Well, the Cubs didn't trade anyone today. With DeJesus and Schierholtz in the fold for 2014 (though either could be traded in the offseason, I really doubt it), the Cubs 2014 roster (with no signings) looks like this:
C: Welington Castillo
1B: Anthony Rizzo
2B: Darwin Barney
SS: Starlin Castro
3B: Mike Olt
LF: Junior Lake
CF: David DeJesus
RF: Nate Schierholtz
2B/CF: Logan Watkins
3B/SS: Luis Valbuena
4OF: Dave Sappelt
5OF: Julio Borbon
2C: (none) (Chad Noble? Luis Flores? J.C. Boscan?)
#1: Jeff Samardzija
#2: Edwin Jackson
#3: Travis Wood
#4: Justin Grimm
#5: Jake Arrieta
Swing: Carlos Villanueva
LOOGY: James Russell
LR: Michael Bowden
MR: Blake Parker
MR: Chang-Yong Lim
SU: Brian Schlitter
CL: Pedro Strop
I called up Olt and Watkins because they make sense for next year. The Cubs obvious places to improve in the offseason would be LF, backup C, and another SP and probably 2 RP.
Comments
I should say that I’d hope Watkins would shunt Barney to the bench where he can back up 2B/SS, and that if Castro and Olt play as well as they have/were projected, that team could end up being pretty…decent. Add an Ellsbury or a Choo (or a Cano), and you’ve got something. Spitballing a Sveum lineup:
DeJesus
Castro
Rizzo
Schierholtz
Olt
Lake
Castillo
Barney
Samardzija
MylesQuote Reply
Baker?
Suburban kidQuote Reply
I’d also like to see the team look at McCann, and make a run at Lincecum as a buy (relatively) low option. Add those guys and Cano and you have something going…
shawndgoldmanQuote Reply
… or what about Utley? A high $/year, but shorter-term deal might make sense for all involved. And he probably presents as big of an upgrade as anyone other than Cano on the market…
shawndgoldmanQuote Reply
Myles wrote:
Bill ClayQuote Reply
In related news, does this mean it’s now a certainty the Cubs will blow past the spending limits on the international free agent market?
(have fun with that one Ryno)
shawndgoldmanQuote Reply
@ shawndgoldman:
yep. eloy to sign tomorrow.
GWQuote Reply
don’t think they will sign anyone else, though
GWQuote Reply
shawndgoldman wrote:
GWQuote Reply
Alberto Cabrera will be out of options next year, so he’ll probably make the team in some capacity too.
João LucasQuote Reply
@ shawndgoldman:
I doubt the Cubs go out and spent much on the infield, if anything. They’ve got Olt who is pretty close to ready and Baez not far behind. Alcantara may not be too far behind either. Actually, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if Alcantara won the job at 2nd in spring training.
dmick89Quote Reply
utley will likely get an extension from the phils
GWQuote Reply
I like McCann. Without looking, I thought he would be too old to have any value defensively but in his limited games behind the plate he has a good caught stealing %. Add that he has almost a .900 OPS and he would be a pretty big upgrade to Castillo. Think he could be got for a 3 year deal?
JonKneeVQuote Reply
@ dmick89:
If Alcantara wins the job, I would think Barney gets shipped out for a proven bullpen arm and Watkins takes over as super utility. I doubt Ransom is on this team next year, same with Sappelt. I hope the Cubs can keep Sweeney as a 4th OF.
JonKneeVQuote Reply
@ JonKneeV:
I could see the Cubs keeping Barney around just in case they would need to option Alcantara to the minors. I still think it’s more likely he opens the season at AAA, but it won’t be surprising to me if he’s with the MLB team. He might be better than Alcantara right now and there seems to be a reason we haven’t seen Watkins yet.
dmick89Quote Reply
@ JonKneeV:
Yeah, I agree with you and sdg here. I’d like the Cubs to go after him and they have the money. Even a 4-year deal wouldn’t be the worst thing. I wouldn’t go over that, but I’d be surprised if McCann could get another offer that long.
dmick89Quote Reply
@ dmick89:
I’d agree that they’re more likely to go for a high-cost impact bat in the outfield rather than the infield, simply because they don’t have a whole lot coming up through the system in the outfield over the next couple of years. Ellsbury or Choo would be great, but I wouldn’t count out a flier on Chet Granderson if they’re just trying to buy time until the kids start showing up.
Still, I don’t think that they break camp counting on anything from Olt or Alcantara next year, and you’re likely to see them sign a lesser name to give them options over the kids and/or Barney and Valbuena. Kelly Johnson comes to mind, as he’s a guy who could slot in at second, or move to be the long end of a platoon with Lake or some other RHB out in left if one of the young infielders does pan out, or maybe Ryan Raburn if you’re looking for a 2B who can also caddy for Schierholz (though he’d be a buy-high based on his performance this year in Cleveland).
I like the flexibility they have on the roster right now. Valbuena can give you a decent glove at second or third and at least get on base occasionally, which allows for the freedom to call up either Alcantara or Olt. Lake can find at-bats in either the outfield or the infield, if that’s your thing. DeJesus can play anywhere in the outfield, which makes it easier to find a fourth or fifth outfielder who can give you something, whether that’s a guy with a glove in center or a guy with a bat in left. It seems like making good moves with free agents should be easier without the burden of trying to hammer a square peg in a round hole.
I’m actually pretty optimistic about the lineup for next season. Add an impact bat, one breakout from Castro or Rizzo, and erase the black hole at second and you’re squarely on the right side of average.
The pitching seems like it’s in decent shape too. You’ve already got three established starters, some interesting pieces at the back end of the rotation to sort through for the rest of this year, and a few pleasant surprises in the bullpen. I know that spending real money on relief pitchers is like buying a new car, in that you lose half of its value the minute you drive it off the lot, but if you put a plus guy at the top of the bullpen, the rest of the guys get bumped down a slot and start to look pretty good. (I’d be pretty comfortable with Strop and Russell in the 7th-8th inning slots, for example, and your Blake Parkers and Brian Schlitters look OK at the back end of the pen). If you add another starter and an impact relief arm, I’d even go so far as to call the pitching staff good.
It seems like you could add an impact outfielder, an upgrade in the infield, a mid-rotation starter and overpay for an impact reliever like Grant Balfour for $40-50MM or so all-in, and you could get most of those guys on deals of three years or less, and given what the payroll looks like right now that seems possible. It gives you a bridge to the impact talent that is coming up in 2015 and beyond without robbing you of the flexibility to fill in where that talent fails in the future.
I like it. Let’s do it.
uncle daveQuote Reply
@ dmick89:
@ JonKneeV:
I dunno, though, do you want to throw big money at a catcher coming off of an injury who’s gonna be on the wrong side of 30? Not even talking about McCann specifically, but it just seems like there are so few catchers who manage to stay healthy and productive for any length of time that paying real money for one is a serious crapshoot.
uncle daveQuote Reply
http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-Sports/2013/07/30/value-add-baseball-born
what
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
@ Rizzo the Rat:
Do you remember when you were a kid, like, a LITTLE kid and you first heard about something like ERA and you thought “What?” And it kind of confused you?
I just had that feeling when I read that. Except as an adult, this time it was immediately followed by “Oh, wait. This is fucking stupid”
AkabariQuote Reply
@ uncle dave:
Loves your first comment and this is a good point too. However, catcher is one area the Cubs have nothing in the minors. McCann is far better than anything available after 2014. So I’d take a chance here.
dmick89Quote Reply
@ uncle dave:
I’m going to put this in a new post. Good stuff.
dmick89Quote Reply
new shit: http://obstructedview.net/commentary-and-analysis/more-on-the-2014-cubs.html
dmick89Quote Reply
@ dmick89:
Fair enough. I just think a short-term sign at 2B makes sense for the Cubs. Obviously, Utley would be the “best case” for that… but maybe that’s unrealistic and someone like Kelly Johnson would be more likely.
shawndgoldmanQuote Reply