You're the GM (Game)

[TC in Mississippi]

And I'm not arguing that he's not a great GM. I'm glad we have him. That being said, I stand by my position that he seems to be quite concerned about trading a prospect or 2 for a cost controlled Ace. Hitting is not our team's weakness, pitching is. I would give our rotation a grade of B+ right now. But I don't think it's phenomenal by any means.

I would agree with you, maybe A-, but an A + rotation isn't absolutely essential either. I really like the depth of the staff with 4 guys likely to make the team that can spot start and two of them in Cahill and Warren that could actually be solid BOR guys or better given a competitive chance. After that the 7th, 8th and 9th innings are solid in the pen as well. Going into a playoff series I'd be confident but not overly so and another guy would help. Lackey really filled the major hole but it's a short term fix. In the NL I think the Mets are the clear top of the heap in the rotation with the D-Backs, Cubs, Giants, Nationals and Cardinals all in the next level. If they add quality arm before the playoffs i take my chances matching up with anyone. If not they'll still be a favorite but their could be a tough matchup there. Frankly I think a deal will happen at some point.

 

[TC in Mississippi]

Which hitter isn't the team's weakness? How do you know which ones to trade yet? If it was that simple anyone could be a GM. As has been stated, thy have the pitching to get them to the post-season where once in it, anything can happen.

Absolutely. I still, and always will, believe that had the Dodgers beat the Mets in the NLDS in that game 5 that the Cubs would have beat the Dodgers to go to the World Series. It's all about matchups in the playoffs. If you're good enough to make it there you're usually good enough to win. Yes the pitching was great from NY but Daniel Murphy doing his best Babe Ruth impression made more of a difference than anything else.

 

[JimJohnson]

How do you know which ones to trade yet?

Dumb question. If we knew which ones to trade, so too would the teams we are trading with, and they would know exactly who to ask for which Theo would say "Thanks but no thanks." This all about calculated gambles. That being said, Baez is nothing more than a utility guy. Bryant is at 3B, Russell at SS, Zobrist at 2nd. The outfield is covered with Schwarber, Heyward, and Soler. So where would you like to play Baez? If you're just going to use him as a guy to fill in for someone else when they need rest, I'd argue that's a stupid use and it would be better to trade him while we can get a haul. The last thing we need to do is wait as long as we did with Castro and then end up with a bag of balls.

 

[JimJohnson]

I would agree with you, maybe A-, but an A + rotation isn't absolutely essential either. I really like the depth of the staff with 4 guys likely to make the team that can spot start and two of them in Cahill and Warren that could actually be solid BOR guys or better given a competitive chance. After that the 7th, 8th and 9th innings are solid in the pen as well. Going into a playoff series I'd be confident but not overly so and another guy would help. Lackey really filled the major hole but it's a short term fix. In the NL I think the Mets are the clear top of the heap in the rotation with the D-Backs, Cubs, Giants, Nationals and Cardinals all in the next level. If they add quality arm before the playoffs i take my chances matching up with anyone. If not they'll still be a favorite but their could be a tough matchup there. Frankly I think a deal will happen at some point.

Yup. I mean Lackey and Arrieta could very well be gone in 2 years. Then you've got an aging Lester and what? Hendricks? This needs to be addressed, sooner rather than later.

 

[Diehardfan]

Absolutely. I still, and always will, believe that had the Dodgers beat the Mets in the NLDS in that game 5 that the Cubs would have beat the Dodgers to go to the World Series. It's all about matchups in the playoffs. If you're good enough to make it there you're usually good enough to win. Yes the pitching was great from NY but Daniel Murphy doing his best Babe Ruth impression made more of a difference than anything else.

Mets pitching was pretty darn good all year but early on they struggled to score...REALLY struggled, which made them look ordinary regardless of how well they pitched. A couple of guys got hot which coinsided with the Cespedes trade and they took off. It doesn't mean that will happen again....more than likely, it won't. It also shows that you don't have to build a "perfect" team to win....a peg in every hole, so to speak. Go to spring training and see what you have before throwing your assets on the trade block.

 

[beckdawg]

I love the reluctance of the board to trade Baez. Flashback to the 2014-2015 season, people had just about given up on Baez b/c of his K rate. Beckdawg even said as much, providing a laundry list of statistics which detailed why Baez would never become more than a solid utility player.

Now, suddenly, Baez is the greatest thing since sliced bread and noway, no how can we give him up. You people are LULZ.

I'm probably not the one to cite here as most people when I was saying such things strongly disagreed with my conclusions. That's not to say I was wrong or right. I'm just giving some color to what was being said then. Also for what it's worth, the reason I suggested trading Baez at the end of the 2014 season was I didn't feel he was ever part of the long term plan. My feelings were Russell was the SS of the future. I mean that was pretty obvious when you deal your best trade chip in Shark and don't get pitching that the player you get is someone the front office viewed as a long term piece. And with that in place you're talking about Baez being either a 3B which Bryant covered as well as Candelario and Villanueva and I guess at the time Olt was still here too or you're talking 2B where the cubs had Alcantara who I was super high on(still am I suppose) as well as Torres, Bruno who looked better a the time, Castro and others I'm likely forgetting.

Additionally, the reason I didn't like Baez for the cubs wasn't exactly because I thought he was a bench player. I always thought he was a starter. My problem was that they had a number of high strike out players already. You can survive with a couple of them but they were fairly prone to it as we saw last year and this offseason they obviously addressed that by adding Heyward and Zobrist who are high contact guys.

Overall, I felt Baez was and still is someone who wasn't going to be ready day one and might be 25-26 before he figures it out. If you are a rebuilding team or a team with no other options at SS/2B then you can afford to take the time he might need to mature but clearly as demonstrated last season the cubs don't have time to **** around. As that pertains to trading him, I still think they will. However, it is a matter of timing. Playing this utility role they likely will have him in can protect him so he shouldn't really lose too much value. And while it is easy to say Salazar, Gray, Carrasco....etc are on the market the reality of the situation is the only top tier pitcher that has been traded was Miller and Arizona gave up a boat load for him. Whether pitching just costs a lot or whether people just weren't selling very hard it seems kind of clear nothing was happening this offseason more than talk.

Ultimately, I'd want to see how the jose fernandez thing plays out a little bit before I go moving parts. They very realistically could offer something like Baez, McKinney, Torres and two lessor prospects without really hurting themselves. Happ still could be ticketed as a potential future 2B to replace Zobrist(or Alcantara if people wanna join me on that train before the hype comes), McKinney likely doesn't fit the OF and Baez is obviously redundant.

 

[Parade_Rain]

Dumb question. If we knew which ones to trade, so too would the teams we are trading with, and they would know exactly who to ask for which Theo would say "Thanks but no thanks." This all about calculated gambles. That being said, Baez is nothing more than a utility guy. Bryant is at 3B, Russell at SS, Zobrist at 2nd. The outfield is covered with Schwarber, Heyward, and Soler. So where would you like to play Baez? If you're just going to use him as a guy to fill in for someone else when they need rest, I'd argue that's a stupid use and it would be better to trade him while we can get a haul. The last thing we need to do is wait as long as we did with Castro and then end up with a bag of balls.

OK. Your dopey post indicates that you want the bench to be weak so the Cubs have less sticks available in Interleague play and the WS, if they make it that far.

 

[TC in Mississippi]

I'm probably not the one to cite here as most people when I was saying such things strongly disagreed with my conclusions. That's not to say I was wrong or right. I'm just giving some color to what was being said then. Also for what it's worth, the reason I suggested trading Baez at the end of the 2014 season was I didn't feel he was ever part of the long term plan. My feelings were Russell was the SS of the future. I mean that was pretty obvious when you deal your best trade chip in Shark and don't get pitching that the player you get is someone the front office viewed as a long term piece. And with that in place you're talking about Baez being either a 3B which Bryant covered as well as Candelario and Villanueva and I guess at the time Olt was still here too or you're talking 2B where the cubs had Alcantara who I was super high on(still am I suppose) as well as Torres, Bruno who looked better a the time, Castro and others I'm likely forgetting.

Additionally, the reason I didn't like Baez for the cubs wasn't exactly because I thought he was a bench player. I always thought he was a starter. My problem was that they had a number of high strike out players already. You can survive with a couple of them but they were fairly prone to it as we saw last year and this offseason they obviously addressed that by adding Heyward and Zobrist who are high contact guys.

Overall, I felt Baez was and still is someone who wasn't going to be ready day one and might be 25-26 before he figures it out. If you are a rebuilding team or a team with no other options at SS/2B then you can afford to take the time he might need to mature but clearly as demonstrated last season the cubs don't have time to **** around. As that pertains to trading him, I still think they will. However, it is a matter of timing. Playing this utility role they likely will have him in can protect him so he shouldn't really lose too much value. And while it is easy to say Salazar, Gray, Carrasco....etc are on the market the reality of the situation is the only top tier pitcher that has been traded was Miller and Arizona gave up a boat load for him. Whether pitching just costs a lot or whether people just weren't selling very hard it seems kind of clear nothing was happening this offseason more than talk.

Ultimately, I'd want to see how the jose fernandez thing plays out a little bit before I go moving parts. They very realistically could offer something like Baez, McKinney, Torres and two lessor prospects without really hurting themselves. Happ still could be ticketed as a potential future 2B to replace Zobrist(or Alcantara if people wanna join me on that train before the hype comes), McKinney likely doesn't fit the OF and Baez is obviously redundant.

You make some good points. I think Baez is ultimately movable as well although all signs have pointed to them being more willing to give up Soler, at leas for now. As far as Fernandez goes I'm not sure I see a trade fit. I think LA likes him better than the Cubs do and I see them offering a boatload if Miami is indeed out of the race in July which they might not be. I have always felt, however, that Sonny Gray is destined to be a Cubs player. Dealing with Billy Beane is interesting in that he see things in players that others don't see so there could be a fit there. I see less of a chance for Oakland to be in it at the deadline than Miami and with Gray heading for arbitration next year it could very well be time for him to start rebuilding the farm.

 

[brett05]

So you want the GM to come and acknowledge a trade rumor? Has that ever happened in the history of baseball? If you refuse to accept a report from a Cubs insider than this is stupid.

If you believe that a Cubs insider is "gospel" you have other issues.

 

[JimJohnson]

OK. Your dopey post indicates that you want the bench to be weak so the Cubs have less sticks available in Interleague play and the WS, if they make it that far.

Actually your post is the dopey one. I'm not going to give up trading for a potential young ace in order to have a guy with some pop on his bat sitting on the bench. That's stupid. I prefer our bench guys to be high contact guys anyway who can come in with a few guys on base and get them home. Not someone who comes in and swings for the fences 3 straight times and whiffs.

 

[Parade_Rain]

Actually your post is the dopey one. I'm not going to give up trading for a potential young ace in order to have a guy with some pop on his bat sitting on the bench. That's stupid. I prefer our bench guys to be high contact guys anyway who can come in with a few guys on base and get them home. Not someone who comes in and swings for the fences 3 straight times and whiffs.

Great. Name one bench guy who can play as many positions as Baez, has his speed and has his pop, Mr. Idontwantjonlester. When you go to buy a car are you going to pay more than sticker price, because you have "sucker" written on your forehead.

 

[beckdawg]

You make some good points. I think Baez is ultimately movable as well although all signs have pointed to them being more willing to give up Soler, at leas for now. As far as Fernandez goes I'm not sure I see a trade fit. I think LA likes him better than the Cubs do and I see them offering a boatload if Miami is indeed out of the race in July which they might not be. I have always felt, however, that Sonny Gray is destined to be a Cubs player. Dealing with Billy Beane is interesting in that he see things in players that others don't see so there could be a fit there. I see less of a chance for Oakland to be in it at the deadline than Miami and with Gray heading for arbitration next year it could very well be time for him to start rebuilding the farm.

Perhaps. I mean I guess what I was getting at here is that while Carassco and Salazar types are nice enough pitchers, there's a number of teams that are in a iffy situation of trying to compete vs trying to tank. And many of those teams have pitching that is just flat out better. For example, if things go south in White Sox land Sale is pretty clearly their best trade piece. And while they certainly aren't inclined to move him while they think they can compete, if shit hits the fan their farm system has all of 2 top 100ish guys in Tim anderson and Carson Fuller. The rays are possibly another example of this and might be persuaded by someone to move Chris Archer. They have a bit higher prospects(4 top 100 types) but probably less on their MLB roster than the sox do.

I also think Stephen Strasburg might come into play as soon as this trade deadline. He's a 2017 FA and he's only going to be 27 this season. Obviously there's concerns with his health. He's only pitched 800 innings in 6 MLB seasons though 2 of those seasons were his age 21 and 22 seasons. I believe he had his arm injury in 2011 as he only threw like 50 or so innings that year and only threw 159.1 the following. With that being said, he has a career 10.44 k/9 and a 2.22 bb/9 with 3.09/2.83 ERA/FIP. In other words, when he's healthy and throwing he's among the best out there at it. And granted you'd have to pay him long term if you acquire him but that option is there.

 

[85Bears]

Hitting is not our team's weakness, pitching is. I would give our rotation a grade of B+ right now. But I don't think it's phenomenal by any means.

You...do realize that some people are ranking the Cubs' rotation as the best in baseball right now, right?

https://t.co/KZH3CKUfup

 

[TC in Mississippi]

Perhaps. I mean I guess what I was getting at here is that while Carassco and Salazar types are nice enough pitchers, there's a number of teams that are in a iffy situation of trying to compete vs trying to tank. And many of those teams have pitching that is just flat out better. For example, if things go south in White Sox land Sale is pretty clearly their best trade piece. And while they certainly aren't inclined to move him while they think they can compete, if shit hits the fan their farm system has all of 2 top 100ish guys in Tim anderson and Carson Fuller. The rays are possibly another example of this and might be persuaded by someone to move Chris Archer. They have a bit higher prospects(4 top 100 types) but probably less on their MLB roster than the sox do.

I also think Stephen Strasburg might come into play as soon as this trade deadline. He's a 2017 FA and he's only going to be 27 this season. Obviously there's concerns with his health. He's only pitched 800 innings in 6 MLB seasons though 2 of those seasons were his age 21 and 22 seasons. I believe he had his arm injury in 2011 as he only threw like 50 or so innings that year and only threw 159.1 the following. With that being said, he has a career 10.44 k/9 and a 2.22 bb/9 with 3.09/2.83 ERA/FIP. In other words, when he's healthy and throwing he's among the best out there at it. And granted you'd have to pay him long term if you acquire him but that option is there.

Sale or Archer are guys I don't think will ever be moved by their current clubs. The white Sox truly believe they are in a 2 year contention window and are loathe to trade pitching. The Rays are similar in that they do think they can compete and on the strength of a big arm like Archer you're never far away. Strasburg to me is pretty unlikely as I think the Nationals are going to be right in the NL East race if not the leader all year long. It think race could go down to the wire for the Nats and Mets.

In the end I think the names we have heard all along are still the ones we'll be hearing going forward, guys like Carrasco, Salazar, Teheran and Rays guys like Matt Moore, Alex Cobb and a possibility of top prospect Blake Nell. Of course Sonny Gray would be the prize. Another name that could be interesting to watch is Henderson Alvarez who was picked up by the Rays, almost certainly to flip, and should begin playing in May after his shoulder injury of last year. If he gets back to form he could be a guy that could help. He's likely not a TOR prospect any more but has MOR written all over him if he's healthy.

 

[TC in Mississippi]

You...do realize that some people are ranking the Cubs' rotation as the best in baseball right now, right?

https://t.co/KZH3CKUfup

An awful lot of sources are picking them as that which is silly to me when you look at the Mets. After that I think they're right with the other NL contenders.

 

[beckdawg]

Sale or Archer are guys I don't think will ever be moved by their current clubs. The white Sox truly believe they are in a 2 year contention window and are loathe to trade pitching. The Rays are similar in that they do think they can compete and on the strength of a big arm like Archer you're never far away. Strasburg to me is pretty unlikely as I think the Nationals are going to be right in the NL East race if not the leader all year long. It think race could go down to the wire for the Nats and Mets.

In the end I think the names we have heard all along are still the ones we'll be hearing going forward, guys like Carrasco, Salazar, Teheran and Rays guys like Matt Moore, Alex Cobb and a possibility of top prospect Blake Nell. Of course Sonny Gray would be the prize. Another name that could be interesting to watch is Henderson Alvarez who was picked up by the Rays, almost certainly to flip, and should begin playing in May after his shoulder injury of last year. If he gets back to form he could be a guy that could help. He's likely not a TOR prospect any more but has MOR written all over him if he's healthy.

Well my point is more we don't really know. I mean did we think the Rays would honestly trade David Price the year they did? To succinctly put things, I don't really see the point in trading for decent #2-3 types with a player like Baez. And to me that's what most of the names being thrown around are. Salazar I am mildly interested in but a lot of the other guys are prime age pitchers who are good but not amazing. To me, that's a lot like Garza. And I'm not even trying to hate on him. But he quite clearly didn't carry the cubs. If you're going to give up a player as potentially talented as Soler or Baez I feel like you go the full mile and get someone like Fernandez or whomever you prefer who can be a top 5 or 10 pitcher in baseball.

 

[TC in Mississippi]

Well my point is more we don't really know. I mean did we think the Rays would honestly trade David Price the year they did? To succinctly put things, I don't really see the point in trading for decent #2-3 types with a player like Baez. And to me that's what most of the names being thrown around are. Salazar I am mildly interested in but a lot of the other guys are prime age pitchers who are good but not amazing. To me, that's a lot like Garza. And I'm not even trying to hate on him. But he quite clearly didn't carry the cubs. If you're going to give up a player as potentially talented as Soler or Baez I feel like you go the full mile and get someone like Fernandez or whomever you prefer who can be a top 5 or 10 pitcher in baseball.

Those guys don't move very often but you're right in that there might be two of them this summer in Gray and Fernandez. I've long coveted Gray but if it's going to be ridiculously costly I'd rather find a guy who could be that like Snell or Cobb to be honest. A lot of this will be whole lot easier if the Cubs can win a WS in 2016.

As far as Price 2 years ago I think everyone expected him to be traded. The Rays weren't drafting well diminishing the value of a compensatory pick and his value was going down as his control time was lessening. They traded him with 1 year and 2 months of control.

 

[DanTown]

If you believe that a Cubs insider is "gospel" you have other issues.

No, my point is that if you refuse to accept any sourced post as information then we're going nowhere. No GM will ever publicly comment on whether or not they'd trade a player like Baez. So if a tweet saying the Cubs were willing to deal him isn't sufficient evidence then there is no evidence I could ever present.

 

[SilenceS]

Calm down board, you are talking to a guy who swears Lester sucks and Brett, well, we all know what he is about.

 

[DanTown]

I'm not going to give up trading for a potential young ace in order to have a guy with some pop on his bat sitting on the bench.

And is there any evidence this is how the Cubs are operating? Is there anyone here saying they wouldn't trade Baez for an arm? This feels like a classic strawman.