Cubs catcher Miguel Montero will hit the DL with a thumb injury that he suffered on Saturday, MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo reports. Highly-regarded youngster Kyle Schwarber will return to the big leagues to take his place.
The injury could keep Montero out for up to six weeks, according to the report. Presumably, more will be known after a visit to a hand specialist tomorrow, as Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald notes on Twitter.
It is not expected that Schwarber will see regular duty behind the dish, according to MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat (via Twitter). Muskat adds that David Ross and Taylor Teagarden will also remain on the active roster (at least once Ross returns from injury).
Presumably, though, Schwarber will have plenty of opportunity to find at bats, especially after slashing .364/.391/.591 in a brief-but-exciting 23-plate appearance debut earlier in the year. He might conceivably see time in the outfield and as a bench bat in addition to spending some innings behind the dish. All said, it is somewhat difficult to imagine that Schwarber will only function as one of the team’s last bench pieces, as it’s widely believed that he needs significant seasoning defensively.
As Mayo explains, the length of Montero’s potential absence could mean that the much-hyped young slugger ends up staying with the big league club for the rest of the season, given that rosters will expand in September. Remaining on the roster the rest of the way would allow Schwarber to rack up as much as 86 days of service on the year (including the six days he’s already been in the big leagues). That could well complicate any effort to hold him back at the start of next year (or otherwise play with his service accumulation) to stave off Super Two status or extend team control.
Miller for Schwarber confirmed.
I love Shelby Miller, but no way he would pull Schwarber away from the Cubs.
Agreed. This isn’t to say that Miller hasn’t been great, that the Cubs are set at pitcher or that hitting is even necessarily more important than pitching when it comes to winning championships. But in today’s landscape, TOR pitching can be found in free agency; hitting can’t.
A simple look at the top 20 hitters according to WAR, and you’ll see that Nelson Cruz is the only one that was acquired by his current team through free agency — and that happened during his 35-year old season. Three of the top five pitchers according to WAR were acquired through FA. And of the top-20 WAR pitchers, five of them will be free agents this year!
You won’t get the pitching cheap, they will cost around 150mil, Miller is earning the minimum and starts arbitration this winter. Cubs want a controllable starting pitcher. The choices that I see so far are deGrom, Hamels, and Miller. Miller is the youngest.
Mets aren’t trading deGrom at this point.
Then they can trade McKinney, Almora, Baez, Castro, Couglin or Vogelbach. Schwarber is arguably the best bat among active “prospects.”
Sonny Gray and Tyson Ross are the two that I am watching. Both are young and controllable. Schwarber isn’t getting traded for Shelby Miller. Not even straight up. Maybe Teheran and Miller…
the problem with this trade idea isn’t that you’re over or under valuing anyone… it’s that you’re laboring under the mistaken belief that the Cubs need to trade for any pitching at all. If you don’t believe me, you can check the season stats on the Cubs pitching staff for yourself. Pitching has been their strength, and offense their weakness.
Say it an’t so Joe, with All those Top Prospects!
No one assumes it’s going to be cheap. But at least the option to overpay for a premium starter exists in today’s free agent market. The option to overpay for a premium hitter does not. So while Shelby Miller is a stud, I’d rather keep Scwhwarber and overpay David Price in 5 months because in the alternative scenario, I can’t replace Schwarber.
He an DH in waiting , that’s all !
I read TOR pitching as Toronto pitching. I was going to say… Don’t gotta look far for Toronto quality pitching. Walk outside your door, and grab the first 12-14 guys you come across.
There’s your Toronto pitching. Not the same people, but the same skillset.
Wait a min. Shelby Miller is worth considerably more than Schwarber. Miller’s a proven young SP still in pre-arb. Schwarber’s just a prospect. A couple years ago Miller was just as highly thought of as a prospect, if not greater, than Schwarber is now. Valuing Schwarber higher is just a pure case of overvaluing a kid you haven’t seen much of yet.
It’s not about valuing players against one another. It’s about valuing bats over arms. Premium arms can be found considerably easier than premium bats….That reality is how the Braves landed Miller in the first place.
Not if you’re the Red Sox!
The Red Sox are similar to the Cubs, in that they value premium hitters over pitchers. The difference is that the Red Sox still think this is 2005, and that they can just buy premium hitters. They cant!
Look at the two big free agents they brought in last off-season. Hanley has played more than 150 games just once in the five seasons prior to this. And Sandoval has hit 20+ home runs just twice in his career. Are we seriously shocked that Hanley got hurt, and that Sandoval has been void of power this year? They spent a combined $183 million to acquire two players, and we’re criticizing both those players for putting up numbers that we could have predicted…
That’s the problem with the Red Sox. They’re losing out on guys like Scherzer and Lester because they’re spending too much money trying to buy a lineup. The Cubs have no such issues for the foreseeable future. Rizzo, Bryant, Soler, Schwarber, Russell and Baez are locked up long-term at reasonable prices. They can afford to overpay TOR pitching in free agency — the Red Sox can’t.
Miller’s also a pitcher about to start getting expensive through arbitration with a track record of inconsistency. He also plays a position for which there’s a surplus right now (pitching) and Schwarber’s main selling point is a fairly rare commodity (power).
the Braves could probably get a few other lesser pieces in the deal as well, but trade wise i think it’s fair.
Not that as a Cubs fan i have any interest in such a deal. i’d rather keep Schwarber and buy a pitcher next off-season.
True, Very true !
because the Cubs, a team with a top 5 pitching staff in all of major league baseball and an offense in the bottom 10, are so eager to move a young stud hitting prospect when they suddenly find themselves in need of a catcher… which, oddly enough, is the position said young stud plays… for another pitcher?
If you see no logic in all that, don’t be alarmed… it just means you are sane.
Montero has just lost his position for good…..
They have 2 catchers on the roster already, if I had to guess, this is just an excuse to get Schwarber on the roster so he can hit in LF and part-time at C. I really doubt the Cubs acquired Miggy Montero for 3 years just to have him be a backup to Schwarber.
I think the Cubs have some real doubts about Schwarber’s ability to catch in the MLB. If they didn’t they never would have acquired Montero.
Schwarer, is an American League DH at Best, Cuds are showcasing him for a Trade American league Team.
I agree. DH, 1B or possibly corner outfield is probably where Schwarber ends up.
Negative. You haven’t watched him obviously. He constantly throws people out. He threw out Buxton not too long ago and thrrw out a guy during the futures game. He is very athletic for a big guy. His first hit at every single level has been a triple, including a triple during the futures game.
LF is a very real possiblity, but catcher is his spot for right now. DH is not in this guy’s future, not in the near term at all.
This isn’t 1970. No one grades a catcher’s defensive ability by his arm behind the plate because – no one runs anyway! It’s all about pitch framing and blocking the ball in the dirt. The reports haven’t been kind to Schwarber in regard to either of those skills.
That said, LF is a possibility for him. But showcasing him makes no sense. He’s a top-5 prospect, perhaps the best pure hitter remaining in the minor leagues. No team looking to unload a premium player for a prospect is going be swayed by two weeks of big league at-bats.
the 2 years and something like 30 million left on his contract begs to differ.
Loved this guy while he was a Diamondbacks. While his average again has so far been below par, his bat will sorely be missed.
With Montero out Schwarber will get every oppurtunity to win the everyday catchers spot until he shows he can’t handle it, at which point he most likely goes to left. But if his bat really is that good at mlb level I don’t think the cubs will mind sub par d behind the dish.
If the Cubs were giving Schwarber a chance to win the every day catching job, then they wouldn’t be carrying Teagarden still. The process would be simple – Send Teagarden to the minors, and if Schwarber can’t handle catching, then just recall him. But by keeping Teagarden on the roster, they’re basically saying that Schwarber is being brought up for his bat only. They’ll let him catch maybe 1-2 times each week so they’re not completely abandoning his development in that regard, but they need his bat in LF because the thought of taking Montero out of a lineup that’s already struggling could have disastrous results.
Teagarden would have the ability to reject the assignment to the minors, and would have to be put thru waivers, I believe. Either could cost the Cubs a catcher they may need. Seattle is looking for a backup, aren’t they? I do agree, though, that this probably means they are not looking to give Schwarber the everyday job, or at least don’t think he will earn it at this time.
Or they are waiting til ross is healthy to dfa teagarden. The other problem is theh dont have another catcher on the 40 man in the minors. So its just insurance to carry teagarden as lomg as possible
I agree Schwarber will get some time in left. But from the cubs prospective the ideal situation would have Schwarber catch every day until Montero returns then move Schwarber to left. Much better to have Schwarber with coghlan/denorfia inlineup over Schwarber with ross/Teagarden
The first preson to complain about Super 2 on this guy gets throat punched.
He wont be anywhere near enough time for super 2…
Hopefully he stays up. The kid has a bright future with the Cubs. They got Bryant Rizzo Soler Schwarber and Baez is working his way back plus Russell. Thats a scary team. All they need to do is trade Castro for pitching. He’s not gonna get any better value or better as a player right now. He’s at his peak. 70+ rbi and 12-15 HRs that’s good for an average SS but Russell has speed power hits for avg. he’s better with the glove.