2019-20 Offseason Rumors/General Chit-Chat

[Bertz]

I don't understand why this ruling is taking this long? Like what's making this being dragged out?

 

Lawyers are the one profession who procrastinate more than Baseball Executives

[Brian]

Cubs should file a grievance regarding the handling of this grievance.

[Backtobanks]

If the Nationals have any money left, how about Robles & Fedde for Bryant?

[Splendid Splinter]

I don't understand why this ruling is taking this long? Like what's making this being dragged out?

 

Lawyers are the one profession who procrastinate more than Baseball Executives

 

It's insane. On a case like this, you think you would want this done ASAP so every team knows the ruling. They had YEARS since his rookie season to figured this out and now they're just getting to it? Just mindboggling to me is all.

[Cubswin11]

I don't understand why this ruling is taking this long? Like what's making this being dragged out?

 

Lawyers are the one profession who procrastinate more than Baseball Executives

 

It's insane. On a case like this, you think you would want this done ASAP so every team knows the ruling. They had YEARS since his rookie season to figured this out and now they're just getting to it? Just mindboggling to me is all.

Yeah the timing of this is just odd. There was clearly no foresight in planning this to make sure the decision was made during a time neither party could be hurt. Like how wasn’t this decided between last February and October or this year?

[Cubswin11]

Along with that...

 

 

There is no point in trading Bryant if the arbitrator is still weeks away from making a decision unless you are certain that the Cubs will lose the dispute. If you trade him now you will get less value than you should for your franchise cornerstone, and if you wait for a ruling before trading him, the offseason will be basically over.

 

Also, damn you front office but putting yourselves in a position where trading KB might be considered an acceptable option.

Everyone is saying there’s no chance he wins, Maybe teams just take the risk to do a deal now. Or maybe you do the trade now and the return reflects 1 year of control but then there’s PTBNL’s that will be added/picked from once he loses the case and he has 2 years left for sure? That allows both sides to go about their offseason normalish.

[CubinNY]

How about the Cubs just don't horsefeathering trade their best player? I'm having flashbacks from when I was 7 and the Cubs traded Bill Madlock. I cried then, and I'll cry this time too*.

 

*I know Madlock wasn't traded.

[TarzanJoeWallis]

How about the Cubs just don't horsefeathering trade their best player? I'm having flashbacks from when I was 7 and the Cubs traded Bill Madlock. I cried then, and I'll cry this time too*.

 

*I know Madlock wasn't traded.

Madlock was traded. To the Giants for Bobby Murcer and Steve Ontiveros. And I probably cried too.

[David]

How about the Cubs just don't horsefeathering trade their best player? I'm having flashbacks from when I was 7 and the Cubs traded Bill Madlock. I cried then, and I'll cry this time too*.

 

*I know Madlock wasn't traded.

 

Yeah, he was... What am I missing?

[UMFan83]

How about the Cubs just don't horsefeathering trade their best player? I'm having flashbacks from when I was 7 and the Cubs traded Bill Madlock. I cried then, and I'll cry this time too*.

 

*I know Madlock wasn't traded.

 

Yeah, he was... What am I missing?

 

He was traded, but it was because the Cubs wouldnt meet his contract demands with people at the time claiming that they wouldn't pay him what he wanted because he was black

[David]

How about the Cubs just don't horsefeathering trade their best player? I'm having flashbacks from when I was 7 and the Cubs traded Bill Madlock. I cried then, and I'll cry this time too*.

 

*I know Madlock wasn't traded.

 

Yeah, he was... What am I missing?

 

He was traded, but it was because the Cubs wouldnt meet his contract demands with people at the time claiming that they wouldn't pay him what he wanted because he was black

 

Right...so, still traded.

 

And the cheapness (not so much the racism) is kinda the same motivator here. So, mostly I'm just confused at saying he was traded and then throwing a footnote in saying he wasn't traded.

[Bertz]

[Backtobanks]

 

I like how Theo is playing it close to the vest and will pounce on Cole once the dust clears> :^o

[David]

 

I like how Theo is playing it close to the vest and will pounce on Cole once the dust clears> :^o

 

God damn man. I'm dying. have you ever thought about doing an open mic or something?

Edited December 10, 2019 by David

[Clem Fandango]

Didn't see this posted anywhere, maybe I missed it...

 

Bruce Levine of 670 The Score reports that the White Sox and Cubs have interest in free agent left-hander Dallas Keuchel.

The Cubs recently lost Cole Hamels, as he signed a one-year deal with the Braves, though any pursuit could be complicated by their budget situation. The White Sox should have more wiggle room to deal with, as evidenced by their recent offer to Zack Wheeler. Keuchel shouldn't cost nearly as much as Wheeler, of course. The southpaw posted a 3.75 ERA over 19 starts with the Braves in 2019.

[Bertz]

https://twitter.com/ByMcCullough/statuses/1204187410361225218

[UMFan83]

Didn't see this posted anywhere, maybe I missed it...

 

Bruce Levine of 670 The Score reports that the White Sox and Cubs have interest in free agent left-hander Dallas Keuchel.

The Cubs recently lost Cole Hamels, as he signed a one-year deal with the Braves, though any pursuit could be complicated by their budget situation. The White Sox should have more wiggle room to deal with, as evidenced by their recent offer to Zack Wheeler. Keuchel shouldn't cost nearly as much as Wheeler, of course. The southpaw posted a 3.75 ERA over 19 starts with the Braves in 2019.

 

I saw that earlier and the actual report read like a suggestion more than anything

[CubinNY]

How about the Cubs just don't horsefeathering trade their best player? I'm having flashbacks from when I was 7 and the Cubs traded Bill Madlock. I cried then, and I'll cry this time too*.

 

*I know Madlock wasn't traded.

 

Yeah, he was... What am I missing?

 

He was traded, but it was because the Cubs wouldnt meet his contract demands with people at the time claiming that they wouldn't pay him what he wanted because he was black

I was 7 and in pain. I apologize for not remembering a dark period in my young life.

[Cubswin11]

 

[Bertz]

Ken Rosenthal:

 

The Cubs are awaiting the signings of free-agent third basemen Anthony Rendon and Josh Donaldson, believing the losers of those sweepstakes will be prime targets for a Kris Bryant trade, sources said.

 

Bryant will require less of a financial commitment than Rendon or Donaldson — he is under control for two more seasons, one if he wins his service-time grievance, and MLBTradeRumors.com projects his 2020 salary in arbitration to be $18.5 million.

 

Cubs president Theo Epstein told reporters Monday that he anticipates the grievance is still a couple of weeks away from resolution, and interested teams obviously would want to know the outcome before fully exploring a trade. Still, the soaring free-agent prices might turn off the Dodgers, in particular. Under president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers have yet to sign a free agent from another club for more than $55 million.

 

This is not the first time Rosenthal has connected the Dodgers to Bryant

[Gilby]

I'll be sick either way but if Theo trades him to the Dodgers I will barf.

[17 Seconds]

this is horsefeathering brutal

[UMFan83]

Is there any chance we can find some team out there willing to make a trade like the Red Sox and Dodgers made in 2012 (involving the Red Sox dumping Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett and Carl Crawford) or has this stupid luxury tax horsefeathers completely changed the environment where that can’t happen?

[Cubswin11]

Is there any chance we can find some team out there willing to make a trade like the Red Sox and Dodgers made in 2012 (involving the Red Sox dumping Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett and Carl Crawford) or has this stupid luxury tax horsefeathers completely changed the environment where that can’t happen?

I think it’s more we wouldn’t be willing to send off the requisite prospects to make a deal. Those trades can still happen, Matt Kemp and Mike Leake are recent examples off the top of my head. Like to unload Heyward we’d have to give up multiple of Nico, Amaya, Marquez, and Davis. I think the prospect hoarding mentality would kick in on our side to not do it. horsefeathers I bet you’d have to attach at least Ademan or Roederer just to move Chatwood and we wouldn’t do that. A team like the Marlins, Mariners, etc should absolutely be looking to do a deal like that though.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Is there any chance we can find some team out there willing to make a trade like the Red Sox and Dodgers made in 2012 (involving the Red Sox dumping Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett and Carl Crawford) or has this stupid luxury tax horsefeathers completely changed the environment where that can’t happen?

 

Ironically enough, the best match for this is the White Sox. They have all the upside they could need, but the floor that you get from Heyward, Q, even Chatwood is lacking. Hard to see that happening though, for several reasons.