NEWSLETTER
My fantasy football draft is this Thursday night and I just hate how important that event has become to my general, personal happiness over the next 5-6 months. I have won my league once, though, so there’s a lot less pressure overall. Getting that first one out of the way is huge.
Okay, here’s some news from around the league.
Jose Quintana Joins KB
Given the nature of the Cubs roster over the last decade, we haven’t had to watch a TON of big-time former Cubs players on other teams. Jorge Soler was one. Jake Arrieta was another. And there were a few others along the way. But now? Now, there’s a bajillion such players: Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Javy Baez, Kyle Schwarber, Yu Darvish, Victor Caratini, Jon Lester, and so on.
One of those players, Jose Quintana, signed on with the Angels over the offseason, reuniting with Joe Maddon in the process. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out for our old pal, Q.
Over 10 starts, a shoulder injury, and 14 more appearances in relief, Quintana earned a 6.75 ERA (5.08 FIP) with a career-worst 11.4% walk rate (though the strikeout rate is actually way up there for him: 28.7%). And today, the Giants picked him up on waivers from the Angels, who are done with him.
Good for Quintana, who finds a rest-of-season home (1) nearby and (2) with a contender. Though I’m not sure exactly what the Giants hope to get out of him. Meanwhile, oof, the Angels. They have two of the most exciting players in the history of baseball and nothing to show for it.
Angels 2021 Opening Day starting rotation:
• Dylan Bundy (6.06 ERA)
• Andrew Heaney (5.48 ERA, traded to NYY)
• Shohei Ohtani (likely MVP)
• Griffin Canning (5.16 ERA, out for season – back)
• Jose Quintana (6.75 ERA, claimed off waivers by SF)
• Alex Cobb (7-3, 3.82 ERA) pic.twitter.com/SrbIhaKt3G— Danny Vietti (@DannyVietti) August 30, 2021
Nationals Prospect Liftoff
The Washington Nationals are having a really fun “Cookies!” day today, with freshly promoted top catching prospect Keibert Ruiz catching recently promoted top pitching prospect Josiah Gray. The Nationals got both prospects in the trade deadline blockbuster deal with the Dodgers for Max Scherzer and Trea Turner. And in MLB Pipeline’s recently updated top-100, Gray ranked just outside the top-50 while Ruiz was No. 19.
https://twitter.com/Nationals/status/1432422612706148359?s=20
Unfortunately, Brennen Davis currently ranks above both, so the Cubs don’t get a prospect bump.
I am very, very much looking forward to some days like this for the Cubs in the future. Sadly, with the exception of Davis, whose promotion could come next season, if all goes well, it might be a while. Who knows, though, maybe Miguel Amaya will heal up, get into some Winter League action, reach Triple-A next year and not be too far behind?
Noah Syndergaard’s Rehab Delayed
Noah Syndergaard, recovering from Tommy John surgery, did not make his second Minor League rehab start on Sunday as scheduled. What was first described as a non-baseball injury might be a COVID-related absence, per SNY and Newsday’s Tim Healey. Syndergaard is vaccinated and no other players/staff were isolated in response, but must isolate for 10 days before returning to action.
In any case, Syndergaard, 29, was ramping up his workload in anticipation of joining the Mets as a reliever down the stretch, but now he’s sidelined indefinitely.
So what happens next? Well, it’s unclear. Syndergaard is a candidate for the Qualifying Offer this winter, but I’m not certain the Mets will want to go that route, because he’d probably accept it (and it would be pretty pricey … somewhere around $19M). Either way, he’s still relatively young, so a one-year deal feels like a perfect match for him to rebuild some value before hitting the market detached from draft pick compensation after the 2022 season. If he wants to stick in New York, maybe they work something out ahead of time. I’m kind of hoping they don’t make him the offer, and the Cubs can be the team to offer him the opportunity to build that value back up in 2022.
You can check out all the qualifying offer candidates right here.
Patrick Wisdom:
I don’t have much to add to Patrick Mooney’s latest at The Athletic, other than to note that Patrick Wisdom is decidedly *not* the one-dimensional player his power-strikeout profile might lead you to believe. But you should check it out, because it’s a great read. In short, his base running, high quality defense, and positional versatility (combined with the power) make him more valuable than a guy with a near-40% strikeout rate would typically be.
It’s just something important to remember as the offseason nears.
"There’s a lot to like there. It’s not a one-dimensional player."
That's the thing about Wisdom. I think people overlook how multi-dimensional he is, because big-homer guys usually are. https://t.co/cJiKo9if7Q
— Michael Cerami (@Michael_Cerami) August 30, 2021
Also, I wanted an excuse to share some TikTok fun.
You know what they say … Chicks dig the long ball. #Cubs pic.twitter.com/IV1PhVc9rW
— Michael Cerami (@Michael_Cerami) August 30, 2021
Javy to St. Louis
If the only outcome of the Javy Baez/thumbs down debacle is that he doesn’t re-sign in New York and isn’t a target for the Cardinals this offseason, then I’ll call it a major win for everyone.
New 5 is live at @stltoday: I'll admit I kinda liked the idea of Javier Baez and the #STLCards? Now? Thumbs down. https://t.co/rtd9Q54xpm
— Ben Frederickson (@Ben_Fred) August 30, 2021
Odds and Ends
• I just want to give some love to Salvador Perez, who is having a truly excellent season.
Salvador Perez named American League player of the week after he hit .357 (10-for-28) in 7 games & led MLB in home runs (6) and RBI (14). Is AL player of the month next?
— Joel Goldberg (@goldbergkc) August 30, 2021
• Cole Hamels isn’t done yet (why would he be? He keeps making money for not really pitching much at all!). If you can believe it, his second to last start … came with the Cubs.
Cole Hamels isn’t yet ready to retire and plans to give it another try. The disappointing setback with the Dodgers wasn’t his last attempt.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) August 30, 2021
• Oh, yeah, that oughta do it …
Pirates announced today that Rick Eckstein has been relieved of his duties as Major League Hitting Coach.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) August 30, 2021
• Is this weird, or extremely expected.
Kyle Schwarber, Boston Red Sox Leadoff Man and Designated Hitter.
Weirdly, that kind of makes all the sense in the world. https://t.co/s8FrMBjKU4
— Michael Cerami (@Michael_Cerami) August 30, 2021
