The Pitchers we can trade for....

[Guest]

Serious question though, I know Cleveland has tossed around Carrasco and Salazar's names as trade pieces. Are they rebuilding or contending? Or are they in the middle somewhere? What kind of pieces would they want in return for guys like that (MLB or prospects)?

 

I think the idea is that despite having success, their future is still a bit speculative. This was the first time either has eclipsed league average production, and Salazar's career numbers and 2015 don't exactly guarantee TOR performance either. With Bauer and only one of Carrasco/Salazar to go along with Kluber they have a promising rotation, plus some interesting options like McAllister and Anderson to at least eat innings. On the offensive side, they have pretty big holes at 3B and, well, the entire OF after Brantley's surgery. They also have very little to spend so selling high on pitchers is among the better options to make the entire team better.

 

However, I do think it highlights an important point, in that the Indians don't *have* to trade either. They aren't in a Castro/Baez situation where the presence of Carrasco and Salazar means someone good loses playing time, and they could use other means to make offensive additions. With that in mind, it's going to take a significant haul to pull in one of those guys, similar to how Garza and Samardzija were shopped but instead for guys with like 5 years of team control on team friendly deals. That's why I'm pretty bearish on the Cubs getting one of them, not only will it likely require a price higher than they want to pay, but I also guess that if they were willing to pay a big trade cost for a pitcher, they'd go after someone with a bit more of an established baseline(Fernandez, Harvey, Strasburg?) or someone with a bit more of a demonstrated ability to hold up over a full season(Ross, Teheran). Plus the Cubs trade assets aren't as ideal a fit for the Indians either. Soler makes sense and I guess they could make Baez a 3B, but outside of those two(and the Cubs are very unlikely to send both) it's tough to see the Indians liking them enough to take AA or sub-AA talents to help carry the deal.

[Guest]

Hit me with the dozen - among guys available or in league trade rumors during 2015. For me it's Price, Greinke*, Teheran, Gray if that could happen, and then Chapman's right there with trading for the Gausmans and Walkers.

 

In no particular order: Price, Greinke, Zimmermann, Samardzija, Leake, Maeda, Teheran, Carrasco, Salazar, Ross, Cueto, Fernandez, Strasburg, Quintana, Gausman. That's 15, and I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting at least one I had previously.

 

Chapman is a pure 2016 play. He costs a lot in players, a lot in money(MLBTR projects 13 million), is a zero for post-2016 and is not at all certain to be very good in 2016. Even if Chapman is likely to be better than a couple of those guys, the large difference in their team control and cost to acquire(in both dollars and players) more than makes up for the gap. Chapman is a terrible, terrible option for this team as a SP.

[Guest]

Hit me with the dozen - among guys available or in league trade rumors during 2015. For me it's Price, Greinke*, Teheran, Gray if that could happen, and then Chapman's right there with trading for the Gausmans and Walkers.

 

In no particular order: Price, Greinke, Zimmermann, Samardzija, Leake, Maeda, Teheran, Carrasco, Salazar, Ross, Cueto, Fernandez, Strasburg, Quintana, Gausman. That's 15, and I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting at least one I had previously.

 

Chapman is a pure 2016 play. He costs a lot in players, a lot in money(MLBTR projects 13 million), is a zero for post-2016 and is not at all certain to be very good in 2016. Even if Chapman is likely to be better than a couple of those guys, the large difference in their team control and cost to acquire(in both dollars and players) more than makes up for the gap. Chapman is a terrible, terrible option for this team as a SP.

 

Carrasco, Strasburg, Fernandez, and Quintana good ones, Strasburg definitely makes more sense as a one year of control guy played straight (trade, season, take pick in FA). I don't buy that the Cubs wouldn't be able to extend Chapman.

 

The Cubs having the financial werewithal to extend Chapman is not the same thing as the Cubs having Chapman extended. This is the FA corollary to the Bryant service time stuff. Having the ability to extend a player is not the same thing as having the player under contract for that year.

[mul21]

Nightengale is such a giant moron.

 

 

[Cubswin11]

Nightengale is such a giant moron.

 

 

That's not entirely true or false depending on how you look at Slater's articles about it....

 

I was told by multiple player sources that Fernandez wants out of Miami “ASAP”.

 

The Marlins also are not happy with Fernandez’s attitude, which may come as a shock to many. “Jose is a different person on and off camera,” one player source told me. “Jose talks to management like they are children,” he added.

 

http://deadspin.com/the-jose-fernandez-trade-rumors-just-started-and-report-1743497841

[jersey cubs fan]

That's not entirely true or false depending on how you look at Slater's articles about it....

Actually, it is entirely true. His article says nothing about management wanting to move him. It mentions he wants to be traded and it mentions they aren't happy with his attitude, but it very clearly never says anything about management being willing to trade him. You would have to come to that conclusion yourself and if you did you can't say "according to the other guy who never said that."

[Cubswin11]

That's not entirely true or false depending on how you look at Slater's articles about it....

Actually, it is entirely true. His article says nothing about management wanting to move him. It mentions he wants to be traded and it mentions they aren't happy with his attitude, but it very clearly never says anything about management being willing to trade him. You would have to come to that conclusion yourself and if you did you can't say "according to the other guy who never said that."

This is directly from Slater's website/article...

By: Andy Slater (@AndySlater)

 

Marlins president David Samson told the Miami Herald in early November that Jose Fernandez rejected a multi-year contract offer. Now the team's star pitcher is reportedly on the trading block....My sources within the organization told me on several occasions that Fernandez would eventually be dealt for certain reasons, but no timeline was provided

 

That's right before he says the Marlins aren't happy with Fernandez's attitude. Nightingale is a boob, but I think he made a reasonable conclusion/tweet off of Slater's article.

 

http://slaterscoops.com/news/2015/11/17/jose-fernandez-reportedly-on-trade-block

[jersey cubs fan]

[tweet]

[/tweet]

[Guest]

[tweet]

[/tweet]

Sexy strikeout rates. Ugly walk rates. Had miniscule HR rates up until AAA, when it became horrible. He's consistently had a high BABIP against.

 

That makes three guys we've added to the 40 man pen in the past week, though. I'm guessing that's bad news for some of the prospects at the fringe of making the roster pre-Rule 5.

[Guest]

This is the guy that Wally Backman basically sent to TJS single handedly. Had something of a sore arm IIRC and hadn't pitched in 8 days, then got sent out to throw 57 pitches at AAA and immediately tore his UCL.

[Guest]

This is the guy that Wally Backman basically sent to TJS single handedly. Had something of a sore arm IIRC and hadn't pitched in 8 days, then got sent out to throw 57 pitches at AAA and immediately tore his UCL.

Ah, well his 2015 season ended with TJS in July out of the major league pen.

 

CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs today claimed left-handed pitcher Jack Leathersich off waivers from the New York Mets. The club’s 40-man roster now stands at 32 players.

 

Leathersich, 25, went 0-1 with a 2.31 ERA (3 ER/11.2 IP) in 17 relief appearances for the Mets last season, his first appearance at the major league level. He struck out 14 in 11.2 innings and tossed scoreless ball in 14 of his 17 outings before requiring Tommy John ligament replacement surgery at the end of July.

 

The 5-foot-11, 200-pound southpaw was originally selected by the Mets in the fifth round of the 2011 Draft out of the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. He is 9-9 with seven saves and a 3.55 ERA (83 ER/210.2 IP) in 160 relief appearances covering five seasons in the Mets minor league system.

Fundamentally, he'll be stashed on the 60 day DL once the season starts.

[Vinestal]

So I wondered how this worked with the 40 man roster. We have to keep this guy on the 40 man but only until the season starts then we can DL him? I can't recall a team ever claiming a guy rehabbing from major elbow surgery who's likely to miss most of the coming season. They must think pretty highly of him if they are willing to expose a decent prospect the the rule 5 draft to keep him. It's an odd move.

[Guest]

Maybe I'm not remembering very well, but it seems like the Hendry led Cubs rarely ever made waiver claims. I like what they are doing here. It seems like they are poaching unpolished gems.

[Guest]

i want to see us find more failed starters to turn into bad ass relievers

[Guest]

This is the guy that Wally Backman basically sent to TJS single handedly. Had something of a sore arm IIRC and hadn't pitched in 8 days, then got sent out to throw 57 pitches at AAA and immediately tore his UCL.

Ah, well his 2015 season ended with TJS in July out of the major league pen.

 

Here's a link that covers the incident in more detail: http://macksmets.blogspot.com/2015/07/fire-wally-backman-firewally.html

 

In short, he pitched for the Mets on 6/20, at some point after was demoted, then on 6/29 Backman had him throw 2 innings and 57 pitches. He was DLed less than a week later and had TJS a few weeks after that.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Maybe I'm not remembering very well, but it seems like the Hendry led Cubs rarely ever made waiver claims. I like what they are doing here. It seems like they are poaching unpolished gems.

 

In four years of constant waiver shuffling, the only player of any consequence that has emerged has been Valbuena, unless I'm just completely spacing out and missing someone. One free Valbuena every four years isn't nothing, but let's not overpraise the situation.

[Vinestal]

Maybe I'm not remembering very well, but it seems like the Hendry led Cubs rarely ever made waiver claims. I like what they are doing here. It seems like they are poaching unpolished gems.

 

In four years of constant waiver shuffling, the only player of any consequence that has emerged has been Valbuena, unless I'm just completely spacing out and missing someone. One free Valbuena every four years isn't nothing, but let's not overpraise the situation.

 

Yeah, I'm not sure its a wise use of a roster spot but they have way more info on these guys and their guys for that matter than I can ever hope to have.

[Cubswin11]

Maybe I'm not remembering very well, but it seems like the Hendry led Cubs rarely ever made waiver claims. I like what they are doing here. It seems like they are poaching unpolished gems.

 

In four years of constant waiver shuffling, the only player of any consequence that has emerged has been Valbuena, unless I'm just completely spacing out and missing someone. One free Valbuena every four years isn't nothing, but let's not overpraise the situation.

I know it isn't a waiver claim but wasn't Rondon a Rule V pick? And how did we acquire Coghlan, was he just an outright FA?

[jersey cubs fan]

Maybe I'm not remembering very well, but it seems like the Hendry led Cubs rarely ever made waiver claims. I like what they are doing here. It seems like they are poaching unpolished gems.

 

In four years of constant waiver shuffling, the only player of any consequence that has emerged has been Valbuena, unless I'm just completely spacing out and missing someone. One free Valbuena every four years isn't nothing, but let's not overpraise the situation.

I know it isn't a waiver claim but wasn't Rondon a Rule V pick? And how did we acquire Coghlan, was he just an outright FA?

that's not a thing

[Guest]

Maybe I'm not remembering very well, but it seems like the Hendry led Cubs rarely ever made waiver claims. I like what they are doing here. It seems like they are poaching unpolished gems.

 

In four years of constant waiver shuffling, the only player of any consequence that has emerged has been Valbuena, unless I'm just completely spacing out and missing someone. One free Valbuena every four years isn't nothing, but let's not overpraise the situation.

I know it isn't a waiver claim but wasn't Rondon a Rule V pick? And how did we acquire Coghlan, was he just an outright FA?

 

Rondon was a Rule 5 pick and Coghlan was a minor league FA with an invite to ST.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Maybe I'm not remembering very well, but it seems like the Hendry led Cubs rarely ever made waiver claims. I like what they are doing here. It seems like they are poaching unpolished gems.

 

In four years of constant waiver shuffling, the only player of any consequence that has emerged has been Valbuena, unless I'm just completely spacing out and missing someone. One free Valbuena every four years isn't nothing, but let's not overpraise the situation.

I know it isn't a waiver claim but wasn't Rondon a Rule V pick? And how did we acquire Coghlan, was he just an outright FA?

 

Rule 5, but otherwise yes on both.

[KingCubsFan]

Maybe I'm not remembering very well, but it seems like the Hendry led Cubs rarely ever made waiver claims. I like what they are doing here. It seems like they are poaching unpolished gems.

 

In four years of constant waiver shuffling, the only player of any consequence that has emerged has been Valbuena, unless I'm just completely spacing out and missing someone. One free Valbuena every four years isn't nothing, but let's not overpraise the situation.

How could you forget Cody Ransom?

[Guest]

Maybe I'm not remembering very well, but it seems like the Hendry led Cubs rarely ever made waiver claims. I like what they are doing here. It seems like they are poaching unpolished gems.

 

In four years of constant waiver shuffling, the only player of any consequence that has emerged has been Valbuena, unless I'm just completely spacing out and missing someone. One free Valbuena every four years isn't nothing, but let's not overpraise the situation.

It's not necessarily the results I'm praising, it's the action. It's a big contrast from the Hendry led Cubs.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

It's not necessarily the results I'm praising, it's the action.

 

A succinct description of Cubs fans' attitudes about this regime for the last four years.

[davell]

Coghlan off the scrap heap and Valbuena seem to be the two best reclamation guys. Cahill and Richard certainly helped this past year too, although Richard was a trade. I'm sure there have been a few other non roster invitees/minor league signings that provided some semblance of value along the way. I don't follow each team close enough to know where we stack up in comparison, but I like the overall activity, if nothing else.