Unless it is a legit ace in return I doubt the Cubs are trading either Schwarber or Eloy. First they have to see what Heyward does. If he sticks then they have to decide if they want Almora in CF every day. If that is a yes to both then they have to make a decision on Schwarber or Eloy.
They won't make tough decisions until there are no choices.
But ideally if you keep Heyward and Almora. Happ at 2B as a SH. Russell at SS. Bryant and Rizzo with Contreras. The line up is heavy to the right side. Happ nets a 3rd lefty but Schwarber balances the line up.
I believe they would rather give up Eloy all things played out but only if they were going after a pitcher equal to Jake.
This. It won't even be a race by August/September. At the dead line, Theo will drop some assets on pitching and we'll have a shot of winning it all again. Will we actually win the world series? Who knows -- but we'll be one of a handful of teams that will have a chance.Originally Posted by TC in Mississippi
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gallagher has a sub-70 IQ and is in the "dull" range.
Theo already said that they made their moves in the off season. I believe the fact that they won it gave them a pass this year. They moved some guys that were not in the plans. They got a closer and 2 AAA starting pitchers for depth in return. Then they did a short term signing in Anderson.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
I would be shocked if they did another rental. Using Candilerio for a long term starter is another story.
I'm thinking that we will hear crickets.
So Happ leading off in CF. 8th HR and 5 RBI's. Makes you wonder if they are going back to plan A with him. He is honestly the ideal replacement for Fowler.
Not really. He's in CF because they want La Stella to stay fresh at 2B. He wouldn't be a very good CF. If he's in the OF you want him in a corner.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
More like Andreoli is on the 7 day DL. They could have moved LaStella to 3B and Candi over to 1B also.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
Young started at RF so I'm guessing they trust Ozzy Martinez (who has no future here) more at SS. So that is a small issue looking ahead. They really have no one who can play SS behind Baez.
I'm really not a fan of how they are doing things there. The top hitters there are Happ, Young, Candi, Zag's, and Caratini. So they should be taking priority over the rest. LaStella should fill in between 3B/2B/1B to keep his bat fresh. 1B makes the most sense as that is a position that is open.
So that covers LF/3B/2B/1B/C. Bijan Rademacher Is a borderline player with Anndreoli (when healthy) so they should get dibs.
So I get Happ in CF right now as he is covering a spot but when the team is at full depth they need to make a real choice with him so his glove will catch up to his bat. Right now it is a weakness and shifting around is counter productive.
It worked with Baez due to him being that good. Not the same situation.
Dylan Cease SB (A) 0/1 1.89 ERA 12.8 SO/9
Oscar De La Cruz (A+) 1/2 3.26 ERA 8.4 SO/9
Trevor Clifton (AA) 2/1 3.10 ERA 7.1 SO/9
Thomas Hatch (A+) 0/2 4.42 ERA 7.96 SO/9
Jose Paulino (A) 1/0 4.50 ERA 2.57 SO/9 (fell off the board)
Duane Underwood (AA) 1/1 3.00 ERA 7.2 SO/9 (back to starting)
Pierce Johnson full time in the pen now in Iowa: 2.16 ERA 14 SO/9. So he is showing promise as a BP option this year.
other pen guys in Iowa:
Jose Rosario: Crap. No SO yet. ERA blown up.
Felix Pena: 2.08 ERA 11.5 SO/9. Another depth option.
Rob Zastryzny not looking good right now. 5.84 ERA no where close right now.
AA has a decent rotation right now. Seeing how Underwood has rebounded this year is promising. They have him listed at the #5 there and I can see him picking up where he was 2 years ago.
Adbert Alzolay is also worth keeping an eye on. He's a little under the radar in A+ but he looks like he has a shot at sticking in the rotation. His k rate is 7.4 per 9 and his bb rate is 2.2 per 9 on his minor league career. In A+ so far he's at 7.46 k/9 and 2.13 bb/9. I believe average at the MLB level is around 7.5 k/9 and 3 bb/9. So, he might have a shot at a mid-bottom rotation.
Also for what it's worth, De La Cruz is holding his own with a fairly big bump in competition. He only made 15 starts in A- between 2015 and 2016 and just 6 starts last year in A. As a comparison, Clifton made 35 starts between A- and A before breaking out in A+ last year with his 2.72 ERA and 9.76 k/9 and 3.10 bb/9. So, to see De La Cruz at 3.26 ERA and 8.38 k/9 and 3.26 bb/9 in 4 starts is promising. And I'd make the argument that walk rate is going to come down with more starts. He's been at 2.4 per 9 over his minor league career.
I get why people want to dream on Cease but I really think De La Cruz is going to end up being pretty special. I'm not sure he's going to end up being that top 15 type pitcher Cease could in theory be but I think De La Cruz could very well end up being Lester like as a solid guy who doesn't really "wow" you but consistently pounds the strike zone.
Cease/ DeLa Cruze is Prior/Zambrano 2.0This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
Hope we have more durability/less gaderade fall out this time
Some scouts think Albertos could be the best of the three, but of course he's very young.
Underwood: 5 IP 0 BB 5 SO 7 hits. Gave up 3 runs. I'm feeling mixed on him still. They are getting solid contact but he is throwing for the most part strikes. If he can start to get more soft contact rates he may step up again. All in all better than last year.
Listed as 6'1" 185. Has a plus change with a located fastball. And a slurve. More of a tweener pitch that ne needs to develop.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
IDK. Right now they haven't started him up and he got shut down last year. Honestly not enough on the guy to even make a conjecture at this point
He also throws 97 if I recall correctly. He generated a lot of buzz for his one 4 inning appearance last year and the cubs gave him $1.5 mil which for a pitcher in IFA is enormous. I could see him explode up prospect lists like Anderson Espinoza if he pitches well.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
Maybe. Like I said 1 game and they shut him down on it and he has not pitched sense. Add to it he is listed at the same size that Cease is which is a anti argument that you have used on him.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
Just saying. He is not a sure thing. And he needs to pitch in some games this year to even have much info to work with.
If he was listed at 6''6" and pushing 97 I would be hyped. 6'1" and shut down already is not something to bank on. Guys like that tend to get injured too easy.
Comparing him and Cease is probably fair though I would point out that Albertos hasn't gone under the knife yet and as a pitcher he's already got a far more advanced feel. Cease has dynamite stuff but he's still learning to command it which is how he ends up with a career minor league rate of 12.5 k/9 and 5.5 bb/9.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
Ceace is more likely a closer. As far as stuff goes he is up with Prior but Prior was 6'5" and even then fell under the knife.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
So I'm hesitant towards any of them to be honest. I'm mostly watching AA right now. Those guys are a year out and most of them would have already gone through injuries caused by the increased work loads on their arms.
AAA I'm watching Butler and Johnson. Both are front line IR. Rollins has also looked strong. But all of them are stop gaps.
When Ceace etc get to AA I'll start looking at them more. By then the Cubs will start to put them into the roles that suit them the best. We have seen guys like Johnson, Edwards etc moved to the pen due to the fact they were better suited there. So there is little need to get excited by guys in A ball or lower.
I think Cease's floor is a closer but there is no reason to believe he's not going to end up being a TOR starter. Their plan with him was to cut him loose this year in terms of innings and get him to Myrtle Beach by August. By next year I think we'll have a good idea where he's going to end up.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
Talent wise he is an ace. I dont question that including his 6 inning no hitter. His real test is durability.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
The thing about Cease is he's coasting on arm talent right now. He's yet to refine and master his delivery so that he can avoid injury. And his frame is adequate, he's not Edwards Jr or even Hendricks out there.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
Hendricks: 6'3". 190This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
Edwards: 6'3" 170
Cease: 6'2" 190
He is closer to Hendricks But he hovers near 95 vs 87. Which is way more arm stress. Add to it Hendricks is using a breaking pitch as a 4th offering vs a 2nd. Which is a pitch that causes torque on the arm.
Just saying. Hopefully he never will have issues. But I'll feel better if his change up improves where it becomes more of a weapon. That pitch is less stress on the arm.
I've mentioned Cease's size before as a minor concern but let's not call him Edwards here. He's small but there's plenty of 6'2 200ish guys in the majors. For example, Zack Greinke is 6'2 200, Scherzer is 6'3 210, Julio Teheran is 6'3 205....etc. The main problem with Cease right now is he's more a thrower than a pitcher. He recently had an outing where he had 10 k's in 4 innings but reached 90 pitches. He needs to get more efficient with his pitches else you're going to struggle to start.
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