HoopsCubs

This may be surprising to some, but I have been told that the Cubs are definitely "kicking the tires" on free agent Omar Infante, and would prefer to sign him for 2 years and team option for year 3. The source believes that if Infante were signed to play 2B, it would not necessarily mean that Darwin Barney will be non-tendered or traded. It could mean that the Cubs are trading Starlin Castro for pitching, and will slide Barney over to SS temporarily until Javier Baez is ready to be brought up. Lots of moving parts...

Cubs have spoken to the Mets about Nate Schierholtz as New York is looking to acquire 2 outfielders this season, and would prefer if at least one had power. They would like to trade for a player in the $3-6M range as opposed to acquring an expensive player (e.g. Andre Ethier) or signing a free agent to big money (e.g. Nelson Cruz) since they are expected to be a major player for Shin-Soo Choo. The Cubs have been very interested in the Mets pitching prospects dating back to their discussions in summer on Starlin Castro. They've been told Noah Syndergaard is an untouchable, and that Rafael Montero would "require a haul", so it's highly improbable that Nate alone could land the latter. However my source did say that the Mets do like some of the Cubs position players, so the teams will continue to explore some type of deal.

I think it's a leverage strategy on a case-by-case basis. The three teams currently most vocal about wanting to acquire Samardzija are Toronto, Kansas City and Arizona from what I've been told. Strictly from an upside potential point of view, the Cubs probably think the D-Backs have the better near-Major League ready prospects, so they throw it out there that they'd prefer to trade him to TOR or KC just to see if AZ flinches. It's good cat and mouse. I don't think this FO cares about AL or NL, in general. We've seen them trade with NL teams (CIN, ATL, WAS, SD, LAD) and we've seen trades with AL teams (TEX, BAL, BOS, NYY). For example, if the Mets had been willing to trade Noah Syndergaard, Starlin Castro would have been playing home games at CitiField in August and September. The quest remains to find the best arms, so that they can be linked up with the forecast of awesome hitting on the near horizon.

Supposedly the terrain changed again when the Cubs expanded the deal with KC to include Darwin and Nate. FO would prefer deals with AL teams. As I said yesterday, the information I have suggests the Cubs will do everything in their power to utilize current major league assets like Shark, Castro, Barney, Scheirholtz and Russell plus non-core prospects (Vitters, Pineyro, McNutt, etc...) to acquire a minimum of 2 prospects, who have "top of the rotation" stuff and are less than 2 years away from the Majors.

So Castillo is not being shopped? That Arencibia rumor makes no sense then. Good. Yes, according to this source, Welington is not being shopped. But Starlin definitely is. And the FO really likes Justin Grimm.

I'll ask, but I doubt I'll get a satisfactory answer. If it's not your word, that's fine, I was just curious if you were couching it a different way. TT - "high end" is not my word, it's the source's words.

Some additional news from the same source: Other than Castillo, Rizzo, Lake, Sweeney, Arietta, Wood, Strop and Grimm, all Cubs will be shopped this offseason.

I'll ask, but I doubt I'll get a satisfactory answer.

The other angle is that the Cubs could be indirectly putting these rumors out there through their emissaries as a negotiation ploy to get Shark's agents back to the table.

My appreciation for that deal hinges heavily on who those two high end prospects are. I'd tell you if I knew. Prospects' names are rarely revealed when my sources provide info to me. Don't know if that's because they don't know or they don't want me to know.

Just heard from a source that the Cubs have been talking to the Royals this week about trading Samardzija, Barney and Scheirholtz for Lorenzo Cain, Kelvin Herrera and 2 high end pitching prospects.

"I understand (and reluctantly agree) that the front office may not have the resources required to put in a winning bid for Tanaka this offseason. However, I don't think Daisuke will have anything to do with the thought process." When you're talking about potentially spending $140M ($70M to acquire rights and $70M contract for 5 years), how do you not think about the $103M investment you made 7 years ago on a 26 year old, who ended up starting 61 games in his first 2 seasons and 55 in his last 4? All I'm saying is that it's my belief that this will come into play.

Didn't the Cubs put in a pretty aggressive offer for Darvish 2 years ago? Granted the Rangers blew everyone out of the water, but I don't think Theo was in any way affected by the Daisuke signing. Yeah, this is the part of the post I didn't agree with. I think it would be just as easy to say the Darvish experience is fresh in his mind. The Cubs missed out on a young rotation cornerstone by not being aggressive enough in the bidding. They currently don't have the financial wherewithal that everyone seems to think they should. When you have a long term view, you make long term decisions, and most of the short term is just considered noise. Having been part of a re-building process 10 years ago, and one that I'm in now, I see plenty of parallels.

TT-I believe the payroll will be under 90M in 2014. I also think they will have more than just a "few holes" if they end up dealing Schierholtz, Barney, etc... - that was my thought when I raised the point of flippable assets. That's just my opinion. But I do know that the FO is laser focused on acquiring pitching.

"this post will be even better when you make it again a year from now, explaining how we can't bother being good in 2015 because we only won 67 games in 2014" Actually, I won't be making that post a year from now for 2 reasons: (1) I'm not assessing Theo until we get through mid 2015. (2) I'm not expecting a linear turn-around. What I mean by that is I don't think the Cubs have to win 67, then 77, then 87 and finally 92. I think the 67 to 92 will happen in one season.

I don't think this offseason is as complicated as some of you are making it out to be. For the Cubs front office, the real season starts in 2015. They really don't care what their record is in 2014. They have only 5 desires between now and Spring Training 2015: - find a manager who can teach, communicate and relate to a young and inexperienced nucleus - acquire top of the rotation capable arms - facilitate the process of their key minor league prospects (mostly hitting, some pitching) continuing to make significant progress - hope their key acquisitions playing in the big leagues today (e.g. Rizzo, Wood, Strop, Arietta, Grimm) each takes a solid step forward - land a top 10 draft pick in the 2015 draft As far as free agency goes, I don't think they see any long term solutions save for Tanaka, who they realize will in all likelihood be a Dodger, Angel, Ranger, Mariner, Red Sock or Yankee. The Daisuke experience is still fresh in Theo's mind, so I think their bid will be conservative. They will continue to hunt for flippable 1 or 2 year guys - the Scott Kazmirs, Chris Youngs, Nate McLouths and Josh Johnsons of the world. They could dip into catching if they get an offer they can't refuse for Castillo. They seem very happy with their prospects in terms of long term hitting potential. Their concern is #2 - pitching. And that's why I think this offseason is all about moving Samardzija, Castro, Schierholtz, Russell and even Castillo to get 2 or 3 top of the rotation ceiling guys, who are less than 2 years away. And supplement that group with excellent college pitchers, who they might find with their first round picks 2014 and 2015. It's fascinating to watch the build-up!

Fixed.

I don't know if they're being short-sighted, or just laser focused on acquiring top-of-the-rotation pitching potential.

Then our front office is stupid. That's a bit harsh I think. A career .322 OBP is not impressive. But since he plays a deluxe position, I think they feel they can still move him for something compelling.

Since I have been away from this board for a long time, can someone bring me up to speed on what the conventional wisdom would have been on Castro's trade value if his 2013 campaign had been similar to 2012 & 2011 seasons? Just like many of your networks, my network has suggested that this Front Office wants to move him ASAP.

Paging TT... http://www.sectalk.com/board/public/imported_images/static.themetapicture.com/funny-gif-angry-girl-face.gif Classic.

Evidently, Sandy was trying to buy low. Can't fault him. Every fan base tends to over-rate their players and prospects, in general. From what I have heard, many GMs don't think Castro has a lot of value to warrant 2 pitching prospects. His low OBP and erratic defense weigh him down. Still, I expect Starlin will have a bounce-back year.

Best Castro rumor I heard through my network was at the trade deadline: Mets GM Sandy Alderson was looking to acquire him and was "willing" to trade Rafael Montero if the Cubs would be "willing" to throw in another piece. Theo supposedly asked for Syndergaard, and the discussion quickly ended. No idea if that is something the Cubs will re-visit in the offseason, but given Matt Harvey's injury, the Mets may not be looking to deal any of their top pitching prospects now.

Raw-We can speculate what they're thinking. They have convinced themselves that they will have plenty of hitting, but are not convinced that the rotation will be formidable enough to sustain long term success. So, they're going to take major league pieces and move them for the highest caliber 'near major league ready' pitching they can get. They're asking the tough questions: "what would Samardzija, Barney, Castro, Russell and Castillo get us?" If they got 2 top 3 prospects from a couple of teams, draft a college pitcher in 2014, and see good growth from Arietta, Wood, Edwards, Hendricks and Pierce Johnson, then they would feel better about their chances.

Just solely based on what many of you have written on this board over the last month, it seems like the Kansas City Royals have some terrific arms in the upper minor leagues. Using Toronto's logic of replacing Josh Johnson and getting a defensive upgrade over Emilion Bonifacio, would the Royals entertain the Cubs deal since Ervin Santana may leave and Chris Getz has not blossomed into a good defender?