2020 MLB Offseason Thread

[CSF77]

Rotation battle atm:

#4 Alzolay is almost a lock.

Then the 5. They have said:

Gary Fenter rule V in the mix. Hits 97 MPH.

Underwood will be stretched out. I don't see this factoring much but you never know.

Steele will get a shot. Again not expecting much but you never know with these kids if one blows up.

Cory Abbott. I believe that he needs time in Iowa.

Marquez. Again a reach but he should be in Iowa at best this year.

S. Miller... NRI to me he is the safe pick. Go with experience over glory right now. Underwood and Steel should be long men. You can add T. Miller to the mid relief corps.

I see it as having a deep middle relieve will pay off more than anything else this year. Having 3 guys soft toss then drop a 97 MPH arm right after. Ya those bats will be slowed down and it will look way faster then it is.

So IMO I would go:

Hendricks
Davies
Mills
Alozay
S. Miller

Then M.R.:
Steel
Underwood
T. Miller
Fenter

AAA:
Marquez and Abbott. Let them develop and take over after the trade deadline.

 

[CSF77]

Players union turned down the DH.

The reason was that the DH now says is becoming more of a flex position vs a stationary player. So the impact is minimal to increasing revenue to the players.

The counter is the expanded play off system. Which is a large chunk of revenue to the owners and a water down effect of the quality of the play off teams.

Other issues that the owners want is S.T. to start up automated strike zones for testing.

So it really is not about not wanting it. It is more about money here. We get some. You get way more.

It will be interesting to see if ownership ups their offer.

 

[CSF77]

I would propose a rule that states:

If a division winning team has a worse record than the wild card winning teams and the team with the best record that missed the play offs. Then they lose their play off guarantee and the next best record receives that bid.

 

[JP Hochbaum]

I would propose a rule that states:

If a division winning team has a worse record than the wild card winning teams and the team with the best record that missed the play offs. Then they lose their play off guarantee and the next best record receives that bid.

That is a hard one, but I get where you are coming from. A division winner with 85 or so wins can then miss out. It could really be a function of how stacked one division can be and how weak the others are.

If there is a weak division at the bottom 2-3 teams, the top two teams in that division can rack up wins really quickly.

And if there is one strong division, the division winner could actually be an 85 win team that is actually better than a 90 win team.

I think a better rule is that division winners with sub .500 records should be outed from the playoffs. This would avoid a situation like the NFC east this year in the NFL.

 

[CSF77]

Let's take this year.

NL east Mets, Nats and Atl should be in a dog fight.

NL central all are tanking.

NL West Pads and Dodgers should Dom.

Now most likely the NL Central winner takes 84 wins.

NL West both teams could take 100+

NL East should be a 3 way dog fight that each team goes 88 plus.

Normally a 84 win central would displace a 88 win team. And that is B.S.

 

[CSF77]

That is a hard one, but I get where you are coming from. A division winner with 85 or so wins can then miss out. It could really be a function of how stacked one division can be and how weak the others are.

If there is a weak division at the bottom 2-3 teams, the top two teams in that division can rack up wins really quickly.

And if there is one strong division, the division winner could actually be an 85 win team that is actually better than a 90 win team.

I think a better rule is that division winners with sub .500 records should be outed from the playoffs. This would avoid a situation like the NFC east this year in the NFL.

AL east is always in a dog fight and the cream rises.

The simple fix is to balance the schedule where they are fighting each other head to head and all teams are facing each other vs regional dog fights.

If they were going to go that direction then the games should be focused with in their division and the winner then goes into the play off round and no wild card chosen. Make it a NW/SW/NE/SE division.

 

[CSF77]

Cubs, Kohl Stewart Agree To Major League Deal
January 28th, 2021 at 3:34pm CST • By Connor Byrne
The Cubs have agreed to a major league contract for 2021 with free-agent right-hander Kohl Stewart, Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago was among those to report. The deal is worth $700K, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic tweets. Stewart is a Frontline client.

Now 26 years old, Stewart entered the pros as the No. 4 overall pick of the Twins in 2013. Although he did eventually reach the majors with the team, he could only put up a 4.79 ERA/5.21 SIERA with a subpar 12.7 strikeout rate against a 9.7 walk percentage in 62 innings from 2018-19. Stewart owns a similar 4.87 ERA over 136 2/3 innings in Triple-A ball.

Stewart signed with the Orioles before last season, but the type 1 diabetic ultimately opted out of the campaign because of concerns related to COVID-19. He’ll now try to get back on the mound in Chicago, which has questions in its rotation and its bullpen

 

[CSF77]

• Free-agent righty Jeff Samardzija will work out for the Cubs “at some point in the next few days,” Bruce Levine of 670 The Score writes. This could lay the groundwork for a reunion between Samardzija and the Cubs, with whom he pitched from 2008-14 before a trade to the Athletics. The 36-year-old was a solid starter for the Cubs and has typically done a good job in that role with multiple teams, though he’s a free agent at an inopportune time after managing a miserable 9.72 ERA/7.35 SIERA over 16 2/3 innings and four starts last season.

 

[CSF77]

It was weird seeing a major league deal on Stewart. Shark was even more off the wall.

Well maybe we can kick our feet up and watch a year of retreads pitching to rebuild trade value.

 

[CSF77]

Cubs To Sign Joc Pederson
January 29th, 2021 at 7:25am CST • By Steve Adams
The Cubs are in agreement on a deal with free-agent outfielder Joc Pederson, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). The Excel Sports Management client’s contract is still pending the completion of a physical.

More to come.

 

[CSF77]

Busy day

 

[beckdawg]

I mean look people are going to shit on the cubs for their minor spending but I really like the moves they've made this offseason. They've managed to acquire a lot of upside for under $10 mil. Pederson is probably at worst as good as Schwarber but also may fit better into the line up because he strikes out less. He's also $3 mil cheaper than Schwarber encded up signing for.

Other than the obvious loss of Darvish, I don't feel as though the team has gotten worse. And in fact I think you could argue there are reason to believe they could be better. Again, that's excluding Darvish because you're not replacing him. However, as I've mentioned before, if you get someone like Paxton or Archer to replace Darvish, you could theoretically have a better starting rotation overall having Davies and a few of the guys on the backend being better than their 2020 replacements.

Obviously none of that is a sure thing but going into a new CBA in 2022 and soft retooling like they appear to be doing sets them up to add when they need to down the line. I would however like to see somem extensions to players they intend to keep be that Baez Contreras....whoever.

 

[Steve_A]

I mean look people are going to shit on the cubs for their minor spending but I really like the moves they've made this offseason. They've managed to acquire a lot of upside for under $10 mil. Pederson is probably at worst as good as Schwarber but also may fit better into the line up because he strikes out less. He's also $3 mil cheaper than Schwarber encded up signing for.

The only thing I have to say about Pederson is WTF.
Don't half xss things and tank for crying out loud...

Don't understand this move at all.
If it's to make up for some bad press going on lately then this ain't it.

Why on Earth could they not bring Lester back for the money...
Know that Joc's probably a flip candidate but my lord has this offseason been hell.

 

[beckdawg]

The only thing I have to say about Pederson is WTF.
Don't half xss things and tank for crying out loud...

Don't understand this move at all.
If it's to make up for some bad press going on lately then this ain't it.

Not sure what to say here... I mean I don't really see Pederson as "half-assing" it. I mean you're gonna have to platoon him because the dude can't hit left handed pitching but a career 128 wRC+ vs righties is pretty good. And if you go back to the last full season of 2019 he hit for a 137 wRC+ vs righties. For some context here, Kris Bryant is a career 130 wRC+ vs right handed pitching. Getting that for $7 mil even if he is a flawed player is a nice get. Keep in mind the cubs already have Phillip Ervin who over the past 3 years has hit .324/.387/.529(135 wRC+) vs lefties. Yeah you're using two roster slots to effectively get one player but you're also paying roughly $8 mil to add a platoon that is roughly equivalent to 2019 Kris Bryant.

Simply put that's spending money wisely. And the nice thing about both players is if the cubs aren't competing for the playoffs they become very nice pieces to add at the trade deadline because they are cheap and will fill a bench need for some team.

 

[CSF77]

Not sure what to say here... I mean I don't really see Pederson as "half-assing" it. I mean you're gonna have to platoon him because the dude can't hit left handed pitching but a career 128 wRC+ vs righties is pretty good. And if you go back to the last full season of 2019 he hit for a 137 wRC+ vs righties. For some context here, Kris Bryant is a career 130 wRC+ vs right handed pitching. Getting that for $7 mil even if he is a flawed player is a nice get. Keep in mind the cubs already have Phillip Ervin who over the past 3 years has hit .324/.387/.529(135 wRC+) vs lefties. Yeah you're using two roster slots to effectively get one player but you're also paying roughly $8 mil to add a platoon that is roughly equivalent to 2019 Kris Bryant.

Simply put that's spending money wisely. And the nice thing about both players is if the cubs aren't competing for the playoffs they become very nice pieces to add at the trade deadline because they are cheap and will fill a bench need for some team.

Uhm. Phillip Ervin was signed earlier this year...

 

[CSF77]

I wouldn't be shocked that this was the conclusion Jed came to on Kyle. He is going to be over paid to platoon soon. Why not just start over.

 

[beckdawg]

Uhm. Phillip Ervin was signed earlier this year...

Uh... i literally said this...

Keep in mind the cubs already have Phillip Ervin who over the past 3 years has hit .324/.387/.529(135 wRC+) vs lefties.

 

[CSF77]

Uh... i literally said this...

I know but some need big letters to take notice.

 

[TL1961]

While the Cubs tear things down because they're out of money the Cardinals acquire Arenado and cash.

 

[CSF77]

Cubs Seek Starting Pitching After Approval For Slight Payroll Increase
January 29th, 2021 at 2:01pm CST • By Steve Adams
The Cubs’ reported agreement with Joc Pederson this morning registered as something of a surprise, as much of the focus for the team this winter has been on paring back payroll and restocking the farm system. However, David Kaplan of NBC Sports Chicago reports (via Twitter) that owner Tom Ricketts recently gave president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer and his staff the approval to increase 2021’s payroll. Bruce Levine of 670 The Score tweets that the Cubs are in pursuit of some veteran arms, again listing Carlos Rodon and Jeff Samardzija as two possibilities. Both will throw for the Cubs this weekend.

To be clear, there’s no indication that Ricketts has green-lighted a return to the Cubs’ $200MM+ payrolls. Asked by one follower about a potential move for Trevor Bauer, Kaplan characterized the chances as effectively nonexistent. But the Cubs’ 2021 commitments sit around the $150MM mark even after the Pederson agreement, and the news of even a modest payroll increase creates the possibility of at least adding some low-cost veterans.

ESPN’s Jesse Rogers tweets that the Cubs could pick up one or two low-cost arms in the near future, adding that there’s interest in a reunion with Jake Arrieta. The former NL Cy Young winner was slated to throw for interested teams today. Even if a deal with Arrieta can’t be worked out for one reason or another, the market offers comparable buy-low opportunities that could provide the Cubs with some needed depth. Speculatively speaking, any of Rodon, Samardzija, Julio Teheran, Mike Foltynewicz or Trevor Williams could fit that bill. Old friends Cole Hamels and Rich Hill remain unsigned as well.

Having traded Yu Darvish to the Padres, Chicago’s current rotation is likely to be fronted by Kyle Hendricks, Zach Davies and Alec Mills. Prospects Adbert Alzolay, Brailyn Marquez and Tyson Miller could all vie for starts as well, and the Cubs did ink former Twins prospect Kohl Stewart to a big league deal just yesterday (albeit with a near-minimum $700K guarantee). Former Cardinals/Braves star Shelby Miller will be in camp as a non-roster player this spring, too.

Clearly, beyond the top starters, that group lacks experience and/or recent success. Add in the limited workloads that all pitchers had in last year’s shortened slate of games, and the Cubs’ need to bring in some arms becomes all the more clear. Hendricks was one of MLB’s leaders with 81 1/3 innings pitched. Davies (69 1/3 innings) and Mills (62 1/3) also had relatively strong workloads, but no one else on the current Cubs roster reached even 30 MLB innings. Alzolay, Marquez, Miller and others were getting work in simulated games at the team’s alternate training site, but there has to be some concern about too radically increasing the workloads of the organization’s top prospects.