One of the recent Effectively Wild team previews (the Braves*?) mentioned a subtle issue that one team was dealing with last year. Namely, that all but one player in their bullpen was out of options and it severely limited their flexibility over the course of the season to ship in fresh arms when they occasionally needed them. Meanwhile, the pool …
The Gospel According to Joe (or How to Be a Cubs Fan in the Maddon Era)
It's the problem we always wanted to have, but now that it's here, the challenge of handling success has many Cubs fans and media members perplexed. As Cubs fans, we don't have a lot of experience in rational optimism or success when it comes to baseball, at least. (Some of us have managed to elude the perils of success in …
What a time to be alive
BP used to have KG, Parks, Rubio ect. Now we are reading about how front offices need to be like Darpa. *makes wanking motion until I die — Dylan Jones (@Dylanj85) January 28, 2016 This made me laugh, if only because of how much I and others here disliked Parks and especially KG back when they were writing for BP. I never …
NL Central offseason transaction roundup
The offesason obviously isn't over yet, but I thought I'd take a look over what everyone in the division has been up to. Before the Heyward signing my baseball-related focus was pretty much on what the Cubs would do (and bafflement at what they were doing), after it's pretty much just been lining up plans for spring training. I'll list …
2016 Steamer Projections: 100 Wins?
Well. That sure was fun. Although the Theo & Jed may not be done swinging deals yet (rumors include trading for a cost controlled, young starter and/or a CF), we can take a look at how the New-Look-Cubs project for next season with the additions of Jason Heyward, John Lackey, Ben Zobrist, and Adam Warren. First, a fun look at …
2016 Cubs Payroll Update (12/12)
The Cubs had a busy week and it's been awhile since I updated the payroll chart. The contract terms for Jason Heyward aren't yet available so I just used his annual average value of the contract. Player 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 Jon Lester 25.00 25.00 25.00 25.00 25.00 25.00 Jason Heyward 23.00 23.00 23.00 …
Are the Cubs the favorites to sign David Price?
Common sense would indicate the Cubs would have significant interest in David Price this offseason. He's one of the best pitchers in baseball and he's a free agent. He won't cost the Cubs a draft pick since he was traded at midseason. He had a long working relationship with Cubs manager Joe Maddon. And the Cubs could really use another …
The 40 Man Roster & Rule 5 Draft – Part 2
Last post, we looked at the 40 man roster to try to see how many spots on the 40 man would be available. My best guess is that the 40 man would be reduced to 34 players, with as few as 29 players if the Cubs didn't sign any Free Agents prior to the draft. Using my initial estimate however, that …
The 40 Man Roster & Rule 5 Draft – Part 1
Today, we will look at the 40 man roster in relation to how many spots with be available to protect Rule 5 eligible players in the Cubs minor league system. There are two phases of the Rule 5 draft – the major league phase & the minor league phase. The major league phase is 1 round, where each team will …
Starlin Castro’s Trade Value
The Cubs have three middle infielders for two positions. Addison Russell is planted at shortstop so that leaves Starlin Castro and Javier Baez for 2nd base. There are other possible scenarios. Baez or Castro could move to centerfield if the Cubs don’t re-sign Dexter Fowler or add another CF via free agency or trade. Neither have played there, but there’s …