Little Slide Rooter

[expletive] infielders. [expletive] pitchers. When the lineup card reads Mendy, Castro, Bryant, Rizzo, Baez, Soler, Russell, Schwarber, Almora, do you really think that the other team will even get a chance to bat?

With the trade deadline about a week away, I wouldn't be surprised if they were to stash him in a trade package. As ugly of a year as it's been for him, he's only 24 and things were real looking up last year, at least when he wasn't injured. If they need to dump a body to make room, Anderson, Kalish, and Valaika should all be ahead of him.

Personality, schmersonality. Give me Andre Dawson and his complete lack of human emotion over Davey Martinez and his lady killing swagger any day of the week.

Listen to the man, Billy. Darwin Barney is of immeasurable value. Do whatever it takes to get him.

Mike Olt might not be very good.

Dear God, Lake and Olt hitting back to back tonight.

Black and Paniagua got their respective arses handed to them.

Nothing quite like passing off generalizations as news.

Today I learned Valbuena has more PA as a Cub than Matt Murton, Ronny Cedeno, and Glenallen Hill. He's like the Ramon Hernandez of Jose Vizcaino of this era, utility guys who were good enough to hang on for several years. And would you give up, say Pierce Johnson for Ramon Hernandez or Jose Vizcaino? No. But then I agree with several on here that the value of Valbuena to the Cubs by far exceeds the trade value for him. Very true, in terms of a realistic return. But Pomeranz isn't a realistic return for him.

With the trade deadline less than 10 days away, it sounds like they're just using the 10 days to trade/release rule to open his roster spot. Barney is what he is. regardless of whether or not he plays the next week or so, any team with some degree of interest is very well aware, so it's not like this is going to have any effect on whatever trade value he has.

Today I learned Valbuena has more PA as a Cub than Matt Murton, Ronny Cedeno, and Glenallen Hill. He's like the Ramon Hernandez of Jose Vizcaino of this era, utility guys who were good enough to hang on for several years. And would you give up, say Pierce Johnson for Ramon Hernandez or Jose Vizcaino?

It's by no means a ha-ha-no gif-worthy package, but I can only assume that your friend isn't aware of Castro and Rizzo's farcically team friendly contracts.

He's had a little more success since leaving Colorado (though he never really had worse numbers at home). He had some success in relief this year, before going back into the rotation in May. Valbuena has pretty much gone back to his previous norms average wise in the last month and a half, but is really not walking as much as he had been either. Ultimately, he'll be a utility guy and I think a 25-yo starter at best or decent reliever at worst is probably slightly more valuable. That being said, I'm pretty much with you. I'd probably do the deal, but I'd hope it would be on the table a little later. I know the ML team doesn't matter, but I really don't want the alternatives playing everyday at 3B (Olt, Watkins, Valaika?) if Valbuena is gone. And that goes for the start of 2015 until one of the young guys establishes himself at the ML level. The A's need a 2B bad and very soon. If Pomeranz is on the table, I'd jump on it. That said, Valbuena has value to the Cubs for his versatility and ability to be a decent stopgap until the kids are up AND have no problem coming off the bench when that time comes. His selectivity at the plate and the moderate pop in his bat profiles as a good pinch hitter. I like him but for the lottery ticket that is Pomeranz (5th pick overall, 25 years old, MOR ceiling, good reliever floor), I'd do it. I am not sure that it's necessary for this team to have a stop gap at this point. Valbuena has played well, but we are heading for the worst record in baseball why does it matter if we are better at 3b right now. Put Olt there, put bonifacio there, heck play "automatic out" but if we get anything of value for anyone (not in the plans) on the roster go for it. This type of thinking works for impending free agents, or guys who simply don't factor into future plans. Valbuena is 29 years old, under team control for 2 more years, and there are a lot of teams who would like to have a guy with both Valbuena's offensive pop (especially the left handed variety) and defensive versatility on their bench. Personally, I find it absurd that we'd reject an offer of Drew Pomeranz for him, or that the A's would consider it. And while a lot of the NSBB regulars may not agree, I'm confident that most or all professional analysts would. But there's no reason to play hot potato with Valbuena if we don't get something of value for him, even if it is another TJS rehab gamble.

FUJIKAWA LIVES! Ok, more like Fujikawa lives. But it wasn't a particularly exciting day on the farm.

He has had good numbers all the way back to his age 16/17 seasons (he is now 19y, 3 days old). With today's 0/7 in 7 IP, his BB K sits at 4/49 in 47 IP. Want to know more.

With that our of the way, I can get back to panicking over Bryant's strikeout binge.

His signature had his real name and that he was a Catholic priest. A google search of his name brings up his obit from various papers: http://www.reinbeckcourier.com/page/content.detail/id/501235/Father-Neal.. It does have specific mention of him being and avid fan of the Cubs and Hawkeyes.

After popping up in his last AB hmmm.. Hopefully it's one of those silly pulled for lack of hustle things.

Sounds about right. Per BP, we're currently at, what, $93MM. Soriano ($13MM), Shark ($6MM), Hammel ($6MM), Villanueva ($5MM) and Schierholtz ($5MM,) Veres (3.8,) and Bonifacio (2.5) are all coming off the books. Barney currently makes 2.5, and if he's not traded, he's a likely non tender. James McDonald and George Kottaras are still getting a mil each. Fujikawa would make 5.5, but has a 500K buyout. Arrieta's the only guy I see getting any significant raise, and Coghlan, Ruggiano, Valbuena, and Strop are all arb. eligible and could each be due a slight one.

If AAA announcers who probably make a bit more than an assistant manager at Applebee's say it, it must be true. Sell! Sell! Sell!

What would be super is if Kris Bryant wound end his Brett Jackson-esque strikeout binge.

If we were able to unload half or more of Jackson's remaining salary, would we have even $25MM worth of remaining obligations going into the offseason?

i'll suck you off, Cashman. Please. So long as it's consensual.

Welp, we're worse than the Astros, so there's that.

If I were going to, don't you think I would have by now? Where others have either run off or created ghost accounts for less, I've stood tall. Or at least average height. Only B2B has withstood more ridicule than I and stood his ground.