Another day that I feel compelled to change the usual title to the daily Bullets to “Other Cubs Notes,” something that has become painfully common.
I do believe in the power of positive vibes – thoughts and prayers and whatever version works for you – but the people in that church in Sutherland Springs had prayers. They needed more. We all need more.
I can’t sit here and tell you have the answer (or even THE START of an answer) to a problem as complicated, historical, and multi-layered as gun violence in the United States. I honestly don’t think there is ONE answer, and too many people who try to provide you one have some other agenda. But I do think the answer(s) can’t be “do nothing and keep hoping things will get better.” I’m just so sad today, and increasingly, a little bit scared.
I always wish I could offer more in these situations. I love my family, I love you folks, and I hope we remain safe and thoughtful.
On to what we do …
I was asked on Twitter over the weekend a very provocative question: if Jason Heyward were a free agent today, what kind of deal would he get in free agency? My guess is that Heyward, 28, would probably be able to get a two or three-year deal in the $7 to $8 million range, at least, but I doubt he’d seek that out. Instead, given his past success before coming to the Cubs, the floor established by his superlative glove, and his age, my guess is he’d look for a one-year, bounce-back, prove-it deal in the $10 million range. Heyward’s actual deal has six years and about $134 million remaining on it.
That is to say, there’s no bounce-back deal here for Heyward, but we’re still hoping for the bounce-back. (Heyward does have an opt-out after this season, the relevance of which is almost inconceivable at this point, even if he were to be “himself” again in 2018.) Patric Mooney writes about the hopes the Cubs have for Heyward to get back to what he can be at the plate, to keep working on the changes he was putting into place over the past year. It’s notable, though, that those swing changes were overseen by two guys – John Mallee and Eric Hinske – who are no longer with the organization. Now the Cubs have a new hitting coach (Chili Davis) and assistant hitting coach (Andy Haines), and chief among their tasks will be to make Heyward impactful again at the plate. If Heyward has simply lost bat speed at this point in his career, then the task may be too tall to overcome. But if Heyward has instead been hampered by injuries and complicated swing mechanics, maybe the trio can pull something off. I don’t think we’ll be wishcasting on a daily basis like we were last year at this time, but hope dies hard.
Speaking of the big day, writing that up reminded me of the Zac Rosscup-Matt Carasiti trade, which led me to check out how former Cubs lefty Rosscup did after heading to the Rockies in late June. He pitched only 7.0 innings at the big league level after the trade, but they were pretty darn good: he struck out 10 and walked 0. He did give up four earned, but three of those came in one of his early outings at Coors Field, which, hey, who among us?
Dexter Fowler still loves the Cubs – look at the logo he got inside his new Jordans (and decided to share a specific shot of that logo with the world):
Amazon also has its Alexa stuff on a variety of specials today because of “her” third birthday. A reminder that BN participates in an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for the site to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. In other words, we share Amazon stuff with you both because we’re genuinely trying to find good deals, but also because it supports the site. So thanks!
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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