Lukewarm Stove: Hanrahan Trade, Marmol, Soriano, Rays, Betancourt

stoveChristmas is in the rearview mirror, and the Lukewarm Stove starts smoldering again …

  • The Red Sox and Pirates finally officially consummated their six-player trade centering on closer Joel Hanrahan. The Red Sox also pick up Brock Holt, a 24-year-old so-so infield prospect, while the Pirates are getting outfielder Jerry Sands, infielder Ivan De Jesus, Jr., reliever Mark Melancon and meh pitching prospect Stolmy Pimentel. It’s a quantity over quality return for the Pirates on Hanrahan (who I previously discussed as a similar, but slightly better and slightly less expensive Carlos Marmol (but, of course, the Cubs can do something about the expense part, by eating some salary)), and probably sets the upper bound on what the Cubs could hope to get in a Marmol deal. Ideally, obviously, you’d like to see just one quality piece coming back, rather than two or three fringy/AAAA types, but the Pirates were probably shooting for this kind of a return, given their desire for cost-controlled pieces. Ultimately, they replaced Hanrahan with a guy who could become Hanrahan (Melancon), picked up a guy who could be a possible corner outfield or first base starter, but might be a really nice bench piece (Sands), upgraded Holt to De Jesus, and got a why-the-hell-not pitching prospect thrown in.
  • Gut response on this deal as a precedent for a Marmol trade? If the Cubs eat enough salary to make Marmol a $3 million guy (he’s set to make $9.8 million), I think they can probably get a prospect that might fall at the back end of their top 10/15, or a mid-20s bat whom they could maybe give a shot in the outfield. No, I’m not thinking they could get a Gerardo Parra for him, though. That would be awesome, but I don’t quite see it (if the D-backs were into Marmol at all anyway).
  • The deal, by the way, suggests a belief by the Red Sox that they can compete in the AL East this year, so you wonder where else they might look to upgrade. They might soon be looking for a right-handed power bat, as the Mike Napoli deal is still being held up by some questionable hip-related medicals.
  • Yuniesky Betancourt’s agent says there are four teams interested in signing his client to a Major League contract – not a minor league/Spring Training invite deal – and a deal should be finalized soon. The Cubs are probably not one of the interested teams, but I’ll let you linger in fear until something official is decided.
  • The Rays continue to look for a bat, and I continue to wonder why the Cubs and Rays can’t figure out a way to get together on an Alfonso Soriano deal (unless he doesn’t want to go there, which, well, maybe). Having signed Roberto Hernandez nee Fausto Carmona, the Rays still could easily move a starting pitcher in a deal for a bat. That said, if they wanted Soriano, I don’t know how much interest the Cubs would have in someone like Jeff Niemann anymore (unless they wanted crazy pitching depth and the ability to trade pitchers with impunity, which, well, maybe). And I don’t think Jeremy Hellickson is a reasonable target in a Soriano deal (even if he’s not all that attractive to begin with). It’s likely the Cubs would just be looking for prospects.
  • written by

    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.

    more cubs news

    Oh, Come On: Cody Bellinger Lifted Mid-Game with an Apparent Injury (UPDATE: X-Rays Negative)

    The Cubs cannot catch a break this year, man. They've already dealt with injuries to Jameson Taillon, Justin Steele, Kyle Hendricks, Drew Smyly, Julian Merryweather, Seiya Suzuki, and Ian Happ (did I forget anyone?). And tonight, it seems maybe something...

    Enhanced Box Score: Cubs 7, Astros 2 – April 23, 2024

    Well there was one big thing not to like about tonight's game - Cody Bellinger was lifted with a right rib contusion after colliding with the outfield wall - and about a million things that were great. And since we...

    Mike Tauchman Did it AGAIN – Second Oppo Homer of the Game!

    Nothing like a little insurance late. Mike Tauchman, who already hit his first home run of the season earlier in this game, just hit his second home run in the 8th! Another opposite field blast for Tauchman, who's been hitting...

    James Triantos Homers TWICE for the Smokies

    It really is a Cubs homer party up and down the system. In Chicago, Cody Bellinger and Mike Tauchman have gone deep. At Myrtle Beach, Christian Hernandez and Jefferson Encarnacion each homered. At South Bend, Yohendrick Pinango homered. And at...

    Kevin Alcantara Led Off Tonight’s Game with a Bomb (UPDATE: And Then Did It Again!)

    Kevin Alcantara wasted no time giving the Tennessee Smokies the lead on Tuesday night (or maybe he just wanted to be a spiritual part of the homer party going on at Wrigley Field). Facing off against the Rocket City Trash...

    Mike Tauchman’s First Homer of the Year Caps Off a 5-Run Cubs Ambush!

    I don't like to use "ambush" lightly. But what would you call it when the Cubs put five balls in play over 100 MPH, including a single, a double, and two home runs en route to putting five runs on...

    Ian Happ Hit Missed a Homer by a Foot, So Cody Bellinger Launched One into Space to Pick Him UP

    Ian Happ was back in the Cubs lineup tonight after missing a few games with a sore hamstring. And in his first at-bat back, he sent one 412 feet to dead-center field for a VERY long double (Statcast says it...

    Pre-Gamin’: Astros at Cubs (6:40 CT) – Lineups, Broadcast Info, Game Thread

    CUBS LINEUP — The Chicago Cubs are back in action tonight for the first of three games against the Houston Astros at Wrigley Field. Here's a look at the Cubs lineup for Game 1. Chicago Cubs Lineup: Nico Hoerner, 2B...

    Jefferson Rojas Has the Longest Active Hitting Streak in High-A

    I know what you're thinking – what the heck is this basketball junkie doing over here on our turf!? He normally only shows up when he accidentally puts his Bulls articles in the wrong category! I need a little palate cleanser...

    MLBits: Jared Jones Made Brice Turang Look Ridiculous, Dylan Cease Dazzles at Coors, More

    If you're familiar with me/my writing, you know how much I love good pitching. To that end, Jared Jones has been one of my favorite stories of the young season. And on Monday, he gave us one of the best...

    Latest News

    Best MLB Prop Bets Today, April 24, 2024

    Today's MLB slate has lots in store. Among those 15 contests is the Boston Red Sox taking on the Cleveland Guardians.One of the most fun ways to wager on baseball is via MLB player prop bets. There are props for...

    Diamondbacks vs. Cardinals Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Wednesday, April 24, 2024

    The Arizona Diamondbacks (12-13) are -122 favorites to take Game 3 of th series from the St. Louis Cardinals (10-14) Wednesday at 1:15 PM ET. The teams enter the matchup with the series record tied, and the underdog Cardinals are...

    Diamondbacks vs. Cardinals Probable Starting Pitchers – April 24

    The Arizona Diamondbacks (12-13) play on the road against the St. Louis Cardinals (10-14) on Wednesday. The contest is set to start at 1:15 PM ET.The Diamondbacks will look to Jordan Montgomery (1-0) versus the Cardinals and Kyle Gibson (1-2).Diamondbacks...

    Pacers vs. Bucks Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats and Best Bets for NBA Playoffs Game 3 – Friday, April 26, 2024

    The Indiana Pacers are 4-point favorites in Game 3 of the opening round of the NBA Playoffs against the Milwaukee Bucks at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday, beginning at 5:30 PM ET on ESPN. The series is tied 1-1. The over/under...

    Suns vs. Timberwolves Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats and Best Bets for NBA Playoffs Game 3 – Friday, April 26, 2024

    The Minnesota Timberwolves are slight 3.5-point underdogs for Game 3 of the opening round of the NBA Playoffs against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center on Friday, starting at 10:30 PM ET on ESPN. The Timberwolves hold a 2-0 lead...

    Mavericks vs. Clippers Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats and Best Bets for NBA Playoffs Game 3 – Friday, April 26, 2024

    The Dallas Mavericks are slight 3.5-point favorites in Game 3 of the opening round of the NBA Playoffs against the Los Angeles Clippers at American Airlines Center on Friday, tipping off at 8:00 PM ET on ESPN. The series is...

    Thunder vs. Pelicans Predictions, Best Bets and Odds: NBA Playoffs Game 2 – Wednesday, April 24, 2024

    The Oklahoma City Thunder take a 1-0 series record into Game 2 of the opening round of the NBA Playoffs. The Thunder are favored by 7.5 points in the contest, which airs on TNT at 9:30 PM ET. The over/under...

    Predators vs. Canucks NHL Playoffs First Round Game 3 Prediction: Picks, Live Odds and Moneyline – Friday, April 26, 2024

    The Nashville Predators are solid favorites (-130) at home over the Vancouver Canucks (+110) on Friday at 7:30 PM ET.Predators vs. Canucks Favorite, Moneyline, TotalFavorite: Predators (-130)Underdog: Canucks (+110)Total: 5.5Best Predators vs. Canucks Promo Codes[lasso type="table" id="1"]How to Watch Predators...

    Avalanche vs. Jets NHL Playoffs First Round Game 3 Prediction: Live Odds, Stats, History and Picks – Friday, April 26, 2024

    The Colorado Avalanche are solid favorites (-166) at home against the Winnipeg Jets (+140) on Friday at 10:00 PM ET.Avalanche vs. Jets Favorite, Moneyline, TotalFavorite: Avalanche (-166)Underdog: Jets (+140)Total: 6.5Best Avalanche vs. Jets Promo Codes[lasso type="table" id="1" link_id="1595716"]How to Watch...

    How to Watch Braves vs. Marlins: Live Stream or on TV

    Marcell Ozuna and the Atlanta Braves (16-6) host Luis Arraez and the Miami Marlins (6-19) on Wednesday, with first pitch at 7:20 PM ET.The article below will give you everything you need to watch Atlanta take on Miami.When is Braves...

    more cubs news