2015 Cubs Offseason Discussion

[TL1961]

Of course they are dumping salary. You don't typically get a dodger/red sox like trade when dumping salary. More often the team wanting to dump the player has to eat money. I don't think Montero is worth $8 mil a year personally let alone $12 and then 2 years for $14. As such, I'd prefer it to be a salary swap. Why would they do that? Well for one they traded away McCarthy and may very well need to sign a back end rotation piece as a replacement. Jackson has 2 years $22 mil left. Montero has 3 years $40 mil. They would be saving $18 mil plus whatever they would have been paying to replace McCarthy in FA. Granted they'd be getting Jackson which is dubious at best but is that really any different than hoping on a low level prospect?

Hey, if you can get them to take jackson, I am all for it.. Love the idea, just not expecting it. Sounds as though AZ will get back minor league P that is not major league ready.

 

[beckdawg]

Hey, if you can get them to take jackson, I am all for it.. Love the idea, just not expecting it. Sounds as though AZ will get back minor league P that is not major league ready.

I don't know whether or not it's likely I'm just not a big Montero guy. I view him more as a platoon player with Castillo or even a back up rather than an everyday starter. The cubs would be paying $40 mil over 3 years for someone who's put up 2.1 fWAR over the past two seasons. As a comparison Kurt Suzuki got a 1 year deal last year for $2.75 mil. He put up 2 fWAR. I just don't see Montero's appeal if you're not only giving up anything even if it's basically nothing but also paying all of the money too. For example, is anyone besides the cubs openly in on Montero? On the open market he'd be worth maybe $7-8 mil tops.

 

[BrewCrewFan]

Not sure if I like this move for Chicago or not. Montero is gonna be 32 and he's due to make 40 M next 3 years. Offensively he has regressed every year.

 

[TL1961]

I don't know whether or not it's likely I'm just not a big Montero guy. I view him more as a platoon player with Castillo or even a back up rather than an everyday starter. The cubs would be paying $40 mil over 3 years for someone who's put up 2.1 fWAR over the past two seasons. As a comparison Kurt Suzuki got a 1 year deal last year for $2.75 mil. He put up 2 fWAR. I just don't see Montero's appeal if you're not only giving up anything even if it's basically nothing but also paying all of the money too. For example, is anyone besides the cubs openly in on Montero? On the open market he'd be worth maybe $7-8 mil tops.

Dodgers were reportedly looking to trade Eithier for him, but who knows how accurate that is or how serious the talks got.

 

[DewsSox79]

Not sure if I like this move for Chicago or not. Montero is gonna be 32 and he's due to make 40 M next 3 years. Offensively he has regressed every year.

yea we discussed him in the sox forum and the pros and cons. it should be bad contract for bad contract


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[Boobaby1]

yea we discussed him in the sox forum and the pros and cons. it should be bad contract for bad contract


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If the Cubs brass was talking about getting more left handed, why would you platoon this guy with Castillo if they do indeed sign him?

 

[JZsportsfan]

yea we discussed him in the sox forum and the pros and cons. it should be bad contract for bad contract


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The Cubs don't have any bad contracts in terms of players that still produce. (Edwin Jackson doesn't count nobody wants him)

 

[Zvbxrpl]

Not sure if I like this move for Chicago or not. Montero is gonna be 32 and he's due to make 40 M next 3 years. Offensively he has regressed every year.

But he calls a game way better than the idiot calling the game behind the plate now.

 

[Boobaby1]

Maybe they bring in Montero to get more left handed, trade Castillo to the Dodgers for one of their outfielders, and then sign Ross to back up Montero and to be Lester's personal catcher in my little fantasy world.

 

[TC in Mississippi]

Maybe they bring in Montero to get more left handed, trade Castillo to the Dodgers for one of their outfielders, and then sign Ross to back up Montero and to be Lester's personal catcher in my little fantasy world.

If they pick up Montero I would like to see them keep Castillo. Take a look at the career splits:

Montero (Left Handed Hitter): Career vs. RHP: .272/.356/.442

Castillo (Right Handed Hitter): Career vs. LHP: .306/.373/.472

A near straight platoon makes the Cubs one of the strongest in the league at C.

 

[Boobaby1]

If they pick up Montero I would like to see them keep Castillo. Take a look at the career splits:

Montero (Left Handed Hitter): Career vs. RHP: .272/.356/.442

Castillo (Right Handed Hitter): Career vs. LHP: .306/.373/.472

A near straight platoon makes the Cubs one of the strongest in the league at C.

Yeah! I figured they would keep him, but was merely joking on the Lester's "personal catcher" thing.

In retrospect, the fact that they failed to sign Martin for the years he got from the Jays, implies that the Cubs only had to go three years max to land a good rightie-leftie tandem, so in essence, they saved a lot of money to be used elsewhere.

 

[chibears55]

@CSNMooney: Theo: "We're not shopping (Castillo) at all. The second that the Montero news came out, we got calls from a number of teams about Wely."

@CSNMooney: Theo: "We'll always listen, just because it would be crazy not to listen. But we really like the way (Montero and Castillo) fit together."

 

[brett05]

With the past few days for the Cubs I think they absolutely break camp with Bryant on the team.

 

[TC in Mississippi]

With the past few days for the Cubs I think they absolutely break camp with Bryant on the team.

That just doesn't make sense. I think he only has to stay down until something like 4/24 for the extra year of control. Why would you jump the gun? If they were going to do that they could have done it in September. Same difference.

 

[brett05]

That just doesn't make sense. I think he only has to stay down until something like 4/24 for the extra year of control. Why would you jump the gun? If they were going to do that they could have done it in September. Same difference.

They have high, high potential now. It makes no sense to keep him down. The Cubs show they are willing to spend and should break camp with the best 25 man roster possible. That's the point of baseball. He isn't ever making it to Free Agency anyway.

 

[TC in Mississippi]

They have high, high potential now. It makes no sense to keep him down. The Cubs show they are willing to spend and should break camp with the best 25 man roster possible. That's the point of baseball. He isn't ever making it to Free Agency anyway.

You might be right. Certainly Joe Maddon will want him on the team and maybe he wins that fight. From a front a front office standpoint I maximize my assets.

 

[beckdawg]

Maybe its just me but I feel like the cubs and the dodgers will get together for one of their OFs. Ideally the cubs could move Jackson for say Crawford and a little money. Crawford checks so many boxes on what the team has stated they want. He's left handed. He's a vet. He's a decent on base type. He adds speed. He's a plus defender. With the cubs signing both Lester and Hammel they are running out of rotation spots. Arrieta and Hendricks are undoubtably their 2/4 pitchers leaving one rotation spot for Wood/Doubront/Straily/Jokish/Turner/Wada.....etc. In other words, it seems like a Jackson move has to happen. The dodgers lost several pitchers to FA/Retirement and Jackson's only got two years left. Consider it would be bad contract for bad contract, 2 years at $11 mil a pop for a 5th/6th starter isn't that bad for them.

 

[TC in Mississippi]

My problem with Crawford is blocking that LF spot. I still think Bryant is a LF and even if he sticks at 3B Schwarber certainly is and I'm guessing with the Montero acquisition the catching experiment ends soon. Granted Schwarber is likely a 2016 problem but LF is really the only clearly open position and I'd hate to block to potential power hitters.

 

[TL1961]

That just doesn't make sense. I think he only has to stay down until something like 4/24 for the extra year of control. Why would you jump the gun? If they were going to do that they could have done it in September. Same difference.

You're correct. They will have a lot of players coming up for big paydays at some point down the road. Why accelerate that for three weeks? It's easy to say it is to better contend in 2015, but they aren't trying to turn this into a 5 year window. They want sustained success. They don't need to be in a situation where they have to blow things up in 2020 or whenever.

Then again, they'll have the TV $ by then. But the only people who say the Cubs should piss away a year of an experience Bryant for three weeks of raw rookie are the ones who desperately want to find something negative.

 

[TL1961]

My problem with Crawford is blocking that LF spot. I still think Bryant is a LF and even if he sticks at 3B Schwarber certainly is and I'm guessing with the Montero acquisition the catching experiment ends soon. Granted Schwarber is likely a 2016 problem but LF is really the only clearly open position and I'd hate to block to potential power hitters.

I have always said I would be surprised if Schwarber is ever a C at the MLB level. But Montero has little to no bearing on Schwarber, given the timing.