rawaction

Tolleson definitely fits with the statement regarding hard-throwing strike throwers and the bullpen recently. I'd put decent money that he's a target in any trade with the Dodgers. Eovaldi is a guy that could slot in the Cubs rotation now. I'd like this trade a lot.

Thanks. The brief scouting report for Arias above along with your first hand observations make him a guy I will keep an eye on this year. Looks like he could be a real good find.

It looks like it always stays in order of record. As long as Tim is in last place, he'll be 1st in waivers. I noticed last week.

The optimist in me can't help but think of this as an explanation for some of the behavior we've seen from the front office. It's clear that they feel a little burned by free agency, and they aren't wrong that in many cases it's an inefficient and many times expensive and unproductive solution. So that leaves them with the trade market to improve the team, but with the state of the system last year they were only able to sell off a couple MLB assets for some potentially undervalued commodities. Now that they've done some work to reload the system, I wonder if they are more aggressive on the trade market this offseason. That's been a hallmark of Theo's Red Sox as much as anything, adding Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Victor Martinez, Curt Schilling, Jason Bay, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Coco Crisp, and Mike Lowell through that avenue. I still think they have another year or so before the farm system is truly their own and near where they want it, but I can't help but think that part of the utility of the influx of prospects will be to trade some away. I've figured this was the plan all along. The Cubs have and will have the entire 2012 season to evaluate not only the major league talent, but the talent in the minors also. I actually think some of us may even be unhappy with some of the trades that the Cubs make over the next few offseasons. I think anyone not personally added by Theo and company is fair game to be gone. Players like Brett Jackson, Junior Lake, Vitters, etc. are guys that a lot of us like, but what we don't know is how much that the front office likes those players. If they think Jackson won't make enough contact to be successful or Lake/Vitters won't walk or field enough to be successful, I don't think they would hesitate to trade one or all of those prospects to someone who feels differently about them (I think this is where some of the Castro trade talk comes from also). I think this is what happened in the Rizzo trade. Someone in San Diego wasn't as big a fan of Rizzo as some other people and he was gone for a pitcher that the Padres probably liked more than Theo/Hoyer. So, I'm very interested in seeing where this organization goes from now until March 2013. I think the trade market is where this organization will greatly improve the team and heavily facelift the minor league level. Not saying they won't sign anyone, but I would be willing to bet there will be no crazy 6+ year, $100Mil + contracts handed out any time soon.

Knew that was coming. Second straight year a pitcher appeared to be breaking out, cracking top 10 lists and ended up with TJS. Kids should just starting having TJS right after HS graduation.

Not that it matters much, but why is Baez still in the 6-hole? I'd like to see him get as many ABs as possible.

I've heard high 80s- low 90s on Burke as well. Works 88-90, but hits 92 when he needs to. I've heard really good things about his curveball and he also throws a changeup. I think most scouts project him as a reliever long-term but the Cubs want to get him as many innings as they can and believe he could actually start. I think at some point he gets fast tracked. Maybe not this year, but I'd say he'd spend at least the majority of 2013 in AA. I don't think that's "too big" for him, especially at 25. Then by 2014, he could be a guy that's called on to get some spot starts or even have a role in short relief. If he can get that fastball up to mid 90s and refine the curve some more, he can be a Sean Marshall type of late-inning reliever at some point. I think that's best case scenario for him, and that's not a bad scenario by any means.

Yeah, but they are only good when you have 1 or 2 in the everyday lineup, combatted by 1-3 really good players to pick up some of the slack. I know this season is lost, and knew i was before it started, but God this sucks a lot.

I don't know. You guys make some good points. And he is a guy that has taken a couple stops at each level to start hitting. I guess my line of thinking has a lot to do with the fact that I really hate the thought of filling the team full of retreads with no future. The team is basically Castro, DeJesus and a bunch of guys that have no business being in the starting lineup in 2013. At least Ian Stewart had/has a chance to be decent (LaHair was worth a shot too, but not sure anymore). Calling up Vitters would serve the double purpose of making this team slightly more bearable and also fast forward his adjustments that he has made his 2nd time around at every level. But those are kind of stupid reasons to want him called up before he's ready.

This is true. But he's also not at the Rizzo or Jackson level any more where he has to be coddled and you risk ruining a promising career by bringing him up too early. He's also not at the Valbuena level where he hangs out in AAA until the Cubs need someone. He's kind of in-between. If Valbuena comes up, tears it up, it doesn't show the Cubs anything. He's still never going to be more than a utility player. If you bring Vitters up, he tears it up and plays good D, he could potentially be a full-time solution at 3B. I don't imagine Stewart could do much the rest of the way to be brought back next year, especially with the wrist. But best case with Vitters is he hits well and fields adequately enough to stick. Worst case is he sucks, gets sent back down and a guy that is iffy to stick in the majors in the first place doesn't stick. Whether he's bad or he's in Iowa the rest of the year, you're still going to need a long-term option at 3B anyway. I'd at least take the chance that he is actually good while you have a chance.

I'd call up Vitters. What the hell? I don't think he's a great enough prospect any more to worry about possibly ruining him somehow by bringing him up. Even though he's only 22, losing an option year isn't a huge deal to me, again because he's not a sure thing anymore to be part of the Cubs future. Plus, it would give the staff a first hand look at his ability to man 3B defensively for a couple weeks. The Cubs have too many non-factors on the team as is, Valbuena, Mather, or Cardenas getting the next 15-20 starts isn't going to show us anything except how bad this team is.

Totally agree. As Sulley said earlier, I don't know how many QB's I would rather have with the situation we have had the past few years. That Monday night game against the Lions last year was one of the most impressive QB performances I have ever seen. I wish the country could see someone like Brady have to play in that situation and see how it turns out. We have basically seen it. The first Giants SB wasn't quite the same, but Brady was clearly shaken by what was even less pressure than Cutler faced in Detroit. And he played like crap.

As you all would imagine, no Rizzo today for Iowa after yesterday's minor injury. But also no Brett Jackson in the lineup after yesterday's 3Ks swinging. Vitters is also not in the field, but is in the lineup at DH.

I'd put Matt Ryan in there in place of a couple of the guys you mentioned, like Vick, E. Manning or Romo. But pretty much in agreement with the rest. Outside of the clear top 3 (Brees, Rodgers, Brady in whatever order you want) I think spots 4-10 can be organized a lot of different ways with the group of guys from Peyton, Ben, Rivers, Vick, Eli, Cutler, Romo, Newton, Ryan and I could even see an argument for guys like Schaub/Dalton/Luck/Stafford being somewhere towards the end. Eli's pretty clearly a top 5 QB at this point. I'm not big on "Superbowl wins means you're the best", but he's won and put up numbers. When all things are equal, then the rings give him the edge. But Eli is more talented and has been more successful than everyone outside of the top 3. And remember this was before the 2011 season. My list would be different now. Stafford took a huge step up, Peyton down, Eli up, Vick down. Not sure how I feel about Matt Ryan yet. I was one of the few on here that liked him coming out of the draft, but I don't think he has the "carry a team ability" that a lot of elite QBs have. I worry if Luck has that also.

I love Jay Cutler. I called him a top 10 QB before last year and everyone I work with called me a homer. I think I had Cutler at 9. Of course, I did have him in the same class as Eli Manning, who was 1 spot ahead of him. I'm really excited to see what Cutler does this year. I don't think the world realizes just how bad the Bears WRs and OL have been the last 2 years, and they had the worst offensive scheme for the personnel they had. FWIW, I'm pretty sure I had: Brady, P Manning, Brees, Rodgers, Big Ben, Rivers, Vick, Eli Manning, Cutler, Romo.

Brad Eldred, he's over 30 years old. Nothing to see there. meh I figured it was some minor league journeyman Zuleta type. Who's he tied with? Same type? He's tied with elite prospect Wil Myers of the Royals. He's a top 10 guy at this point, maybe even top 5. Myers is probably the best hitter in the minors right now. Not quite putting up Rizzo numbers, but pretty damn good. And he's only 21. Dude walked 85 times in 2010 as a 19-year old in A-ball.

Wesley Snipes? Maybe I'll just call him Blade. He looks nothing like Wesley Snipes and is about 9" taller. Unless you think.....nevermind. He looks a lot like a young Snipes in the face, which was the basis for the comment. There is a 6" height difference. It's absurd for you to insinuate any profiling intent. It was a joke dude. But yeah, he looks nothing like Wesley Snipes.

You don't think GMs looked at an offer and weighed it against draft pick compensation they would be entitled to if they lost the player in FA? No, they didn't weight it against it, because by and large, any decent prospect package is going to be worth the chance that you might get sombody with the 42nd pick who can one day be as highly rated as the prospects you got. It obviously influenced decisions, but compensation was no guarantee (there was always the threat that the player would accept your arbitration offer) and the value of those things just aren't close to equal. That's the key thing to me. It's hard to factor in compensation when you don't know if the player will accept arbitration or not. Granted some cases are pretty straight forward (players not living up to the end of their contract), but if the Cubs traded Aramis Ramirez last year, I don't think the team trading for him could have said, "hey, will just get the draft picks for him". Because there's a chance that he would have done well, liked the team and city and accepted arbitration for a year.

Wesley Snipes? Maybe I'll just call him Blade. He looks nothing like Wesley Snipes and is about 9" taller. Unless you think.....nevermind.

Later... So Dempster won't return anything huge, but they could aim for a Top 25 prospect Detroit reportedly balked at including in a Garza deal who is held in higher regard than Wheeler? Well done, Schoenfeld. He also floats Dempster for Jose Igleseas. He also seems very hell-bent on getting Castro to 3B. Mentions it twice, including one scenario where the Cubs get a 2B and move Darwin Barney to SS for Castro.

I don't think there's anyway Rizzo is in Iowa at the end of July. I think worst case, if the Cubs don't want him to open up in Wrigley, he plays in Atlanta July 2. Gives him a look for a week before the AS game. I wouldn't be surprised to see him as early as the White Sox series, despite the talk that he would NOT be up for interleague play.

"Injury delay." You have to be horse [expletive] kidding me. According to Twitter, was on the ground for a little, but went down to 1B

Rizzo hit by a pitch in the 9th.

Damn Twitter lied to me. Wil Myers just hit his 22nd (AA/AAA combined) and gave Omaha a 2-run lead in the 9th.

If the game remains tied (or Iowa falls behind in the 9th) Rizzo will get another AB. Kinda hope I-Cubs go 5 up-5 down, Omaha doesn't score and Rizzo is up with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th.