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Kyle Schwarber Out For Year With Torn Knee Ligaments

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Cubs catcher/outfielder Kyle Schwarber will miss the season after being diagnosed with full tears to the anterior cruciate and lateral collateral ligaments of his left knee, the club has informed reporters including Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com (Twitter link). Schwarber suffered the injury in an outfield collision last night.

Schwarber was initially diagnosed with only a significant ankle sprain, with x-rays negative for fractures. But the force of the impact with center fielder Dexter Fowler obviously caused much more significant damage to his knee. Now, his ACL and LCL will require surgery and extensive rehab.

Needless to say, it’s a major blow for the high-powered Cubs offense and the rising 23-year-old star. Schwarber was expected to see significant action in the outfield this season, sharing time with right-handed hitting youngster Jorge Soler after the club added Jason Heyward and re-signed Fowler over the winter. He was also set to see limited time behind the plate — his natural position — behind top two options Miguel Montero and David Ross, in hopes that he’d be eased into a more regular catching role in the future.

While losing Schwarber’s high-quality bat is a big loss, Chicago is better positioned to absorb the blow than the Diamondbacks were when they saw A.J. Pollock go down. Soler, Kris Bryant, Matt Szczur, and perhaps Javier Baez provide rather promising options, though they all swing from the right side. The club dealt away left-handed-hitting outfielder/infielder Chris Coghlan in conjunction with the re-acquisition of Fowler, taking away their top platoon option against right-handed pitching.

The biggest impact, in some ways, could be down the line. Schwarber has shown the athleticism to turn into a big league catcher, but is said to need to add polish to that element of his game. Of course, he’s also new to the outfield. Losing the chance to continue to hone his skills on defense — and to see more left-handed MLB pitching, which posed a challenge last year — could impact his development. That’s all before considering the possible long-term impact of what is unquestionably a significant knee injury.

With Schwarber unable to resume his progress as a backstop, top prospect Willson Contreras becomes an even more important asset. His own development has been a significant sub-plot for a Cubs organization that is full of major storylines. Montero is nearing 33 years of age and will be a free agent after 2017, while Ross is set to retire after the season. The door is now open next year — if not sooner — for the 23-year-old Contreras, who will open at Triple-A after a big 2015 in his first run at the Double-A level.

Kyle Schwarber To DL; Awaiting MRI Results On Left Leg Injury

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3:06pm: Schwarber is headed to the DL, per MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat (via Twitter). It appears that Munenori Kawasaki could be the roster replacement. He is not on the 40-man, so space would need to be cleared.

APRIL 8, 11:33am: There is “a lot of concern” in the Cubs organization about Schwarber’s injury, tweets ESPN’s Buster Olney. According to Olney, the team is more concerned about Schwarber’s knee than his ankle. ESPN Chicago’s Jesse Rogers tweets that an update from the Cubs won’t come until “very late in the day.”

APRIL 7: Cubs catcher/outfielder Kyle Schwarber left today’s game after a scary collision with Dexter Fowler. Preliminary x-rays were negative, with the initial diagnosis suggesting that he has escaped with only a left ankle sprain, MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat was among those to report on Twitter. He’ll have an MRI tomorrow for a closer look.

While any loss would be unfortunate, it’s certainly promising to hear that the results don’t appear as serious as they looked on the field. Medical personnel checked out both Schwarber’s knee and lower leg after the impact. He was able to get to his feet, but couldn’t put enough weight on the leg to walk all the way from the warning track to the dugout, so he ultimately departed via cart.

It’s important to note, too, that the Cubs are as well-equipped as any team to absorb the loss of a regular position player. Chicago did deal away Chris Coghlan, but signed two everyday options in Jason Heyward and Dexter Fowler to go with Schwarber and Jorge Soler in the outfield. Kris Bryant and Javier Baez could also factor into the outfield mix, and Matt Szczur also remains on hand.

The 23-year-old rose quickly to the majors and made a huge impact last year. A catcher by trade, Schwarber’s bat has been good enough that he’s expected to spend regular time in the outfield while he hones his craft behind the plate. He ended the 2015 season — his age-22 campaign — with a robust .246/.355/.487 batting line and 16 home runs over 273 plate appearances. Of course, there’s room for growth. In particular, Schwarber saw most of his action against right-handed pitching, which he demolished, but struggled to a .481 OPS in 61 trips to the plate against southpaws.

Schwarber’s real upside, perhaps, is down the line, as he could be an immensely valuable player if he’s even a passable option in a catching role. Big-time prospect Willson Contreras will factor into the future at the position as well. Even if he sticks in the outfield, though, there’s reason to think Schwarber can provide sufficiently useful glovework to be a significant asset. Some notable gaffes aside, he rated somewhat below average by measure of Defensive Runs Saved last year but was an approximately average performer in the eyes of UZR — which is no mean feat given his limited experience on the grass.

Kyle Schwarber Leaves With Lower Leg Injury

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Cubs catcher/outfielder Kyle Schwarber left today’s game after suffering an apparent left leg injury in an outfield collision with Dexter Fowler. He ended up being carted off of the field after medical personnel examined his knee and lower leg — including his ankle. It’s usually difficult to know the severity of an injury just from watching a review, and it’s certainly possible that Schwarber escaped serious harm, but the violent impact to a vulnerable area certainly did not look promising. Currently, there’s no news of even an initial assessment, so this remains a notable story to watch at present.

Cubs Making Progress On Contract With Theo Epstein

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Cubs owner Tom Ricketts said that there’s been progress in extension talks with president of baseball operations Theo Epstein, Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com reports on Twitter. While the sides aren’t setting any expectations for when a deal could be finalized, Ricketts gave the impression that one could be close. As has been widely expected for some time, Epstein is in line to overtake the Dodgers’ Andrew Friedman as the game’s highest-paid executive, Bruce Levine of 670thescore.com adds on Twitter.

Epstein: Cubs Have Budget Room For Pitching Acquisition

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The Cubs never made the big offseason deal to acquire a starting pitcher that many expected of them, but president of baseball operations Theo Epstein tells Patrick Mooney of CSN Chicago that his team will be ready to pounce on a deal should the right opportunity present itself during the season. “We built in a little bit of room for in-season,” says Epstein. “We built in some (budget) flexibility, but I wouldn’t expect a very aggressive winter next year. I think we’ve been open about the fact that we really did two offseasons worth of spending and acquisitions in one winter, knowing that we like the players available this winter more than next winter.” Epstein also tells Mooney that any trade in which he surrenders young talent would have to land someone that fits “both for now and probably for the long-term if it’s going to be a bigger deal.”

Cubs Add Kawasaki To 40-Man Roster

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  • Utility infielder Munenori Kawasaki has been added to the Cubs 40-man roster and optioned to Triple-A, tweets Jesse Rogers of ESPN Chicago. Kawasaki, 34, will serve as middle infield depth. While he’s never been known for his bat, he generally draws positive defensive reviews at shortstop, second base, and the hot corner. Despite a lack of power, he’s also known for posting high walk rates and tolerable strikeout rates.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Quick Hits: Morosi, Epstein, Trout

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Congratulations to Jon Morosi, one of the reporters most frequently cited here at MLBTR, who has announced (Twitter links) that he’ll now be working full-time for the MLB Network and MLB.com. He adds that he’ll continue working for FOX Sports as a game reporter and on FOX Sports 1 network shows. Here’s more from around the game.

  • Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein has acquired an unusual reputation within the game and changed the qualifications typically associated with becoming a top team executive, Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post writes in a lengthy profile. As Svrluga points out, ten of baseball’s GMs are now Ivy League products, and none were the year before Epstein took over the Red Sox GM job. The profile features a number of fascinating details about Epstein’s life in the game, like how he used to trade game tickets for class notes when he was working for the Padres and going to law school simultaneously, and how, with the Red Sox, he got access to 30 years of college baseball stats by sending interns to NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis to photocopy them.
  • With the regular season on its way, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe lists baseball’s 50 most important players, in his estimation. There are certainly some placements one might quibble with, but it’s hard to disagree too strenuously with Cafardo’s pick for No. 1, Angels superstar Mike Trout. Cafardo also lists 20 potential breakout candidates (topped by Phillies infielder Maikel Franco) and ten comeback candidates, including Josh Hamilton of the Rangers.

MLBTR Podcast: Len Kasper on the Cubs, Ben Nicholson-Smith on the Blue Jays

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We talk more Cubs this week, bringing in Cubs play-by-play man Len Kasper to discuss the team’s outlook for the season. Then, MLBTR alum and current Sportsnet reporter Ben Nicholson-Smith hops on the line to talk Blue Jays and a curious extension market.

Click here to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, and please leave a review! The podcast is also available via Stitcher at this link.

The MLB Trade Rumors Podcast runs weekly on Thursday afternoons.

Cubs To Sign Jake Buchanan

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The Cubs have agreed to a minor league deal with right-hander Jake Buchanan, Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle reports (Twitter links).  The Astros released Buchanan today.

Buchanan, 26, has a 4.06 ERA, 5.1 K/9 and 1.56 K/9 over 44 1/3 career innings in the bigs, all with the Astros in 2014-15.  Just nine of those innings came last season, however, and Buchanan found himself designated for assignment in September.  His Major League numbers were roughly identical to the state line he posted over 696 2/3 innings in Houston’s minor league system, beginning as a starter but transitioning to a relief role over the last three seasons.

Cubs Release, Re-Sign Victorino, Parra, Kawasaki

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1:55pm: The team has indeed reached new contracts with all three players, ESPNChicago.com’s Jesse Rogers reports on Twitter.

10:43am: The Cubs have released Shane Victorino, Manny Parra, and Munenori Kawasaki, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports (Twitter links). Chicago has interest in reaching new deals with all three, but obviously wasn’t willing to add them to the active roster or pay the $100K roster bonuses that each would have commanded as an Article XX(B) free agent.

Victorino had already been told he wouldn’t make the active roster, and is reportedly taking an opportunity to rehab his injured calf before moving onto the Triple-A roster. The other two players also seemed like longshots to crack a deep Cubs roster coming into the spring. Parra, 33, has had his moments as a southpaw pen piece, but was looking up at Travis Wood and Clayton Richard in the organization’s pecking order. Things were even tougher for the defensive-minded Kawasaki, who was buried behind multiple infielders.

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