12:41PM: The White Sox and Red Sox are two of at least seven teams interested in Kimbrel, 670 The Score’s Bruce Levine writes, while the White Sox have also scouted another Cubs reliever in Ryan Tepera.
10:49AM: The Cubs completed another trade last night in sending Andrew Chafin to the Athletics, setting the stage for what should be a very busy week of transactions for Chicago in advance of Friday’s 3pm CT trade deadline. Many of the biggest names remain, and rumors continue to circulate about where these top names could land.
Closer Craig Kimbrel is drawing much of the buzz, and The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports that the Padres are among the teams interested in the veteran reliever. While many of the Cubs’ most notable trade chips are rental players, Kimbrel is controlled through the 2022 season due to a $16MM club option. He also has around $5.5MM remaining in salary for this season, so he isn’t an entirely inexpensive proposition for a team looking at the right-hander as just a rental.
This is a particular factor for a team like the Padres, who are facing a luxury tax overage for the first time in franchise history. Team ownership is willing to make that leap beyond the $210MM payroll threshold, though the Padres are naturally exploring ways (such as unloading Eric Hosmer’s contract) to avoid the tax if at all possible.
The Red Sox “have at least had preliminary conversations ” with the Cubs about first baseman Anthony Rizzo, ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan reports, which seems like a natural fit considering how little production the Sox have received from the first base position this season. Boston is the first team officially linked to Rizzo on the rumor mill, as Passan writes that Rizzo’s market “is not so robust” since he is a veteran position player who is a free agent after the year.
In fact, there has been more speculation about Rizzo possibly staying with the Cubs rather than leaving, even though extension talks in Spring Training failed to produce a new contract. Recent reports suggested that the Cubs would look to again discuss extensions with both Rizzo and Javier Baez prior to the deadline, but NBC Sports Chicago’s Gordon Wittenmyer reports that “no extension talks are happening with” either player.
This doesn’t mean that either will be traded, however. In fact, Wittenmyer hears from sources around baseball that the Cubs will be keeping both Baez and Kyle Hendricks beyond Friday’s deadline. (MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported last night that the Cubs weren’t looking to move Hendricks and that a trade was unlikely.) It isn’t quite as firm about whether or not Rizzo could remain or be dealt to Boston or another team, but if the first baseman is kept, Wittenmyer writes that the Cubs will again look into extending both Rizzo and Baez before they reach free agency this winter.
Huh… Kimbrel to the Padres…
I feel like that’s happened before.
Rather have Ryan Tepera. Cheaper $ wise, cheaper prospect wise. Free agent after the season.
Melancon has earned the closer role.
Padres should fortify their pen with set up guys or another long /multiple innings relief guy.
@I Beg to differ,
Totally agree
That’s the kind of mindset that gets teams swept in the first round.
Your logic is sound. Other teams are probably thinking the same way, including Mets, Phillies, Braves, unless the Braves decide to sell. I think the Braves are probably more of the “replace” rather than pure buy or sell. The National League East is still a crapshoot.
Melancon has been steady for sure but you want thar guy that misses bats and stops any potential rally, especially in the playoffs. Kimbrel is that guy.
The Padres are not going to trade premium prospects for a closer when they have had the best bullpen in mlb all season long.
Seattle could easily take on Hosmer’s contract while collecting some additional prospects.
I wish the Mariners would take Hosmer. However, it has been reported that one of the 10 teams Hosmer has a no trade clause to is the Mariners.
That’s right… bummer
He could waive it. The ms situation is a lot better than it was when he signed that contract.
As an ms fan I only want this if we eat all of the salary and take on some really nice prospects that we can then flip again for another good player as I’m not sure how I see Hosmer fitting on the team. Between Torrens and France 1b/dh(both have around a 1000 ops for the last month) Hosmer is not an obvious upgrade.
Agree. I mean where in the world is CJ Abrams going to play when healthy? Attach him to Hosmer and I’m all for the Ms pulling the trigger.
although crazy, yesterday I thought Ar chapman for Hosmer and abrams
It would take a lot for the Padres to trade Abrams. He is an elite prospect.
Agreed on the crazy part.
They put them on the “no trade list” to create leverage for extensions. Think Curt Schilling.
Seattle is getting ready to compete the next few years. The last thing they want or need is a contract like Hosmers holding them back.
It wouldn’t hold them back at all. They are so far under the tax threshold that they could do a move or two like this where you get premium prospects to offset the salary and come out smelling like roses. They owe Kikuchi(team option or player option) and nobody else any real money next year.
You would look at it from a business standpoint of oh we took hosmer 21m. 13m, 13m, 13m and two guys making nothing that can be true contributors. The money offsets with the prospect production. And at 13m per year you can probably dump his contract on another team later because he’s probably worth 13m a year.
They don’t need more premium prospects. They are playing decent as is. They have tons of young guys coming. What they need are a couple vets sort of worth what they are being paid. They need to use that Hosmer money on those type of players considering where they are as a franchise.
All teams need as many premium prospects as they can lay their hands on. Injuries happen, need additional bullpen arms, players under-perform, veterans become available in trades for premium prospects.
Take Hosmer and his contact and grab a CJ Abrams or a couple top 10 pitching prospects.
The problem seems to be getting players who are worth their contract will cost either the same or young studs. The M’s should build for 22 or 23 even. They are improved but do you see them even getting a WC this year?
If he goes to the Mariners for the rest of this season, seems likely he’s flipped again after the season. The M’s don’t need to worry about payroll. They’ve been very “frugal” this season cutting payroll and have very little committed to next season.
Even with Kikuchi’s bizarre option situation the Mariners could easily afford Hosmer. The Mariners literally have a little over $15 million on the books for 2023 and less beyond that. Hosmer would not handcuff DiPoto. Remember Jerry even found someone to take Cano off his hands so he could find a way to make it work
Cubs will keep Rizzo, Baez and Hendricks around to put fans in the seats, and they will probably give ill-advised extensions to Rizzo and Baez either in the coming days or after the season. Rizzo is on the backside of his career and has been struggling with recurring back issues that are seemingly getting worse each year. He wants Goldschmidt $, but he’s playing nowhere near where Goldschmidt was prior to his extension with St Louis.
Baez wants superstar $, but is Alfonso Soriano with less power. Get the guy 0-2, throw 4 breaking balls in the dirt. He’ll swing at 1. As he ages and his speed can’t bail him out as much, he will be Dan Uggla 2.0
Horrible take. His defense is usually sparkling. Uggla played defense sparingly
Horrible comparison
Baez is a plus-plus defensive shortstop. Even if he ends up being a .250/.300/.480 hitter while averaging 25-30 HRS/15-18 SBS a year, his defense will more than make up for it. Might not get superstar money, but will get paid like a consistent 3-4 fWAR player.
Javy Baez is getting older and players usually don’t retain that quickness which makes him an exciting player (not necessarily a good player) I would rather go get Cory Seeger in offseason than keep the walking strikeout.
Dude, he’s 28
And he’ll play all next season at age 29.. and he’s going to want at minimum at 5-6 year deal.. so you want to pay him into his mid 30s when he relies so much on that quickness?
He may want a 5-6 year deal but it all depends on his play. No way he asks for that if it’s another error-filled season with more Ks than hits.
If he can get back to GG defense then you accept Ks with plus-power and speed. I agree on keeping Javy & Rizz…Cubs plan to remain competitive during mini-rebuild.
Despite all his flaws—Javy still produces—only three players in baseball with 20+ HR, 60+ RBI and 10+ SB….the other two are Tatis and Ohtani. People talk about Javy like he’s Mike Freeman. He’s been a runner up in the MVP (over an entire season) and contributed in playoffs.
He’s not getting Lindor money, but he’s going be paid handsomely and probably on a shorter term.
Please give us your source that Rizzo wants $26M a year.
Amen!!!
Exactly! I’ve don’t remember another player who gets pounded for his K’s like Baez. Last weekend the D-Backs TV guys had talking points for every player and were literally repeating the same point every time he came up…league leading Ks, swing & miss %.
Not once mentioned his defense, production, or speed…even when he burned DBacks!
Yeah, way off. Baez is an elite fielder.
He might be but he’s not get elite money.
unless someone is dumb enough to give him that long term deal worth $200M he reportedly was looking for.
Baez is a clown and displays poor sportsmanship!
Says the real clown on this board
As usual you add nothing to the conversation but being a jacka$$. Typical White Sox fan.
He’s Andrelton Simmons w. Better bat. Maybe not as good on D but close
used to be elite. last 2 years hes very ordinary and trending down. Just watched mlb now breakdown. Also doesnt walk and Ks way too much.. Only thing still elite is baserunning
Baez won a Gold Glove last year.
Lol. I wish we could use emojis on here. Baez is a top 5 defensive SS. When he’s heats up he’s easily a top 10. Like last night vs Amir Garrett. First pitch was nearly a foot outside the zone. He swung and crushed it to the wall. He’s far from Dan Uggla 2.0
@downsr30 I share Cubs season tickets… those guys aren’t putting fans in the seats now (tickets on secondary market for much less than face value), so that would be a questionable reason to keep them. More than anything else, winning puts fans in the seats (even at Wrigley nowadays) so they’re probably best served by trading the players who get reasonable offers, even if it’s the whole crew of Baez, Rizzo, Bryant and Hendricks.
rayking
More than anything else, winning puts fans in the seats
=====================================
I agree 100%. Teams usually get their best attendance when they make the playoffs. Watching your favorite team get beat up every day is not going to entice you to watch, even if your favorite 35 year old player is still playing.
I like Pedroia as much as anyone, but he had to go.
I miss the Chicago Tribune Cubs. Little was expected of them because they didn’t have a rich owner who cared more about winning than balancing the books. So when they played well it was all the more fun to watch.
The Cubs were #3 in spending in 2020, #2 in spending in 2019, and #4 in 2018. Ricketts had them there 4x in 10 years.
The Tribune had the Cubs in the top 5 ONCE in nearly 40 years.
Until recent weeks, Goldschmidt hasn’t played near to where he was before his extension. His Cardinal production has not been up to par. He has put in his worst years ever in STL. Kind of a bummer. The Cardinals are paying him for his Arizona production, not St. Louis production. This should serve as food for thought in Chicago. If they feel obligated to pay for what Rizzo has done for the organization in past seasons, then give him the big bucks, but if they want to pay him for what he is now, there won’t be big bucks. Cardinals have done the same for Molina, but the fans were happy with it. Being a fan favorite in Chicago, the fans would\should be happy if Rizzo gets big bucks.
You always here things like Rizzo wants Goldschmidt money. But at some point the guys have to earn the money otherwise those comps don’t help the player. Anyone could see, then and now, that Goldschmidt got too much. Who the heck is beating the door down for Rizzo?
Baez has way too many errors. Needs to change his nickname from el mago to el error mago. Oh btw he leads the league in whiffs. Say goodbye while his value is somewhat decent
I think Seager will be a 2B long term. If you watch him throw, it isn’t pretty. He’s a big guy anyway, and I don’t see his arm doing well at 3B either. With his injury history, he could also be in line for a 1B transition, but I’d say regardless of where he goes, he’ll be on the right side of the infield in the years ahead.
Baez is flashy which can easily fool the average fan’s eye. Yes. He is a blast to watch, but for example, when Bryant and Rizzo went back to back the other night – did you see him go up hacking at 3 straight pitches and strikeout? He looked foolish. He can be a fine complimentary player on the right team, but he can not be depended on like a superstar. If you’re going to sign him, hit him 6th, and hope teams have a more relaxed approach against him since he is lower in the order, yes, I do think he can thrive more in that role. The problem is that with the Cubs, fans want him to be a middle of the order hitter and he lacks the plate discipline to be one. He’s above average on defense, but he’s not elite like his flashiness can make you believe.
Uggla 2.0
Uggla was the man
Uggla: 4700 career at bats, 18 war
Baez: 2900 career at bats, 22 war
Yes, Uggla 2.0. See, when you hate a team, you cannot make reasonable assessments of that team or its players. You have no credibility. Take a nap.
I was literally comparing their approaches and not their careers whatsoever. Uggla was all strikeouts and lots of power. I said when Baez loses his speed as he ages a bit, he will the same type player as Dan Uggla. Never once did I say they had comparable careers. Baez’s hitting side of his career is much more in line with Alfonso Soriano, with less power. Good power, good speed, terrible approach, lots of K.
Yep. Just completely disregard defense, baserunning, baseball IQ, and the immeasurables that Baez brings to the table. Makes sense.
Baez has remarkable power.
You must be new to this.
Soriano has a higher career ISO and Baez hasn’t even gone through his decline phase yet.
First to worst. Sad
I mean they had a pretty darn good run. 3 straight LCS with a World Series championship in the middle of those. Yes the last 2-3 years had been disappointing, but hard to be mad in the 6 years.
Not exactly first to worst—-it’s amazing how “bad” they’ve become and are a game under .500. Certainly didn’t take recent World Series winners like the Royals, Red Sox, Nats to fall from grace quickly. And look at those Red Sox now—certainly back after a few bad years.
Hoyer will have a clean slate to do whatever he wants next year. A few smart free agent signings and their extremely young farm continue to develop they could be back in the hunt very quickly.
Exactly, love the return we got for chafin. Would think tep will get more, Bryant too. And then Kimbrel shld bring back a good bit more. Reload the farm that’s already trending in the right direction, Davis is going to be a superstar mark it down, and with so much cash freed up for next year sign some nice free agents and we will be right back competing for the division title. Got a great opportunity to get a whole lot of future value this week.
Also idk if Rizzo gets traded but either way he’s gonna have to get realistic about his worth if he wants to be back next year. Now javy, give him his 6-7 120 and be done with it. Go cubs!!!
They need to get some MLb ready talent. their farm is ranked 22 by MLB
And Red Sox are defying most of the preseason predictions. Maybe the Yankees can learn something from them.
The Yankees are defying preseason predictions as well.
Thank you. Indeed, as disappointing as 2019 was, and as ugly as the last month or so have been, the long term is something to appreciate. Somehow, Cubs fans became entitled after that first WS title–don’t know how or why. I am a Rays fan first, but have loved the Cubs since I was a kid, and will take the last six years–even with the bad 2021–gladly.
Definitely not worse. Pirates aren’t leaving 5fh anytime soon. NL Central at seasons start was very winnable for 4 teams. The 11 game losing streak for the cubs killed their chances of being buyers.
Yea just a brutal stretch, without it we’re still right there. Still only 8 out with a pretty easy schedule the rest of the way. Now I wouldn’t bet on it, especially with the deals we will be making but we still have a shot. Still have a better record than a lot of the so called “buyers” out there. Play loose and see what happens, but reload the system big time and spend big this winter with all the freed up money we have coming off the books. We will be back in contention as early as next year, Go cubs!!!
Cubs are toast. Grab Bart as fast as you can from Giants for Bryant and probably Tepera. Cubs are known to throw in good players like Caratini in the Darvish deal to get job done. With Darvish /Caratini and no injuries they would be in second. Milwaukee is too good this year. Hopefully Kimbrel can bring a pitcher or outfielder thats almost ready. Ill bet Hendricks has won more games than deGrom, Syndergaard, Carrasco, and Hill combined this season. I would never move him.
Cubs need to deal Bryant, Baez, Rizzo, Kimbrel, Davies, and any other relievers. Cubs have roughly
55 mil on the books next year and when they decline Arrietas 10 mil option that should be around 45mil before arb deals. So maybe 65mil or so. Cubs will have money to make a splash in FA while also having a few prospects that they can bring up. Definitely won’t be the 3 year rebuild, but the core will most certainly be gone.
May I introduce you to: Tom Ricketts
Yes, Mr. Ricketts has seen this train wreck coming in slow motion and decided not keep digging- first rule when you find yourself in a hole. He probably should have demanded Theo start trading off Bryant and others when they had more control/value. But nonetheless, the time has come. Time to get rid of declining and underproducing veterans that want $100s of millions.
Time to retool
The dollar projections make sense. No disagreement there. But be cautious on the Cubs spending money on free agency in the upcoming off season. Ownership is monitoring payroll closely. Fans can disagree all they want and get disgusted but that’s what ownership wants for the near future.The Cubs may spend some money this off season but think along the lines of what they recently did this previous off season. The 1 year deal for Joc Peterson as an example. Don’t expect big contracts and nothing long term at least for the 2022 season.
I will be happy if we can keep Rizzo, Hendricks, and Contreras. (Obviously I’d love to keep KB as well, but as a Boras client, I don’t think that’s likely. Especially after the year he’s having.) I love Javy, but he’s just not consistent enough at the plate for what he seems to be asking for in my estimation.
If we can ship the rest, and potentially package Heyward in with one of those deals, we’ll be in a very interesting spot in the offseason. If Ricketts is willing to actually spend, we could be contender again within 2 years as I see it. We could even buy low on some pitching and let Hottovy work his magic.
Not all hope is lost. At least not yet.
Because Ricketts never spends? Where did this come from? The payroll was over 200 million last year. They dropped it this year due to uncertainty about fan revenue due to pandemic, as did other teams. The problem the last few years wasn’t the budget, it was a combination of bad and expiring contracts and declining performance by our star players.
Thank you Davro—plus the billion or so he (and ownership) put in of their own money on upgrades, etc…not only in Chicago but at all facilities. No tax dollars, no help–their own money.
Let’s give ownership a short time to reset and get back on the bike.
And let me tell you—if Ricketts gave KB a 10 yr/$350m deal or Rizzo 7/150 or Javy 8/200–guess what—they’d be complaining about the amount of money he spent.
Ricketts don’t spend the way they promised they would spend when they took over and promised to spend the way the dodgers do… if Ricketts pays these guys now it’s too late. They didn’t spend when they had these guys on affordable contracts and going into their primes. They went multiple years without adding to the team when for years it was speculated they’d be big players for Bryce or Machado. It’s been crickets from the ricketts when it comes to spending. Personally I feel duped by ownership and no longer consider myself a fan of the team. I have zero interest in dealing with lovable losers. Especially when the current team isn’t even likable anymore
We’re all in agreement that he SHOULD spend. And can. But it’s clear that he won’t. I’m being realistically optimistic given what we know about Ricketts.
I’m saying that the only time Ricketts will spend any money is when the payroll is egregiously low and he has no chance of hitting the luxury tax.
Perhaps I’m misunderstanding you, but are you implying that not going over the luxury tax = not spending? Go look at where the cubs have ranked in payroll for the last few years.
Outside of 1 big month Bryant has been quite pedestrian. Cubs would be smart to move on. He will be 30 before he plays a game on his next contract.Not to mention his extreme fragility.
Don’t package Heyward. Riding out his contract for the next few years shouldn’t be a financial strain on them at all, so don’t limit the return you’d get by trying to ditch that contract.
Heyward may be less tradable than dexter fowler was this year.
Philly needs to get him we badly need a reliable closer, Ranger has been great but He’s no Kimbrel
Will Rizzo not being vaccinated reduce his trade value and his earnings as a free agent?
Yes
Wait, Rizzo isn’t vaccinated? I like him even more now.
Same
The new highly contagious (100 time more?) delta variant is coming for all the unvaccinated. Lets see how smart/ brave you are when your in an ICU and your whole family has lifelong covid disability. This thing is no joke and could have been prevented. American stupidiy on display.
You just can’t teach stupid!
No. His declining play and questionable back surely will though.
That Baseball Fan
Oooh please I hope that’s a joke.
Parks at full capacity and how many so called super spreader incidents have we seen? Uh maybe zero. Fear the Fear
Padres attach Campusano, Mason Thompson, Ethan Elliot, and Steve Wilson to Hosmer and get back Davies and 1 of Winkler or Tepera.
Hard pass. Unless Hosmer is flipped to Boston elsewhere. Rizzo is a far better defneder. When healthy he’s one of the best offensive 1B in baseball
Rizzo is likely gone, however. If he takes a hometown discount, it likely will be for the Marlins.
After next year, Hosmer will have 3-$39M on his contract, so it really won’t hamstring the Cubs in any way.
Thats if Rizzo returns. All signs are pointing to no.
Cubs could just sign stop gaps. Or they could get much needed prospects from the Padres for Hosmer.
The prospects above are close to mlb ready within the next 2 years.
Turns a rebuild into a retooling if you do it right. 3 pitchers in their top 15 ish and a highly regarded catcher.
They’re not going to be good, so it won’t matter. You aren’t taking on Hosmer because you think he’s a good player, if he was, they wouldn’t need to attach prospects to him. I know you refuse to come to terms with the idea that they’re gonna be bad, but I don’t think the FO shares the same delusion.
Before the, “Well Jed said”….rebuttal – Telling fans that they’re going to be bad the next few years isn’t a good way to sell season tickets and probably not great for advertiser money either, that’s why they don’t just come out and admit it.
To land Kimbrel, get the Cubs to take the hosmer contract, and nab another depth piece such as Marisnick, would SD give up Gore and Abrams?
Uhh, no
No one is taking Eric Hosmer’s contract.. Four more years at AAV of $15 mill. for career OPS+ of 108, but more like league average last few years? That is a boat-anchor contract. It would take one of SD’s premier prospects to get someone to take on a $60 mill. contract for a league-average hitter.
I agree. It’s not so much the money it’s the fact you have to find him playing time for 4 years or just cut him and have 40-60 million of dead cash. The cubs already have a dead offensive spot in the corner outfield.
Just thinking about JayHey being there through 2023 is a nauseating prospect. Thanks for the stomache befoe lunch.
I agree. But Abrams despite the injury would be worth it. Gore is struggling but still has upside to headline the Kimbrel portion. If SD wants to go all in and stay under the luxury tax threshold then they should consider cashing in these elite prospects.
Red Sox are looking for 1st Base help. Everyone thinks Rizzo is going there, but I could see them taking Hosmer if SD paid some of the contract balance. He seems to be a spark on any team he’s on, so I would almost like that trade better than the Rizzo one. Kimbrel is a time bomb in my opinion. I wouldn’t want to see him back in a Red Sox uniform, plus we have Barnes so he isn’t needed.
A time bomb? Lmao have u seen him pitch the last 2 months of last year and all of this year? Era under or at .5 and the highest k/9 in mlb. He is the best closer in baseball and it’s really not close.
He unravelled pretty quickly the last month with the Red Sox. It appears he has figured out the issues he was having. I know he has been pitching great, but I would still be nervous to take him back as a Red Sox fan. Us Red Sox fans always paranoid you know.. He may be fine staying in the National League. I guess we will see how the end of the year pans out.
Cubsforever22 – Your info on how great Kimbrel has been is right BUT Mitch Williams was outstanding at one time and then he wasn’t and no Cub fan would have wanted to touch him later in his career after he failed miserably in Chicago.
Koolga as a Red Sox fan is experiencing that same angst that Cub fans felt about Mitch. I know because I’ve been a fan of both teams for many many years. Kimbrel scares the heck out of me but I always loved watching him until I didn’t. I can say the same about Mitch.
I could definitely see the Royals taking back Hosmer’s contract (and Hosmer welcoming a deal trade back to KC) if SD sweetened the deal with a couple legit prospects. Seems like a perfect fit, especially with Hosmer’s contract dropping back to $13 million after 2022..
Hosmer, Weathers, Espinoza and a lottery ticket for Duffy and a couple non=prospects types. Maybe some cash coming from SD too.
Padres aren’t detracting from the mlb roster to unload Hosmer. Which means Weathers is most likely off the table.
Of their 4 big prospects. Campusano seems the most realistic to go. Gore for the right price if they can get something good back.
Wonder if the Padres could get Jared Walsh from the Angels. it fill two needs: 1B and getting out from under Hosmer contract.
Hosmer, Gore, Campusano for Walsh, Kochanowzics, Packy Naughton, and Zach Lingenfelter.
@ I Beg To Differ
I don’t think the Padres want any more 1B. They already have more bats than they have positions for.
NOT GOING TO HAPPEN with Nick Pratto pretty close to his major league debut being as he’s in AAA now.
Who says no? Padres get: Kimbrel and Rizzo. Cubs get: Hosmer, Justin Lange (Padres #5), Josh Mears (Padres #8), and Mason Thompson (Padres #9) + some cash to cover some of Hosmers deal the next 4 years.
You wouldn’t get Rizzo for Lange, Mears, and Thompson.
Cubs say hell no
If you want the Cubs to take on Hosmer worthless contract that the Cubs have no use for, then you have to give up Abrams.
Put Abrams in the deal and take Heyward and his awful contract back!
Padres need to unload the contract.
@Ibegtodiffer- That’s fine, but the Cubs don’t need any overpaid contracts. Heywards is enough as it is. Cubs aren’t gonna say hey,have Kimbrel and Bryant for a case of sunflower seeds,bucket of bazooka gum,and Hosmer and his awful contract to boot!
What equates to 4yrs 59 mill isn’t an albatross by any means.
Next year 20 mill
3 years 39 mill after that. 13 mill isn’t an insurmountable financial disaster.
Nowhere in my comment did I say unload the contract and expect back Kimbrel and Baez or anything really.
I simply said Padres need to unload the contract, not eat money on it. If a deal includes eating money pass.
My fault, I saw another dumb comment including Hosmer to the Cubs in a deal. I apologize,thought it was you that said it…
It’s not the money it’s the fact that it’s a roster spot for 4 years with a below average player at a position you need to produce runs. He’s making a enough money where it’s hard to cut him and he’s bad enough where it’s hard to start him.
I think San Francisco is the team to watch for Kimbrel, and maybe Bryant.
There is a deal to be made with Hosmer for sure. But the team trading for him has to have plenty of cap space the next few years, be willing to spend money, and accept that they won’t win the next few years. Truly thats probably the Cubs but they have to admit it to themselves before a deal like this gets done.
To elaborate on my last post I want to see big market teams doing a rebuild take on big money deals in the process. Houston built a nice team. But if Houaton had taken on bad money deals instead of rolling a league low payroll out there for years they could be even better. That’s what I would do if I was, for example, the Cubs. That could develop into a real dynasty.
Are there any players available for QOs?
I see that happening more than not. I don’t see teams picking up a big salary and giving up big name prospects. Cubs did it, and look what that’s got the team into. Eloy and Cease would be good to have around now.
When the cubs traded Eloy he was a top 25 prospect and pretty much had no where to play with heyward 8 year deal and Schwarber. He was also a huge defensive lability with no NL dh. Obviously Quintana didn’t pitch as well as they thought they would but it was hardly a lopsided deal at the time. Cease wasn’t even in the top 100, he had a big arm and a big injury history.
I remember Eloy ranked as a Top 5 prospect in all of baseball within a year of being in the White Sox organization. The White Sox organization does a great job of developing talent and getting players better. He wouldn’t be near the player he is today had he remained in the Cub organization. You are correct. Cease was not ranked top 100, but was the #1 pitcher in the Cub organization. The White Sox are excellent at evaluating and developing talent. They came up with a plan to get him better and the results have shown with his improvement EVERY year that he has been in the Sox organization. Meanwhile, the Cubs did not develop 1 starting pitcher during the Theo Epstein regime. Not a single one! None! Zero. Zilch. Yikes!!!
Yes, the white Sox are amazing. The development and talent is second to none. They have been dominating baseball for decades. I can’t believe teams don’t just forfeit when they have to play them.
The Cubs have regressed for 4 straight yrs. Clinging to the sentiments of 2016 and any player from that year is foolish. Just tear off the band-aid, move on and rebuild.
Great insight as always Bob. Chicago journalism hasn’t been the same since you parted ways with the Chicago Tribune. The Cubs are in need of a complete rebuild!
Rizzo, Bryant, Kimbrel, and Tepera to the Red Sox for Devers, Casas, and 2 players to be named later.
No chance.
That’s what my Red Sox Father in-law said. LOL!
That Red Sox GM has had success with his additions this year. I don’t see them spending alot.
No Betts, Bradley, Price,and Benitendi and 1st, Not Bad one bit…….
Wasn’t that the same response from Cub nation before Hoyer shipped Yu Darvish off to San Diego for Zach Davies (currently on trade block) and a bag of used baseballs?
Absolutely not.
Why would they trade Devers for Bryant. Do Cub fans really overvalue Bryant that much?
How about Bryant to the Yankees for Andujar straight up? Satisfies both fan bases irrational opinions of each player. Heck, throw in Frazier just because…
Rsox – lets be fair to Bryant. He could leave the dugout without his glove and field better than Devers. Put Bryant in the two hole in Boston and it wouldn’t be a drop-off. Pounding balls off the green monster, not worrying about the wind blowing in or out and again a FAR superior glove but that goes without saying. Your local all-state HS 3B has a better glove than Devers.
Bryant’s talent is comparable to Devers because he can play defense and in multiple locations. Devers is a DH. Devers gets a small nod in hitting but until you see both playing 81 games in the same venue it’s a tough call as to how much advantage Devers has over Bryant in hitting.
The Yankees don’t really have an equivalent player to Bryant. They have Judge and then a bunch of guys worth much less than Bryant. LeMahieu if he was younger. Clearly Andujar was a tongue in cheek comment.
Rizzo isn’t a great fit since Casas is also a 1B and it appears ownership won’t let Bloom exercise his decision making when it comes to Devers. They want him on 3B whether he makes two dozen errors a year or not. Someone needs to explain to management how much moving him would help the pitching staff, especially the guys who induce lots of ground balls.
If the Red Sox need anything right now it’s Scherzer and/or Hand. Even adding Houck and Sale may not be enough to stay ahead of TB and if the Yankees or Blue Jays finally wake up and play to their skill level Boston pitching will get pounded (Richards, Perez, E-Rod). Going into the playoffs with Scherzer/Sale/Eovaldi/Houck/Pivetta would be very strong. Having both Barnes and Hand to close would be very strong as well.
Cubs have to trade Bryant at the very least. I do think they should trade all of Rizzo, Baez, Kimbrel, Tepera, and Bryant. But as for Bryant they have always had zero chance of resigning him ever since the beginning when they manipulated his service time. He has never forgotten that and is just waiting for the freedom to sign anywhere else. My prediction for trade is the Yankees. My prediction for free agency is Philadelphia to play with good buddy Bryce
Nothing would be sweeter than nabbing the CWS top prospects as payback for that stupid Quintana trade…but, do they have the prospects these days to compete with the upper echelon farm systems?
We have a lot of depth pieces available that Cub fans will love. I showed yesterday how I am certain the White Sox would be willing to offer a deal centered around Jon Stiever for Kyle Hendricks. Gavin Sheets (Rizzo replacement) also in the deal. Blake Rutherford (former 1st rounder) is another bat. Zach Burdi (former 1st rounder) gets added to the Cubs pen. Jimmy Lambert adds a major league innings ready arm for the rebuild. We also have guys like Jake Burger (Bryant replacement?) and Zach Collins (Contreras replacement?). Both are former 1st rounders. Maybe have the White Sox eat all but $4 or 5 million that’s left on Dallas Keuchel contract and throw him in the deal as well. Solid vet to mentor the Cubs young staff for a year.
First lesson when discussing Cub trades: never, ever listen to Gordon Whittenmyer.
He’s a total hack who only is interested in click-bait…never the facts & certainly doesn’t have “inside info”.
Nothing better than seeing the Cubs go down the tubes
I like our bullpen right now and wonder if bring Kimbrel back would be a disruption of the flow. Whitlock/Ottavino/Barnes have been a solid 7/8/9 innings combo and though i have been critical of Barnes as the Closer in the past he’s done a good job in the role.
Rizzo is interesting as that is sort of coming full circle. However i wouldn’t want them to trade Dalbec or Casas for a rental. Maybe if Rizzo signed an extension after the trade since Casas’ timeline projects to coincides with the end of J.D. Martinez’ deal, Rizzo could DH once Casas is ready
As a Red Sox fan, I’m still not wanting a Kimbrel reunion. I still think he’s going to implode if he returns to the American League. I may be wrong, but it’s a feeling and I don’t want to see the disruption in the current bullpen (as you said). Rizzo or Hosmer would be a fit for 1st. I;m sure there are other reasonable 1st base possibilities out there to be had. Can Holt play 1st (LOL)?
Kopeck Hendricks Kimbrel 7-8-9 if the White Sox have the lead after 6 then it’s almost impossible for them to lose a game.
Is that what Bummer said about this years bullpen
White Sox ….. Please No on Craig Kimbrel! Please No!!! Just No!!
Time to mute the troll.
Kimbrel to Blue Jays for Groshans/Woods
Bryant/Tep to Phillies for Bohm/Howard
Rizzo to Red Sox for Blaze Jordan
Davies/Winkler to Padres for Hosmer/Gore
Cubs don’t want Hosmer. Bad contract.
To get Gore they may do it.
The Cubs need to clean house – including the manager, and rebuild. Their fans will come out anyway. However, they need to first learn how to make better trades, and get some pitching.