Versatility and Coverage in the Upper Levels, Marquis, Offseason Interest, and Other Bullets

It may very well be the most wonderful time of the year, but, even if it is, it’s also the time of year when my skin cracks and bleeds for no reason. Reach in my pocket for my keys? Welp, now I got blood in my pocket.

  • The next David Bote before David Bote is even David Bote yet:
  • Having guys like Bote, Giambrone, and Zack Short – guys who can play all over and project to hit at least passably in the big leagues – in the upper levels of the farm system is huge for an organization like the Cubs that clearly values versatility as highly as almost any other trait. It’s also nice because it seems like so often that these guys come up in an emergency to fill in, and give the offense a burst while the league adjusts to them and their energy is high. We’ve seen it time and again.
  • The Daniel Descalso signing will make it tough for Giambrone or Short to see big league time this year, even in a pinch, but if those guys could handle shortstop better than Bote, it might be necessary. Consider that, right now, the Cubs don’t really have a quality shortstop option on the roster or at AAA behind Javy Baez. I have no doubt the Cubs are currently scouring the minor league deal market for a veteran, glove-first shortstop they can park at AAA.
  • Today is the 12 year anniversary of the Jason Marquis signing, which I had on the brain anyway because of the Sun-Times typo on the spelling of the rumored coming Cubs Network (Marquee), and it made me look at this: Marquis posted *EXACTLY* a league average ERA (4.57) in his two seasons with the Cubs in 2007 and 2008. That was a spot-on 100 ERA-. Just perfectly average. And he did that despite typical GB/FB rates and hilarious K (12.6%) and BB (9.2%) rates. The game has clearly changed, and Marquis’s performance is now such a relic. He probably would have a 6+ ERA in today’s game.
  • I thought this was a very interesting section of what was a very interesting interview with Commissioner Manfred:
  • I tend to think he’s probably right that it keeps fan interest up a little bit, though I question whether the drawn out free agency is necessarily an overall plus for the sport when you factor in the challenges it can create in the lives of the people at the center of it (free agents, agents, baseball executives). Maybe you don’t care about that part of it, but you don’t want the important people in the sport to hate a big chunk of the offseason, especially if you’re hoping that that chunk of the offseason is going to be good for fan interest.
  • Truly, the Cubs drank their milkshake:
  • Pretty cool:
  • The Cubs added a second rookie league team in Arizona last year, and the Brewers are joining suit:
  • Having a second team means more costs, but it also allows you to roster more young prospects – and get others more playing time – for longer before you’d have to make decisions about whether to cut them.
  • Air fryers, tea, coffee, games, mugs, and so much more are your last-minute deals at Amazon.
  • DA BEARS have five Pro Bowlers and seven alternates:
  • 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.

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