Random Offseason Musings and Rumors

[davell]

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If that's true, that's not a bad deal at all.

[Clem Fandango]

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Would imagine Glasnow and/or Meadows is a requirement in that deal. The White Sox are gonna be horsefeathering stacked when they're done moving all their guys.

[Liam Neeson]

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Would imagine Glasnow and/or Meadows is a requirement in that deal. The White Sox are gonna be horsefeathering stacked when they're done moving all their guys.

 

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Would the Pirates hang up if the White Sox added Abreu and asked for Meadows / Glasnow / Bell / + ??

[davell]

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horsefeathers. What's worse? The damn question or the people who said no?

[Clem Fandango]

Not sure they would for just one year of Abreu who, at this point, is pretty unremarkable. Only a 1.6 fWAR, preceded by a 3.0 fWAR, preceded by his 5 win rookie season. He is not trending in the right direction, and moving from a hitters haven to a pitchers park isn't gonna help his value. Bell's offensive profile based on his admittedly SSS seems to be more valuable than Abreu in a sabermetrically advanced era. Bell's BB% and K% were fantastic, while Abreu's weren't as good. You can probably dream more confidently on Bell's 2017 being closer to Abreu's 2015 than Abreu's 2017 being close to his 2015.

 

I just don't see much value in Abreu at this point unless he's a DH.

[Cubswin11]

Ivan Nova got 3/26 I think I would've been fine giving him that deal

[raw]

Cole, Quintana, Taillon, Nova is a pretty good rotation, if the Pirates can pull it off.

[Clem Fandango]

Even better if they can get Quintana without giving up Glasnow. But considering the Nats gave Giolito up for Eaton I'd suspect Glasnow is a must for them.

 

If they do a straight up Glasnow AND Meadows swap for Quintana, itd give the White Sox 4 of the Top 10 mid season top 100 prospects after having only one on the list originally (Carson Fulmer at like #74 or something).

 

And they still have yet to move Frazier, Robertson, or Abreu.

[CubsWin]

Even better if they can get Quintana without giving up Glasnow. But considering the Nats gave Giolito up for Eaton I'd suspect Glasnow is a must for them.

 

If they do a straight up Glasnow AND Meadows swap for Quintana, itd give the White Sox 4 of the Top 10 mid season top 100 prospects after having only one on the list originally (Carson Fulmer at like #74 or something).

 

And they still have yet to move Frazier, Robertson, or Abreu.

The high cost of good, young pitching (either in money or prospects) is certainly a cause for concern for the Cubs in the near future (and longer if they continue to struggle to produce high-end arms in-house), but the Eaton trade gives me hope.

 

I've soured a bit on Giolito (I was really high on him before), but he's still very good. If Eaton can bring back that haul, there's hope the Cubs "surplus" of very good, young, inexpensive major league hitting can help with their young talent on the mound.

 

They'd need to find the right team with the right prospects and the right motivation (not always readily available), but Hahn has shown it's possible.

[toonsterwu]

Even better if they can get Quintana without giving up Glasnow. But considering the Nats gave Giolito up for Eaton I'd suspect Glasnow is a must for them.

 

If they do a straight up Glasnow AND Meadows swap for Quintana, itd give the White Sox 4 of the Top 10 mid season top 100 prospects after having only one on the list originally (Carson Fulmer at like #74 or something).

 

And they still have yet to move Frazier, Robertson, or Abreu.

The high cost of good, young pitching (either in money or prospects) is certainly a cause for concern for the Cubs in the near future (and longer if they continue to struggle to produce high-end arms in-house), but the Eaton trade gives me hope.

 

I've soured a bit on Giolito (I was really high on him before), but he's still very good. If Eaton can bring back that haul, there's hope the Cubs "surplus" of very good, young, inexpensive major league hitting can help with their young talent on the mound.

 

They'd need to find the right team with the right prospects and the right motivation (not always readily available), but Hahn has shown it's possible.

 

Sure, it's possible, but I really would note that most teams with young guys in their prime signed to team-friendly deals tend not to deal them even if the team is rebuilding, as they tend to view them as possible pieces for their next core. The White Sox were a, well, not necessarily unique, but interesting case. They entered 2016 with hope, after all. Their struggles in 2016 coupled with a poor system is what pushed them down this path. Furthermore, Adam Eaton was probably at just the right age to make the move - young enough for another team to view as a core piece for the next 3-4 years, but old enough that if you start the rebuild push, as the White Sox did with moving Sale, Eaton likely isn't going to be a key piece by the time they are ready. Is it possible that with the shifting philosophies on team-building that we might see a growth the in the chances that teams will make said big trades(that is, the steady increase of teams willing to take a step backwards to go forwards, for lack of a better way of saying it)? Perhaps.

 

I would also note that the Nationals seemed most troubled with the loss of Lopez, and if their assessment of their guys end up being correct ... and they made a dramatic shift on Giolito, which seemed based on a couple factors, ranging from stuff to work ethic ... this trade may be viewed differently down the line.

[CubsWin]

I like Glasnow more than Giolito. Doesn't mean anything, just do

So do I.

[Liam Neeson]

 

Nice deal for the Braves

[toonsterwu]

When I see that deal for Inciarte, the first thought that runs through my mind is about Mallex Smith. I get what Coppolella and Hart are trying to do - buying time basically, without continuing to be that awful, while forcing some of the kids into competition to see if they can step up. Still, one would think that Mallex Smith in CF and Ender Inciarte in a corner role would give them a better grasp on their future, rather than pushing Smith down to AAA. Yet, they seem committed to Nick Markakis and Matt Kemp in the corners to open the year.

 

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Not sure why I'm pondering it on Christmas morning, but I was thinking about teams that might "White Sox" it, or at the very least, do a sale if things go sour, and I come up with the following teams:

 

(no order)

 

1. Baltimore - They feel like they are in it, but if they aren't ... this is a team with a very poor system. Their window will only exist while their positional players are in their prime (I mean, even if we account for Buck Showalter magic with bullpen management, that's not enough). Slowly, a lot of key guys are exiting their prime, with only Machado and Schoop as young guys to look forward to. It would seem logical, if they fall out of it early, to consider some moves, even with a guy as young as Kevin Gausman, if they can get an arm and a leg. Flip side, on Gausman, is that, unless I'm mistaken, next winter is his first arb year. That said, biggest thing is Machado and what it'll do to keep him, so I'm not sure they'd ever really tear down until they get a clear sign that Machado is definitely gone.

 

2. Toronto - System has thinned out in recent years from moves to compete. If Donaldson/Tulowitzki slip, that lineup suddenly looks very mediocre. The flip side is, their two intriguing young pieces in Sanchez and Stroman have a lot of cost-controlled years left, and they might view them as core pieces to build for the next run and ship Donaldson/Tulowitzki out to replenish the system.

 

3. Detroit - The obvious candidate with that aging core and a still sparse system. Still ... if Mike Illitch doesn't allow a tear down, they can't tear down. Beyond that, their two intriguing young guys in Fulmer/Norris are so young they could be a part of the next solution.

 

4. Kansas City - Here's the team that seems the most likely candidate to tear down if things get off to a slow start and last, due to the impending changes in the construction of the team. Danny Duffy would likely bring back a solid return.

 

5. Miami - I wonder if a bad start might lead to selling. Of course, I don't know who buys Wei Yin Chen in that scenario, the guy they'd probably love to move with the backloaded deal. Some of those arms, like Conley, are so far away that they could be a part of the rebuild. Money committed to Giancarlo and the young hitting core might make a tear down hard, though, and they could be inclined to simply move pen arms to build/rebuild their system.

 

I wonder about Seattle, but I'm not sure they can or would. Those are the five that seem most likely to follow some sort of tear down path if they get off to an extended bad start, and yet, all those have scenarios that might prevent them from doing so.

[JennieGarthAlgar]

I do not want Dozier in stl...

[imb]

I do not want Dozier in stl...

 

No kidding

[The_Achiever]

I do not want Dozier in stl...

 

A rich man's Jedd Gyrko. I hope they trade the farm for him.

[davell]

I hope the Cards DO get him. It means they're dealing Reyes and it keeps him off the Dodgers or Nats, who are much bigger threats to us.

[Tryptamine]

I hope the Cards DO get him. It means they're dealing Reyes and it keeps him off the Dodgers or Nats, who are much bigger threats to us.

 

Exactly, I can't imagine Minnesota would accept either Matt Adams or Weaver as a headliner in this type of deal. They're going to be looking for either Reyes or CMart.

[MarkMero23]

They're not trading Reyes or CMart for Brian Dozier.

[Bryants Disco Ball]

How uninterested should the Cubs really be in Jose Bautista on a one year deal?

 

The Cubs seem pretty good at drafting, so I'd rather keep the pick than use it to sign him for one year when the offense should be potent regardless.

 

Would rather spend the money on Ross and Holland and take a chance.

[Cubswin11]

How uninterested should the Cubs really be in Jose Bautista on a one year deal?

I posted in the Cubs offseason thread (I think that was the one) the other day that him on a 1 year deal or a Fowler deal from last year we should be all over at this point. I'd love to have him in RF and leading off.

[davell]

We don't need Bautista. Losing a 1st for a guy on a 1 year deal? Especially when we have already signed Jay AND don't want Heyward in CF fulltime(not to mention that the FO likes Almora).....Not something I see Theo even considering. Especially since they've said they're happy with our positional group, as is.

[Cubswin11]

I don't really give a horsefeathers about losing the ~28th pick in the draft

[Bryants Disco Ball]

I don't really give a horsefeathers about losing the ~28th pick in the draft

 

Right? Especially since they currently have 4 in the first 105 or so.

 

So let them utilize all four and try to rebuild the system a little bit rather than just use one for a position that isn't even a need while also spending $18 million to do it.

[Bote McBoteface]

I don't really give a horsefeathers about losing the ~28th pick in the draft

 

Right? Especially since they currently have 4 in the first 105 or so.

 

So let them utilize all four and try to rebuild the system a little bit rather than just use one for a position that isn't even a need while also spending $18 million to do it.

 

They can keep the pick and utilize it, or they can give it away to sign somebody. I dont care either way. But "we'd lose a draft pick" should not be listed among the negatives of signing anybody, because who cares? Personally, I think Bautista would negatively impact the defense more than he would positively impact the offense. That speaks more to how highly i think of our offense than anything bad about bautista. Id pass. Just not cuz of no draft pick.