2016 Trade Deadline

[Guest]

like I said, he has a career .872 OPS in the minors with a .388 OBP. the only ones underwhelmed by that are those who aren't really paying attention.

 

I doubt a handful of Cubs fans are the only people in baseball paying attention. An .872 OPS against minor league pitching from a DH only prospect is just at least a little underwhelming.

 

By comparison:

 

Kruk in the minors: .325/..417/.492

 

Butler in the minors: .336/.416/.561 (up at 21, full time by 22, played 3B and LF in the minors, top 25 overall prospect)

 

Vogelbach: .287/.388/.484

 

it's Vogelbach's bb/k rates in addition to his slash lines.

[Guest]

 

Neither does the overall underwhelming performance for a guy who brings no other tools or skills to the table.

 

like I said, he has a career .872 OPS in the minors with a .388 OBP. the only ones underwhelmed by that are those who aren't really paying attention.

 

Vogelbach had an .814 OPS at Kane County, .798 in Daytona and an .828 OPS at Tennessee. His career mark is driven by this year's promising breakout, and short season performance that isn't terribly applicable.

 

Or to be more to the point, prior to this season, the most likely outcome for Vogelbach was not being an MLB regular in any sense of the word. That's why I originally said that this year's performance is what makes him at all valuable, instead of super duper valuable.

 

nah, it's driven by his predictive bb/k rates. his performance this year is based on his polished approach and his ability to begin opening things up a bit.

[Guest]

 

I doubt a handful of Cubs fans are the only people in baseball paying attention. An .872 OPS against minor league pitching from a DH only prospect is just at least a little underwhelming.

 

By comparison:

 

Kruk in the minors: .325/..417/.492

 

Butler in the minors: .336/.416/.561 (up at 21, full time by 22, played 3B and LF in the minors, top 25 overall prospect)

 

Vogelbach: .287/.388/.484

 

it's Vogelbach's bb/k rates in addition to his slash lines.

 

Both of those guys had excellent periphs to go with their better slash lines, even if they walked less.

 

well, Kruk was a great hitter. I'm not expecting Vogelbach to be him, completely. Butler had some good bb/k rates, but not like Vogelbach's.

[Guest]

I think it speaks volumes about Vogelbach's approach that he hasn't shown the tremendous power. He hasn't gotten the terror walks that power prospects normally get. He's had to actually have a great approach.

[Tim]

well, Kruk was a great hitter, too. I'm not expecting Vogelbach to be him, completely. Butler had some good bb/k rates, but not like Vogelbach's.

 

At 21, Butler took 43 BBs to 32 Ks in AAA over 256 PAs. He walked 11.4% of the time in the minors with a 15% K rate overall. So that one's out the door too. At 23, the age Vogelbach is putting up his first standout offensive season since Low A ball, he was hitting .301/.362/.492 over a full ML season.

 

i'll try to dig up some minor league hitters with similar career slash lines and bb/k rates.

 

Any progress? How many are minor league 1B/DHs?

Butler also hit in the cal league and the texas league.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

I am under the impression that the Cubs are largely near whatever limit they have on payroll. There's not a hard limit I'd imagine so it's not as if they'd have to shed salary to take on a guy making 7 million or something, but I don't think taking on salary to lower trade costs as a virtue is something they're super keen on doing. If and when Theo said that last year(and I do vaguely recall something along those lines), it was before they added 50 million in AAV with Heyward, Zobrist, and Lackey.

[Cubswin11]

Anyone know if Epstein said anything in the past year about taking on contracts in big trades? I swear I saw something along the lines of "we have the flexibility to make big trades and take on other teams' contracts" but can't find it. Did it never happen and I am being wishful? Seems like a possibility since I probably would have found it by now.

Who are guys that have big contracts to take on that would even make the littlest bit of sense in terms or being available and also making the needle move for us?

[Tryptamine]

Anyone know if Epstein said anything in the past year about taking on contracts in big trades? I swear I saw something along the lines of "we have the flexibility to make big trades and take on other teams' contracts" but can't find it. Did it never happen and I am being wishful? Seems like a possibility since I probably would have found it by now.

Who are guys that have big contracts to take on that would even make the littlest bit of sense in terms or being available and also making the needle move for us?

 

Not that I endorse it, but with people willing to take on Chapman, you could bring on Braun. Then use Kyle and Soler to land a top line starter.

[Tim]

Anyone know if Epstein said anything in the past year about taking on contracts in big trades? I swear I saw something along the lines of "we have the flexibility to make big trades and take on other teams' contracts" but can't find it. Did it never happen and I am being wishful? Seems like a possibility since I probably would have found it by now.

Who are guys that have big contracts to take on that would even make the littlest bit of sense in terms or being available and also making the needle move for us?

 

Not that I endorse it, but with people willing to take on Chapman, you could bring on Braun. Then use Kyle and Soler to land a top line starter.

You're stuck with Braun through 2020

[Tim]

Would people please stop panicking? This team has the best record in baseball because they ARE the best team in baseball. There is no need to trade away great young players to plug holes that aren't really there.

[NOLA]

Would people please stop panicking? This team has the best record in baseball because they ARE the best team in baseball. There is no need to trade away great young players to plug holes that aren't really there.

We should add Dexter Fowler before the deadline. What would it take to get him?

[Clem Fandango]

Would people please stop panicking? This team has the best record in baseball because they ARE the best team in baseball. There is no need to trade away great young players to plug holes that aren't really there.

We should add Dexter Fowler before the deadline. What would it take to get him?

 

[Little Slide Rooter]

Would people please stop panicking? This team has the best record in baseball because they ARE the best team in baseball. There is no need to trade away great young players to plug holes that aren't really there.

 

These are the same guys who choked it all away in 1969 and 2004, and they're doing it again. The writings on the wall; no team has ever gone through a rough patch in late June-early July and gone on to win a championship. We should be focusing on the trade deadline and then securing the highest draft pick possible, and thanks to that cursed, blisteringly hot April-mid June, we'll be lucky if we end up in the top 15.

[RammyFanny]

Anyone know if Epstein said anything in the past year about taking on contracts in big trades? I swear I saw something along the lines of "we have the flexibility to make big trades and take on other teams' contracts" but can't find it. Did it never happen and I am being wishful? Seems like a possibility since I probably would have found it by now.

 

I don't think he said the other team's contracts part but he definitely said (in spring training?) that they have flexibility to do whatever they need to at the deadline.

[Tim]

Anyone know if Epstein said anything in the past year about taking on contracts in big trades? I swear I saw something along the lines of "we have the flexibility to make big trades and take on other teams' contracts" but can't find it. Did it never happen and I am being wishful? Seems like a possibility since I probably would have found it by now.

 

I don't think he said the other team's contracts part but he definitely said (in spring training?) that they have flexibility to do whatever they need to at the deadline.

I think it was a question the media asked after they signed Fowler.

[Clem Fandango]

Supposedly the Yankees are officially listening to offers for Chapman, Miller, and others in preparation for a possible sell off before the deadline.

 

Executives with other teams say they haven't been told specifically by the Yankees that New York will execute a sell-off before the Aug. 1 trade deadline. Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner has not exactly climbed a mountain and shouted his intentions.

 

But rival evaluators say the Yankees are taking offers for Andrew Miller, Aroldis Chapman and other players right now, setting up the team to execute trades quickly whenever the club's leadership decides to refocus the organization's efforts to 2017.

[Little Slide Rooter]

As long as The Yankees are selling off pieces, how about Carlos Beltran? Hitting .296 with a .903 OPS with 19 HR. He's become something of a defensive liability in his twilight years, but he probably wouldn't be much worse than Schwarber would have been in LF. And Fowler-Zobrist-Bryant-Rizzo-Beltran-Heyward-Contreras-Russell is one damn sexy lineup.

[Clem Fandango]

Beltran has been nursing a leg injury lately, and also his BB% is the lowest it's been his entire career unless you count the 14 games he played in 1998, and his K% is the highest it's been since 2012, and second highest of his career.

 

Beltran is a fine hitter, but he doesn't bring anything to the table that the Cubs don't already have. Beltran's fWAR, despite his stellar offensive production, is only 1.5 fWAR. Baez has a 1.3 fWAR, for comparison.

 

Beltran is a DH only at this point, and the only reason he's not playing there is because the Yankees have too many old fogey's in their lineup who are worse in the field than Beltran is.

[raw]

Beltran is a terrible idea. Robbie Grossman is the best idea ever, but no idea why the Twins would trade him. Give me Chapman and Rich Hill, please.

[Tryptamine]

Supposedly the Yankees are officially listening to offers for Chapman, Miller, and others in preparation for a possible sell off before the deadline.

 

Executives with other teams say they haven't been told specifically by the Yankees that New York will execute a sell-off before the Aug. 1 trade deadline. Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner has not exactly climbed a mountain and shouted his intentions.

 

But rival evaluators say the Yankees are taking offers for Andrew Miller, Aroldis Chapman and other players right now, setting up the team to execute trades quickly whenever the club's leadership decides to refocus the organization's efforts to 2017.

 

Speaking of Miller, while Cashman was busy asking the Cubs for Schwarber the Marlins supposedly inquired on Miller's price prior to trading for Rodney. Cashman asked them for one of Marcell Ozuna or Christian Yelich.

[Tryptamine]

Beltran is a terrible idea. Robbie Grossman is the best idea ever, but no idea why the Twins would trade him. Give me Chapman and Rich Hill, please.

 

This is pretty much all I'm hoping for. I think Hammel's stuff could really play up in the pen.

[Gmoney08]

Supposedly the Yankees are officially listening to offers for Chapman, Miller, and others in preparation for a possible sell off before the deadline.

 

Executives with other teams say they haven't been told specifically by the Yankees that New York will execute a sell-off before the Aug. 1 trade deadline. Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner has not exactly climbed a mountain and shouted his intentions.

 

But rival evaluators say the Yankees are taking offers for Andrew Miller, Aroldis Chapman and other players right now, setting up the team to execute trades quickly whenever the club's leadership decides to refocus the organization's efforts to 2017.

 

Speaking of Miller, while Cashman was busy asking the Cubs for Schwarber the Marlins supposedly inquired on Miller's price prior to trading for Rodney. Cashman asked them for one of Marcell Ozuna or Christian Yelich.

 

With almost a full month before the deadline Cashman should be starting with those guys as "asks." You never know unless you ask.

 

I bet Theo doubted he would get an Addison Russell out of Shark in 2014 but they got something done because of a bit of a mistake by billy and going for it early before the deadline.

[Gmoney08]

Beltran is a terrible idea. Robbie Grossman is the best idea ever, but no idea why the Twins would trade him. Give me Chapman and Rich Hill, please.

 

This is pretty much all I'm hoping for. I think Hammel's stuff could really play up in the pen.

 

I would be ecstatic.. what more could you ask for?

[Tryptamine]

Supposedly the Yankees are officially listening to offers for Chapman, Miller, and others in preparation for a possible sell off before the deadline.

 

 

Speaking of Miller, while Cashman was busy asking the Cubs for Schwarber the Marlins supposedly inquired on Miller's price prior to trading for Rodney. Cashman asked them for one of Marcell Ozuna or Christian Yelich.

 

With almost a full month before the deadline Cashman should be starting with those guys as "asks." You never know unless you ask.

 

I bet Theo doubted he would get an Addison Russell out of Shark in 2014 but they got something done because of a bit of a mistake by billy and going for it early before the deadline.

 

Ozuna is on pace to put up a 6.6fWAR, that's 3x higher than any season Miller has ever had. That's almost like asking for Bryant. There's setting a bar and there's being stupid.

[Tim]

Asking for Marcel Ozuna is nothing like asking for Kris Bryant, and I think Ozuna is a good player. We're not even 4 months removed from Ozuna trade rumors and lots of people being down on him as a player.

I wanted him for CF this offseason before we got Fowler back.