Cubs Missed on Two Pitching Targets, Disney Changing Sports TV World Again, and Other Bullets

Dec 06, 2017

Don’t say something about Ohtani don’t say something about Ohtani there is other stuff in the world going on don’t say stuff about Ohtani …

OHTAAAAAAANNNNNIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Cubs missed out on two of their pitching targets over the last two days, with Mike Minor going to the Rangers and Miles Mikolas going to the Cardinals. I thought this was an interesting comment on those deals:

Re last Tweet, Mikolas a guy Cubs liked early on but price got too high. Same with Mike Minor who signed with Texas yesterday. Arms starting to come off the board.
— Jesse Rogers (@ESPNChiCubs) December 5, 2017

We know that Mikolas wound up getting two years and $15.5 million from the Cardinals, much higher than he was initial projected (though still a reasonable amount – Cubs must not have believed the roll of the dice translated to quite that much value, though). We don’t yet know how much Minor got from the Rangers, but projections had him landing somewhere in the three or four-year, $24 to $32 million range. If he got a lot more than that, it could be a harbinger of a pricey relief market (even as the options on the market are robust). I also think it’s worth noting that the Rangers are planning to use Minor as a starting pitcher again (even as he broke out as a reliever last year), and maybe that was what he really wanted. We’ll see when the deal terms come out.

And then against that backdrop, it’ll be interesting to see what the Cubs do at the back of the rotation (Mikolas) and the back end of the bullpen (Minor), to sort of compare and contrast what they “missed out on” with those two pitchers.

Sam Miller offers a very fun and informative look at the possible outcomes for Shohei Ohtani as a pitcher and a hitter in MLB, using percentiles (i.e., if he’s about what we expect, the 50th percentile outcome; if he’s much better, the 80th percentile, etc.). If Ohtani happened to be his 80th percentile version as a pitcher and a hitter in 2018, he’d look like Carlos Carrasco’s 2017 season on the mound and George Springer’s season at the plate. Dude. Interestingly, the pitcher that Ohtani’s 50th percentile projection looks like, according to Miller? Jake Arrieta.

Disney continues to attach itself in circuitous ways to the future of MLB broadcasting. After buying a stake in MLB’s technology/streaming company with plans to include MLB games on its eventually standalone ESPN service, Disney is now buying a bunch of Fox assets, including their regional sports networks.

The overlapping and shifting landscapes of sports media rights, cable company plans, the advance of streaming companies, and MLB’s control over team streaming rights long ago stripped me (or any other outsider) of the ability to realistically project what the next Cubs “TV” rights deal will look like after 2019. At this pace, the Cubs’ rights will be sold to a company that beams the games directly into your brain, which will, at first, seem really awesome and convenient until Kris Bryant hits a walk-off homer at your aunt’s funeral.

Worth checking out the Cubs’ Snapchat this morning for a fit-looking Kyle Schwarber doing work:

The @Cubs' Snapchat this morning appears to be an extremely-fit-looking Kyle Schwarber grinding. pic.twitter.com/NjASjTlwkc

— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) December 6, 2017

Serious Cubs pitching prospect throwback and unique story:

Former #Cubs RHP prospect. Currently doing the military service and playing for the Police team. Likely top pick of the next year's #KBO draft. https://t.co/yaaVQvjFTc
— Sung Min Kim (@sung_minkim) December 6, 2017

Team #KBO RHP 이대은 (Rhee Dae-Eun) pitch-by-pitch highlight against Team WBSC at 2017 Asia Winter Baseball League. #2017AWB #ChibaLotte https://t.co/H3XpQ48yRl

— CPBL STATS (@GOCPBL) December 6, 2017

The Supreme Court declined to hear the minor league wage lawsuit, which had been dismissed by a lower court because of MLB’s antitrust exemption. Can organizations just agree to pay minor league players more money anyway? Not because they’re forced to, but because the sport is rolling in money and it’s the right thing to do?

OK, I actually think this looks great:

pic.twitter.com/J2Qr5ZmvTF

— Daniel Brim (@DanielBrim) December 6, 2017

I am here for umpires doing their version of a bat flip (or maybe I’m not … actually, I’m not sure about that … but this is fun nevertheless):

This pitch via @sung_minkim is no doubt awesome, but the umpire's reaction is even better. pic.twitter.com/B0QUL8mhPj

— Baseball is Fun (@flippingbats) December 6, 2017

Heads up on tons of Cubs stuff on sale at Fanatics today, including a Javy Baez shirsey for 15 bucks!

Over at Amazon, so many toys are the special deal, including this Play-Doh baking set that’s 47% off and I know my kids would go nuts for.

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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