CubsWin

Maybe. Maybe not if they acquire Archer or Cole or someone like that. Regardless of their win total in 2018, they're still young and improving. They really aren't that young outside of Arcia, Hader and Philips/Brinson. All the guys that carried them last year were older and had career years (Anderson, Davies, Shaw, Santana, Thames, Sogard, etc) most are big regression candidates for me personally. I agree with that. I'm speaking organizationally. They had 7 guys in MLB's top 100 at the end of last season with others who could pop this year (Lutz, Peralta, Bickford, Gatewood. etc.). And they've got a pretty good group of young players on the major league roster. Knebel (26) was a really good closer for them. He's under control thru 2021. Nelson (28) and Davies (24) along with Hader (23) if he joins the rotation as rumored form a solid group of young controllable starters. Travis Shaw (27) is under control thru 2021. Santana (25), Arcia, (23) and Brinson (23) form a nice core of young, very good players with Villar (26) a strong bounce back candidate. If the Cards trade away a good chunk of their farm for 2 years of Ozuna and 1 of Machado, I'd say the Brewers would be in a better long term position. No real threat to the Cubs as things stand now, though, just "gaining" on them and improving as an organization.

If they traded a bunch of good prospects for one-year of Machado and signed Davis to a 4-year contract, I'd be okay with that. They'd be a much better team for one year (and definitely give the Cubs a run for their money for the NL Central) while giving up many of their best prospects and potentially hamstringing their payroll a bit by paying big for a closer. IMO, the Cubs would still be the envy of the division (with Milwaukee gaining) because their line-up is so young they are likely to get better over the next 2-3 years offensively without "improving" the roster with outside acquisitions. Milwaukee is still trash and they'll prove it by winning 77ish games this year. Maybe. Maybe not if they acquire Archer or Cole or someone like that. Regardless of their win total in 2018, they're still young and improving.

Why is it that when a 29-year-old has a career year for the Cardinals, people assume he'll continue to produce at that pace? Just the year before, Pham hit .226/.324/.440, but now, at the age of 30, he'll be a member of the best outfield in baseball. Whatevs...

If they traded a bunch of good prospects for one-year of Machado and signed Davis to a 4-year contract, I'd be okay with that. They'd be a much better team for one year (and definitely give the Cubs a run for their money for the NL Central) while giving up many of their best prospects and potentially hamstringing their payroll a bit by paying big for a closer. IMO, the Cubs would still be the envy of the division (with Milwaukee gaining) because their line-up is so young they are likely to get better over the next 2-3 years offensively without "improving" the roster with outside acquisitions.

Reports on twitter are saying it's multiple pitchers (that just means more than one) and a major leaguer presumed to be an OFer.

I'd be checking into what it would cost to acquire Gausman. I'm a believer that he finally turned the corner mid-year last year. https://www.fangraphs.com/fantasy/kevin-gausmans-very-bad-but-actually-very-good-season/ This.

FWIW, Tseng, Mills and Zastryzny (if you consider him a starter still) have options amongst their existing rotation depth. Signing some major league established FA starters or relievers with options will prove difficult. No, but they could be trade targets. Indeed!

I really wonder if they're going to overload the rotation and play games with the 10 day DL this year since the Dodgers got away with it last year. But that would mean they'd have to have at least one guy who could be optioned. FWIW, Tseng, Mills and Zastryzny (if you consider him a starter still) have options amongst their existing rotation depth. Signing some major league established FA starters or relievers with options will prove difficult.

I really wonder if they're going to overload the rotation and play games with the 10 day DL this year since the Dodgers got away with it last year. But that would mean they'd have to have at least one guy who could be optioned. They'd have to acquire about 4 more guys to do that. Or use guys who didn't play a lot in the majors last season (Tseng, Maples, Butler, Zastryzny, Mills, Grimm and recent FA signings like Dario Alvarez, Luke Farrell, etc.).

Cubs saying horsefeathers you to injury history when comes to their free agent signings so far... Chatwood and Morrow have good stuff, elite by some metrics, but man they are a roll of the dice in the health department.

I doubt he gets to us, but this would be excellent. There's always the ol' "Josh Hamilton" trade up option...

Me too. He's was fourth on my list of ideal off season moves. Chatwood, Ohtani, Morrow, McGee. I don't think he will come on a cheap deal, however. Depends on what you mean by "cheap", I guess.

Call him Poopsie, just get him. Yeah, I'm old. Figured that one was a bit obscure. Len would know it, though. Ian Anderson, lead singer for Jethro Tull. (I'm old, too.)

I'm fine with that. I didn't want Gregerson on a 2-year deal. St. Louis once again relegated to the 2nd or 3rd tier of player. Oh, I don't care about Gregerson at all. I just had him as a 1/5 guy on most of my mocks. I know. Me too. I wonder what the Cubs do from here on out. Can easily sit back and wait to see how the market filters out or continue to be aggressive and go get their guy. Of the remaining options, I like McGee, Nicasio and Neshak. Adding one of those to an existing bullpen of: Morrow Strop Edwards Wilson Montgomery ...would work for me.

Only if we trade for Ian Anderson and can call him Jethro. Call him Poopsie, just get him.

Yes, please. If it were Hand and one or two good prospects for Happ (plus depending on the quality of the prospects) I'd be good. You're probably not going to like the "plus" in a Hand/pitching prospect return from the Padres. Depends on the prospect, but yeah. I like the idea of adding prospect pitching with upside at this point for the Cubs. I keep coming back to doing a deal with the Braves. Surplus to surplus match ups can lead to good value for both teams.

Yes, please. If it were Hand and one or two good prospects for Happ (plus depending on the quality of the prospects) I'd be good.

Well horsefeathers him. I'm fine with that. I didn't want Gregerson on a 2-year deal. St. Louis once again relegated to the 2nd or 3rd tier of player.

Two year deal with an option at 10-11 mill is exactly the range I was hoping for. Nice!

Because the Cubs have too many outfielders with last names that start with H, but not enough relievers like that. Ah! Okay, I can see that. I get it now.

Good points I’m guessing the FO/coaching staff have similar thoughts and use ideas. That being said, go bring Wade back and go with super bullpen of death. Finish signing Morrow and Cobb, trade Happ for Hand, sign your backup C and OF of choice, go home happy. Wait. Happ for Brad Hand? Straight up? Why?

That would be 2 out of 3 for my dream off season so far. Chatwood, Ohtani, Morrow.

Beat me to it! I have reservations about Morrow, but I'm an upside guy and, boy, does he have upside! This would be great depending on the contract.

I'm split on signing Cobb. At this point, the minimum number of years they can get him for is 4 with the possibility of having to go 5. The AAV sounds like it will be at least 16 per maybe more. At that price, you're getting a guy for his 30-33 years or possibly 30-34 who's health track record isn't the greatest and who's stuff is decent enough (hard contact rate was way up last year) but without much upside (91-93 on his FB, control dependent). This sounds like paying for past performance (he was really good before TJS in 2013 & 2014) of which there isn't that much. I get that he's solid and the Cubs are in a championship window in which having certainty and solidity in the backend of your rotation is helpful. But signing someone like Cobb at 4/64 or 5/75 or 80 doesn't excite me going forward. He's produced fairly decent GB rates so maybe he plays up with the excellent Cubs IF defense behind him, but I just don't like the probable years and AAV. I'll feel a lot better if it's 4/56. Maybe I'm splitting hairs Like I said, I'm torn. 2 mill a year isn't that big of a deal for a team like the Cubs. It's his apparent lack of upside (as I see it, I'm open to having someone sway me otherwise) and the backend of a 4-5 year contract that scares me.

I wonder if, given the extreme restrictions the Braves face over the next 3 years in signing IFAs not to mention the ones they recently lost, they would value players like Jonathan Sierra, Yonathan Perlaza, Brailyn Marquez, Yovanny Cruz, Fernando Kelli, Luis Diaz, Luis Verdugo, etc. as sweeteners in a larger trade for pitching than other teams would? Say a trade from surplus (for both teams) like major league ready offense (Happ and Caratini) plus someone like David Bote (or whomever) and three IFAs for Julio Teheran (coming off a down year with 20 million still owed), one of their younger pitching prospects (Wright, Soroka, Anderson, or Wentz) and AJ MInter (a lefty reliever with a good FB and control with minor league options left - 20th ranked prospect per MLB) who could ride the Iowa shuttle and provide relief depth. That would leave the Braves with Newcomb (25) Foltynewicz (26), Fried (24), Gohara (21) and Sims (24) as starters with major league experience along with Allard and 3 other remaining top notch starting prospects (out of Wright, Soroka, Anderson and Wentz). They have two catchers over 30 in Tyler Flowers (32) and Kurt Suzuki (34) under contract thru this year only with Caratini waiting in the wings. Happ would replace Markakis (34) who could easily be traded with one year at 11 million left on his contract. Am I in the ballpark or way out beyond the LF wall...?