year.

 

http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=429719#gameType='R'&sectionType=career&statType=2&season=2015&level='MLB'

 

Nailed the K/BB ratio (which I overlooked), but got hit around a bit too.