Jeremy Nygaard

In NSBB's second mock draft, the Cubs are adding an advanced college hitter. What does Jamie think of James Tibbs? View full video

Mock Draft season is upon us. We're still six weeks from having any clarity, but it's always fun to start to speculate. There is still plenty of college baseball to be played, which will have an impact on some players' stocks. The Draft Combine will happen in two weeks and that will provide some more information about what teams are after. Mock Drafts are a lot of fun, even a month and a half ahead of the actual event. The Guardians were the lucky winners of this year's draft lottery, and there is plenty of uncertainty in terms of what they will do, as well as the teams behind them. Last year appeared to be a top tier of five players. This year, there are about 10 college hitters (a few of whom have separated themselves), two college pitchers, and two prep players who seem to be part of the "top group." All that means, though, is that there is going to be a wide-open field of possibilities as players and teams try to match up evaluations, bonus demands, and pool manipulations. Here is my first mock draft of the 2024 season. Jamie Cameron will also be doing his own. More to come, and much, much more detail on the potential top picks. Please share your thoughts on this mock draft. How would you feel about the picks made for the Twins? 1. Cleveland Guardians - Charlie Condon, 3B, Georgia There has been a lot of Travis Bazzana steam here lately, and since he's an up-the-middle defender, that makes sense. Ultimately, my personal preference is to land the nation’s best hitter; that’s Condon. 2. Cincinnati Reds - Travis Bazzana, 2B, Oregon State While the Reds haven’t been heavily tied with Bazzana (and they have a ton of infielders), take the best player available and move on. 3. Colorado Rockies - Hagen Smith, LHP, Arkansas Now, let me go back on everything I’ve said about not drafting for need, and say this instead: “The Rockies need to take pitchers in the draft, because no one actually wants to pitch in Colorado.” Smith hasn’t been as good as Chase Burns lately, but when in doubt, take the lefty. 4. Oakland Athletics - Braden Montgomery, OF, Texas A&M It was really a toss-up here, between Montgomery and Jac Caglianone. Montgomery has a higher ceiling, and the A’s are desperate for stars. 5. Chicago White Sox - Jac Caglianone, 1B, Florida If Hagen Smith is on the board, he just makes too much sense here. But with him gone, there is one hitter left in the top tier, and that’s whom the White Sox take. 6. Kansas City Royals - Konnor Griffin, SS, Jackson Prep (Miss.) HS Not a lot of steam at this point, but it wouldn’t be hard to see the Royals popping the draft’s first prep player. It fits their patterns. 7. St. Louis Cardinals - Chase Burns, RHP, Wake Forest Burns has been awesome lately, and could hear his name called before this point. 8. Los Angeles Angels - James Tibbs, OF, Florida State The Angels have no use for more minor leaguers (or something like that), and after rapidly promoting their last two first-round picks, they’ll do it with an outfielder this time. 9. Pittsburgh Pirates - J.J. Wetherholt, SS, West Virginia The pitching is starting to line up. Now it’s time to address the hitters, and Wetherholt, coming off an injury-riddled season, would be great value at No. 9. 10. Washington Nationals - Bryce Rainer, SS, Harvard Westlake (Calif.) HS Lots of smoke around the Nationals going the prep route. 11. Detroit Tigers - Cam Caminiti, LHP, Saguaro (Ariz.) HS Pegging a landing spot for prep pitchers is the hardest thing to do. 12. Boston Red Sox - Nick Kurtz, 1B, Wake Forest Kurtz should go higher, but there’s been a shoulder issue that may scare some teams off. 13. San Francisco Giants - Seaver King, SS, Wake Forest The Giants luck into the last of this tier of college hitters. 14. Chicago Cubs - Trey Yesavage, RHP, East Carolina The college hitter pool would be the preferred demographic, but getting the third-best college pitcher would be a fine consolation prize. 15. Seattle Mariners - Ryan Sloan, RHP, York Community (Ill.) HS Sloan is another example of a player getting paid for being a top prep arm, regardless of where he actually ends up. 16. Miami Marlins - Caleb Lomavita, C, Cal There are a handful of college catchers who will be in play in the back half of the first round. 17. Milwaukee Brewers - Cameron Smith, 3B, Florida State The Brewers got a haul of “could-be third baseman" types in the 2023 draft, so let’s add another. 18. Tampa Bay Rays - William Schmidt, RHP, Catholic (La.) High School Why not place a prep pitcher with the Rays? 19. New York Mets - Vance Honeycutt, OF, North Carolina Honeycutt is a polarizing prospect, but seems destined to play in the bright lights of New York. 20. Toronto Blue Jays - Carson Benge, OF, Oklahoma State A large tier of college hitters will be in consideration for a long stretch here. 21. Minnesota Twins - Dakota Jordan, OF, Mississippi State Jordan might not be the perfect offensive profile match for the Twins, but he’s a freaky athlete with loud tools and a high ceiling. 22. Baltimore Orioles - Brody Brecht, RHP, Iowa The Orioles are loaded with hitters. Now, let’s give them an explosive arm. 23. Los Angeles Dodgers - Christian Moore, 2B, Tennessee Moore has been climbing, and the Dodgers will keep him going. 24. Atlanta Braves - Malcolm Moore, C, Stanford The second college catcher finds his way into the first round. 25. San Diego Padres - Theo Gillen, 2B, Westlake (Texas) HS Gillen is full of upside, and the Padres love upside. 26. New York Yankees - Slade Caldwell, OF, Valley View (Ark.) HS Caldwell is undersized (to say the least), but has first-round talent. 27. Philadelphia Phillies - Tommy White, 3B, LSU “Tanks” is as well-known as any draftable player. But there are questions about his profile. 28. Houston Astros - Jurrangelo Cijntje, RHP/LHP, Mississippi State A switch-pitcher who has climbed with an impressive year in the SEC. 29. Arizona Diamondbacks - Walker Janek, C, Sam Houston State The last of three first-round catchers drafted out of college. 30. Texas Rangers - Billy Amick, 3B, Tennessee The Rangers are lucky to get a college bat of this quality to fall. 31. Arizona Diamondbacks - Kash Mayfield, LHP, Elk City (Okla.) HS 32. Baltimore Orioles - Ryan Waldschmidt, OF, Kentucky 33. Minnesota Twins - Kaelon Culpepper, SS, Kansas State 34. Milwaukee Brewers - Caleb Bonemer, SS, Okemos (Mich.) HS 35. Arizona Diamondbacks - Kellon Lindsey, SS, Hardee (Fla.) HS 36. Cleveland Guardians - Joey Oakie, RHP, Ankeny Centennial (Iowa) HS 37. Pittsburgh Pirates - Wyatt Sanford, SS, Independence (Tex.) HS 38. Colorado Rockies - Jonathan Santucci, LHP, Duke 39. Kansas City Royals - Carter Johnson, SS, Oxford (Miss.) HS Do you have any favorites in this group for the Cubs, or guys you expect to go higher or lower than listed? Sound off below. View full article

2024 MLB draft coverage is kicking off with positional previews. This update comes with a slight deviation as it’s not a specific position group, but instead a geographical group. Who are the players from the Midwest region drawing the interest of professional scouts? We’re excited to ratchet up 2024 MLB Draft content in the coming weeks. We’ll start with a series of articles detailing each positional demographic. These pieces aren’t meant to be an exhaustive list, rather, an overview of the caliber of talent at the position (or, in this case, region).. For each player, we'll run down some basic information, in addition to some strengths and weaknesses. You’ll also find their current position on the Consensus MLB Draft Board in parentheses next to their name. This “local” group has a couple of players who should hear their name called on Day One, plus more who could be drafted on the second day. One of the caveats here, though, is that many midwest prep players make their way to college campuses. Brody Brecht RHP, Iowa (18) A former two-sport college athlete at Iowa (baseball and football), Brody Brecht dropped football (WR) to concentrate on pitching full-time ahead of his junior season in 2024. At 6'4, 235 pounds, Brecht has some of the most dominant stuff in the history of college baseball. Brecht is an exceptional athlete with an incredibly quick arm who has added some deception to his delivery by shortening his arm stroke in his time at Iowa. The stuff is 'Skenesian', headlined by a fastball that averaged 97.5 mph in 2023. He runs it up to 101mph, but it sits in the high 90s in games, with plenty of run. Brecht's best secondary offering is a diabolical slider that he throws, leveraging two different shapes, one with more bite, and the other with more sweep. It has the potential to be a double-plus pitch and generates a ton of whiffs. Brecht has also added a splitter, which is newer in his arsenal, and thrown a curve, although less frequently than the FB/SL one-two punch. Entering 2024, Brecht's Achilles heal was control and command and he didn’t do much this season to qualm those concerns. In 78 1/3 innings, he walked 49, threw 10 wild pitches and hit 12 batters. It’s easy to see top-of-the-rotation stuff, but it’s just as easy to see giant reliever risk. Some team, though, will look past the risk and add an elite arm to their organization. Caleb Bonemer R/R SS/3B, Okemos HS, MI (38) Bonemer was one of the biggest board risers on the prep side this winter after a great summer in 2023. He is one of the better athletic profiles and potentially one of the most exciting power/speed combinations in the 2024 class. The prep is committed to Virginia, which has been able to sway a number of players to skip the draft in the last handful of years. A quiet, efficient, short swing produces good bat speed and Bonemer is already showing above-average in-game power (typically to the pull side) that may eventually become plus power. Defensively, he's a solid mover with an above average arm at shortstop who can make all the throws. He may eventually grow off shortstop to third base, but it'd be potentially plus defense there with the offensive profile to make it not matter. Bonemer has also posted plus run times, making him a threat on the base paths and in the run game. One area of opportunity is refining his approach some at the plate, as there's some swing and miss and a bit too much chase in the profile currently. If he can work through those needs and get the hit tool to average, it's going to be a strong overall profile and one of the first prep names to go in July. Joey Oakie RHP, Ankeny Centennial HS, IA (40) Throwing from a low launch and lower three-quarter slot, prep righty Joey Oakie has some of the best stuff of any high school pitcher in the 2024 class. A long athletic frame with projection left and a quick, whippy arm is indicative that there is likely more in the tank for Oakie, velocity-wise. On the mound, he throws a fastball that's been up to 97 mph with a ton of run. It's one of the most movement-heavy fastballs in the class. One wonders, given his release, if he might add a four-seamer to play up in the zone further down his development path. For secondaries, Oakie has a nasty slider. It has downward bite and a ton of sweep and has generated upwards of 20 inches of horizontal movement, with gaudy spin rates to match. Oakie also has a changeup, that is a fringy, developmental pitch (that he hasn't needed much). Oakie has the athleticism and actions to have at least average control. Add that to the excellent fastball/slider package and there's excellent clay to mold. Oakie is committed to Iowa, but given his projection to be drafted on the first day, there’s little reason to believe he will ever pitch for the Hawkeyes. Dante Nori L/L OF, Northville HS, MI (78) Nori is an intriguing prospect. One of the oldest prepsters in the draft class, he'll turn 20 a few months after the draft and is likely maxed out in terms of physical projection. Despite those minor dings, he has an explosive and intriguing skillset for a drafting organization. The Mississippi State commit has a stocky, muscular frame, with an incredible amount of strength for an undersized player. At the plate it's a quiet operation, with a short, compact, and direct swing. There's currently mostly line drive present power there, but Nori pulls the ball in the air to good effect and maybe projects for average power when he's had some pro instruction. Nori has easy plus speed and may be the fastest player in the draft class, making him a menace on the base paths. Defensively, there's an above-average arm to go with elite speed that makes him a great bet to stick in centerfield long-term for his defensive home. Nori's draft stock will be interesting to monitor to see how teams ding his age and lack of projection, but this is an above-average to plus hit tool with elite speed at a premium defensive position. Also of note, Dante is the son of Timberwolves assistant coach Micah Nori. Micah played collegiately at Indiana. Blake Larson LHP, IMG Academy (96) What’s local about Bradenton, Florida? Well, not much. But Larson was born in Iowa before finishing his prep career at IMG Academy. Larson is a left-handed pitcher with a projectable frame, loud stuff, and tough to pick up arm slot. There's a lot going on in Larson's delivery, it's pretty high effort with plenty of moving parts. It's undoubtedly a quick arm though, and Larson's release and angle generate plenty of horizontal movement on his pitches. His fastball sits in the low 90s but has been as high as 97mph in shorter outings with run. Larson also has an excellent sweeper, which generates a ton of horizontal movement and is extremely tough for hitters to pick up. As with many prep arms, Larson has a changeup, but it's more of an emerging pitch for him. Larson's profile is a great mix of present velocity and stuff from the left side. I'd anticipate quietening down the operation on the mound and finding a consistent third pitch will be key if he's to stick as a starter long-term. Honorable Mentions: Drew Rerick, RHP (140), J.D Dix, SS (144), Who excites you from the Midwest region in 2024? Who are you higher on than other prospects? Jump into the draft conversation in the comments below. --- Find more draft coverage here: 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: Third Basemen 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: Shortstops 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: Catcher View full article

Recently called up to Triple-A, Cade Horton is looking phenomenal to start 2024. The number 7 overall pick from the 2022 MLB Draft is making his way known in the Independent League and could be the next man up in the rotation if the Cubs need to make the call. View full video

Draft tandem Jeremy Nygaard and JD Cameron team up for a podcast to discuss prospects on their way to the big leagues and the MLB draft, produced by Theo Tollefson. In Episode 37 of Destination: The Show, Jeremy and Jamie have to spend a few minutes talking about the Timberwolves before looking at notable minor league performances in players across the organizations. They finish out the episode by chatting about some rumors at the top of the draft, highlighting two players that are flying under the radar and discussing how each team's class would look if their selections followed the consensus board. 0:00 Intro 8:40 MiLB Notables (Brewers, Cubs) 28:57 Twins Talk 59:10 Draft Updates 1:00:00 Smith vs Burnes, top of the draft rumors 1:07:00 Draft Spotlights 1:11:00 Mock Draft Consensus Board 1:19:25 Outro You can support the show by downloading it from wherever you get your podcasts, including iTunes and Spotify. If you enjoy the content, consider leaving us a five-star rating and review in addition to sharing or retweeting DTS-related content. You can follow us on Twitter @DTS_POD1, @Jeremynygaard, @J_D_Cameron, and @TheodoreTollef1. You can also find full episodes and clips of our shows on our YouTube page @DestinationTheShow. View full article

Draft tandem Jeremy Nygaard and JD Cameron team up for a podcast to discuss prospects on their way to the big leagues and the MLB draft, produced by Theo Tollefson. Image courtesy of Thieres Rabelo Jamie and Jeremy take their first shot at a mock draft, alternating choices and having a deeper discussion when the Cubs, Brewers or Twins are on the clock. Picks are done through the comp round (#1-39) with rationale for most selections. Let us know what you think. 0:00 Intro 4:30 Mock Draft starts 23:20 Cubs pick at #14 30:20 Brewers pick at #17 38:10 Twins pick #21 54:20 Twins pick #33 57:14 Brewers pick #34 1:06:20 Listener Questions You can support the show by downloading it from wherever you get your podcasts, including iTunes and Spotify. If you enjoy the content, consider leaving us a five-star rating and review in addition to sharing or retweeting DTS-related content. You can follow us on Twitter @DTS_POD1, @Jeremynygaard, @J_D_Cameron, and @TheodoreTollef1. You can also find full episodes and clips of our shows on our YouTube page @DestinationTheShow. View full article

Draft pool money and how it's allocated to all MLB teams can be confusing but Jeremy and J.D. explain where it comes from and how each team is budgeted for their allocated draft pool based on the rules set in every collective bargaining agreement. View full video

Draft tandem Jeremy Nygaard and JD Cameron team up for a podcast to discuss prospects on their way to the big leagues and the MLB Draft, produced by Theo Tollefson. Image courtesy of Thieres Rabelo Draft tandem Jeremy Nygaard and JD Cameron team up for a podcast to discuss prospects on their way to the big leagues and the MLB Draft, produced by Theo Tollefson. The heavy focus of this episode is how the draft and international free agency work. 0:00 Intro 2:40 MiLB Update 15:21 Draft Timelines 18:00 Day One 24:00 Bonus Pool and Pick Values 34:15 Teams Bonus Pools 49:35 IFA Bonus Pools 55:30 Draft Board Stuff You can support the show by downloading it from wherever you get your podcasts, including iTunes and Spotify. If you enjoy the content, consider leaving us a five-star rating and review in addition to sharing or retweeting DTS-related content. You can follow us on Twitter @DTS_POD1, @Jeremynygaard, @J_D_Cameron, and @TheodoreTollef1. You can also find full episodes and clips of our shows on our YouTube page @DestinationTheShow. View full article

Draft tandem Jeremy Nygaard and JD Cameron team up for a podcast to discuss prospects on their way to the big leagues and the MLB draft, produced by Theo Tollefson. 0:00 Intro 2:45 Consensus Board!!!! 8:06 Rookie Impact Players 9:45 Brewers Rookies 13:38 Cubs Rookies 17:20 Twins Rookies 26:00 NL Predictions 45:30 AL Predictions 10:05:38 Closing You can support the show by downloading it from wherever you get your podcasts, including iTunes and Spotify. If you enjoy the content, consider leaving us a five-star rating and review in addition to sharing or retweeting DTS-related content. You can follow us on Twitter @DTS_POD1, @Jeremynygaard, @J_D_Cameron, and @TheodoreTollef1. You can also find full episodes and clips of our shows on our YouTube page @DestinationTheShow. View full article

Draft tandem Jeremy Nygaard and JD Cameron team up for a podcast to discuss prospects on their way to the big leagues and the MLB draft, produced by Theo Tollefson. Image courtesy of Thieres Rabelo In episode 28 of Destination: The Show, Jeremy and JD take a closer look at the 2024 draft, the top potential picks and how the landscape could shift over the next four months. 0:00 Intro 2:30 Spring Breakout Rosters 20:00 How is the 2024 Draft class? 24:25 Are there clear-cut guys at the top? 28:37 Who are the movers? Up or down. 33:10 Who's moved up into the Top 3? 39:22 Anyone who can ascend to the top? 45:16 How about pitchers? 54:15 Who are you taking with the first pick? 1:01:48 Listener Question You can support the show by downloading it from wherever you get your podcasts, including iTunes and Spotify. If you enjoy the content, consider leaving us a five-star rating and review in addition to sharing or retweeting DTS-related content. You can follow us on Twitter @DTS_POD1, @Jeremynygaard, @J_D_Cameron, and @TheodoreTollef1. You can also find full episodes and clips of our shows on our YouTube page @DestinationTheShow. View full article

Draft tandem Jeremy Nygaard and JD Cameron team up for a podcast to discuss prospects on their way to the big leagues and the MLB draft, produced by Theo Tollefson. In Episode 26 of Destination: The Show, Jeremy and JD discuss Bellinger re-signing with the Cubs, the Twins trade, some college baseball happenings and, for the bulk of the show, our Top 20 prospects in the Cubs system. 0:00 Intro 2:00 Bellinger Back to Cubs 4:52 Twins Trade 14:40 MLB Draft 23:45 Cubs Top 20 25:23 Prospects 1-3 28:08 Next tier of Cubs prospects 38:56 Third tier of Cubs prospects 48:10 Cubs 15 and 16 prospects 51:05 End of our Top 20s You can support the show by downloading it from wherever you get your podcasts, including iTunes and Spotify. If you enjoy the content, consider leaving us a five-star rating and review in addition to sharing or retweeting DTS-related content. You can follow us on Twitter @DTS_POD1, @Jeremynygaard, @J_D_Cameron, and @TheodoreTollef1. You can also find full episodes and clips of our shows on our YouTube page @DestinationTheShow. View full article

Expansion in MLB has been a hot topic for the last week or so. If it really became reality, though, what would it mean for the Chicago Cubs roster? Image courtesy of Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports The last time baseball expanded was in 1998, with the addition of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays. This brought the total of Major League Baseball teams to 30. Similarly, the NBA expanded to 30 teams in 2004 after expanding to 29 in 1995. The NFL expanded to 32 teams in 2002. The NHL reached 32 teams with expansions in 2000, 2017, and 2021. Since shrinking to 10 teams for the 2002-2004 seasons, Major League Soccer has expanded almost annually and will include 30 teams by 2025. It’s inevitable. Leagues with 30 teams will add two more franchises (and enormous buy-in fees) sometime soon. The reasons for expanding, where the franchises will end up, and if it’s necessary can and will be debated into the foreseeable future, but that’s not what this article is about. This is about what expansion means to your favorite team and the role they play in providing players to the new franchises. THE EXPANSION DRAFT While the rules could change from what was in place in 1997, they would likely be very similar. In the last edition of the expansion draft, each team was allowed to protect 15 players, while recently drafted players were exempt. If it followed the same rules, teams would essentially be allowed to protect 15 players from the 40-man rosters while all other players would be exempt from the draft. Players with 10-and-5 rights or no-trade clauses had to be included on the list of 15 players. It should also be noted that we’re looking at this when 40-man rosters are full, whereas an expansion draft would happen in the offseason where free agents and other fringe players wouldn’t be on the roster. (Players who project to be free agents after 2024 don’t need to be protected, with a few limited exceptions.) Expansion teams would take 15 players in round one (one player from each team), and then each existing team will be allowed to protect three more players. The same process will occur for a second round. At that point, each expansion team will have 30 players and each existing team will have lost two players and protected 21 players. In the 1997 draft, each of the two new teams got to select seven more players, giving them a total of 35. If this draft follows suit, the third round would consist of five American League and five National League teams each losing one more player. With no further ado, let’s look at an early projection of whom the Cubs would protect and the best players it would leave unprotected. No-trade clauses: SS Dansby Swanson (1), LF Ian Happ (2), RF Seiya Suzuki (3), RHP Jameson Taillon (4) The four highest-paid players all possess no-trade clauses. Swanson is owed a ton of money and would probably be too rich for an expansion team, anyway. Happ and Suzuki would be taken if exposed. Taillon, on the other hand, wouldn't be taken and wouldn't be kept if he didn't need to be. But the rules are in place, and these four would automatically make the list. No brainers: 2B Nico Hoerner (5), LHP Shota Imanaga (6), LHP Justin Steele (7), RHP Adbert Alzolay (8), 1B Michael Busch (9) This is a great set-up for the Cubs. Two front-end lefty starters, their likely closer and two young, starting infielders. Prospects: CF Pete Crow-Armstrong (10), OF Kevin Alcántara (11), SP Ben Brown (12) Another strong group that arguably should be even bigger. In the end, though, you have to weigh keeping a prospect or keeping your guys who are already contributing. These three prospects, however, had to be protected. Protected: LHP Jordan Wicks (13), C Miguel Amaya (14), 3B Christopher Morel (15) This is always going to be the group debated the most, regardless of team. But here's the thing with this group: they are all 24-year-old starters with a ton of team-control left. You could consider these three just as much slam dunks to be kept as anyone else. But with these 15, you have a full lineup (if you have the prospect Alcántara at DH), a full rotation (if you have Brown as your fifth starter) and a closer. And you can only lose one guy, before pulling back three, so it's a pretty good spot to be in. Exposed: RHP Héctor Neris (‘25 club option), LHP Drew Smyly (‘25 mutual option), 3B/1B Patrick Wisdom, 3B/2B Nick Madrigal, RHP Mark Leiter Jr. RHP Julian Merryweather, RHP Yency Almonte, RHP Keegan Thompson, RHP José Cuas, RHP Javier Assad, OF Mike Tauchman, 2B Miles Mastrobuoni, OF Alexander Canario, 1B Matt Mervis, SS Luis Vázquez, OF Brennen Davis, RHP Hayden Wesneski, RHP Caleb Kilian, RHP Porter Hodge, RHP Daniel Palencia, LHP Luke Little, LHP Bailey Horn, RHP Michael Arias There are a ton of very usable big-league names on this list, and the expansion teams would likely be looking at some of these names to either draft and keep, or draft and trade for more assets. Free agents: RHP Kyle Hendricks, C Yan Gomes In this initial look, three names jump to the top of the list: Michael Arias, who was 1-10 in 2023 between two Class A stops but who has nasty stuff and struck out a ton of opposing batters. Expansion teams have to be patient, and Arias would provide an organization with a high-ceiling pitching prospect. Javier Assad, who joined the Cubs rotation in August and was a godsend, though he didn't strike out a ton of hitters and is likely a back-of-the-rotation guy. Neris would be of little actual interest to an expansion team, but could be selected to flip to another team. An existing team could work out a deal with an expansion team to draft Neris and trade him for a couple of lower-level minor-leaguers. In return, the existing team could protect one fewer reliever (or not pull one back), essentially buying an extra protection spot. It will be the type of draft chicanery that will make the expansion draft oh-so enjoyable! Prediction: As much as I'm a fan of #expansiondraftchicanery, Arias would be too good to pass up. To add high-upside arms is always difficult--there's a reason he was added to the 40-man roster after only reaching high-A ball--and this would be a great chance for an expansion team to do so. I'm not suggesting he goes first overall, but he would go quickly. After losing Arias, the Cubs could turn their attention back to protecting Neris and Assad, in addition to the recently acquired Yency Almonte. In the second and/or third round, it would make a lot of sense for an expansion team to target Nick Madrigal or Hayden Wesneski, both of whom could carve out meaningful roles. Who would you protect? And who do you think you'd be most likely to lose? View full article

The guys at DTS discuss if and who the Cubs should sign of the Boras Four. View full video