As the offseason picks up steam, you can expect to see a few more posts like this on the weekend (usually I like to stick to a Bullets post on each of Saturday and Sunday, and then breaking news/rumors only – I gotta have a little time for me). This one is mostly a vestige of yesterday’s site problems, so don’t get too used to it just yet. It’s a long one for you …
- Anibal Sanchez is spreading the word that he’d like to get a deal around six years and $90 million or seven years and $100 million. I don’t expect the Cubs to be involved at those levels … but I really think they should be. Unlike many of the other pitchers the Cubs are considering this offseason, Sanchez does not have to be viewed as a flippable asset. Instead, he could be viewed as a stable part of the rotation through 2016, when the Cubs will have hopefully long entered their competitive window. Sanchez has been remarkably consistent in his career, is still improving his performance (and his velocity was actually increasing in the second half last year), and is 28. This has always been true, but it’s getting more and more true: you gotta sign these guys when they are available. The Cubs should really be giving this some thought, regardless of how competitive they expect to be in 2013. The rub, of course, is whether Sanchez would even want to sign with the Cubs at this point in their building process.
- Ken Rosenthal left the GM Meetings with the impression the the Cubs will be going after David DeJesus/Paul Maholm-type targets this offseason, which is obviously expected. He says the Cubs might try to look at some of the bigger named free agents next offseason, but those players may not want to come to a team that isn’t competitive.
- One of the reasons that Carlos Villanueva, a middle tier free agent starting pitcher target for the Cubs, was thought to be a good match with the Cubs is because he wasn’t expected to be able to get starts with the Blue Jays, his team in 2012. The Cubs have nothing to lose by letting him have a full and fair shot as a starter. But now Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos is apparently saying they are willing to guarantee him a starting spot. So we’ll see what happens there.
- Jed Hoyer says he expects to continue to be in contact with Ryan Dempster for a bit, as the two sides see if there might be a fit for a contract. It seems extremely unlikely, given a number of factors, but Bruce Levine isn’t willing to call it impossible.
- The Mets are willing to listen to offers on pitchers Dillon Gee and Jonathon Niese. Each pitcher is pre-arbitration and just 26-years-old, so there’s going to be interest. Niese had an excellent – perhaps even “breakout” – year in 2012, and Gee had great peripherals in a half season of starting with the big club. In short, these are some attractive pitchers. The Mets are in a strange, transitional, kind-of-rebuild mode, so it’s hard to say what they’d be hoping to accomplish by dealing young, cost-controlled starters. Prospects? A young positional talent? I really don’t know. But these pitchers would be right in the Cubs’ wheelhouse of interest.
- The Twins appear to be looking for the same kind of pitcher as the Cubs this offseason (and previously said they were looking for three starters), so there may be some heavy “hey, you can get lots of starts here!” competition. The Twins have already reached out to Brandon McCarthy, Joe Blanton, Ryan Dempster, Brett Myers (as a starter), and Anibal Sanchez (gotta try, right?). They’ve also been working hard to re-sign Scott Baker.
- Bruce Levine thinks Kevin Youkilis is going to get a deal in the two to three year range at $8 to $10 million per year. That amount might be enough to scare the Cubs off from considering him, given the need and the connection to the front office, but the Cubs’ expected lack of competitiveness in 2013 might scare Youkilis off. He’s gonna be 34, and will want to land on a winner.
- The Rangers plan to limit their offer to Josh Hamilton to just three years … which is to say, the Rangers will not be re-signing Josh Hamilton. You can’t really blame them, though, given the unique situation of (and concerns about) Hamilton. Even on a three-year deal, Hamilton ends it as a 35-year-old. It’d be exciting and flashy to land Hamilton, but in the universe of conversations about how much big-money, long-term deals can hurt in the later years, his conversation may become the prime example.
- Dan Haren disputes reports that health concerns scuttled his trade to the Cubs for Carlos Marmol, which marks the first time in history a free agent pitcher has said he is healthy. Some team will roll the dice on Haren, but it probably isn’t going to be the Cubs.
- Phil Rogers went to great lengths to connect the Cubs to Justin Upton, by way of a Starlin Castro trade (because Javier Baez is awesome and could fill in at short by 2014). It really isn’t an insane connection, but I just don’t like the swap. Castro is three years younger, plays a far more premium position, and is signed to a much more favorable deal (which has him under control for longer). Upton’s bat is better now, and probably has the more upside, but overall value when considering position and contract? I think Castro’s got it. If the Diamondbacks really wanted to talk about Upton plus, say, Trevor Bauer for Castro? Well, sure, you’d have that discussion. But I don’t see any reason why the D-backs would do that.
Good stuff Ace! I had Gee on my fantasy team last season so I had fun watching his stats. He got me a fair amount of points. Regardless, he definitely sounds like a pitcher the Cubs should target. But as you said, the lack of perceived competitiveness may hinder their signings this off season. I can’t wait for some deals to get made!
Gee would be pretty cheap, too, compared to Niese. Gee has never thrown a ton of innings yet, nor posted an ERA below 4, but his peripherals suggest he could be pretty good. Niese, who I’d like to see a lot more, would probably require a lot more in trade.
Yeah, I would think Gee would be fairly affordable and just the kind of pitcher they should target. I mean, it’s not like we good do worse than the pitchers they trotted out the last few weeks of the season. Ugh.
Agreed. If I never saw the names Raley or Rusin in the STARTER part of a box score again, I would not complain.
I think they could get Gee for a Junior Lake type, but that’s definitely overpaying for a guy with an injury history. I can’t think of anyone a step down who would be valuable enough though. Arismendy Alcantara?
No to trading Castro even for Upton and Bauer
Agreed. Any trade conversation that castros name comes up in should be ignored.
There are some I’d listen to (Trout for example) but those will never happen.
Yeah, except for Chris Sale, Julio Teheran, Stephen Strasburg…then I’d do it…but what are chances :/
Uhh only for Strasberg
I wish I could edit my posts.
Justin Upton is a run producer playing poor outfield defense. I thought Cub fans had had enough of that.
?? Justin Upton had a down-year fielding last season, but that’s consistent with the idea that he was not 100% physically. (His range metrics were unusually low last year relative to prior years.) He was excellent in the prior 3 seasons.
Last I knew Upton had committed only 4 errors late in the season. In previous seasons he committed as many 13 errors in a single season. I would say 2012 was the very best season you could ever expect from him. I don’t want another outfielder who is going to give away that many runs.
Went to check it out. Upton ended 2012 with 5 errors. 2011: 13 2010: 4 2009: 12 & 2008: 11 errors. That’s 45 errors in the outfield in 5 years. No thanks.
Errors aren’t everything, but wow. That is, indeed, a crapton of errors in the outfield. I don’t care how big your range is.
Yeah, that’s a lot of errors. But check out his range stats: they are superb. For every error he’s making (mostly on throwing, incidentally:), he’s catching multiple balls that other RFers are missing. Remember, it’s the net that’s important. Upton also cutting off balls getting into the gap: indeed, do not be surprised of some of those throwing errors are coming on plays where other RFers are running to the wall instead of throwing the ball!
So, yes, I would take the errors with Upton’s other numbers: in the end, it’s a net gain over what another RFer provides, and baseball is about net gains/loses, not particular ways of gaining/losing.
I’m afraid I’m going to agree to disagree. I want outfielders who are going to make the play when they get to the ball. A great effort ending with an error still leads to unearned runs. Unearned runs lead to losses.
Balls that get by outfielders turn singles into doubles and doubles into triples…. I don’t understand your logic. It’s far more painful for a ball to get by an outfielder than an infielder.
Hector Villanueva turned triples into singles. Irrelevant to the conversation, I know. I just couldn’t miss an opportunity to throw triple crown winner Hector Villanueva (seriously… google it) into the mix.
When the outfielder makes an error the base runner goes from either being out or held to a single to being on 2nd or 3rd. It’s the same thing, but the error should almost never occur. The logic isn’t that much different.
What good is it to get to the ball if you turn it into a 3 base error?
I’d love to see us get in on Melky Cabrera. Guy’s gonna take a 1 year, discounted price this offseason, and he was great in 2009 and 2011 when he wasnt juicing. If we get him and he and performs, well then we could trade him for a lot at the deadline. I’d give him anywhere from 6-8 million on a one-year deal.
I’d be all for it.
Are you sure he wasn’t juicing? How do you know? Those are questions people will ask.
well atleast 5 teams are in on him so he may get a multi year deal
I kind of thought the same thing when I saw the contract Sanchez was seeking. $15 mil/yr for a contract that will expire when he turns 34 is not bad. Give him what he wants and get it done early before following contracts spike.
We at least have to put in a respectable offer on Josh Hamilton. You never know. If every other team is only willing to go 3 years, maybe we offer the extra 4th year and a 5th year option w/buyout. A big, left-handed power bat will look good in a lineup…
2014
CF Jackson (L) / Almora
2B Baez
1B Rizzo (L)
RF Soler
LF Hamilton (L)
SS Castro
C Saltalamacchia (S) / Castillo
3B Stewart (L) / Vitters
Looks like a pretty potent lineup.
Hamilton is bad for Wrigley his daytime game splits are very poor and should keep us out of any conversation about signing him.
so should the bars about 10.5 feet from the wrigley entrance.
What???? Oh a joke about Hamilton’s alcoholism – classy. Yeah I know I should just ignore you… I’m sure if do or do not sign Hamilton it’s Jedai’s fault… Correct?
I would say that Wrigley’s walls are probably the most dangerous thing in the world for Hamilton.
I would not be opposed to the Cubs entertaining offers for Castro. Besides Baez, who I think ends up at 3rd regardless, the Cubs have other strong prospects in the minors at shortstop.
Is there any chance the cubs will waive Soriano? They’ve tried to trade him and last year was a better year for him but how long can he continue in the outfield?
no chance the waive him this year
Last year was a good year offensively and defensively so there is nothing gained but releasing him since they’d still have to pay him and get nothing in return.
I agree, Sanchez seems like a pitcher that could grow into a solid number two stater if not an low ceiling Ace. Dempster is a good fit for the Cubs only because the Cubs have no pitching, money and years will not be an issue if the Cubs are serious to sign him and he wants to return .Trading for Haren was a dumb idea ,if the Cubs sign him it will be for less money and they can trade marmol for some other package if they choose.
i see cubs fans even brett are NOT getting how LONG this rebuild is gonna be. why would you sign sanchez at 28 when they are so bent on trading garza at the same age or traded marshall who too was in his prime at 28 and pissed away cesepedes who also was 28?
answer; the cubs don’t.
age 28 is too old for this cubs regime.
we’ll see if the Shark gets signed; if he does will be for a very lowball offer and of the belief his arm has less innings than a sanchez or garza due to being in the minors longer and spending several years in the pen.
this is a 2016 cubs contender at best. baez could be ready in 2015. soler too; but almora is gonna need 3 yrs in the minors; look at vitters who is starting year 6 next year from HS. and even baez/soler could take 3 yrs in the minors.
2016 here we come……….which will be 107 yrs and counting……..
Ignored
Can we trade cubs1967 for future considerations? (not the podcast, which is awesome by the way)
You’d be lucky to get a fermented chicken beverage for him.
“Chicken-milk stink bomb! I’m forever unclean!”
Enjoying the ruxin reference
Yet, sometimes its hard to ignore a statement like that when it does have some sense to it.
I shouldnt respond but cant help it. YOU dont get it. Cubbies are very willing to extend Garza and Marshall is a reliever who would not have made a difference. They went HARD after Cespedes, who is only 26 maybe 27, but the darn A’s came out of nowhere.
Repeat after me…… Ignored, ignored, ignored
Ignored, ignored, ignored
Sorry. Ignored, ignored, ignored
I think MG is onto something here.
So far, Sanchez has had 3 seasons where he’s actually approached 200 innings. He’s not an ace, and never will be one. Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised if he never wins 15 games in a season. $90 or $100 million? Sure, he can ask all he wants, but the team dumb enough to give it to him will be very disappointed.
It’s a pretty crappy crop of FA starters this year, so guys will get way more than they deserve. Remember the deals Carl Pavano and AJ Burnett got? How’d that work out?
Maybe Sanchez. Maybe. I would like to think the Cubs will pick up Chavez, Feldman, McCarthy and trade for one young starting pitcher. I would say Bauer, but I am wondering why the Dbacks are so willing to trade him away so soon. He was considered to be one of their best prospects. If Castro is traded, I would only allow him to be traded for a guy like Trout. I hate to say this, but I do think Baez might be traded if 3rd base vacancy is filled for the long term by a guy like Villanueva. I don’t think Vitters is the answer long term. I would love for him to prove me wrong though.
Boston signs catcher David Ross. Should the Cubs be interested in acquiring either Saltalamacchia or Lavarnway?
IF The Cubs were serious to be competive next year ,could they sign a select group of free agents that would do just that with its current roster? Would those free agent signings break the bank ? Rebuilding should always be ongoing . I do not think 3b through free agency is the answer this year.
I would like to see this!!
Lineup: Barney,Castro,Rizzo,Soriano,Cabrera,Dejesus,Chavez,Castillo
Starting Rotation: Garza,Liriano,Samardzija,McCarthy,Wood
FA signings: Melky Cabrera, Eric Chavez, Francisco Liriano, Brandon McCarthy
@dustin: I would like a lineup like that, especially since it has Chavez in it.
That would be a good a very respectful lineup.
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/05/20/bernstein-tom-ricketts-thinks-were-fools/
that is the link to Joe Ricketts discussing how and why the team was bought!
I thought about a conversation that was had a long time ago on this site…
What money really bought the Chicago Cubs and I think this video will prove that it was Joe Ricketts.
One thing he repeatedly says is Joe says, “Tom convinced him that the Cubs were a good bet, since they would sell out every game, regardless of wins and losses.”
Big point there is “losses”… Cub fans we got to prove him wrong and not attend games unless there willing to spend money on the big league roster!
PS. I really don’t care about the political views of the article… I just care about the point the video that states Joe Ricketts bought the team and the selling point Tom gave him was WIN OR LOSE we are going to make money!!!! Not good to have an owner that feels that way!
Nobody really cares, because it isn’t of national importance (like Alabama on the verge of losing), but Penn State just got completely, and inexplicably, screwed against Nebraska. A fumble at the goal line, and a video review revealed that the PSU runner clearly crossed the goal line for a touchdown (game winning?). The review says … no touchdown? Even the announcers were mystified.
Why do I care? Because now Michigan likely can’t pass Nebraska for a spot in the Big Ten Title Game. Grumble. Sure, Michigan could have beat Nebraska to avoid the situation … but they were Denard-less.
Damn. I’m pissed. (But, of course, Michigan was wildly lucky to escape with a win today (Denard-less), so I guess I can’t gripe too much.)
Brett, I think many Cub fans care about how the team got bought and why! It gives you a lot of insight into how they want the team to be run. It gives you insight into the type of payroll they want to spend.
Look at what owners say who want to win….
Magic Johnson part owner of the dodgers.
Johnson: “Other teams are doing it. It’s not just the Yankees. The Angels invested a lot of money into Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson. You see what the Tigers just did with Prince Fielder. Teams are investing. That’s what you do when you put a winning team on the field. We’re not going to be any different from those teams.
“Also, we would love to copy the Yankees’ success. If you’re saying, ‘Do we want to be the Yankees?,’ the answer is yes. We want to win the World Series. We do want to win.”
A lot different then “Win or Lose we will make money” Isn’t it Brett…:)
Yeah, I think you mis-read (didn’t read) my comment. It had nothing to do with your comment.
Alrighty, so then what were you referring to when you said nobody really cares?
After rereading Brett’s post if you think it’s about you you have serious ego issues
How on earth did you go from Brett’s comment regarding the Penn State / Michigan game to inferring that Brett doesn’t care about the purchase process for the team he has quite literally dedicated his career to covering?
You do realize that Brett was not replying to you, don’t you?
For one it came out of nowhere and was right after my comment… Starting with nobody cares because of no national importance… I looked on the board an no one else is discussing the topic he broached… Pretty easy to come to that conclusion
^^^
I think Jeff made an incorrect (but somewhat understandable) inference based on the fact that his previous comment started with the phrase “I really don’t care about . . .” and then the following comment by Brett started with “Nobody really cares . . .” The reference to “caring” can create a superficial appearance that Brett was somehow responding to Jeff, even though, on an attentive reading, Brett clearly was not intending any such connection.
lol, ok so he was replying to someone here …. I don’t see anyone else broaching that subject of college football … Who would he be replying too???
It wasn’t a reply, it was a new comment. Check the borders of the colored boxes. Replies are nested under the comment to which the comment is a reply, and the parent comment’s colored border encompasses the whole.
New comments that are not replies do not share a border with the previous comment.
I’ll respond to this so we can end the confusion. The ownership of the Cubs does matter. But that article and video are old, and have been discussed here before ad nauseum. So I don’t really have the stomach for too much more discussion. Suffice it to say, Joe likes to talk big, but it’s accepted as fact that the Ricketts kids own the Cubs, with a downpayment they got from the family trust Joe set up for them, and then a whole bunch of debt (so an argument that “the bank” owns the Cubs is just as compelling as an argument that Joe owns the Cubs). Joe is not involved in the operation of the Cubs. The kids are the board, and Tom is at the top of the org chart. In all ways that matter, the Ricketts kids own the Cubs.
Okay, so a bank owns the Cubs. Suddenly, everything cubs1967 says is starting to make sense … ack! … can’t ……… stop … using…………….ellipses……1,400 years and counting…………help!!!!…..
Ignored… There that should help
Whew! Thanks, MG!
The hate is still strong in you just don’t be tempted by the power of the ellipse.
Yea, I need to focus. Get it? Get it???
Nobody really cares (outside of my household, and I’m not even sure my wife cares), but I had a bowl of chocolatey Special K this morning for breakfast. Basically it’s Special K with chocolate bits in it. It was pretty tasty, though not as good as Krave.
I think this has created a new segment for BleacherNation “Nobody really cares” for post that aren’t really news not really rumors and not bullet worthy but worth posting because its so fun. In fact I’m heading over to the MB and starting it right now.
I care man, I care
You’re right. Nobody does care. Not even you.
I’m boiling eggs right now and I have no clue if they’re done.
Yeah bama got beat. And Brett i agree it was a pathetic call
Also, Brett if your statement is “Nobody really cares, because it isn’t of national importance”
Then your saying nobody cares about anything you write on this site because it “isn’t of national importance” LOL… Especially when you talk about the Cubs these days…
He was talking about Penn State / Michigan.
The game has no importance to the top of the national rankings / BCS picture in college football.
Therefore, no one outside of the local fanbases cares.
I have a very hard time imagining how anyone could read more into than that.
On the new theme of “nobody really cares,” I think we can confidently state that nobody really cares about this disagreement or misunderstanding or whatever the hell it is.
Yeah I could care less about the Lakers… Wait what are we talking about
But somewhere Tidrow knows, he always knows
What? Phil Jackson is going to manage the Cubs next season???
Sweet he can let mj fulfill that MLB dream, now that would fill the seats
I really don’t care to be honest if it was a response about Joe Ricketts being the really owner or wasn’t… lol, I was just a little surprised by the comment from Brett especially since no one else was talking about college football so it had to be in response to what I said. But it’s all good!
Seriously guys definitely watch the video I posted about why Joe Ricketts bought the team and gave it to his son!! Really interesting stuff and great insight to how they are going to run the team more like a “business” then an owner like Magic Johnson who wants to win.
Dude. The Nebraska game had just ended, which is why I posted it then. It had absolutely nothing to do with your comment.
Why are you hating so and not caring abou who really owns the cubs. Isn’t it possible that Michigan just sucks and isn’t it possible that space aliens from Uranus own the cubs?
Now you went and did it . . .
Q: Why are the Cubs like Uranus?
A: They both stink.
Uranus’s atmosphere contains a great deal of ammonia and methane, so, were they not frozen, it probably would stink on Uranus.
“it probably would stink on Uranus.”
Yeah, when I think of Uranus, I can almost smell the gas.
What is the similarity between toilet paper and the Star Ship Enterprise?
They both travel around Uranus searching for klingons.
Classic.
I recently went through the I don’t think the methane and ammonia on Uranus are frozen. Thanks to the great pressure within Uranus there would be a good deal of heating that would keep the ammonia and methane gaseous.
This is also assuming that Uranus doesn’t have a solid core in which case the movements within the core may generate the heat that is radiated outward.
Gee, Brett. I had no idea you were so into Uranus.
I am guess you really want us to watch a video. Do you feel you uncovered the lost scrolls with this video? I am not wasting my time watching the video. You know, if you watched this season you would realize people won’t just show up because its the Cubs. If he was that worried about just being competitive to fill the seats he would be all over top free agents. The fact is we won’t be. He is trusting Theo in building a year in year out contender his way. Why is it so wrong an owner wants to make a profit in the process? I mean, this is a business still. As an owner you can want to make money and win. That is kind of the point.
Well said. I completely agree with your post. I want the Cubs to win as much as anyone, but people tend to forget that professional sports are a business. There is nothing wrong with an owner wanting to make a profit. The Cubs have started the process of rebuilding, and have been very upfront about the process taking sometime. If the Ricketts were just about making money all they would have to do was follow the Tribune’s method of getting a couple of big named high priced free agents. This method would keep the Cubs mediocre or slightly better, but would keep most fans happy and coming to the ballpark.
Wow… I go away for 5 hours and a lot of undies got all bunched up.
Now that we know who owns the Cubs and we are certain to have national healthcare it appears that a few Xanex prescriptions are in order.
I’m being funny….
Got a long way from baseball FA acquisitions and trades this evening.
Sign BJ Upton for CF. Sign DeRosa for 3B and Chavez for 3B cuz between the 2 we will get a full season. Send Jr Lake to the Redsox for Saltalimachia who is a LH hitting catcher who would work nicely with Castillo. Then sign McCarthy, Liriano, Marcum, trade some of our MLer’s for Bauer. Then figure out a list of BP pitchers and let’s meet back up here after Turkey Day.
@Fastball: Yep. It was fine when I left. Just came back and wow… This is really a misunderstanding. Phil Jackson to coach the Cubs! (=
Now that was easy. I solved world peace in one post. Back to the Notre Dame game.
Cool I Love Phil. we play the triangle and men our way to WS. Its all in the leadership.
Mlbtraderumors.com reported 5 teams interested in Melky Cabrera.. Yankees and Mets not bring in the mix.. I sure hope the Cubs kick the tires on this one! If that happens then you guys would get your wish of Soriano being gone witch would be sad for me, I thought he earned his keep and was a great for the clubhouse and for the youngsters! If not I would like for him to finish what he started and go out as a Cub!
I can’t tell, is this post a joke out serious? If its serious and you want the unroided version of melky from either a baseball our leadership in a rebuild standpoint over them i have last all faith inn cub fans. Sori is a far superior player.
off topic I’ve been a lakers fan for 30 plus years and I’ve never been ashamed of my team until now that is. Kobe and Dwight Howard ADR major league douschenozzles and got their coach canned actually this is twice for Howard , I didn’t and still don’t want Howard Bynum was fitting in so well myb Phil can fix it well see.
This is the funniest thread ever.
+1
nobody really cares, but I just picked up Jimmy Graham on my fantasy team