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

[lucas80]

I'm ambivalent about adding Utley to the Cubs. That seems to be the hot rumor since he's reportedly cleared waivers. All the reports state that he demands to get the bulk of the playing time. I don't know that Joe Maddon wants that kind of an aging veteran on the roster.
Javy Baez is also taking fly balls at AAA. It'll be interesting how many times the ICubs play him in the outfield in the next few weeks.

 

[lucas80]

Weird stat from this morning's paper. The Cubs now have the fourth best record in all of MLB, but that only places them third in their division. Crazy.

 

[dgordo]

Weird stat from this morning's paper. The Cubs now have the fourth best record in all of MLB, but that only places them third in their division. Crazy.

I'm too lazy add it up by as I recall the nl central is something like 10 games better than any other division.

 

[UNIowaHawk]

Man, thank god Samardijizia turned down that 18 million dollar a year deal with the Cubs last year.

I mentioned that to a friend the other day-- I'm sure the Cubs are glad he turned it down too. I'd much rather have Russell and McKinney over his sorry ass. Cubs will take that money and invest it in a top SP next year.

He does have to be kicking himself though as he'll be hard pressed to find that kind of money next year. He should fire his agent.

 

[cigaretteman]

The Chicago Cubs added some insurance Wednesday by signing former 18-game winner Trevor Cahill to a minor league contract.

Cahill, 27, will report to Triple-A Iowa, a source confirmed. Since winning 18 games and earning American League All-Star honors with the Oakland Athletics in 2010, Cahill has been hindered by ineffectiveness and injuries.

Cahill was released by the Atlanta Braves two months ago after posting an 0-3 record and 7.52 ERA in 15 games. He has a 64-72 lifetime record and 4.16 ERA with the A's, Arizona Diamondbacks and Braves in seven seasons.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-sign-trevor-cahill-20150819-story.html

 

[hawkifann]

I was looking at the standings this morning. Obviously, the Cubs have a good shot at the post-season this year, probably a year early. The amount of improvement this year is staggering. They already have more wins than they had in all of 2012 and 2013 and they're only 7 wins from the high point of the Epstein era. To finish .500, they'll have to finish 14-30 or better in their last 44 games. Post-season is still very much in the air, but if you'd have told me in April that the Cubs, on August 20, would be much more likely to win 90 games than finish .500, my mind would have been blown. A 23-21 finish in their last 44 games puts them at 90 wins. This season has been a lot of fun and I'm all too wildly optimistic about the future.

 

[pocha444444]

Hawk Harrelson is the worst. I can't stand listening to him, regardless if it's against the Cubs or not.

Hawk is great. You just need to treat it as comedy.

 

[cigaretteman]

The Cubs contacted season ticket holders on Thursday, offering them the chance to buy postseason tickets.

Season ticket holders have until Sept. 8 to pay for a full slate of tickets, including a wild card game on Oct. 7, the National League Division Series, the National League Championship Series and the World Series.

Tickets for the wild card game and division series range from $45 (upper deck reserved outfield) to $160 (club box infield).

League Championship Series tickets range from $70 to $250. World Series tickets range from $175 to $350.

"It has been an exciting few weeks of Cubs baseball as our team has battled to build on our position in the NL Central and Wild Card standings," Cubs vice president Colin Faulkner wrote in a letter to season ticket holders. "No doubt the next six weeks are going to be just as compelling as we work to continue the momentum and finish the season strong."

If the Cubs fail to make the postseason, or if don't play the full slate of playoff games, season ticket holders can either get a refund or apply the cost of the unused tickets to the 2016 season.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-playoff-tickets-20150820-story.html

 

[lucas80]

A disappointing series against the Tigers, but, a quick set of wins against the Braves. The Braves look like they are ready to pack up for the Winter.
I still do not think this is a WS winning team, but, I thank the Cubs every day for making baseball fun in Cubdom again.
I think I heard a weird stat the other night. I was walking past the TV, but, I thought they said that Kyle Schwarber is only one of three players to reach 30 RBI's in their first 30 games. The others being Adam Dunn and Joe DiMaggio.

 

[PhantomFlyer]

A disappointing series against the Tigers, but, a quick set of wins against the Braves. The Braves look like they are ready to pack up for the Winter.
I still do not think this is a WS winning team, but, I thank the Cubs every day for making baseball fun in Cubdom again.
I think I heard a weird stat the other night. I was walking past the TV, but, I thought they said that Kyle Schwarber is only one of three players to reach 30 RBI's in their first 30 games. The others being Adam Dunn and Joe DiMaggio.

Yes, they talked about that stat yesterday. It is pretty amazing.

As for being a WS winning team. If they make the playoffs they have as good a chance of winning the WS as anyone. The playoffs are a crapshoot. At this time last year nobody would have thought of KC or SF as WS teams.

 

[Err.]

As mentioned, if they make the playoffs they have as good of shot as any team out there to make the WS and win it. Heck, they swept the last WS champion in a four game set. That is pretty damn good. With Lester and Arrieta they shape up well for at least 2 games against anybody and if their offense plays the way it has been as of late even the starters that aren't as good can still put them in position to win games.

 

[UNIowaHawk]

Is it too early to talk about who or what the Cubs might target in the offseason? Pretty sure they'll make a splash on a SP-- Price, Cueto, Zimmermann, and Grienke obviously the headliners. They'll also have to address RP. They're set on the IF, but may take an OF or two even though Coghlin and Fowler will be back.

 

[pink shizzle]

They're set on the IF, but may take an OF or two even though Coghlin and Fowler will be back.

Is Schwarber expected to keep playing a lot of OF or eventually just be a catcher?

 

[CuttyDoesIt]

Is it too early to talk about who or what the Cubs might target in the offseason? Pretty sure they'll make a splash on a SP-- Price, Cueto, Zimmermann, and Grienke obviously the headliners. They'll also have to address RP. They're set on the IF, but may take an OF or two even though Coghlin and Fowler will be back.

I doubt Fowler is back

 

[lucas80]

Is it too early to talk about who or what the Cubs might target in the offseason? Pretty sure they'll make a splash on a SP-- Price, Cueto, Zimmermann, and Grienke obviously the headliners. They'll also have to address RP. They're set on the IF, but may take an OF or two even though Coghlin and Fowler will be back.

I don't think Fowler will be back. He'll want way more than he's worth, and he'll demand 3 years. He'll probably get it from someone. Coghlin I think is under contract for next year along with Denorfia. A competent CF can be found for a decent price, or they could cobble together a platoon system with the parts on hand, including Szczur.
As far as pitchers they will go for the youngest out there for the big money. Theo and Jed want to pay for the best years, not the declining years.

 

[PhantomFlyer]

I don't think Fowler will be back. He'll want way more than he's worth, and he'll demand 3 years. He'll probably get it from someone. Coghlin I think is under contract for next year along with Denorfia. A competent CF can be found for a decent price, or they could cobble together a platoon system with the parts on hand, including Szczur.
As far as pitchers they will go for the youngest out there for the big money. Theo and Jed want to pay for the best years, not the declining years.

Cubs will probably make Fowler a qualifying offer, but he'll likely sign a multi-year deal for more time/money than the Cubs will give him.

Coghlan is under team control for one more year and then a FA after next season. Denorfia is a FA at the end of the season. They'll need to find a CF but the corners should be fine with Coghlan, Schwarber, and Soler.

They need another pitcher. I think they'll be serious players for Price but wouldn't be surprised if they made a trade for a young pitcher (Mets?). I would think Castro or Baez would be the key trading chips to get a young pitcher.

 

[PhantomFlyer]

Is Schwarber expected to keep playing a lot of OF or eventually just be a catcher?

It will depend on the status of Montero. As long as they keep Montero I would think Schwarber wouldn't get more than 2-3 starts a week. I don't mind this because you still get tremendous value from him being a part-time catcher, but you also save wear and tear on his knees and body. His bat is pretty special.

 

[HawkeyeHitman]

Pierce Johnson will pitch for the Cubs.

 

[CuttyDoesIt]

It will depend on the status of Montero. As long as they keep Montero I would think Schwarber wouldn't get more than 2-3 starts a week. I don't mind this because you still get tremendous value from him being a part-time catcher, but you also save wear and tear on his knees and body. His bat is pretty special.

Yup, I used to be all aboard the "let schwarber be a catcher because he would be a ++++ bat as a catcher" but I have regressed. Dont want the wear and tear to take away from his bat. Put him in LF and let him mash.

 

[pepsicock]

I was wrong about the Cubs early in the year. They are for real .Could be the Mets vs Cubs for the NL.

 

[dgordo]

Sounds like soler and Mott are both dl bound.

 

[CuttyDoesIt]

Sounds like soler and Mott are both dl bound.

Yup. Rosscup and La Stella back up. Russell is also day to day.

 

[dgordo]

Yup. Rosscup and La Stella back up. Russell is also day to day.

Crap

 

[Brian_Fantana]

So i assume Coghlan will get the majority of starts in RF now with La Stella and Castro rotating at 2b (unless Russel misses time then Castro back to SS). Not ideal timing for this but at least they have Sept call ups in a week. Motte has been up and down all year. Sometimes looking awfully impressive and sometimes having trouble locating the pitch. I do think they need him come playoff time if not just for his experience in the pen.

 

[CuttyDoesIt]

Luckily the cubs built themselves a little cushion in front of SF in the wildcard.

But they are saying 3-4 works for Soler. Hope he has enough time to get back into it for the playoffs

 

[dgordo]

 

[hawkifann]

This team has been freaking amazing to watch. There are times they've made me want to pull my hair out, but geez, this is fun. What are the chances the Cubs wind up with the 3rd best record in baseball and 3rd place in their division? It's entirely possible.

 

[lucas80]

Soler has unbelievable potential, but, he is trending towards being brittle. I was hoping they might bring up Baez over LaStella. I wonder if Baez will get a few days in RF for Iowa?
Not the way you exactly script out a 9th inning today, but, it was an exciting win. Wonderfully pitched ballgame by both starters.

 

[lucas80]

Geez. Remember when Matt Cain was good? We are at the point in time when all series are critical, but jumping out to a 6-0 lead in the first game against the Giants is huge. What a seemingly effortless swing by Schwarber on his 3 run homer.

 

[CadeHawk]

Geez. Remember when Matt Cain was good? We are at the point in time when all series are critical, but jumping out to a 6-0 lead in the first game against the Giants is huge. What a seemingly effortless swing by Schwarber on his 3 run homer.

The sound when he hit that ball was just unreal. What a beautiful sound.

This is big if they can hold on. Worst case they leave San Fran up 5/12.

 

[orod741]

Soler has unbelievable potential, but, he is trending towards being brittle. I was hoping they might bring up Baez over LaStella. I wonder if Baez will get a few days in RF for Iowa?
Not the way you exactly script out a 9th inning today, but, it was an exciting win. Wonderfully pitched ballgame by both starters.

It's been huge to have Montero back and Scwarber able to play in the OF in place of Soler. Also, Castro seems to be getting hot at the plate too.

 

[PhantomFlyer]

It's been huge to have Montero back and Scwarber able to play in the OF in place of Soler. Also, Castro seems to be getting hot at the plate too.

And Bryant seems to be getting his hitting stroke back.

 

[lucas80]

Waves of talent, boys.

 

[cigaretteman]

The Cubs added another arm to the bullpen mix Thursday, acquiring right-hander Fernando Rodney from the Mariners for a player to be named or cash considerations. Rodney is expected to join the Cubs on Friday in Los Angeles.

"I was there for that year when he had the best in history," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said of the right-hander's 2012 season with the Rays, when he compiled an 0.60 ERA in 76 games with 48 saves. "He has the kind of stuff to get out both righties and lefties. I know he had trouble or struggled a bit this year, but I'm eager to see him in person and find out what's going on."

Maddon talked to Rodney on the phone after Thursday's 9-1 loss to the Giants.

"He still has a good fastball, outstanding changeup and is a great teammate," Maddon said. "He's a lot of fun to have on the team. I'm looking forward to it."

The Cubs didn't feel a need to add another arm because reliever Jason Motte is on the disabled list with a strained right shoulder, Maddon said.

"The more the merrier," Maddon said.

To make room on the roster, lefty Zac Rosscup was optioned to Triple-A Iowa, and right-handed pitcher Brian Schlitter was designated for assignment.

Rodney, 38, is a two-time American League All-Star, having earned the honor in 2012 and last season with the Mariners. He has 236 career saves and is 35-55 with a 3.77 ERA in 686 relief appearances with the Tigers (2002-03, 2005-09), Angels (2010-11), Rays (2012-13) and Mariners (2014-15).

This season, Rodney was 5-5 with 16 saves and a 5.68 ERA in 54 games for the Mariners before he was designated for assignment on Aug. 23.
http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/145780608/cubs-get-fernando-rodney-in-deal-with-mariners

 

[lucas80]

If the Cubs make the playoff's, they have to go with Arieta in game #1. The Dodgers are running around the bases on Lester tonight. Now they are hitting it all over the yard against him. The second is allowable against a good team. The first thing makes you a team that goes home after the first game.

 

[pocha444444]

If the Cubs make the playoff's, they have to go with Arieta in game #1. The Dodgers are running around the bases on Lester tonight. Now they are hitting it all over the yard against him. The second is allowable against a good team. The first thing makes you a team that goes home after the first game.

I hate Jon Lester. What a joke it is that a guy with just average speed can automatically take second base on him on a single or walk and many times third base as well. Oh and he can't hit or bunt either. What a great athlete! I was all for the Lester signing during the off-season but I had no idea the headcase he was.

 

[lucas80]

I am excited that the Cubs may call up Javy Baez on Tuesday and stick him right into the line up. More pop, and more flexibility.

 

[dgordo]

Cubs are done. Turn off the lights, party is over. Can't wait for next year.

 

[lucas80]

Cubs are done. Turn off the lights, party is over. Can't wait for next year.

Um, no. They still have a lead for the second wild card spot. They will be coming off of a tough road trip this week to come home to Wrigley for a series against the stinking mess that is the Reds and the very average D-Backs. That's a good chance to get back into the winning mode with a couple of 2-3 series.

 

[hawkifann]

Cubs are done. Turn off the lights, party is over. Can't wait for next year.

Jake Arrieta disagrees.