Cubs future looking very good!

[UNIowaHawk]

Cubs have control of the following players:

Arrieta through 2017
Baez through 2020
Bryant through 2020
Castro through 2020
Coghlan through 2016
Grimm through 2019
Hammel through 2017
Hendricks through 2020
La Stella through 2020
Lester through 2021
Montero through 2017
Rizzo through 2021
Rondon through 2018
Russell through 2021
Schwarber through 2021
Soler through 2020
Strop through 2017

That's the Cubs entire infield through 2020, 2/3rds of their OF through 2020, 4 starters through 2017, and their current closer through 2018.

In addition they have a relatively decent prospect class, though it took a hit when it lost a number to the bigs.

Understanding that a few players may come back down to earth, this team should be FUN to watch for the foreseeable future.

 

[ANYCHawk]

Baseball is fickle and the future can seem fun, but fortunes can change quickly signed Wood and Prior.

 

[hawkeye54545]

Baseball is fickle and the future can seem fun, but fortunes can change quickly signed Wood and Prior.

I see your point and with the pitchers I agree 100%. I feel a little better on predicting position players and I really like what the Cubs have.

 

[ANYCHawk]

I see your point and with the pitchers I agree 100%. I feel a little better on predicting position players and I really like what the Cubs have.

I agree. I just remind people to keep in perspective with baseball the future can look great. But, an injury here or there or a bad trade or two and its can be over really quickly.

 

[hawkeye54545]

I agree. I just remind people to keep in perspective with baseball the future can look great. But, an injury here or there or a bad trade or two and its can be over really quickly.

True. And it seems in baseball the best team never wins the World Series. Obviously that is hyperbole but I would imagine the best team doesn't win as often as one would think.

 

[SSG T]

Baseball is fickle and the future can seem fun, but fortunes can change quickly signed Wood and Prior.

And this is the exact reason I enjoy seasons like this more than Cardinal fans would like for me to. I fully remember years like 1985, 1990, 2004 just as much as the years that preceded them.

 

[DogBoyRy]

Cubs have control of the following players:

Arrieta through 2017
Baez through 2020
Bryant through 2020
Castro through 2020
Coghlan through 2016
Grimm through 2019
Hammel through 2017
Hendricks through 2020
La Stella through 2020
Lester through 2021
Montero through 2017
Rizzo through 2021
Rondon through 2018
Russell through 2021
Schwarber through 2021
Soler through 2020
Strop through 2017

That's the Cubs entire infield through 2020, 2/3rds of their OF through 2020, 4 starters through 2017, and their current closer through 2018.

In addition they have a relatively decent prospect class, though it took a hit when it lost a number to the bigs.

Understanding that a few players may come back down to earth, this team should be FUN to watch for the foreseeable future.

It's pretty impressive. A couple months ago I posted how a scout I know said the Cubs had the best young infield in the HISTORY of baseball coming up according to some in his profession and talent in the system that was borderline unbelievable. Got blasted by all the experts in here. With hitting outfielders easier to find and obtain in free agency it obviously comes down to pitching. Some of those arms are locked up but getting a little older every year. Bring in Price and then it gets interesting. Leo will be smart putting incentive contracts on pitching for wins and saves. Pitchers might look at the lineup and sign up.

 

[ANYCHawk]

. Leo will be smart putting incentive contracts on pitching for wins and saves. Pitchers might look at the lineup and sign up.

Nobody does that except for injuries (and then its more about appearances than wins or saves). Pitchers aren't going to line up for incentives that they have little control over.

 

[lucas80]

And the lower levels of the minor league system are chock full of prospects, too.

 

[lucas80]

Lot's of talent that could be traded. Luis Valbuena smacked a home run tonight versus the Royals. For Valbuena and Dan Straily the Cubs got Dexter Fowler. For minor league pitchers with upside the Cubs got Miguel Montero from the Diamondbacks. Two integral pieces of the 2015 Cubs that Theo and Jed went out and got with their stockpile of assets.

 

[arrrrrghhhh!]

What happens to fowler after this season?

 

[lucas80]

What happens to fowler after this season?

I am not sure, but, I believe he is a restricted FA. I think the Cubs will run the risk of offering him a one year deal hoping that he takes a multi year deal from another club, thus earning a draft pick in return.

 

[ANYCHawk]

I am not sure, but, I believe he is a restricted FA. I think the Cubs will run the risk of offering him a one year deal hoping that he takes a multi year deal from another club, thus earning a draft pick in return.

No such thing in restricted FA in baseball.

He is a FA. If they offer him a qualifying offer (at $15.8 million) they can get a sandwich pick in return. But, not sure he's worth the risk of him accepting it.

 

[lucas80]

No such thing in restricted FA in baseball.

He is a FA. If they offer him a qualifying offer (at $15.8 million) they can get a sandwich pick in return. But, not sure he's worth the risk of him accepting it.

My terminology was off, but my information was correct. It will be a tough decision for Theo and Jed. I think they make the offer knowing Fowler will decide to take more money over more years.

 

[joelbc1]

Baseball is fickle and the future can seem fun, but fortunes can change quickly signed Wood and Prior.

As long as the owners leave Theo alone, they'll do fine. Epstein won't hesitate to trade these players if he feels the franchise will be better off. Cubs fans....don't become Red Sox fans and fall in love with your players. Baseball no longer works that way and Epstein understands this. Root for your team...not your players.
Theo has built this team and he gets some benefit of the doubt from here on out.

 

[ANYCHawk]

My terminology was off, but my information was correct. It will be a tough decision for Theo and Jed. I think they make the offer knowing Fowler will decide to take more money over more years.

I don't think they will. He ranked 11th in MLB CF in OPS. He's 30 and a team will sign him knowing they are losing a pick, really hurting his value. By letting him just go it opens up a starting spot that could be upgraded while still offering roster flexibility. (think along the lines of moving solar and casto for Cain from KC, who is going to get expensive. KC gets two "cost controlled" younger players and cubs get a new CF, move Schwarber to LF and have RF open for some flexibility).

 

[ANYCHawk]

As long as the owners leave Theo alone, they'll do fine. Epstein won't hesitate to trade these players if he feels the franchise will be better off. Cubs fans....don't become Red Sox fans and fall in love with your players. Baseball no longer works that way and Epstein understands this. Root for your team...not your players.
Theo has built this team and he gets some benefit of the doubt from here on out.

You missed the point of my post.

 

[lucas80]

Any number of weird things could happen in CF for the Cubs. Joe Maddon loves roster flexibility, and Theo and Jed love athleticism. Do not be shocked if a guy on the roster gets a lot of time in CF. Bryant played there a few times this year. I could see one of the extra SS's getting a look in ST. The Cubs brass will not be afraid to tinker if there isn't a FA, trade, or in house option for a full time CF. Addison Russell is a great SS, but, if he can play CF and Baez is talented enough to play SS don't you try that?
I think the goal is to keep this core of players together as long as possible. To let them grow offensively and get them on the field however you can. What a nice problem to have given what there was in the organization a few years ago.

 

[ANYCHawk]

What a nice problem to have given what there was in the organization a few years ago.

What's amazing is who the cubs hit (and early) on all their high draft picks. Appel and Gray we're taking before and after Bryant and they were pretty much as major league ready, but neither has appeared. Rondon and Gordon were taken before and after Schwarber (who was considered a big reach at the time), but neither has had the impact.

 

[L. Wade Childress]

no you hope Russell is your SS for the next decade

 

[LuteHawk]

Rizzo had 101 RBIs and Bryant had 99 RBIs. Those two
guys will be the Cubs foundation for run production. Then
you have Schwarber and Soler who can also drive in runs.
along with Castro and Russell. Excellent offense.

Arietta and Lieber are the two pitching studs in the rotation.
Look for the Cubs to sign David Price who is a free agent
this winter. They can always add another starter in a trade.

Joe Maddon is probably manager of the year with his winning
season. Arrieta will be Cy Young winner and Bryant will be
Rookie of the year. Great future for the Cubs.

 

[Brian_Fantana]

Unless Fowler gives them a decent discount and willing to sign 2 years or so I don't think you will see him on this team next year. They have too many prospects in the minors to sign a 30 something more than 2 years. I wouldn't be surprised to see AJax on a 1 year deal next year and starting in CF. I have heard people saying Bryant could possibly play CF full time, putting Baez at 3rd, but that may be a bit of a stretch in my opinion. Obviously Joe and the front office know more than we do so I'll trust them to whatever they decide.

 

[Brian_Fantana]

Rizzo had 101 RBIs and Bryant had 99 RBIs. Those two
guys will be the Cubs foundation for run production. Then
you have Schwarber and Soler who can also drive in runs.
along with Castro and Russell. Excellent offense.

Arietta and Lieber are the two pitching studs in the rotation.
Look for the Cubs to sign David Price who is a free agent
this winter. They can always add another starter in a trade.

Joe Maddon is probably manager of the year with his winning
season. Arrieta will be Cy Young winner and Bryant will be
Rookie of the year. Great future for the Cubs.

Lieber - blast from the past. Obviously meant Lester, but good to see old Jon mentioned

 

[joelbc1]

Rizzo had 101 RBIs and Bryant had 99 RBIs. Those two
guys will be the Cubs foundation for run production. Then
you have Schwarber and Soler who can also drive in runs.
along with Castro and Russell. Excellent offense.

Arietta and Lieber are the two pitching studs in the rotation.
Look for the Cubs to sign David Price who is a free agent
this winter. They can always add another starter in a trade.

Joe Maddon is probably manager of the year with his winning
season. Arrieta will be Cy Young winner and Bryant will be
Rookie of the year. Great future for the Cubs.

Lester could sue the Cubs for "lack of support"..........The guy has stats that certainly do not reflect a .500 season...The guy is one of baseball's best pitchers the last 5-6 years...and he's even better in the post season. I have always been a huge fan of his. All he does is pitch and throw a lot of strikes.

 

[UNIowaHawk]

With Castro's resurgence as of late do the Cubs still look to trade him in the offseason? There's major depth in the infield-- I think Bryant gets more PT in the outfield. You got Russell, Castro, Bryant, Baez and a few in the minors that can play infield. It'll be an interesting offseason for sure.

 

[binsfeldcyhawk2]

Cubs have control of the following players:

Arrieta through 2017
Baez through 2020
Bryant through 2020
Castro through 2020
Coghlan through 2016
Grimm through 2019
Hammel through 2017
Hendricks through 2020
La Stella through 2020
Lester through 2021
Montero through 2017
Rizzo through 2021
Rondon through 2018
Russell through 2021
Schwarber through 2021
Soler through 2020
Strop through 2017

That's the Cubs entire infield through 2020, 2/3rds of their OF through 2020, 4 starters through 2017, and their current closer through 2018.

In addition they have a relatively decent prospect class, though it took a hit when it lost a number to the bigs.

Understanding that a few players may come back down to earth, this team should be FUN to watch for the foreseeable future.

A couple years ago the Nationals future looked bright....just saying.

 

[lucas80]

A couple years ago the Nationals future looked bright....just saying.

Then they ruined it with a bad manager and head case additions to the roster. And, their centerpiece player is a petulant d-bag. Incredibly talented, but, is he a guy who leads you to the post season on a consistent basis?
The Cubs did well by focusing not only on ability, but on character. Listen to any interview Theo or Jed gives and character and work ethic will be mentioned.

 

[lucas80]

What's amazing is who the cubs hit (and early) on all their high draft picks. Appel and Gray we're taking before and after Bryant and they were pretty much as major league ready, but neither has appeared. Rondon and Gordon were taken before and after Schwarber (who was considered a big reach at the time), but neither has had the impact.

I think it was a part of the plan to take the most impactful players early. Clearly they focused on high end college guys. They did it again this year with Happ and Dewees. Pitchers are always more risky. I wanted them to go after some high draft slot pitchers the last few years, but, you cannot argue with the success of getting the best bats available. The pitching will develop over years from the bottom up in the system, or be traded for, or be bought.

 

[SSG T]

Then they ruined it with a bad manager and head case additions to the roster. And, their centerpiece player is a petulant d-bag. Incredibly talented, but, is he a guy who leads you to the post season on a consistent basis?
The Cubs did well by focusing not only on ability, but on character. Listen to any interview Theo or Jed gives and character and work ethic will be mentioned.

The A's and Yankees of the 70's were both filled with petulant d-bags, including one d-bag common to both teams, how many WS did those two teams win?

And Harper had a better year this year than any single player on any of those teams. Harper was the only reason they weren't a complete waste of a team this year. I'm not saying he's a great guy, just that he's not a problem either.

 

[UNIowaHawk]

I think it was a part of the plan to take the most impactful players early. Clearly they focused on high end college guys. They did it again this year with Happ and Dewees. Pitchers are always more risky. I wanted them to go after some high draft slot pitchers the last few years, but, you cannot argue with the success of getting the best bats available. The pitching will develop over years from the bottom up in the system, or be traded for, or be bought.

pitchers can be bought. As mentioned, pitchers are high risk and the failure rate in drafts is significantly higher than position players. Pay good money for a proven pitcher can also make financial sense as it can be cheaper than paying OK money for a number of unproven pitchers that may or may not workout.

 

[hawkifann]

With Castro's resurgence as of late do the Cubs still look to trade him in the offseason? There's major depth in the infield-- I think Bryant gets more PT in the outfield. You got Russell, Castro, Bryant, Baez and a few in the minors that can play infield. It'll be an interesting offseason for sure.

I think the Cubs probably still talk and listen on deals for Castro and Baez in particular. However, unlike maybe 2 months ago, the Cubs need to get value. I think Castro has really grown up this season and I think he can be good to very good defensively as a second baseman. He's also had a nice resurgence with the bat, so he's going to require much more value back to move in trade. The combination of Russell, Castro, Baez and Torres gives the Cubs a lot of potential valuable assets to use in trade, but they're not currently in a position where they have to move any of them.

 

[HawkAttackDial911]

In my opinion, Cueto is a better free agent pickup than Price. I'd rather see the Cubs go after some mid-level pitchers and let the pitching coach do his thing. Someone like Hisashi Iwakuma, although old, could thrive even more moving to the NL.

Part of Washington's problem was their star players were always getting injured. Zimmerman, Werth, and others spent significant time on the DL.

 

[hawkifann]

In my opinion, Cueto is a better free agent pickup than Price. I'd rather see the Cubs go after some mid-level pitchers and let the pitching coach do his thing. Someone like Hisashi Iwakuma, although old, could thrive even more moving to the NL.

Part of Washington's problem was their star players were always getting injured. Zimmerman, Werth, and others spent significant time on the DL.

Maybe on the mid-level starters, but even though the Cubs backed up the truck to Lester, it's not necessarily a bad thing if they start aligning guys to allow Lester to be a #2/3 over the next couple of years. He's north of 30 and while I think he has a good number of effective years left, it would be nice if they're not heading into 2018 needing him to be at the top of the rotation.

There are certainly arguments against Price, but I still kinda want the Cubs to sign him. Either way, though, they should have some good FA options this year and they certainly have a lot of tradable parts.

 

[bagdropper]

I see no reason in the field for the Cubs to truly need to go the FA route.

Starting pitching, sure. Bullpen, tweaks here and there for depth. But otherwise, you stick to the template.

I'm curious how next year goes. So many kids who are ML novices really. Opposing teams really don't have "the book" on all those players yet. They will adjust, then the Cubs will adjust. Keep in mind, not one Cub regular hit over .300 this year.

But the future looks awesome, no doubt about it. Good health, artful navigation as they become arbitration eligible etc and avoiding individual player greed, they could have a 6-7 year run for the ages.

But as someone said here...baseball can be a fickle game sometimes.

 

[hawkifann]

I see no reason in the field for the Cubs to truly need to go the FA route.

Starting pitching, sure. Bullpen, tweaks here and there for depth. But otherwise, you stick to the template.

I'm curious how next year goes. So many kids who are ML novices really. Opposing teams really don't have "the book" on all those players yet. They will adjust, then the Cubs will adjust. Keep in mind, not one Cub regular hit over .300 this year.

But the future looks awesome, no doubt about it. Good health, artful navigation as they become arbitration eligible etc and avoiding individual player greed, they could have a 6-7 year run for the ages.

But as someone said here...baseball can be a fickle game sometimes.

Remember too, that Cub fans have talked a lot about "waves of talent". The goal of any system should be to have enough depth that you can survive busts and injuries. The Cardinals have done a nice job with this over the last 6-8 years and the Red Sox had a good run around their two championship runs. Braves did this for a good long time. So far, it's nice that their big prospects do not appear to be busts. Bryant, Schwarber, Russell, Soler, Baez, even Rizzo, Castro dating back a bit earlier appear to be a full group of major and once-major prospects to not have a true bust among them (time will tell how many -if any- of these guys become true stars). That's a nice run, but it won't hold up forever. So right now they have depth and flexibility and they still have guys like Torres, McKinney, etc. coming up through the system.

I will be very surprised if the Cubs are starting Bryant, Schwarber, Soler, Russell, Baez, Castro & Rizzo together on opening day 2018, even though all are contract controlled beyond that. That's life in pro sports. The key is continuing to develop talent depth and making good use of the assets you have to get value in trades.