The Friendly Confines: The Official Chicago Cubs Thread

[ThreeKing]

Re: The Friendly Confines: The Official Chicago Cubs Thread

http://mweb.cbssports.com/mlb/writer/jon-heyman/25255027/cubs-ss-starlin-castro-might-well-stay----but-its-not-for-a-lack-of-trying

[WaitTilNextYear]

Re: The Friendly Confines: The Official Chicago Cubs Thread

Not really any new info there, but thanks for posting it. Maddon seems to be qualifying what he said earlier so that if Starlin is dealt, he doesn't look like a jackwagon.

http://mweb.cbssports.com/mlb/writer...lack-of-trying

Hmmm, the Italian sausage won the sausage race tonight at Miller Park. I grilled Italian sausage for dinner tonight. Coincidence? Some might claim it is, but I believe it means that the Cubs will come back for the win.

[underdog13]

Re: The Friendly Confines: The Official Chicago Cubs Thread

I know Castro has sucked this year but I really don't want to see him dealt.

[bcruise]

Re: The Friendly Confines: The Official Chicago Cubs Thread

Not really any new info there, but thanks for posting it. Maddon seems to be qualifying what he said earlier so that if Starlin is dealt, he doesn't look like a jackwagon.





Hmmm, the Italian sausage won the sausage race tonight at Miller Park. I grilled Italian sausage for dinner tonight. Coincidence? Some might claim it is, but I believe it means that the Cubs will come back for the win.

These are apparently two things that need to happen more often.

Well, three if you count the actual comeback.

[Jr.]

Re: The Friendly Confines: The Official Chicago Cubs Thread

Well I for one am pretty pleased at our lack of trade activity so far barring a possible Starlin Castro+ deal for a decent starter. There's no reason to pay high prices for rentals and such when we are not even in playoff position anymore. If we finish above .500, I will be happy and if we somehow make the 1-game playoff, I will be ecstatic. The front office has to save those bullets for when we really need them.

In the past Jim Hendry would've traded Gleyber Torres, Albert Almora, and 2 pitching prospects for Dan Haren.

2 games back of the Wild Card is far from "not in playoff position." The offense needs some major help though.

[ThreeKing]

Re: The Friendly Confines: The Official Chicago Cubs Thread

If the Cubs trade Baez instead of Castro today, I'm relinquishing my fandom.

I'm going to the Dark Side. lol

[Yeah...THAT Guy]

Re: The Friendly Confines: The Official Chicago Cubs Thread

If the Cubs trade Baez instead of Castro today, I'm relinquishing my fandom.

I'm going to the Dark Side. lol

It depends on how much we can get from Baez. I don't really want to see him go, but Castro's value is at an all-time low. There's really no reason to move him unless it's to make financials work or something.

[ThreeKing]

Re: The Friendly Confines: The Official Chicago Cubs Thread

If they don't move Castro, that's just more time taken away from Russell at SS. Addison needs to be a short developing right now, and Baez at 2nd.

[k_mac]

Re: The Friendly Confines: The Official Chicago Cubs Thread

Don't see why we couldn't just swap Castro and Russell. If Baez comes up, rotate him and Bryant at LF/3B. That gives Maddon tons of lineup flexibility (and we all know how he loves that). On days Schawrber doesn't catch and you want his bat in the lineup, throw him in LF, Bryant at 3B, Russell at SS, and Baez at 2B. That is if Castro continues this slump.

I don't know.. I'm just spitballing here. If these guys are all able to play SS, then a move to 2B shouldn't be difficult. Baez (IIRC) was playing some 3B before he injured himself at AAA right?

[WaitTilNextYear]

Re: The Friendly Confines: The Official Chicago Cubs Thread

2 games back of the Wild Card is far from "not in playoff position." The offense needs some major help though.

What I meant by that is if the playoffs started today we wouldn't make it. That's what I intended by "playoff position"; sorry if it was interpreted in some other way.

[WaitTilNextYear]

Re: The Friendly Confines: The Official Chicago Cubs Thread

Pineyro and Soto for Haren according to ESPN. I am fine with that. Soto is a career minor leaguer and Pineyro was probably headed for the Rule 5 Draft. The Dodgers are still paying all of Haren's contract so it's a no risk move.

[ThreeKing]

Re: The Friendly Confines: The Official Chicago Cubs Thread

I'm just happy Theo didn't trade any key prospects. No need to.

[WaitTilNextYear]

Re: The Friendly Confines: The Official Chicago Cubs Thread

If they don't move Castro, that's just more time taken away from Russell at SS. Addison needs to be a short developing right now, and Baez at 2nd.

That could be, but at some point if Starlin continues to struggle, they could just bench him. We'll see how it goes, but I expect Baez to be up before September callups. I think it's more of a good thing that we have too many players for too few positions than a bad thing at this point. I would like to see the front office clean up the SS situation in the offseason though.

On another note, this Lester/Arrieta/Hammel/Hendricks/Haren rotation is the best we've seen since the Prior/Wood/Zambrano/Clement/Maddux rotation. I think the current edition is better than we had during the 2007-2009 playoff contending teams (Dempster/Zambrano/Lilly/Harden/Marquis).

Now if we could only score some runs....HOLY COW

[fugazi]

Re: The Friendly Confines: The Official Chicago Cubs Thread

I wanted Zobrist foreal. He's a FA next year, tho, right? I thought so, anyway.

He's just what this team needs.

As for Bryant, the kid has to get some rest. Last year, SpringTRaining, HRDerby, and he's rarely rested.

[k_mac]

Re: The Friendly Confines: The Official Chicago Cubs Thread

I wanted Zobrist foreal. He's a FA next year, tho, right? I thought so, anyway.

He's just what this team needs.

As for Bryant, the kid has to get some rest. Last year, SpringTRaining, HRDerby, and he's rarely rested.

Yes he's a FA after this season.

The Royals gave up Sean Manaea and Aaron Brooks to get him. Manaea was bottom half of the top 100 prospects in baseball, around the 80 range on most sites. Brooks is a 25 year old with 7 innings in the MLB so it's not like he's super valuable, but could be a decent reliever (tons of AAA innings with good statistics)..

Duane Underwood or CJ Edwards + Junior Lake is about the closest thing talent wise we could have been to that deal (at least for comparison's sake IMO). Prospects in the 80 range that are pitchers and an older type who hasn't succeeded much in the bigs but can play AAA well, kind of a flyer.

Not sure that I'd be okay with that deal as a Cubs fan. We'll have every opportunity to sign Zobrist this offseason, but I would rather leave our top two pitching prospects where they are instead of shipping them off for a rental when it's very likely we don't make the playoffs. I think the front office did well at the deadline not mortgaging the future for marginal success this year.