Cubs Sign Ben Zobrist

[JimJohnson]

He was signed as depth, not sure why your against it

I'm not against him on the team. I just think he's more of a long relief type guy.

 

[DanTown]

Love the deal. Ben Zobrist is probably going to be a better 2B the next four years than Starlin Castro. He's also a leadoff hitter (that Starlin wasn't), has better position flexibility, and is a veteran that a young team needs. The cost of going from Castro to Zobrist is quite low and he fills the need for a leadoff guy. You could stop right there and say it was a deal the Cubs should probably make. Getting back a guy like Warren (a highly capable arm who can either give you multiple innings or be a sixth starter) and not owing any Castro money makes the move quite good.

I think the Cubs want to sign Heyward to play CF for a few years then move him to RF if Almora is ever MLB ready. Soler would then be in LF with Schwarber being a potential platoon with Soler in LF and Contreras behind the plate. This move also opens them up to trade Baez for a young starter. I wonder if a team like the White Sox would do Baez+Vogelbach+Hendricks for Quintana. Quintana fits a need for the Cubs as a young/talented/cost effective arm (5.4/7/8.5 with TO of 10.5/11.5) while the Sox get a starter on the left side (either 3B or SS) with Baez and Vogelbach can be a future DH when LaRoche retires after 2016.

Like I said after the Lackey signing, I'll reserve total judgment until the bulk of moves are done but right now, I think the Cubs have addressed needs and have created a chance for them to get Jason Heyward to play CF and create a lineup + top 3 rotation that competes with anyone. Even if they don't address a young SP via trade, they may have the best 12 man depth of hitters in baseball

C
Montero, Ross

IF
Rizzo, Zobrist, Baez, Russell, Bryant, LaStella

OF
Soler, CF, Coghlan, Schwarber

You have a very good baseball team when your 25th man is either Tommy LaStella, Chris Coghlan, Adam Warren, or Neil Ramirez.

 

[DJMoore_is_fat]

This was the best case scenario for the Cubs. We kept our infield depth with Baez, kept all our top end minor league prospects, and added solid OBP, base running, intangibles, defense, and championship pedigree.

Starlin Castro is what he is. He'll always possess brutally low OBP, tendency for defensive lapses, and poor mental errors (base running, etc). Far too often he has extended stretches where he doesn't even play at the major league level. Large portions of the 2013 and 2015 seasons were absolutely horrendous.

Our line up is filled with strike out guys and we desperately needed a guy like Zobrist who doesn't strike out. Our rotation and bullpen has been dramatically strengthened and we've managed to keep Soler and Baez -- with only having one major hole left to fill (CF).

I'm thrilled with how this off season is unfolding.

 

[Parade_Rain]

A team has 5 starters. Right now we have Arrieta, Lester, Lackey, Hamel, Hendricks, and now Cahill? My math might be off but that's 6 guys. So unless Epstein plans to trade Hamel and doesn't plan on trading for a young TOR, then I don't see how Cahill cracks the rotation.

Hammel, not Hamel. You're getting closer.

 

[beckdawg]

A team has 5 starters. Right now we have Arrieta, Lester, Lackey, Hamel, Hendricks, and now Cahill? My math might be off but that's 6 guys. So unless Epstein plans to trade Hamel and doesn't plan on traGetding for a young TOR, then I don't see how Cahill cracks the rotation.

Getting a shot to beat out say Hammel in spring training is not the same thing as guaranteeing him a slot in the rotation.

 

[JimJohnson]

Getting a shot to beat out say Hammel in spring training is not the same thing as guaranteeing him a slot in the rotation.

But then why keep Hammel in the first place? We can dump his salary and use that extra to go after Heyward.

 

[beckdawg]

But then why keep Hammel in the first place? We can dump his salary and use that extra to go after Heyward.

I'm not sure they do. Theo said this trade a guy/sign a guy thing could happen again presumably for Heyward. But even if it doesn't play out like that you can let Cahill/Warren compete for a rotation slot. If Hammel wins great, you're playing them as expect in the bullpen. If for whatever reason one of those two beat him out then you probably look to trade him before the season when some team likely gets an injury in their rotation. If not, he plays a more expensive version of the role wood does.

 

[SilenceS]

You'll notice Zobrist actually hit the Mets' pitching.

Lol I hope zobrist hits .900 with 8 homers in a post season series because that was the only way the Cubs beat the Mets.


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[Chief Walking Stick]

I like it. Maddon and Theo are getting all of the old Rays and Red Sox.

 

[Parade_Rain]

Lol I hope zobrist hits .900 with 8 homers in a post season series because that was the only way the Cubs beat the Mets.


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Solid deflection, S, but it didn't go unnoticed.

 

[SilenceS]

Solid deflection, S, but it didn't go unnoticed.

You seem to have issues with this. Zobrist in the lineup doesn't beat the Mets. But, glad he hit the Mets in the post season. Solid point?

 

[SilenceS]

Heyward is said to be looking for a 10 year contract.

 

[Bear Pride]

Yes they got older but you all do realize the only guy they lost was Castro so far..

Not like they tore down what they built in their system. .
Those guys are all still there ..

Cubs are going for it now with the addition of Lackey and Zobrist

Zobrist is going to start everyday and mostly at 2B

All they need now is a CFer... im still hoping that go all the way in with this and it still Heyward

And again all the others are still there except for castro, so they basically traded Castro for Zobrist and a couple of minor leaguers. .

I thought this thread would be better than the Castro thread.... what was I thinking? All of a sudden Theo sucks again. LOL. Hey people, we still have the MOY, ROY, and the Cy Young winner. But hey, now that Castro is gone, the Cubs suck again.........

#wtf

 

[beckdawg]

Heyward is said to be looking for a 10 year contract.

Length doesn't bother me as much as the AAV. I mean even if he gets that which I'm not sure he does, he likely has an opt out clause and even if he goes the full way, he's what like 36 when that ends? If the cubs are on him like they appear to be I think you just structure the deal in such a way that the first couple of years are reasonably priced. For example let's say he gets an opt out clause after 5 years. I'd do something like this

2016 - $15 mil
2017 - $15 mil
2018 - $20 mil
2019 - $20 mil
2020 - $20 mil
2021 - $25 mil
2022 - $25 mil
2023 - $25 mil
2024 - $20 mil
2025 - $15 mil

That's essentially the 10 year $200 mil being thrown around on him but if he opts out at 5 years it's a 5 year $90 mil deal($18 mil/season). And that also would play well with the cubs new tv money after 2019.

 

[chibears55]

I thought this thread would be better than the Castro thread.... what was I thinking? All of a sudden Theo sucks again. LOL. Hey people, we still have the MOY, ROY, and the Cy Young winner. But hey, now that Castro is gone, the Cubs suck again.........

#wtf

That what it seems like here...
Most everyone here wanted to kick Castro to the curb and now he gone everyone upset..



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[SilenceS]

I thought this thread would be better than the Castro thread.... what was I thinking? All of a sudden Theo sucks again. LOL. Hey people, we still have the MOY, ROY, and the Cy Young winner. But hey, now that Castro is gone, the Cubs suck again.........

#wtf

Who said the Cubs suck? Who said it was all over Castro? Reading is your friend. I, in no way, think the Cubs suck. I don't think they got better with these two moves. I don't trust Zobrist staying healthy and the Castro return was weak. A swingman and Brendan Ryan. Who, when I watched last year, shouldn't be in the majors. He was atrocious.

 

[Parade_Rain]

You seem to have issues with this. Zobrist in the lineup doesn't beat the Mets. But, glad he hit the Mets in the post season. Solid point?

Not as an individual. More hitters like Zobrist in the lineup beat the Mets. He actually hit 95+ mph pitching yet you are negatively commenting about his age and anything but all the positives he brings to the team. The Cubs need less swing and miss in their lineup to win a WS. They just got one of those guys.

 

[beckdawg]

Who said the Cubs suck? Who said it was all over Castro? Reading is your friend. I, in no way, think the Cubs suck. I don't think they got better with these two moves. I don't trust Zobrist staying healthy and the Castro return was weak. A swingman and Brendan Ryan. Who, when I watched last year, shouldn't be in the majors. He was atrocious.

Think it's probably selling low on Castro but keep in mind he cleared waivers last season. And while I doubt the cubs would have just let Castro go for nothing, that does speak to his value. I mean it really all comes down to health because if Zobrist is healthy it's pretty hard to argue Castro is better than him even at an older age. I also wouldn't under sell Warren. Even if he's just a bullpen piece he's got a career 3.39/3.69 ERA/FIP and a 7.62 k/9 2.96 bb/9.

It's interesting to note that the cubs now have a number of guys who seem to be both capable of being short inning relievers and also long relief. Some have commented on the idea of essentially running a piggy back style of pitching that they often use in the minors. It probably isn't necessary with Arrieta Lester and Lackey. However, we know there are concerns on Edwards durability and some don't think Hendricks is worth a shit the third time through the line up. If you can have those two go out and dominate for say 5 innings and then turn to Warren and Cahill for 3-4 innings of strong relief it makes for an intriguing idea. Obviously you also have Hammel in this equation too but that's just an example of how it could work. I also think it's an interesting way of limiting young starters. Cubs don't have anyone like Stasburg/Fernandez/Harvey at the moment but hopefully some day soon that will come and being able to essentially run a 5 man rotation with your top 3 and move around 3 or 4 guys for your #4/5 is a interesting way to limit innings.

 

[Bear Pride]

Who said the Cubs suck? Who said it was all over Castro? Reading is your friend. I, in no way, think the Cubs suck. I don't think they got better with these two moves. I don't trust Zobrist staying healthy and the Castro return was weak. A swingman and Brendan Ryan. Who, when I watched last year, shouldn't be in the majors. He was atrocious.

Try not being so literal for a change. I was generalizing about the overall attitude of the moves so far. How about we actually let the man complete his job for this off season? I'm mean up until this off season, he's done a pretty good job, right? And for someone who always tells me to 'be patient' and not 'over react', shouldn't you try using your own advice a little bit?

 

[SilenceS]

Not as an individual. More hitters like Zobrist in the lineup beat the Mets. He actually hit 95+ mph pitching yet you are negatively commenting about his age and anything but all the positives he brings to the team. The Cubs need less swing and miss in their lineup to win a WS. They just got one of those guys.

And traded away another contact hitter. Isn't that counter productive?