Day Two of the Winter Meetings did not disappoint. Er, well, it disappointed Cubs fans who desperately don’t want to see Kris Bryant shopped, but I’m just not sure that bat’s ever going to come around. Better trade him now, when you can still get something of value for a failed prospect.
That was a joke. I was joking. If anyone asks, my name is Brett A. Taylor. And I like spinach pancakes.
Here’s some rumors from start of Day Two …
The Nationals and Phillies have reportedly already checked in with the Cubs on the availability of Bryant, but we remain steadfast in our belief that *IF* the Cubs are going to trade the former MVP, a team like the Dodgers and Braves make a whole lot more sense than the Phillies and Nats. The Braves, in particular, have the sort of young, big-league ready (with upside!) pitching the Cubs are desperate to acquire.
And based on recent signals, they could be willing to part with them:
The Braves have already added Cole Hamels to the rotation this offseason, and could still be interested in adding another front-half starter like Madison Bumgarner. If they do, they’d have six starting arms for five spots: A free agent + Mike Soroka, Mike Foltynewicz, Max Fried, Sean Newcomb, and Cole Hamels. That could make someone like Fried (to say nothing of big-league ready prospects) more likely to be available.
But that second tier of the free agent market could be tricky for the Braves and other clubs. There are a lot of options overall, but the three best remains starters besides Gerrit Cole and the guys that’ve already signed (Stephen Strasburg, Zack Wheeler, Cole Hamels) are drawing interest from whomever misses out on Cole (Angels? Yankees?), as well as some smaller payroll teams like the White Sox. It’s a wide range of pursuing teams.
Including the Twins:
And the Diamondbacks, where Bumgarner can be reunited with his … horses:
And the Cardinals, who’ve reportedly checked in on Madison Bumgarner, Dallas Keuchel, and Wade Miley. Although the Cardinals have been throwing some weird energy out there this winter about their inability/unwillingness to spend, I do think they’ll get a starter, but it might probably won’t be a $100 million arm.
In any case, there is plenty of mid-to-lower-tier pitching to go around, sure, but the best names could get gobbled up fast. And after that group of lefties in Bumgarner, Ryu, and Keuchel, in particular, the floor (and ceiling) of the remaining options drops dramatically. The cost does, too – and I d0 expect the Cubs to dip into that pool eventually – but yeah, it’s not the same quality.
According to Theo Epstein, Ben Zobrist “left open the possibility” of returning to the field next season – and you have to imagine the Cubs would be a top destination if he does – but Zobrist wasn’t quite ready to make that call just yet. I have a feeling there won’t be a lot of rumors on that front. One day in late January or February, we’ll probably either hear that he’s retiring or hear that he’s re-signed with the Cubs.
Okay, when Didi Gregorius was reportedly out there getting multi-year offers for $14/$15M annually, I laid off my push, because I recognized (1) the realities of this payroll, of course, and (2) the “low-cost” part wasn’t quite as “low-cost” as I imagined. HOWEVER, Ken Rosenthal reports that Gregorius and his agent are considering a one-year bet on himself, to reset his value and go for the big deal next winter. If that’s the case, the low-cost and low-risk angle for the Cubs ticks up dramatically. It would also provide a quicker turnaround to hand the reins to Nico Hoerner at second base if he’s ready to take over in 2021, and it would also allow the Cubs to trade Gregorius at the deadline if things went south (or Nico is ready quickly). If you can get Didi on a one-year deal, go get him, Cubs.
With that said, his previous experience with Joe Girardi (Phillies) and David Bell (Reds) make those two teams feel like frontrunners at this point, especially since they have already been connected for non-managerial reasons.
Once upon a time, Starling Marte was a Cubs trade target. Maybe he still is. Ken Rosenthal reports that the Mets could come calling, but that the Pirates, under new leadership (Ben Cherington) might not be all that anxious to deal him.
Or maybe they’re just looking for the right price:
Just so we’re clear, this is 100%, totally, completely not at all in the tiniest bit about Willson Contreras. Obviously. MAYBE you can make a case for Victor Caratini (Brett believes the Pirates would have to throw in more for that to be tenable because he loves Victor Caratini now), but the Pirates would probably much sooner target Miguel Amaya, which … yeah, no thanks. We’ll just hold onto that guy. Bye.
Perhaps the Nationals are not allowed to say they’re out on Anthony Rendon, but I sure can … The Nationals are out on Anthony Rendon:
They could still be in play for Josh Donaldson – and it would arguably be good for the Kris Bryant market if they were not one of the final bidders for the Cubs third baseman – but we’ll see how much money that World Series allows them to spend. Surely they have some renovations to pay for soon, right?! (sarcasm font) (mostly)
Sounds like Joe Maddon wouldn’t mind a reunion with one of his former studs (and I wouldn’t mind the Angels as an eager trade partner – not one bit):
The Padres are clearly still interested in reducing that $140M projected payroll.
And finally, a note from Brett on a deal in the AL is a reminder that the Cubs will – at some point – have to take a swing in the free agent relief market, even if it means spending some scratch on a guy with a ton of risk. Perhaps waiting it out is wise … perhaps the best, high-upside options will be gobbled up before then. Can’t wait to find out.
NEWSLETTER
