CubsWin

Javy played CF last night in Puerto Rico. No word on how he did. His slash line certainly indicates he's working on his defense. (.160/.323/.280) But he has walked more than he's struck out, so there's that. I'm kidding about the importance of the stats, of course...

Thanks for posting this, Tim. Interesting to note the Cubs folded their Venezulan team and went back to 2 teams in the Dominican League. Might as well take full advantage of their academy there.

Nah, we're taking whatever we want from the Cards, a little voodoo magic surely was on Theo's list. I annoint Christian Villanueva the new Adrian Before. Are the access codes to the Astros scouting info on that list, too?

I'd add Carrasco and Salazar to the list. If you're including Gray, Carrasco should be there. If you're excluding Salazar for durability reasons, Odorizzi should be gone. But that's quibbling. That's a good list. I think Gray is a pipe dream, though. If you have Gray on the list why not Sale or Archer? I guess maybe because it's Billy Beane and you never can tell with him. For me it's... 1.Gausman - 5 years of control, youth, no injury history, durable frame, upside with present stuff and good control. 2.Teheran - 4 years of control, youth, no injury history, durable frame, has upside and good stuff, struggled with control last season. 3.Carrasco - 5 years of control, dominating performance last season, good size but already 28 with a history of injury. 4.Salazar - 5 years of control, youth, no injury history, questionable durability due to smaller frame, but man is he good. Could be higher on this list. Ross, Cobb, Smyly and Odorizzi (with others) fill out the list. Not necessarily in that order.

No. For several reasons. 1. I don't like trading 6 years of control for 2. 2. I really like the depth of the team as it stands right now and think that will help this team win a world series in the next couple years. 3. The rotation is pretty darn good and deep already. 4. I'd really like to see what Javy can become. And the list goes on from there...

Yes. The deal by itself is kinda meh. When looking at it from 2014's off season perspective, giving a 37-year-old pitcher 16 million is a little ridiculous. Getting Lackey over one of the guys that were still available is just okay. They each have their drawbacks. (In Lackey's case, it's his age and his face.) But getting him for only 2 years and at 16 million per is really pretty great when put in context with the other deals that have gone down so far this off season. It's a new era in free agency, and for where the Cubs are in their roster make-up and window of contention, I'd take this deal over all the ones signed thus far. Over the next two seasons, will there really be that much difference between Lackey and Zimmerman? Next year, if he isn't traded before then, Hammel will be gone (assuming his option isn't picked up, and if it is it means he will have pitched well). That frees up 10 million, I believe. Lackey's 16 mill comes off the year after that when Arrieta's deal is up. That buys time for players like Soler, Castro and Baez to better establish and possibly improve their value as trade pieces. The Cubs will know more about whether Edwards, Underwood and others are viable major league starters. The value of other prospects like Almora, McKinney, Contreras, Torres, Candelario and Vogelbach will be better established for trade purposes as well. All of these factors support the length and timing of this contract.

Is that Rickey or Dave? Alvarez.

The little we know about Albertos (and Paredes, Marquez, etc.) sounds intriguing. It will be interesting seeing how they perform and reading reports about them next season. The article you linked also mentioned the Cubs signing two other guys, P Faustino Carrera (also called Faustino Carrera Llanes) and OF Ruben Reyes. Carrera pitched for the 15U Mexican team in 2014 which would make him around 16. There's a Facebook post showing him in Cubs gear signing his contract. I can't find anything else about him including his signing bonus. Here's a Spanish-speaking news report on his signing. There may be more info in this video if anyone can translate. Reyes was 20 when he signed with the Cubs on July 29th. This milb.com article in Spanish says he hit .238 in 47 regular season games and was selected to his league's all-star game.

Villanueva has been tried at 2B when he was with the Texans and reports at the time of his trade said it didn't end well. He's played a total of 20 innings at that position in his time with the Cubs. He's primarily been a 3B and was pushed to 1B this past season in AAA. He probably could play some LF as well, but has limited experience there thus far. If he's being considered as a bench guy, he'd primarily be a 3B/1B. Unfortunately, his bat has been uninspiring. Sure, he's putting up great numbers in a small sample in the Mexican League this winter, but he played there last season and produced at about the same rate as he did in AAA last year which was, well, uninspiring. Unless his bat as majorly turned a corner and he lights up spring training and AAA in the beginning of 2016, there's little reason to think his performance this winter is meaningful.

The BA article mentioned that he was only adequate defensively at 2B and has played some 3B. His OBP skills sound excellent though. With Baez, Castro and LaStella already on the roster, if the reports of his defensive shortcomings are accurate, i can't see the Cubs going for him. His OBP skills might be better than LaStella's currently, but he sounds a bit like him and could be a redundant signing. But... If the Cubs' scouts think they can coach him up (as they do with younger player's defense), it's an interesting proposition. Say the Cubs were able to include Castro in a deal for pitching and then sign Fernandez to replace him. The Indians (and Braves for that matter) have been asking for 2 major league ready bats in exchange for Carrasco/Salazar. Say the Cubs are high on Fernandez and offered Soler and Castro to the Indians for one of those two pitchers but also got pitching prospects in return. (I'm thinking specifically Tristan McKenzie and Mike Clevinger). The Cubs would get AAA depth for this season in Clevinger (who also has MOR upside) and a 19-year-old comp pick in McKenzie with great size, room to fill out and some filthy stuff. The Cubs may have to add a prospect to balance it out, maybe, but if the Cubs deem is defensive abilities worthy, it's an intriguing idea.

Thanks, Raisin!

If that's too rich, what about Zimmerman and Samardzija, trade Hendricks + for Ender Inciarte? CF Inciarte LF Schwarber 3B Bryant 1B Rizzo RF Soler C Montero 2B Castro SS Russell Arrieta Lester Zimmerman Samardzija Hammel And you still have Baez mixing in. I don't like the idea of signing so many 30 year old pitchers, but it's another possible configuration.

You hear interest in Price, Greinke and Zimmerman a lot. What's the argument against Johnny Cueto?

Man, the list keeps growing. I hope these 3 become available before June 15th. I think my new favorite name might be some derivation of Lazaro.

Ah, then I'm way wrong. I thought they did something with Pena different than what they did with Contreras. If it was EXACTLY the same, then the question of Pena being rostered remains open. Something seems not right, though. You write that Pena and Contreras could have jumped ship. I don't believe that can have been true. (Just using common sense here, not having read the rules.) The Cubs could have rostered Contreras whenever they wanted. I can't imagine they'd have **ever** let him become a completely free free agent free to jump ship this fall. We see what international unlimited FA's get; and we see what teams spend for first and second round talent, especially prior to the draft cap. *If* Contreras had really been free, would he not have received an offer of at least a million, and possibly several of them? Proceduraly I can't imagine the Cubs ever let him go free. Neither Pena or Contreras could have "jumped ship". The Cubs had until 5 days after the end of the World Series, in this case Nov. 6th, to sign them as minor league FAs. They did so by the deadline so no other team had the chance to negotiate with them. They have until the 20th to place them on the 40-man roster before they'll be exposed in the upcoming rule 5 draft. Unless he's traded before then, we all expect Contreras to be added. Pena could be. We'll have to wait and see. The Cubs 40-man roster currently has 10 open slots.

I've made about 5 posts explaining that even though a guy signs as a minor league FA, he can still be drafted in the major league portion of the rule 5 draft. Anyone not on a team's 40-man roster can be drafted, period. Maybe you just don't believe me. :P

Huh. Well that's a new one on me. That absolutely appears to be circumventing Rule 5, though it would affect so few players (guys who've been around long enough to be drafted multiple times, and never had a team bite on adding them to their 25, nor their existing team add them to their 40) I guess nobody bothers to care. How does that circumvent the rule 5 draft?

The date at which players must be added to the 40-man is November 20th which is two weeks after the deadline to sign your minor league FAs. It wasn't a procedural move preceding being added to the 40-man. As I think you stated earlier, Willson Contreras went through the same process last year when he was a 6-year minor league FA. He wasn't added to the 40-man then and neither does Pena need to be now. He still can be, of course. The Cubs have until the 20th to decide. It'll be interesting to see if you're right! Luckily Willson wasn't selected in the rule 5. I'm sure lots of teams would love to have him now...

If a player signs by 5pm Eastern, 5 days after the end of the World Series, in this case November 6th, he's not declared a FA and no other team has the opportunity to sign him. Felix Pena signed before the deadline. So, he will remain Cubs property if, and only if, he's not selected in the rule 5 draft. Not that I care that much about him. He did take a step forward last season though. My personal thought is he doesn't get added to the 40-man, but there is reason to think that he might.

Agreed, certainly with the description given in that article. But a 6'3", 19-year-old with room to fill out who currently sits 88-92 and can touch 94 while projecting to add velo is still a late first round talent. I'd take that in the Cubs organization moving forward. Gutierrez is 5 years younger as well. If the Cubs signed Ruiz, that'd be good too. The more the merrier, but it sounds like Gutierrez has more upside.

Thanks for posting that, davell. There are a lot of intriguing names on there. Yasiel Sierra sounds like he could provide rotation help as early as this season at considerably less money than any of the FA options currently on the market. The two 16-year-olds, LHP Adrian Morejon and OF Lazarito Armenteros, sound like they'd be excellent additions if/when they become available to sign before the June 15th deadline. Both are described as top of the 1st round draft pick quality players. Then there's 19-year-old, RHP Vladimir Gutierrez who has a profile similar to a late 1st round high school arm. 19-year-old Yusniel Diaz is an exciting CF prospect. OF Jorge Ona, also just 19, profiles more as a corner OFer but sounds solid at the plate. That's 6 high quality prospects with others yet to be mentioned. A terrific opportunity for the Cubs to load up on potential impact talent right as they go into (what we hope are) several years without a high draft pick. I hope they have the resources to sign some of these guys. If so, this might be the Cubs most impactful off-season to date.

They did re-sign Peña, at least. Oh cool. I was figuring he'd get rostered for us at this point and was surprised at AZPhil's report he wasn't. Doesn't make much difference really. He can still be selected in the draft, but it is an expression by the team that they're wanted. Sure it makes a difference. Now a team has to store a mediocre prospect 26 year old on their 25 man all year rather than signing him and having 3 years to pinball him in and out of their pen. It doesn't make any difference in a team's decision in whether or not they'll draft him. He's just as likely or unlikely to be taken in the Rule 5 now as before. It does mean that if he isn't drafted, no other team can sign him as a minor league free agent.

They did re-sign Peña, at least. Oh cool. I was figuring he'd get rostered for us at this point and was surprised at AZPhil's report he wasn't. Doesn't make much difference really. He can still be selected in the draft, but it is an expression by the team that they're wanted.

There were reports the Cubs turned down deals that involved Contreras at the deadline this year. Just out of curiosity, what do you think he's worth? What would other teams give up for him?

Johnson? Edwards doesn't get a mention here? He's currently #57 on MLB. That'd be a long way to fall if he didn't make it at all. Not saying it couldn't happen. They could see his move to reliever as permanent. But there are other likely relievers on their top 100.