Non-Roster Invites: Zack Short

In Uncategorized by myles161 Comments

You’d be excused if you missed the biggest free-agent signing of the off-season in Daniel Descalso. Descalso signed a 2 year, $5 million deal, and hit .238/.353/.436 last year. Descalso brings walks to the table (15.1 BB% last year), but let strikeouts get away from himself a little bit (26.0 K% last year). He can play 2B and 3B, but doesn’t really do either all that well – FanGraphs rated him as a net-negative in every season since 2011. He has a long, established history of never being good at any position; last year was the first year he was even league-average with the bat and it brought his career wRC+ to a moribund 85. Descalso is a warm body that will see the field only if Russell ends up being released (and he’ll get some run in the time that Russell is suspended).

It’s my contention that the Cubs have somebody in their system that is already as useful as Descalso. Zack Short had a 15.6% walk rate and a 26.0% strikeout rate in AA last season. The walk rate is the best in his career (though it’s always been good), and the strikeout rate is the highest of his career (though that’s expected as you climb levels). Last season, they sported very similar power numbers (.190 ISO for Short, .198 for Descalso). Clearly, the translation from Tennessee to Chicago means that Zack’s numbers will come up…wanting. How much so is up for some debate. Steamer projects Short to have an 81 wRC+ if he was called up next year. Descalso projects to 94 wRC+ in the same metric. I’m not sure if the 13-point gap can be truly overcome by superior defense (Short figures to be a slightly below-average defensive shortstop or a slightly above-average second baseman), but I’m also not entirely convinced Steamer has the right figures for Short. The reason I say that is because Short is an extreme fly-ball hitter (and I mean extreme – he hits them at a 54% rate, which would be first among all hitters in professional baseball last year). Short is so bizarre a player that you just can’t find comps for him. Extreme fly-ball shortstops are unicorns – Trevor Story had the highest rate among MLB SS and he got there 43% of the time! I don’t know if flyballs are more easily, less easily, or about as translatable as any other batted-ball profile. I just know that it makes Short more interesting than other AA SS types.

Short’s big problem will be seeing if he can last in the majors with a strikeout rate similar to what he brought to AA. If he can do that, I think there’s every chance Short can not only be a major-league player, but a major-league regular. It’ll be interesting to see if Short can hit major-league righties, too: Short’s OPS last season against lefties was .963, and against righties it was .699 (nice). I hope Short gets a nice, long look in spring training. Descalso probably shuts the door on Short playing a lot in 2019, but it’s also not a big hurdle for Short to jump. 2/$5 doesn’t scream “guaranteed spot on the 25-man,” and it obviously shouldn’t. In any case, Russell’s suspension opens the door for Short to get some major-league experience for the first quarter of the season. Put it all together, and Short is certainly one of the more interesting non-roster invites of the 2019 season.

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  1. dmick89

    myles,

    Considering where the Cubs are headed in the division and obviously what happened, I see no reason to even keep him on the team. The Cubs aren’t going to win this division and almost certainly won’t win a wild card. Even from a business perspective, that’s about the only reason I can see keeping him on the team and since both of those are probably out of reach, why bother? This shouldn’t just be about business, but I’m not naive enough to think it isn’t always about business either. I guess that’s why this baffles me. What’s the point?

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  2. dmick89

    andcounting,

    From a performance perspective, nothing. Maybe you could have filled the SS position this offseason if you wanted, but the Cubs are broke so that’s unlikely. I do think there is some risk in keeping him in terms of how it looks to the fans and people in general (especially domestic violence groups). If there are rumors of this happening again with Russell, the Cubs are going to have something to answer for at that point and it might even cost some people their jobs (Theo included).

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  3. EnricoPallazzo

    Descalso brings walks to the table (15.1 BB% last year), but let strikeouts get away from himself a little bit (26.0 K% last year)

    this guy takes walks, that’s always good

    He can play 2B and 3B, but doesn’t really do either all that well

    two positions is by definition more than one, so that’s great

    FanGraphs rated him as a net-negative in every season since 2011

    he’s played in every single season since 2011 – maybe the next cal ripken jr??????

    long, established history of never being good at any position

    long histories are good, implies some sort of stability

    last year was the first year he was even league-average with the bat

    moving in the right direction, i like it

    and it brought his career wRC+ to a moribund 85

    he has a career, that’s great, lotta guys can’t say that

    Descalso is a warm body

    obviously a huge advantage, this probably means that he is alive which is great

    not sure about you guys but this signing seems like a clear home run

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  4. EnricoPallazzo

    dmick89,

    i dunno, he’s under team control for 3 years. i see what you’re saying about risk, but i think there’s at least a chance that he brings a solid return in a trade at some point between now and the 2021 trade deadline. people will forget about shit like this if he starts to produce at the plate. dude is only 25. if he can put together one or two good seasons, he will bring back a nice return. i guess i’m with AC, i just don’t see the risk in keeping him. i agree that it makes the cubs look like shit, but they already look like shit – anyone that cares to think about it should realize that the cubs had to know that this was going on. maybe not the specific DV stuff but at least the fact that the guy has some issues.

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  5. dmick89

    EnricoPallazzo: anyone that cares to think about it should realize that the cubs had to know that this was going on

    True and it had to be ignored by at least some of his teammates as well.

    I think it’s possible the Cubs end up getting a good return for Russell down the line. I agree with that, but I’m not sure I’d have bothered. He hasn’t been very good for awhile now and this just makes the decision (to me) to cut ties that much easier.

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  6. andcounting

    dmick89: True and it had to be ignored by at least some of his teammates as well.

    I think it’s possible the Cubs end up getting a good return for Russell down the line. I agree with that, but I’m not sure I’d have bothered. He hasn’t been very good for awhile now and this just makes the decision (to me) to cut ties that much easier.

    I’ll just submit two things for consideration:

    1) People who commit domestic violence don’t always show signs of it. I know of one (non-celebrity) guy in particular who seemed like the most mild-mannered, even-tempered person, but he had precisely one person he vented on, and that was his wife. It had gone on for years before even the closest people to him and his wife had any clue. (He did get counseling and they did progress to a much healthier and safer place.) Maybe someone who is an expert in such things could’ve spotted signs, but I don’t think the “someone had to have known” rationale is true. I think that’s one of the reasons domestic violence is so prevalent, it can be hidden so well.

    2) Going through shit like this can wreak havoc on a person. Similarly, actually making it through shit like this can make a huge positive difference as well. Knowing full well that controlling his emotions and being aware of his own psychology and behavior have been among Addison’s weakest traits, it’s reasonable to think any effort to improve those traits and eliminate the extreme negativity and stress has the potential to translate to a return to form on the field.

    But the risk you point out is completely valid on every level. I hope for everyone’s sake Theo and company do well assessing his emotional progress, but if they don’t it would be extremely bad.

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  7. dmick89

    andcounting,

    Good points. It’s also not like people recognize a serial killer when one lives with him so I shouldn’t have said what I did.

    I’m interested to see if Russell getting his shit together off the field (big if in all honesty) would have any positive impact on his play.

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  8. EnricoPallazzo

    andcounting: People who commit domestic violence don’t always show signs of it. I know of one (non-celebrity) guy in particular who seemed like the most mild-mannered, even-tempered person, but he had precisely one person he vented on, and that was his wife. It had gone on for years before even the closest people to him and his wife had any clue. (He did get counseling and they did progress to a much healthier and safer place.) Maybe someone who is an expert in such things could’ve spotted signs, but I don’t think the “someone had to have known” rationale is true. I think that’s one of the reasons domestic violence is so prevalent, it can be hidden so well.

    ok that’s fair, i am fortunate enough that i have exactly zero experience with this type of stuff. so i guess my earlier comment was unwarranted. i just figured it would have been pretty obvious to friends/family/co-workers but in retrospect that was a pretty naive assumption. i wonder what percentage of these cases come as a total shock to those around the abuser…

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  9. dmick89

    EnricoPallazzo,

    Now that I’ve thought about it, my guess is that a majority come as a shock at first, but in hindsight they begin to see evidence they feel they should have seen at the time. Of course that evidence, at the time, could turn out to be nothing and probably would in most situations so I don’t know.

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  10. andcounting

    dmick89,

    This probably applies to half the things we think we know (dying laughing). The thing is, it’s scary af that some of the most fucked up aspects of humanity can go undetected. We want there to be obvious warning signs so we can feel safely protected from them. It just doesn’t always work like that.

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  11. andcounting

    I certainly did not think we’d be this far into spring training with Harper, Machado, and me all unemployed, but here we are.

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  12. Myles

    “This front office (and this ownership group, despite any political misgivings you may have) has operated in such a way that they have the benefit of the doubt.”

    Man, what idiot wrote that?

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  13. Ryno

    We don’t know that, yet.
    Get back to me when Jimenez and Cease have performed at the big-league level.

    So far the bWAR of the trade is:

    Quintana 1.3
    Everyone else 0
    Posted by Al Yellon on Feb 17, 2019 | 12:52 PM

    Alvin never learns…

    Is he really so myopic that he can’t see the value Jimenez and Cease could’ve provided for CHC this season without spending one second above AAA.

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  14. Ryno

    Simple question, Al
    Given plenary powers over the universe, would you undo the Q/Eloy trade?
    Posted by perseman on Feb 17, 2019 | 2:07 PM

    No, because it’s still too early to say whether it was worth it or not.
    Posted by Al Yellon on Feb 17, 2019 | 3:59 PM

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  15. andcounting

    Ryno,

    “I don’t have enough information to decide, so I’ll just leave it as is,” may be the only incorrect answer to a question about what to do with plenary powers of the universe.

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  16. andcounting

    Ryno,

    The obvious alternate consideration in this is: would the White Sox reverse the trade right now? Since the answer is obviously “no” (and for myriad equally obvious reasons), we know Q’s trade value has gone down and Eloy’s trade value has gone up. It’s pathetically easy to know the Cubs lost this trade no matter how well Q pitches this year or next. They traded future potential for a chance to win it all TWO years ago which didn’t happen. Given absolute power, Al would not change his idiocy even one iota, which shows great commitment to the maxims of his worthlessness.

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  17. Perkins

    It really is a shame that Q fell off so quickly, especially since he’s still pretty young. I was a fan of the trade at the time, but it looks a lot worse in hindsight.

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  18. Myles

    Quintana threw a shitload of fastballs last year. I’m curious if he was working through some injury last year that he either hid or that I forget he reported. He lost half a mile per hour on his fastball but the gap in speeds between his pitch mix held firm. I think Quintana is among the best bets on the team to regress positively in 2019, honestly. That said, you’d have to be a world-class idiot to not take that trade back. There’s an outside chance that Dylan Cease is a more valuable starter in 2019 than Jose Quintana is.

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  19. Ryno

    Irrelevant.

    The relevant point is that Sinclair won’t be programming the Cubs channel the way they do their TV channels.

    If you can’t see the difference here I don’t know what else to say.
    Posted by Al Yellon on Feb 18, 2019 | 10:49 AM

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  20. Ryno

    Yes, Eloy looks ready to be a major league star.

    Until he does… he’s a prospect.
    Posted by Al Yellon on Feb 18, 2019 | 10:46 AM

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  21. Ryno

    There’s no doubt that Eloy is a very talented player
    and MIGHT be a very good or even great big league player.
    So far his MLB totals are all 0.
    And yes, I think there’s a bit of over hype.
    Posted by Al Yellon on Feb 17, 2019 | 12:55 PM

    Exactly.
    And who knows? Maybe he has a good 2019 and/or 2020 and the Cubs win the WS one of those years.
    In that case the trade is 100 percent worth it no matter what Jimenez and Cease do.
    Posted by Al Yellon on Feb 17, 2019 | 12:56 PM

    Am I entitled to change my mind?
    Or is every post I make immutable for all time?
    Serious questions.
    Posted by Al Yellon on Feb 17, 2019 | 3:59 PM

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  22. Myles

    Cubs owner Tom Ricketts on why the Cubs didn't spend more money this offseason on the free-agent market: "Pretty easy. We don’t have any more.''

    — Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) February 18, 2019

    (dying laughing) (dying laughing) (dying laughing)

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  23. Ryno

    Know your enemy: Cincinnati Reds
    First in a series on Cubs opponents this year.
    By Al Yellon@bleedcubbieblue Feb 18, 2019, 11:00am CST

    Each spring, I write a series of articles giving my impressions of the Cubs’ opponents for the season. That’s a total of 20 articles — the 14 other N.L. teams and the six A.L. teams (this year, the A.L. West and the White Sox) the Cubs will face.

    I don’t pretend to know everything about these teams, but I hope to give you a good overview of the clubs the Cubs will play in 2019. I’m starting this series now because, well, games begin later this week. I’m well aware that many free agents remain unsigned and some of these teams might look different in a week, or three. We shall see. Now, on to the Cincinnati Reds.

    It really is unbelievable that this person runs a website based on writing. Thank you, Alvin, for two paragraphs that overexplain the headline and subhead.

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  24. andcounting

    Ryno,

    But, if those prospects end up producing, on the major league level,, I am free to change my mind about how valuable they are, but, until then, I am, of course, correct.

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  25. dmick89

    Myles: Ricketts says dad is not racist as the emails imply: “It’s easy to take some emails and paint a picture.”

    It’s also easy to take those emails and admit that you’re old white father is a racist and you hope it ends with his generation of Ricketts, but despite that you still love him because he’s your father.

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  26. dmick89

    Ryno: The relevant point is that Sinclair won’t be programming the Cubs channel the way they do their TV channels.

    It’s just a coincidence that a team with a racist owner agrees to host their games on a network that is racist.

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  27. BVS

    Regarding Russell. I think AC has made some really good points and this discussion here is much better than what I’ve seen on Twitter (duh).

    Anyway, I think the Cubs were kind of in the frying pan right from the outset. The initial charge was a tweet or some such but Melisa didn’t engage. One social media post isn’t enough to fire someone but a year later the details came out. At that point, the Cubs were in the proverbial between a rock and a hard place. Canning Russell just results in accusations of not doing it sooner. Better to at least come up with a treatment plan and an example to help others move forward. If it works, then everyone comes out better in the end. If it fails, then Russell goes. But DV is a big enough problem that if some positive, restorative examples can be developed, that’s a big plus.

    I listened to Russell’s interview. It didn’t strike me as particularly unusual compared to lots of his interviews. He’s never been the smoothest speaker and that’s when he’s only talking about something like catching a pop fly or the rare double. I’m sure most everyone will think it was scripted and I don’t doubt that. But I didn’t hear him making excuses for himself or blaming anyone except himself. So that’s good. He was asked if his upbringing may have contributed. I recall that he came from some sort of broken family, but I don’t remember the details. He didn’t take the bait, though that could certainly have been a contributing factor.

    I hope he and his exes and kids all find peace, that the Cubs treatment framework succeeds, and he hits 25 HR with a .280 BA and .350 OBP. I’m all about the best case scenario.

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  28. andcounting

    dmick89,

    I always wonder what the standard of racism is in some people’s minds. It seems to be this: if you’re guilty of racism, that doesn’t make you a racist. You have to be proud of the racism of your views and actions to be considered racist.

    Being racist is like being a Spice Girls fan. The 100 million people who bought a Spice Girls album? Not fans. You have to admit in public that you like them to be considered a fan. You have to come out and say, “Listen, racism is where it’s at. Racism is my jam” to be considered a racist.

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  29. andcounting

    Ryno:
    andcounting,

    Because he is entitled to change his mind and every post he makes is not immutable for all time.

    If we can’t believe in the immutability of Al’s word, upon what can we rest our faith?

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  30. Myles

    Al doesn’t pretend to know all the answers. Remember that time he had an interview with Ricketts and spent nearly the entire thing on “who owns the Cubs?”

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  31. dmick89

    andcounting: I always wonder what the standard of racism is in some people’s minds. It seems to be this: if you’re guilty of racism, that doesn’t make you a racist. You have to be proud of the racism of your views and actions to be considered racist.

    I think that’s exactly it for most people. Take the average person and give them numerous examples of someone being a racist and they still probably wouldn’t be comfortable calling them a racist. That same person would probably be comfortable saying something like “I don’t mind people being gay, but it creeps me out.” Most people are stupid and shouldn’t be talked to unless you have a job that requires it. In those situations I’d suggest that someone find another job where they don’t have to talk to idiots.

    I don’t remember the reporter (there have probably been dozens at this point) who asked Donald Trump “are you a racist” and I’m wondering why we’re even bothering with the question. Just refer to him as a racist and move the fuck on.

    Reporter: Mr. Trump, considering the fact that you’re a racist, does it fill you with joy that most of your supporters are also racist?

    Let me know when someone asks him a question like that. Until then, our media has failed us.

    Asking a person “are you a racist” are like those journalists for 48 Hours Mysteries who sit down with the person convicted of killing his wife and they ask him, “did you kill your wife?” Nobody is going to answer yes to are you a racist or did you kill your wife.

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  32. Smokestack Lightning

    dmick89: It’s also easy to take those emails and admit that you’re old white father is a racist and you hope it ends with his generation of Ricketts, but despite that you still love him because he’s your father.

    Actually not so easy. Because you still have to deal with the old, racist coot when the cameras aren’t on.

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  33. Perkins

    Baseball related observation: anyone think Kris Bryant is more likely to sign a $150MM+ extension in light of the current labor situation? With Harper and Machado still unsigned and the high likelihood of a work stoppage right when he hits free agency, I’d probably be trying to lock in nine figures now if I were in his position.

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  34. dmick89

    Perkins,

    I doubt the Cubs want to give out that kind of offer until they see how KB responds this season. I know I don’t want the Cubs to give him that kind of contract right now and I’d actually be pretty pissed off if they paid him that much considering the kind of injury he’s coming back from. Until he shows he’s back to KB level we expected prior to last season, I’d not offer him more than $75 million, which there’s no way KB would take so it’s not worth insulting him.

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  35. dmick89

    KB would probably make $75 million going year to year through arbitration so I wouldn’t even offer that. Basically, I’d offer no more than arbitration for one season at this point. Maybe it’s worth thinking about later this season or next offseason, but I’d really hate to give him $150-200 million only to find that he’s not very good because of the injury.

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  36. BVS

    andcounting:
    Ryno,

    But, if those prospects end up producing, on the major league level,, I am free to change my mind about how valuable they are, but, until then, I am, of course, correct.

    You, my friend, have really, quite accurately, mastered the use of the Al-turd comma, to coin a phrase.

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  37. Ryno

    Let’s say the Cubs sign Marwin Gonzalez.
    Where does he play?
    Daniel Descalso was signed to back up several positions, something he can likely do well.
    You’re not going to pay Gonzalez $14m a year to do that.
    Plus — if he’s so good, why hasn’t anyone else signed him?
    Posted by Al Yellon on Feb 19, 2019 | 9:27 AM

    Alvin: Bryce Harper/Manny Machado != good

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  38. Ryno

    Simply buying Bryce Harper does not guarantee a World Series title, if that’s what you are thinking.
    Posted by Al Yellon on Feb 18, 2019 | 9:38 PM

    He uses that argument a lot. “What you want doesn’t guarantee a WS.”

    Well guess what, Alvin? What you want doesn’t guarantee a WS either!

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  39. WaLi

    It seems like Padres got a good deal for Machado, but I haven’t looked at any numbers to back that up. I would have been glad if the Cubs got him at that price and upset if a rival got him. I am entitled to change my mind though in light of facts though.

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  40. Myles

    I still don’t care about payrolls, so the money doesn’t matter to me that much. That said, you can perform some back-of-the-envelope calculations to quickly get an estimate:

    If you assume he gives you 45 WAR over the length of the contract (he has provided 24 WAR in the previous 5 years, so if you say he’ll provide 1.9 times that in the next 10 years you get 45.6), and the average win above replacement in the contract is worth $6.5 million dollars (discounted from $7million per win due to the fact that you’re locking in finite $$ and taking into account how impossible it is to guess at the FA in 7-10 years), you get $292.5 million. It seems fair. Additionally, you have to assume this increases your chances at winning a WS by 5% over the next 10 years. If that’s the case, and you value a WS at, say $500 million dollars, that’s an additional $25 million dollars.

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  41. andcounting

    Myles,

    Also, is there a statistical representation of the marginal value (forgive my inability to come up with a better term here) of WAR per player? What I mean is, let’s say one WAR is worth $7 million a year on the free agent market. You own an 80-win team and have three open spots on your 25-man roster. You want to become a 90-win team and hope you can improve at the trade deadline after luck smiles on you in the first half of the season. If there’s a player you’d expect could add 6 of those 10 wins that you’d need to get to 10, isn’t 42 million kind of a bargain? Shouldn’t the 4th, 5th, 6th, etc. wins you get from the same roster spot have increasing value? Sorry it’s so wordy expressing that, I just think if Machado produces 4.5 wins per year, $30 million is a small price to pay for that every year.

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  42. andcounting

    andcounting,

    Especially if he were to have a 5-, 6-, or 7-win season at the outset. If he averages 4.5 wins for 10 years, you’d have to expect he’d be in the 5-7 WAR range for the first few years.

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  43. Myles

    andcounting:
    Myles,

    Also, is there a statistical representation of the marginal value (forgive my inability to come up with a better term here) of WAR per player? What I mean is, let’s say one WAR is worth $7 million a year on the free agent market. You own an 80-win team and have three open spots on your 25-man roster. You want to become a 90-win team and hope you can improve at the trade deadline after luck smiles on you in the first half of the season. If there’s a player you’d expect could add 6 of those 10 wins that you’d need to get to 10, isn’t 42 million kind of a bargain? Shouldn’t the 4th, 5th, 6th, etc. wins you get from the same roster spot have increasing value? Sorry it’s so wordy expressing that, I just think if Machado produces 4.5 wins per year, $30 million is a small price to pay for that every year.

    Yes. If the goal is to get 25 WAR per season from your 13 offensive players, and you can lock in 5 WAR in one person, you only need 20 WAR over the other 12 spots. It’s incrementally easier to find 1.7 WAR players than it is to find 2.0 WAR players, and the more WAR you can get from 1 position, the less you need from the others. It’s more impressive when you have Trout (9 WAR means you need 1.3 WAR per offensive roster spot), but if you consider that player performance is somewhat like a pyramid (where your options expand as you descend the WAR required), it definitely matters.

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  44. WaLi

    Is there a place to view historical Pecota projections? Considering Vegas has the Cubs at 89+ wins and Pecota is over 10 wins below that, could be a good sign to bet the under.

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  45. dmick89

    WaLi,

    I’m not very high on the Cubs this year, but I really don’t see how a system gets 79 wins. I’m thinking 84-86 with the potential to win 90-92 if the Cubs get good KB and good Darvish.

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  46. dmick89

    Myles,

    I think there’s always more downside than upside (injuries can screw the best teams in the league), but I agree with what you’re saying. The team should easily surpass 79 wins. I still think they’re a 3rd place team in the division, which really kind of sucks.

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  47. SK

    Tom Ricketts:
    ,

    But there isn’t any more money; also [The Cubs] can only give to one by taking from another…[bWAR] distribution may be changed [but] only from the more meritorious to the less; because, if left to the natural law of distribution, those who deserved most would obtain it.

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  48. Smokestack Lightning

    dmick89:
    Myles,

    I think there’s always more downside than upside (injuries can screw the best teams in the league), but I agree with what you’re saying. The team should easily surpass 79 wins. I still think they’re a 3rd place team in the division, which really kind of sucks.

    Agreed. And there’s no real excuse for it. Shouldn’t have come to this, and it was largely preventable.

    Still is.

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  49. Myles

    SK,

    “Nobody ever saw a dog make a fair and deliberate exchange of one bone for another with another dog.”

    In this quote, I like to think that the owners are the dogs.

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  50. andcounting

    dmick89,

    I was already to say anyone who pays money for baseball this year is an idiot, then I saw the ST opener is an hour away and I tried to buy tickets.

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  51. Rizzo the Rat

    Bote was just hit in the back of the helmet (at least that's what it sounded like) on an 0-2 pitch from Bumgarner. He's down on one knee being checked out. Now walks off the field with trainer Matt Johnson and Maddon.

    — Sahadev Sharma (@sahadevsharma) February 24, 2019

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  52. dmick89

    Ryno:
    Harper –> LAD

    That would be crazy. I’d think the Giants would do whatever they could to ensure that never happens. I’m still betting on the Phillies. I can’t believe the Cubs are broke. At least we had a few good years I guess.

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  53. BVS

    Did you see Aaron Hicks’ extension with the Yanks? 7 yr 70M. Buys out last year of arb. He’s 29. If Schwarber would do that, I’d bite right now.

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  54. Myles

    BVS:
    Did you see Aaron Hicks’ extension with the Yanks? 7 yr 70M. Buys out last year of arb. He’s 29. If Schwarber would do that, I’d bite right now.

    I would too, I think.

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  55. dmick89

    BVS,

    Unless he shows he can hit lefties well enough to play every day I’d probably not do that. I keep hoping the Cubs will just stick him in LF and keep him there every day (occasional off day against a tough lefty, but otherwise he’s in the lineup). The Cubs haven’t really done that yet or when they’ve tried he hasn’t hit them well enough to stick with it.

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  56. BVS

    Seems like Schwarber is the perfect Cub to lock up on a longer contract if players are worried about FA markets. Hendricks also. Kyle hits righties pretty well so even as platoon he’s got value. Younger than Hicks. Walks about same as Hicks iirc. Ks more. Defense is improving. Not a clubhouse issue. Maybe $10M/yr aav is a little high, but Hicks’s contract seems like a guide.

    Agree it woukd be good to stick him in left and leave him til ASG.

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  57. dmick89

    BVS,

    I think 7/70 is a fine deal for Schwarber to be honest. I wouldn’t really want to go that high for a platoon player, even if he’s as good a hitter against righties as Schwarber is, but I wouldn’t complain if the Cubs signed him to that. I think I’d just prefer the Cubs invest that money another way. For what it’s worth, I don’t want to re-sign Hendricks. I’d wait until he’s eligible for free agency and see how he’s done in the most recent season. I’d hate to be locked into any additional years at a much higher salary for a pitcher who is likely to decline rapidly at some point before too long.

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  58. Perkins

    Given that mid-career Hendricks has late-career Maddux velocity, I’d also be wary of extending him. I love watching him pitch, but he has a pretty slim margin for error/decline.

    And if the Cubs continue to play Heyward every day in RF, I see little reason not to give Schwarber a crack at LF on most days. Kind of wishing they’d traded Happ before last season, though. I don’t think his trade value will be higher than it was then, and I don’t see an obvious place for him to play daily.

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  59. dmick89

    Perkins: Given that mid-career Hendricks has late-career Maddux velocity, I’d also be wary of extending him. I love watching him pitch, but he has a pretty slim margin for error/decline.

    I think there’s a decent chance Hendricks remains good for another 2-3 years, but beyond that I wouldn’t bet much money on him being very good. He’s a free agent after next season so I’d just wait to see how he does over the next 2 years.

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  60. Perkins

    Rockies extended Arenado for 8/$260. That’s probably the starting point for a Kris Bryant extension (which I doubt he’d sign anyway).

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  61. Myles

    Apparently Smash Mouth (the band) is reporting that Farhan Zaidi is the logjam between Harper signing with the Giants or not.

    It’s 2019. Why the fuck not, I guess.

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  62. andcounting

    dmick89,

    That’s probably smart. As far as red flags go, I’d be much more concerned by low velocity than by wildness after a year of barely throwing more than a dozen pitches at a time.

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  63. Perkins

    dmick89,

    Darvish has been dealing with the Chicago media in English. Asked why he is not using an interpreter, he joked that it cost the organization a lot of money

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  64. andcounting

    It’s been a long time since I twittered, so scrolling through the search results for “Harper” has been pretty hilarious. Almost every single tweet is angry, no matter who is posting.

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  65. andcounting

    I’m going to stop trying to be right, use the Cubs’ spring training numbers as all the evidence I need, and go on thinking last year was all Chili Davis’s fault.

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  66. WaLi

    andcounting,

    2018 Spring Training w/ Chili: Bryant has 1 hr in 41 AB and Contreras has 4 HR in 39 AB

    2019 Spring Training w/o Chili in their diet: Bryant has 1 HR in 3 AB and Contreras has 2 HR in 6 AB.

    What more evidence do you need?

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  67. SK

    Maybe I’ve been sheltered or uncouth all these years, but have you ever known a dude to wipe his dick at a urinal?

    You sense something new, clearly happening right next to you even though you’re staring straight ahead, every day.

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  68. SK

    SK,

    Could clearly hear the sound of a heavier grade tissue of some kind, being used thoroughly, borderline vigorously, accompanied by commensurate physical motions detected in the extreme periphery of vision, after the guy finished.

    This was in a business environment – a busy trade show. The man was wearing a suit.

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  69. Ryno

    he’s definitely put some of it back on already at just 25 years old

    No, no he has not. I have literally stood within 20 feet of Schwarber this spring. He’s the same weight he was last year.
    Posted by Al Yellon on Feb 27, 2019 | 3:30 PM

    “Step right up! Guess your weight.”

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  70. Ryno

    So…
    … if a high-resolution camera shows your hand came off the base for .00000000001 second, you’re off the base?
    Posted by Al Yellon on Feb 27, 2019 | 12:49 PM

    This is really tricky, but I’m going to take a stab at it:

    If you’re off the base, I’m going to say…you’re off the base.

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  71. SK

    WaLi,

    A pocket? The waste bin? I couldn’t look.

    More context: it was a crowded bathroom and he was talking (in German) loudly to his colleagues behind him the whole time.

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  72. andcounting

    SK,

    Can you quote what he was saying in German? Maybe he was telling his colleagues all about how his penis leaks out the side or how embarrassing it is to change bandages or how inefficient American industrial paper towels are for cleaning up lube. It could go either way.

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