No Surprise: Chicago Cubs Claim Daniel Bard Off Waivers

[Flacco4Prez]

And it may very well not pan out. What evidence do you have that Bard will return to his old form?

If it doesn't pan out, what does it hurt?

These moves are literally no risk, good reward type. I mean it's like being handed out lottery tickets. If you don't win, does it matter? Nope, but you may get a small, medium, or large reward.

 

[DewsSox79]

predictable and just dumb.

 

[CSF77]

More potential than Gregg repeating '13 again. This year was a blip for him.

On top of it I feel better with Bard in the mix with Arodys Vizcaino not throwing a pitch this year and Kyuji Fujikawa blowing out after 12 games.

One thing I've learned from all of this is you can never have enough pitching.

 

[beckdawg]

Gregg was trash. The rest were major league players that had some better seasons. They were moves to flip at the deadline. They were never signed to compete. Not being a dick just my opinion on them. Wood was potential that started to learn his potential. Stewart was a two time offender with Theo resigning him.

Well, trash is probably a strong word but the point is relatively few if any other teams wanted them. If they were moves designed to be flips so what? They had to send players out and clearly they didn't want to invest big to improve the team. So, they gave guys a chance to perform well and turned it into a tradable piece. I mean I can understand why some are frustrated they haven't made a better attempt at winning at the major league level. But, if you're not going to make that attempt it's a perfectly smart solution to trot players out there and try to make them look pretty in order to get other teams to give you something you value more.

Take Maholm for example. They gave him like $5 mil and got Vizcaino back. If Vizcaino were perfectly healthy he wouldn't be something the Braves would have traded. Whether Vizcaino ever makes it back doesn't really matter because at this point you're talking about a $5 mil gamble on a guy who was literally on the door steps to the majors before getting hurt. Teams give that kind of money to 18 year olds who may never make it out of AA. But also remember they got half of a good year out of him as well. So, even if Vizcaino doesn't make it back you got something of value out of the signing. And if he does make it back, you have a young potentially #2/#3 starter.

It's entirely possible Gregg and Schierholtz, if not re-signed, could yield compensation picks which at this point would be gravy. This is why I always say it's important to know when you have the team to win. Had they gone out and spent more money chances are low their roster would have improved enough to be in playoff contention in the 2-3 year span. And if you miss out on the playoffs what's the point in spending that money? By not spending they've plugged in guys to fill the roster but they've also used those guys to acquire more young talent. It's essentially like being able to spend more on the draft with the added benefit of someone filling the major league roster for half the year.

I think all fans want to win. But, I don't want to see them have a 1-2 year window and then fall back like the cubs did during Hendry's tenure here(not getting into why it happened but it is what happened). I want to see the cubs have a strong 6-8 year window. And really the yankees are the only ones who've consistently shown the ability to do that but even they had a core group in Jeter Pettete Posada and Rivera who were whom grown not to mention Cano coming up later and Soriano being around for some time. In my opinion, it's these home grown products that made them successful not their FA talent because for the most part their FA signings haven't lived up to the hype.

 

[dabynsky]

It's entirely possible Gregg and Schierholtz, if not re-signed, could yield compensation picks which at this point would be gravy.

Neither will yield compensation picks because you have to offer a qualifying offer for each player that is something in the neighborhood of 1 year 13 million. That is way more money per year either player is going to get. Also Schierholtz has a year of arbitration left so he is very unlikely to be going anywhere unless a team wants to overpay in trade for him.

 

[Boobaby1]

Fans just have the mindset to hate every move the front office makes and that's where it comes too.

Or maybe there are just some fans that would like to see a proven player signed versus every move being made as simply throwing it against the wall to see if it sticks. Wood, Schierholz, Navarro, Arrietta, Strop, Viscaino, Bowden, Bard, Stewart, Volstad, Villanueva, Gregg, and the supposed core players of Rizzo, Castro, and Shark are not exactly anything to get overly excited about. Some are doing okay, but they still have sent away a lot more talent than they have acquired in my opinion and have not minded paying handsomely to do so.

Sure there is very little risk, but there is also very little chance to succeed as indicated by their record of recent years and apparently next year too.

You will see a lot more optimism from everyone when they sign some actual talent to help out some of these players. Until then, you can expect the same pessimism. opcorn:

 

[waldo7239117]

Well this is it... fans have to stop being against every move. The direction has been made and if you call yourself a 'fan' give it time before you jump to conclusions.

 

[Parade_Rain]

Fans just have the mindset to hate every move the front office makes and that's where it comes too.

Disagree a bit. This one in particular could seem like one of Epstein/Hoyer signings with a different team (Bos/SD) that has now been brought over to the Cubs to see if there could be a different outcome. It may work and a person can always be hopeful that different scenery helps a player, but to many fans this would be a boring move.

 

[CSF77]

Disagree a bit. This one in particular could seem like one of Epstein/Hoyer signings with a different team (Bos/SD) that has now been brought over to the Cubs to see if there could be a different outcome. It may work and a person can always be hopeful that different scenery helps a player, but to many fans this would be a boring move.

They need more established BP depth.

I could honestly see 2014 being frugal with Sweeney in CF and Schierholtz in RF in a platoon. Lake I'm not sure deserves a full time gig right now. He Should be a bench guy and use him to give guys days off and to platoon in RF. LF they should address with a bat.

Pen issues:

I expect Strop and Bard will now be the 8-9 tandem. Not sure who ends up closing.

Chang-Yong Lim or "Zero."

Lim, a sidearm pitcher, signed a two-year contract with the Cubs this past offseason as he continued his recovery from Tommy John ligament replacement surgery in 2012. He pitched at four levels in the Cubs' Minor League organization, reaching Iowa at the end of July. He gave up one earned run over 11 1/3 innings in 11 outings.

In 21 Minor League appearances, Lim gave up four earned runs over 22 1/3 innings, making five starts. He struck out 24 and walked seven, holding batters to a .173 batting average.

He sounds like a middle inning RH specialist.

LH arms:

James Russell took a step back but I believe it had more to do with the excessive workload on him. Add to it he was the only LH arm in the pen.

Leads to they need another LH arm in the pen. They are evaluating Zac Rosscup and Brooks Raley in that role before looking externally.

It is starting to shape up but I believe that they are going to need a big named closer to anchor this pen. Gregg was a poor mans version. Bard was a great set up. Strop never has proven he is a closer yet. He is a maybe there.

I expect them to wait until Fujikawa is back to work into the closer role again. Until then it will be Strop with Bard in the 8th.

7th inning guy I can see them giving Alberto Cabrera a look. They would have a decent power arm set up at that point.

 

[nwfisch]

Or maybe there are just some fans that would like to see a proven player signed versus every move being made as simply throwing it against the wall to see if it sticks. Wood, Schierholz, Navarro, Arrietta, Strop, Viscaino, Bowden, Bard, Stewart, Volstad, Villanueva, Gregg, and the supposed core players of Rizzo, Castro, and Shark are not exactly anything to get overly excited about. Some are doing okay, but they still have sent away a lot more talent than they have acquired in my opinion and have not minded paying handsomely to do so.

Sure there is very little risk, but there is also very little chance to succeed as indicated by their record of recent years and apparently next year too.

You will see a lot more optimism from everyone when they sign some actual talent to help out some of these players. Until then, you can expect the same pessimism. opcorn:

:clap: Winner.

 

[Parade_Rain]

They need more established BP depth.

I could honestly see 2014 being frugal with Sweeney in CF and Schierholtz in RF in a platoon. Lake I'm not sure deserves a full time gig right now. He Should be a bench guy and use him to give guys days off and to platoon in RF. LF they should address with a bat.

Pen issues:

I expect Strop and Bard will now be the 8-9 tandem. Not sure who ends up closing.

Chang-Yong Lim or "Zero."

Lim, a sidearm pitcher, signed a two-year contract with the Cubs this past offseason as he continued his recovery from Tommy John ligament replacement surgery in 2012. He pitched at four levels in the Cubs' Minor League organization, reaching Iowa at the end of July. He gave up one earned run over 11 1/3 innings in 11 outings.

In 21 Minor League appearances, Lim gave up four earned runs over 22 1/3 innings, making five starts. He struck out 24 and walked seven, holding batters to a .173 batting average.

He sounds like a middle inning RH specialist.

LH arms:

James Russell took a step back but I believe it had more to do with the excessive workload on him. Add to it he was the only LH arm in the pen.

Leads to they need another LH arm in the pen. They are evaluating Zac Rosscup and Brooks Raley in that role before looking externally.

It is starting to shape up but I believe that they are going to need a big named closer to anchor this pen. Gregg was a poor mans version. Bard was a great set up. Strop never has proven he is a closer yet. He is a maybe there.

I expect them to wait until Fujikawa is back to work into the closer role again. Until then it will be Strop with Bard in the 8th.

7th inning guy I can see them giving Alberto Cabrera a look. They would have a decent power arm set up at that point.

For me the glaring hole this year was the BP. I think FO did a nice job with some of the players coming back to get better in that regard. Who knows what Bard can do, but it's time to see who can help next year. You could be right that he will be the set-up man. What a pleasant surprise it would be if Strop was getting the job done as a closer and made it hard for Fujikawa to get his job back.

 

[beckdawg]

Or maybe there are just some fans that would like to see a proven player signed versus every move being made as simply throwing it against the wall to see if it sticks. Wood, Schierholz, Navarro, Arrietta, Strop, Viscaino, Bowden, Bard, Stewart, Volstad, Villanueva, Gregg, and the supposed core players of Rizzo, Castro, and Shark are not exactly anything to get overly excited about. Some are doing okay, but they still have sent away a lot more talent than they have acquired in my opinion and have not minded paying handsomely to do so.

Sure there is very little risk, but there is also very little chance to succeed as indicated by their record of recent years and apparently next year too.

You will see a lot more optimism from everyone when they sign some actual talent to help out some of these players. Until then, you can expect the same pessimism. opcorn:

I wouldn't say there's very little chance of success. You mentioned 12 players and probably half of them have panned out already and that left off guys like Feldman and and Maholm. Now, none of those guys have turned into "stars" either. But, proven doesn't automatically equal good signings. Let's look at the top 10 contracts of the last two seasons.

2013 -
Zack Greinke(6 years $147,000,000) - 14-3 with 119k's 1.14 whip 2.78 ERA
Josh Hamilton(5 years $123,000,000) - 64 runs 19 HR 61 RBI .236 avg and .297 OBP
Anibal Sanchez(5 years $80,000,000) - 12-7 with 163 k's 1.14 whip and 2.68 ERA
B.J. Upton(5 years $75,250,000) - 30 runs 9 hrs 26 RBI 12 SB .199 avg .281 obp
Hiroki Kuroda(1 years $15,000,000) - 11-10 with 130 k's 1.11 whip 2.99 ERA
Nick Swisher(4 years $56,000,000) - 59 runs 15 hr 46 rbi .237 avg .333 obp
Rafael Soriano(2 years $28,000,000) - 2-3 with 38 saves 1.24 whip and 3.47 ERA
Ryan Dempster(2 years $26,500,000) - 8-9 with 144 k's 1.45 whip and 4.79 era
Edwin Jackson(4 years $52,000,000) - 7-15 with 121 k's 1.43 whip and 4.91 era
Shane Victorino(3 years $39,000,000) - 73 runs 13 HR 53 RBI 19 SB .277 avg .342 obp


2012 - using this years stats for simplicity sake rather than adding them
Albert Pujols(10 years $250,000,000) - 49 runs 17 HR 64 RBI .258 avg .330 OBP
Prince Fielder(9 years $214,000,000) - 71 runs 22 HR 95 rbi .271 avg .359 obp
Jose Reyes(6 years $106,000,000) - 42 runs 9 hr 31 rbi 13 sb .295 avg .348 obp
C.J. Wilson(5 years $77,500,000) - 14-6 with 159 k's 1.37 whip 3.35 era
Yu Darvish(6 years $60,000,000) - 12-7 with 240 k's 1.06 whip and 2.91 era
Mark Buehrle(4 years $58,000,000) - 11-7 with 127 k's 1.29 whip and 3.88 era
Jonathan Papelbon(4 years $50,000,058) - 4-1 with 24 saves 1.02 whip and 2.35 era
Jimmy Rollins(3 years $38,000,000) - 51 runs 5 hr 36 rbi 18 sb .242 avg and .309 obp
Aramis Ramirez(3 years $36,000,000) - 34 runs 9 HR 39 rbi .267 avg with .356 obp
Carlos Beltran(2 years $26,000,000) - 73 runs 23 hr 72 rbis .306 avg .340 obp

This is a small sample size but it goes with conventional logic that FA is often a big gamble. And a lot of the guy signed to top contracts are playing worse than the guys the cubs signed. Would you rather have Swisher or Schierholtz(52 runs 20 hr 63 rbi .259 avg and .310 obp @ $2 mil)? That's the reason FA can be such a disaster. For the $14 mil/year that Swisher is getting the cubs signed Schierholtz, Fujikawa($4.5 mil/year), Feldman($6 mil), and Stewart($2 mil). It doesn't matter that 2 of those players have given the cubs nothing this year because the other two have been quality signings and Schierholtz alone has been as good as Swisher.

Additionally, if you look at this list the majority of good contracts thus far have been pitchers not offensive players. Beltran, Fielder, and Victorino have been the only good signings. The cubs problem this year hasn't been pitching. It's been offense. Fielder would have meant no Rizzo which while an improvement wouldn't be the drastic improvement of adding say a 3B or 2B where there's huge holes on offense.

If you don't dig into things it can be easy to say that the cubs are losing and they aren't signing high profile FA so there's your cause and effect. The cubs have clearly shown you can get good production out of lessor signings with substantially less risk because it spread over 4-5 players instead of 1. The reason they are losing is because the team was already bad not because of these signings. Having guys like Zambrano and Marmol eating nearly $30 mil in contract space really limited what they could do.

 

[DewsSox79]

More potential than Gregg repeating '13 again. This year was a blip for him.

On top of it I feel better with Bard in the mix with Arodys Vizcaino not throwing a pitch this year and Kyuji Fujikawa blowing out after 12 games.

One thing I've learned from all of this is you can never have enough pitching.

a surplus of bad pitching still = no pitching.

 

[Boobaby1]

I wouldn't say there's very little chance of success. You mentioned 12 players and probably half of them have panned out already and that left off guys like Feldman and and Maholm. Now, none of those guys have turned into "stars" either. But, proven doesn't automatically equal good signings. Let's look at the top 10 contracts of the last two seasons.

2013 -
Zack Greinke(6 years $147,000,000) - 14-3 with 119k's 1.14 whip 2.78 ERA
Josh Hamilton(5 years $123,000,000) - 64 runs 19 HR 61 RBI .236 avg and .297 OBP
Anibal Sanchez(5 years $80,000,000) - 12-7 with 163 k's 1.14 whip and 2.68 ERA
B.J. Upton(5 years $75,250,000) - 30 runs 9 hrs 26 RBI 12 SB .199 avg .281 obp
Hiroki Kuroda(1 years $15,000,000) - 11-10 with 130 k's 1.11 whip 2.99 ERA
Nick Swisher(4 years $56,000,000) - 59 runs 15 hr 46 rbi .237 avg .333 obp
Rafael Soriano(2 years $28,000,000) - 2-3 with 38 saves 1.24 whip and 3.47 ERA
Ryan Dempster(2 years $26,500,000) - 8-9 with 144 k's 1.45 whip and 4.79 era
Edwin Jackson(4 years $52,000,000) - 7-15 with 121 k's 1.43 whip and 4.91 era
Shane Victorino(3 years $39,000,000) - 73 runs 13 HR 53 RBI 19 SB .277 avg .342 obp


2012 - using this years stats for simplicity sake rather than adding them
Albert Pujols(10 years $250,000,000) - 49 runs 17 HR 64 RBI .258 avg .330 OBP
Prince Fielder(9 years $214,000,000) - 71 runs 22 HR 95 rbi .271 avg .359 obp
Jose Reyes(6 years $106,000,000) - 42 runs 9 hr 31 rbi 13 sb .295 avg .348 obp
C.J. Wilson(5 years $77,500,000) - 14-6 with 159 k's 1.37 whip 3.35 era
Yu Darvish(6 years $60,000,000) - 12-7 with 240 k's 1.06 whip and 2.91 era
Mark Buehrle(4 years $58,000,000) - 11-7 with 127 k's 1.29 whip and 3.88 era
Jonathan Papelbon(4 years $50,000,058) - 4-1 with 24 saves 1.02 whip and 2.35 era
Jimmy Rollins(3 years $38,000,000) - 51 runs 5 hr 36 rbi 18 sb .242 avg and .309 obp
Aramis Ramirez(3 years $36,000,000) - 34 runs 9 HR 39 rbi .267 avg with .356 obp
Carlos Beltran(2 years $26,000,000) - 73 runs 23 hr 72 rbis .306 avg .340 obp

I have not heard of one team crying foul because of these signings. Boston sent contracts packing too, re-spent, and are winning. They just didn't lay around waiting for things to happen. They were aggressive.

BTW, the team that netted the albatross of contracts from Boston in LA that a lot are dead against are winning also.

This is a small sample size but it goes with conventional logic that FA is often a big gamble.

Every move is a gamble. Because they have saved in payroll moves, they have also suffered in ticket sales, concessions and what-have-you.

You just let me know that IF and when the Cubs are ready to compete and they need impact players, if you want them to go out and get the Greinke's, Cano's, and Fielder's of the world, or roll the dice with Mahiolm, Schierholtz, and Dejesus.

And a lot of the guy signed to top contracts are playing worse than the guys the cubs signed. Would you rather have Swisher or Schierholtz(52 runs 20 hr 63 rbi .259 avg and .310 obp @ $2 mil)?

Would you rather have Greinke, or Feldman and Jackson?

That's the reason FA can be such a disaster. For the $14 mil/year that Swisher is getting the cubs signed Schierholtz, Fujikawa($4.5 mil/year), Feldman($6 mil), and Stewart($2 mil). It doesn't matter that 2 of those players have given the cubs nothing this year because the other two have been quality signings and Schierholtz alone has been as good as Swisher.

I don't want to hear about money issues when the Cubs send Soriano, Byrd, and Zambrano packing and eat the vast majority of their contracts

Additionally, if you look at this list the majority of good contracts thus far have been pitchers not offensive players. Beltran, Fielder, and Victorino have been the only good signings. The cubs problem this year hasn't been pitching. It's been offense. Fielder would have meant no Rizzo which while an improvement wouldn't be the drastic improvement of adding say a 3B or 2B where there's huge holes on offense.

And why were those positions not addressed? If you are a fan and have noticed it as being a glaring hole, surely the FO would know this if you, I and others on this board can plainly see it.

If you don't dig into things it can be easy to say that the cubs are losing and they aren't signing high profile FA so there's your cause and effect. The cubs have clearly shown you can get good production out of lessor signings with substantially less risk because it spread over 4-5 players instead of 1. The reason they are losing is because the team was already bad not because of these signings. Having guys like Zambrano and Marmol eating nearly $30 mil in contract space really limited what they could do.

That may hold some water if they had payroll near the 145-450 mark annualy. Dropping payroll by 40 million plus and not adding to the glaring holes is the reason this team has floundered. 3B, 2B, and the bullpen were not addressed hardly at all. The main focus was on the starting rotation and was full of risks with Villanueva, Feldman, Jackson, and Baker, and that has now suffered a big hit with the loss of Garza.

They are back to square one IMO as the farm has developed, and now have to search for the same position players and pitchers that they needed just a year ago. Two years ago if you think about it.

It's time to start spending again.

 

[SilenceS]

I feel the Cubs are going to make a splash or two this offseason because I believe they have to. They have lost something like 20 percent in ticket sales this year. That is 20 percent that they will never get back. Also, I read that the renovations are getting pushed back so they are not going to be making up for that revenue lost anywhere else.

 

[waldo7239117]

Yeah, but for who? There's not really an option that will drastically help.

 

[SilenceS]

Yeah, but for who? There's not really an option that will drastically help.

http://www.chicagonow.com/cubs-den/2013/09/despite-much-publicized-money-woes-expect-cubs-to-make-serious-run-at-rhp-masahiro-tanaka/

Despite much publicized money woes, expect Cubs to make serious run at RHP Masahiro Tanaka


Yes, I know the Cubs are saying they don't have money to spend but I'm not buying that yet. I'm not saying they're going to open up the checkbook ala the Tribune pre-sale free agent extravaganza, but it is still my understanding that they will aggressively pursue players who they think fit their long term plan. That has not changed.

The player that best fits that critetia is RHP Masahiro Tanaka

The Cubs have been active in the Asian market, landing Kyuji Fujikawa and Chang-Yon Lim, but also falling short in their pursuit of Yu Darvish and Hyun-Jin Ryu. They also showed interest in outfielder Norichika Aoki and infielder Hiroyuki Nakajima. They decided not to bid on Aoki and fell just short on Nakajima, again placing 2nd in their bid.

Darvish was always a long shot, though the Cubs did again come in 2nd. The Cubs had a very realistic shot at Ryu and put it in what they felt was an excellent offer, only to be outbid by the monopoly money Dodgers. Perhaps if you could do this over again, you would put the money earmarked for Fujikawa and combine that with the Ryu bid. In hindsight and with all due respect to Fujikawa, who had the misfortune of suffering a major arm injury, it would have easily been worth it.

With another top free agent from the NPB on the market, can the Cubs afford to not win the bid this time?

Tanaka is the best player in this free agent class and I've received nothing but raves from scouts regarding his stuff, command, and makeup. More than a couple of scouts think that he could possibly be a top of the rotation starter and most think he's at least a #2.

Tanaka is capable of reaching 97 mph on his 4-seam FB though he often works more in the 92-94 range. His fastball is considered a plus pitch, as is his slider. His best pitch, however, may be a splitter, which I've been told rates 70 on the 20-80 scale by three different scouts.

There are some in the industry who believe the Cubs may be even more aggressive than they have been in the past in the Pacific Rim market. I've heard rumors on the bid being anywhere from somewhere north of what Ryu got to perhaps even approaching the bid Darvish received, though that seems unlikely. But when you consider that some think he can fit in at the top of the rotation, that idea suddenly doesn't seem that outlandish.

The Yankees and Rangers have been the most visible in their pursuit of Tanaka and one always has to consider the Dodgers a threat, but don't be at all surprised if the Cubs are lying in the weeds on this one.

With growing concerns about the money issue and the pace of the rebuild, can they afford not to? We talked about how the Cubs had a more sound process entering this season and may not be as far off as we think, but Tanaka would be a major boost to the efforts in 2014 -- especially if the Cubs are also able to continue to improve the bullpen, get rebound seasons from Castro and Rizzo, and improve their OBP skills overall.

Moreover, he's still young and can be a long term piece of the puzzle. The 6'2", 205 lbs RHP turns 25 in November, so he should just be entering his prime as the Cubs are getting an infusion of impact talent from their system.

Again, I don't think it's a matter of not having enough money. I think it's a matter of pursuing the right fits and there are precious few, if any, ideal fits among the big names in this year's free agent class. Nobody in this year's class is a better fit for the rebuilding Cubs than Tanaka. There may not even be a close 2nd right now. So while the Cubs may not be awash in revenue/TV deal money yet, money is not so scarce that they will pass up on a rare opportunity to bid on a potential top of the rotation arm who is also a couple years away from entering his prime year.

And as scarce as you may think that money is, it's not as scarce as the number of quality young starters available -- especially when it will not cost a single player or draft pick in compensation. Expect the Cubs to seize this opportunity the way they tried to seize on the Anibal Sanchez opportunity last season. That bid fell short, but it wasn't for lack of effort or resources-- the Cubs even tried to overpay for him, beating the previous offer by some $30M. Ultimately the Tigers decided they could not afford to lose him. Similarly, I think the Cubs feel like they can't afford to pass on this rare opportunity. The money will be there if the Cubs decide that Tanaka can indeed be a piece of the puzzle. Of that, I have little doubt.

If some scouts are right and think he can be a top of the rotation starter, it would make the Cubs rotation look pretty strong in 2014 and over the next few years. Here's how it may look next year with their current ages.

Masahiro Tanaka, RHP, 25
Jeff Samardzija, RHP, 28
Edwin Jackson, RHP, 29
Travis Wood, LHP, 26
Jake Arrieta, RHP, 27

That rotation would easily be good enough to compete in the NL Central. Edwin Jackson's peripherals are similar to those he has put up his entire career, so it's reasonable to assume he should be the same Edwin Jackson we've always known again. Samardzija has "struggled" as the team's #1 starter and hasn't taken that 2nd leap forward yet -- but that's not to say he still can't. His peripherals are also similar to last season, when we were thinking he could be a top of the rotation arm.

With both Jackson and Samardzija, we've fallen into that trap of expecting linear progress -- and when it doesn't happen, we are disappointed and lower our expectations. Then when they rebound or improve the next year, we are suddenly surprised again. I'm expecting some regression with Travis Wood, but I think he should slot into that 4th spot nicely and the hope is that Jake Arrieta takes that 5th spot in April -- but perhaps with a chance to move up higher in the rotation during the season. There would also be excellent depth behind them with Carlos Villanueva, Justin Grimm, Chris Rusin, and Kyle Hendricks.

The question would then be whether the Cubs could build a good enough team around them to take that big step forward in 2014.

 

[SilenceS]

Also, I would look to Choo for the Cubs to add. Ellsbury is out and good riddance. Boras is looking for a Carl Crawford contract for him. Boston supposedly would go to a 100 million and nothing more and Boras wants 6 to 7 years for 140 or more. Um no thanks.

 

[waldo7239117]

Oh yeah, I can totally see the Cubs going hard after Masahiro Tanaka. Will they get him? I don't know, but there name will for sure be mentioned in the chase for him. I would be very surprised if Ellsbury leaves Boston. Boston would give him the most money. The Cubs will be after Choo, but I don't know if I want him. He'll most likely get overpaid (with weak FA class) and I don't want the Cubs to be the team to do so.

 

[waldo7239117]

And yes, the Cubs say they don't have money but they do. They just say that so we don't expect a splash. The Cubs said that last year as well and signed Jackson. They have money and if the right player came along at the right price, the Cubs will make the play.