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[tweet]https://twitter.com/_The_Real_Dyl/status/761088393241518081[/tweet] I wonder if "Asphalt Cowboy" is now thinking:

I bet the Cards aren't even done trading today. They might move Ozuna and good "mentor" Bud Norris today. They'll probably move Fowler this offseason in a bad contract swap. I wonder what their fans would call this season if they moved a bunch of veterans for prospects? Rebuilding? Reloading? Tanking? Nah, they'd say it's just getting rid of players that don't fit the "Cardinals' Way" probably.

So the top target is obviously Bryce Harper. A lot will depend on whether we're successful in signing him. Next one on the list is what to do about the SR. Can we count on Darvish next year? We might need to trade someone from our young core to get a youngish, cost-controlled starter. I think we're trading Happ this offseason. Do I want to re-sign Wilson? No. I don't trust him and I don't believe his next contract will be a good one for the team signing him. He has good stuff, but his control comes and goes. I think we're moving on from Wilson this offseason. I'm not sure about going after Andrew Miller or Zach Britton. If the price is right and we miss on Harper then I could maybe see signing one of them. They might not cost as much because of their injury-marred seasons. I'd rather sign Britton over Miller if I had to choose between the two of them. EDIT: So a source or someone who knows people inside MLB told me Andrew Miller was hoping he got traded to the Cubs back in 2016. He really wanted to come here if the Yankees were going to move him. Theo and this FO are very familiar with him as well.

I'm glad we didn't trade him for some rental now. Bote should be our long-term Ben Zobrist replacement. I think he's even super religious just like Zobrist.

He has some pretty good numbers there, what kind of stuff does he have/throw? So I believe he has no true "plus" pitch. His fastball is in the low-90's and his best pitch is probably his curveball. Throws strikes and has 4 or 5 pitches. I read he was working on a cutter. Not sure how good or effective it is. I think he learned that pitch from pitching coach (and former MLB pitcher) Brian Lawrence while he was in South Bend. His profile is that of a BOR starter. His stuff isn't great and that's probably why he hasn't been listed on national prospect lists for the Cubs' system. I think he could end up being similar to Luke Farrell as a guy we call up next year as a spot starter. I know that isn't exciting, but there is value in having someone like that.

Duncan Robinson really needs to be promoted to AAA. He has nothing left to prove at AA, and the Cubs aren't one of those teams that promotes prospects straight out of AA.

I've never read "plus raw power" in the future for Brennen Davis in any scouting report. He is super athletic and 6'4", but he's a skinny dude. He's listed at 175 lbs. right now. He might develop power down the road, but I'd rather he just focus on making contact.

Not sure Underwood deserves to be in the top 10, but he's pitching better this year for sure. I think the Cubs' farm system is not highly-rated and the back half of the top 10 is pretty weak. We have decent depth and lots of good prospects at the lowest levels.

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Yeah, I was going to mention this. DJ Wilson is WAY too high and I'd drop him off the list honestly. I thought Giambrone would be higher. He has a good swing and decent speed. I like Mekkes and think he should be on the list. Scouts just aren't impressed with Mekkes' stuff I guess?

I was going to mention that. It would be problematic for pitchers and how some teams use them. Absolutely an issue for relievers on playoff teams. It would be a problem, but teams wouldn't do this "loan" system or whatever if they were worried about that. They'd probably do a straight-up trade if they were worried about some "Dusty Bakering" of their young arms. I'm not saying this loan system is problem-free or likely to happen in MLB, but it has some advantages over the current system. Yes, in a sport like soccer, with a half dozen countries having their own elite leagues and 100s of teams participating in the process of loaning out a player to bigger clubs, or vice versa. MLB does not have an equivalent league anywhere in the world. The entire point of MLB is to try and make the playoffs and win a world series. We don't need a system that further rewards crap teams giving away their best players for money. Yeah, so I don't really want to discuss this hypothetical system in great detail because it's not happening in MLB. So a crap MLB team wouldn't loan a player to another team in MLB straight-up for cash just like most crap teams don't trade a player to another team in MLB straight-up for cash. They normally try to get young prospects back in trades right? The Orioles just traded Machado for prospects right? Let's assume this loan system existed in MLB. If this were last season and Baltimore wanted to get some prospects for half a season of Machado they could loan him to some team and then get him back in the offseason. They would get the prospects for loaning him out last season + the 5 prospects they just got from the Dodgers in a trade. This works out better for the Orioles. I'm not getting rid of traditional trades and there would have to be rules in place for loaning out a player. Allowing teams to loan and/or trade a player gives MLB teams more flexibility.

I was going to mention that. It would be problematic for pitchers and how some teams use them. Absolutely an issue for relievers on playoff teams. It would be a problem, but teams wouldn't do this "loan" system or whatever if they were worried about that. They'd probably do a straight-up trade if they were worried about some "Dusty Bakering" of their young arms. I'm not saying this loan system is problem-free or likely to happen in MLB, but it has some advantages over the current system.

It's not dumb; it's just different. So we're used to trades and an MLB team fully owning the rights to a player. It seems strange to us to "loan" a player to another club for half a season and then have that player return after the season is over. It's really not that weird or dumb or whatever adjective you want to use. I think this system would actually be really beneficial to small-market clubs. TB would loan Chris Archer out every season around this time while he is under team control. EDIT: Another nice side-effect is that some clubs might be better at developing a player. The pitcher you loan out might actually improve and/or learn a new pitch/grip in the new organization. Houston is certainly doing something different and Gerrit Cole has improved this year.

[tweet] [/tweet] [tweet] [/tweet] Interesting concept, but it'll never happen in MLB. At least not anytime soon. Football clubs in Europe do this all the time. A FC loans a young player/prospect out to other clubs to allow them to develop and get crucial playing time. It's kind of similar to how MLB clubs work with their minor-league affiliates. We kinda sorta did this with Chapman in 2016. Everyone knew the Yankees were going to push hard to re-sign him in the offseason, and that's exactly what happened.

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Damn. Well, I hope he bombs. horsefeathers the Cardinals and horsefeathers the Yankees.

I'm confused now. Roederer didn't have a really high pre-draft ranking and there was very little buzz about him (probably due to missing time from injuries). Like I read way more about Blaze Alexander before the draft. I'm glad he has a fan at BA.

[tweet] [/tweet] [tweet] [/tweet] [tweet] [/tweet] The game sucked, but at least we got to see this. It made Rizzo super happy.

Oh god it's worse than I could have possibly imagined... Well, it could be worse. It could have been a MAGA hat (worst possible hat scenario IMO). Why the hell is he wearing a White Sox cap? Like seriously, he's from California and he's not Ice Cube.

[tweet] [/tweet] [tweet] [/tweet] Does anyone have some free time to scroll through all his past tweets? It's not too many... If he's legit, we really don't want any Haderesque nasty surprises down the road. Just sayin'.

Found this on imgur. Pretty sure this idiot is a Cardinals fan. Enjoy: [bbvideo=560,315]https://i.imgur.com/WPK853S.mp4[/bbvideo]

[tweet] [/tweet] https://2080baseball.com/draft-spotlight/rece-hinds/ I really like this kid and think his raw power is among the best in this draft class. Really easy power in that swing. Not sure exactly how good he is defensively. He won't stick at SS.

Looks like the $1M in international bonus money was the best part of the Mets return. Don’t see these prospects on any lists. I'm familiar with Toffey. Played at Vanderbilt in college. Drafted last year in the 2017 draft. I was a little bit intrigued with his profile. It seems like the Cubs were solely focused on pitching in that draft. His stats aren't that impressive, and Keith Law is down on him but he might develop into an okay 3B with good patience but little power.

Adding Bote to the graduated list, I've got: 1. Miguel Amaya 2. Adbert Alzolay 3. Aramis Ademan 4. Nico Hoerner 5. Alex Lange 6. Brailyn Marquez And a large fog bank after that... Lost in that fog you will find many Cubs prospects wandering around. You see a figure in the distance. Is that Trevor Clifton? You hear two guys discussing pitch selection. It's Johnny Pereda and Tyson Miller. You bump into what feels like a tree. "Oh, hey Duncan." "Watch where you're going," he responds. Draftmates Brendon Little and Cory Abbott walk by sharing a compass. You don't recognize that guy. Must be Gallardo. You hear someone complaing, "Why does no one know who I am?" You strain through the fog to see Giambrone written across the back of his jersey. Suddenly, you trip over something. You look down to see a pile of leaves covering the shallow grave of Jose Albertos. You hear some footfalls behind you and spin to find Christopher Morel feeling his way through the spectral mist. "Can you help me find my bat?", he asks. Under your breath you mutter, "Check extended spring training". A fresh-faced, wide eyed Michael Rucker approaches. He wonders aloud, "Is this heaven?" "No, it's Iowa", you joke. "Cool, I got promoted!" The fog thins. You see a clearing up ahead. As you emerge from the haze, Cole Roederer is there leaning jauntily on his bat like Mr. Peanut minus the monocle. "Dude, I think you've been looking for me..."