7/5 - Rays (Snell) @ World Champion Chicago Cubs (Lackey) 1:20 CSN

[Sammy Sofa]

i'm having chicken shawarma for lunch. it is delicious. if we win today, i may have to keep having this for lunch.

 

Hopefully your lunch gives you fewer runs than Lackey does today

 

Lackey is gonna get brutalized and David is gonna have painful schwarma farts all night.

[jersey cubs fan]

We're not talking about someone like Frankoff being a Lackey replacment, it's guys like Butler(who is already outperforming Lackey at the MLB level) and Anderson (assuming he's healthy) that would be in line for starts if someone gets hurt.

We're also talking about the theoretical future time when Hendricks is back and healthy and they've traded for a better guy and the other guys are still healthy.

 

Lackey isn't getting DFA until things are realllllllly stable with the rotation. And rotations are rarely stable. They have 2 guys right now you can reasonably depend on to start every 5th day and last 6+ innings.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

We're not talking about someone like Frankoff being a Lackey replacment, it's guys like Butler(who is already outperforming Lackey at the MLB level) and Anderson (assuming he's healthy) that would be in line for starts if someone gets hurt.

We're also talking about the theoretical future time when Hendricks is back and healthy and they've traded for a better guy and the other guys are still healthy.

 

Lackey isn't getting DFA until things are realllllllly stable with the rotation. And rotations are rarely stable. They have 2 guys right now you can reasonably depend on to start every 5th day and last 6+ innings.

 

Yes, I said in a previous post it's not happening tomorrow. But Lackey is 1) performing terribly 2) has no value beyond this year and 3) doesn't have an easy secondary role like his competition(Montgomery/Anderson can more easily go to the pen, and Butler can go to AAA), so he's not safe.

 

Arrieta's arm could blow up this week and throw a wrench into any of today's plans, but what I'm saying is that today's plans should point to Lackey being the odd man out by August at the latest.

[We Got The Whole 9]

Judging by Blake Snell's pic he looks like he puffs the cheeba

[UMFan83]

One of these days Zobrist is going to come up in a big spot and "IIIIIIIIIIIIII I FEEL ALIVE I FEEL LIKE THE AIR IS RUSHING IN" is going to blast over the PA and the crowd is going to go nuts a la Rick Vaughn/Wild Thing in Major League 2

[UMFan83]

Haha ouch, 3-0 popup with 2 runners on to end the inning.

[We Got The Whole 9]

Man Ian that's a horrible pitch to swing at

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Lackey isn't getting DFA'd. As recently as mid-June, he had consecutive quality starts and he's ahead of Anderson and Butler on the pecking order so he'll have a spot even after Hendricks returns.

 

Disappointing, I know.

 

Those 2 quality starts are part of a run of having 4 quality starts out of 14. His ERA is 66th of 74 qualified starters, and his FIP is dead last. I agree they won't DFA him for Hendricks, but when they add another SP or maybe even when they get Anderson back he's not secure in his roster spot.

 

EDIT: More to the point, I'd like to imagine that come 8/1 the rotation has Lester, Hendricks, trade acquisition, Arrieta, and Montgomery, with Butler back in Iowa in reserve and Anderson fulfilling Montgomery's previous role. The timing of Lackey's departure depends on several factors(when a trade happens, when Hendricks and Anderson are healthy), but I would hope that he's the one that doesn't have a home when the dust settles.

 

I agree with this for the most part, but I'm betting on an extended DL stint rather than the Cubs cutting him. Given his relationship with Lester, I see them handling it as delicately as possible. He can sit on the DL through August and come back when rosters expand.

 

That is, unless Lackey takes issue with this plan, in which case, they'll send him packing.

 

I'm not sure how much Lackey will go along with a plan for a phantom DL stint.

 

I also worry that they'll struggle to DFA/DL him because of his shitty personality, veteraniness and ability to eat innings.

[UMFan83]

Wow Almora just swung at 2 straight pitches, one was in the dirt and very next pitch was above his eyes

[Schwarber Fan]

This oughta be Lackey's last start as a Cub.

[dfnowak]

Wow Almora just swung at 2 straight pitches, one was in the dirt and very next pitch was above his eyes

Don't they know Snell doesn't have good control?

[UMFan83]

Today's inexplicably bad defensive play made just to piss John Lackey off is brought to you by Ian Happ.

[David]

how the hell does this crap keep happening

[Schwarber Fan]

LOL, every inning with this garbage.

[Thed Hoyerstein]

lol, cobs

[UMFan83]

JFC, this just isn't our season thus far...

[Aaron_Kennelly]

[expletive] horsefeathering lineout.

[Aaron_Kennelly]

I, too, once thought Lackey was untouchable as far as being DFA'd. But we're at the point where we are 3.5 games out of first and pretty much just awful. Obviously it will take two additions: Hendricks and a trade. The first one to happen sends Butler back down, like it should. But, after that, Lackey has to go. He's just terrible. There's no hope of him getting better. He is a detriment to this team. Right now, we have no better options. But as long as we are in a fight for the playoffs, I think any nonsense about his personality, friendships with other leaders on the team, him being a veteran, and him being one of their "guys"... well, that has to go out the window with the situation we are stuck in.

[Aaron_Kennelly]

Time to do something against this scrub.

[UMFan83]

Somewhere there is a Rays fan saying 'wow Snell is getting it done today, I think he's turning it around'

[Flames24Rulz]

Please figure out that this guy has an ERA over 5 and start hitting & scoring runs, offense.

[Aaron_Kennelly]

Horseshit call

[David]

how many fakeout dongs is that in the past couple days

[Aaron_Kennelly]

ugh

[UMFan83]

damn i thought that was going to carry at least to the wall.