Cubs trade for LHP David Peterson for MiLB player Cole Mathis

[Derwood]

He doesn’t give up homers, which is a breath of fresh air. 

[Bertz]

Looks like Peterson last pitched on Sunday in long relief.  So he's naturally lined up for Saturday, though maybe they give him the extra day and have him go on Sunday given the timing of the trade?  We're still going to have to bullpen game it for one of the games this weekend.

I would maybe white flag tomorrow's game?  Throw out Velasquez and make him just eat innings given you're probably not touching Miz anyway.  Then Rea/Peterson each on an extra day of rest Saturday/Sunday and from there the rotation is back to being fairly normal.

[JBears79]

Hopefully this change of scenery helps him. Knowing our luck this year, he probably gets hurt first start lol

[mul21]

2 hours ago, Bertz said:

Wow, this is a lot better than I assumed we could do in these circumstances.  Peterson's a league average / good #4 type starter.  Good stop the bleeding type of move.  I would think unless he bombs or by some miracle we get everyone healthy (plus another trade) he's in the rotation for the long haul this year.

I like Mathis, and there's probably some level of desperation premium here, but I find it hard to sweat losing our ~15th ranked prospect too much.

Especially when it's a 1B/DH who's probably blocked long term by much better hitters.

[Soul]

Well, they probably saved money on the plane ticket so.

[Bertz]

14 minutes ago, mul21 said:

Especially when it's a 1B/DH who's probably blocked long term by much better hitters.

Yeah RHH 1B is just such a high bar.  We've seen it play out with Long, you basically can't stop hitting even for a second.  Add in Mathis' durability issues and I like him but he can't be the reason you don't address a crisis like this on the big league team.

[Soul]

55 minutes ago, Bertz said:

Looks like Peterson last pitched on Sunday in long relief.  So he's naturally lined up for Saturday, though maybe they give him the extra day and have him go on Sunday given the timing of the trade?  We're still going to have to bullpen game it for one of the games this weekend.

So he will be tossed right into the fire in his first start.  Good.

[JunkyardWalrus]

Last pitched Sunday? horsefeathers it, start him today. 

 

[Derwood]

6 minutes ago, JunkyardWalrus said:

Last pitched Sunday? horsefeathers it, start him today. 

 

or sacrifice him to Miz tomorrow

[JunkyardWalrus]

1 minute ago, Derwood said:

or sacrifice him to Miz tomorrow

Man, if only sacrifices worked. 

[mul21]

Just now, JunkyardWalrus said:

Man, if only sacrifices worked. 

They do, but I think killing the other team's players is frowned upon and the union would probably file a grievance. 😜

[JunkyardWalrus]

1 minute ago, mul21 said:

They do, but I think killing the other team's players is frowned upon and the union would probably file a grievance. 😜

Um. What gods are you getting answers from? (I don’t want to kill the Miz, how would he pitch for the Dodgers in a few years?) 

[Neuby]

He's a clear upgrade over what's hitting the waiver wire, former first round pick, all star first half last season, getting away from that Mets defense/ Org. 

[We Got The Whole 9]

1 hour ago, Bertz said:

Looks like Peterson last pitched on Sunday in long relief.  So he's naturally lined up for Saturday, though maybe they give him the extra day and have him go on Sunday given the timing of the trade?  We're still going to have to bullpen game it for one of the games this weekend.

I would maybe white flag tomorrow's game?  Throw out Velasquez and make him just eat innings given you're probably not touching Miz anyway.  Then Rea/Peterson each on an extra day of rest Saturday/Sunday and from there the rotation is back to being fairly normal.

Calling it now: Cubs will be the first team to get an XBH off him in 2 months!

[We Got The Whole 9]

Was Mathis just a dumb pick? Did they think he could play 3B/COF? Maybe thought they got Alonso-lite? Feels like not many of those prototypes go in the 1st/2nd.

[JunkyardWalrus]

First three round picks are gone from that draft. It got us half a year of useful Tucker, Whatever this guy brings us and those two innings from Soroka. 

[Bull]

10 hours ago, chibears55 said:

Hoyer grabbing any arms he can get now to try and survive to the deadline 

Which is what we’ve been asking for for a month now.

[Jason Ross]

54 minutes ago, We Got The Whole 9 said:

Was Mathis just a dumb pick? Did they think he could play 3B/COF? Maybe thought they got Alonso-lite? Feels like not many of those prototypes go in the 1st/2nd.

I don't think it was dumb perse. He had amazing batted ball data in college and hit super well with wood on the cape. He had the arm for third on paper, being a two way player at Charleston. 

Sadly, the TJS seems to have affected the start of his career more than they hoped and he doesn't appear to be capable of jumping to 3rd. 

There's upside if nine doubles and three home runs turns to six of each, for example at South Bend  And perhaps as his elbow adds strength beyond the surgery that the home runs at higher levels pop. 

As a second rounder it was a sound gamble that just hadn't super paid off. But he's still got MLB possibilities. 

[Outshined_One]

2 hours ago, We Got The Whole 9 said:

Was Mathis just a dumb pick? Did they think he could play 3B/COF? Maybe thought they got Alonso-lite? Feels like not many of those prototypes go in the 1st/2nd.

What @Jason Ross said.  Talented guy, but the TJS took more wind out of his sails than most of us might have realized last year.

If he's still coming around, I think there's a world where he could be a viable 3B/RF if his arm is still not 100%.  The athleticism is there, and his value increases substantially if he can stick at either position.  However, the bar for a RH bat at 1B/DH is ludicrously high, and if he can't hack it at either position, his future is likely to be on the bench since his bat is good, but not great, and the power is more plus than plus-plus.

For the record, I think this is an overpay, but a justified overpay that could work out in the Cubs' favor and one where I won't feel bad about it unless Mathis breaks out unexpectedly.

[Jason Ross]

Just now, Outshined_One said:

What @Jason Ross said.  Talented guy, but the TJS took more wind out of his sails than most of us might have realized last year.

If he's still coming around, I think there's a world where he could be a viable 3B/RF if his arm is still not 100%.  The athleticism is there, and his value increases substantially if he can stick at either position.  However, the bar for a RH bat at 1B/DH is ludicrously high, and if he can't hack it at either position, his future is likely to be on the bench since his bat is good, but not great, and the power is more plus than plus-plus.

The injury bug seems to have hit again. I hadn't been paying attention but he's barely played the last month.

[Neuby]

Assuming the Cubs are paying the remaining $$$ left on Petersons deal they are offically paying the tax this year.

[Dfan25]

This is better than what usually is available this time of year . Hopefully s new team and better defense helps him . No way they could have just go with Wicks  . Needed to do something . Wilson probably replaces Velazquez soon as well ?

[Bertz]

30 minutes ago, Dfan25 said:

This is better than what usually is available this time of year . Hopefully s new team and better defense helps him . No way they could have just go with Wicks  . Needed to do something . Wilson probably replaces Velazquez soon as well ?

I don't know the exact number, but I think there is 3-4 days of wiggle room for adding a traded/claimed player to your active roster.  So I suspect Wilson and Peterson get added to the roster Saturday/Sunday, and Velasquez/Murray will eat some innings tonight and tomorrow before getting swapped out.