2016's Around Major League Baseball

[TC in Mississippi]

True, but you also can't field a team with one player, and by the time the Angels restock their farm at 75 wins per season Trout will be a FA...and he'll leave for absolutely nothing in return. They can either limp along for the next four years and waste Trout's baseball value, or they can trade him and waste his business value while restocking their org. They're stuck in one of those proverbs about a rock and a hard place.

Yeah, that Pujols contract was one of the worst of all time. Not a lot of way out for them, especially without trading Trout.

 

[TL1961]

We should probably just go ahead and sticky an official "Should the Cubs trade for Mike Trout?" thread.

Where would he play? ?

 

[fatbeard]

Where would he play? ?

LF/CF of course, while Almora and Schwarber platoon. Soler gets shipped to the Angels as part of the swap. Get on it Theo!

 

[TL1961]

It.
Was.
A.
Joke.

 

[fatbeard]

It.
Was.
A.
Joke.

Really?

 

[Diehardfan]

Actually moving Trout is viable. Now you won't find any teams willing to vaporize their farm system, even if they could, to get one player. But I'll bet they could find a few teams that would move a combination of solid, older vets along with some great prospects. Make the move and if those vets play well enough, you flip them at the trade deadline for some more good prospects. It requires getting the right vets...solid players with trade-able contracts. A lot of due diligence is involved as far as needs and if certain players are available either now or down the road. But when the smoke clears you could end up with 4 or 5 very good, young players and the rebuild is under way.

 

[fatbeard]

Actually moving Trout is viable. Now you won't find any teams willing to vaporize their farm system, even if they could, to get one player. But I'll bet they could find a few teams that would move a combination of solid, older vets along with some great prospects. Make the move and if those vets play well enough, you flip them at the trade deadline for some more good prospects. It requires getting the right vets...solid players with trade-able contracts. A lot of due diligence is involved as far as needs and if certain players are available either now or down the road. But when the smoke clears you could end up with 4 or 5 very good, young players and the rebuild is under way.

The Angels aren't going to move him, but it's fun to speculate what it might take. The Cubs could put together a decent package, some combination of:

Soler
Hendricks/Warren
Happ
Torres
Vogelbach/McKinney
MiLB arm (Cease?)

Schwarber, Baez, Contreras, Almora I hang on to. Contreras/Montero platoon next year. Schwarber/Almora platoon. Trout plays LF/CF depending on whether Schwarber or Almora are in the lineup.

2017 Lineups that will never happen:

vs RHP:
1. L Heyward RF
2. S Zobrist 2B
3. R Trout CF
4. L Rizzo 1B
5. R Bryant 3B
6. L Schwarber LF
7. R Russell SS
8. L Montero C
9. Pitcher

vs. LHP:
1. L Heyward RF
2. S Zobrist 2B
3. R Trout LF
4. L Rizzo 1B
5. R Bryant 3B
6. R Russell SS
7. R Contreras C
8. Pitcher
9. R Almora CF

 

[TL1961]

Cubs have built great team with great depth, much of it cost controlled, which allows them to keep this core together for years.

But fans still get mezmerized when someone flashes a shiny object in front of them, and want to give up a ton.

What is wrong with current roster?

 

[Diehardfan]

Cubs have built great team with great depth, much of it cost controlled, which allows them to keep this core together for years.

But fans still get mezmerized when someone flashes a shiny object in front of them, and want to give up a ton.

What is wrong with current roster?

Not a thing. If you're referring to my post, I was thinking of other clubs. You just don't go out a blow up years of rebuilding for one guy....I don't care if that guy is Willie Mays reincarnated.

 

[fatbeard]

Cubs have built great team with great depth, much of it cost controlled, which allows them to keep this core together for years.

But fans still get mezmerized when someone flashes a shiny object in front of them, and want to give up a ton.

What is wrong with current roster?

What in the world are you talking about?

 

[TL1961]

Not a thing. If you're referring to my post, I was thinking of other clubs. You just don't go out a blow up years of rebuilding for one guy....I don't care if that guy is Willie Mays reincarnated.

Agreed.

 

[TC in Mississippi]

Not a thing. If you're referring to my post, I was thinking of other clubs. You just don't go out a blow up years of rebuilding for one guy....I don't care if that guy is Willie Mays reincarnated.

Of course Trout makes no sense for the Cubs. I can't imagine anyone would think it did. I'm thinking more of the game itself and frankly, if I'm the Angels I'm thinking about my team. Going forward they have $60 mil/year tied up in two players one of whom sucks. They have no pitching, no farm system and very little talent outside Trout and Androlton Simmons who they grossly overpaid for. Blow it up, get a haul, move forward. Plus from the baseball side you want one of your most marketable stars, a generational talent, playing for a team that doesn't blow. It all makes sense therefore it will not happen.

 

[Shawon0Meter]

If any other player had a homerun trot this slow, they'd be getting a bruise the next at bat :lol:

[video=youtube;MzLERV9l9Vs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzLERV9l9Vs[/video]

 

[Parade_Rain]

How is Philadelphia 4 games over .500? Easy schedule or are they better this season?

 

[TC in Mississippi]

How is Philadelphia 4 games over .500? Easy schedule or are they better this season?

They're getting some good pitching first off. They're not good enough to actually contend just get but if they hang around long enough they could be a buyer at the deadline. Who'd a thunk that the top 4 teams in the NL East would be separated by three games while the second and third teams in the Central would be 7.5 and 9 games respectively?

 

[chibears55]

Cubs have built great team with great depth, much of it cost controlled, which allows them to keep this core together for years.

But fans still get mezmerized when someone flashes a shiny object in front of them, and want to give up a ton.

What is wrong with current roster?

For this year, I think they could try and stabilize LF..
Improve the rotation

Beyond this year...
Catcher, 2B, LF, and CF are still positions that are unset

There possibilities in system but nothing set in stone like Rizzo at 1B and Heyward in RF the next couple years

Sent from my LG-V495 using Tapatalk

 

[baselman1974]

They're getting some good pitching first off. They're not good enough to actually contend just get but if they hang around long enough they could be a buyer at the deadline. Who'd a thunk that the top 4 teams in the NL East would be separated by three games while the second and third teams in the Central would be 7.5 and 9 games respectively?

The Mets and Nationals are really good. That's no surprise. Philly will fade. Just not enough talent to keep up. Cardinals are going on their downward slide. They are getting up there in age and its time for a rebuild. The Pirates are the one who will get better, and they had a slow start. Just the Cubs are playing .800 ball. What team can keep up with that?

 

[TC in Mississippi]

For this year, I think they could try and stabilize LF..
Improve the rotation

Beyond this year...
Catcher, 2B, LF, and CF are still positions that are unset

There possibilities in system but nothing set in stone like Rizzo at 1B and Heyward in RF the next couple years

Sent from my LG-V495 using Tapatalk

I think it would be a waste of valuable resources to trade for a rental OF (which with Schwarber coming back next year is all you have room for) but a rotation piece makes sense. Not sure how LF is a position of need going forward when you'll have a log jam out there next year with Bryant and Schwarber assumin Baez continues to make his case as the everyday guy at 3B. In CF Almora continues to rake at AAA and is right on schedule. The only this team needs to keep building on is pitching.

All that said, and back on topic, you have to start to wonder about teams that are going to be sellers and if there are other names beyond the usual suspects that might be available at the deadline. One name that I heard yesterday as a trade possibility that might be intriguing is Masahiro Tanaka. The Yankees might be willing to move him as they likely won't compete again til 2018 but that elbow scare the shit out of me. He's a legit ace when he's pitching but he should have been shut down for TJ 18 months ago. We know Theo likes him though so maybe. Otherwise you're probably looking at a pool of guys like Teheran, Matt Moore and maybe one of the Cleveland pitchers although Carrasco is out until late June and be diminished in value in July.

 

[TC in Mississippi]

The Mets and Nationals are really good. That's no surprise. Philly will fade. Just not enough talent to keep up. Cardinals are going on their downward slide. They are getting up there in age and its time for a rebuild. The Pirates are the one who will get better, and they had a slow start. Just the Cubs are playing .800 ball. What team can keep up with that?

I think Philly and Miami will hold on in that division longer than you think and it's not beyond possibility that a second WC could come out of the East. It will probably be Pittsburgh but if those young pitchers don't come up and make an immediate impact in July or so they could struggle. I doubt a WC comes out if the West. I think that division will be won with about 88-89 games.

 

[brett05]

I think Philly and Miami will hold on in that division longer than you think and it's not beyond possibility that a second WC could come out of the East. It will probably be Pittsburgh but if those young pitchers don't come up and make an immediate impact in July or so they could struggle. I doubt a WC comes out if the West. I think that division will be won with about 88-89 games.

Given the weakness of the bottom teams I can't see any division winner not with 90+ wins. I think I'd go so far as say the same for the two wild card winners in the NL too.