The Cubs Hot Stove Action Thread

[Boobaby1]

I don't see why they would do that though because if you trade for Shark you want to win now. Trading away Rasmus doesn't help you win now. Not that what you're saying is a bad idea. I think Toronto would like to trade an OF but I would suggest it's Gose. Personally I wouldn't really be in favor of Gose though because he strikes out a metric ton.

They need a rotation starter, and I believe they have Batista and Cabrera. Even short on an outfielder, surely they have something in the system that can play defense, or can acquire one on the cheap.

Not to mention, they still have Encarnacion, Lawrie, Reyes, and Lind as offense. They have a surplus of position players, and pitching is a lot harder to come by. If the Cubs wanted Heyward or Upton, I think they might be enticed to take a look at Rasmus. He's young and kinda fits the profile. It's just a thought.
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Probably better than taking on aging vets like Ethier or Crawford even though the Dodgers might eat some salary.

Also, I think the Cubs can get something in return without losing any of the big four, nor pitching prospects.

 

[CSF77]

They are not going to trade shark . Theo put out some ridiculous demands and no team was willing to over pay on a 3.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp...tebook_id=64598790&vkey=notebook_chc&c_id=chc

Epstein: Samardzija Cubs' Opening Day starter
President of baseball ops puts trade rumors to bed, says club done talking about it

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein met Wednesday with Jeff Samardzija's agent at the Winter Meetings, and he said as of now, the pitcher is the team's Opening Day starter. Samardzija also doesn't appear to be any closer to agreeing to a long-term contract.

Samardzija will be a free agent after the 2015 season. His name has been mentioned in trade rumors, but interested teams have not been able to meet the Cubs' demands. Samardzija is coming off his first 200-inning, 200-strikeout season.

"Every time we meet with [agent Mark Rodgers], I feel great about the relationship and the relationship with Jeff, too," Epstein said. "Talks are amicable, open. We're transparent about the situation and our interests, and he's transparent about Jeff's desires and interests.

"We continue to try to move the ball forward as much as we can on one of two or three possible outcomes. There hasn't been any fundamental change in the situation. Communication is good and we continue to view Jeff as a really big part of what we're doing, even as we admit there are several possible outcomes."

And that's that as far as Epstein is concerned. He won't be giving daily briefings on Samardzija's status.

"At some point, I don't think Jeff deserves to read about this every day," Epstein said. "It's a tough thing to read about someone speculating on where you're going to work. We'll put it to bed. The situation now is Jeff's our Opening Day starter and that's how we're moving forward."

Epstein said he and general manager Jed Hoyer will stop answering questions about Samardzija's status.

"I don't want Jeff to have to read the paper every day that there's speculation that he might be traded or not," Epstein said. "We're asked about all of our good players all the time, and it's no surprise we're asked about Jeff Samardzija. There's no trade imminent, and we'll see what happens. We hope he's here for a long time."

 

[beckdawg]

They need a rotation starter, and I believe they have Batista and Cabrera. Even short on an outfielder, surely they have something in the system that can play defense, or can acquire one on the cheap.

Not to mention, they still have Encarnacion, Lawrie, Reyes, and Lind as offense. They have a surplus of position players, and pitching is a lot harder to come by. If the Cubs wanted Heyward or Upton, I think they might be enticed to take a look at Rasmus. He's young and kinda fits the profile. It's just a thought.
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Probably better than taking on aging vets like Ethier or Crawford even though the Dodgers might eat some salary.

Also, I think the Cubs can get something in return without losing any of the big four, nor pitching prospects.

I'm not saying Rasmus isn't interesting I just don't see why they'd want to move him. For example, I think if they are in win now mode they'd rather trade Sanchez and Stroman for that matter. As for the dodger guys, I just think they are easier to obtain. The way I view someone like Ethier is he is just a guy to bridge the gap and at least keep some interest in the team.

 

[beckdawg]

http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/43097/cubs-could-have-gem-in-ruggiano

 

[chibears55]

they should go get nelson cruz.. give him a 1 or 2 yr(option) deal..
most likely going to hold onto samardzija now since Tanaka wont be posted unless they get the offer they want

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[beckdawg]

they should go get nelson cruz.. give him a 1 or 2 yr(option) deal..
most likely going to hold onto samardzija now since Tanaka wont be posted unless they get the offer they want

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I'm really not in on the Cruz idea. His away splits from Texas are scary.

 

[CSF77]

Rather toss Olt out there at 3B hitting #4. Put Valbuena's OBA hitting 2 and bloat up his RBI's for resale value.

 

[Boobaby1]

I'm not saying Rasmus isn't interesting I just don't see why they'd want to move him. For example, I think if they are in win now mode they'd rather trade Sanchez and Stroman for that matter. As for the dodger guys, I just think they are easier to obtain. The way I view someone like Ethier is he is just a guy to bridge the gap and at least keep some interest in the team.

My take is however that the Cubs don't want to bridge the gap in that way. The reason I mentioned Rasmus (Heyward and Upton were noted by the rumors media) is that the Cubs appear to want a guy for the future if possible.

Ethier is a left handed Soriano in that they would likely get no one for when the time comes, plus he is aging and on the downside of his career. I believe Rasmus just turned 27 and you would have to think he has a few good years left in him and that he is also relatively cheap.

I am not saying that I wouldn't take Sanchez and Stroman if offered, but I think realistically that If I were GM, I wouldn't want to trade my top two pitchers for one starter because I will have just hedged everything and have absolutely no back up plan or youth coming through the system.

Toronto is not a young team, so they need to hold onto something, and finding a replacement for Rasmus will probably be easier than finding a replacements from your top two prospects.

 

[beckdawg]

Ethier is a left handed Soriano in that they would likely get no one for when the time comes, plus he is aging and on the downside of his career. I believe Rasmus just turned 27 and you would have to think he has a few good years left in him and that he is also relatively cheap.

I'm not sure the Soriano comparison is fair. Soriano's problem wasn't his power it was his OBP. Either's OBP the past 2 years was .360 and .351 where as Soriano's with the cubs was something like .287 before being traded. Also, Either isn't *that* old. He'll be 32 next year.

His contract looks like this

2014 32 $15,500,000
2015 33 $18,000,000
2016 34 $18,000,000
2017 35 $17,500,000

And he has a vesting option in 2018 for $17,500,000 with a $2.5 mil buyout. Let's hypothetically say the cubs can get the dodgers to eat $11 mil. You're then looking at Either for 4 years at $15 mil a year with the $2.5 mil buy out covered. Beltran is going to be 37 next year and got that in FA and his season wasn't even as good as Either's last year at least in terms of WAR.

Now I'm not saying Rasmus isn't more attractive an option than Either. But, in my opinion he's the headliner in a Shark trade. I don't see them giving him up and any significant prospect(read: top 5 in their system). On the other hand, I think Either is someone who can be had for much cheaper. For example, Either for say Russell, Barney and Villenueva might be enough to get the dodgers to eat $11 mil of his remaining salary if not more.

And sure Either isn't going to be part of the long term plan but the front office is wise to the attendance issues. They can point to that and say hey we're trying just hang in there with us. Plus, with Either's ability to walk he's the type of player who will at least age decently. Let's say at in 2016 his average is pushing .240. Assuming he walks at the same rate his OBP will be .330 still. Also, playing in chavez isn't doing Either any favors. Moving to some where like Wrigley would likely push up his power numbers some.

 

[TL1961]

Good lord....Rasmus??? Please, no!!

 

[chibears55]

I'm really not in on the Cruz idea. His away splits from Texas are scary.

They really have nothing to lose if they would be able to sign Cruz to a 2 yr deal, with 2 nd as an option. add in incentives.. they need someone for the 4 spot, he may be motivated to prove himself after suspension and lookn for a solid long term deal. even if he bad he has to be better then bogusevic and their only conmited for 1 yr.. I think its worth a shot if nothing better comes available.

 

[beckdawg]

They really have nothing to lose if they would be able to sign Cruz to a 2 yr deal, with 2 nd as an option. add in incentives.. they need someone for the 4 spot, he may be motivated to prove himself after suspension and lookn for a solid long term deal. even if he bad he has to be better then bogusevic and their only conmited for 1 yr.. I think its worth a shot if nothing better comes available.

Well presuming your right on him and his splits wouldn't be a problem, you're still giving up a 2nd round pick for a 2 year deal. Just don't think the value is there.

 

[chibears55]

Well presuming your right on him and his splits wouldn't be a problem, you're still giving up a 2nd round pick for a 2 year deal. Just don't think the value is there.

I forgot about the draft pick, which would probably be the reason they wouldn't do it.. I personally wouldnt care about giving up a 2nd rounder to add a decent power bat to the line up for the next couple years.. you can always replace a draft pick via trade for a prospect at some point..

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[CSF77]

They really have nothing to lose if they would be able to sign Cruz to a 2 yr deal, with 2 nd as an option. add in incentives.. they need someone for the 4 spot, he may be motivated to prove himself after suspension and lookn for a solid long term deal. even if he bad he has to be better then bogusevic and their only conmited for 1 yr.. I think its worth a shot if nothing better comes available.

I wouldn't give up a 2nd round for him.

 

[CSF77]

Let me word that better. No F/A out there is going to push this team to being competitive.

So when it is a 25-32 pick we are talking about ( that means the team is in the play offs) then giving up that pick for the "right" player makes sense.

Giving up the "slot value". Yes the cash allotment goes with it. Is plain stupid for a team in rebuild mode


Don't expect them to sign any Q-offer

 

[Boobaby1]

Good lord....Rasmus??? Please, no!!

You mean Rasmus, an outfielder who is hands down better than anything we currently have and is cheap? Oh, and did you miss the top pitching prospect part?

Of course, we can continue to sit idly by and watch the FO pick up minor leaguers with an invitation to ST camp hoping that one makes it big enough to flip at the deadline for someone elses TJ surgery AA pitcher.

I thought it couldn't get any worse than the last two years and thought that we were at rock bottom, but if this years team doesn't dwarf the previous two as far as being horrible, I don't know what does.

 

[CSF77]

You mean Rasmus, an outfielder who is hands down better than anything we currently have and is cheap? Oh, and did you miss the top pitching prospect part?

Of course, we can continue to sit idly by and watch the FO pick up minor leaguers with an invitation to ST camp hoping that one makes it big enough to flip at the deadline for someone elses TJ surgery AA pitcher.

I thought it couldn't get any worse than the last two years and thought that we were at rock bottom, but if this years team doesn't dwarf the previous two as far as being horrible, I don't know what does.

I'd rather them go all in or nothing.

Hoyer already said they are going to play Lake full time. If they were not he would play at Iowa full time.

That should apply for any potentials. Baez will play full time and he will have a spot made for him.

On That Tor trade: No rather let the Shark saga play out. Unless they are getting 2 quality SP prospects not worth it. I believe the OF will work itself out. Not to mention D wise it should be pretty damn good as it is.

Only think I would want to see is Olt starting. He has potential and should get a shot to build trade value. No I don't want him long term but 3B is a area of need always in the bigs and developing Olt could pay off in a trade chip. At that point I would move Valbuena over to 2B. He takes BB and looks good hitting #2. He takes pitches which lets Castro run. It also with Rizzo's ability to take BB gives Olt RBI opportunities. Again to up his sale value. Add into it Schierholtz should hit #5 and get plenty of RBI opportunities which ups his trade value.

Trading for Coby is going to put Lake at AAA. Lake deserves a shot to prove he belongs at this level. Worst case he is a toss in in a deal for a real fish.

It is better to get Baez and Bryant on the team first then to trade out the excess to open playing time vs adding more road blocks that may not work into the plans.

Going into next offseason is when they should spending to build around the core.

All I see suggest is white washing a rotted/Termite infested house. Problems not fixed but it is not so bad to look at. Problem is all that did is shrink the draft pool some with crappy games still played.

Pointless

 

[beckdawg]

Rangers Sign Shin-Soo Choo
15 MLB Rumors - MLBTradeRumors.com by Jeff Todd / 20min // keep unread // hide
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TODAY, 11:32am: Choo's deal is worth $130MM, tweets Heyman. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News first reported (via Twitter) that the deal was expected to land in that range.

7 year deal.... that's a lot of money for someone who doesn't put up more than 20 HRs.

 

[chibears55]

7 year deal.... that's a lot of money for someone who doesn't put up more than 20 HRs.

a lot of crazy contracts given out the last couple yrs., teams putting all their eggs in the basket to win now and pay the price down the road..
I guess as a cubs fan one would hope in the next couple seasons as these teams are somewhat capped with their payroll, the cubs will be able to have the pick of the litter once their ready to spend on needed FAs and or post on international players...ray:

 

[Boobaby1]

a lot of crazy contracts given out the last couple yrs., teams putting all their eggs in the basket to win now and pay the price down the road..
I guess as a cubs fan one would hope in the next couple seasons as these teams are somewhat capped with their payroll, the cubs will be able to have the pick of the litter once their ready to spend on needed FAs and or post on international players...ray:

If you think it is going to get easier for the Cubs, guess again. By the time the Cubs are willing to spend in what ever year that will be, the other teams like Boston, the Yankees, Angels, Mets, and every other Tom, Dick, and Harry will be ready to spend too.

It is only going to get crazier.