7th largest gathering of humans for a single purpose. Largest in US history. Largest in the world not associated with a religious purpose.
That last one might be arguable.
Cubs 2016 Thread
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7th largest gathering of humans for a single purpose. Largest in US history. Largest in the world not associated with a religious purpose.
That last one might be arguable.
That's real surprising. Don't get why you wouldn't pick up his option and look to trade him at least if you didn't have plans to start him. The free agent starting pitching market is terrible, he's probably the second best option out there now behind Rich Hill, it would have been easy to find a taker for him.
By the time the game ended there were only two players available to pinch hit. Lester and Arrieta. In the post game Maddon said with Heyward on third he was thinking about a squeeze play all along because Lester is a good bunter. If there had been a runner on second he'd have gone with Arrieta because he is the better hitter, and with nobody on he might have even been able to run into one for a game winning HR.
I don't recall who pitched in between the Wood appearances. The bullpen was empty by the time it ended. I remember there was a long discussion on that game because the Cubs started a bag of garbage that Theo had originally drafted with the Red Sox. I can't even remember his name. Some chump they'd signed to a minor league deal and they had to try him out or cut him. And, as I check my calendar it was July 31st. You can check the webz for a box score if you are so inclined. It was a magical game whether you are a Cubs fan or just a fan of baseball in general.
Gentleman's agreement that the Cubs would only pick up the option if Hammel was intended to be in the rotation.
Dexter Fowler has just received his QO. It will be interesting to see how that works out.
Wow! I do remember people mentioning they had to start some pitcher once. Would have loved to have seen that game. Thanks for the insight.
Don't think there's any way Fowler accepts it with such a weak free agent class. I think they go with some combo of Almora/Heyward in CF next year. I think the Cubs will acquire at least one starting pitcher this offseason, not a big name though, they have done will with under the radar guys who they see something that they can fix. I'm hoping moving on from Fowler and Hammel allows them to go harder after Chapman/Jansen now. They also need to get some other bullpen arms, a lefty to replace Montgomery/Wood for sure. Greg Holland is another guy who could be a high upside signing, he's someone where they could take advantage of their financial resources and take a shot on him, and eat the contract if it doesn't work out.
Yep on the getting paid, just a matter of whom. Even the Cubs can't pay everybody what they're worth on the open market. Heyward in center full time ain't happening either.
I know Cards sites/posters are already slobbering over the chance to get Fowler cause he solves two huge issues they have - CF and leadoff. I doubt St. Louis is alone thinking that either.
The catch is that combination combined with quality and the lack of it overall makes him a rich man, even at his age. It's not the money next year, it's the money 3-4 years from now teams will have to decide on.
But. somebody will give him stupid money for sure.
I gotta admit, Hammel surprised me. I smell a trade coming. Archer would seem an obvious target. He'd be cheap, TB needs lots of bodies that are cheap(er), and the Cubs got the prospects to get him.
Fowler wants 20 a year for 5 years. I don't think St. Louis will pay him that. I'm guessing mets, giants or rangers.
I think the Cubs would gladly take Fowler next year and maybe the following year, but I think they are fine with losing him too. They were ok with Heyward playing CF last year before Fowler fell into their lap, now they have Almora ready to share time in CF with him. Waves and waves...
I just want the Cards to drop some coin on Fowler so I can use Cardinal$ all next season.
How the Cubs approach the next couple of years will be fascinating. Winning the WS this season was huge for a multitude of reasons, one of which is that it allows them to be an elite team in 2017 while still keeping an eye on 2018 and beyond. Had they not won in 2016, they may have felt pressure to go "all-in" on 2017.
I am confident that this will be Jake Arrieta's last season with the Cubs. Jake is a Boras client and they believe that he is an "ace" worthy of a 6-7 year contract. Jake is not an ace (longevity of body of work is not there), and he will be 31 to start next season. I expect the Cubs to throw him a ton of innings next year, make a qualifying offer, and get a 2018 draft pick when he signs elsewhere.
The only move I want the Cubs to make is signing Kenley Jansen to a 5-year deal at whatever price tag it takes. He does not have as much wear and tear on his arm, and his cutter should age well. That move alone plus no other changes means that the Cubs would need to have major injury misfortune or World Series "hangover" to not win the NL Central.
Fast-forward to 2018, the Cubs will have about $50M coming off of the books that is tied up in Arrieta, Lackey, and Montero. With the new TV deal approaching and a great free agent class, the Cubs will be ready to pounce. Couple that with Eloy Jimenez waiting in the wings, and I can say that for the first time on 100 years, every other team in baseball would probably trade places with the Cubs.
I am confident that this will be Jake Arrieta's last season with the Cubs. Jake is a Boras client and they believe that he is an "ace" worthy of a 6-7 year contract. Jake is not an ace (longevity of body of work is not there), and he will be 31 to start next season. I expect the Cubs to throw him a ton of innings next year, make a qualifying offer, and get a 2018 draft pick when he signs elsewhere.
The only move I want the Cubs to make is signing Kenley Jansen to a 5-year deal at whatever price tag it takes. He does not have as much wear and tear on his arm, and his cutter should age well. That move alone plus no other changes means that the Cubs would need to have major injury misfortune or World Series "hangover" to not win the NL Central.
Fast-forward to 2018, the Cubs will have about $50M coming off of the books that is tied up in Arrieta, Lackey, and Montero. With the new TV deal approaching and a great free agent class, the Cubs will be ready to pounce. Couple that with Eloy Jimenez waiting in the wings, and I can say that for the first time on 100 years, every other team in baseball would probably trade places with the Cubs.
Good point.
we'll just ignore the fact he's signed through 2020 with an AAV less than $10 million.
Agreed on Jansen, he's the number one guy I would like to see them sign. I think you're right on them letting Arrieta walk after this year too.
The Cubs do have significant margin of error for this year, if they are really confident in Montgomery, it wouldn't surprise me to see someone else start the year as the fifth starter and the Cubs give them a chance to prove themselves.
The way it stands now is Lester, Arrieta/Hendricks, Lackey, Montgomery I would imagine. The bullpen is where they need to make some moves. Losing Chapman, Wood, Cahill, and Montgomery (to SP) is a lot.
One big question to answer is whether the lack of use for Strop/Rondon in the playoffs was really due to injury/rehab/in the moment stuff or whether Maddon really has lost trust in those guys for the long-term. I fully agree on Jensen, but there's still Rondon to deal with and whether the Cubs really believe Edwards is future closer material. If Maddon still likes Strop & Rondon long-term and it's just that they weren't 100% coming off late injuries, fine....a Grimm-Strop-Edwards-Rondon combo in the pen plus some new lefties could still be pretty salty.
Rondon's velocity was down after he came back, I think that's a pretty good sign that he wasn't fully healthy. One reason I would like Jansen over Chapman is that he seems like he would be more apt to take on a Miller like role, where he's not always just coming in the ninth, but whenever there's a high leverage spot in the game. Then you'd still have Rondon and Edwards available to close with Strop being your primary set up guy.
There's no doubt that they are high on Edwards and he'll see more PT next year. He might slide into the long relief role of Wood should he leave. On that note, I do hope they resign Wood. Jansen would be a great pickup, but he's going to be 30 and I have a feeling the Dodgers will drive that price way up making it hard for him to leave.
I don't see Edwards moving into a long relief role, they've been very cautious about how many innings he works. I think he moves more toward the back end of the bullpen, and I expect him to be the closer by the end of next year if we don't land Chapman or Jansen.
They need to land 1 of them. The Cubs do not win the World Series without Aroldis Chapman. They may have not have advanced to the WS without him.
Also want to add that the Cubs will probably only look for a short term fix in CF-- I don't think they'll sign anyone past a year or two as they have a number of OF prospects (and Almora) that can fit the bill or atleast allow Heyward to move to CF.
As the season worked out, I think you're right, but it's not unreasonable to think that a healthy back end of Strop-Rondon could have gotten the job done. I'm all for getting Jansen, but I don't know that it's completely essential. If the Cubs see Edwards as their closer in 2 years, then it doesn't make sense to sign Jansen to big money for 5 years and block Edwards. We'll see. The Cubs have flexibility and arms. I have no problem with them going after Chapman or Jansen, I just don't know if it's critical. Melancon will come cheaper than both and there will always be a closer on the market at the trade deadline if next year isn't panning out all that well.
I don't think they'll sign anyone in CF unless there's a deal that makes sense with Fowler. I think they'll be plenty content to mix and match with Almora, Heyward, Schwarber, Zobrist, Szczur and others. I think Almora is ready for an expanded role.
I assume the default defensive lineup barring trades will be:
C: Contreras with Montero backing up
1B: Rizzo
2B: Baez
3B: Bryant
SS: Russell
LF: Schwarber
CF: Heyward/Almora
RF: Zobrist
Maddon will continue to be flexible and move guys around based on matchups or days off, but I think that'll be the default starting point.
That is true. Maddon did go to Rondon last year to close out the Cardinals so he has confidence in the guy when healthy. If they don't resign Chapman, they're gonna have to face him along the line I'm assuming and F that.
Depends on who signs him. Maybe they won't even make the playoffs. If the Dodgers keep Jansen, the Cubs will have to face him.
You can't just go out and buy everyone who is scary. The Cubs had to win 11 games while facing Cueto, Bumgarner, Kershaw x2, Hill, Jensen, Kluber x3, Miller xinfinity (it seemed), Allen. The Cubs just have to go try to be the best they can be. If they're in the playoffs again, they'll no doubt face a slate of talented players.
On the flip side, if you're building a team to beat the Cubs, based on what we saw in the playoffs this year, you're going to need multiple ace type starters, plus an elite closer type and shut down bullpen. We saw the Cubs consistently get to the non-All Star level starters, and get to the All-Star level starters late in the series. They took advantage of the weak spots in both San Fran and LA's bullpens, they eventually got to Cleveland's elite reliever after seeing him a ton. That's not an easy challenge to build a staff like that.
And even then, for a Chapman to be scary at the back end, you have to have the lead.
Cubs are guaranteed nothing next year. They'll have the target on their backs all year in a way they didn't have this year and some of the pressure will be off since they won this year. That lack of pressure could be good and let them play looser, but it also could take a shred of the urgency away. Either way, I'll say what I've said all year -- you play 162 to make the playoffs and then if you make it, the playoffs are hard. It'll be hard for the Cubs if they make it and it'll be hard for teams playing the Cubs.
Interesting write up in BleedCubbieBlue today about Theo's history with closers. The only big time FA he has ever signed was Keith Foulke with the Red Sox. I don't expect Theo to unload the bank for a top end FA closer. I think he'll look internally, especially if Rondon is getting his health back. Edwards could be in the mix, or he'll trade for help.
As I've stated the Cubs can't just buy a top end player for every open spot. This team is built to develop around a core of cost controlled home grown players. A sprinkling of top FA's and help via the trade is what they should look at doing.
I talked to someone today who says the cubs are going to make a run at bringing fowler back, and this person would know. Its extremely unlikely that the cubs will be the top offer but as we have seen the past few years FAs have turned down bigger offers to play for the cubs.
Any idea what kind of terms? Something short term with a high AAV would seem to make sense, maybe 2/$40M?
Up to 3 years. No mention of money. I dont think fowler will be back but only because he will get 5 years of guaranteed money from someone. He does love chicago though so we'll see.
Uh the Cubs had a target on their back all of this year.
Cardinals and the Pirates both were complaining about all the cubs hype in spring training
They did have a target all year, but I still think it's different coming back as the defending champions.
