The Cardinals have recalled second baseman Kolten Wong from Triple-A Memphis after optioning him to the minors just 10 days ago. In his place, center fielder Jeremy Hazelbaker has been optioned to Memphis. Wong’s demotion was the culmination of a marked decline and came just three months after he’d signed a five-year, $25.5MM contract extension. After hitting just .222/.306/.286 through his first 144 plate appearances and losing the second base job — Matt Carpenter is manning that position with Jhonny Peralta handling third and rookie Aledmys Diaz playing shortstop — Wong went on an absolute tear in Triple-A; in 34 plate appearances there, he batted .429/.529/.929 with four homers while seeing quite a bit of action in center field. Hazelbaker was one of the most talked-about players in the Majors in April when he batted .317/.357/.683, but the 28-year-old has come back to earth and seen his playing time dwindle since.
Here’s more from the National League:
- Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein says that he “would love” to add a high-quality bullpen arm, MLB.com’s Cody Stavenhagen tweets. But the veteran executive also made clear that he won’t rush to the phones just because the bullpen has had some hiccups of late. Chicago looks to be set most everywhere else, so it makes sense that the club would look for ways to add impact in its relief corps, but there’s really no sense of urgency given the team’s excellent start.
- Shelby Miller will return to the major league hill for the Diamondbacks on Monday, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com tweets. Miller had been on the DL for a finger injury, though he was also looking to right the ship after an abysmal start to his career in Arizona. If the club has any hope of clawing back into the postseason picture, it’ll need Miller to turn things around.
- Dodgers lefty Alex Wood will begin throwing next week, a bit ahead of schedule, as JP Hoornstra of the Los Angeles News Group reports. The inflammation in his elbow has responded as hoped, it seems, though the real test will come as he ramps back up. Wood emphasized that he doesn’t have any structural issues. Still, he might not return to competitive action until mid-July, per the report, and that’s assuming he stays on a positive course. Presumably, it’ll be at least a bit longer before he’d be ready for the majors. Los Angeles has several key arms at various stages of the rehab pipeline.
I agree with Theo.
Sure, the bullpen cost us a couple of games lately, but the Cubs still have the 10th best bullpen ERA, which isn’t shabby, especially considering their starting pitching is so elite right now, the bullpen is scarcely used in its entirety. Grimm has struggled, he’ll come around. Warren too. Wood, Cahill, Strop, and Rondon have been excellent. The only outlier right now is Richard.
If it’s going to cost a Schwarber just to acquire one of the Yankees’ elite relievers, no thanks.
If Theo won’t do Schwarber for a Yankees reliever, he’s just dumb. The Cubs have prospects, Schwarber will NOT be missed long term. The Cubs can afford it. If Theo is not all-in this year, he has no guts.
The Cubs have multiple years of talent coming along, Schwarber is a long term fit. He also can get other relievers to improve the pen without spending Schwarber
Agree 100%. There’s a deep pool of talent still in the MiL. You don’t deal away an early 20s, hardnose, gritty competitor that brings with him LH power bat. Schwarber ain’t going anywhere. I’m pretty sure the a package w Soler at the center will deliver a top-shelf LHRP.
You can get Oliver Perez for a soler
how about a package with Almora and Baez for Miller?
Theo already said no to the Yanks for that deal your late – That was 3 weeks ago. Your just scared cause KS is coming back in 2017. Don’t blame you really. The Cubs get Miller, We have too many prospects and all good ones. They blocked for 6 7 years when they can move up they won’t be young no more late 20’s. Don’t buy a Ferrari then keep it in your garage to look at. Drive it or sell it.
I completely agree. Schwarber will be a backup catcher to contreras and a poor LF. Sell high if u can.
Sell high? His price is as low as it’s ever been right now coming off knee surgery.
Theo didn’t say no to that deal because the Yankees would ask for more than a backup catcher/DH
I disagree. If theo trades schwarber to the Yankees for a reliever he’s outta his mind. Schwarber is a long term power bat that you don’t just trade away. Trade some prospects before trading schwarber.
The Yankees don’t want Schwarber… He is a DH
Yankees don’t need Schwarber, they already have enough DH players
The guy who built a ws championship red sox team and the current best team in baseball. Yeah, I don’t think Theo Epstein is the dumb one here.
anybody who’d trade 5+ cost controlled years of what could be a premium power bat (the hardest thing to find on the free agency market these day) for 1 or 2 seasons of a pitcher who’d only good for 70 innings a year if your lucky is beyond dumb
relievers make the least difference of any position in terms of win expectancy, and the difference between a ‘good’ one and an ‘elite’ one is less than half a win a year, statistically speaking
so yeah, Yankees fans can stop with the Schwarber fantasies
Relief pitchers don’t throw a lot of innings, but elite RP arms still very valuable. That is evidenced by recent trades such as Kimbrel, Giles and McGee as well as Miller two years ago.
Also, looking at WPA and the difference between an elite RP and a good one is much more than half a win. Just looking at this year, Miller already has a WPA of 1.91. There are only 17 other RP with a WPA over 1. Last year Miller had a 4.10 WPA and only 23 other RP were above 1.80 and 13 RP above 2.75. Adding an elite RP like Miller is a huge get for any team that has dreams of winning the WS, including the Cubs.
Yes, and how much did those elite bats help in the playoffs last year? The Royals just proved that an elite bullpen can win the WS. Yeah they only count for a small number of innings, but Jake Arrieta can’t pitch all 162 games and go 9 innings deep in all of them.
Cubs are 19th in baseball FIP-, 11th in ERA-
If they have a weakness, it’s the pen. And the rotation isn’t going to continue to strand over 80% of base runners, having a stronger pen when that happens will be important.
Wood and Cahill have awful periphs. Both could be upgraded over
I agree that if they were to upgrade, that’s the one place that needs it. I just don’t want to sell a big piece of our future for 3-month rental in Chapman (which seems to be the direction rumors have been going in). We’re probably not going to pursue Betances too heavily since he’s a righty. I wouldn’t mind Miller, but still wouldn’t want to sell short on Schwarber. Some pundits have said Schwarber could be an even better hitter than Bryant.
I can see Soler going. Obviously other blocked players like Vogelbach are in play. CJ Edwards maybe, I don’t know if he’ll really ever pan out to what he was expected to be.
Soler is junk know one want him he is a 5th outfielder
jeffy25 100% agree. The SP is the best in the business by far – But you can’t keep having them go 7 – 8 9 innings. You will burn them out no matter who they are. Ask the White Sox ask the Mets this why they have fallen. It is just time. To win the WS if the Cubs and Theo are serious they will need Miller. They need the best available and in the business no matter what it cost. KS not going – The prospects are all blocked and won’t come up unless there is injury and then maybe not. AA & CW are the LAST of the Cubs to come up for a LONG LONG time trust me.
The Cubs will be looking at Wash and Stat and Mad Max – Bum and Cuteo from SF, Maybe Thor from the Mets do you really want a 1-0 lead having your SP at 90 pitches going into the 7th inning with that BP? Ask Texas – They held a 1-0 game against St.L ALL night the 2nd best hitting team in MLB – They won 1-0 That is BULL PEN! THAT IS WHAT THE CUBS HAVE TO HAVE at any cost if they are to win the title this year. That is the missing piece..
Any team can do that on any given night. Take the Cubs for example when Hammel went down a month ago with a hamstring cramp in the 2nd inning. The Cubs bullpen came in and no-hit the Dodgers.
I wouldn’t tout the Texas bullpen too much. They have a 4.99 ERA and rank 29th in the MLB.
Hmm point made I guess. I didn’t know that. So the Cards just $uck lol. 1-0 the whole game to the 2nd best MLB hitting team. Guess it was one of those could happen any time things. Point made.rythestunner.
Just Warren, Cahill, Richards, and Grimm make me nervous. I can’t even watch the TV full time when they pitch. I want to just ring their necks. sometimes.
Coke Hamel’s pitched 8 innings. The bullpen (Dyson) only pitched the 9th.
1. Well no, you don’t go after something at any cost, that’s just stupid.
2. Who is CW?
3. I’d be willing to bet that you are incorrect and that at least 1 more cubs prospect will come up during the time that rosters expand.
If you can get Miller and Chapman for Schwarber and a top 20 prospect in the Cubs system, you do it if you were both teams. Yes the Cubs can keep Schwarber and still be set up everywhere long term, but eventually you can’t keep everyone so you try to win now while they’re cheap. Different sport, but in 2012 the OKC Thunder were set with a young core, but that core got too expensive to keep together and even though they still had a great young core, it’s been four years and they haven’t returned to the Finals. I stop short of questioning Theo’s decisions bc he’s proven to be a phenomenal baseball mind who produces results, but I would be trying to make the most of your window over the next three years before Arrieta may go, Lackey may retire, and Lester may decline. In 2004, Nomar meant more to Boston than Schwarber (or any young hitter, save Rizzo and Bryant) means to Chicago, and yet Theo made the tough choice to deal him and one curse was broken. Now if I was the Cubs I’d turn one of my young hitters into Teherán and Vizcaino, but what do I know?
Good Point Brandon. Why did you have to post that. Yeah if we were talking both for Swarb I would probably pull the trigger. That BP is the ticket to the title..
Schwarber is not worth Miller or Chapman straight up so to get both it going to cost 4-5 prospects.
You have it backwards. Schwarber isn’t worth Miller or Chapman straight up. They’re relievers. One of which will be a Free Agent at the end of this year. Schwarber can hit. Plain and simple. The kid is a masher. He’s just not helping the Cubs this year and unless you plan on signing Chapman in Free Agency, you won’t have a better chance to get two top relievers than Miller and Chapman. If you’re the Yankees you trade in those chips for a bat you even can DH at times. It’s a win win.
Your out of your mind – You mad because the Yanks are about to sell off their lights out Bull Pen for hitting which they need to do. Your losing Chap anyway next year – 4 -5 prospects lol – 6 prospects gets you Trout and the Cubs wouldn’t pull that deal. LOL Get real – Get use to the Yanks being 3rd place for a long time.
Miller and Chapman for Schwarber and a top 20 prospect (not even one of their top prospects) is a TERRIBLE deal for the Yankees. Miller alone will command two of the Cubs top prospects (considering how good he has been and he still has control)…so Schwarber and a no-name prospect isn’t getting Miller and Chapman. Chapman alone will probably cost a team a top 5-10 prospect even considering his rental status.
They are relievers. Miller isn’t going to get Swarber. Stop dreaming. The Yanks would be lucky to get Swarber and two lower prospects for both. My guess is the Cubs won’t part with Swarber, but because they are a bit leveraged since they haven’t won in ages they might be swayed, but the management isn’t inclined to mortgage the future for older relievers.
And stop dreaming that two of the best relievers in the league will only require one top prospect (who is hurt) and only attractive trait (albeit very attractive) is his hitting since he’s probably not going to catch. Despite their overpays, look at the deals for Giles and Kimbrel. Miller alone will cost two top 5 prospects. Chapman could be had for slightly less considering he’s a rental but would still cost a top 10. Your delusional if you think 1 top prospect equals one of the besr relievers in the game.
He doesn’t have a position long term. You trade Schwarber to the AL where he can DH. You get Chapman. Get rid of Richard. It’s time for a Move like this
His bats good enough where you can get away with playing him in left
I agree there’s no need for Theo to rush to the phone, but it’s specific games like the one against the Nats that make me nervous, especially because those are the exact games you need to be prepared for when September/October roll around. I still think they put a package together to get Miller.
You have to replace Richard. You can play Szczur, Almora, Soler all in left and win championships. I’d trade Schwarber and Vogelbach for Chapman and Miller. Resign Fowler for 3 years and move him to left. (When he slows down a step)Put Almora,Jr. In CF. next year
Then Rondon moves to the 8th. All I need is 6 from your starter. You have a host of guy who can pitch the 6th or 7th. I trust Warren, Cahill, Grimm, Wood, Strop
I’m not sure Fowler is signing any 3 year deals unless his performance just craters in the second half
The Cubs will upgrade the pen. They did last year, and it didn’t cost them any prospects. This year, it will cost them a few. Along the lines of Paul Blackburn, Mark Zagunis, and Brad Markey, not Schwarber.
Richard is as good as gone. Someone will cough up a quality reliever for a lesser prospect, and be glad they did.
Don’t forget, Dan Vogelbach will be a solid offensive player when given a chance. He might well be a better hitter than Contreras. Yeah, it won’t be at catcher. However, the Billy Beane question of “Can he hit?” has been answered in the affirmative this season..
Why do Cubs fans think Schwarber can get both Miller and Chapman? I’m not saying Schwarber isn’t a nice get for any team, but he’s still an elite bat with no position. Not to mention trading your two best assets in one deal is way too risky for the Yankees. You’re basically putting all your chips on one bet and hoping you have a potential perennial All-Star caliber player. I can’t imagine Cashman would do something that wreckless for this franchise. It would be hard enough for him and ownership to admit they’re sellers.
The Yankees best bet is to deal both in separate deals. Chapman will get far less than Miller because he’s a rental and I actually think Miller’s the better pitcher, but that’s debatable. You could use Chapman to get the prospect depth you need and then Miller in a “overwhelm me or no” type deal. That’s the thing people do not understand…the Yankees don’t have to trade Miller…at all. His salary is pretty fair for his performance and he’s a clubhouse bright spot.
Let the Nationals, Cubs, Rangers and other teams one-up each other until you get the deal you want. Unless one of those teams overwhelms you then just keep the guy and potentially move him in the offseason if you want.
I never said that about Schwarber.. My hope is to get a batch of people who
a. Know their team’s prospects.
and
b. are reasonable about expectations. If I had a few of those for each team, I could do a better job with the writing I do. But people (Cubs fans included) tend to be very unrealistic.
Cubs are not trading Schwarber for a relief pitcher, or 2, ever. Yes I know how important the bullpen is in baseball but there is no way you trade a young very high ceiling MLB ready bat like him for bullpen help. If Schwarber is going anywhere it will be either Atlanta, for Teheran or Oakland for Gray. Yes the Yanks bullpen pieces are amongst the best in baseball but I’m still not overpaying for them. As we get closer to the deadline there will be other quality relievers available for cheaper. Theo is no fool, just wait and see
I understand the awe of an arm like Miller, but what about picking up some cheaper options (in terms of prospects of course). Rodney is having a solid year and still throws respectable cheddar and surely won’t cost a Schwarber. Why not save a bat like that to acquire a rotation piece that has far more impact than a bullpen arm. Any rebuilding team would drool over the prospect of that bat and might give up a solid young arm–be it Teheran or Gray. However I understand allowing him to get back and play to increase stock, though his Paul Bunyan-esque post season legend has created a market in itself.
Thinking Abad for two or three smaller pieces. Not small pieces, necessarily. But smaller.
Cubs really need a lhrp so Rodney doesn’t really fit.. Wood is meh and Clayton Richard should be in AAA
Richard shouldn’t have even be on a team
Hendricks or Hammel will go the pen in the playoffs. Their stuff will upgrade pitching in relief.
I don’t think the Cubs need to pay highly to the Yankees. The Yanks may not be selling, and other teams will sell for far less in prospects. Jeff Passan (I believe) mentioned Arizona as a fit for the Cubs getting Daniel Hudson and Ziegler. There’s no rumor about that, just a suggestion of a team the Cubs can trade with. If Schwarber is the cost, the Cubs hang up and call the next guy. Billy Beane has been dealing with Jed a lot, and has a reputation for getting great value for bullpen arms he’s built. That’s a possibility too.
what about a Chapman and miller for schwarber and soler could that have a glimpse of light?
what about Chapman and miller for schwarber and soler
what about Chapman and miller for schwarber and soler I think that would be even?
sorry it kept failing to send the question