Baseball, with its games and players and rumors and trades, is, at its best, a pleasant diversion from an imperfect world. I suppose that’s why I write about baseball, rather than the ugly realities better left to persons more skilled in the craft than I. My heart goes out to everyone affected by the atrocity in Connecticut. I’m leaving soon to go watch my daughter sing and dance at a concert, and I’ll be hugging her twice as hard today.
But, because it is our diversion, we must diverge.
Alfonso Soriano’s name came up quite a bit in talks yesterday, but without any tangible rumors connecting him to other teams. On the one hand, with Josh Hamilton signing with the Angels, it was natural that Cubs fans would want to talk about the Soriano trade market, but Soriano’s name was coming up long before the Hamilton signing, and from non-Cubs-fans. Among the random bits:
Soriano No. 1: Jon Heyman tweeted earlier that the Cubs are willing to eat $26 million of the $36 million left on Soriano’s deal in order to get the right prospect, and that all very reasonable given Soriano’s great production last year (Heyman has been banging these twin drums for a long time, and he’s said both of these things before … why did he tweet it again yesterday morning? Just drumming up discussion, or is he hearing things that don’t quite rise to the level of a full report?).
Soriano No. 2: Phil Rogers asked – totally unprompted – whether Soriano to the Astros in a deal for Bud Norris could make sense. We heard Wednesday about the Cubs shopping Soriano to the Astros, and the Astros blanching because of the cost (and we never heard any indication that Soriano would consider a trade to a non-competitive team not on the East Coast where he might have to DH (three strikes against the Astros, per Soriano’s stated preferences for a trade (he has no-trade rights))), and I kind of figured that would be it. Why is Phil bringing Soriano back up together with the Astros? And why Bud Norris, specifically? Given the tenuousness here, I’m not going to dig too deeply into Norris as a trade piece – he’s a cheap, 27-year-old (will be 28 in March) modestly effective back of the rotation candidate. Shrug.
Soriano No. 3: Rogers also said that Soriano would be a fit for the Rangers, now that Hamilton is gone, but that appears to be speculation that just about anyone could drop in the wake of the signing.
Soriano No. 4: The Braves are still looking for a left fielder, which would allow them to slide Martin Prado to third base, but David O’Brien hears the Braves remain uninterested. Still seems like a perfect fit to me: right-handed power bat, short-term deal, very cheap ($5 million per year), and the Braves have surplus pitching to deal. Maybe the Braves don’t think Soriano can handle left field in Atlanta.
I’m not particularly enthused about laying out the implications of the Anibal Sanchez signing, since it wasn’t with the Cubs, but here they are …
Yes, Rick Porcello is a near lock to be traded now. There will probably be a great many suitors, given his youth (24 in two weeks) and upside, even if his performances to date have failed to match the enthusiasm, and he’s set to get a healthy bump in arbitration in 2013 (he made $3.1 million in 2012, his first of four arbitration years). I’m sure the Cubs will inquire – indeed, I’m sure they already have. If the Cubs are willing to give up anything of substance, here’s hoping they push for Drew Smyly, rather than Porcello.
The Cubs can probably be fairly attached to Edwin Jackson at this point, but only in the sense that they are clearly willing to spend on that kind of pitcher. Sanchez is the superior option, but they are just a few months apart in age, and very close in performance over the past few years. The Padres are rumored to be pursuing Jackson strongly, but might bow out if bidding reaches four or five years and $12 to $13 million per year. It would seem likely that Jackson would, indeed, receive something in that range. You’d like to see the Cubs stick to the four-year, $12 million end of that spectrum, but we’ll have to see how Jackson’s market shakes out – or if the Cubs are even involved.
The Red Sox were apparently interested in Sanchez late (possibly even after signing Ryan Dempster), so you can probably include them among the teams looking at the remaining mid-tier starting options.
I’d hazard a guess that we’re going to hear an uptick in the name Carlos Villanueva over the next week or so. I’ve written about him quite a bit before.
Random other bits …
R.A. Dickey’s continued availability could help the Cubs in the starting pitching market (though it could hurt efforts to shop Matt Garza), if he winds up being traded. Ken Rosenthal thinks Dickey is going to be dealt.
Cuban players Aledmys Diaz, a 22-year-old shortstop, and Dariel Alvarez, a 24-year-old outfielder, are now officially free agents. Neither seems like an obvious fit to immediately improve the 2013 Cubs, but they seem happy to dip their toe into the international market wherever they can, so I wouldn’t rule them out just yet. And 2013 might not be the focus at this point anyway. Assuming Diaz waits to sign until he turns 23 next month, neither player will be subject to the international spending limit restrictions.
Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here.
Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.
Whew. That game was kinda dumb, but I tell you, the ending sure was fun. And also weird! So, to set the stage, the Pirates and Cubs' offenses could do nothing all day long. The game was still 0-0 in...
This guy. What do I even say? I was already kinda buzzy when Brennen Davis homered again - a grand slam - for the fifth time in six games, and sixth time in eight games. THAT IS RIDICULOUS. https://twitter.com/IowaCubs/status/1791967453888598441 Truly...
What matters most is that the Cubs won the game. And it was a fun ending, too. So I'm happy. But I also do feel a little frustrated - or concerned might be the better word - as I'm sure...
CUBS LINEUP — Losing to the Braves (and then Jared Jones and Paul Skenes), when you have 10 people on the IL, including your entire middle infield, is not really that concerning to me. It sucks and banking losses is...
When the Chicago Cubs traded Jake Slaughter to the Seattle Mariners for reliever Tyson Miller, they needed to open a spot on both the active roster and the 40-man roster. They did that in one move by designating reliever Richard...
First, a quick update I kept out of the headline: Nico Hoerner is not in the Cubs lineup today, as he continues to deal with left hamstring tightness. The Cubs have now blown past the maximum IL backdate optimization, which...
Sports Saturday around the Taylor household, so it's time to run all over to soccer fields and baseball fields and dance centers. First, Cubs Bullets ... Kyle Hendricks may not have made a load of terrible pitches in yesterday's game...
For six hitless, profoundly dominant innings, Paul Skenes today looked like the best pitching prospect I've seen since maybe Stephen Strasburg. The other two who came to mind as I watched were Matt Harvey and Jose Fernandez. Those three, when...
Elly De La Cruz continues to dazzle and the Yankees want Juan Soto in New York for the rest of his career. That and more in today's MLB Notes! Elly De La Cruz's Four Steal Night Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly...
The Iowa Cubs mashed four home runs and scored 10 runs, as Cade Horton made his best start at Triple-A on Thursday. That and more in today's Cubs Farm Report. Cubs Farm Report | May 17, 2024 Triple-A Iowa Cubs...
This guy. What do I even say? I was already kinda buzzy when Brennen Davis homered again - a grand slam - for the fifth time in six games, and sixth time in eight games. THAT IS RIDICULOUS. https://twitter.com/IowaCubs/status/1791967453888598441 Truly...
Aiming for a series sweep, Juan Soto and the New York Yankees (32-15) play the Chicago White Sox (14-32) on Sunday at Yankee Stadium, with first pitch scheduled for 1:35 PM ET.Keep scrolling to find out all the details on...
Isaac Paredes and the Tampa Bay Rays (24-22) visit Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Toronto Blue Jays (19-24) at 1:37 PM ET on Sunday.If you're intending to watch this game, keep reading for streaming and TV options for the Tampa...
The Miami Marlins (14-32), led by Bryan De La Cruz and looking for a series sweep, host the New York Mets (20-24) at 1:40 PM ET on Sunday.The article below will give you everything you need to watch New York...
The San Francisco Giants (21-25), with Jordan Hicks on the hill and aiming to sweep the series, host the Colorado Rockies (15-29) who will counter with Dakota Hudson, at 4:05 PM ET on Sunday.If you're trying to watch this game,...
Whew. That game was kinda dumb, but I tell you, the ending sure was fun. And also weird! So, to set the stage, the Pirates and Cubs' offenses could do nothing all day long. The game was still 0-0 in...
What matters most is that the Cubs won the game. And it was a fun ending, too. So I'm happy. But I also do feel a little frustrated - or concerned might be the better word - as I'm sure...
Game 6 of the Stars and Avalanche series was an epic one last night. The two teams battled into double overtime in Denver with the Avs facing elimination. Just over the halfway point into the second extra session, former Avalanche...
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's Oklahoma City Thunder face the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday at 8:00 PM ET in Game 6 of the second round of the NBA playoffs, and to beat his 3-point over/under, he needs to make two from beyond the...
Luka Doncic must make three 3-pointers to beat his over/under when the Dallas Mavericks meet the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday at 8:00 PM ET, in Game 6 of the second round of the NBA playoffs.Luka Doncic's Three-Pointer Prop Odds...
NEWSLETTER
Baseball, with its games and players and rumors and trades, is, at its best, a pleasant diversion from an imperfect world. I suppose that’s why I write about baseball, rather than the ugly realities better left to persons more skilled in the craft than I. My heart goes out to everyone affected by the atrocity in Connecticut. I’m leaving soon to go watch my daughter sing and dance at a concert, and I’ll be hugging her twice as hard today.
