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****Official Cubs 2015 Thread****

Meeting new teammates and reporters Monday in Cincinnati, new Cubs reliever Rafael Soriano vowed to simply do his job.

And what is that, exactly?

"I'm here to help the young guys and help these guys win,'' Soriano said.

Soriano arrives with 207 career saves and a contract worth as much as $4 million if he meets incentives. So far, Cubs manager Joe Maddon prefers to spread responsibility for the ninth inning among several pitchers, though baseball closers often are like hockey goalies — eccentric men who prefer committees of one.

Maddon merely complimented Soriano's cologne and told him to stay ready for "the latter part of the game.'' Experience makes the 35-year-old Soriano ideal for the role he has played most as a major-leaguer — one he filled for Maddon with the Rays by saving 45 games in 2010 — except Jason Motte has done nothing lately in "the latter part of games" to warrant replacing.

The reliever Motte replaced, Hector Rondon, actually leads the Cubs in saves with 12 but hasn't had one since June 20.

The North Side's ninth-inning plot thickens even more considering the persistent rumor about the Cubs pursuing Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon, a six-time All-Star who was 16-for-16 in save situations.

Apparently, Maddon likes to collect classic cars and veteran closers.

Which guy will get the final three outs for the Cubs in September? Doesn't this beat worrying about which Cubs player will be flipped for prospects before July 31? Finally, this year the Cubs find themselves one Papelbon trade away from a most delightful dilemma: how to keep everybody happy in a power bullpen full of proven arms.

Besides the credentials Soriano brings, consider Motte pitched the final out of the 2011 World Series for the Cardinals. And Papelbon, if acquired, closed out the 2007 World Series clincher for the Red Sox and Jon Lester, who has publicly endorsed the Cubs trading for his buddy.
Of all the needs the Cubs could address before the deadline, shoring up the bullpen makes more sense than adding a starting pitcher or another bat. Look no further than the Royals, who just dominated the White Sox, for the latest evidence of how far a team can ride great relief pitching. In the postseason, baseball teams can never have too much experience, rest or bullpen depth. Papelbon, trying to talk his way out of Philadelphia, likely would cost the Cubs less than Phillies teammate Cole Hamels or another impact starting pitcher. It bears repeating that the Cubs would be wise to show the patience they have asked fans to have since 2011 when evaluating any deal demanding top minor-league prospects. Why give up anything for a starter when free-agent David Price likely can be bought in the offseason?

Besides, as much as everybody around Wrigleyville keeps clamoring for starting pitching help, the truth is the Cubs boast one of baseball's most effective rotations. According to beyondtheboxscore.com, a sabermetrics website, the Cubs' starting rotation ranks No. 1 in the majors when measuring FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching), a statistic that involves outcomes not dictated by defense: strikeouts, walks, hit-by-pitches and home runs. The top five: 1. Cubs (3.17), 2. Nationals (3.22), 3. Cardinals (3.31) 4. Pirates (3.24) 5. Dodgers (3.31).

Even by traditional metrics, Cubs starters have been exceptional with Kyle Hendricks' recent emergence, Jon Lester's promising breakthrough, Jason Hammel's consistency and Jake Arrieta's surprising dominance. In July, they boast the lowest ERA in the majors, 2.12, and lead the league at .193 in batting average against. Nothing about those numbers suggests the Cubs should overpay for a starting pitcher.

As for another bat, Kyle Schwarber, in theory, represents the offensive boost teams look for in midseason trades. The Cubs also need fellow rookies Addison Russell, who has slumped to .228, and Jorge Soler to show more life at the plate. Maddon, according to CSNChicago.com, gave Russell a Stephen King novel to read to take his mind off his struggles. Soler missed time with an injury. If they can resemble the hitters they were earlier in the year, when less pressure existed, the Cubs can get to the playoffs on the strength of pitching, defense and Maddon.

The more the Cubs strengthen their bullpen with a cadre of closers, the better their starters will be too. The Cubs already answered the question of whether they will spend to contend by paying pitcher Edwin Jackson $15.6 million to go away. Now they can make another strong statement by shrewdly landing another late-inning arm.

If the Cubs indeed can deal for Papelbon, it could require all of Maddon's considerable charm to get everyone to accept his role. Closers are creatures of habit. The Cubs want winning to become habitual. That's where Maddon can lean heavily on pitching coach Chris Bosio, perhaps the most underrated assistant in Chicago sports.

Surely, Bosio would welcome the burden of having too many quality closers.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...-papelbon-haugh-spt-0721-20150720-column.html
 
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The Cubs' price for David Price

8:20 am, July 21, 2015
David Price is about to be put on the trade market officially, and those sounds you’re hearing are air raid sirens on both sides of town.

The Tigers have a better record than the White Sox, but they seem to know they’re done. Not sure what’s taking the Sox so long, but maybe the sirens will get their attention.

If the Tigers start fielding offers for Price the way USA Today indicated, then he immediately takes cuts to the front of the line ahead of Cole Hamels and Johnny Cueto, which moves Jeff Samardzija back in the trade rotation.

But the more interesting story is the Cubs. They’ve been rumored as the leader in the clubhouse to sign Price when he hits free agency this winter for reasons ranging from Joe Maddon, Price’s World Series manager in Tampa Bay who has the Cubs in a playoff spot, to Derek Johnson, Price’s pitching coach at Vanderbilt who serves as the Cubs minor-league pitching coordinator.

And then there’s this Twitter conversation Monday that started with Jon Lester loving Jake Arrieta’s outing against the Braves on Sunday. A fan jumped in to suggest that after the “great 1-2 punch’’ of Lester and Arrieta, Price would make “an excellent #3.’’
Arrieta responded with just “Price a #3?’’ To which Price tweeted: “Jake I always loved you ... but that right there makes me love u more!!’’

I think we can all feel the love of Price in a Cubs uniform. An ace as wasted on the Tigers as Chris Sale is on the White Sox, Price began the week with a 2.32 ERA that would become the best on the Cubs.

Price is averaging 8.66 strikeouts per nine innings and 1.77 walks per nine innings, both better than his career averages, and entering play Tuesday with the Tigers at .500, Fangraphs.com calculated Price’s pitcher’s Wins Above Replacement at 3.5.
For context, Price’s WAR ranked eighth in the majors, just behind Twitter buddy Arrieta’s 3.7 and well ahead of Twitter buddy Lester’s 2.5.
So why wait?

Here’s why:

Trading for Price by the July 31 deadline would cover only a half-season in the Cubs' attempt to reach a coin-flip playoff game at a cost of any number of those highly regarded prospects who were supposed to be the payoff for Cubs' tanking the last three seasons.

In free agency this winter, however, Price will only cost the Cubs money. We’ve seen they’re willing to spend it, especially on pitching, from Lester’s $155 million to their $100 million-plus bid on Masahiro Tanaka to eating $15.6 million of Edwin Jackson’s contract after designating him for assignment Sunday.

I don't see how the Cubs can fork over a chunk of their farm system in that scenario, but there is an angle that makes it palatable:

Cut a deal with the Tigers only after Price agrees to sign a new contract that guarantees his Cubs future into the next decade.

Don’t wait for free agency. Prospects and a major league player or two is the cost of hijacking the best free agent before he becomes a free agent.

Play out the free-agent craziness now. Start at Lester’s numbers. Expect to reach Max Scherzer’s pay. Ballpark figure: close to $30 million a year for seven years and an option for an eighth.
The Cubs certainly expect to go shopping in that kind of neighborhood this winter, so get it done now, before the Yankees hit the ATM.

At 29, Price is in the window that Theo Epstein considers a player’s prime. Combine Price’s age with his 2015 numbers that match or exceed his career averages, and he’s the kind of pitcher for whom the Cubs always planned to trade their young chips.

That time was seen as the future. But then the Cubs snagged Lester and jumped on Maddon, and the schedule appears to be pushed up at least a season. Keep pushing.

Epstein declared that every season is sacred. Here’s a way to back that up this season and long-term.

http://my.chicagotribune.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-84040488/
 
The cubs arent giving up prospects for a rental when they can just buy who they want in the offseason
 
iCRUNCH said:
tumblr_mhfayiBgSQ1qd6znqo1_500.gif

The Cubs' price for David Price

8:20 am, July 21, 2015
David Price is about to be put on the trade market officially, and those sounds you’re hearing are air raid sirens on both sides of town.

The Tigers have a better record than the White Sox, but they seem to know they’re done. Not sure what’s taking the Sox so long, but maybe the sirens will get their attention.

If the Tigers start fielding offers for Price the way USA Today indicated, then he immediately takes cuts to the front of the line ahead of Cole Hamels and Johnny Cueto, which moves Jeff Samardzija back in the trade rotation.

But the more interesting story is the Cubs. They’ve been rumored as the leader in the clubhouse to sign Price when he hits free agency this winter for reasons ranging from Joe Maddon, Price’s World Series manager in Tampa Bay who has the Cubs in a playoff spot, to Derek Johnson, Price’s pitching coach at Vanderbilt who serves as the Cubs minor-league pitching coordinator.

And then there’s this Twitter conversation Monday that started with Jon Lester loving Jake Arrieta’s outing against the Braves on Sunday. A fan jumped in to suggest that after the “great 1-2 punch’’ of Lester and Arrieta, Price would make “an excellent #3.’’
Arrieta responded with just “Price a #3?’’ To which Price tweeted: “Jake I always loved you ... but that right there makes me love u more!!’’

I think we can all feel the love of Price in a Cubs uniform. An ace as wasted on the Tigers as Chris Sale is on the White Sox, Price began the week with a 2.32 ERA that would become the best on the Cubs.

Price is averaging 8.66 strikeouts per nine innings and 1.77 walks per nine innings, both better than his career averages, and entering play Tuesday with the Tigers at .500, Fangraphs.com calculated Price’s pitcher’s Wins Above Replacement at 3.5.
For context, Price’s WAR ranked eighth in the majors, just behind Twitter buddy Arrieta’s 3.7 and well ahead of Twitter buddy Lester’s 2.5.
So why wait?

Here’s why:

Trading for Price by the July 31 deadline would cover only a half-season in the Cubs' attempt to reach a coin-flip playoff game at a cost of any number of those highly regarded prospects who were supposed to be the payoff for Cubs' tanking the last three seasons.

In free agency this winter, however, Price will only cost the Cubs money. We’ve seen they’re willing to spend it, especially on pitching, from Lester’s $155 million to their $100 million-plus bid on Masahiro Tanaka to eating $15.6 million of Edwin Jackson’s contract after designating him for assignment Sunday.

I don't see how the Cubs can fork over a chunk of their farm system in that scenario, but there is an angle that makes it palatable:

Cut a deal with the Tigers only after Price agrees to sign a new contract that guarantees his Cubs future into the next decade.

Don’t wait for free agency. Prospects and a major league player or two is the cost of hijacking the best free agent before he becomes a free agent.

Play out the free-agent craziness now. Start at Lester’s numbers. Expect to reach Max Scherzer’s pay. Ballpark figure: close to $30 million a year for seven years and an option for an eighth.
The Cubs certainly expect to go shopping in that kind of neighborhood this winter, so get it done now, before the Yankees hit the ATM."



At 29, Price is in the window that Theo Epstein considers a player’s prime. Combine Price’s age with his 2015 numbers that match or exceed his career averages, and he’s the kind of pitcher for whom the Cubs always planned to trade their young chips.

That time was seen as the future. But then the Cubs snagged Lester and jumped on Maddon, and the schedule appears to be pushed up at least a season. Keep pushing.

Epstein declared that every season is sacred. Here’s a way to back that up this season and long-term.

http://my.chicagotribune.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-84040488/
Click to expand...
"Cut a deal with the Tigers only after Price agrees to sign a new contract that guarantees his Cubs future into the next decade.

Why would either side do this trade? The Cubs can sign him in the offseason without giving up any prospects. Price could have signed an extension with the Tigers. He wants to see what the market is willing to offer him. I don't see any chance this type of deal happens. The Cubs aren't paying top prospects for a rental, besides starting pitching hasn't been the problem, it's been the hitting (and some hiccups with the bullpen). Price wants to see what LAD and other big market teams would be willing to offer him as a FA, so why would he sell low by signing an extension with the Cubs after a trade?
 
I don't know what it is but the Cubs just seem to scuffle against sub .500 teams. They have a nice stretch against the very beatable Reds, Phillies, and Rockies, but are starting off roughly against the Reds.
Schwarber has done his job since being promoted, now the rest of the hitters need to get going. I won't be upset if pitching is added, but the problem is with the offense right now. Castro, Coughlin, Rizzo, Bryant and Russell are all in slumps. I don't see a one year bat out there that the Cubs are likely to add.
One item in the news is Javier Baez is working out in Arizona and expected to go to AAA next week. He might be an option in LF. He was on a tear before he was hurt, and his approach at the plate had been tightened up considerably.
 
Price will be in a Cubs uniform in 2016. Bank on it. It's the perfect scenario for him.

The only question is whether he'll be in a Cubs uniform in 2015. I think the answer is no.
 
Who needs a front line pitcher like Price when you have Kyle Schwarber!!! Man this kid needs to play A LOT more. Wow is he impressive!
 
Maybe they are teaching Schwarber how to play outfield on the days Arrietta and Lester are pitching. He needs to be playing every day, even when Montero gets back. However, you can't have $13 million a year riding the bench and it's not like Montero wasn't getting it done.
 
claykenny said:
Price will be in a Cubs uniform in 2016. Bank on it. It's the perfect scenario for him.

The only question is whether he'll be in a Cubs uniform in 2015. I think the answer is no.
Click to expand...
I think the Dodgers will have something to say about Price being in a Cubs uniform in 2016, but I hope you are correct.

BTW, I love Schwarberbombs.
 
BioHawk said:
Maybe they are teaching Schwarber how to play outfield on the days Arrietta and Lester are pitching. He needs to be playing every day, even when Montero gets back. However, you can't have $13 million a year riding the bench and it's not like Montero wasn't getting it done.
Click to expand...
Why can't you have $13M riding the bench? They just DFA Jackson and he still has another year on his contract. Having said that there's no need to sit Montero. He was hitting the ball well and doing an excellent job catching. You can catch Schwarber 2-3 times a week and play him in LF the other games. The bench gets much stronger if you have Cogs coming off the bench.

He's looked better behind the plate defensively then the reports I had heard earlier in the year. He still needs a lot of work, but with his bat he can be Mike Sciosia defensively.

I wish the Cubs could get Castro hitting. Fowler has looked good since the all-star break, so hopefully he's turned the corner, but Castro is still having poor at-bats.
 
PhantomFlyer said:
Why can't you have $13M riding the bench? They just DFA Jackson and he still has another year on his contract. Having said that there's no need to sit Montero. He was hitting the ball well and doing an excellent job catching. You can catch Schwarber 2-3 times a week and play him in LF the other games. The bench gets much stronger if you have Cogs coming off the bench.

He's looked better behind the plate defensively then the reports I had heard earlier in the year. He still needs a lot of work, but with his bat he can be Mike Sciosia defensively.

I wish the Cubs could get Castro hitting. Fowler has looked good since the all-star break, so hopefully he's turned the corner, but Castro is still having poor at-bats.
Click to expand...

I don't disagree with you. It's just tough to have that much money sitting down when the player was doing the job he was being paid to do. I guess I'd rather see Schwarber and Montero in the lineup all the time, more so because the corner outfielders for the Cubs are not producing like they should be. Schwarber in the outfield can't be any worse than Manny Ramirez was, right?
 
BioHawk said:
I don't disagree with you. It's just tough to have that much money sitting down when the player was doing the job he was being paid to do. I guess I'd rather see Schwarber and Montero in the lineup all the time, more so because the corner outfielders for the Cubs are not producing like they should be. Schwarber in the outfield can't be any worse than Manny Ramirez was, right?
Click to expand...
Once Montero comes back you likely won't see Schwarber catching more than a couple times a week, and I'm fine with that. Catching is tough and hard on the body, so giving Montero a couple days off a week is not a bad thing.

It will also depend on how Cogs is doing. Cog has a WAR of 1.7 and 2.0 for a season is considered league avg, so he's been better than league avg. The FO isn't going to sit Soler, he's one of the young, core pieces. Fowler has been the weak spot in the OF, but he's looked much better recently. Based on his current BABIP being about 50 pts lower than his career BABIP, we can probably expect Fowler to regress to the mean and start getting a little "luckier" and his batting avg to climb.

The guy who's killing the offense is Castro. His wRC+ is 57 (100 is considered league avg). Russell has a wRC+ of 82 which also is very bad. Coghlan is at 107 which is better than avg.
 
When Montero comes back then you have the ticklish issue of keeping David Ross starting once a week just to be Jon Lester's personal catcher.
I think it's possible the Cubs may shift Coughlin once a week to CF and let Schwarber play some in LF. If the Cubs are leading in that game after the 7th then Coughlin shifts back over and Fowler enters to play CF.
 
The Cubs finished the road trip 4-3. Two great come from behind wins. That's the big difference between the 2014 and 2015 Cubs. This team has the character to come back from deficits and from tough losses. They got spanked 9-1 in the first game today, and quickly fell behind 5-0 in the second game. They didn't give up and gutted out a win in the second game. That is what's truly great to see as a fan.
 
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lucas80 said:
The Cubs finished the road trip 4-3. Two great come from behind wins. That's the big difference between the 2014 and 2015 Cubs. This team has the character to come back from deficits and from tough losses. They got spanked 9-1 in the first game today, and quickly fell behind 5-0 in the second game. They didn't give up and gutted out a win in the second game. That is what's truly great to see as a fan.
Click to expand...
I actually told my parents the Cubs got swept yesterday because I turned off Game 2 when it was 5-0. Then I heard about the comeback this morning. Oops.

I'm a bad fan I guess.
 
iCRUNCH said:
Someone said that he has improved his plate approach, but I just think Castro needs to sit for a while.
Click to expand...

I hope so and im with you. I do hope they call up Baez/Alcantara/La Stella soon. offense is brutal when the MIF are both hitting .240
 
Some baseball reporters are saying the Phils and Cubs
are talking a trade: Cole Hamels for Castro and Baez.
However, the Phils want someone better than Castro.
 
torbee said:
I got a chance to watch Baez several times when he was in "A" ball.

He's a player that looks like he has that "IT" factor.
Click to expand...
I don't know what the "IT" factor is but he could be a serviceable middle infielder IF he can make more contact. If he strikes out 35% of the time, he's likely gone, but if he can post a K rate anything like he was in AAA this year (around 25%) and you have yourself a nice player. The injury couldn't have happened at a worse time because he was crushing the ball, appeared to be near a callup. It would be so great if he could come up and make reasonable contact, then the CUbs could move Russell to SS, Baez to 2B and Castro is utility guy (and trade bait),
 
LuteHawk said:
Some baseball reporters are saying the Phils and Cubs
are talking a trade: Cole Hamels for Castro and Baez.
However, the Phils want someone better than Castro.
Click to expand...
Can you really blame the Phils? I'd want someone better than both those guys. Phils will likely ask for Schwarber.
 
With slightly more than 48 hours left before Friday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline, embattled Chicago Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro was told by manager Joe Maddon that he won’t be traded.


“You’re not getting traded,” Maddon told Castro late Tuesday night after Castro asked to talk to Maddon about his reasoning for getting pulled in the top of the eighth inning as part of a double switch in a 7-2 loss to the Colorado Rockies.

“Relax and play hard and don’t worry about this (trade) stuff.”


Castro, 25, wasn’t in the starting lineup Wednesday, further fueling speculation that he could be traded. But Maddon’s chat seemed to alleviate much of Castro’s frustration.

Maddon said he planned to give Castro, who is batting .237, and Jorge Soler a day off and hoped to do the same for Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant soon.

Castro, who is owed about $43 million through 2019, said “it’s difficult sometimes” to hear his name mentioned in trade rumors.

“I’m not supposed to be thinking about this, but the team isn’t where we want to be,” Castro said. “Sometimes when we’re not doing good, those kind of rumors run in my mind. It’s not supposed to, but I feel free to go talk to (Maddon).

“The season is not over yet. I’m not going to put my head down. I’m going to keep working hard and help my team win. I want to be here. I want to stay here.”

Castro said it felt "weird" being pulled as part of a double switch for the second time on this homestand “because it never happened to me.

“I was just asking him," Castro said. "We got a great relationship, and he’s on my side all the time. I appreciate that and I’ll just go up there and act normal.”

Castro admitted this has been a “really tough” season and recently made a few adjustments in order to resurrect his offense.

“Like I say all the time, my swing don’t go away,” Castro said. “It’s still there. I feel healthy. I know the team is going to change. I’ve been through this before. I know how I feel. I think there are still 2 ½ months. I think I can finish strong.”

There is a chance that Castro and other Cubs can be traded after Friday's deadline, but they must first be placed on waivers. A claiming team can try to work a deal with the Cubs. If a player clears waivers, that team is free to trade him to any team.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-starln-castro-not-traded-20150729-story.html
 
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I know a lot of folks are down on Castro but I still like the kid. He's shown good things at times and I think he still can.
 
I had a whole childhood of being really emotionally invested in Sandberg, Dawson, Grace, Sutcliffe, Maddux, etc. Now that I'm older, I just want the Cubs to win at some point, so I care a lot less about whether individual players stay with the team (so long as they get value in return for talented departures). I've been a Castro fan, but this year has been brutal. Long-term, I don't really care if they find a trade partner for him. There are some big potential positives in such a deal.

I do believe Castro is a better player than he's been this year. His game has always had some flaws and he seems to have regressed, but he didn't have the numbers he had earlier in his career over multiple seasons because he "sucks".....but I don't know what it takes to get him going. He clearly rebounded last year after a bad 2013....but this year he's been worse than he was in 2013. If he recovers and can get back to hitting .280+ with a little power, he'll have good value for both the Cubs and potential trade partners. If he doesn't, he has a limited window of trade value to teams who still see skill but think he needs a new start in a new location.

All that said, he's my 11yo's favorite player and we're going to make a trip to Wrigley in a couple weeks for the Brewers series and he'll be pretty disappointed if Castro is gone.
 
You should be disappointed that your eleven year old looks up to a person that assaults women and involved in shootings.
 
HawkeyeHitman said:
You should be disappointed that your eleven year old looks up to a person that assaults women and involved in shootings.
Click to expand...

If you have links to charges, let me know. He has been accused of some things, but ultimately no charges were ever filed and he's apparently moved his family to Arizona to get away from the violence. As it stands, he's an athlete who has faced accusations without charges. I'm not going to say that means charges aren't warranted because I know better, but it means I can't say what he's done or what he hasn't.
 
After hearing talk of Baez as part of a package for Cashner or Ross from SD, I would imagine Haren came much cheaper. We'll see if this is the only move they make. It definitely makes them better.
 
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They needed a back end starter so good trade. Maybe they are trying to flip him to SD though with a better prospect for Ross. I believe Haren is from that area and he did whine quite a bit when he was dealt to Miami.
 
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