Official 2023 Chicago Cubs Season Thread Vol: (17-17)

[CP1708]

Bruce Levine ‏@MLBBruceLevine 5m5 minutes ago
Cubs offer to Price was creative at 7-$161 million third to Boston and St Louis .They liked Samardzija but did not offer 5 year deal .

 

[sportsjunkie]

Winter Meetings this week fellas. this should be an emotional roller coater. Jayson Hayward? Is Soler and Baez getting traded?

 

[CP1708]

Ton of smoke, TON of it, about Baez to the Rays for possibly a SP AND RP. Nothing concrete yet, but a lot of rumors and sources confirming said rumors.

 

[sportsjunkie]

Jed Hoyer said: "He learned a lot about his team on twitter today. Called it an alternate universe out there"

 

[CP1708]

Mark Gonzales ‏@MDGonzales 11m11 minutes ago Nashville, TN
Theo: "We're definitely closer than we were when we got here." Trying to get in sync with trade and free agent signing at some time.

Jesse Rogers ‏@ESPNChiCubs 19m19 minutes ago
Theo says the Cubs are getting closer to a deal. They are trying to sync up a trade and FA. That sounds like Zobrist/Castro move, IMO

Brian Schroeder ‏@Cosmis 28m28 minutes ago
OK if it's Starlin for Not Gardner and Zobrist signs there still might be enough for Heyward. I'm in.

Ken Rosenthal ‏@Ken_Rosenthal 31m31 minutes ago
Source: Zobrist choosing between #Mets and #Cubs. Comparable offers. Only question is which team he wants to join. #Nationals on periphery.

Ken Rosenthal ‏@Ken_Rosenthal 38m38 minutes ago
If #Cubs sign Zobrist and keep Baez, they would have two multi-position types. Dream scenario for Joe Maddon.

Jesse Rogers ‏@ESPNChiCubs 16m16 minutes ago
If Starlin goes it should not impact RT @HcatsAM: @ESPNChiCubs how would possible Zobrist signing impact #Cubs pursuit of Heyward?

Sounds like Cubs are tryin to sign Zobrist, trade Starlin for a Pitcher, and then have enough money left over to sign Jason Heyward. And still possibly keep Baez & Soler.


If that happens........

 

[CP1708]

Ken RosenthalVerified account
‏@Ken_Rosenthal
Source: Zobrist to #Cubs.

Buckle up!!!!

 

[CP1708]

Jesse Rogers ‏@ESPNChiCubs 21s22 seconds ago
Confirmed: Ben Zobrist to Cubs on a 4-year deal. First report @Ken_Rosenthal

2nd source......

 

[CP1708]

4/56 being reported for Zobrist.
2/32 for Lackey

If they trade Starlin for a pitcher next..........

 

[CVO_RN95]

Ben Zobrist is a great pick-up! Can't wait to see who we bring in next.

 

[CP1708]

Joel Sherman ‏@Joelsherman1 4m4 minutes ago
Told that Castro to #Yankees has been agreed upon, but not finalized. Still medical review, etc. #Cubs

And here's part 2......

 

[CP1708]

Buster Olney ‏@Buster_ESPN 12s13 seconds ago
The Yankees are giving up Adam Warren and a player to be named for Castro.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

Good signing on the Zobrist deal
Theo and Co. Are cooking.

Not thrilled about the Castro for Warren trade.

 

[JLD1523]

Yankees are picking up most of Starlin's contract which makes Zobrist's deal easier to handle.

 

[secretzofwar]

Interesting move. No clue what's going to happen next.

 

[sportsjunkie]

Yankees are picking up most of Starlin's contract which makes Zobrist's deal easier to handle.

 

[eentegra]

Javy could be the next one on the move.

 

[sportsjunkie]

I tell yall one thing. The Braves got over on the Diamondbacks. I don't know what the Diamondbacks was thinking about giving up all that for 1 player.

 

[CP1708]

The Chicago Cubs upgraded their infield in a pair of moves Tuesday. They dumped Starlin Castro's once-promising contract on the Yankees and signed longtime super-sub Ben Zobrist to a four-year deal to play second base. It's a stunning fall from grace for Castro and a huge commitment to a 34-year-old hitter who is already showing signs of decline. It makes the Cubs better, but I'm not sure it's "better" enough to justify the money spent.

Castro has posted a sub-.300 OBP twice in the past three years and was (mercifully) moved off shortstop this summer. He then played second base for the first time in his career. His approach at the plate hasn't improved a whit since his rookie season and actually showed signs of getting even worse in 2015, which is unacceptable for a player 900 games into his big league career. This is just what Castro is, unfortunately, and he's not worth what he's being paid. The New York Yankees had a void at second base -- Robert Refsnyder, for all the hype he has received, just can't handle the position defensively -- so Castro will actually make them better, even if he's just a one-win player.

I like Adam Warren for what he became in 2015: an old-fashioned swingman, with 17 starts and 25 relief appearances for 131 total innings of a 3.29 ERA and much better numbers in the bullpen than in the rotation. The Cubs don't need a starter, but every team needs an Adam Warren to handle spot starts and provide value in long relief. The Cubs could go with two such swingmen with Warren and Travis Wood or swap one of them to fill a different need. But with the rising trend of pulling starters after three times through the order, having two long guys on the roster is a strength -- not a liability.

As for the Zobrist signing, he makes the Cubs a couple wins better in 2016, but that contract could look very ugly in year four. Zobrist will play his age 35 to 38 seasons under this deal, and he has already slipped defensively, according to advanced metrics. He's still a very disciplined hitter whom pitchers can't beat in the zone, so he should maintain his OBP skills for much of the contract, but by ages 37 and 38, he'll likely have dropped off there as well. In fact, ESPN colleague Dan Szymborski's projections have Zobrist at OBPs in those years of .333 and .322, respectively -- he was at .359 in 2015 -- and overall, he rates as a below-average regular at 37 and bench player at best at 38. The Cubs have to hope Zobrist is so good the next two years that they're willing to live with what will probably be $14 million of dead money in 2019.

The move could work out in their favor, anyway. Few teams can look at a contract that way, but the Cubs are in the right position for it: contenders right now with a specific hole to fill. Zobrist makes them two to three wins better right now, and they get a little boost from Warren as well. It's conceivable Zobrist delivers enough production this year and next to justify the fourth year, because the Cubs are in the position that an extra win or two translates to revenue and maybe a lot of revenue because they could play in October. I don't love the deal, but I can at least see a path for the Cubs to end up on top.

 

[CP1708]

Buster Olney ‏@Buster_ESPN 27m27 minutes ago
Seeing word of Cubs' interest in STL target Jason Heyward reminds me of how Cashman/Theo/NYY/BOS always worked to push up price for a rival.

Interesting point with regard to the amount of times we've heard Alex Gordon linked to the Cubs, maybe Theo is dancing with Heyward to up the price on the Cards, but will get his man on the cheap after the fact?

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

^
I hope so.
After seeing that offer they gave Price, it makes me think that either the Rickets are being cheap or just putting all they're money into the J-Hey basket.

 

[CP1708]

A GRAND PLAN STARTS COMING TOGETHER

The Cubs offseason plans may not be as opulent as the Gaylord Opryland Hotel decorated from top to bottom with holiday cheer, but it’s starting to look like they’re nearly as grand. When sitting in a hotel as expansive as this, it’s only appropriate to take a wide-angle view of what the Cubs vision is going forward.

As quiet as their pursuit of Ben Zobrist was, the Cubs’ overall strategy this offseason has been stated rather plainly for anyone who was willing to listen. This winter was never about David Price or Zack Greinke; the Cubs didn’t have much interest in another 30-plus-year-old pitcher on a lengthy deal costing them over $25 million a year. As I stated soon after their ouster at the hands of the Mets in the NLCS, the Cubs look at this offseason as a critical moment for the franchise—a winter in which they can take a very good team to an elite level. And not just for a couple years, but for the foreseeable future.

This was obvious from the start, but what’s turned out to be a little less obvious is how they’d go about doing that. Adding Zobrist was a slight surprise, but after understanding how Zobrist is an upgrade to Starlin Castro and that Adam Warren adds to the Cubs stable of pitching depth, the baseball side of things makes sense. But there is more going on here than just adding Zobrist and Warren (and Brendan Ryan).

The Cubs appear to be positioning themselves to add more players for the 2016 season and, at the same time, creating enough depth and collecting enough talent so as not to rely on a weak free-agent class next winter. Thus, it behooves them to be creative this offseason when adding to players to try to suppress their payroll for 2016 and create flexibility for further additions this winter.

We’ve seen this come into play with both the Zobrist and the John Lackey signings. The AAVs for each contract are $14 and $16 million, respectively, but that’s not how the contracts are structured for 2016. With the signing bonuses and allocation of the funds, the Cubs will actually pay Zobrist $10 million in 2016 and Lackey $12.5 million, saving themselves $7.5 million next year in the process.

“We’re much more focused on the short term than we were (in past offseasons),” Hoyer told the media on Wednesday. “You’re always thinking about the future. It’s going to come and if you don’t prepare for it you’re going to really regret. But at the same time, we know we have a really good team. Our now is very bright, so we have to take advantage of that. That balance is different now than it was.”

The balance of how much they focus on the future has certainly changed, but that doesn’t mean considerations for future payroll aren’t taken into account. The Cubs are looking at Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, and Jorge Soler (if he chooses to opt out) all eligible for arbitration after the 2017 season, with Kyle Schwarber and Javier Baez eligible after 2018. Some of them may not be around by then, and some may choose to sign extensions, but if the latter happens, it still means these players’ salaries will be taking a significantly larger bite out of the team’s payroll than they are now. That doesn’t even go into contracts like Anthony Rizzo’s and Jon Lester’s, which are scheduled to steadily increase each year.

“You just don’t ignore those years, you know in those years they’re going to take a bigger chunk of our payroll and you have to constantly be aware of that as you go through this process,” Hoyer said. “This really is a balance of who’s available now, who’s going to be available in the future, and how much we’re going to have to pay our guys in the future. And that’s sort of the constant balance as we put the team together.”

Of course, this is all counter-balanced by players like Miguel Montero, Jason Hammel, and Jake Arrieta coming off the books in 2017, with Arrieta the only one who the Cubs would likely consider bringing back at that time. And as Hoyer said, who is available now as well as in the future must be taken into consideration.

“We would welcome an impact move if it’s out there for us,” Epstein said. “Really, all the moves that we have been pursuing previously here are still potentially alive for us. Starlin hadn’t been in any other talks, this was the one place that potentially had a match for him. I wouldn’t say we’ve limited ourselves in any trade talks going forward, but we don’t have to act out of need or desperation. We can be a little selective.”

In an ideal world, the Cubs would love to add a young pitcher who is under control for a reasonable price past 2017, which would help provide a safety net for potentially losing Arrieta, Hammel, and Lackey from the rotation all in the same offseason. However, after seeing what it cost the Diamondbacks to pry three years of Shelby Miller away from Atlanta, that may prove to be a little more difficult as teams may be asking for the moon for young arms.

As Epstein stated, the Cubs weren’t comfortable with the prices and the risk posed by the top-tier of free-agent pitching, and the trade market was shaping up in a way that would have had them paying two dollars on the dollar. But the fact is, outside of center field, the Cubs don’t have any obvious holes, so they hold a little more leverage than they did just a few days ago. By adding Lackey and Adam Warren and keeping Clayton Richard, Travis Wood, and Trevor Cahill, the Cubs don’t find themselves pacing in their Nashville suite, anxiously searching for ways to fill out their rotation.

“You can have impact pitching without necessarily having all household names, bona fide top-of-the-rotation guys,” Epstein told reporters. “Having a really deep staff—and knock on wood, we have to go out and accomplish this—if you have a staff where there’s no negative contributors, no replacement level pitchers, but all solid, contributing pitchers who can throw strikes, can follow a game plan, miss bats, and be effective, that in and of itself can make you one of the better pitching staffs.”

Earlier in the week, Epstein mentioned how the baseball side met with the business side and was able to gain a little more financial flexibility from them. That shouldn’t have come as too much of surprise since the Cubs recently got a healthy amount of money from the playoff share. And even without that nice bonus, surely the silver-tongued Epstein delivered some very convincing points as to why spending a little more than previously expected made sense.

And as nice as it is that they’ve gained more flexibility, how they use this is much more interesting. Even after the acquisition of Zobrist, Lackey, and Warren, and with numerous obstacles in their way (high prices for free agents and trade targets) both Hoyer and Epstein have made it clear they’re not done adding this winter. All signs are pointing towards more big moves coming, with an eye on having the team largely set for not only next season, but 2017 as well.

 

[CP1708]

Jason Heyward, Chicago Cub.

 

[eentegra]

^ waiting to see the terms, $$ and years wise.

 

[sportsjunkie]

I read it was like 8 years for 184 million. not sure or don't know how accurate that info is but its in the ballpark i'm sure

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

Looks like they were putting all their eggs in the Heyward basket.
Good off season so far.