Little Slide Rooter

you're thinking of back2banks I've complimented the FO when they have made a good move. Unlike many posters, I don't throw around compliments just because it's "our" FO making the move. Something like making a good deal to get Turner or Hamels would be worthy of a compliment. And of course there's the dream scenario of acquiring both in one 3 team trade in which the Marlins get Junior Lake, Phillies get Wood and a Marlins prospect.

That would be the obvious answer, but I'd really want to get him right in that rotation. Again, I'd rather just let Jax and Wood take turns on the DL. Or as unpopular as it would be, we could simply option Hendricks or Wada.

I have to wonder if they've been trying to sneak guys like Vitters, Jackson, Szczur, maybe Olt and Lake through waivers but been unable. The Marlins only leverage is that they can re-add him. The Rockies passed yesterday, and I don't see why they'd have changed their mind in the past 24 hours. It's just a case of "I want Almora." "I'll give you Rademacher." How about about Hanneman?" "How about Dunston." Dunston and Underwood?" Dunston and Antigua." "Dunston and Maples?" Dunston and "Dunston and Jensen." "Dunston and Jensen?" "And because I like you, I'll throw in Chien." Who?" *BEEP* "Stacy, bring me a pen, will you?"

I'd give up Mendy and a few lesser prospects. How much lesser would depend on how the money's split. Certainly nothing else in the top 15-20. Trouble with that is that Mendy (or Soler) would have to be put through waivers, and the chance of either making it past the first team are slim to none, and slim just withered away into nothing. And Amaro doesn't seem to be the type who would do it with wink, wink, PTBNL.

The ball's still in the Marlins court. What's a fair exchange? Rule 5 bate (Amaya, Hernandez, Rhee?) Reclamation for Reclamation (Vitters, Jackson, Szczur?) Cash in perennial trade chip Vogelbach? Assorted spare parts?

I think someone earlier said he can't go to AAA. More likely he goes to the MLB bullpen for now with Villanueva or Parker getting jettisoned. Parker is already gone Villanueva's up after the season. He's been pretty solid in relief. May as well get what we can for him.

Imagine an all successful reclamation rotation of Arrieta, Vizcaino, Turner, Wada, Doubront. Won't happen, but it would be wild.

Remember that time when Javy Baez hit a game winning HR in the 12th inning of his first big league game? I don't, because I said [expletive] it and went to bed in the bottom of the 11th. Cool story bro. It is, isn't it.

Paul Blackburn. Carson Sands. Justin Steel. Welcome to high ceiling pitching prospect, high octane name day.

Maybe it's mental at this point. He's been in the system since 2007 and was the jewel of that system until 2011 or 2012. He had a disastrous cup-of-coffee a couple of years ago that sent his stock plummeting. He followed that up with a decent/good year at Iowa last year, yet was never strongly considered for a roster spot in Chicago this year for a very poor team. Now he has been passed by numerous other prospects who are capable of playing any position on the team that he may hope to fill. Seven years in minor-league baseball is a long time. And now his path is blocked by better players. Perhaps he sees the writing on the wall and is near the end. The best he can hope for now is that he gets traded or released and becomes one of those change-of-scenery guys somewhere else. But at his still young age for the level (I feel as though we've been saying this far too long,) coupled with the fact that the bulk of 2013 was lost to injury, I can't imagine he'd have entered the season with any sense of entitlement. If anything, being blocked would be incentive to be noticed by another team in hopes of being traded.

Any thoughts on Josh Vitters uncontrolled spiral into oblivion? He was great in 2012 at AAA, then again last year, at least while healthy. How often does the bottom drop out in a guy's third year in the PCL? If anything, I'd expect absurd, video game-esque numbers.

http://media1.giphy.com/media/Y9zsPkuTlEcWk/200.gif Holy [expletive], that's weird.

[expletive], [expletive], [expletive]. I guess that's what I get for going to bed at a decentish hour.

Baez? More like...BOO-ez! Amiright?

I was about the worry about Underwood being pulled after 0.2 innings. Then I remembered that the 0.2 inning was last night.

Found this list of Rule 5 candidates, updated 8/1. The only obvious name to protect is Edwards. Maybe McNutt, depending on what's going on with him. I can't imagine Maples making it a season on someone's big league roster. Gioskar Amaya, INF John Andreoli, OF Delbis Arcila, OF Jose Arias, RHP Jeffrey Baez, OF Frank Batista, RHP Zach Cates, RHP Hunter Cervenka, LHP Pin-Chieh Chen, OF Gerardo Concepcion, LHP (Article XX-D player - can elect free-agency if drafted & then later re-claimed by Cubs) Willson Contreras, C Wes Darvill, INF Taylor Davis, C Alberto Diaz, LHP C. J. Edwards, RHP Kevin Encarnacion, OF P. J. Francescon, RHP Victor Garcia, LHP Dustin Geiger, INF Anthony Giansanti, OF Jae-Hoon Ha, OF Marco Hernandez, INF Michael Jensen, RHP Eric Jokisch, LHP Austin Kirk, LHP Matt Loosen, RHP Rafael Lopez, C Jeff Lorick, LHP Barret Loux, RHP Dillon Maples, RHP Andrew McKirahan, LHP Trey McNutt, RHP (Article XX-D player - can elect free-agency if drafted & then later re-claimed by Cubs) Alberto Mineo, C Yoanner Negrin, RHP Carlos Penalver, INF Felix Pena, RHP Ivan Pineyro, RHP Austin Reed, RHP Tayler Scott, RHP Rock Shoulders, 1B Rubi Silva, OF Brian Smith, LHP Elliot Soto, INF Antonio Valerio, C Yao-Lin Wang, RHP Ben Wells, RHP Tony Zych, RHP

I wish he'd stop this. It's putting our AAA prospects' performances into bad company. Bah. He's still striking out more than once per game. He's just doing more with the pitches he doesn't miss. Against inferior pitchers. In smaller parks.

option B Personally, I put Villanueva through waivers (if we haven't already,) get what we can for him. Turner is perfect Bosio fodder.

According to BBR, his oWAR is 1.4; His dWAR is -1.3. I may not be much for analysis, but that sounds like several counties south of meh.

So who goes to Iowa? Russell or do they just send boring old Chris Valaika back?

IMHO, in terms of pure offensive ceiling, Soler is atop the list, though I'll admit that much of this stems from the hype originally surrounding him. In terms overall value, Baez and Russell are ahead of him, maybe ahead of Bryant as well.

I think when they're all up and everything clicks (fingers crossed) they'll realize they are all a part of something extremely special and are trying to do something which hasn't been done in over a century, and they'll love every [expletive] minute of it. I think because of this they'll be open to signing long term deals. They'll all be comning up through the same system together striving to win the World Series. How many World Series teams have had an abundance of players on their roster that came up through the ranks at the same time to reach the highest stage? If that happens, that would have to feel pretty [expletive] awesome for them, and I think they won't want to play anywhere else, at least not for a long time. But that's just my own daydream speculation. Yes it certainly is. We often forget that we are a major market team, capable of generating major market revenue even when they're awful (which is the reason that nobody took their threats to leave Wrigleyville seriously) and the moment they show signs of life, the fans that stopped showing up flock back. Couple this with a front office dream team, and I'm confident that they can get creative enough to lock up a good chunk of the core for quite some time without relying on discounts, and have money left to continue to fill any holes that appear over time.

Who are you talking about? Is that you, Javy? They should change the title to "That guy who used to bat between me and Kris Bryant, but I haven't seen him around much lately, I don't know, maybe he got fired or something" Thread.

Come on, fellas. The minor league game threads are supposed to be a happy place, not an endless abyss of apathy like those other ones.