The 2016 Bullpen

[Transmogrified Tiger]

I'm gonna break this into 2 parts. This first post is just going to focus on the individuals, and then the follow up post below is going to be on the strategy for building the bullpen for next year.

 

 

THE BACK END

 

 

Hector Rondon - RH

Repertoire: Fastball (96 mph), Slider (86 mph)

 

Level   IP     ERA    FIP   xFIP    K/9  BB/9  HR/9
MLB     72    1.67   2.68   3.03    8.9   1.9   0.5

 

 

Hector Rondon is great. He's one of the more under-appreciated relievers in the game when you consider how good he has been for 2 years now, and this year was the rock-steady closer for a 97 win team in a major market. He does this by combining elite velocity with elite control. Only 22 relievers have a BB% under 6 the last two years(min 100 IP). Only 3 of those also averaged 95 mph on their fastball, and Rondon is one of them. Because he's always in the zone he's vulnerable to the occasional BABIPing, but since he's almost always hitting his spot he's difficult to square up (remember those 22 relievers with elite control? Rondon's HR/9 is 2nd to Melancon).

 

2016 outlook: 1st year arb eligible (3.6M estimate) - out of options

 

Rondon is going to be back at the end of the bullpen again next year. While there's a slim chance they could add a Chapman or a Kimbrel to push him to an 8th inning role, odds are Rondon will be closing again, and that he'll be very good again.

 

 

 

Pedro Strop - RH

Repertoire: Fastball (95 mph), Slider (83 mph)

 

Level   IP     ERA    FIP   xFIP    K/9  BB/9  HR/9
MLB     68    2.91   3.16   3.16   10.8   3.8   0.7

 

 

As good as Rondon has been, Strop has been right there with him these last two years. When Strop is putting his biting slider where he wants it, he's borderline unhittable. The combination of velocity you have to prepare for with a slider that disappears from the zone is how he racks up big strikeout numbers(19th of 98 RP in K% the last 2 years, min 100 IP).

 

The operative word in the previous paragraph is 'when' though, Strop has intermittent battles with his command and his slider's sharpness. When the slider backs up into the zone, it gets hit hard. The fact that Strop's overall performance is so good despite those occasional struggles is a good reminder on how fickle relievers are as a group. Any bullpen would kill to have Strop pitching in the late innings, even if he sometimes fights his stuff.

 

2016 outlook: 3rd year arb eligible (4.7M) - out of options

 

Let's save some words: Strop will be in the 2016 pen, pitching in high leverage spots.

 

 

 

THE CASTOFFS

 

 

Trevor Cahill - RH

Repertoire: Sinker (93 mph), Curve/Slider (81 mph), Changeup (84 mph)

 

Level   IP     ERA    FIP   xFIP    K/9  BB/9  HR/9
MLB     17    2.12   3.13   2.21   11.7   2.7   1.0

 

Cahill was a revelation after the Cubs picked him up and put him in the pen. While as a starter he had fought injury and ineffectiveness, his sinker went up several mph in the pen, which led to performance befitting an elite reliever. In short, the harder sinker made his changeup even harder to hit, and he leaned on those two pitches with a breaking ball thrown in for good measure. The peripherals didn't lie either, Cahill wasn't catching a lucky break, he was legitimately very hard to hit, setting career bests in every contact/whiff measure you can find. This was only 17 IP(plus 5 more in the playoffs), so forecasting the future too much based on this run isn't a great idea, but make no mistake. Cahill was a great reliever this year.

 

2016 outlook: 13 million team option (500k buyout) - FA if bought out

 

Cahill's option will certainly be declined, and from there things get interesting. It's hard to imagine the team not wanting him back, and if they believe in what they saw this year I could easily see the money that went to Motte/Hunter this year getting funneled Cahill's way. Pitchers are proud people though, and it's very possible that Cahill sees himself as a productive MLB starter that's just getting back on track. If there's a market for Cahill the SP then it seems unlikely he'll be back. If there isn't(and given his lack of health, performance, and team control that sure seems a possibility), then I have to think the Cubs are the favorites to bring him back and use him in a 7th inning role like they did this fall.

 

 

Fernando Rodney - RH

Repertoire: Fastball (94 mph), Changeup (82 mph)

 

Level   IP     ERA    FIP   xFIP    K/9  BB/9  HR/9
MLB     12    0.75   3.47   3.12   11.2   3.0   0.7

 

I know it's right above, but it's worth repeating: Fernando Rodney had a 0.75 ERA as a Cub. I repeat that because Rodney's Cub performance was more mismatched with the response to his usage than any other player. He was very bad in Seattle so I understand the skepticism, and his peripherals were more 'good middle reliever' than 'Mariano Rivera reincarnated', but Rodney was quite good in Chicago. His pitch mix didn't appreciably change so it's difficult to say how much we can chalk up to Bosio's influence and how much we can chalk up to the randomness of 12 innings, but Rodney the Cub was well worth his spot and usage in higher leverage spots.

 

2016 outlook: Free Agent

 

Of all the castoffs, Rodney seems most likely to be elsewhere in 2016. While I'm sure the team wouldn't thumb their nose at him on a very small deal for depth, he turns 39 in March and his repertoire is vulnerable to things going very bad very quickly if he's not right(see his 2015 in Seattle).

 

 

Travis Wood - LH

Repertoire: Fastball (91 mph), Cutter (86 mph), Etc(Curve, Changeup, Slider)

 

 

Level   IP     ERA    FIP   xFIP    K/9  BB/9  HR/9
MLB     58    2.95   2.53   3.46   11.0   4.2   0.3

 

*The above is just Wood as a reliever

 

Travis Wood isn't really a bad starter. He's not someone who you want starting playoff games, but you could do far worse. If he had his 2015 start in 2013 or 2014, I bet the team would have stuck with him in the rotation through those struggles. I say this to highlight that having Wood in the pen was a big luxury. His fastball ticked up from 88 to 91, his cutter from 85 to 88. Those two made up 85% of the pitches Wood threw this year, and he sprinkled in off speed stuff of various breaks to keep hitters honest. This worked very well, Wood was a perfect complement to RH starters like Hammel and Hendricks who often failed to make it through 6. Wood would come in and throw an inning or 2 against LH-stacked lineups(though he didn't have a big platoon split) and bridge the gap to the back end of the pen.

 

2016 outlook: 3rd year arb eligible (6.4M) - out of options

 

Wood will likely be one of the fulcrums of the offseason. He's a luxury that fits very well with the way that Maddon likes to manage, but he's also a guy who is at maximum throwing ~75 IP in long relief. If there needs to be payroll sacrifices to allow for additions elsewhere, the Cubs can probably approximate Wood for less than his 6+ million salary.

 

 

Clayton Richard - LH

Repertoire: Fastball (93 mph), Slider (82 mph), Etc(Cutter, Changeup)

 

Level   IP     ERA    FIP   xFIP    K/9  BB/9  HR/9
MLB     24    4.44   3.26   3.45    5.1   1.8   0.4

 

*The above is just Richard as a reliever

 

This is getting repetitive, I should have made a template. [Player] washed out as a starter last year, the Cubs put him in the bullpen, his velocity ticked up and he was pretty effective. Richard was bought to be an emergency starter, and his ability to eat innings bought him time on the roster to earn his keep as a 2nd LHRP down the stretch. Like with Wood, 85% of his pitches are hard stuff, with enough breaking pitches/offspeed to keep hitters honest.

 

2016 outlook: 3rd year arb eligible (1.1M) - out of options

 

Richard's investment for next year seems pretty minimal for a team that isn't overflowing with LH pen options(especially if Wood is gone). However, I think his odds of coming back are less than many think. Richard was effective in the pen, but he also is definitely a specialist(RH hitters lit him up), and he doesn't strike guys out. When it comes to LH specialists, I'm getting the impression that the front office doesn't really see a ton of value in 'who' the guy is, just as long as they have one. The thinking is that this is someone you bring in someone to prey on the hitter's split, and not necessarily because they're great themselves. You see this manifested in how they've treated that role recently, ditching Wright for little reason, and using NRIs and DFA candidates(Coke, Russell, Richard) to have that LOOGY option. I wouldn't be shocked if Richard is brought back, a million bucks isn't much and a strike throwing option is a decent complement to Rosscup's stuff + wildness, but I won't bat an eye if they simply non-tender him.

 

 

 

THE OTHER INCUMBENTS

 

 

Justin Grimm - RH

Repertoire: Fastball (95 mph), Curve (83 mph)

 

Level   IP     ERA    FIP   xFIP    K/9  BB/9  HR/9
MLB     50    1.99   3.11   3.05   12.1   4.7   0.7

 

Grimm did his best 2014 Neil Ramirez impersonation this year. He missed the start of the year with forearm inflammation, and then was a fireballing high K high BB guy the rest of the year. In the warmest month of the year he was sitting 97 with his fastball but otherwise sat around 95, with a curve that sometimes has slider action serving as ~40% of the pitches he throws. Grimm's NLDS appearance was a peek at how good he is when he's throwing strikes, as he struck out the side in dominant fashion. His BB rate above shows you that was a bit of an infrequent occurrence though, and his fastball is straight which makes him a little more prone to getting smacked around too.

 

2016 outlook: 1st year arb eligible (1.0M) - option eligible

 

While Grimm isn't someone you want closing games or even consistently pitching in the 8th inning until he can throw more strikes, he'll be back next year in a middle relief role. He's in the upper half of qualified relievers, so having him as the 3rd/4th best RP for a million bucks is a borderline luxury.

 

 

Neil Ramirez - RH

Repertoire: Fastball (93 mph), Slider (85 mph), Curve (77 mph)

 

Level   IP     ERA    FIP   xFIP    K/9  BB/9  HR/9
MLB     14    3.21   3.21   4.07    9.6   3.9   0.6

 

After a great 2014, Ramirez took a step back and missed most of the year with injury. Health is always the biggest concern with Ramirez, it's why he's in the pen and why Texas likely included him in the Garza deal, and it bit him this year. Perhaps more concerning was that when Ramirez did pitch in Chicago in September, his velocity had not returned to 2014 levels(graph), so the hope is that the offseason can get Ramirez right so he can contribute in 2016.

 

2016 outlook: 2nd year renewal - out of options

 

A healthy Ramirez certainly has a spot in the major league pen, the question is whether that's going to happen in 2016. His lack of options means that a judgment day might come relatively quick if Ramirez is healthy enough to pitch but still not able to hit 95 with consistency like he did in 2014.

 

 

Zac Rosscup - LH

Repertoire: Fastball (93 mph), Slider (86 mph)

 

Level   IP     ERA    FIP   xFIP    K/9  BB/9  HR/9
MLB     27    4.39   4.86   4.03    9.8   4.4   1.7
AAA     11    4.76   2.54   ----   15.6   3.2   0.8

 

Rosscup blew a golden opportunity to seize a role in the 2015 pen. Maddon spoke fondly of him from his time in Tampa and a strong spring training, and he had ample chance to stake his claim as the LOOGY after Coke faltered. That didn't happen though, as Rosscup couldn't throw enough strikes or avoid the long ball and had some injury trouble to boot. When he's able to throw enough strikes to get into pitchers counts, Rosscup's fastball/slider combo is classic LOOGY stuff. To that end LH batters only hit .154/.289/.289 against him. Righties absolutely crushed him though(.431 wOBA, for reference Joey Votto was 2nd in MLB with a .427 wOBA), and it's hard to be overly confident in getting a single hitter(even a lefty) with a BB% north of 10.

 

2016 outlook: 2nd year renewal - option eligible

 

Rosscup will almost certainly pitch for the 2016 Cubs, he's got the stuff, an option to burn, and a lack of in house LH competition. He'll have to earn his way onto the opening day roster though, otherwise it'll take more injury or ineffectiveness for him to get a real shot.

 

 

Carl Edwards Jr. - RH

Repertoire: Fastball (94 mph), Curve (79 mph)

 

Level   IP     ERA    FIP   xFIP    K/9  BB/9  HR/9
MLB      5    3.86   3.35   3.98    9.8   4.4   0.0
AAA     32    2.84   3.50   ----   11.1   6.8   0.0
AA      11    2.66   2.97   ----   13.7   6.5   0.4

 

Edwards was strictly a reliever this year, and the results were positive although a touch below the collective hopes for a Top 100 SP prospect turned RP. Edwards missed a lot of bats in AA and AAA, although his control went from okay to absent. Part of that could be chalked up to harnessing his stuff in shorter stints(the K rates did tick up too), but the fact that he hasn't yet shown an ability to throw consistent strikes as a reliever is worth noting. What Edwards has working for him though is that along with the strikeouts, he is remarkably difficult to square up, continuing his elite HR prevention as a reliever. That will buy him some slack if he can get his walk rate down to even mediocre levels.

 

2016 outlook: 1st year renewal - option eligible

 

Between Rondon, Strop, Grimm, Ramirez, a likely external addition(or Cahill), plus one or two LHRPs and long relievers, Edwards has a small hill to climb to be considered a part of the early season pen. He should be one of the first options to fill in when injuries, ineffectiveness, or lack of rest strike.

 

 

Yoervis Medina - RH

Repertoire: Fastball (93 mph), Slider (84 mph)

 

Level IP ERA FIP xFIP K/9 BB/9 HR/9

MLB 9 7.00 4.36 4.55 7.0 4.0 1.0

AAA 34 6.29 4.71 ---- 9.2 5.5 0.8

 

Better known as 'the guy who we got for Welington Castillo', Medina's Cubs tenure was a bummer, both in that he didn't perform all that great and that said underperformance meant Castillo was basically given away. Medina has the stuff to contribute positively to a MLB pen, but nothing about his Cubs performance has shown he's close to reaching that point in his development. Not enough strikes and too many hard hit balls, even at Iowa.

 

2016 outlook - 3rd year renewal - out of options

 

Medina's spring training is going to be very important, if he makes it that far. Without a strong showing he'll likely be squeezed off the 40 man.

 

 

OTHER CHARACTERS OF NOTE

 

Jacob Turner - A candidate for rotation depth too, if he's healthy do they try him in long relief?

Jason Hammel - Similarly, if 2 starters get added, does Hammel get the Jackson/Wood treatment if he comes in 6th place?

Armando Rivero - A disappointment only matched by Alcantara for prospects expected to impact the 2015 Cubs. The K's went way down, the walks went way back up, and he's still not on the 40 man

Eric Jokisch - He holds a 40 man spot for now so he'll have some consideration for a LOOGY spot, but he had a bad year derailed by injury

Dallas Beeler - Also holds a 40 man spot but may not for very long. Way down the list of candidates that could have a sustained pen role.

Jason Motte/Tommy Hunter - Both more or less were as okay/mediocre as expected, I don't think the FO will be clamoring to bring either back in free agency, but there is some familiarity

[Guest]

As far as constructing next year's bullpen, I think it currently looks a little like this:

 

Closer - Rondon

Setup - Strop

RH - Cahill or external equivalent

RH - Grimm

RH - Ramirez or external equivalent

LH - Richard or external equivalent, possibly Wood

Long man - Wood, SP depth(Hammel/Turner/acquisition)

 

Iowa taxi squad: Edwards, Rosscup, any other acquisitions, Medina

 

With that in mind, the offseason has basically 3 goals for the bullpen:

 

- Bring back Cahill or get the next Motte/Hunter to fill that spot

- Make a decision on Wood and Richard, getting an external LHRP if neither are back

- Add RP depth at AAA

 

The last of which is probably the most difficult to do. You can split the difference a bit with SP depth(Wood last year is a perfect illustration), but the catch is that MLB ready pitching with at least a glimmer of hope is probably not going to get traded unless 1) it is expensive (not good for this scenario) or 2) getting traded for MLB ready players in return. The Cubs have some depth to do this, but the moral of the story is that I don't think there's an equivalent to say, the Montero deal, where minimal low level assets were used to plug a present MLB hole.

 

 

All of this is to try and start a dialogue on what you'd like to see for the pen. Interested in paying the price to go big on someone like Chapman or Kimbrel? Any FAs of note that would be good additions? Buy low candidates to help with depth?

[rawaction]

I had a post about the lack of talk about the bullpen outlook for next year in the offseason thread, but I hit submit and got an error and lost it.

 

The pen was really good last year, but the Cubs got lucky IMO. They got Rodney and Motte to not be terrible as their recent history/stuff indicate they should have been. They got several failed starters to be dominant relievers (as you pointed out). And they had pretty good health. If you told me the Cubs would be throwing out the guys they threw out of the pen in the playoffs in June, I'd have thought the pen was a disaster. Well, the problem is the status quo has a good chance at being a disaster in 2016. So, I think the Cubs really need to make a decent sized investment here.

 

I don't like the thought of trading for Kimbrel or Chapman, because I don't like trading valuable assets for relievers and those guys would be worthy. But it's a pretty decent class for FA relievers. Papelbon, Soria, Ziegler, Broxton, Clippard and Jim Johnson all have closing experience, and I'd really like a 2nd capable 7th/8th inning guy to keep Grimm in the 6th/7th role. But I'd really like to add a LHRP. Tony Sipp seems like a great candidate here.

 

The way I see it, the 2016 pen is Rondon, Strop and Grimm. Counting on anyone else in your 1st post is probably a mistake. One is an injury concern (Ramirez), some are free agents (Cahill, Rodney, Motte), a couple are DFA/trade candidates (Wood, Richard), and some have control concerns (Medina, Edwards, Rosscup).

 

I'd probably try to trade Wood. I think his salary is a good place to cut. Maybe trade him to a team needing a 5th starter/long reliever, and getting a decent bench bat (5th OF or 6th IF type would be most likely). I'd re-sign Cahill if he's willing to take a 1 year deal to stay in the pen, worst case he's a long man, best case he performs like a late reliever again. Richard makes it to camp, but is a DFA candidate. And I'd definitely get 2 starters, giving Hammel the Jackson/Wood treatment if he can't be traded or beat out Hendricks.

 

CL- Rondon

Set up- Strop, Grimm, Sipp, Cahill

Middle- Edwards, Richard, Ramirez, Rosscup

Long- Hammel

 

In AAA, you'd have Edwards and Rosscup if they don't make the team out of camp. Along with Corey Black and PJ Francescon. I wouldn't shy away signing one of those RHPs I mentioned earlier but they are all probably long-term, large money contracts. But I'd look at Rule 5 picks and throw in RPs in any trades the Cubs make.

[davell]

It just depends on what the budget actually is, as to how I'd go about the pen. Unless the budget moves a ton(it's possible) I want no part of adding a closer that's tying up 10+ mill. Not to mention, I'd hate giving up true assets to fix a problem that isn't even a problem. I like all 3 of Rondon, Strop, and Grimm a bunch. I figure Wood coming back is going to be a budgetary thing. If we think he can fit inside of it, I'd love to have him back. At 1.1, I see no reason not to bring Richard back either. I have no idea where Cahill stands on starting or not, but if he's OK with being a pen guy, I'd love to have him back too, as it looks like he can be a very solid 7th/8th inning type. It's nice to have Ramirez, hope he gets healthy. If not, we can cut bait and it doesn't hurt anything but depth. If CJ isn't dealt, I feel like he's a big second half contributor next year.

 

I don't care about the other guys enough to bring back, Rosscup having an option left is nice anyway. Unless I'm missing someone else on the 40 man that's decent, I doubt any of the rest are factors.

 

That said, with bullpens being volatile, I hope we add a few pieces. Throw ins on trades, a few decent arms on minor league deals.....Unless there's plenty of room inside the budget, it's just not how I'd allocate the money. I guess I could be talked into O'Day replacing Wood's salary, even with 2 years added on to it. But it won't shock me if he gets more than that and maybe even an opportunity to close.

[rawaction]

It just depends on what the budget actually is, as to how I'd go about the pen. Unless the budget moves a ton(it's possible) I want no part of adding a closer that's tying up 10+ mill. Not to mention, I'd hate giving up true assets to fix a problem that isn't even a problem. I like all 3 of Rondon, Strop, and Grimm a bunch. I figure Wood coming back is going to be a budgetary thing. If we think he can fit inside of it, I'd love to have him back. At 1.1, I see no reason not to bring Richard back either. I have no idea where Cahill stands on starting or not, but if he's OK with being a pen guy, I'd love to have him back too, as it looks like he can be a very solid 7th/8th inning type. It's nice to have Ramirez, hope he gets healthy. If not, we can cut bait and it doesn't hurt anything but depth. If CJ isn't dealt, I feel like he's a big second half contributor next year.

 

I don't care about the other guys enough to bring back, Rosscup having an option left is nice anyway. Unless I'm missing someone else on the 40 man that's decent, I doubt any of the rest are factors.

 

That said, with bullpens being volatile, I hope we add a few pieces. Throw ins on trades, a few decent arms on minor league deals.....Unless there's plenty of room inside the budget, it's just not how I'd allocate the money. I guess I could be talked into O'Day replacing Wood's salary, even with 2 years added on to it. But it won't shock me if he gets more than that and maybe even an opportunity to close.

 

I think O'Day and all those RHPs I named are going to get upwards of $7Mil/annually. I mean, i guess the Cubs could pay that much given they paid the combo of Motte, Wada, Rodney, and Hunter over 10Mil.

[Guest]

Here's an external idea to think about: Jake McGee

 

+ McGee is good. Really good. Here's the leaders in K%-BB% since 2012: Chapman, Kimbrel, Jansen, Uehara, Robertson, McGee. The things he does well are very similar to Rondon(elite velocity + elite control), in fact he's one of the other 2 relievers in the original post with 95+ mph fastballs and a walk rate below 6%.

+ McGee has 2 years of team control left

+ Maddon familiarity

 

- McGee is a reliever, and as such isn't a great investment of trade assets

- McGee had two different injuries this year limiting him to 37 innings, an elbow injury to start the year and a knee problem mid-summer

 

Given his role(reliever), price(4.7 million arb estimate per MLBTR), lack of long term control, and injuries in 2015 probably make him a candidate to be traded given the Rays need for thriftiness and efficiency. Those same things keep his trade value from being astronomical, even though he's been an elite reliever for a little while now.

 

The other good news is there's at least one match at the MLB level in Coghlan. There's definitely 400-500 PA out there for a LH LF/DH on the Rays current roster, and getting a player of Coghlan's caliber is going to be a lot harder to do for 4-5 million than it will to find good bullpen arms while bargain shopping. If there needs to be additional pieces involved, the Rays are more likely than other Coghlan suitors to accept prospects that are further away from MLB too.

 

Where I'm not sure is what exactly the Rays would want in return for McGee. 1 year of Coghlan for 2 of McGee is pretty close from a pure value perspective, but it's also a slightly curious move for the Rays to make since it doesn't make them significantly better now or add a bunch of hope for future seasons.

 

Anyone else like McGee or have ideas on what his pricetag might be?

[jumbo]

The things he does well are very similar to Marmol(elite velocity + elite control), in fact he's one of the other 2 relievers in the original post with 95+ mph fastballs and a walk rate below 6%.

 

Not picking on one sentence, but Marmol had elite control?

It would be great to get a closer type reliever for Coghlan, who is a bit of a luxury to have as an extra outfielder. Hard to count on Soler playing 150 games given his history so far, and Coghlan is not too expensive to keep.

[davell]

I'd love to find a way to get McGee. I don't even want to deal Coghlan, but I'd make that deal.

[rawaction]

I'd love McGee. And I could see a Coghlan/McGee type trade, but I think the Cubs would have to throw in a pretty decent prospect to make it work. I do think the value is pretty good/similar for both teams. But Mcgee is a more rare commodity (hard throwing, shutdown LHRP) than Coghlan (majority platoon corner OF, without much defensive value), which is why the Cubs would have to add something.

[Guest]

The things he does well are very similar to Marmol(elite velocity + elite control), in fact he's one of the other 2 relievers in the original post with 95+ mph fastballs and a walk rate below 6%.

 

Not picking on one sentence, but Marmol had elite control?

It would be great to get a closer type reliever for Coghlan, who is a bit of a luxury to have as an extra outfielder. Hard to count on Soler playing 150 games given his history so far, and Coghlan is not too expensive to keep.

 

Late night typo, that should read Rondon. Fixed.

[Tryptamine]

I want Brewer's reliever Will Smith on this squad. He's the dominant lefty the bullpen badly needs and I think he could get done for a Vogelbach type return.

[Tryptamine]

Thoughts on the bullpen:

 

- Rondon really impressed during the playoffs. He, Grimm, and Cahill are the guys I like next year currently on the 25. Edwards is going to be alright too, but should open the year in Iowa for depth's sake.

 

- Sipp and McGee are definitely guys I like, been mentioning them for a while. I love O'Day's fit here too.

- I'm way more open to trading for a Chapman or Kimbrel than most, but wouldn't be expecting just that one guy back either. Much prefer Chapman obviously, and want Cingrani with him to replace Wood, but not looking to rehash.

 

- Like with the OF, this is an area the team can turnover for some big gains this offseason.

 

If O'Day can be had for 3/21 or less, I'd absolutely love for him to come in and be the 8th inning guy. Grimm,Strop,O'day and Rondon is a filthy 6 through 9 set up.

[Felix Leiter]

Jed has mentioned two other names that are doing well in Arizona now-Corey Black and David Garner. Corey is making LH miss. Garner apparently has mid-90's fastball and hard slider. I wonder if anyone has seen him?

 

Hate to see Strop back and I wonder if they'd ever move Neil Rameriz back into SP discussion.

[davell]

You'd hate to see Strop back? Why? There's literally no chance Black or Garner take his place and actually, neither has looked good in the AFL.

 

And Ramirez is going to be lucky to regain his velocity to where he's an effective reliever again, with his sboulder issues. He's definitely not becoming a starter at this stage.

[Sammy Sofa]

Hate to see Strop back

 

What the [expletive].

[weis21]

You'd hate to see Strop back? Why? There's literally no chance Black or Garner take his place and actually, neither has looked good in the AFL.

 

And Ramirez is going to be lucky to regain his velocity to where he's an effective reliever again, with his sboulder issues. He's definitely not becoming a starter at this stage.

yeah i pretty much disagreed with every word of his post

[abuck1220]

yes, let's replace strop with david garner (citation needed).

[imb]

yes, let's replace strop with david garner (citation needed).

 

i hope david garner is tall as [expletive]

[jersey cubs fan]

yes, let's replace strop with david garner (citation needed).

 

i hope david garner is tall as [expletive]

 

as long as he has the corresponding body mass

[Guest]

Jed has mentioned two other names that are doing well in Arizona now-Corey Black and David Garner. Corey is making LH miss. Garner apparently has mid-90's fastball and hard slider. I wonder if anyone has seen him?

 

Hate to see Strop back and I wonder if they'd ever move Neil Rameriz back into SP discussion.

 

I think I just saw a ghost

[Felix Leiter]

There's literally no chance Black or Garner take his place and actually, neither has looked good in the AFL.

 

This is based on what? Your eye test? Meanwhile, back in the real world, Corey Black has been chosen for the AZL All-Star Game.

 

Keep your day job, ace.

[davell]

There's literally no chance Black or Garner take his place and actually, neither has looked good in the AFL.

 

This is based on what? Your eye test? Meanwhile, back in the real world, Corey Black has been chosen for the AZL All-Star Game.

 

Keep your day job, ace.

He has 6 innings and the scouting reports haven't been favorable. But since you want to live in the real world, the 7.11 ERA he has in the AFL is awfully snazzy.

[Bobson Dugnutt]

There's literally no chance Black or Garner take his place and actually, neither has looked good in the AFL.

 

This is based on what? Your eye test? Meanwhile, back in the real world, Corey Black has been chosen for the AZL All-Star Game.

 

Keep your day job, ace.

He has 6 innings and the scouting reports haven't been favorable. But since you want to live in the real world, the 7.11 ERA he has in the AFL is awfully snazzy.

 

hahahahaha.

[Cubswin11]

There's actually people out there who don't want Strop back or think it's no big deal if he isn't? WTF

[davell]

With the escalating prices of good pen arms, I think I'd be OK with seeing if he'd take a 3/12 type deal this offseason. And I don't really like giving bullpen guys multi year deals.