Cubs offseason thread

[Post Count Padder]

 

We'll see. I'm sure if an opportunity came up to make a big move to improve short and long term of team they will make it.

Yeah, standard case of "We'll see what happens." The Winter Meetings haven't even started yet. If there's a move for a starting pitcher they can make, I'm sure they'd do it. But obviously there aren't many holes to fill that can't be done from within.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

What's this about Soler Giants Beede? I'm down

 

What are you talking about

[David]

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[Transmogrified Tiger]

http://www.espn.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/43005/winter-meetings-preview-cubs-set-their-sights-on-pitching

 

"We kind of felt like we did two offseasons' worth of shopping in one offseason last year," general manager Jed Hoyer said Wednesday on a conference call. "With that in mind, I don't expect nearly the activity we did a year ago."

 

So does that rule out re-signing closer Aroldis Chapman, or adding Mark Melancon or Kenley Jansen? Probably, though industry sources say the Cubs are kicking the tires on all types of relievers, from free agents to potential trade targets. They've asked about Jansen, but it's unknown if the price tag will be too high. There's a good chance it will be, so names such as Greg Holland, Wade Davis, Alex Colome and A.J. Ramos are being explored.

 

Ramos is a name I hadn't seen discussed in much detail. Not knowing much about him, he's done pretty well with Miami. Here's his last 2 years:

 

 

Of course, here's a point of comparison from that same timeframe:

 

 

That's Justin Grimm.

 

Now on one hand, that makes me feel a little better about the current state of the pen. Justin Grimm is good! And he's roughly 3rd or 4th on the reliever depth chart at the moment, which is a good place for him to be.

 

On the other hand, the names in front of him have a fair amount of uncertainty and Grimm himself has had inconsistency/injury problems, which underscores the concern I have about the bullpen. You can't guarantee consistency, but bullpen weaknesses have domino effects on the roles that fall under it. That's why I'm so gung ho about Jansen, since his relative certainty means that all the good but imperfect options below him are fighting for 8th inning duty at best. If you forego that and try to start the season with 4-5 guys in the Grimm/Ramos/Edwards mold, then you'll probably be fine, but you'll probably lose games figuring out who is going to shake out.

 

It's basically the Dodgers rotation from this year. Now that's not a truly bad strategy that will probably work out by the time the playoffs roll around and you need more role certainty, but why do it when you don't have to?

[Cubswin11]

Kinda weirdly worded but you could take it to mean he's in negotiations with us....

 

[davell]

 

I guess this means we've made a few arb agreements.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Kinda weirdly worded but you could take it to mean he's in negotiations with us....

 

or he confessed to beating his girlfriend but Blanco relayed the message

[Post Count Padder]

The Cubs non-tendered four pre-arb players to clear 40-man space, MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat tweets. Lefty Gerardo Concepcion and righties Zac Rosscup, Conor Mullee, and Christian Villanueva were all taken off the roster.

[toonsterwu]

Well, maybe the Cubs lucked into an opportunity, with Tyson Ross getting non-tendered. Doesn't mean we shouldn't add additional options, as Ross is no sure thing for next season, but rolling the dice on sort of deal with Ross seems like as good an option as we could've hoped for.

 

As for the rest of the off-season, nothing surprising. Fowler was such a great fit, but at 18 million per, thanks, but no thanks. Jay is a decent enough option, although admittedly, he wasn't on my mind. I imagine Almora is either the starting CF, or he's in AAA, so Szczur could still be in the mix for some PT. The idea of paying that much for a closer has never been that exciting to me, so if they pass, okay. I'm intrigued with say, Neftali Feliz (if he's still available, been busy) and a gamble on some other pieces. Addressing the rotation jumps to the top of the list after that, and the Ross non-tender makes for a great opportunity. Had been thinking that, since it seems like we don't have the chips to jump into the big end, we might be able to be the 3rd team in a deal, akin to the Nationals back in the day swooping in to help the Rays/Padres make a deal (and stealing Turner/Ross). Don't expect to get that lucky, but it's crossed my mind that maybe we could utilize Soler to help another team complete a big trade, while nabbing some key pieces for ourselves (in my mind, I'm thinking something with the Nats, because they have been in the news, where the Nats try to protect Robles and get Soler to swap for whatever big trade they do but obviously other options out there).

[David]

http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/tyson-ross-could-be-one-final-pieces-cubs-offseason-puzzle

 

The Cubs left this week’s winter meetings in Maryland still involved in the Ross talks, sources said, monitoring an intriguing pitcher they had targeted before the 2015 trade deadline.

 

Reports have already linked the Texas Rangers and Pittsburgh Pirates to Ross and not completely ruled out a return to San Diego. During an offseason where the free-agent market is essentially devoid of reliable frontline starters, there could be sticker shock, even with a rehabbing pitcher.

 

Trading for Wade Davis meant the Cubs were out of the bidding for Greg Holland, another All-Star closer who helped turn the Kansas City Royals into World Series champions. Holland spent this year recovering from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, but he will still be in position to capitalize after Mark Melancon, Aroldis Chapman and eventually Kenley Jansen reset the market for closers.

 

With Ross, the Cubs will have to get a better sense of the medical picture and the price for all that upside.

 

Beyond a winning culture, the Cubs can sell the pitching infrastructure that helped turn Arrieta into a Cy Young Award winner and transform Hendricks into an ERA leader and keep the rotation remarkably healthy.

 

“Those really talented pitchers are going to be in demand, even those that are coming off an injury,” Cubs president Theo Epstein said this week at National Harbor. “We’ll stay engaged on some of those guys, but they’ll have to be just the right talent.

 

“We’ll have to feel good about the medical and the return to play. And the fit on the club would have to be right, too. But the true elite guys have a real market, even if they’re coming off down seasons.”

 

 

I thought I had heard we were still in on Holland, but Mooney appears to be reporting otherwise.

[davell]

Heyman said they were still in after the Davis trade. Very possible the Uehara signing took them out on Holland.

[Gilby]

I'm still intrigued by Ross, but having our two biggest offseason acquisitions be injured pitchers would be a little unsettling. Not that our season would depend on either of them, but still. I kinda feel like everything is set up for a trade of Happ and company to the Rays for Odorizzi.

[David]

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I got a little excited as I read "Justin..." and then I'm like who TF is justin wilson (he actually looks like a decent reliever)

[Transmogrified Tiger]

I've been thinking about the answer to the question "what would it look like if the Cubs really believed in Montgomery and wanted him to be the 5th starter?" It'd probably look a lot like this, getting an insane amount of bullpen depth, not going big on a SP to bump him out, and then adding an optionable/MiLB 6th/7th starter (TBD).

[Transmogrified Tiger]

To Wilson specifically, I'm a fan. Throws hard, had some real good seasons in the NL, won't cost a premium since the Tigers need to cut salary and he's coming off a down year, 2 years of control. He would be a nice complement to someone like Duensing who you never ever want to face a RH hitter, since he's capable of getting righties out when he's doing well.

[Post Count Padder]

I like Wilson and I know there's a user on here who has been championing for him all offseason.

 

I do wonder what the cost would be. Tigers got him last year for Chad Green and Luis Cessa, who are both intriguing arms and will likely be on the Yankees' 25 man next year.

[David]

I've been thinking about the answer to the question "what would it look like if the Cubs really believed in Montgomery and wanted him to be the 5th starter?" It'd probably look a lot like this, getting an insane amount of bullpen depth, not going big on a SP to bump him out, and then adding an optionable/MiLB 6th/7th starter (TBD).

 

Yeah...the lack of depth still bothers me, though. Seems like Hammel on his option would be a great option right about now. But whatever.

[Post Count Padder]

I've been thinking about the answer to the question "what would it look like if the Cubs really believed in Montgomery and wanted him to be the 5th starter?" It'd probably look a lot like this, getting an insane amount of bullpen depth, not going big on a SP to bump him out, and then adding an optionable/MiLB 6th/7th starter (TBD).

 

Yeah...the lack of depth still bothers me, though. Seems like Hammel on his option would be a great option right about now. But whatever.

Still have Brooks, Zas, Ryan Williams, and others in AAA. And I doubt they're content with just that going into the season. I would be content with Monty being the 5th starter but I expect they'll add a couple more starters.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Brooks and Williams have to be considered dead to the MLB team unless heard otherwise, and Zastryzny as a 6th starter for a team expected to win a division and compete for a World Series would be a failure. You need someone of higher quality and certainty, even if it isn't someone that displaces Montgomery.

[David]

I've been thinking about the answer to the question "what would it look like if the Cubs really believed in Montgomery and wanted him to be the 5th starter?" It'd probably look a lot like this, getting an insane amount of bullpen depth, not going big on a SP to bump him out, and then adding an optionable/MiLB 6th/7th starter (TBD).

 

Yeah...the lack of depth still bothers me, though. Seems like Hammel on his option would be a great option right about now. But whatever.

Still have Brooks, Zas, Ryan Williams, and others in AAA. And I doubt they're content with just that going into the season. I would be content with Monty being the 5th starter but I expect they'll add a couple more starters.

 

 

Was that list of names supposed to be comforting?

[Clem Fandango]

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I got a little excited as I read "Justin..." and then I'm like who TF is justin wilson (he actually looks like a decent reliever)

 

Paging We Got The Whole 9. Paging...

 

It's your time to shine, bud.

[Cubswin11]

If the goal is to mainly clear payroll I wonder what a Wilson and Verlander package deal would take to get from us. Clearing those two from their books would save them ~$30 million this year alone.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

If the goal is to mainly clear payroll I wonder what a Wilson and Verlander package deal would take to get from us. Clearing those two from their books would save them ~$30 million this year alone.

 

They still need to be competitive though, which is the tricky thing. The Arrieta/Verlander stuff from a while back is the only thing that would make sense in that vein, because they aren't overflowing with SP otherwise and there's motivation on both sides(Cubs get post-2017 SP, Tigers cut payroll without tanking their chances). Wilson is easier to move because 1) he wasn't that effective last year, and 2) Boyd is a ready-made replacement since they won't want to start him 20 times again.

[We Got The Whole 9]

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I got a little excited as I read "Justin..." and then I'm like who TF is justin wilson (he actually looks like a decent reliever)

 

Paging We Got The Whole 9. Paging...

 

It's your time to shine, bud.

I'm not that type of guy. I probably shouldn't have posted about him in 3 different threads - especially don't want to annoy a forum that's new to me, that I love reading and think there are several great posters I enjoy - but I just like the idea of adding that power lefty. It's not a matter of LOOGYs and getting lefties out, there aren't many hitters, period, who don't struggle with 95-97 from the LH side. So I think a guy like him, or Diekman, or the like, would add another dimension to the pen. Plus he has 3 years of control and if he comes as cheap as you guys suggested, that's a no-brainer to me. That's a guy who improves the pen IMO.

 

But I'm not gonna come here with 'told ya so' type of crap posts.

 

Honestly our FO turns over every stone anyway so if there is a name I'd like them to target, the probability is extremely high that they already have kicked the tires. I trust they will patch any weakness that remains.

 

I'm still skeptical that we could get him for Szczur+, but we'll just have to wait and see.

[jersey cubs fan]

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I got a little excited as I read "Justin..." and then I'm like who TF is justin wilson (he actually looks like a decent reliever)

 

Paging We Got The Whole 9. Paging...

 

It's your time to shine, bud.

I'm not that type of guy. I probably shouldn't have posted about him in 3 different threads - especially don't want to annoy a forum that's new to me, that I love reading and think there are several great posters I enjoy - but I just like the idea of adding that power lefty. It's not a matter of LOOGYs and getting lefties out, there aren't many hitters, period, who don't struggle with 95-97 from the LH side. So I think a guy like him, or Diekman, or the like, would add another dimension to the pen. Plus he has 3 years of control and if he comes as cheap as you guys suggested, that's a no-brainer to me. That's a guy who improves the pen IMO.

 

But I'm not gonna come here with 'told ya so' type of crap posts.

 

Honestly our FO turns over every stone anyway so if there is a name I'd like them to target, the probability is extremely high that they already have kicked the tires. I trust they will patch any weakness that remains.

 

I'm still skeptical that we could get him for Szczur+, but we'll just have to wait and see.

Rub it in!

 

Rub it in!

 

Rub it in!