raw

Should be a criminal offense to hit someone with a 99mph fastball

Matusz most likely has a date in his contract he can opt out, if he's not in the majors by then. It's simple, really: When LaStella returns, Candelerio goes back to Iowa. Calling him up instead of, say Murton, Kawasaki, or a reliever is probably to let him get a look at some big league pitching. Warren: there's no rush on him. If Hammel continues to be awful, then Warren will probably be called up for some spot starts in his place. If Hammel turns it around, assuming the rest of the starters remain healthy, Warren continues to stretch in Iowa until sometime after the all star break if and when they decide to go with the 6 man rotation. And I have a feeling that the move was more about Hammel insurance than a fictitious 6 man rotation. When Soler and Fowler return, Almora likely returns to Iowa and Szczur is DFA'd/traded/optioned if he has options and Bryant and Contreras are used as 4th-5th OF. Nathan can take Peralta's spot any day. If he doesn't work out, Matusz, who's just now starting his Mesa assignment can have his. As for Coghlan and Richard, they can remain in Iowa, and if that's a problem, let them walk. 1. LaStella could be up as soon as tomorrow. He's been rehabbing at Iowa for 4 games already. IDK why you'd bring a guy up for 1-3 days. 2. Warren is literally scheduled to start for the Cubs on Wednesday. He will be called up after Tuesday's game, 2 days from now. 3. Szczur has been pretty decent. Shouldn't be DFA'd. Can't be optioned. Not likely to work out a trade for him in the short amount of time they'll have to make a roster decision. 4. Coghlan and Richard remaining at Iowa IS a problem, as they can't after a max rehab stint.

Matusz most likely has a date in his contract he can opt out, if he's not in the majors by then. Yeah, that's why I included him originally. That last bit was me grasping at straws. IDK how likely any of those things are to happen.

So, there will be a lot of moves to be made, sometime this month I'm guessing. - LaStella off the DL, next couple days - Warren to the majors, into the rotation, next few days - Fowler off the DL, next 2 weeks - Soler off the DL, next 2-3 weeks - presumably Nathan to the majors, next 2-3 weeks - Coghlan off the DL, next 2-3 weeks - Richard off the DL, next week or 2 - Matusz possibly to the majors, next month or so Potentially 8 guys to make a 25-man spot for. Granted injuries can/will/have happened, but the only guys really in danger of even being sent down on the current team are Almora, Candelario, Patton, and Peralta. Edwards and Contreras seem pretty safe bets to stay. Szczur could be UDFA'd I guess, but doesn't seem like a great idea. Same goes for Grimm. Maybe Warren goes back down to stay stretched out after he gets a couple starts, but hard to imagine he wouldn't be one of the best 7 relievers. Maybe Matusz stays in the minors (on a minor league deal, not on the 40-man) until Sept. Maybe Coghlan and Richard go from DL to waivers. Maybe Soler gets traded before he gets back to the majors. But it seems like this move just creates an extra roster move in the near future.

Man, that's a lot of info right there, Duke. Good stuff. Truly shows that baseball is a game of inches (and fractions of). Jake's essentially just missing his spots a little more often, by a little more distance and it's making all the difference in the world. My non-eduated, non-supported opinion is that it's some release point mechanics caused by fatigue. Jake threw almost 100 innings more and 1000 pitches more last year than he ever had in any season. I think most of us figured a dropoff was coming. And every single one of us would have taken an ERA over 1/2 a run higher than last year, since it's still a very strong 2.33. But the way he's gotten here is the issue. 1.00 after a month, 2.08 the 2nd month, 4.05 ERA since June 1. Seems like a prime candidate for some extra rest. Hopefully, he doesn't get into the AS game and then gets pushed to the back of the perhaps 6-man rotation to start the 2nd half and then the Cubs can build some momentum, take the division lead up to the teens and focus on keeping him fresh for the playoff run.

Not a strike 3 to Baez.

Welcome to late inning, close game relief for the rest of the season Carl Edwards Jr.

Only getting like 1.7 actual strikes per AB.

Carl's Jr Bitch!

Bad umpiring the rest.

Exactly 9.

I hate Bartolo Colon maybe moreso than any other player that has not been an horsefeathers to the Cubs. He's 43, fat, looked like he was done several years ago but keeps pitching well.....and I'm not sure why. Beat him. Be good Arrieta. Be good Lester. Split this series.

Well, Teheran wasn't very good last year. And that's why I threw out a Soler, Happ, pitching prospect idea. That's about equal to what the Braves got for Miller. Granted, Soler is probably a lesser value than Inciarte and Happ lesser than Dansby Swanson (position value), but Inciarte has really struggled this year and his bat has suffered leaving Chase Field. Granted Inciarte plays wonderful defense, but Soler would be very valuable RH power that they don't have. Swanson and Happ both destroyed the Carolina league and Happ is still hitting very well at AA, don't think those 2 are that far off. Cubs don't really have an Aaron Blair, unless Underwood can be fixed. But it's not an astronomical package that the Cubs can't reasonably meet due to the sheer amount of talent on the roste.r

Actually he's a 4 WAR pitcher by RA9WAR and rWAR, and is almost at that already this year. As a pitcher who has beat his FIP his whole career spanning -750 innings and 3+ seasons, I am inclined to go with either of those over a FIP based WAR like fWAR. These trades tend to come with another piece, the teams trading for the ML rarely get just that guy, and I suspect that will be the case here too even if it is not Vizcaino. While he does beat his FIP it's usually by .4 or .5. I"m not about to believe in a guy whose current babip is .040 lower than any other he's ever had in his career and whose strand rate is also the highest of his career. When the numbers start evening out I suspect he's a 3.2-3.5ERA pitcher which is nice, but I suspect they want value like he's a young top of the rotation pitcher and he just isn't. Yeah, like Tom said....why is this a bad thing? Outperforming his FIP is an actual skill when he's done it in every year of his career, it's not a luck thing. I also don't know how you can say he's a 3.2-3.5 ERA pitcher when he's only been at the exact bottom of that range in his 1st year of the 3 of 4 strong years of his career. He's 25 and a top 25 pitcher in baseball. I like him because he's under contract (mistakenly said arb eligible after next year), he's a top 25 SP, who's young, and durable and could conceivably get a little better with Bosio. Would be a good guy to have in place when Lackey is a FA/retires and insurance in case they can't/won't pay Arrieta in a couple years. While I'd rather give up the type of package it would take to get Fernandez or Carrasco or Gray, I don't know that any of those guys will come available.

Back to Earth? He's 25 and 2015 is looking like the outlier in his career. I guess the reason to deal him would be his salary doubling next year before he becomes arbitration eligible. They didn't really have much incentive to trade Miller, and while they did get a nice haul for him I probably wouldn't hate giving up Soler, Happ, and a pitching prospect not named Cease for him and either a reliever (Vizcaino) or minor league arm.

I still wouldn't be overly surprised if all this LH reliever hype goes by the wayside and they aim higher - namely a SP. It won't go by at all. The Miller/Chapman/Doolittle extraordinary LH reliever hype might, but they'll get someone in here. I still think the Cubs have to get in on Teheran/Rich Hill talks. Teheran is such a good fit and Atlanta is a team that would be very happy with a Soler and minor leaguers package for him. Hill is a rental, but I really love what he could add to this team. I think he could easily be the 3rd or 4th starter for a playoff team, or he could be a late inning LH reliever if necessary. I don't have much faith in Hammel to be there by October, and I agree that a starter could prove to be an even bigger need eventually.

It's a conspiracy. Umpires hate the Cubs.

Real and fantasy team destroyed.

So much sweat.

Yeah, good thing!

Woo, Mike Conley got PAID. 5 years, 153M for about the 8th best PG in the league.

God, me too. 2B Zobrist LF Schwarber RF Bryant 1B Rizzo C Contreras CF Heyward 3B Baez SS Russell Thats how I'd run 'em out there. 7 of those guys are going to be there for sure. IDK if the Cubs are ready to A) move a capable Bryant off of 3B or B) hand Javy an everyday job. Ideally, Maddon would work things the way he has this year with Baez and Almora basically being your interchangeable 8th/9th position starters. And that still means they'd have to move Soler and not re-sign Fowler. Not to mention figure out how to get Contreras in there when he's not catching. Great problem to have.

yes...and no. Splits can be indicative of a particular skill, especially for pitchers. If a guy is able to maintain, for the pertinent example, a platoon split over the course of several years it is probably meaningful. If that is backed up by a mix of pitches that are particularly hard on same-handed or oppo-handed batters, it is even more meaningful. A player doesn't have the be the best guy overall to be the best guy for a particular job. I know all of this. Just still frustrated. Plus, it was more aimed at Peralta being on the roster and baseball in general being stuck in their ways with having guys used for distinct roles like the 8th or 9th inning, when they should be putting their best pitchers in the most stressful situations instead of waiting for a hypothetical 8th and/or 9th inning lead that they may or may not have.

This seems like as good a place as any to announce that I hate using splits to determine anything. Splits are a large sample size. To get outs/runs in a small sample size.....use the best players to do things. If a player has been released by a team or out of the league or signed on a minor league contract, he's by nature, probably NOT the best player to do anything.

Expect to at least tie it with 2nd and 3rd with Bryant, Rizzo and Contreras coming up. Didn't have much hope for Javy, but you have to score there.