Jason Ross

Kittridge to Cubs. Heyman.

Locklear apparently made some big swing changes recently. His EV has jumped like 5+mph. Good chance he's better than rankings as well. Looks like Arizona did well

Mason Miller not out for the 9th for the As...

My guess is that the Cubs were never going to pay stupid Arizona prices on Suarez. Shaw hitting well made it even less likely. But I am starting to think the Cubs really believe in their developmental ability. PCA, Amaya, Shaw have all made mid-year leaps based on mechanics. And I also think they have internally liked Shaw a bunch as a player. Combined? I think they were always going to stand by him.

Yes! Same kid.

Yeah, really not worried about the price on Soroka. Franklin a backup OFer and Cruz could be anything; there is upside there but so much unknown. He's more likely to be in toiling betwween South Bend and Knoxvills for four years than be an MLB regular. He does have upside, but there are always Ronny Cruzs.

If you felt a huge gust of wind, it was Matt Shaw letting out a huge sigh of relief. Curious to see the price there.

Twine Palmer goes to Baltimore for Urias Blaze Jordan to St. Louis for Matz. If you have a great baseball name, watch out!

One of the best chase rates in baseball over the last few years. Legitimately 100th percentile last year. Pretty strong wiff rates last two years. He won't be a star. But he is probably a very solid 7th inning type. And with Pressley looking more and more done, he would probably be a decent upgrade there while also being cheap.

Probably non-zero but my guess would be Edward Cabrera. Matt explained the Cubs love him and internally they have him above Gore. I think he will cost less as well. And might have more juice to squeeze. Gut feeling has me thinking they will end up with Cabrera sometime tomorrow. And now with the Adtros grabbing Urias, Suarez, too, maybe.

Yeah, I think we have really sat into "one SP". Speaking with Matt on our live stream today, he got the feeling it was: 1 SP 1 RP 1 Bat The Cubs hope that one of the P's were controlled. Soroka, is not. And I think he's going to the pen. So I am a little optimistic they get their controlled SP?

I do wonder how likely Soroka is to signal that the Cubs feel comfortable that they'll land a controlled SP. Obviously if one was done, it'd be done, but it seems like he's probably the reliever pickup and is a rental. Maybe they went with Mike because he could be a rotation fall back? But feels like he's headed to BP land. If the Cubs go rental at SP too, it means they would probably keep almost everyone in the Caissie/Wiggins/Ballesteros/Long/Rojas crew and while it's nice to keep them all around, feels like a bit of a surprise if they do. I think Alcantara could still be moved for, say, Suarez, but even then think they keep him now because there is no other CF'er around.

I think he's a BP person from what I have heard. The Cubs really like him as a reliever, he struggles third time through the order, and he was great in the pen last year. I think he'll take the Flexen spot. Taillon will eventually bump Rea.

He's likely going to the BP and becoming new Chris Flexen. They will still probably trade for a SP, and then Taillon will bump Rea down.

Soroka was 25th in baseball in K:BB, which, as Eno Saris points out, is a great indicator. Soroka is almost assuredly headed to the BP for the Flexen role meaning it is fair to assume that might jump even higher.

Eh...Wood was mostly developed in SD. He showed up as a 150 wRC+ hitter. They didn't really have to do much with him. Beyond Wood, Abrams and Gore, who all went through SD boot camp, Robert Hassell was a prospect who needed development in that trade and he's been terrible. They basically tank any draft pick who needs work, like Elijah Green. They can't even really get it right with Crews at this point and he was supposed to be ready made.

One positive about the Cubs trading Ronny Cruz to the Nationals (from a purely Cub perspective) is that the Nationals can't develop horsefeathers in the minor leagues right now, so they will probably ruin him. For his sake, that sucks. For our sake lamenting losing Cruz? It probably won't be a name we remember in three years.

Thanks! Over the years I feel like I get a decent feel for him and how he operates. He has kind of a type. Soroka hits that type.

Christian Franklin and Ronny Cruz go the other way.

Image courtesy of © Brad Mills-Imagn Images Late Wednesday night, as the trade deadline looms, the Chicago Cubs have made their first pickup, acquiring Michael Soroka, a starting pitcher. I wrote a profile of Michael Soroka a few days ago, pleading with the Cubs to nab him, and they did. As illustrated in the piece I linked to above, Soroka has pitched far better than his results would suggest. Washington's terrible defense likely plays a large part here. However, Soroka has been snakebitten by the opposing lineup getting to see him a third time, as his wOBA against jumps from .251 the first time, to .308 the second time through, and a whopping .451 the third time through. If you're starting to feel a comparison to Ben Brown here, that's probably fair. It's also why, as Rogers suggests, he could be destined for the bullpen, filling a similar role to the departed Chris Flexen. Soroka would represent a substantial upgrade in that regard. The return for Washington is a pair of Cubs minor leaguers, Christian Franklin and Ronny Cruz. Both were routinely placed outside of the Cubs' top-10 lists. Franklin, an outfielder playing for Iowa, likely profiles as a backup at the next level, capable of playing all three positions. He has a strong approach and batted ball data that is improving, but likely never fields well enough at center to allow his mediocre power to find a permanent home. A career that reminds you of Mike Tauchmann feels like a realistic outcome for the (now) former I-Cub. Ronny Cruz was the Cubs' 2024 third-round selection in the amateur draft. Cruz has played with the Arizona League Cubs this season, posting a 91 wRC+ and playing primarily third base. The infielder is a developmental prospect who has some intriguing power but needs to continue to develop physically before much is known about him. The move for Michael Soroka is likely just the first trade of a handful that the Cubs are likely to make before 5 pm CST tomorrow when the trade deadline closes. What do you think of the move to get Michael Soroka? Do you think the value was fair? Do you think he will be a starter or a reliever? Let us know in the comment section below! View full article

I am! I just wish his velocity was still up! My hope is that he basically coasted and tried not to get hurt. But like, if his velocity is suddenly 91-92 instead of 95....

...I just wish his velocity hadn't tanked his last three starts

Soroka. Cubs. Done.

Jed Hoyer is nothing if not a pragmatist. He refused to budge on his valuation of Willson Conteras a few years ago. My reading of him being involved in Suarez is that especially as teams drop out of the running (for example, the Yankees grabbing McMahon, the Reds nabbing Hayes) that his belief is not that he would eventually meet the Arizona Diamondbacks asking offer, but that the Diamondbacks will eventually fall down to his base valuation. Frankly, if the Cubs were desperate and willing to meet that price, they probably would have done so already, not be sitting here waiting around. The Cubs just are not going to trade Owen Caissie alone for a rental, let alone package Kevin Alcantara with him. Jed would almost assuredly turn to another 3b that did meet his valuation, not give in. For better or worse, Hoyer doesn't budge much off of how he sees a player's value. He has done this with free agency and in trades. If there is one thing I have zero worries about, is Jed getting desperate and just wildly overpaying (what he feels is fair value) just to get something done. You may not agree with his eventual valuation, but I am sure that Jed will have a deal he deems fair, or none at all.