2016 position players

[SilenceS]

The Cubs are in a playoff hunt. Im going to watch the playoff hunt.

 

[CSF77]

I would trade Castro for Niese. Sign Latos. He is too talented to not be fixable. Then try to get a top end closer in a trade.

Then sign Jackson to a 1 year deal.

If they can get Latos' potential out again he becomes a strong #3. Add to it a power arm.

I would like to say Zimmerman but I doubt they give up a pick. They might if the plan is soak a sandwich pick on Fowler to make up for losing their 1st round.

My opinion is if you plan on losing a 1st round pick it has to be on Zimmerman

 

[Boobaby1]

I would trade Castro for Niese. Sign Latos. He is too talented to not be fixable. Then try to get a top end closer in a trade.

Then sign Jackson to a 1 year deal.

If they can get Latos' potential out again he becomes a strong #3. Add to it a power arm.

I would like to say Zimmerman but I doubt they give up a pick. They might if the plan is soak a sandwich pick on Fowler to make up for losing their 1st round.

My opinion is if you plan on losing a 1st round pick it has to be on Zimmerman

I want no part of Niese in the rotation. He is 28 and his WHIP is not acceptable to me.

I agree with a Latos project, and then throwing a prospect package at the Mets for Steven Matz. Something in the line of Soler and McKinney perhaps. That still leaves them with Harvey, Syndergaard, deGrom, and Wheeler, and they could use the hitting.

He is the lefty I would target at 24 years old.

 

[CSF77]

I don't think they would give him up

 

[CSF77]

Better chance of getting either Johnson or Hendry from Boston. They still have Ball. They have 3 and can afford to move 1. Mets only has Matz. No way they do that

 

[chibears55]

They will sign david price and either simply stay with Hammel and Hendricks or use Castro and or Soler to get a young starter over one of them..

This is going to be a pretty easy offseason for the cubs as far as obtaining needed players..

What on their list to do..

TOR sttarter (price )
Maybe upgrade over Hammel or Hendricks
CF ( retain Fowler or Jackson )
LH reliever
a RH backup Catcher if they dump Ross

Decide where they want Bryant to play everyday
3B or RF

 

[Diehardfan]

They will sign david price and either simply stay with Hammel and Hendricks or use Castro and or Soler to get a young starter over one of them..

This is going to be a pretty easy offseason for the cubs as far as obtaining needed players..

What on their list to do..

TOR sttarter (price )
Maybe upgrade over Hammel or Hendricks
CF ( retain Fowler or Jackson )
LH reliever
a RH backup Catcher if they dump Ross

Decide where they want Bryant to play everyday
3B or RF

Do you really think the Cubs will tie up close to $400 million in two pitchers? No way they sign Price. You sign Zimmerman and drop Hammel and Hendricks down to four and five which is a better fit for them. It's also reasonable to assume at 25, that Hendicks will improve his game and drop Hammel to five.

Why do they have to decide where to play Bryant? They have a very unique situation where they have interchangeable parts for 6 different positions. It gives you fantastic depth, keeps everyone hungry and improves your bench immensely with a couple of great pinch hitters at the manager's disposal at all times. That's not even taking into account the havoc injuries can bring to a team....Cubs have been pretty lucky on the injury front, no guarantee that happens next year. Way too much emphasis on having players slotted for a particular position...a peg in every hole. It's simply not needed on this team....of course, Maddon has to convince his players this will work and he's making a pretty strong case for it right now.

I do agree they could use a lefty in the pen that actually gave left handed hitters problems....maybe Jeremy Affeldt. You add him and Ramirez gets back to where he was....your pen is in decent condition.

 

[CSF77]

Zimmerman would cost 150 mil and a pick. Only way they go after Price is if he accepts under 170 mil.

They have an ace in Arrieta. They do not need a upgrade

 

[chibears55]

Do you really think the Cubs will tie up close to $400 million in two pitchers? No way they sign Price. You sign Zimmerman and drop Hammel and Hendricks down to four and five which is a better fit for them. It's also reasonable to assume at 25, that Hendicks will improve his game and drop Hammel to five.

Why do they have to decide where to play Bryant? They have a very unique situation where they have interchangeable parts for 6 different positions. It gives you fantastic depth, keeps everyone hungry and improves your bench immensely with a couple of great pinch hitters at the manager's disposal at all times. That's not even taking into account the havoc injuries can bring to a team....Cubs have been pretty lucky on the injury front, no guarantee that happens next year. Way too much emphasis on having players slotted for a particular position...a peg in every hole. It's simply not needed on this team....of course, Maddon has to convince his players this will work and he's making a pretty strong case for it right now.

I do agree they could use a lefty in the pen that actually gave left handed hitters problems....maybe Jeremy Affeldt. You add him and Ramirez gets back to where he was....your pen is in decent condition.

Isnt that the plan ? Build an offense with young affordable studs that will be under team control for next 5+ yrs and put all the money into pitching. .

Lets not forget the organization is about to become flooded with revenue within the next 5 years.

Their going to start seeing 3 mil in attendance again
Big time advertising intake with video board etc..
Then the major income with new tv deal in a couple yrs..

Besides Arrieta in 3 yrs., they dont have any key players they need to worry about paying for a few years..

Obligated payroll drops big time over next 5 yrs. and like i said all the main players are under team control and wont cost a ton in Arb., etc..

So, yes they can and most likely will pay 2 TOR Sp close to 400 mil over next 5 + yrs..

The key to this team is to make sure they start drafting or trafing for some future Aces in these next 5 yrs to be ready to step in once Lester Arrieta and Price move on and they have to start paying the hitters..

 

[Diehardfan]

You can bookmark this if you care to but there is no way that's gonna happen...not even sure the Yankees would be that financially insane.

I was the only guy who said Schwarber would play a part in this....I might be the only guy who thinks this is stupid. I'll say the same thing I said with Schwarber...

we'll see.

 

[chibears55]

You can bookmark this if you care to but there is no way that's gonna happen...not even sure the Yankees would be that financially insane.

I was the only guy who said Schwarber would play a part in this....I might be the only guy who thinks this is stupid. I'll say the same thing I said with Schwarber...

we'll see.

Cubs are about to have revenue equal to or more then where the Dodgers are at. .

Dodgers carry two stud starters with a combine 57.5 mil per
Plus they have 3 position players making 20 per each..


Difference between dodgers and cubs, cubs won't have any high priced position players for a while so payroll wont be crazy

Seriously , if you give Zimmerman 20-22 per or Price 28-30 per.. 6 to 10 mil per more isnt exactly going to break them

If Price is top FA for Cubs and Price wants to be a Cub , then a deal will be made..

 

[Bear Pride]

I don't think the Cubs will be in any hurry to trade anyone, except for Castro, imo. The best thing the Cubs have going for them is position flexibility. I don't see this changing. Therefore, I don't see the need to 'lock' players into a position at this point. I think development will answer who starts moving forward.

I think the Cubs will prefer to keep their players and add in FA'cy as well. I think Zobrist could finally find his way to Wrigley as a FA as he could replace a couple roster spots. Unlike a lot of you guys, I don't think the Cubs will push their infielders to the OF. I think they will add a stud OF somehow.

Fowler's and Jackson's future will be intertwined on that addition, imo. They very well could use Fowler and Jackson against each other salary wise to see who will sign for less. I really think they would Love to add a stud OF to the existing mix of players, however.

Zobrist would allow a lot of flexibilty moving forward, however, and give the Cubs a leadoff guy if Fowler doesn't sign. I think Schwarber will be given every chance to be the Catcher as well, but not meaning Miggy won't be here as I like what he's done.

The Cubs could be much more silent on the FA front then people think, imo, as pitching will be the #1 priority, imo. I believe they will sign another top pitcher to add to the rotation. Zimmerman would be nice, imo.

I think the Cubs will also try to sign another closer to add to the bullpen as I think Maddon has had his fill with Strop. I could actually see them go after a #1 closer if possible. Adding another TOR will push some other guys to the middle relief.

I see 3 main moves for a TOR, a closer, and a player like Zobrist. I'd Love to see the Cubs land a stud LF as well, but I wouldn't be mad if we stuck Schwarber there for now and Miggy behind the plate.

For me, I'd like to see a lineup like this.......

Infield of:

Bryant - 3B
Russell - SS
Baez - 2B
Rizzo - 1B
Schwarber - C

Outfield of:

New Stud - LF
Fowler/Zobrist/Jackson - CF
Soler - RF

Note: Schwarber in LF and Miggy at catcher is ok with me, however.

Rotation:

Arrietta
Lester
Zimmerman
.......

----------------------------------------------------------

To me, however, the position flexibility is a major strength that Maddon will continue to use, and makes this a tough thread, but the Cubs definitely have the tools to compete moving forward. I still think that a major star OF is the missing link.

 

[DanTown]

Cubs are about to have revenue equal to or more then where the Dodgers are at. .

Dodgers carry two stud starters with a combine 57.5 mil per
Plus they have 3 position players making 20 per each..


Difference between dodgers and cubs, cubs won't have any high priced position players for a while so payroll wont be crazy

Seriously , if you give Zimmerman 20-22 per or Price 28-30 per.. 6 to 10 mil per more isnt exactly going to break them

If Price is top FA for Cubs and Price wants to be a Cub , then a deal will be made..

One, Ricketts (the family) is not nearly as rich as the Dodgers ownership group.

Two, the Dogers have a massive TV contract that gives them more money than any non Yankees team.

Three, the Dogers Chavez Ravine is so massive that even though they only sell about 85% of the tickets, they still get 46K a night (they're going to end with about 850K more people than the Cubs).

Four, the Dodgers and the Cubs are not going to devote the same amount of money to the team as the Dodgers are significantly more likely to put "extra" money into the team versus just what the revenue gives the team.

Five, the Dodgers don't have a rash of young guys they're going to have to pay in the next few years like the Cubs will have in the middle of any long term pitching contract.

Seriously, the Cubs are not going to have a 300-350 million payroll in three-four years and that's exactly what signing Price/Arrieta would mean.

 

[SilenceS]

One, Ricketts (the family) is not nearly as rich as the Dodgers ownership group.

Two, the Dogers have a massive TV contract that gives them more money than any non Yankees team.

Three, the Dogers Chavez Ravine is so massive that even though they only sell about 85% of the tickets, they still get 46K a night (they're going to end with about 850K more people than the Cubs).

Four, the Dodgers and the Cubs are not going to devote the same amount of money to the team as the Dodgers are significantly more likely to put "extra" money into the team versus just what the revenue gives the team.

Five, the Dodgers don't have a rash of young guys they're going to have to pay in the next few years like the Cubs will have in the middle of any long term pitching contract.

Seriously, the Cubs are not going to have a 300-350 million payroll in three-four years and that's exactly what signing Price/Arrieta would mean.

Couple of things, the Cubs don't have to pay any of their position players for the next 7 years. That would be towards the end of any long term FA pitching signed this off season. Lester will be coming off the books. Depending on how they go with CF and maybe RF will be the only paying they will do. they could lock them up early, but that would be team friendly deals if they did that.

Also, in 2019 the Cubs are probably going to get the richest, if not the richest, one of the richest TV contracts in baseball. The Ricketts are buying up Wrigleyville to make a fortune. This whole the Cubs aren't going to have a high payroll is pretty non existent. Will they spend like the Dodgers? Don't know, but it won't be for the lack of available funds. The Cubs plan was to homegrown position players and buy pitching. Jon Lester signing shows that is their plan.

The Cubs are worth 1.8 billion. The Dodgers are worth 2.4 billion. After the tv deal, which like I said, is going to be one of the biggest in history. I wouldn't put any limitations on what they could do.

 

[DanTown]

Couple of things, the Cubs don't have to pay any of their position players for the next 7 years. That would be towards the end of any long term FA pitching signed this off season. Lester will be coming off the books. Depending on how they go with CF and maybe RF will be the only paying they will do. they could lock them up early, but that would be team friendly deals if they did that.

Also, in 2019 the Cubs are probably going to get the richest, if not the richest, one of the richest TV contracts in baseball. The Ricketts are buying up Wrigleyville to make a fortune. This whole the Cubs aren't going to have a high payroll is pretty non existent. Will they spend like the Dodgers? Don't know, but it won't be for the lack of available funds. The Cubs plan was to homegrown position players and buy pitching. Jon Lester signing shows that is their plan.

The Cubs are worth 1.8 billion. The Dodgers are worth 2.4 billion. After the tv deal, which like I said, is going to be one of the biggest in history. I wouldn't put any limitations on what they could do.

Just because they're pre-FA doesn't mean they'd be cheap. If Bryant/Schwarber/Baez/Russell are as good as hope/projected than you're still looking at a non-negligible cost to have them in 2019/2020 (which by the way is still a ton of money owed to Lester) PLUS the money that it would cost to simply Arrieta and some TOR guy. When you talk about adding an arm like Price, you're talking 85 million plus on just three pitchers. It does not seem like Ricketts wants to run around with 200+ million payrolls even if they could afford it.

You can sit here and say "The Cubs are doing all these things" yet why did the Cubs have to sell 20% of the team for basically the cash to do the renovations? Sure the Cubs will have money but there's nothing that says Ricketts will send it back entirely into the roster ala the Dodgers. Plus, the Cubs still have the debt to pay back for when they bought the team.

It's simply fantasy to believe the Cubs will start opening up the purse strings to Dodgers like proportions.

 

[CSF77]

I don't think the Cubs will be in any hurry to trade anyone, except for Castro, imo. The best thing the Cubs have going for them is position flexibility. I don't see this changing. Therefore, I don't see the need to 'lock' players into a position at this point. I think development will answer who starts moving forward.

I think the Cubs will prefer to keep their players and add in FA'cy as well. I think Zobrist could finally find his way to Wrigley as a FA as he could replace a couple roster spots. Unlike a lot of you guys, I don't think the Cubs will push their infielders to the OF. I think they will add a stud OF somehow.

Fowler's and Jackson's future will be intertwined on that addition, imo. They very well could use Fowler and Jackson against each other salary wise to see who will sign for less. I really think they would Love to add a stud OF to the existing mix of players, however.

Zobrist would allow a lot of flexibilty moving forward, however, and give the Cubs a leadoff guy if Fowler doesn't sign. I think Schwarber will be given every chance to be the Catcher as well, but not meaning Miggy won't be here as I like what he's done.

The Cubs could be much more silent on the FA front then people think, imo, as pitching will be the #1 priority, imo. I believe they will sign another top pitcher to add to the rotation. Zimmerman would be nice, imo.

I think the Cubs will also try to sign another closer to add to the bullpen as I think Maddon has had his fill with Strop. I could actually see them go after a #1 closer if possible. Adding another TOR will push some other guys to the middle relief.

I see 3 main moves for a TOR, a closer, and a player like Zobrist. I'd Love to see the Cubs land a stud LF as well, but I wouldn't be mad if we stuck Schwarber there for now and Miggy behind the plate.

For me, I'd like to see a lineup like this.......

Infield of:

Bryant - 3B
Russell - SS
Baez - 2B
Rizzo - 1B
Schwarber - C

Outfield of:

New Stud - LF
Fowler/Zobrist/Jackson - CF
Soler - RF

Note: Schwarber in LF and Miggy at catcher is ok with me, however.

Rotation:

Arrietta
Lester
Zimmerman
.......

----------------------------------------------------------

To me, however, the position flexibility is a major strength that Maddon will continue to use, and makes this a tough thread, but the Cubs definitely have the tools to compete moving forward. I still think that a major star OF is the missing link.

I see the ideal team as:

Schwarber LF. His D is not bad at all at LF. Good arm. He looks to be an asset there. Bat is a huge plus.
Jackson CF. Sign him to a 1 year deal to let him gain his contract value again.
Bryant RF. His size and arm should play better in RF.
Baez 3B. His D is superior to Bryant's at 3B
Russell SS
Castro 2B His D is not a liability here.
Rizzo 1B
Montero C

So the team would be built with the best D in mind. Schwarber is a liability at C but LF he is not. Soler runs bad routes and his O has not been what you would want form a primer power position. Bryant profiles better in RF. Castro needs to build up his value again as does Jackson. Cubs would be looking at Happ and Almora as their long term answers and it is better to have the expendables manning those positions. Happ will take longer and Castro has more control. Almora will be 1 year out so a short term contract makes sense as a filler deal.

That is what I see as making the most sense.

So I can see them spending 8 mil on Jackson.

The pen needs a high leverage pitcher. Sure they will have Rondon, Stop, Grimm, Edwards and Ramirez. But I have seen injury and inconsistency as a result of this. They need a top end closer to end the issue. Again Padres seem like the trade partner you want. Kimbrel and Ross. Trade them a package centered around Soler. They are losing Upton and they need a MI in a bad way.

Interesting trade would be Soler and Castro for Ross and Kimbrel. At that point you give 2B to Coghlan full time. He has pretty much earned that respect. Just put the kids to work this offseason in perfecting their D.

What that does is put the rotation at Arrieta, Lester, Ross, Hammel, Hendricks. Pen at Kimbrel, Rondon, Grimm, Strop, Ramirez, Edwards, Rosscup and 1 open spot.

Line up: Jackson, Schwarber, Coghlan, Rizzo, Bryant, Baez, Montero, pitcher, Russell. Bench, Ross, Szczur, LaStella, open spot.

Payroll would still have flexibility where they can start to lock up their long term assets.

My opinion is the team has more than 1 need going on right now. So going all in with Price only glosses over the real issues. We all got worked up over Lester and to be honest he has only been a minor factor this year. So going all in is an illusion.

 

[TC in Mississippi]

Just because they're pre-FA doesn't mean they'd be cheap. If Bryant/Schwarber/Baez/Russell are as good as hope/projected than you're still looking at a non-negligible cost to have them in 2019/2020 (which by the way is still a ton of money owed to Lester) PLUS the money that it would cost to simply Arrieta and some TOR guy. When you talk about adding an arm like Price, you're talking 85 million plus on just three pitchers. It does not seem like Ricketts wants to run around with 200+ million payrolls even if they could afford it.

You can sit here and say "The Cubs are doing all these things" yet why did the Cubs have to sell 20% of the team for basically the cash to do the renovations? Sure the Cubs will have money but there's nothing that says Ricketts will send it back entirely into the roster ala the Dodgers. Plus, the Cubs still have the debt to pay back for when they bought the team.

It's simply fantasy to believe the Cubs will start opening up the purse strings to Dodgers like proportions.

The Dodgers have a $330 million payroll. I think it's safe to say that the Cubs will never approach that. On the other hand they are a big market club, the team was purchased for approximately $870K and is now worth $2 billion and they will be refinancing and restructuring in the next year so I don't think $200 million is going to be out of the question eventually. In addition to what I just mentioned he TV deal will likely be signed by late 2017 and they will have that windfall to borrow against. Plus the revenues from the renovated park and surrounding areas are going to be astronomical. The Ricketts' may not have come into this as extremely wealthy owners but they day is coming soon.

The other piece to this is I don't believe this lineup will ever be stagnant. Guys will be traded and never make it to their FA deals, others will sign favorable extensions and even those guys could be dealt. These guys are going to maintain a strong farm system allowing them roster flexibility. If they need to free up salary for pitching they'll have options, trades, prospects etc. I do not believe that payroll will be a huge barrier to success. They will spend what they have to.

 

[Parade_Rain]

If baseball knows what's good for itself, eventually they'll cap the top teams. The salaries of the richest teams are simply outrageous and out of control. Note: I am not saying a cap like the NFL where every team has the same payroll.

 

[DanTown]

I see the ideal team as:

Schwarber LF. His D is not bad at all at LF. Good arm. He looks to be an asset there. Bat is a huge plus.
Jackson CF. Sign him to a 1 year deal to let him gain his contract value again.
Bryant RF. His size and arm should play better in RF.
Baez 3B. His D is superior to Bryant's at 3B
Russell SS
Castro 2B His D is not a liability here.
Rizzo 1B
Montero C

So the team would be built with the best D in mind. Schwarber is a liability at C but LF he is not. Soler runs bad routes and his O has not been what you would want form a primer power position. Bryant profiles better in RF. Castro needs to build up his value again as does Jackson. Cubs would be looking at Happ and Almora as their long term answers and it is better to have the expendables manning those positions. Happ will take longer and Castro has more control. Almora will be 1 year out so a short term contract makes sense as a filler deal.

That is what I see as making the most sense.

So I can see them spending 8 mil on Jackson.

The pen needs a high leverage pitcher. Sure they will have Rondon, Stop, Grimm, Edwards and Ramirez. But I have seen injury and inconsistency as a result of this. They need a top end closer to end the issue. Again Padres seem like the trade partner you want. Kimbrel and Ross. Trade them a package centered around Soler. They are losing Upton and they need a MI in a bad way.

Interesting trade would be Soler and Castro for Ross and Kimbrel. At that point you give 2B to Coghlan full time. He has pretty much earned that respect. Just put the kids to work this offseason in perfecting their D.

What that does is put the rotation at Arrieta, Lester, Ross, Hammel, Hendricks. Pen at Kimbrel, Rondon, Grimm, Strop, Ramirez, Edwards, Rosscup and 1 open spot.

Line up: Jackson, Schwarber, Coghlan, Rizzo, Bryant, Baez, Montero, pitcher, Russell. Bench, Ross, Szczur, LaStella, open spot.

Payroll would still have flexibility where they can start to lock up their long term assets.

My opinion is the team has more than 1 need going on right now. So going all in with Price only glosses over the real issues. We all got worked up over Lester and to be honest he has only been a minor factor this year. So going all in is an illusion.

I don't get this "we can't resign Fowler because Almora is so close" argument. Almora put up a fairly average year in AA this year at a so-so age of 21 so at best you'd argue that he's two years away (2017) and even then, you're trying to project a bat that doesn't have a ton of power in it and a guy who doesn't have a great walk rate to be what exactly? The Cubs are already one of the five best teams in the NL right now and this "get rid of veterans we know are good" argument doesn't sit well with me. The Cubs have needed Fowler's lead-off ability to get themselves 20 over .500 and they don't have anyone in the system who projects to replace that unless you do something drastic like move Schwarber to the lead-off spot.

I think the off-season wish list is back end bullpen arm, a #3 starter clearly better than Hammel, a lefty who gets lefties out, and then giving Schwarber another year platooning C/LF. Considering the Cubs still have another year of arbitration with Coghlan, I say be patient for a year before you start committing to what the 2017-2019 core looks like.

C - Montero, Ross
IF - Rizzo, Baez, LaStella, Castro, Russell, Bryant
OF - Coghlan, Schwarber, Soler, Fowler
Last bat: Alcantra/Sczur/Villaneuva/some cheap FA

That to me makes more sense than trading off guys who still may be good for you. Soler for Kimbrel/Ross or something sounds great but if SD doesn't bite at that, then what? What if Soler rebounds to be closer to 2013 than 2014? What if Schwarber develops a catching ability? What if Almora has peaked? This would leave Joe with a 7/8 man bullpen (if he gets a better third starter he might be more inclined to go with 7 arms) and leave the Cubs some payroll flexibility with regards to their bullpen/3rd starter options.

Basically, I get the idea about wanting to move Schwarber out of the plate but the Cubs have so many good bats/fielders they can put out there if Schwarber is catching that I think one more year to decide what's best makes sense to me. I mean the only guy who will give you more overall C is Posey, that's how good the bat is. And if you open LF for Bryant/Soler to get Baez at 3B, you theoretically improve the offense (Baez/Soler in for Monetro), you improve the 3B defense (Baez over Bryant) and you improve the RF defense (Bryant over Soler).

 

[SilenceS]

I don't get this "we can't resign Fowler because Almora is so close" argument. Almora put up a fairly average year in AA this year at a so-so age of 21 so at best you'd argue that he's two years away (2017) and even then, you're trying to project a bat that doesn't have a ton of power in it and a guy who doesn't have a great walk rate to be what exactly? The Cubs are already one of the five best teams in the NL right now and this "get rid of veterans we know are good" argument doesn't sit well with me. The Cubs have needed Fowler's lead-off ability to get themselves 20 over .500 and they don't have anyone in the system who projects to replace that unless you do something drastic like move Schwarber to the lead-off spot.

I think the off-season wish list is back end bullpen arm, a #3 starter clearly better than Hammel, a lefty who gets lefties out, and then giving Schwarber another year platooning C/LF. Considering the Cubs still have another year of arbitration with Coghlan, I say be patient for a year before you start committing to what the 2017-2019 core looks like.

C - Montero, Ross
IF - Rizzo, Baez, LaStella, Castro, Russell, Bryant
OF - Coghlan, Schwarber, Soler, Fowler
Last bat: Alcantra/Sczur/Villaneuva/some cheap FA

That to me makes more sense than trading off guys who still may be good for you. Soler for Kimbrel/Ross or something sounds great but if SD doesn't bite at that, then what? What if Soler rebounds to be closer to 2013 than 2014? What if Schwarber develops a catching ability? What if Almora has peaked? This would leave Joe with a 7/8 man bullpen (if he gets a better third starter he might be more inclined to go with 7 arms) and leave the Cubs some payroll flexibility with regards to their bullpen/3rd starter options.

Basically, I get the idea about wanting to move Schwarber out of the plate but the Cubs have so many good bats/fielders they can put out there if Schwarber is catching that I think one more year to decide what's best makes sense to me. I mean the only guy who will give you more overall C is Posey, that's how good the bat is. And if you open LF for Bryant/Soler to get Baez at 3B, you theoretically improve the offense (Baez/Soler in for Monetro), you improve the 3B defense (Baez over Bryant) and you improve the RF defense (Bryant over Soler).

You don't want to tie up money for top end starter because the Cubs won't have enough, but you want to pay Fowler 75-100 million? Thats what he is going to get in the off season.

Another question, have you ever seen Almora play? He would put Fowler to shame in OF defense. Also, he absolutely crushed in the second half. Reading total results in the minors does very little because it is about progression. He is still 21 and is ML ready now with the glove. Im not even this huge Almora fan, but I want no part of a bidding war for Dexter Fowler.