brett05
867-5309
- Joined:
- Apr 28, 2009
- Posts:
- 27,226
- Liked Posts:
- -1,294
- Location:
- Hell
It's not a question of Baez playing, it's drawing in revenue. Dale being fired or Baez playing in 2014 sells no season tickets most likely.
- Status
CSF77
Well-known member
- Joined:
- Apr 16, 2013
- Posts:
- 18,185
- Liked Posts:
- 2,695
- Location:
- San Diego
I believe total sales will drop to 2.5 mil. Cub fans are always the loyal ones. What they are losing are the fair weather fans that the team has seen increase sense 2003. Fact is Cub fans are Cub fans regardless and most of the fans go to the park to get loaded.
CSF77
Well-known member
- Joined:
- Apr 16, 2013
- Posts:
- 18,185
- Liked Posts:
- 2,695
- Location:
- San Diego
Baez played CF in High School. So ya he has. It would depend on his ability to turn 2 from 2B. As we saw from Barney when he went from SS to 2B it took a full year to adapt to it. But, Barney is a better defender than Baez is. 3B has possibilities but he looked rough at it last winter. They are not pushing him this offseason to adjust yet. Not sure about the winter leagues to be honest if he takes part of it.
The main point here is Bryant is a 3B. Baez is a SS. Until they are moved (no guessing) that is what they project as. What happens then? Again guessing here. They could move Castro or trade him if they get a solid return. But if I had to guess they would just want Baez's bat In there with the least impact from a D perspective. In opertunites LF has lower impact. Now as time passes and more talent up wells I would expect some changes. But at first the glaring need would be from a run generation perspective. The whole D first was pushed by Dale and he is out.
beckdawg
Well-known member
- Joined:
- Oct 31, 2012
- Posts:
- 11,733
- Liked Posts:
- 3,719
FWIW, i've read scouting reports that suggest Bryant is far from a lock to stay at 3B. Supposedly, he's average at best there and could end up in the OF. I'd be surprised if Baez ended up outside the infield but then I've suggested that the cubs should move Castro to 2B and allow Baez to slot into SS when he's ready.
CSF77
Well-known member
- Joined:
- Apr 16, 2013
- Posts:
- 18,185
- Liked Posts:
- 2,695
- Location:
- San Diego
Baez and Sano showed precocious talent and occasional bouts of immaturity that made scouts question their makeup, but both players had tools and performance to back up their swagger. Baez claimed the FSL as his own on June 10, the day after Sano’s promotion to Double-A, hitting four home runs in a game against Fort Myers.
Baez earned his own promotion less than a month later and wound up tying for second in the minors with 37 homers—two more than Sano. Baez has similar swing-and-miss tendencies thanks to bat speed as good as any minor leaguer, as well as an aggressiveness that borders on recklessness. Most scouts consider Baez a future .260-.270 hitter.
While Baez earns 70 grades for his power and arm, he’s an erratic defender at short, where his aggressiveness also works against him. Most scouts still believe he could handle the position, as he has solid range and average speed, but he’d likely be more consistent at less-demanding positions such as second or third base.
The Golden Spikes Award winner and BA College Player of the Year easily led the nation with 31 home runs in the spring, then dazzled in a 77 plate-appearance stretch in the NWL. Fans and even opposing players and staffs would stop everything to watch him take batting practice, and he often showed the same power in games.
“He killed us. You can see why the Cubs took him (second overall),” Vancouver’s McCullough said. “He’s just a monster—the best looking hitter we saw all year. With Peterson and Renfroe, you could make good pitches and have a chance, but Bryant hit everything.”
Much of Bryant’s power is to right-center field. Boise manager Gary Van Tol said Bryant, who signed for more than $6.7 million, is “still a puppy” and has room to get stronger and the makeup to succeed in the big leagues.
On offense, Bryant was lauded for having excellent leverage and a body frame that will only bring more power. Defensively, Bryant showed plus arm strength and good range with an understanding of how to make his throws.
Baez earned his own promotion less than a month later and wound up tying for second in the minors with 37 homers—two more than Sano. Baez has similar swing-and-miss tendencies thanks to bat speed as good as any minor leaguer, as well as an aggressiveness that borders on recklessness. Most scouts consider Baez a future .260-.270 hitter.
While Baez earns 70 grades for his power and arm, he’s an erratic defender at short, where his aggressiveness also works against him. Most scouts still believe he could handle the position, as he has solid range and average speed, but he’d likely be more consistent at less-demanding positions such as second or third base.
The Golden Spikes Award winner and BA College Player of the Year easily led the nation with 31 home runs in the spring, then dazzled in a 77 plate-appearance stretch in the NWL. Fans and even opposing players and staffs would stop everything to watch him take batting practice, and he often showed the same power in games.
“He killed us. You can see why the Cubs took him (second overall),” Vancouver’s McCullough said. “He’s just a monster—the best looking hitter we saw all year. With Peterson and Renfroe, you could make good pitches and have a chance, but Bryant hit everything.”
Much of Bryant’s power is to right-center field. Boise manager Gary Van Tol said Bryant, who signed for more than $6.7 million, is “still a puppy” and has room to get stronger and the makeup to succeed in the big leagues.
On offense, Bryant was lauded for having excellent leverage and a body frame that will only bring more power. Defensively, Bryant showed plus arm strength and good range with an understanding of how to make his throws.
CSF77
Well-known member
- Joined:
- Apr 16, 2013
- Posts:
- 18,185
- Liked Posts:
- 2,695
- Location:
- San Diego
Still think Bryant is and will be a better D at 3B. Baez i would move to 2B next year.. But they already moved Alcentra to 2B. It is anyone's guess right now but as of right now Barney is the best D at 2B. Castro the same at SS in the system. But I doubt D will be the main priority post Dale; as Dale was a SS and just became the IF coach at KC. (Bet Boyd is loving how he can not get away from him)
Flacco4Prez
New member
- Joined:
- Apr 19, 2013
- Posts:
- 913
- Liked Posts:
- 170
I have a hard time believing the Cubs are going to outbid the Redsox, Dodgers, and Yankees whom are all reportedly to be involved in the Tanaka bidding
beckdawg
Well-known member
- Joined:
- Oct 31, 2012
- Posts:
- 11,733
- Liked Posts:
- 3,719
Why? I think they finished second on both Ryu and Darvish. Just sayin'
- Joined:
- May 17, 2010
- Posts:
- 13,947
- Liked Posts:
- 3,118
Interesting article about Boston's free agents and whether or not they will tender them a 14.1 million dollar qualifying offer:
http://nypost.com/2013/10/12/bostons-decision-on-four-free-agents-will-shape-market/
http://nypost.com/2013/10/12/bostons-decision-on-four-free-agents-will-shape-market/
- Joined:
- Nov 12, 2010
- Posts:
- 25,053
- Liked Posts:
- 11,499
My favorite teams
Did the Cubs get anything for finishing second?
beckdawg
Well-known member
- Joined:
- Oct 31, 2012
- Posts:
- 11,733
- Liked Posts:
- 3,719
Point was they were willing to go after international FA while they were cutting budget. They should in theory have more money now than they did those 2 years.
CSF77
Well-known member
- Joined:
- Apr 16, 2013
- Posts:
- 18,185
- Liked Posts:
- 2,695
- Location:
- San Diego
Oh this is fun:
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2013/...-as-an-injury-prone-pitcher-whose-strike.html
Free Agent Faceoff: Scott Feldman vs. Paul Maholm
By Aaron Steen [October 12, 2013 at 10:11pm CST]
For tonight's Free Agent Faceoff entry, we'll take a look at Scott Feldman and Paul Maholm. As two soft-tossers with below-average strikeout rates, they're likely to draw interest from NL clubs who're looking for an extra piece to fill out a rotation.
The Cubs likely targeted Feldman last winter as a pitcher whose strikeout and walk rates were on the upswing in recent years despite inconsistent results. In 2012, he struck out nearly seven batters per nine innings and walked just 2.3 per nine while being shuttled between the rotation and the bullpen. SIERA suggested his ERA should have been somewhere in the range of 3.95, but he ended the season with a mark of 5.09. Dropped into the Cubs' rotation in 2013, Feldman rewarded the team with 91 quality innings before being flipped to Baltimore in July, and he remained relatively effective in the AL East despite seeing his strikeouts tick down and his walk rate rise. It added up to a 181 2/3-inning, 3.86 ERA campaign for Feldman that likely ranks as his best major league season thus far. While his strikeout rate remained below average for a starter, Feldman continued to avoid excessive walks this season, and also saw his groundball rate shoot up to 49.6 percent, easily the highest rate of his career among years in which he's worked mostly out of the rotation.
Maholm also doesn't rely on the strikeout, but he's much more ground-ball oriented than Feldman. Only once has his ground ball rate fallen below 50 percent in a season, and he's averaged 52.1 percent for his career. Those grounders are his meat and potatoes, as he's averaging just a 6.4 per nine strikeout rate over the last two seasons and a solid, but not excellent, walk rate of 2.6 per nine. He also relies heavily on neutralizing lefties, who've managed just a .220/.287/.318 line against him for his career, while righties have fared much better at .286/.353/.447. That's generally been a recipe for success for Maholm, whose ERA climbed to 4.41 in 2013 but was 3.66 over the 2011 to 2012 seasons. His 2013 innings total, 153, was his lowest since his first full season in 2006, with a wrist sprain and elbow inflammation causing him to miss time. However, he's generally been a durable pitcher, as he's never failed to complete 150 innings in a season and has reached the 180-inning plateau three times in the last five years.
In Feldman and Maholm, we have two pitchers who have achieved some success despite living below the 90 MPH mark with their fastballs. Feldman will turn 31 in February, and averaged 89.9 MPH with his heater last season. Maholm will turn 32 during the 2014 season and is a bit behind Feldman on fastball velocity, averaging 87.5 MPH in 2013, but he's also been much more effective at generating ground balls over his career. Who would you rather have?
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2013/...-as-an-injury-prone-pitcher-whose-strike.html
Free Agent Faceoff: Scott Feldman vs. Paul Maholm
By Aaron Steen [October 12, 2013 at 10:11pm CST]
For tonight's Free Agent Faceoff entry, we'll take a look at Scott Feldman and Paul Maholm. As two soft-tossers with below-average strikeout rates, they're likely to draw interest from NL clubs who're looking for an extra piece to fill out a rotation.
The Cubs likely targeted Feldman last winter as a pitcher whose strikeout and walk rates were on the upswing in recent years despite inconsistent results. In 2012, he struck out nearly seven batters per nine innings and walked just 2.3 per nine while being shuttled between the rotation and the bullpen. SIERA suggested his ERA should have been somewhere in the range of 3.95, but he ended the season with a mark of 5.09. Dropped into the Cubs' rotation in 2013, Feldman rewarded the team with 91 quality innings before being flipped to Baltimore in July, and he remained relatively effective in the AL East despite seeing his strikeouts tick down and his walk rate rise. It added up to a 181 2/3-inning, 3.86 ERA campaign for Feldman that likely ranks as his best major league season thus far. While his strikeout rate remained below average for a starter, Feldman continued to avoid excessive walks this season, and also saw his groundball rate shoot up to 49.6 percent, easily the highest rate of his career among years in which he's worked mostly out of the rotation.
Maholm also doesn't rely on the strikeout, but he's much more ground-ball oriented than Feldman. Only once has his ground ball rate fallen below 50 percent in a season, and he's averaged 52.1 percent for his career. Those grounders are his meat and potatoes, as he's averaging just a 6.4 per nine strikeout rate over the last two seasons and a solid, but not excellent, walk rate of 2.6 per nine. He also relies heavily on neutralizing lefties, who've managed just a .220/.287/.318 line against him for his career, while righties have fared much better at .286/.353/.447. That's generally been a recipe for success for Maholm, whose ERA climbed to 4.41 in 2013 but was 3.66 over the 2011 to 2012 seasons. His 2013 innings total, 153, was his lowest since his first full season in 2006, with a wrist sprain and elbow inflammation causing him to miss time. However, he's generally been a durable pitcher, as he's never failed to complete 150 innings in a season and has reached the 180-inning plateau three times in the last five years.
In Feldman and Maholm, we have two pitchers who have achieved some success despite living below the 90 MPH mark with their fastballs. Feldman will turn 31 in February, and averaged 89.9 MPH with his heater last season. Maholm will turn 32 during the 2014 season and is a bit behind Feldman on fastball velocity, averaging 87.5 MPH in 2013, but he's also been much more effective at generating ground balls over his career. Who would you rather have?
CSF77
Well-known member
- Joined:
- Apr 16, 2013
- Posts:
- 18,185
- Liked Posts:
- 2,695
- Location:
- San Diego
Both: flip Jackson for a bag of potatoes then run Shark, Wood, Arreta, Maholm, Feldman.
(Might not be a troll because Feldman and Maholm saw success here)
CSF77
Well-known member
- Joined:
- Apr 16, 2013
- Posts:
- 18,185
- Liked Posts:
- 2,695
- Location:
- San Diego
Pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez will likely decline his 2014 option to stay with the Indians, and will instead try the free-agent market, Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer writes. Jimenez posted a 3.30 ERA with 9.6 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in 182 2/3 innings for Cleveland this year. Jimenez agreed to team options for his 2013 and 2014 seasons when he signed a long-term deal with the Rockies before the 2009 season, but he received the right to void the $8MM 2014 option when Colorado shipped him to the Indians.
beckdawg
Well-known member
- Joined:
- Oct 31, 2012
- Posts:
- 11,733
- Liked Posts:
- 3,719
You realize that given their success they will probably be as much if not more than Jackson right? It's not like the cubs are going to be able to re-sign Feldman for $5 mil/year again. I'd wager both end up being over paid. To trade Jackson they are going to have to eat a sizable portion of his contract. I'd rather they give him another shot next year and see if their original assessment in him was correct. They can still gamble on guys like Baker and Feldman because they wont have to eat Jackson's contract.
CSF77
Well-known member
- Joined:
- Apr 16, 2013
- Posts:
- 18,185
- Liked Posts:
- 2,695
- Location:
- San Diego
I know they will not eat Jackson's contract. That is a lot of cash to flip. But I bet they push him into the #5 starter to get favorable match ups vs into the #2 slot where he was not getting quality run support. (other pitcher is better than him factor)
I'm on the fence here. They need a better #1 than Wood or Shark.
But I doubt they invest into one until after they have Baez and Bryant on the team.
So IDK. What they have said is do not expect a major F/A signing so I'm guessing Baker or picking up J.J. on the scrap at best.
I'm on the fence here. They need a better #1 than Wood or Shark.
But I doubt they invest into one until after they have Baez and Bryant on the team.
So IDK. What they have said is do not expect a major F/A signing so I'm guessing Baker or picking up J.J. on the scrap at best.
Flacco4Prez
New member
- Joined:
- Apr 19, 2013
- Posts:
- 913
- Liked Posts:
- 170
This is where Tanaka comes in. The only guy anywhere close to being a #1 that will be available this offseason without gambling on some of the farm. Sure we could get Price for the right price (no pun intended) but Tanaka is the only guy that we can realistically go after this year as far as a potential ace goes. I'm still disappointed how the whole managerial thing is playing out but if we get Tanaka it will be a successful offseason. Tanaka/Wood/Shark/E-Jax/Arrieta/Baker would at least keep them in every game. Wood/Shark/E-Jax is a above average 3/4/5 combo that is definitely postseason worthy. It is getting the 1/2 that is postseason worthy. (And an entire offense)
beckdawg
Well-known member
- Joined:
- Oct 31, 2012
- Posts:
- 11,733
- Liked Posts:
- 3,719
I'm curious what the dodgers do this off season. Kershaw is a FA after next year. They already have Ryu and Grienke signed long term. If they go hard after Tanaka, I'm not sure they will be able to afford Kershaw. Hanley is a FA IIRC this off season and the way Kershaw is pitching he's probably in the 25-30 mil range as a 26 year old. Typically I'm not for spending much money in FA but if a 27 year old lefty ace hits the FA market.... count me in.
CSF77
Well-known member
- Joined:
- Apr 16, 2013
- Posts:
- 18,185
- Liked Posts:
- 2,695
- Location:
- San Diego
I doubt they will be F/A players. They have to extend Rameriz and Ker
CSF77
Well-known member
- Joined:
- Apr 16, 2013
- Posts:
- 18,185
- Liked Posts:
- 2,695
- Location:
- San Diego
I believe Tanaka goes to NYY. Cano and McCann goto Tex. LAD retain. NYM get either Santana or Garza. I can see Balt. Getting the other.
Chi will get a starter. But guys I would view are Baker on an extend, Kazmier after his rebound. His SO were solid last year and gives a swing and miss LH starter with Shark. Another would be Arroyo but at 36 it would feel like a favor Theo was doing him and not a future builder.
Chi will get a starter. But guys I would view are Baker on an extend, Kazmier after his rebound. His SO were solid last year and gives a swing and miss LH starter with Shark. Another would be Arroyo but at 36 it would feel like a favor Theo was doing him and not a future builder.
- Status