Cubs make a few moves

[zack54attack]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1300512126201663489

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1300524919785230338

 

[MassHavoc]

 

[SilenceS]

Solid pickups. Also, picked up that lefty that era is inflated from one outing. Solid against lefties. Cubs can use all the bullpen help then can get.

 

[Diehardfan]

I'm pretty sure Maybin plays all 3 OF spots, so this might be greasing the skids for Almora who has looked just brutal all year in the batters box. If he's got options left....maybe South Bend, if not they may have to DFA him. From what I'm reading, they gave up very little for Chafin and for good reason....he's hurt and on the IL. Might be available the last 2 weeks of the season.

No idea what they got planned but Im for keeping Sousa and letting Perez and Almora go.

 

[knoxville7]

Osich seems intriguing to me...good K rate and left handed. Other guys all seem like dumpster dives

 

[CSF77]

Looking over the splits Heyward has been shit vs LHP.

Heyward: 45 wRC+ VS 198 VS RHP Not even close.
Schwarber: 74 wRC+ vs 141 vs RHP. This one is almost passable.

Happ 131 vs L 190 v R. It is stupid to take PA's from him.

Almora: 63 vs L and 19 vs R. He has little use as a hitter.

So this was a glaring issue going on for sure. Schwarber is pretty much passable vs L but Heyward is not.

DH wise
Caritini: V L 81 v R 76. To be real here. That is back up catcher numbers not DH production.

 

[CSF77]

Hate to say it. Pads are looking like the #2 team in the NL after today. They went big.

 

[greg23]

Almora sent to south bend
Not sure he would start for the Irish at this point

 

[TL1961]

Hate to say it. Pads are looking like the #2 team in the NL after today. They went big.

That's a fair assessment, but I have been hearing how great AJ Preller is since the 2015 offseason when the Cubs signed Lester and SD got all the love. This is season #6 since that offseason, and they have done so little, they're now riding guys they drafted after that point.

Yes, they look good on paper. Wonder how they'll do in postseason. Definitely some really nice talent.

 

[CSF77]

Well I would go with a line up like

Maybin LF
Rizzo 1B
Happ CF
Heyward/Martinez RF
Schwarber DH
Contreras/Caritini C
Kipnis/Horner 2B
Bote 3B
Baez SS

The biggest issue right now is Baez. 62 wRC+. His glove justifies everything with him but it is time to put that first. A hard guess is he plays off of the fan energy and that is a dead battery.

 

[CSF77]

That's a fair assessment, but I have been hearing how great AJ Preller is since the 2015 offseason when the Cubs signed Lester and SD got all the love. This is season #6 since that offseason, and they have done so little, they're now riding guys they drafted after that point.

Yes, they look good on paper. Wonder how they'll do in postseason. Definitely some really nice talent.

Well they got ballzy for sure. It kinda pisses me off that Theo has been incapable of making deals like this.

 

[Discus fish salesman]

Well I would go with a line up like

Maybin LF
Rizzo 1B
Happ CF
Heyward/Martinez RF
Schwarber DH
Contreras/Caritini C
Kipnis/Horner 2B
Bote 3B
Baez SS

The biggest issue right now is Baez. 62 wRC+. His glove justifies everything with him but it is time to put that first. A hard guess is he plays off of the fan energy and that is a dead battery.

Martinez should never be in the field

 

[CSF77]

Martinez should never be in the field

Only vs LH. I don't see the issue at all and when the starter gets yanked then he does also.

Maybin deserves everyday IMO. Even then Maybin plays RF and Martinez goes to left. Then when Heyward returns they realign.

The reality is Happ is the best player and he deserves the stability. Heyward has been wrecking RHP and deserves that respect.

 

[Discus fish salesman]

Only vs LH. I don't see the issue at all and when the starter gets yanked then he does also.

Maybin deserves everyday IMO. Even then Maybin plays RF and Martinez goes to left. Then when Heyward returns they realign.

The reality is Happ is the best player and he deserves the stability. Heyward has been wrecking RHP and deserves that respect.

Martinez can dh everyday. He's awful in the field. Not sure if you remember, but the cardinals were mocked pretty frequently for continuing to run him out there. He is most definitely that bad. We have a DH now and he is a prototypical DH

 

[SilenceS]

Well I would go with a line up like

Maybin LF
Rizzo 1B
Happ CF
Heyward/Martinez RF
Schwarber DH
Contreras/Caritini C
Kipnis/Horner 2B
Bote 3B
Baez SS

The biggest issue right now is Baez. 62 wRC+. His glove justifies everything with him but it is time to put that first. A hard guess is he plays off of the fan energy and that is a dead battery.

I do agree he feeds off fan energy but it’s just a stretch. He has had stretches like this before. It’s just magnified in a super short season. Christian yelich predicted a lot of stars would struggle this year over the short season and the weirdness of it all. He seems to be right. A lot of stars have had issues.

 

[Discus fish salesman]

I do agree he feeds off fan energy but it’s just a stretch. He has had stretches like this before. It’s just magnified in a super short season. Christian yelich predicted a lot of stars would struggle this year over the short season and the weirdness of it all. He seems to be right. A lot of stars have had issues.

Yelich also lost the advantage of knowing what the pitcher is going to throw him. That can hurt a hitters results

 

[knoxville7]

Only vs LH. I don't see the issue at all and when the starter gets yanked then he does also.

Maybin deserves everyday IMO. Even then Maybin plays RF and Martinez goes to left. Then when Heyward returns they realign.

The reality is Happ is the best player and he deserves the stability. Heyward has been wrecking RHP and deserves that respect.

what about him makes you think he should play everyday? Especially in the leadoff spot?! Guy has a career .324 OBP...no thanks. Might as well have javy leadoff lol

 

[CSF77]

August 31st, 2020 at 6:43pm CST • By Anthony Franco
The Cubs had an active deadline, picking up outfielder Cameron Maybin from the Tigers and a pair of relievers- Andrew Chafin and Josh Osich– from the Diamondbacks and Red Sox, respectively. With Maybin in the fold, outfielder Albert Almora will be optioned to the alternate training site, per Sahadev Sharma of the Athletic (Twitter link). The 26-year-old has only gotten 34 plate appearances in 2020 after a poor showing in 2019, when he hit just .236/.271/.381.

Maybin and Osich will step right onto the active roster, but Chafin will not. The southpaw has been on Arizona’s injured list since August 19 with a finger sprain, and he’s not quite ready to return. Cubs’ GM Jed Hoyer says the organization hopes he’ll be back on the field within “a couple weeks” (via Jordan Bastian of MLB.com).

Likely to join Chafin on the IL is fellow hurler Tyler Chatwood. The right-hander actually just returned from the IL but left yesterday’s start in the third inning with discomfort in his throwing elbow. He’s undergone an MRI and is awaiting results, per Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. While that sounds ominous on the surface, the Cubs expect Chatwood will be able to return this season, notes Patrick Mooney of the Athletic. Fortunately, Chicago has José Quintana on hand as a potential Chatwood replacement.

In more encouraging injury news, Kris Bryant is seemingly nearing a return from his own finger sprain. Indeed, it’s possible he could be activated before tomorrow’s game against the Pirates, per Mooney. It’s been a disappointing year for Bryant, who has mustered just a .177/.271/.323 line over 70 plate appearances, with a significant drop in his batted ball metrics along the way. Hand injuries can sap a hitter’s contact quality, so the hope is certainly that the time off will allow Bryant to return to his past levels of elite power production.

 

[CSF77]

what about him makes you think he should play everyday? Especially in the leadoff spot?! Guy has a career .324 OBP...no thanks. Might as well have javy leadoff lol

I was thinking if KB returned then you swap Maybin and Bryant.

Moot point then.

Bottom line is you need to push Happ into a RBI slot as he is the best hitter we have. And to be honest good for him. He has paid in spades to get there.

 

[CSF77]

I do agree he feeds off fan energy but it’s just a stretch. He has had stretches like this before. It’s just magnified in a super short season. Christian yelich predicted a lot of stars would struggle this year over the short season and the weirdness of it all. He seems to be right. A lot of stars have had issues.

He has torched LHP. So it could be a seeing the ball issue