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

[cigaretteman]

So, who gets the call ups with September's expanded rosters?

Jake Arrieta's supporting cast will get larger on Tuesday, when 25-man rosters can be expanded.

But the Chicago Cubs will have to make room on their 40-man roster to accommodate their reinforcements for their playoff stretch drive, since the 40-man roster currently is full.

Speedy outfielder Quintin Berry and versatile Emilo Bonifacio are among the likely call-ups, but neither is currently on the 40-man roster as they're currently playing for Triple-A Iowa. They must be placed on the 40-man roster in order to be added to the active roster.

Among the players currently on the 40-man roster who have received little or no mention among September promotions are pitchers Dallas Beeler, Eric Jokisch and Yoervis Medina and infielders Christian Villanueva and Mike Olt.

The Cubs, however, do need a starting pitcher for one of their two games on Sept. 15 when they play a day-night doubleheader at Pittsburgh.
1
Monday also marks a significant day for teams to widen their playoff roster options. One longtime National League executive stated that any player on the 40-man roster is eligible automatically as well as any player not on the 40-man roster who is in the organization as of Aug. 31 who can replace any player on the 40-man roster who is hurt.

The rule was altered several years ago, according to two major league executives. The Arizona Diamondbacks were creative in expanding their playoff roster pool in 2002 when they purchased the contract of outfielder Felix Jose from the Mexico City Reds on Sept. 4 and added him to their major league roster.


Infielder Javier Baez and reliever Carl Edwards Jr. already are on the 40-man roster. Pitcher Jacob Turner is on the 60-day DL and doesn't count on the 40-man roster.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-juggle-roster-20150831-story.html

 

[hawkifann]

I guess I'd assume we'd see Wada, Rosscup and Medina or Beeler. I hope they give CJ Edwards a call-up, I'd like to see him. On the position player side, I'd expect Baez, Bonafacio, Berry and Alcantara.

To make room for Berry and Bonafacio, I wonder if they'd wind up dropping Olt and either Medina or Beeler.

 

[CuttyDoesIt]

I dont really see the cubs making a move to add Bonificaio/ Berry. I saw those guys are more emergency plans. You really gonna drop a guy like Olt so Bonificao can pinch run a couple times a week?

I see the Cubs adding Baez, Villaneuva, Olt, Sczur, Rosscup, Medina, Wada, and maybe Alcantara

 

[hawkifann]

It's really hard to see a guy like Olt having a lot of value. He's pretty much demonstrated that he can't hit in the bigs and he's not really tradeable. I suppose he could play a little 1B and 3B, but you're not taking many ABs away from Bryant and Rizzo and there are other guys who could fill in here and there as needed. If you saw value down the stretch, I think it would be reasonable to dump Olt.

 

[CuttyDoesIt]

Cubs acquire Austin Jackson today from the Mariners

 

[CuttyDoesIt]

Minor detail I didnt know until today: Players have to be on the 40 man roster by September 1 to be eligible for the post season. So Berry/Bonificao would have to be added today.

Cubs also DFA'd Olt to make room for Jackson

 

[Brian_Fantana]

Like the Jackson pickup. Coghlan hasn't looked very comfortable in RF

 

[hawkifann]

Minor detail I didnt know until today: Players have to be on the 40 man roster by September 1 to be eligible for the post season. So Berry/Bonificao would have to be added today.

Cubs also DFA'd Olt to make room for Jackson

There is an exception....if a guy is already with the organization, but not on the 40, he can be activated to the playoff roster if there's an injury.

 

[cigaretteman]

The Cubs added outfield depth before Monday night's trade deadline by acquiring Austin Jackson from the Mariners.
The addition of Jackson, 28, allows manager Joe Maddon to use multiple offensive combinations and rest more players with 25-man rosters to expand Tuesday.

"He's a fine outfielder and a good baserunner," Maddon said of Jackson, who batted .272 with 38 RBIs and 15 stolen bases in 107 games with the Mariners. "Kind of a complete player, so to be able to pick him up right now, we're very fortunate.

"You never know what's going to happen during the course of the next month. If somebody were to get hurt again, your back is against the wall."

The Cubs received a cash consideration in addition to Jackson for the No. 4 international draft spot and a player to be named.

Jackson seemed invigorated to join the Cubs, having played against center fielder Dexter Fowler and with outfielder Chris Denorfia and reliever Fernando Rodney.

"I've watched a lot of those young guys, and they're pretty good," Jackson told reporters. "It will be fun to join them.

"Anytime you can see that light at the end of the tunnel (of a possible playoff berth), it gives you that little bit of extra motivation every day when you're going after it."

Infielder Mike Olt was designated for assignment to make room for Jackson on the 40-man roster. Olt, 27, was the Cubs' opening-day third baseman but fractured his right wrist April 12. He was batting. 265 with nine home runs in 59 games with Triple-A Iowa.

After Monday's game, the Cubs promoted infielder Javier Baez, outfielder Quintin Berry and pitchers Tsuyoshi Wada and Trevor Cahill from Iowa.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...traded-cubs-bits-spt-0901-20150831-story.html

 

[Brian_Fantana]

Baez, Cahill, Berry and Wada up. Haven't heard who will be off the 40 man for Cahill and Berry. Olt already off after Jackson trade.

 

[lucas80]

Cristian Villanueva needs to be protected. He has shown great versatility this season, and could be a nice piece to play or trade next year.
I was in the bleachers last night. Suck fest, but not shocking since the team got in at 6 am. Hoping Baez starts tonight. I'm thinking about giving LF a try. I'm usually partial to the RF bleachers.
Either way there will be boobs all over the place. Hotties and ass bags from Naperville always come out when the Cubs are winning.

 

[MidMOhawk]

Baez starting at 2nd tonight.

 

[dgordo]

Russell and and soriano dfa'd.

 

[lucas80]

W.

 

[hawkifann]

That was a good win last night. Cincinnati fought hard, to their credit. Cubs had to hang tight and the kids delivered. Some big hits by Bryant and then the big blast by Schwarber. Nice work out of the pen, too, by Strop and Rondon. If Rondon can keep pitching like that, the Cubs are going to be in good shape.

This team continues to exceed my expectations. They could actually go under .500 the rest of the way (15-16) and win 90 games. The pressure is all on SF at this point and I'm really enjoying this. Nothing is guaranteed and they could still play their way out, but this is a team right now that sure looks like it could win more than 90 games. Kinda' mind-blowing, really.

 

[CuttyDoesIt]

That was a good win last night. Cincinnati fought hard, to their credit. Cubs had to hang tight and the kids delivered. Some big hits by Bryant and then the big blast by Schwarber. Nice work out of the pen, too, by Strop and Rondon. If Rondon can keep pitching like that, the Cubs are going to be in good shape.

This team continues to exceed my expectations. They could actually go under .500 the rest of the way (15-16) and win 90 games. The pressure is all on SF at this point and I'm really enjoying this. Nothing is guaranteed and they could still play their way out, but this is a team right now that sure looks like it could win more than 90 games. Kinda' mind-blowing, really.

fangraphs has the cubs at 96.4 % of making the wild card game. The cubs have a 6 game lead on the giants with 31 games and they dont play each other. I am not worried about the giants catching the cubs at all.

 

[hawkifann]

fangraphs has the cubs at 96.4 % of making the wild card game. The cubs have a 6 game lead on the giants with 31 games and they dont play each other. I am not worried about the giants catching the cubs at all.

I don't really either, I just put in the standard disclaimer to avoid being blamed for a "REAP IT!" event. Cubs are up 6.5 with 31 to go. If the Cubs go 16-15, SF has to finish 22-8 just to force a 1-game playoff. To avoid a REAP IT! moment, I certainly wouldn't mention that the Cubs' magic number is 25.

 

[hawkifann]

As we head into the last month, there aren't a ton of super-close races. Someone could collapse or get crazy-hot, but the best races are in the AL East, AL West and AL Wild Card. Current "magic" numbers (the magic number represents the combined number of wins by the leading team and losses by the closest trailing team needed to mathematically eliminate the competition):

American League
Toronto: 31 to win the AL East (25 to clinch playoff spot)
Kansas City: 21 to win the AL Central (21 to clinch playoff spot)
Houston: 28 to win the AL West (27 to clinch playoff spot)
NY Yankees: 27 to clinch a WC spot
Texas: 30 to clinch a WC spot

National League
NY Mets: 25 to win the NL East (25 to clinch playoff spot)
St. Louis: 26 to win the NL Central (14 to clinch playoff spot)
Los Angeles: 26 to win NL West
Pittsburgh: 20 to clinch a WC spot
Cubs: 25 to clinch a WC spot

 

[CuttyDoesIt]

Schwarber scratched today with a rib injury. having a 'precautionary MRI'

 

[hawkifann]

He must have really torqued through that HR swing last night.

 

[hawkifann]

Schwarber scratched today with a rib injury. having a 'precautionary MRI'

Sounds like he's going to miss up to 5 days with a rib strain. Hopefully that's all it takes.

 

[lucas80]

I'd like to see a sustained stretch with Baez and Russell in the line up. That would be the best defensive line up. Especially if their positions were switched.

 

[lucas80]

Sounds like he's going to miss up to 5 days with a rib strain. Hopefully that's all it takes.

Indeed. His actual production has been fabulous, but, he strikes fear into the hearts of opposing pitchers. That leads to better pitches for the guys in front of him, too. The kid is a 7 inning guy in the field, but, he has no fear in the batters box and he doesn't bring a previous bad AB up to bat with him the next time around.

 

[hawkifann]

Another great start by Arrieta. Rondon made it a little exciting, but it was a good win. Hopefully they can get the sweep tomorrow.

 

[Brian_Fantana]

I see Olt is in the White Sox lineup today. Really hoped he would pan out as he is a pretty good defender and has some pop.

 

[lucas80]

Great sweep of the D-Backs, and on to a critical series with the Cardinals. The Cubs need to show they can play tough against the Cardinals.

 

[hawkifann]

I see Olt is in the White Sox lineup today. Really hoped he would pan out as he is a pretty good defender and has some pop.

It would have been nice, but with Rizzo, Bryant and Schwarber, there wouldn't really be anywhere to put him.

 

[claykenny]

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.

Still has the 17th best WAR among starting pitchers. I guess it's not hurting him as much as you'd like to think.

 

[hawkifann]

Still has the 17th best WAR among starting pitchers. I guess it's not hurting him as much as you'd like to think.

It's still not easy to get on base against him...and even if the guy steals, someone still has to knock the runner in.

It's going to be a fun last month. 27 games to go, 7.5 games up over Washington and 8 over San Francisco.

 

[lucas80]

Laid the wood to the Cardinals today, and really opens the possibility for winning 2-3. That would be great before heading off to play the Phillies.

In other Cubs news it's nice to see that Chesny Young won the batting title for the Carolina League, and Wilson Contreras won the title in the Southern League. I saw Contreras play for Kane County, and he had one of those swings that produced great sounding hits. Waves of talent.

 

[pocha444444]

Still has the 17th best WAR among starting pitchers. I guess it's not hurting him as much as you'd like to think.

All I said is that I hate the guy (as a player) and gave my reasons for it. There's no doubting that he's a great pitcher. That doesn't mean I can't hate him for being a headcase and a non-athlete.

 

[pocha444444]

Still has the 17th best WAR among starting pitchers. I guess it's not hurting him as much as you'd like to think.

Also not sure where you're getting your info from. He's listed at #57 for all pitchers in WAR and only a few of the guys above him are relievers.

 

[claykenny]

Also not sure where you're getting your info from. He's listed at #57 for all pitchers in WAR and only a few of the guys above him are relievers.

Fan Graphs. I'm assuming you got yours from ESPN.

How can you take their WAR seriously when a guy like Yovani Gallardo is somehow #18 with a 5.69 K/9, 3.33 BB/9, 3.98 FIP, 4.36 xFIP, and a 1.35 WHIP?

 

[PhantomFlyer]

Fan Graphs. I'm assuming you got yours from ESPN.

How can you take their WAR seriously when a guy like Yovani Gallardo is somehow #18 with a 5.69 K/9, 3.33 BB/9, 3.98 FIP, 4.36 xFIP, and a 1.35 WHIP?

Agree. The only 2 sources I use are Baseball Reference and Fan Graphs. I've found myself preferring Fan Graphs more, although I do like how Baseball Reference breaks out the WAR between offense WAR and defense WAR, because I'm a little skeptical of the defensive metrics.

 

[hawkifann]

Nationals blow a 7-1 lead and lose at home to the Mets and the Cubs beat the Cardinals again. Cubs will have a 9-game lead over SF with 25 to play if the Giants hold their lead against AZ.

I love this team. They're getting something from everyone. Castro hits a HR and a double, scores three times and drives in four. Baez with 2 hard doubles. Rizzo with a bomb.

If the Cubs slump and finish 12-13 in their last 25, the Giants have to go on a 21-3 (20-3 if they win tonight) tear to force a playoff.

Hopefully Lester comes out strong tomorrow and the Cubs sweep on their way to PA.

 

[HawkeyeHitman]

They might catch the Cardinals. The Cards are starting to struggle at the wrong time. Injuries have finally caught up to them. I would not be surprised if they finish behind the Cubs and Pirates.

 

[hawkifann]

They might catch the Cardinals. The Cards are starting to struggle at the wrong time. Injuries have finally caught up to them. I would not be surprised if they finish behind the Cubs and Pirates.

It's possible, but the Cubs and/or Pirates will really have to take advantage of H-2-H games. Also, with Cubs and Pirates facing each other in 7 of the remaining 24, it's pretty unlikely that they both catch STL.

 

[pocha444444]

They might catch the Cardinals. The Cards are starting to struggle at the wrong time. Injuries have finally caught up to them. I would not be surprised if they finish behind the Cubs and Pirates.

I've been saying all along that the division wasn't out of the question. The Cards had to cool off at some point. Tomorrow is a big game for Lester to win to get to 5 back in the loss column with 3 more to play against the Cards at Wrigley.

 

[Dorrman]

Magic number is 16

 

[hawkifann]

Since Aug. 1, the Cubs are 25-10, Rizzo and Bryant have been largely great. Schwarber looks like he's ok, Russell is figuring things out and Baez looks much more comfortable this time up. Even Castro, who was such a mess most of the year, has handled his demotion with grace and has been a big contributor in his limited action since.

Joe Maddon is amazing and has probably all but locked up Manager of the Year this year....though Matheny should also get a lot of consideration.