Looks like the Hamels deal is over. The Phillies have reportedly pulled their ace back after failing to reach a deal with the Cubs. Supposedly they wanted Addison Russell.
I'm not sure this is a good move for the Cubs as they really do not need another shortstop prospect and they do need an ace pitcher. If the Cubs are genuinely in the market for an ace in the free agent market, three guys will be around: Scherzer, Shields, and Lester.
Good luck with that, though. These guys are going to cost big bucks, probably more than Hamels. A while ago I read a piece in Fangraphs that concluded that the offer the Cubs made Samardzija was a fair one based on the metrics anyway. The problem is the market values pitchers of this sort - and by no means is Samardzija in that elite company yet - about 20% higher.
In terms of the Baez watch, what can you say? He hit two more homers yesterday in Colorado. Likely he is the real deal and paired up with Bryant, who has always looked like the better of the two in terms of discipline and consistency, the Cubs should have a formidable lineup next season, a lineup at least that is going to score some runs for a change.
Look for the league to catch up with Baez for a while anyway once they figure out how to pitch to his weaknesses.
No comments:
Post a Comment