You're the GM (Game)

[JimJohnson]

I hope Bryant is truly worth that in 3 years...

If he is, he will be traded for a king's ransom.

 

[beckdawg]

Also these FA prices are getting way out of hand. If Heyward gets 10/300, what does that mean for Trout/Harper? 10/450?

Trout already got paid. As for Heyward, I don't believe he'll get with in $50 mil of $300 mil. All the talk I've personally read is in the $20-25 mil/season range.

 

[jooo83]

Trout already got paid. As for Heyward, I don't believe he'll get with in $50 mil of $300 mil. All the talk I've personally read is in the $20-25 mil/season range.

He is signed through 2020 when he will be 29. Can't imagine what kind of money he will get then? 40 million per year? Maybe more.

 

[JimJohnson]

He is signed through 2020 when he will be 29. Can't imagine what kind of money he will get then? 40 million per year? Maybe more.

Yankees and Harper will set the market and then Trout will get more than whatever Harper got. It's a vicious cycle.

 

[czman]

They are gaining a pick for losing Fowler. Those picks are a wash on talent level and draft spending.

Non sequitur. Gaining a pick some place else does not make Lackey worth losing a pick. Lackey has the value he has. I don't think his value is worth the pick, plus the pay; especially when you consider his age and the long term needs of the Cubs. I see this a stop gap move, but the Cius have nothing on the other side.

If he Wins game 7 of the WS for the Cubs I will be happy to eat my words.

 

[chibears55]

He is signed through 2020 when he will be 29. Can't imagine what kind of money he will get then? 40 million per year? Maybe more.

He could be the Cubs first big FA signing after they get their billion dollars TV deal [emoji3]

 

[czman]

You could have said the same thing about the cards trading for Lackey two trading deadlines ago. We'll see what Leake/Kazmir get but even if they do get less there's no guarantee the cubs would have got them or that they even like them.

You cannot say the same thing about Stl trading for Lackey because they were able to get him for 500k one season and they get a pick for him. The Cubs will get neither.

We will see what they get. We see what Shark got. I am LOL at the people who thought the market would explode because Greinke went to the Dbacks.

 

[TL1961]

Hope he (Edgar Olmos) can stand and deliver.

Nothing?

Nobody got this?

Oh, well.

 

[beckdawg]

Nothing?

Nobody got this?

Oh, well.

I got it if that counts.

 

[TL1961]

I knew I could count on you!


Meanwhile....I am ready for some Winter Meetings action!!

(And trades, too!)

 

[brett05]

So far this off season is really breaking well for the Cubs. A lot of solid teams got worse and the better free agents are on teams that are weaker than the Cubs.

 

[CSF77]

So far this off season is really breaking well for the Cubs. A lot of solid teams got worse and the better free agents are on teams that are weaker than the Cubs.

So far. I still don't know how I feel about a closer need over a CF need. It threw me off a bit. The adding pitching depth I got. They need more arms to bring up over the year. Lackey made sense. But Rondon has been nails. So that bit I question. Now Strop has gone through some moments. So taking him out of the 8th inning I can understand but they have Ramirez so that can be dealt with internally.

So I see it as questionable at best. The pen was for the most part pretty damn good last year. If anything replacing Cahill or just resigning him fills the need. He wouldn't cost more than a quality closer anyways.

I hope they focus on CF in the meetings. They have no answer and I hope they do not decide the answer is Coghland and Baez then spend on a closer pushing ever one back. That would give the Cubs the worst OF D in the majors and it wouldn't be close.

 

[Parade_Rain]

You have no idea how good or bad Baez could be as a CF.

 

[CSF77]

You have no idea how good or bad Baez could be as a CF.

They have talked platoon to get Baez more AB's. Add to it there has been no talks about CF. add they offered arb to Cog with no place to play him.

To me it seems strange to offer Cog arb/pay increase for a lesser role and less AB's. So the signs are pointing towards a inhouse answer. Not to mention out from nowhere the talk went from 2 SP and a CF now to closer after they add Lackey.

Feels like bolster the pen and wait for Almora's debut to me.

So it really has little to do with Baez as he is not the primary CF. it would be on Coghlan between Soler and Schwarber for the most part.

Feeling a bunch of gap's in the D.

 

[JimJohnson]

You have no idea how good or bad Baez could be as a CF.

Let's trade Baez for Salazar, trade Soler and Hammels for Gray, and then sign Heyward. Cubs win WS in 2016.

 

[Parade_Rain]

Let's trade Baez for Salazar, trade Soler and Hammels for Gray, and then sign Heyward. Cubs win WS in 2016.

Both of those players produced in the post season, especially Soler. Big mistake getting rid of Soler.

 

[JimJohnson]

Both of those players produced in the post season, especially Soler. Big mistake getting rid of Soler.

Long run maybe but if you go into next year with Heyward in CF and a starting rotation of Arrieta, Lester, Gray, Salazar, Lackey.. I doubt Cubs win less than 110 games.

 

[TC in Mississippi]

Long run maybe but if you go into next year with Heyward in CF and a starting rotation of Arrieta, Lester, Gray, Salazar, Lackey.. I doubt Cubs win less than 110 games.

See that's the danger in making huge moves. You cannot build a team to win 110 games. Ask the Nationals. Their 2015 team looked to be one of the best a decade and injuries, pitching inconsistencies from Zimmermann early and Strasburg late, and problems in the clubhouse led to them missing the playoffs. What you're really doing in a contention window is building a team that can win roughly 94 games +/- 5 and that can win in the playoffs. Those are two very different things which is why it's so hard. The regular season is a grind so you need solid workhorses along with outstanding production while in the playoffs you hope to have enough flexibility to withstand different match ups. If you look at the 2015 playoffs things could have turned out very differently depending on sometimes one game.

If the Cubs had faced the Dodgers in the NLCS they would have a better chance than running into a buzzsaw of power arms. Not that the pitching wasn't great in LA but it would have presented different issues. I don't know if they would have won but it would have been a different series and that was the result of a Game 5 in the NLDS. Both ALDS series were 5 game affairs as well and presented very different match-ups if game 5 had come out differently. The goal is to have more flexibility for as many matchups as you might face and to predict that first in December/January and then again in July. Good luck with that.

Sometimes even seemingly equal value moves don't work and it's best to go with your strengths and tweak along the edges whether they're great big tweaks like a Heyward or small ones like adding a Jake Odorizzi to the back of the rotation over Hammell or Hendricks. I love Sonny Gray but the kind of move to get him wouldn't necessarily be worth it.

 

[DanTown]

Let's trade Baez for Salazar, trade Soler and Hammels for Gray, and then sign Heyward. Cubs win WS in 2016.

Well neither of the two teams say yes to those deals.

 

[DJMoore_is_fat]

God, I hope we can plug our two remaining holes (CF and SP) with out giving up Baez, Castro or Soler. I love having such versatility with Baez,Castro, Russell and La Stella. With multiple teams willing to part with SP (Atlanta, SD, Cleveland and TB) maybe one of them is willing to accept minor league prospects.

If Baez is moved, you have to imagine that paves the way for La Stella to have a bigger role backing up Russell and Castro.

Also Senile Bruce Levine was on 670AM and he said the Cubs were very serious about adding Alex Gordon to switch positions to play RF. Apparently the Cubs love his defense and OBP. Although at 31 didn't he peak already? You hate to pay for past years.