2015/16 offseason

[jersey cubs fan]

[tweet]

[/tweet]

[davell]

This is going to be fascinating to watch unfold. If I'm looking at the FO, what they value, and how I think their FA pitching wish list would look, I think I'd rank these guys like this......

 

1 Price

2 Greinke

3 Zimmermann

4 Shark

5 Lackey

 

 

I think Cueto will scare the [expletive] out of them, assuming he's getting 9 figures.

[Andy]

I think Price is target numero uno and there's no close second. Zimmermann might be a decent move at the right price, but you rarely get FA pickups at the right price.

[Bobson Dugnutt]

This is going to be fascinating to watch unfold. If I'm looking at the FO, what they value, and how I think their FA pitching wish list would look, I think I'd rank these guys like this......

 

1 Price

2 Greinke

3 Zimmermann

4 Shark

5 Lackey

 

 

I think Cueto will scare the [expletive] out of them, assuming he's getting 9 figures.

 

Man, I really really hope they stay far away from Lackey.

[davell]

This is going to be fascinating to watch unfold. If I'm looking at the FO, what they value, and how I think their FA pitching wish list would look, I think I'd rank these guys like this......

 

1 Price

2 Greinke

3 Zimmermann

4 Shark

5 Lackey

 

 

I think Cueto will scare the [expletive] out of them, assuming he's getting 9 figures.

 

Man, I really really hope they stay far away from Lackey.

 

I do too. I thought about not even listing a 5th. But my guess is if we went that route, it'd probably mean we made a higher impact trade for a SP than what it may be if we get an elite guy in FA.

[BigSlick]

I remembered another priority for this team in the off-season: Figure out how to pry David Ross from Lester's clawing hands. Make him a pitching coach or something. He can't play anymore.

[Backtobanks]

Schwarber at C scares me, I'd prefer to keep teaching him OF

 

More to the point, guys like Schwarber usually get moved away from Catcher to get their bat in the lineup at a less demanding position. Why not just fast forward to the part where he plays LF and hopefully out hits his mistakes?

 

As long as he drives in 2-3 runs a game to balance out the 1-2 runs he gives up on defense.

i'm going to come out and make the bold declaration i don't think Schwarber will be a -24 win defender as you're describing...

 

The chances of him being a -24 win defender are greater than him driving in 324-486 runs in a season.

[Bryants Disco Ball]

Schwarber at C scares me, I'd prefer to keep teaching him OF

 

More to the point, guys like Schwarber usually get moved away from Catcher to get their bat in the lineup at a less demanding position. Why not just fast forward to the part where he plays LF and hopefully out hits his mistakes?

 

As long as he drives in 2-3 runs a game to balance out the 1-2 runs he gives up on defense.

i'm going to come out and make the bold declaration i don't think Schwarber will be a -24 win defender as you're describing...

 

The chances of him being a -24 win defender are greater than him driving in 324-486 runs in a season.

 

This just proves you don't even know who Kyle Schwarber is and simply just come on here to complain.

[KatJ]

I think Price is target numero uno and there's no close second. Zimmermann might be a decent move at the right price, but you rarely get FA pickups at the right price.

 

The Cubs already have one career AL lefty starter. If Ross stays, do they really need another auto-out? Regardless, Price will never wear his #14 as a Cub, for obvious reasons.

 

I'd prefer Greinke, and now that Mattingly is no longer manager, Greinke might be more amenable as well.

 

The idea of acquiring Lackey makes me feel icky. Surely there are better options for a #3 starter, which is where Lackey would belong provided Arrieta didn't kill his arm this season.

[Backtobanks]

It seems like a lot of Schwarbs issues in the field are judgement mistakes. Get someone in to teach him how to read a fly ball, stay in front of line drives and grounders and you may end up with an average defender with Babe Ruth's bat[/size]

 

Warning - Hyperbole Alert!

[KatJ]

I think Price is target numero uno and there's no close second. Zimmermann might be a decent move at the right price, but you rarely get FA pickups at the right price.

 

The Cubs already have one career AL lefty starter. If Ross stays, do they really need another auto-out? Regardless, Price will never wear his #14 as a Cub, for obvious reasons.

 

I'd prefer Greinke, and now that Mattingly is no longer manager, Greinke might be more amenable as well.

 

The idea of acquiring Lackey makes me feel icky. Surely there are better options for a #3 starter, which is where Lackey would belong (at the highest -- he seems more like a #4), provided Arrieta didn't kill his arm this season.

[KatJ]

I think Price is target numero uno and there's no close second. Zimmermann might be a decent move at the right price, but you rarely get FA pickups at the right price.

 

The Cubs already have one career AL lefty starter. If Ross stays, do they really need another auto-out? Regardless, Price will never wear his #14 as a Cub, for obvious reasons.

 

I'd prefer Greinke, and now that Mattingly is no longer manager, Greinke might be more amenable as well.

 

The idea of acquiring Lackey makes me feel icky. Surely there are better options for a #3 starter, which is where Lackey would belong (at the highest -- he seems more like a #4), provided Arrieta didn't kill his arm this season.

 

Or, what about Marco Estrada?

[abuck1220]

 

The Cubs already have one career AL lefty starter. If Ross stays, do they really need another auto-out?

 

what

 

Regardless, Price will never wear his #14 as a Cub, for obvious reasons.

 

 

what

 

I'd prefer Greinke, and now that Mattingly is no longer manager, Greinke might be more amenable as well.

 

what

[jersey cubs fan]

 

The Cubs already have one career AL lefty starter. If Ross stays, do they really need another auto-out?

 

what

 

Regardless, Price will never wear his #14 as a Cub, for obvious reasons.

 

 

what

 

I'd prefer Greinke, and now that Mattingly is no longer manager, Greinke might be more amenable as well.

 

what

Kat despises Jon Lester and is somehow under the impression he's an unacceptable black hole at the plate and assumes pitchers with NL pedigree are preferable.

[abuck1220]

my "what" stands.

[Clem Fandango]

 

The Cubs already have one career AL lefty starter. If Ross stays, do they really need another auto-out?

 

what

 

I assume she's talking about Lester. Not sure what the Ross bit is referencing

 

Regardless, Price will never wear his #14 as a Cub, for obvious reasons.

 

 

what

 

Ernie Banks, not that a jersey number will be a big deterrent in a 9 figure contract.

 

I'd prefer Greinke, and now that Mattingly is no longer manager, Greinke might be more amenable as well.

 

what

 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Clem Fandango]

Kat despises Jon Lester and is somehow under the impression he's an unacceptable black hole at the plate and assumes pitchers with NL pedigree are preferable.

 

http://i.imgur.com/rue1t.gif

[abuck1220]

though boy if we've perfected the offense to the point that the only improvement we can make is to have a guy hitting .140 bat three times a week instead of guy hitting .060, look out.

[CubColtPacer]

What will be interesting is to see how much the front office values budget projection that is still years out. With Arrieta two years out from free agency, and with that also the year that arbitration raises start rolling, I don't know how they're going to feel about committing 80-90 million over three starting pitchers between 2018-2020.

 

We don't know if they're going to just play for the next couple years and deal with things as they come, and we really have no idea how they're projecting the budget to increase by 2020. It's hard to come up with a great philosophy for what they should do when some of the big picture questions are still so cloudy. I know they are going to go after starting pitching, but I have no idea if they are going to go after an elite guy or not.

[Cubs Fan Dan]

I'm in the camp on making Schwarber a 40 - 50 game catcher and 90-100 game LF.

 

My top 2 targets are both Indians. I really want 1 of the Carrasco, Kluber, Salazar group and really want Brantley.

 

If one of those 3 starters can be had I would top off the rotation with a Price, only because I think it is going to happen anyway.

 

i would also be all over Chapman, The bullpen would be dominant with that addition.

 

Players I would be willing to move in the deals above: Soler, Baez or Castro, Almora, McKinney, Hammel, Contreras, vogelbach and basically any other prospect.

 

I think something it's easy to pick the known names but to me it seems like Theo and Jed will go off the radar and pull out some surprising moves.

 

I bet we are looking at a new CF, utility IF, RP, and 2-3 starting pitchers.

 

Can't wait to see how it unfolds.

[SouthSideRyan]

 

My top 2 targets are both Indians. I really want 1 of the Carrasco, Kluber, Salazar group and really want Brantley.

 

 

I think I'd rather just hold on to Bryant.

[TMan92]

Daniel Murphy or bust. The Cubs can use a good bigot.

[seanimal]

Daniel Murphy or bust. The Cubs can use a good bigot.

 

you're kidding yourself if you don't think that they already have at least one or two in there

[Banedon]

Epstein also endorsed pitcher Jason Hammel despite a rough second half and playoff game.

 

"He's going to come back and be an important member of our starting rotation," Epstein said. "He is that guy we saw in the first half when he's 100 percent and locked in. It's our job to get him that way for the first half. "

[Guest]

Epstein also endorsed pitcher Jason Hammel despite a rough second half and playoff game.

 

"He's going to come back and be an important member of our starting rotation," Epstein said. "He is that guy we saw in the first half when he's 100 percent and locked in. It's our job to get him that way for the first half. "

There's been a theory out there that says his legs were never quite right after the injury. I hope we keep him and then trade him off after another great first half.

 

I also hope we have the depth in the rotation to make that work.