Jason Ross

Credit for them for using their space in the order.

Nope. It's just one order. Put in as many claims as you want, the order only changes if teams W-L record changes. Claims don't move the order.

Oh the boo was that they didn't make their way to Chicago (not that I expected it)...not about Cleveland. Cleveland getting them was the "yay" part. That's a best-case-Cubs-scenario, really, if we didn't get them. Good bet for Cleveland...just money, might as well.

Booo. But not direct competition...so yay.

I don't hate Luis Devers, but he falls in a similar category as someone who I think has one good pitch (his changeup) but outside of that has a host of 45/50 pitches with 50 command who basically out-commanded hitters at lower levels. This year he got hurt and it just hasn't worked for him since then. I'm on the fence about him, as I still think there's an outside chance his one good pitch+command could maybe get you a bottom of the rotation arm, but think he's probably in that same group of "up/down org" guys if he can get right, but if he's never going to get healthy enough than it just won't happen. I'll be happy if he can find it again, wouldn't be shocked if he can't (that's pitchers for ya).

I think he got some attention post trade in the Cubs system, certainly. Probably also important to note that the Rangers system around that time was pretty highly regarded, while winning the Cubs MiLB SP of the Year was a much lower bar to clear (also probably worth noting, MiLB pitcher of the year doesn't always mean great prospect at the next level. Sometimes the guys who win these awards aren't great prospects, but guys who had great years, but also fair to point out Hendricks won that award). So a probably a little of column A in that it was hard to stand out in the Rangers system and a bit of column B that the Cubs system was much easier for him to stand out. Regardless of that, I'm happy to have him. He's been a great guy to have in the organization the last decade.

Kyle Hendricks was not a well regarded prospect. His numbers looked good but no one really believed his high 80's fastball was ever going to play at the MLB level. Whether or not it would be how the 2012 Cubs would describe it, most felt as though Hendricks was nothing more than a throw-in to Villanueva. Source

Well, Marge Schott hasn't been able to approve anything for about 20 years now! The Reds penny pinch with the best of them regardless of Schott's involvement or not with the Reds, but I would think the Reds will very likely throw a waiver claim in on someone like Giolito. $1.9m is pretty cheap for the Reds in the overall scheme of things and the Reds have basically every contract off the books sans Hunter Greene next year. No better way to shrug your shoulders and say "well we tried" than a one month gamble so that they can pinch their precious pennies in FA next year (many around here are very much hopeful they will be active in the winter with how little money they are spending and the backlash will probably be pretty widespread when they dont). I'd be more than happy to see them pass on Gio, though, because their pitching is just atrocious right now.

Totally a fair point! I honestly think the issues with Gallardo go past the data that we have and goes to things like his ceiling with his pitch mix. The best thing about Gallardo is that for a 22 year old (he turns 22 in just a few days), he's pretty polished. His command is better than that of an A+ pitcher and it's probably better than most AA pitchers. I also think his level of polish works against him because I think there's a limited amount of growth between here and what I expect him to be able to achieve. His velocity has seen some gains, but I haven't seen anything to suggest the older reports of a repertoire of 45/50-grade pitches has really changed much (though at seasons end and some re-scouting may change that and it'd be fair to say that's on the table; guys like Zumach and Hess and Smith have access to scouting information and may report that his pitches have improved in run/spin/shape, etc which would clearly change a pitches grade). I think a lot of the issues Killian has had getting over the hump will be the same type of issues Gallardo (Luis Devers is another name in this group) will face; they're able to command middling stuff past MiLB hitters, but they can't out command MLB hitters with that same middling stuff. I'd rather players have good numbers than not, and this isn't to dissuade you from being a Gallardo guy, either, just explaining where I'd put him and why. I'll be more than happy to look back on this post in 2 years and laugh at my stupidity if he proves me wrong as I'd rather be wrong about a prospect I doubt than be right (I'll always root against my opinions if it helps the Cubs).

Yep. While I understand what the Angels are doing remains "legal" in the MLB rulebook, it's pretty ****** overall. The Angels get to play "I'm a cheap-ass" roulette hoping other teams bail them out of luxury tax penalties they created for themselves, while teams like the Reds and the Marlins who played "I'm a cheap-ass" at the deadline when it came to trading prospects, get to win roulette for having a worse record and atoning for their mistakes, by paying nothing but a single month's worth of salary. For people like Lucas Giolito, Randall Grichuk, Reynoldo Lopez, it's great, and from a labor standpoint there's some merit here of guys getting another chance to join a winning team, but from a league standpoint, this is kind of horsefeathers.

I am not a Richard Gallardo fan. I think upside, you're looking at up/down organizational depth. With some luck, maybe you get a decent Adrian Simpson run (not saying he's Adrian Simpson-esque in how he goes about it) or something in there for a 2nd division team. None of that would be horrendous or awful when it comes to an outcome; that's useful, but I don't see an MLB arm with staying power. The velocity jump is somewhat interesting, but nothing he throws really looks like anything more than a 40 or a 45 grade pitch to me. So you've got a lot of average-replacement level pitches with a 50 or maybe a 55 level command. Guys like this generally do well in the lower levels where strike-throwing is more important. As they move up to better competition, swing and miss and chase becomes necessary and I just don't see it with Gallardo. I hope he surprises me and there's something more. But in terms of "guys I like" he probably behind a good handful of names, and a few of those names are players who have had statistically worse seasons, but have upside pitch mixes that could come together. To each their own in the end; anyone who is a Gallardo fan isn't entirely alone on an island, but he's not someone I have high hopes for myself.

Nope. They can claim until their hearts desire.

Don't care how we get it. Ws are Ws.

For anyone unaware of what the Angels are doing here; they're desperately trying to (and will succeed, these players will be claimed) get under the LT. When most of these players get claimed, they will achieve that goal. The reason behind this is because they want to improve their compensation for losing Ohtani; they will get a 2nd round comp pick instead of 4th by successfully getting under the LT.

Nope. Since 2019, revocable is gone. These players will be claimed (and then subsequently awarded to that team) or released.

Take it for what it's worth; Reddit poster claims he's ITK and that PCA has a place in Chicago and will be called up shortly. I think it's just the case of someone trying to act ITK and reading pretty basic tea leaves, but hey, worth a pass on.

Great start.

Based on the recent past, I expect the Cubs to prioritize: 1. Players who have missed time with injury (Canario) 2. Hitters they believe are going to be MLB ready sometime next season (Shaw maybe McGeary?) 3. College hitters who were drafted late (Kalmer/Long?) who they want to see what they have Last year we saw players like Davis, Mervis and Murray get the call to AFL, and I think we'll see similar. I doubt any of the fun arms see any AFL action, the Cubs bubble wrap their pitchers like no other.

Yeah, I'm a bit Rojas fan. There's some real helium behind him, and there's a world where he's a top-50 prospect in 365 days.

My best analysis is: he doesn't know how to use his body at the plate. He's awkward and gangly at the plate, he's got these long levers, and he struggles to translate the long levers and the body into barrels. If there's a positive it's that he seems to be doing better. I'm a little more forgiving with arbitrary end points with MiLB talent (sometimes things "click"), but if we track back to July 16th, he's got a 100 wRC+, with a K% of 23.4% and a 7.8 BB%. It's not super-star studly, but Myrtle Beach is always a pitching environment, and he's still 19...that's a pretty decent 29 game (120 PA) sample set that suggests he's making progress. 8 of his season total of 11 doubles were hit in that span, so I think the barrel control is getting better. Turn some of those doubles into HR's, some of those singles into doubles and you start cooking with fire. I truly feel a bit bad for Cristian with the "Baby A-Rod" comps he got at the age of 16. That's just such impossible hype to live up to. I still think there's a player in there, but maybe he's someone who's going to have to go through speed bumps and more growing pains than others to get there.

MiLB coverage got a little easier this week as Jordan Wicks was officially added to the 40-man roster and made his MLB debut, but with a system stacked with talent, there's plenty to cover. Who's hot in Tennessee? Who struggled in Myrtle? It's time for another round of "Hot or Not" down on the farm. Image courtesy of © Chloe Trofatter / USA TODAY NETWORK Iowa Cubs, AAA (2-4) Iowa continued to struggle this week, dropping five of six to Indianapolis. Jordan Wicks was called up, throwing a bit of a wrench into things. With the September roster expansion about to happen, Iowa will likely get picked over a few more times between now and the next update. 🔥Alexander Canario: 266 wRC+, 30.8 K%, 3.8 BB%, 4 HR, 4 2B: The K% remains too high, even for a run like this, but when you hit four home runs and supplement that with four doubles, you can kind of forgive it. The last hurdle for me is to see that K% dip to ~28% or so, but there's no denying the power here. 🔥Luke Little: 3.2 IP, 7 K, 2 BB, 0 R, 0 ER: Luke Little continues a theme of "guys who probably make it to the Cubs in September." The lone member of the 2020 draft class making considerable noise, Little also represents a need for the Cubs: a left-handed weapon out of the bullpen. Luke Little has managed to control his walks in AAA more than in other stops, and that's his big key. Mid-to-high 90s from a left-handed arm will always play if you can command it just a little bit. 🔥Matt Mervis: 134 wRC+, 28% K%, 8% BB%, 3 HR, 1 2B: Time is probably up for Matt Mervis in getting a second call-up. Maybe they'll go with Mervis over Canario as a bench bat, but as limited as he is defensively, it's probably AAA from here on out for him. He's had a relatively good run since returning to AAA, but it likely won't be enough. 🥶Pete Crow-Armstrong: -5 wRC+, 44% K%, 8% BB%, 1 2b: Oh, how the mighty have fallen! It's just a bad week, and these happen to elite prospects, too. I have a feeling this will be the last week of Pete Crow-Armstrong having a full slate of AAA games; expect to see him in Chicago by the weekend. 🥶Yonathan Perlaza : 15 wRC+, 14.3 K%, 19 BB%: The walk numbers are good for Yonathan Perlaza, but he achieved a single hit over this last week. With Pete Crow-Armstrong and a streaking Alexander Canario both playing the same positions, it's unlikely at this point the Cubs will add Perlaza to the 40-man. What they do in December with him will be interesting. Tennessee Smokes, AAA (3-3) This was another middling week for Tennessee, pulling three wins out of six against the Chattanooga Lookouts on the road. The Lookouts are currently in second place in the Northern division, as despite the .500 week, the Smokies remain a few games clear in the division. 🔥Cade Horton: 5 IP, 6 K, 3 BB, 0 R, 0 ER: I almost debated putting him in the "cold" section for the uncharacteristic three walks, but I think that's pretty harsh. I think that also just goes to show what kind of a season Cade Horton has had, that somehow, six strikeouts in five scoreless just isn't enough for me to put him automatically on the "hot" list. That's a special season. 🔥Porter Hodge: 3 IP, 4 K, 0 BB, 0 R, 0 ER: It's time to give Hodge some love, as he's not surrendered a run since a major blowup on August 5th. He's had a bit of a down season, entering as someone who was a sleeper pick, but if he can end it strong, Hodge could challenge for bullpen work in 2024. 🥶Owen Caissie: 88 wRC+, 42.8% K%, 25% BB%, 1 2B: Strikeout city for Owen Caissie this week. He'd been doing a pretty admirable job controlling this more recently, but the last few weeks have been a bit on the rough side. Hopefully, he breaks out of the funk and ends strong, as the Cubs will likely have spots in Iowa opening up, and a hot end of the season will likely earn Caissie a call-up to Iowa at the start of 2024. 🥶Haydn McGeary: 62 wRC+, 24% K%, 24% BB%, 2 2B: Not the best week for Haydn McGeary. He's only had two home runs over his last 51 PAs, and while he's not striking out a ton, if you're going to be a first-base prospect, the home runs are really important—hopefully just a blip, but something to watch until he gets hot again. 🥶Brailyn Marquez: 2.1 IP, 4 K, 8 BB, 5 R, 5 ER: It's just not happening for Brailyn right now, and it's a bit sad. The world looked at his fingertips in early 2020, and he was poised to make a strong contribution in Chicago. I'm not sure how the Cubs feel about him, but the kinds of struggles we're seeing in AA and their past frustrations with his conditioning could lead to a release this offseason. South Bend Cubs, High A (2-4) When South Bend won, they won big, but sadly, they only won twice this week. South Bend played the Cedar Rapids Kernels and fell further behind the divisional leaders because of a poor week. Their biggest win came Thursday, in an 18-2 drubbing of the Kernals, but this was few and far between. 🔥Matt Shaw: 289 wRC+, 8,7 K%, 4.3% BB%, 2 HR, 1 2B, 1 3B: Next week, I'm just going to copy and paste this section over because it's a safe bet he'll remain on this list until he gets promoted. Shaw is in the running for hitter of the month, and he's done nothing to suggest otherwise. 4XBH, a strikeout rate below 10%; what more can we ask for at this point? 🔥Kevin Alcantara: 247 wRC+, 19.2% K%, 3.2% BB%, 2 HR, 1 2B, 1 3B: A healthy Kevin Alcantara shrugged off the rust this week and put up some great numbers. Being that Alcantara is already on the 40-man, his continued dominance of South Bend will be important as the Cubs will likely want to start him no lower than Tennessee next year with the hopes he can get to Iowa. 🤷‍♂️Brennen Davis: -42 wRC+, 78.6% K%, 0 BB%: I will give him the shrug emoji despite the bad numbers because it's just good to see Brennen Davis on the return. This is still technically a rehab assignment, as he's only got 14 PAs post-Complex League right now. Anyone else gets the cold emoji, but I'm giving Davis a bit of the benefit of the doubt. 🥶Michael Arias: 3 IP, 3 K, 1 BB, 4 R, 4 ER: Michael Arias struggles in South Bend, but this is good for his development. He's a raw prospect, and learning to keep pitches in the zone but not throw meatballs will be important to his development as a pitcher. Don't write him off because he's living on the cold list right now; instead, monitor the progress and hope it clicks one day. Myrtle Beach Pelicans, Low A (4-2) The Pelicans were the only Cubs MiLB team to score more victories than losses on the week, as they took four games at home against Kannapolis. The two losses suffered by Myrtle Beach were wild affairs in their own right, losing a track race 10-8 on Thursday and then a rain-makeup/shortened game as a part of a doubleheader Sunday 14-10. Myrtle Beach remains five games out of the division lead but travels to division-leading Charleston for a six-game affair. 🔥Jackson Ferris: 4 IP, 5 K, 2 BB, 1 R, 1 ER: Another day and another really strong start for Jackson Ferris. As he's still only a year removed from being drafted straight out of high school, I think Myrtle Beach remains his "correct" placement; he's done everything to show that he needs to be in South Bend at the start of next season. I would not surprised to see him start to get top-100 honorable mentions as soon as this offseason. 🔥Jefferson Rojas: 187 wRC+, 13% K%, 13% BB%, 1 HR, 2 2B: Jefferson Rojas continues to impress as an 18-year-old in a very difficult environment to hit. He's at a 124 wRC+ for the season, a strikeout rate that remains under 20% and is playing far beyond his years. He's on a shortlist for "biggest breakout prospect" of the season for the Cubs. 🔥Pedro Ramirez: 328 wRC+, 23.8% K%, 19% BB%, 2 HR, 2 2B: Not to be outdone by his counterpart, Pedro Ramirez, age 19, put up a monster week. Ramirez had a lot of helium coming out of Arizona this season, and while he's struggled early, he seems to be turning on the jets late. Keep an eye out on Pedro Ramirez for the last month of the season, as I think he's hitting his groove. 🔥Cristian Hernandez: 139 wRC+. 13.3% K%, 0% BB%, 3 2b: Hernandez is another Pelican who's starting to find his groove right now. His last 45 PAs have seen him put up a 116 wRC+, with five doubles (three of which have come this week). He's been maligned a bunch this year, and somewhat rightfully so, but there's still a pretty good player here. A strong finish to the season would make everyone, including myself, a little better. View full article

Have the Cubs considered pulling the plug on the ethernet and saying they got disconnected? It always worked for me when I was losing at video games.

Got one back.

Well...this is less than ideal.