The 2018-2019 Cubs Offseason Rumors & Discussion Thread AKA The Rickettssss take a dump on EVERYTHING

[Cubswin11]

I was just thinking of this 3 team deal with the Giants talk...

 

Cubs get: Cueto and Crawford

Braves get: Bumgarner, Zobrist, Melancon

Giants get: Heyward, Chatwood, Kintzler, Adbert, Amaya, Short, 1-2 top ~15 but not top ~5 Braves org prospects and some money from us and/or Braves.

 

We net $37 million in overall savings, $13.5 mil in real money and $20.6 in LT savings for this year. Giants net $14.5 million in overall savings, $26 mil in real money and $26 in LT savings for this year. Braves take on $55 million overall, $39.5 million in real money and a $36.5 LT hit this year and only have Melancon and his his $15.5 mil left for next year.

 

Braves get their "Ace," a RF'er and a decent bullpen arm, we shed money (both real and LT for this year) Crawford gives us a SS option and Zobrist replacement (and lets us send Russell out of here), Cueto is a wild card for a rotation option next year which we need to fill at least one spot, Giants save overall money and some significant money this year and next few years as they rebuild and get out of a lot of contracts and get some good prospects for it and hopefully Theo can sell them on this keeping Bryce from the Dodgers and dealing with him in a few years when they might be winning again. They also can work with and hope Chatwood turns it around and soaks up some innings and even flip him at some point if he figures it out and same with Kintzler if he can throw some good first half innings this year, Heyward gives them a name and could be around still for if/when they turn it around in 3-5 years as a veteran presence.

Edited December 28, 2018 by Cubswin11

[Backtobanks]

This BS about needing to move salary or whatever to afford Harper is crazy and offensive.

 

It really is. I believe the Cubs could carry a $300 million dollar payroll if ownership allowed. I don’t mind trading weaker players, but not if they’re just dumping salary to make a one time splurge. If it’s to build the best roster $300 million can buy OTOH...oh, then they could probably handle a $350 million payroll

 

—

 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2018/12/3-remaining-needs-nl-east.html

 

Who says no first in a Kintzler for D’Arnaud swap? Also, I still feel the Braves are a fit for Heyward and the Cubs can get a pitcher for him. Phillies too, but they have to lose out on Harper and Machado (which they probably will)

I'd be all for that trade.

 

I keep going back to the SFG rumor. I wonder if there's a way for a three-team deal to unload Heyward and one of Kintzler/Duensing on the Giants, and Chatwood to another team, with prospects involved. Something like

 

SF gets Heyward, Duensing, Happ, Mets prospect

 

Cubs get Cueto/Melancon, Watson, D'Arnaud

 

Mets get Chatwood, Kintzler, Cubs prospect

 

I like the Kintzler for D'Arnaud deal too, but in your thhree-team deal the Mets are adding quite a bit of money and not getting much quality (depending on the Cubs prospect).

[Post Count Padder]

 

It really is. I believe the Cubs could carry a $300 million dollar payroll if ownership allowed. I don’t mind trading weaker players, but not if they’re just dumping salary to make a one time splurge. If it’s to build the best roster $300 million can buy OTOH...oh, then they could probably handle a $350 million payroll

 

—

 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2018/12/3-remaining-needs-nl-east.html

 

Who says no first in a Kintzler for D’Arnaud swap? Also, I still feel the Braves are a fit for Heyward and the Cubs can get a pitcher for him. Phillies too, but they have to lose out on Harper and Machado (which they probably will)

I'd be all for that trade.

 

I keep going back to the SFG rumor. I wonder if there's a way for a three-team deal to unload Heyward and one of Kintzler/Duensing on the Giants, and Chatwood to another team, with prospects involved. Something like

 

SF gets Heyward, Duensing, Happ, Mets prospect

 

Cubs get Cueto/Melancon, Watson, D'Arnaud

 

Mets get Chatwood, Kintzler, Cubs prospect

 

I like the Kintzler for D'Arnaud deal too, but in your thhree-team deal the Mets are adding quite a bit of money and not getting much quality (depending on the Cubs prospect).

Yeah I edited to add a Giants prospect to their haul. I wanted to do my own backtobanks three way trade but didn't feel like thinking too hard about it either

[Cubswin11]

Yeah I edited to add a Giants prospect to their haul. I wanted to do my own backtobanks three way trade but didn't feel like thinking too hard about it either

Yeah basically what I did with the three teamer I just proposed. Bored and just wanted to have some fun and throw something out there that seemed to make sense for all parties.

[Post Count Padder]

The Yankees began the offseason with GM Brian Cashman openly stating that the team was going to shop Sonny Gray in trade talks this winter. As Cashman said to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch (Twitter links) and other reporters today, plans haven’t exactly changed on this front, as the Yankees’ “intention is to move Sonny Gray and relocate him.” However, Cashman isn’t under any rush to move the right-hander, saying that the Yankees will only trade Gray “when we get the proper return, in our estimation. It’ll happen this winter, it’ll happen in the spring or it’ll happen sometime during the season.”

Can we just Jedi mind trick Cashman into doing Gray for Chatwood?

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I never thought there'd be a Theo offseason where just nothing happened. This is the worst.

[Cubswin11]

Guess I’ll put it in here. Theo was on the score this morning and mostly talked in circles and said nothing while saying a bunch of words. The only real things of substance I took away was that Yu is expected to be 100% healthy and ready to go for ST and is going about his offseason like every other one and that he’s excited what the TV deal will mean money wise but it might take a few years to realize that money..... as for spending he spoke on it like you’d expect him to talk around it.

 

 

[SouthSideRyan]

So we're poor because The Ricketts don't want to spend any of their own money launching their own TV network.

[r_mack]

So we're poor because The Ricketts don't want to spend any of their own money launching their own TV network.

The Cubs are going to have the highest payroll in the NL this year

[Bear Cub]

Something has got to happen before the Convention, I hope!

[d_money]

I never thought there'd be a Theo offseason where just nothing happened. This is the worst.

He blew his nut last year with Yu, Chatwood and Morrow. PTR put him in the corner for this years FA class.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I never thought there'd be a Theo offseason where just nothing happened. This is the worst.

He blew his nut last year with Yu, Chatwood and Morrow. PTR put him in the corner for this years FA class.

 

He screwed himself into a corner with FA pitching in Boston a bunch of times too, and he would make some crazy trades

[Bertz]

Based on Theo's quotes yesterday, I still expect a decent amount of movement this offseason. I think that they're waiting on Bryce, and that if they don't get him there's not another big name coming through that door. I think we're looking at something like this:

 

Plan A

-Sign Bryce

-Trade Zobrist for prospects and salary relief

-Trade Chatwood+prospects to dump his salary

-Sign a backup catcher and another reliever

-Potentially move Happ for young pitching

 

Plan B

-Trade for a bat (David Peralta is the most obvious IMO)

-Trade Chatwood, but not necessarily in a way that maximizes saving money in 2019 (e.g. for someone like Russell Martin or Dee Gordon)

-Sign a backup catcher and another reliever

 

To me the biggest question is Russell. I really hope they are planning to dump him, but I'm increasingly worried they won't. That being said, they're not painted into a corner yet, so I'm trying not to get too worked up. Adeiny Hechavarria, Jose Iglesias, and Freddy Galvis are all reasonable backup SS options available in FA. It's very possible that a month from now they can dump Russell and sign one of them for only a nominal raise (similar to the La Stella Descalso swap).

 

Also, less realistic but an option I love is getting Ketel Marte from the Dbacks. He'd be relatively expensive in trade cost, but I like him a lot and he'd bring us back to the "too many shortstops" place we were a few years ago.

[Sammy Sofa]

So we're poor because The Ricketts don't want to spend any of their own money launching their own TV network.

The Cubs are going to have the highest payroll in the NL this year

 

Note to self: it's really difficult to find SFW bootlicking gifs.

[Cubswin11]

As minor league depth as our like 9th starter on the depth chart or trying to make him a RP and focus on 2 pitches I guess it’s an okay depth move to keep piling up Iowa shuttle dudes

 

[Bertz]

The Cubs explored deals for a number of their young players early in the offseason but found nothing to their liking. Among the players they discussed: Shortstop Addison Russell, who will serve the final 29 games of his 40-game suspension for violating baseball’s domestic-violence policy at the start of the 2019 season.

 

Russell, who is projected to earn $4.3 million in his second year of arbitration, according to MLBTradeRumors.com, will forfeit a prorated portion of his salary while suspended. The Cubs spoke with clubs about him before their much-criticized decision to offer him a contract on Nov. 30. Most teams had no interest in a player serving a domestic-violence suspension.

 

A couple of unidentified clubs, however, at least contemplated adding Russell, and one even discussed the matter with ownership, sources said. That team backed off after Russell’s ex-wife, Melisa Reidy, and previous girlfriend and mother of his first child, Mallory Engstrom, went public in mid-December with new details of his alleged abuse against them.

 

If the Cubs are going to move Russell, who turns 25 on Jan. 23, it will not be until he demonstrates better performance on the field (his OPS declined from .738 to .722 to .657 the past three seasons) and better conduct off it.

 

On both fronts, he faces an uphill fight.

 

Per club policy, Russell will not attend the annual Cubs’ Convention in Chicago from Jan. 18-20. The team does not invite players on the restricted list to the event, a source said. Pitching prospect Oscar De La Cruz, serving an 80-game suspension for violating baseball’s joint drug program, also will not be present. Russell is expected to report to spring training early and address the media before the team’s first full workout.

 

From Rosenthal's latest article.

[CubinNY]

Cubs need to clear space before they can sign a cheap middle reliever.

 

Or

 

How I learned to rub Fentanyl directly on my forehead.

[Cubswin11]

[Deeg]

FWIW Marlin Bystro, the supposed ITK over at PSD, finally posted and said that he's heard everything we're reading is true - Theo has zero to spend and would need to dump salary even to sign a middle reliever. Usual grain of salt.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

"Then why did you give Cole Hamels 20 million dollars", he screamed into a pillow in between shots of bleach

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Theo Epstein working his team into a tough spot with bad FA pitching decisions? The hell you say

[Cubswin11]

Theo Epstein working his team into a tough spot with bad FA pitching decisions? The hell you say

Should’ve drafted Jon Gray over KB. Could’ve avoided one of these deals!

[Sammy Sofa]

[imb]

FWIW Marlin Bystro, the supposed ITK over at PSD, finally posted and said that he's heard everything we're reading is true - Theo has zero to spend and would need to dump salary even to sign a middle reliever. Usual grain of salt.

 

 

everyone: oh no now we can't sign bryce harper

 

tom: this is terrible! I was really hoping we might sign Karl Dandleton who has elite spin rates already as a 19 yo reliever in the Guatemalan league. I'd even have accepted a Todd Bonzalez.

[JudasIscariotTheBird]

Wait, what?

 

Oooooh, the tweets from earlier...I get it...I did really lay it on heavy for that guy, copying two tweets and suggesting a MiL deal

I just automatically like anything that includes "Todd Bonzalez" in it.