Ben Zobrist and Tyler Clippard

[Little Slide Rooter]

I still don't understand why we'd go carcas picking with the A's and not go after Reddick.

 

Speaking of carcas picking, I'm wondering if the Brewers would be willing to come out of Carlos Gomez. When healthy, he'd be a perfect #2 or #5 bat in even the toughest lineup. 29 with a year under team control Perhaps if moved to left, he'd be a bit less fragile. And if there's a team out there that really needs to rebuild, it's the Brewers.

[Bryants Disco Ball]

I still don't understand why we'd go carcas picking with the A's and not go after Reddick.

 

Speaking of carcas picking, I'm wondering if the Brewers would be willing to come out of Carlos Gomez. When healthy, he'd be a perfect #2 or #5 bat in even the toughest lineup. 29 with a year under team control Perhaps if moved to left, he'd be a bit less fragile. And if there's a team out there that really needs to rebuild, it's the Brewers.

 

Anything is possible, but trades like that within the division almost never happen.

[Little Slide Rooter]

I still don't understand why we'd go carcas picking with the A's and not go after Reddick.

 

Speaking of carcas picking, I'm wondering if the Brewers would be willing to come out of Carlos Gomez. When healthy, he'd be a perfect #2 or #5 bat in even the toughest lineup. 29 with a year under team control Perhaps if moved to left, he'd be a bit less fragile. And if there's a team out there that really needs to rebuild, it's the Brewers.

 

Anything is possible, but trades like that within the division almost never happen.

 

Maybe not pre-season, when both sides are hypothetically on even ground (which is why the Matt Kemp trade was kind of a head scratcher.)

 

Hell, we were making deals with the Pirates every summer in the mid 00's. When a team enters the kind of rebuild mode that the Brewers should be in, it's in their interest to take the best offer on the table.

[OleMissCub]

Holy crap Zobrist had a 5.6 WAR last year!? Wow

[Sammy Sofa]

Wait, why is there all of this news chatter in the last day about the Cubs targeting Zobrist? STOP IT.

[sneakypower]

Holy crap Zobrist had a 5.6 WAR last year!? Wow

he does that like every year

[Little Slide Rooter]

Holy crap Zobrist had a 5.6 WAR last year!? Wow

he does that like every year

 

He's still a 34 year old rental and we're still a fringe contender. With this in mind, how much are we willing to give up?

[SouthSideRyan]

Holy crap Zobrist had a 5.6 WAR last year!? Wow

he does that like every year

 

He's still a 34 year old rental and we're still a fringe contender. With this in mind, how much are we willing to give up?

 

What teams do you consider better than fringe contenders in the NL?

[sneakypower]

being a fringe contender gives you a greater need to add impact talent

 

Zobrist makes a lot of sense because can directly or indirectly substitute for all our worst positions: SS, RF, LF/2B

[davell]

From the early looks of things, the Dodgers, Giants, Cards, Cubs, Pirates, Nats, and Mets are going to be buyers.

 

With the rest selling in the NL. Pads conceivably could change course, but doubt anyone else does. That leaves 4 buyers competing for 2 WC spots. If you're not selling, you really need to buy in a situation like this.

[Tryptamine]

I don't know that the Cubs have to be buyers. It's not like they're an old group like the Dodgers. This is year one of the window being open with the better part of a decade to get the job done. Using up all the resources for rentals in year one of that window is a waste.

[KrisBryantisaBeast]

I don't know that the Cubs have to be buyers. It's not like they're an old group like the Dodgers. This is year one of the window being open with the better part of a decade to get the job done. Using up all the resources for rentals in year one of that window is a waste.

 

No one is suggesting that we sell the farm for rental players. Most would prefer to trade our top assets for players who are under contract for more than 1 year. Trading off some of our lesser pieces for rent a players is also fine though.

[Guest]

Yeah i want Hamels

[davell]

I'd definitely prefer getting guys with some team control. But we've built up depth in the minors that if we dealt a McKinney, Almora, Vogelbach, even Alcantara for a rental-so be it, as long as it is for something helpful now.

[KingCubsFan]

I don't know that the Cubs have to be buyers. It's not like they're an old group like the Dodgers. This is year one of the window being open with the better part of a decade to get the job done. Using up all the resources for rentals in year one of that window is a waste.

Just like in 2003

[TruffleShuffle]

I don't know that the Cubs have to be buyers. It's not like they're an old group like the Dodgers. This is year one of the window being open with the better part of a decade to get the job done. Using up all the resources for rentals in year one of that window is a waste.

Just like in 2003

 

the 2003 cubs were heavily built on pitching (much of which got hurt) and their only young regulars were patterson, ramirez, and choi in a platoon. the average position player on the 2015 cubs is 5 years younger than the average position player on the 2003 cubs.

[sneakypower]

i think he's saying Kris Bryant is going to play every inning going forward this season and be irreversibly ruined from the over-exertion

[SouthSideRyan]

I don't know that the Cubs have to be buyers. It's not like they're an old group like the Dodgers. This is year one of the window being open with the better part of a decade to get the job done. Using up all the resources for rentals in year one of that window is a waste.

Just like in 2003

 

the 2003 cubs were heavily built on pitching (much of which got hurt) and their only young regulars were patterson, ramirez, and choi in a platoon. the average position player on the 2015 cubs is 5 years younger than the average position player on the 2003 cubs.

 

Ramirez was acquired that deadline. And they stupidly gave up 7 years of control of Bobby Hill for him.

[KingCubsFan]

I don't know that the Cubs have to be buyers. It's not like they're an old group like the Dodgers. This is year one of the window being open with the better part of a decade to get the job done. Using up all the resources for rentals in year one of that window is a waste.

Just like in 2003

 

the 2003 cubs were heavily built on pitching (much of which got hurt) and their only young regulars were patterson, ramirez, and choi in a platoon. the average position player on the 2015 cubs is 5 years younger than the average position player on the 2003 cubs.

I'm not trying to draw exact parallels between the 2003 Cubs and 2015 Cubs. I'm just saying that you can't pass up a good deal and just assume your team is going to be good for the next decade because you have good young talent. I wouldn't give up Schwarber for a rental, but if the Cubs think they have a good shot this year they should try and add pieces.

[abuck1220]

Yeah i want Hamels

 

you don't say

[jersey cubs fan]

Yeah i want Hamels

 

you don't say

No, he did say. He's said it many times. Surprised you missed it.

[toonsterwu]

A bit off-topic here, but I still keep thinking of the Cubs and Orioles as a good fit.

 

In terms of a super-utility player, Steve Pearce is scuffling offensively (albeit, BABIP is really low), and he's not Zobrist defensively ... but he's shown he's fine at 1st, usable/decent at 2nd, and fine in the corner OF's. I believe he's dabbled at 3rd before. The K rate is a bit up this year, and the walk rate is a bit down, but one wonders if that could be a case of a guy pressing because he's off to a slow start. Unless I'm mistaken, he's an impending FA and hitting 32. At worst, he would seem like a very nice utility option to give the bench some depth and pop. If he gets it going offensively, he would be a very nice piece in LF that could occasionally move around to give guys days off. In some respects, I guess he's "similar" to Coghlan. You could run with a platoon there (Coghlan against righties and Pearce against lefties) and give yourself a utility player for depth/late innings/pinch hitting.

 

Beyond Pearce, they have pen arms and solid, but not great, rotation pieces that might be available. Big thing is, so many are impending FA's.

 

Of course, the AL East is in pretty bad shape, so they may decide that they can stick in the race. That said, just don't get a feeling that they have the depth or options this year, and if they out far enough, one would think that they may have to start considering all the impending FA's and try to do something about it.

[Tryptamine]

Darren O'day is one of thew few I'd interested in that's likely to be available.He hasn't had an ERA over 2.28 since 2011. I'd also be kind of interested in Ubaldo. He is pretty much the single most volatile pitcher in the game, but he's back to being good (3.25FIP 8.58K/9) after being god awful in 2014 (4.67FIP 5.53BB/9). He is signed through 2017 and his contract isn't huge, 12.25M in '15, 13M in '16, 13.5M in '17. Dollar for dollar I don't think you're going to be able to get anymore upside than that.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Yeah i want Hamels

 

Everybody wants Hamels. And there's only one. Which tends to drive the cost up. Damned capitalism.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Darren O'day is one of thew few I'd interested in that's likely to be available.He hasn't had an ERA over 2.28 since 2011. I'd also be kind of interested in Ubaldo. He is pretty much the single most volatile pitcher in the game, but he's back to being good (3.25FIP 8.58K/9) after being god awful in 2014 (4.67FIP 5.53BB/9). He is signed through 2017 and his contract isn't huge, 12.25M in '15, 13M in '16, 13.5M in '17. Dollar for dollar I don't think you're going to be able to get anymore upside than that.

 

If the need for another SP came up, I'm not sure Jimenez would be the one. Hamels would be the obvious choice. But if he wasn't an option for us I'd much rather get a rental now and shop around come winter.