It is different but I fully expect this group to embrace it. I think this comes from the top of the organization down but they've never run from the hype, they've encouraged it. It's good to be thought of as the best, and they've already started this way with a lot of talk about repeating almost immediately following winning the World Series.
Cubs 2016 Thread
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It is different but I fully expect this group to embrace it. I think this comes from the top of the organization down but they've never run from the hype, they've encouraged it. It's good to be thought of as the best, and they've already started this way with a lot of talk about repeating almost immediately following winning the World Series.
I definitely agree with that. I was just making the point that other teams aren't just going to roll over for the Cubs....and that if/when they do make the playoffs, it's still going to be a hard road against a lot of tough pitchers. But those teams will also have big challenges facing the Cubs as well.
I have heard the Cubs told Fowler to see what is out there, but come talk to them if he isn't finding the ynumber of years he wants. Definitely would bring him back for 2-3 years.
Len Kasper on the Score this morning said maybe Heyward leading off next year?
$100 million is supposedly what Chapman wants. Good bye if that is the total. Kasper said they would have won 100 games without him anyway. So, kick some tires, develop internally or deal at the deadline if needed again next year.
Len Kasper on the Score this morning said maybe Heyward leading off next year?
$100 million is supposedly what Chapman wants. Good bye if that is the total. Kasper said they would have won 100 games without him anyway. So, kick some tires, develop internally or deal at the deadline if needed again next year.
Heyward leading off makes sense if he get back to close to his career norms, roughly .350 OBP with good base running works in that spot. Lineup order really has a minimal impact anyway. It also would reduce the chances of him hitting into a double play, he's always going to be a big risk for that.
That works too, if you have Schwarber/Bryant/Rizzo hitting 2-3-4, any lineup is going to look good. Russell and Baez continuing their progress, and Contreras too, could make the lineup so damn tough.
He gets hurt a lot. That is one of the reasons I was so glad he was traded for Rizzo.
That trade definitely started the Theo era out with a bang. Cashner as a reliever is definitely intriguing though and the reduction in innings that comes with that move may help alleviate some of those injury concerns.
I don't know if I'll ever get tired of reading articles about the Cubs winning the World Series. The link below was one of my favorite post World Series articles.
http://www.chicagonow.com/cubs-den/...-rain-and-rebirth-as-cubs-finally-win-it-all/
cubs have offered fowler a 2 year 40 million deal with an opt out after 1 year.
He's an example of where a big market team can flex their muscle. Take a shot on him, if it works you might have an elite bullpen option, if not, you write him a check for several million and move on to the next guy.
The Rule 5 draft is coming up, will be interesting to see who the Cubs protect, gone are the days of adding players this way, they will only be losing them. Duane Underwood, Vic Caratini, Armando Rivera and Jack Leathersrich seem like the most likely to get protected.
Cubs talking with the Rays about pitchers...again. Talk of a Soler-Happ for Archer deal too, that sounds really light from the Cubs side, but if the Rays would take that, I would do that deal in a second.
http://chicagocubsonline.com/archives/2016/11/cubs-talks-rays-reportedly-included-chris-archer.php
http://chicagocubsonline.com/archives/2016/11/cubs-talks-rays-reportedly-included-chris-archer.php
I'd love Archer...former Cub draft pick, I think...that or they got him for DeRo
Yep, Rays wanted Trey McNutt instead of Archer, but the Cubs refused to give up McNutt and included Archer in the Garza deal. Not the best move, but hey everything worked out in the long run.
I wouldn't mind Smyly, the Cubs obviously have enough to get Archer but you're going to have to pony up a Baez or Schwarber type plus Happy or Jimenez, and that's a little rich for me
Looks like Fowler is gone with the signing of John Jay. Probably a platoon with Almora in the works.
Chatter on the Score that Rick Hahn had offered up Chris Sale to the Cubs. That would have been a big haul in return, but Reinsdorf intervened and nixed any deal. Hahn has no power. He should move on.
Chatter on the Score that Rick Hahn had offered up Chris Sale to the Cubs. That would have been a big haul in return, but Reinsdorf intervened and nixed any deal. Hahn has no power. He should move on.
The Jay signing means it's the end of the road for Fowler and most likely Szczur's days with the Cubs are over as well. Not a huge signing but makes a lot of sense. I would have liked to have Fowler for next year, but not sure about any year beyond that so I'm good with moving on.
Don't blame him, time for him to get paid. I would not want to be the team committing to that and losing a first round pick for it though.
Agreed on all of that. The last few years of a 5 year deal for him will be really bad money.
I hope he gets it. He's earned it and I'll always love Fowler for what he did the last two years.
I loves me some Szczur. With a line up that features a bad left fielder in Schwarber I won't count out Szczur just yet. Most likely the Cubs will carry two catchers, plus Schwarber, and with MLB possibly going to 26 man rosters there should be room for a cheap reserve outfielder for another year. Especially if Soler is traded for an arm. MS is the perfect end of the bench guy to play spot defense, pinch hit or pinch run.
Dexter Fowler? The Cubs don’t expect the center fielder back but would welcome another late-winter shocker.
A trade with the White Sox for pitching? That ship has Saled.
The day after the Cubs addressed their center field issue by signing free agent Jon Jay, general manager Jed Hoyer acknowledged – vaguely – a report this week that the Sox won’t do business with the Cubs despite obvious personnel fits.
“I think they’d always listen to the merits of a deal. They’re in the business of getting better and in the business of doing the best deal,” Hoyer said during a media conference call Wednesday. “But I don’t think anything that’s been written is the least bit surprising. I don’t expect a lot of deals done between the White Sox and the Cubs. I don’t think I’m saying anything surprising when I say that.”
After Hoyer’s comments were published Wednesday, Sox GM Rick Hahn issued a statement that read, in part:
“To clarify any confusion regarding our stance on possible trading partners, we want to once again make it clear that our primary goal is to make our club better. We will consider any trade, with any team, that improves the Chicago White Sox.”
With the annual winter meetings looming next week, the White Sox are at the epicenter of potential activity as the seller with the most to offer in game-changing talent, from starting pitchers Chris Sale and Jose Quintana to hitters Jose Abreu and Adam Eaton.
“As I have said many times over the years, we are always open to discussing trades with all 29 other clubs,” Hahn continued in the statement. “We even have completed trades within our division, despite facing these teams 19 times a year, and while trades between the Cubs and White Sox will always draw heightened scrutiny and attention, it makes no sense for us to ever eliminate any potential trading partners.”
The Cubs have an “imbalance” of position players over pitching in their farm system.
But the Cubs figure to focus their efforts on strengthening their pitching depth, both in the rotation and bullpen, outside the city limits.
“I don’t think it’s either one side’s stance or the other,” Hoyer said. “I just don’t think you’re ever going to see a lot of deals done between the two sides.”
Signing Jay to the one-year, $8 million deal might have cleared the decks for the Cubs to focus solely on pitching the rest of the winter.
The deal for the left-handed hitting Jay gives the Cubs a strong defensive center fielder who can help right-handed hitting Albert Almora transition into the everyday starting role as the Cubs look to repeat in 2017.
Hoyer suggested Almora could see the bulk of the playing time, depending on performance.
“He’s a guy that we see as our center fielder of the future,” Hoyer said. “And it’s important for him to develop in the big leagues and get a chance to face all kinds of pitchers. But ultimately the game does come down to performance, and we’ve given [manager] Joe [Maddon] two really good options in center field.”
The implication, of course, is that the Cubs view the already unlikely possibility of Fowler returning as an all but foregone conclusion. Fowler is expected to take advantage of an otherwise weak free agent market.
“We would never close the door on a reunion with Dexter,” Hoyer said of the leadoff man who eschewed a three-year offer from Baltimore last February to return to the Cubs on a one-year deal. “He’s always welcome here. He’s a guy that’s going to live in Cubs lore for a long time.
“We would love to have him back, but we know how the business works, and that’s not something we’d necessarily count on.”
http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/hoyer-dont-expect-cubs-sox-trade-or-another-fowler-reunion/
A trade with the White Sox for pitching? That ship has Saled.
The day after the Cubs addressed their center field issue by signing free agent Jon Jay, general manager Jed Hoyer acknowledged – vaguely – a report this week that the Sox won’t do business with the Cubs despite obvious personnel fits.
“I think they’d always listen to the merits of a deal. They’re in the business of getting better and in the business of doing the best deal,” Hoyer said during a media conference call Wednesday. “But I don’t think anything that’s been written is the least bit surprising. I don’t expect a lot of deals done between the White Sox and the Cubs. I don’t think I’m saying anything surprising when I say that.”
After Hoyer’s comments were published Wednesday, Sox GM Rick Hahn issued a statement that read, in part:
“To clarify any confusion regarding our stance on possible trading partners, we want to once again make it clear that our primary goal is to make our club better. We will consider any trade, with any team, that improves the Chicago White Sox.”
With the annual winter meetings looming next week, the White Sox are at the epicenter of potential activity as the seller with the most to offer in game-changing talent, from starting pitchers Chris Sale and Jose Quintana to hitters Jose Abreu and Adam Eaton.
“As I have said many times over the years, we are always open to discussing trades with all 29 other clubs,” Hahn continued in the statement. “We even have completed trades within our division, despite facing these teams 19 times a year, and while trades between the Cubs and White Sox will always draw heightened scrutiny and attention, it makes no sense for us to ever eliminate any potential trading partners.”
The Cubs have an “imbalance” of position players over pitching in their farm system.
But the Cubs figure to focus their efforts on strengthening their pitching depth, both in the rotation and bullpen, outside the city limits.
“I don’t think it’s either one side’s stance or the other,” Hoyer said. “I just don’t think you’re ever going to see a lot of deals done between the two sides.”
Signing Jay to the one-year, $8 million deal might have cleared the decks for the Cubs to focus solely on pitching the rest of the winter.
The deal for the left-handed hitting Jay gives the Cubs a strong defensive center fielder who can help right-handed hitting Albert Almora transition into the everyday starting role as the Cubs look to repeat in 2017.
Hoyer suggested Almora could see the bulk of the playing time, depending on performance.
“He’s a guy that we see as our center fielder of the future,” Hoyer said. “And it’s important for him to develop in the big leagues and get a chance to face all kinds of pitchers. But ultimately the game does come down to performance, and we’ve given [manager] Joe [Maddon] two really good options in center field.”
The implication, of course, is that the Cubs view the already unlikely possibility of Fowler returning as an all but foregone conclusion. Fowler is expected to take advantage of an otherwise weak free agent market.
“We would never close the door on a reunion with Dexter,” Hoyer said of the leadoff man who eschewed a three-year offer from Baltimore last February to return to the Cubs on a one-year deal. “He’s always welcome here. He’s a guy that’s going to live in Cubs lore for a long time.
“We would love to have him back, but we know how the business works, and that’s not something we’d necessarily count on.”
http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/hoyer-dont-expect-cubs-sox-trade-or-another-fowler-reunion/
It'll be interesting to see what the White Sox do this offseason, my guess is the don't tear it down and make another run at trying to get to 85 wins if everything goes right for them next year, which is not a great place to be.
http://espn.go.com/blog/mlb/rumors/...mor-central-rangers-interested-in-jorge-soler
http://es.pn/2ge39vj
If he's a switch hitter now, he should get a good haul back.
http://es.pn/2ge39vj
If he's a switch hitter now, he should get a good haul back.
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