Cubs Picking Up Hamels Option, Trading Smyly to Rangers

[Cubswin11]

I’m hoping the scenario is they realized Smyly is too big of a question mark to go in to the year with and doesn’t have options so it would be tough to give him a roster spot. They saw an opportunity to dump his $7 mil salary and $5 LT and plan to use that to get a more dependable/healthy arm to add to the bullpen/depth.

[Bryants Disco Ball]

I’m hoping the scenario is they realized Smyly is too big of a question mark to go in to the year with and doesn’t have options so it would be tough to give him a roster spot. They saw an opportunity to dump his $7 mil salary and $5 LT and plan to use that to get a more dependable/healthy arm to add to the bullpen/depth.

 

I really like Hamels at 1 year, $13 million. I don't care about Smyly. If it gets to the point where we needed him to actually be a factor, either we are totally screwed or you just go trade for a Drew Smyly when that point comes.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Back to Hamels, Brett lays a reasonably compelling case that his LT number is the full 20 million. Basically, the buyout does come out as a LT discount, but for the team that actually paid that discount in the previous years, so the Cubs don't really get relief from it in this case.

 

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[ConstableRabbit]

The staff suddenly becomes intriguing with the rotation now set at Hendricks, Yu, Lester, Q, and Hamels.

 

The pen dynamic is... interesting even before considering guys like Webster, Maples, Mekkes, and Alozay.

Late inning/firemen

Morrow (9)

Strop (6.25)

Cishek (6.5)

CJ (arb)

 

Swing/spot starters

Monty (arb)

Chatwood (12.5)

 

Garbage time/earlier options:

Kintzler (5)

Duensing (3.5)

 

Spelled out like this, I'd have to imagine that 2-3 guys are going to be on the move.

[Bertz]

I feel like Smyly should have had a little surplus value, so I'd guess our PTBNL is something decent. They probably just didn't have time to iron out a deal before today's deadline. That's often what the PTBNL in both directions means.

 

I'm not worried about the depth hit, for all the reasons TT laid out. One of Montgomery or Smyly was going to go if we kept Hamels. I expected it to be Montgomery because he has more value, but they went with Smyly because of money. They obviously need to backfill that depth, but with a guy they can stash at Iowa, not a guy they have to treat with kid gloves in the bullpen (a bullpen that already has Brandon Morrow's glass shoulder).

[davell]

This is a weird move. If you're holding the 6 mill over the Rangers head, why do you deal them Smyly? Wouldn't Kintzler or Duensing, or BOTH, been more advantageous to us? BOTH is only an extra 1.5 mill from the Rangers side of things....... Seems like we could have sent them something pretty underwhelming to cover 1.5......

 

Instead, we send them a guy quite a few teams would probably take a one year flyer on at 7 mill......

 

We used zero leverage here. If it's to keep up good trade relations? Ok, I get that. But, Smyly wasn't going to be hard to move at all, so this seems more like a favor to them, in my eyes.

 

One of Duensing or Kintzler being attached, would have made me feel better about this.

 

This does truly feel like a pure cost cutting move. Fine, I guess. But, there needs to be more deals, more cutting, and then replenishing the spots we're losing.......

 

This guy being the first gone seems odd to me. This guy being the first out, which hurts our NEEDED rotation depth, is NOT a great look, in my eyes......

 

Total aside question - when speculating a hypothetical Chatwood 2019 FA contract you go with 1/4 or something. Why does Smyly get $7 million from someone in, I assume, this same universe? Smyly’s missed two seasons

 

There should be zero concern about ditching an arm who hasn’t pitched in two ML seasons and is coming off a major arm surgery to keep a way better pitcher

 

I just look at it mainly thru the eyes of conceivably Smyly is ready to pitch in 2019. Full year removed from TJS. Chatwood? I think you've gotta look at him as kind of a headache/project at this point. Although, I'll give you the fact that he COULD be looked at as a change of scenery guy to plenty of teams. But, I can't see how anyone would give him anything remotely close to what he's owed. Honestly, if I look at him thru rose colored glasses, I guess I could see a rebuilding team willing to take on 2/10 in hopes they can straighten him out and flip him?

[davell]

I just look at it mainly thru the eyes of conceivably Smyly is ready to pitch in 2019. Full year removed from TJS. Chatwood? I think you've gotta look at him as kind of a headache/project at this point. Although, I'll give you the fact that he COULD be looked at as a change of scenery guy to plenty of teams. But, I can't see how anyone would give him anything remotely close to what he's owed. Honestly, if I look at him thru rose colored glasses, I guess I could see a rebuilding team willing to take on 2/10 in hopes they can straighten him out and flip him?

 

How is a guy who hasn’t pitched in two seasons anything but a project? If the baseline for $7 million is just being able to pitch at all in 2019, Chatwood’s averaged 130+ innings the past three years and is currently healthy to Smyly’s less than 60 with a still in rehab TJ surgery cutting out two ML seasons

 

I just look at it like the TJS rehab guy, who was a better pitcher to begin with, is the better bet to come back than the guy with the mental stuff going on personally. I think more teams would be willing to give Smyly 1/7 right now, a full year removed from his surgery, than they'd be willing to give Chatwood 2/10, or whatever. I'm truly not sure Chatwood would get anything close to that, in his current state.

[Derwood]

Can we stop listing Maples as an "intriguing option" for the pen? He sucked this year. Most pitching prospects end up sucking. Its fine, lets move on

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Can we stop listing Maples as an "intriguing option" for the pen? He sucked this year. Most pitching prospects end up sucking. Its fine, lets move on

 

[David]

Can we stop listing Maples as an "intriguing option" for the pen? He sucked this year. Most pitching prospects end up sucking. Its fine, lets move on

 

i'd say guys who throw 99 mph and the filthiest breaking balls you've ever seen can qualify as intriguing

 

if he actually could control those pitches then he'd just be actually good, not intriguing

[Cubswin11]

Can we stop listing Maples as an "intriguing option" for the pen? He sucked this year. Most pitching prospects end up sucking. Its fine, lets move on

His stuff is ridiculous and he can make major league hitters look foolish. He’s “intriguing” and he’s like behind probably ~5 guys on the Iowa shuttle right now. He’s a fine lottery ticket to keep around if he ever gets the command to even slightly worse than league average levels he could be elite.

 

He’s like the definition of “intriguing option” for a guy who still has minor league options to hang around at no cost.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

jebus help me, I agree with derwood. maples is not intriguing.

[davell]

I mean, they've both had TJS. The only reason Smyly missed 2 seasons is they waited forever for him to have his, for some reason. He didn't have his until very late June in 2016, despite not pitching up until then, with elbow issues. That supposedly came on from him pitching in the WBC, after throwing 170+ innings in 2016.

 

Again, I just don't think a team wants to take on the higher paid head case. Personally, I wouldn't call 1.64 HR/9 almost 2 and his career is 1.50. He also has a career 2.54 BB/9, while Chatwood's is 4.73 and has become even more of an issue this past season.

 

Let's just agree to disagree on this one.

[Post Count Padder]

Was looking forward to Smyly in the pen this year, was a huge fan of the signing at the time.

 

That said, if we can get something interesting for him in December after the Rule 5, then sure. Anyone in the Texas system of note as a reasonable target? Maybe just get Lacy back? lol

[imb]

my favorite memory of the smyly era was cubswin talking about how many innings smyly was going to throw in september and the playoffs for us last year

[Cubswin11]

my favorite memory of the smyly era was cubswin talking about how many innings smyly was going to throw in september and the playoffs for us last year

I said what I said

[Sammy Sofa]

Can we stop listing Maples as an "intriguing option" for the pen? He sucked this year. Most pitching prospects end up sucking. Its fine, lets move on

His stuff is ridiculous and he can make major league hitters look foolish. He’s “intriguing” and he’s like behind probably ~5 guys on the Iowa shuttle right now. He’s a fine lottery ticket to keep around if he ever gets the command to even slightly worse than league average levels he could be elite.

 

He’s like the definition of “intriguing option” for a guy who still has minor league options to hang around at no cost.

 

[Cubswin11]

Can we stop listing Maples as an "intriguing option" for the pen? He sucked this year. Most pitching prospects end up sucking. Its fine, lets move on

His stuff is ridiculous and he can make major league hitters look foolish. He’s “intriguing” and he’s like behind probably ~5 guys on the Iowa shuttle right now. He’s a fine lottery ticket to keep around if he ever gets the command to even slightly worse than league average levels he could be elite.

 

He’s like the definition of “intriguing option” for a guy who still has minor league options to hang around at no cost.

 

I mean I really don’t care about him. I’d be glad to attach him to Duensing or Kintzler to move money and let another team dream but at worst he’s likely buried in Iowa all year throwing balls to the screen behind a few guys on the call up list while still showing + stuff. He’s the definition of an intriguing arm still.

[Post Count Padder]

I just picked up Maples' rookie card for 5 cents so yes I want to keep him around!

 

I'd like to see him get more of a shot but realistically he'l post a 15 K/9 and 7 BB/9 in Iowa again and will be traded at some point to someone like the Marlins who can throw him in the pen and not care that his ERA is 8.27.

[PackLandVA]

I absolutely love this board. Mini side arguement about whether or not a guy can be considered “intriguing”.

 

Priceless!