Bryants Disco Ball

Just for some additional context, Ryan Howard's $10 million is the record for first year arbitration. I could see Boras asking for at least that and probably more if Bryant continues his level of play. If the Cubs go too low like the Phillies did when they offered $7, anything is possible. Maybe.

Am I remembering correctly that even after they took the big lead, the Cubs STILL didn't get somebody up right away? And I want to say the next guy walked, and even during that whole at-bat they didn't have somebody get up. I apologize if my memory is spreading misinformation.

Pretty sure Boras is Russell's agent so probably not him.

I'm jumping to conclusions because I want to, but these years and this money sort of indicate Dex really didn't want to play for them until they made it way too difficult not to play for them. That's my story, at least.

4 years and $72 right. It can't be bigger than that.....right? 5 and $90?

Nope, not really at all. Kind of expected it. Plus Dex is going to be 31. I'd bet 2016 stands has his career best. I hope they sign him to a nice, long, expensive deal. Yeah, I agree with this. Dex played a huge, huge part in winning us all a World Series, so I support wherever he wants to go. But I do think part of his greatness this year probably had to do with hitting right in front of the MVP and then, like, another MVP batting after the MVP.

Although he also is an injury guy, I like Tim's idea of getting Holland. Let's put together the original Bullpen Of Doom.

Wait. Don't the picks always come after the first round and not during? You're forgetting to remove the teams that forfeit their first. Oh yeah. Oops.

No. In the hypothetical/error Nightengale tweet scenario of the Rockies signing Fowler..... The Rockies lose the 11th pick and we get a compensation pick somewhere between like picks 25-35. Wait. Don't the picks always come after the first round and not during?

Assuming what he would likely get as a FA, he would be foolish to sell low. Hopefully, he stays healthy and one of Strop, Robson, or my choice with Edwards put the Cubs in a position where they don't have to trade resources for bullpen help. Exactly. If he bets on himself, he has a legit chance to be dominant this season. And considering he's younger than Mark Melancon he will still get a really nice contract.

The Cubs did nix a trade for Dan Haren because they weren't comfortable with the medicals. So if they sign off on Davis, I'm comfortable because they are comfortable.

97 wRC+ in 2015, 83 in 2016, and his defense has also seen a precipitous decline to the point where it's fair to question whether he can play CF anymore. He's a late bloomer who always relied on extreme physical gifts to be successful, and since those gifts are starting to wane you could see things fall apart pretty quickly. Also he is a literal crazy person and that's not going to get better as he starts declining. I see his Texas performance as a death rattle more than a resurgence. A reasonable position...but at that salary I'm willing to roll the dice when the upside is something resembling his good years and what he did in Texas over Jon Jay at about the same amount. Ahhhhh, those savings got us Brian Duesing (spelling?).

Seems weird coming from you as you seem as willing as anyone to look at arbitrary endpoints/trends on guys and Gomez really only had a really bad 85 games in Houston this year, but otherwise was great in 2013, great in 2014, very good in 2015, and very good to great in his stint with the Rangers in 2016. 97 wRC+ in 2015, 83 in 2016, and his defense has also seen a precipitous decline to the point where it's fair to question whether he can play CF anymore. He's a late bloomer who always relied on extreme physical gifts to be successful, and since those gifts are starting to wane you could see things fall apart pretty quickly. Also he is a literal crazy person and that's not going to get better as he starts declining. I see his Texas performance as a death rattle more than a resurgence. 100 percent agree. He started to regress his last half season in Milwaukee and his routes in the outfield are God awful. Congrats to him that he went to Texas for a few months and hit better in a park that does that for many. Thank God people who wanted to trade for Gomez or sign him for $20 per a few years ago didn't get their wish.

That rule is going away, beginning next offseason. Will not apply to Davis. Whoa. Do we still get a pick if he leaves, but we don't have to make him a QO or we don't get a pick either way? Edit: TT answered this already.

Yeah, that seems irresponsible.

This package seems cheaper than the one we gave up for three months of Chapman. If healthy, Davis can be pretty damn elite, too. And if he is, we give him the QO next season and get a pick. Pretty good potential value for an always injured DH who might be lucky to ever hit 25 dongs playing at Kaufman.

I don't know about bad luck, my friend. I just think he can't stay healthy. Even his relatively short minor league stint has some DL stays. June 18, 2013 Daytona Cubs placed RF Jorge Soler on the 7-day disabled list. April 4, 2014 Tennessee Smokies placed RF Jorge Soler on the 7-day disabled list. May 22, 2014 Tennessee Smokies placed RF Jorge Soler on the 7-day disabled list. strained right hamstring Since joining the Majors, he also has been on the DL with a left ankle sprain, an oblique strain and a left hamstring. I mean, Jorge has missed a ton of games. And he gets hurt every year. And he gets hurt even in part-time roles. I have no confidence that he can stay healthy, and I'd imagine it's tough to get great value for a guy when every team out there also can see the chunks of time the dude misses. No doubt he is injury prone, but that risk would be mitigated quite a bit by a trade to an AL team. The "bad luck" I was referring to is more the timing of the injuries than the injuries themselves. Again, I don't see Jorge flourishing with the Cubs. But I could see him experiencing some success in a place like Texas (who I think we could probably get a bit out of). Agreed. If he can go to the AL and DH, he might be able tap into his potential. No way if he is traded to the Royals that they want him playing in that outfield.

If Davis is considered truly healthy, he'll command more than Soler. Soler just doesn't have much value. If Davis is sold off as a risk, Soler is enough. I wouldn't be surprised if Soler has more value than many think. Yes, he has only produced 1.5 fWAR, but he has only accrued just over a season's worth of PA. He has a ton of potential,and he has performed well in the postseason. He has been inconsistent in the regular season, but has had poor luck with regard to the timing of his injuries. No, the injuries are not a selling point, but I think the case could be made that Jorge has been the victim of some bad luck. Plus he's still hugely talented. I don't know about bad luck, my friend. I just think he can't stay healthy. Even his relatively short minor league stint has some DL stays. June 18, 2013 Daytona Cubs placed RF Jorge Soler on the 7-day disabled list. April 4, 2014 Tennessee Smokies placed RF Jorge Soler on the 7-day disabled list. May 22, 2014 Tennessee Smokies placed RF Jorge Soler on the 7-day disabled list. strained right hamstring Since joining the Majors, he also has been on the DL with a left ankle sprain, an oblique strain and a left hamstring. I mean, Jorge has missed a ton of games. And he gets hurt every year. And he gets hurt even in part-time roles. I have no confidence that he can stay healthy, and I'd imagine it's tough to get great value for a guy when every team out there also can see the chunks of time the dude misses.

Davis' postseason stats from 2014 and 2015 are amazing to look at. He also effectively pitched more than one inning three times each during both postseason runs. I would imagine his ability (and maybe comfort) to pitch more than one inning, and Maddon's familiarity with him while with the Rays, are huge selling points for the Cubs.

Well, it's not really going to hedge against an injury risk. Because if Davis somehow blows out his arm, we aren't going to be offering him a QO of 18 million and thus won't get any pick. That said, if this is just Jorge for Wade Davis, it would be pretty awesome. It's worth taking the risk, especially again considering Jorge is made of glass himself.

We ain't getting Davis for that. People here might not like him, but MLB teams do.

I do know this: If the Cubs make the playoffs this season, Wade Davis will be far more valuable in any postseason run than Jorge Soler. Actually, he will be far more valuable in making the playoffs, too.

Also, every time I have watched Wade Davis on my MLB package the dude is lights out. What am I missing? I get the possible injury thing, but not the talent concern.

I'm cool with trading Jorge and trust the front office will get the best player possible. If Wade Davis is that, than he is. Pretty convinced at this point that Soler's chance to break out is as a DH. He sucks in the outfield, and I anticipate his leg injuries will continue any time he gets extended playing time.

I would still be surprised if they are pretty damn good in a year. They will be depending on a bunch of young guys to produce right away. We got spoiled that it worked out perfectly for us. ETA: but it does put them in better position to trade for Mike Trout.