Backtobanks

If they can sign one of the TOR pitchers in the offseason and Baez hits, "the plan" will be hitting on all cylinders. The team remains competitive and we have a free option on Castro. And if neither happens, we need a 2B, CF, and solid SP and hope that Coghlan/Denorfia continue their decent seasons next year.

Rizzo & Bryant have slumped, but it might just be a case of coming back to earth from early astounding numbers. With the long season players go in and out of slumps, but unfortunately the Cubs aren't deep enough to cover for the players in a slump. When you're counting on Coghlan, Denorfia, and Schwarber (an inexperienced rookie) to provide consistency to the offense, you're in trouble. Also, a team that depends on a lot of hitters with a ton of strikeouts is probably more likely to hit these slumps. I agree that they need a legitimate veteran upgrade on offense along with a #5 starter. The #5 starter can be a rental, but the off season has to provide the veteran offensive upgrade and a solid controllable starter.

Well said. The whole idea of the Cubs having some inside track to signing Price is ridiculous. If the money is close, then maybe. Otherwise follow the money.

I don't think the Astros are willing to finish out the year with Valbuena as their starting third baseman. He's been fine in the field, and for a while his incredibly odd bating stats were good enough. While he still leads the team in HRs, he hasn't hit one in more than a month. Meanwhile his average remains below .200 and he has an equally atrocious OBP. Lowry represents and immediate offensive upgrade at 3B at no cost to the Astros. I think the Astros will add another pitcher and maybe a low rent corner outfielder to hold down Springer's spot until the end of August. They'll use their deep farm system, not major leaguers, to make those deals. So that's what you do with an accumulation of prospects.

If we wait long enough many of our trade chips (Castro, Baez, Alcantara, etc.) could lose most of their trade vale.

This Hamels guy looked pretty good today. I wonder if he's available. LOL

Yeah, the difference here is that Carlos Gomez is still really good. Even if you go all the way back to 2007 when Gomez was a slap hitting leadoff guy, he's still the 9th most valuable CF'er in baseball during that span. That's over the last 8 years through today. 9th. And he's only been elite level for the last two seasons. But let's just go back to 2012 when he had his breakout year and started hitting for power in the 2nd half of that year which carried over into his 7.5 win 2013... http://i.imgur.com/8PZKunZ.png 3rd best CF'er in baseball. The two above him are perennial MVP candidates and two of the greatest players of this generation. So if you wanna take franchise cornerstones and probable future HOF'ers out of the equation, Gomez has been the best CF'er among the rest of the league since 2012 up until today. So yeah, Carlos Gomez is good. Really [expletive] good. Guys like him (elite CF'ers that aren't rentals) usually don't become available outside of free agency. If Gomez is available, you get him and you extend him immediately. This is going to be such a bad reply that people won't respect............but just watch him for a good amount of time. Just watch. He's not as good as you think he is, and the past accomplishments don't mean anything moving forward. I remember in September of Pujols' free agent year remarking here on how after watching him, he just didn't look the same. And of course, nobody agreed. Why would they? The black and white numbers all showed he was the man. I'm not sure how many Brewers games you can or would even want to watch. But unfortunately, I have to. And Carlos Gomez is not that good. When I say not THAT good, it doesn't mean he's not good. It just means I think the praise he is receiving here is too high. Feel free to bump this in the future. I have no problem being wrong. But I don't think I will be. Also, one other note.....when you said that the difference is that Carlos Gomez is still really good, wasn't Upton still really good at one time? Meaning, that November when he was a free agent, wouldn't people have been able to post his WAR when anybody questioned wanting Upton for the contract he was going to get? ETA: I'd take Lo Cain over Gomez right now all day. Only problem is Cain isn't available and rumors say Gomez is.

I realize I'm in the minority, but I don't really want Gomez and I actually think he'd be a player many would get frustrated at. I understand how great his WAR was for a few seasons, but he's just not as good as the package it would take to get him. I don't know what his defense rates out, but if you watch him on a fairly regular basis, you can see how bad of angles he takes on balls and how many Castro-type errors he makes where you're like, "WTF?" He also has to be one of the worst overall base runners I've ever seen, and his injury history is starting to build a bit. I'm not saying he wouldn't be an upgrade, but I figure the Brewers will want a lot and I just don't see him being worth it. Again, though, I acknowledge I'm in the minority. Hell, I might be the only one who doesn't want him. I'd rather just get Parra from them for a B-level prospect. Trading for Parra leaves us with a hole in CF for next year. Gomez is a superior player and signed through next year at a reasonable cost.

If we're going to make a big deal, go after Carlos Gomez to solve offensive problems and then get a cheap (in players) rental (Harang, Kennedy, Latos, etc.) for a 5th starter. During the offseason, go big for a FA pitcher.

While the Dodgers and Red Sox are unlikely to want to part with their most talented youth -- Corey Seager and Julio Urias in Los Angeles, and Mookie Betts and Blake Swihart in Boston -- Jayson Stark reported that the Phillies are willing to go for a balance of quantity and quality in a Hamels' deal. That would mean six -- six! -- prospects for Hamels. While it obviously depends on which six, if one of these teams really wants Hamels and everything his contract represents compared to this winter's options, then they'll have to pay up that number or something reasonably close to it.

From MLBTR: The Mets are still willing to deal Jon Niese, but are asking for a player with multiple years of control in return, Stark tweets. The southpaw has turned up his performance of late, racking up eight straight quality starts (at least 6 innings pitched, no more than 3 earned runs) since a run of rough outings to end the month of May. He is playing on a $7MM salary this year and represents a $9MM tab for 2016, but can be controlled thereafter through a pair of options ($10MM and $11MM, respectively, each with $500K buyouts). Given New York’s evident budgetary restrictions, it has seemed that moving Niese’s salary could be a way for the club to free resources to allocate to the struggling offense, but it’s not clear whether they’ll have much hope of pulling that off in a single transaction. How about Castro + pitching prospect for Niese and Daniel Murphy. Russell takes over SS while Murphy plays 2B.

That's the bottom line. Let's quit pretending that he's adequate at catching, just don't be comically bad.

Disagree. The WSox can't run out all their LH starters and win. They need catching, middle infield and CF. We seem to have available players they could use. Yeah, Quintana would be exactly what we need. It would certainly be worth a phone call to see if there's any possibility and ask what the price would be.

If this is a showcase, then all of the AL teams might be drooling.

Are you familiar with the Bears? The all star break happens around the same time every year and training camp begins around the same time every year, meaning there is nothing to cover roughly two weeks before training camp, every year. The Tribune covering the countdown to training camp is not some random decision they made because it's a slow week. I know this. That doesn't refute what I said, though. If there were baseball to cover, there probably wouldn't be training camp coverage 2 weeks before it even starts. At the very least, there'd be a lot less of it. There just is absolutely nothing else for them to report on. That was my point, there's nothing else to report on. I'm a Bears' fan, but the media coverage gets pretty ridiculous.

As one Tribune writer wrote today - "longest week in sports". So bad that the Tribune started their 14 day countdown to Bears training camp.

From MLBTR: In a mailbag piece, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post writes that he can envision Carlos Gonzalez, Charlie Blackmon, Wilin Rosario and John Axford being traded in the next two weeks. Though Nick Hundley appears to be a classic trade candidate — he’s hitting well in the first season of an affordable two-year deal — Saunders writes that he’s emerged as a strong presence in the clubhouse, which upper management may not want to lose. Blackmon would make an intriguing trade candidate, though his struggles against lefties and significant home/road splits throughout his career would seem like potential hindrances to his trade value, in my mind. Blackmon would be a perfect addition: platoon with Fowler, can play all 3 OF positions, reasonably young, controllable until 2019.

Yep, though acquiring was the favored word. I expect a trade, a big trade. I posted once before that I hope the Cubs do make a big deal this year before some of our trade chips (Castro, Baez, Alcantara, etc.) lose their trade value. The right deal at the deadline could set us up for 2016-2020. This year's team has been fun to watch, but you can see the pieces aren't all in place yet for serious contention.

Obviously Arrieta. Lester gets to start game 1 of the regular playoff series after Arrieta gets us into the playoffs.

Bryant & Rizzo ought to chip in for a plane ticket to Cincy in order to pitch to them in the HR Derby.

From MLBTR: One person familiar with the Reds thinking tells Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (on Twitter) that he believes there’s at least a 50/50 chance Jay Bruce is traded in July. Recently, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports heard that Bruce is as “as good a bet as anyone” on the team to be dealt. Bruce, 28, is controllable for three more years and offers an established power bat. Bruce would certainly look good in our lineup. I'm hoping the Cubs go big at the deadline before some of our trade chips (Castro, Baez, Alacantara, etc.) lose all of their trade value. I think there are teams out there that might be interested in Castro and Baez.

Gammons is reporting that the Padres are listening to offers on Shields I wonder if the Padres would go for a Castro + Jackson for Shields + Venable deal. Tweak with a few prospects going both ways. Total money is close to even.

Our "concern" over the glut of middle infielders seems to have waned with the struggles of Alcantara, Castro, and Baez. Obviously Russell will be our SS in the near future, but his bat has been below the expectations (even factoring in his age).

After saying that Baez for Niese was highly unlikely unless it involved a bigger deal, this guy from SBNation suggested: Another more realistic option for the Mets on the Cubs' roster could be third baseman Mike Olt. Olt, who was once a top prospect in the Rangers organization, has been a huge disappointment since the Cubs acquired him in the Matt Garza trade. The 27-year-old has batted just .158/.245/.333 in 111 major league games, and his future as a starter with the club is in serious doubt now that Kris Bryant occupies third base. Despite his discouraging batting line, Olt has shown some pop in the majors, hitting 12 home runs in 89 games last season. The Mets have a void at third base with David Wright's injury, so acquiring Olt for Niese represents a much more realistic trade option for the Mets. Attempting to catch lightning in a bottle with a player like Olt could eventually pay dividends. Now there's a deal I would go for.

From MLBTR: The Cubs have considered dealing for Mets left-hander Jon Niese, although they might also aim higher. The salary remaining on Niese’s current deal (he’ll make $9MM next year, plus a $500K buyout or $10MM option in 2016) might also be a slight obstacle to trading him.