The Cubs Have Two High Picks But the Cardinals Get Another Gift and Other Bullets

Dec 14, 2016

I don’t want to jinx it. But, because I’ve documented major steps here in my recovery from the 1-in-100 complication from my vasectomy (hey, we’re all adults here – I developed a hematoma in there), I wanted to share that, so far today, it’s the first time I haven’t had serious pain the day after exercising. Discomfort? Yes. But serious pain? Nope. There are still going to be ups and downs, I know, and the mass is still in there, but this is a good, happy-making step.

In an annually frustrating tradition, the St. Louis Cardinals have received their freebie competitive balance pick for the 2017 MLB Draft, something they will get every year under the terms of the new CBA. In short, the picks go to teams with low revenue OR in a small market – the Cardinals definitely don’t struggle for revenue, but their market is among the 10 smallest in baseball. In an apparent nod to their revenue advantage, however, the pick they netted is the last competitive balance pick given out – the end of the Competitive Balance B round after the second round of the draft. (After next year, their pick will be in the Competitive Balance A round (it alternates every year), but will presumably be at the end of that group again.) The other three teams in the NL Central also receive competitive balance picks. But not the Cubs, which does seem fair.

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Speaking of Cubs draft picks, Luis asked me a question about where the Cubs’ compensation pick for losing Dexter Fowler* would fall, and I realized that I wasn’t 100% sure how those picks are ordered, since it’s not something the Cubs have had in this era. Based on recent previous drafts, and assuming this is not changed in the new CBA (the actual full text is not out yet), the order of the compensation picks is the same as the order of the draft – in other words, the Cubs’ compensation pick for Fowler will come at the end of the compensation round, which comes immediately after the first round of the draft (before the Competitive Balance A round). There are three remaining qualified free agents out there (Edwin Encarnancion, Jose Bautista, and Mark Trumbo), and the placement of the Cubs’ compensation pick (and first round pick) will depend on where those guys sign. The compensation pick, currently 30th overall, could fall as far as 33rd. The first round pick, currently 28th overall, could climb as high as 25th. So that’s the range you’re looking at for those 2017 Cubs picks. Not too shabby for a team that won 103 games.

*(You know, the pick the Cubs are getting because Fowler signed a huge contract with the Cardinals … the small market team that gets a competitive balance pick.)

And speaking of the draft, a random look back at the 2010 draft:

All of this talent in the 2010 Draft (+ Aaron Sanchez, Syndergaard) & the Cubs wound up w/ the least popular Simpson. pic.twitter.com/S67LjFQaZj
— Michael Cerami (@Michael_Cerami) December 13, 2016

At least the next year saw the Cubs spend very aggressively in the final free-for-all draw that preceded the 2012 CBA. But for about a decade, the Cubs’ draft efforts were extremely disappointing, and the ill-fated Hayden Simpson pick now feels like something of an end mark.

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Folks: David Ross is writing a book. You can pre-order here, because please take my money Grandpa Rossy.

The new CBA was officially ratified by the owners yesterday, but it was not a unanimous vote – the Tampa Bay Rays reportedly voted against the CBA.

Well, he still looks good in blue, even if it’s no longer Cubbie blue:

#Royals introduce outfielder Jorge Soler after trade of Wade Davis to #Cubs. pic.twitter.com/uBAL96BXKd

— John Sleezer (@jsleezer) December 13, 2016

Remember the time Giants outfielder Kevin Mitchell caught a deep fly ball near the wall with his bare hand? It’s one of my favorite plays, because it was not only crazy impressive, but it was also just so strangely unnecessary that it was wonderful. But, you know, don’t try that, Kyle Schwarber.

Michael admits that he doesn’t know what every pitcher in baseball’s windup looks like. (Yeah, I don’t either, it turns out.)

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Earlier today, reports broke that the Koji Uehara deal is finally done. I also looked back on one of the “weirdest” games of the year for the Cubs.

I would not want to have to pitch to this guy:

https://twitter.com/flippingbats/status/808845795545976833

Fanatics has a fairly ridiculous sale going on right now, where you can get 20% off your order with the code BOWS, on top of the actual sale that’s going on. For example, you can get an additional 20% off of this (I just tested myself to confirm):

Yo, Javy Baez World Series jerseys are on a very healthy sale: https://t.co/qGimbw8cNi pic.twitter.com/2R5R8WajLD

— Brett Taylor (@BleacherNation) December 14, 2016

So, for example, this Cubs championship hat is $21 after the code BOWS – by far the best price I've seen: https://t.co/kuQ1VY2oHE pic.twitter.com/QlcUICSGkN
— Brett Taylor (@BleacherNation) December 14, 2016

written by

Brett Taylor

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.

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The Cubs Have Two High Picks But the Cardinals Get Another Gift and Other Bullets

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