Apparently the Cubs are about to sign backup catcher David Ross to a two year deal. This one is a little hard to figure. Ross was a pretty decent backup for several seasons with Atlanta, but his last two years with the Red Sox were pretty bad and he has the reputation of being a mediocre defender, though he is thought to be a good pitch framer. Aside from being Jon Lester's favorite receiver and a perceived veteran influence, he does not add a whole lot.
The acquisition of Ross probably spells the end of Welington Castillo's career with the Cubs. Kind of a shame unless they get something good in return. The move is also somewhat puzzling in that the Cubs also claimed Ryan Lavarnway off waivers from Boston. Lavarnway's career in Boston never quite took off, but he can hit, at least in the minor leagues.
Friday, December 19, 2014
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Ruggiano Trade
The Cubs traded reserve outfielder Justin Ruggiano to the Mariners for a AA relief pitcher named Matt Brazis. Brazis has good minor league numbers, but is not exactly a major acquisition. Ruggiano, on the other hand, played well last year, at least against left-handed pitching, although he was hurt a lot. I think he missed about two months altogether.
The Cubs seem to be on an endless quest to find a right-handed hitting platoon player to match with a fairly talented left-handed hitter, in this case, Chris Coghlan. These right-handed platoon guys are a dime a dozen, but they rarely work out that well, probably because the expectations are really high and they tend to get far fewer plate appearances than their left-handed counterparts. So, as a consequence, it is harder to keep them fresh, etc.
Anyway, the latest guy mentioned is Jonny Gomes. His numbers are significantly inferior to Ruggiano's, but he apparently has some intangibles the Cubs like. Personally, I hope they take a pass on this guy. He strikes out a lot and he is not a very good defender and he is strictly a platoon player.
Another outfielder mentioned on the rumor mill is Colby Rasmus. That's another one I don't particularly get. He is a free agent coming off a bad year. He has had some decent years, but, again, he strikes out a humungous number of times. Also, since the Cubs want some sort of mentoring veteran presence, it is hard to see Rasmus filling the bill here. By all accounts he was clubhouse poison in St. Louis, or at least La Russa hated his guts there and pretty much ran him out of town.
The Cubs seem to be on an endless quest to find a right-handed hitting platoon player to match with a fairly talented left-handed hitter, in this case, Chris Coghlan. These right-handed platoon guys are a dime a dozen, but they rarely work out that well, probably because the expectations are really high and they tend to get far fewer plate appearances than their left-handed counterparts. So, as a consequence, it is harder to keep them fresh, etc.
Anyway, the latest guy mentioned is Jonny Gomes. His numbers are significantly inferior to Ruggiano's, but he apparently has some intangibles the Cubs like. Personally, I hope they take a pass on this guy. He strikes out a lot and he is not a very good defender and he is strictly a platoon player.
Another outfielder mentioned on the rumor mill is Colby Rasmus. That's another one I don't particularly get. He is a free agent coming off a bad year. He has had some decent years, but, again, he strikes out a humungous number of times. Also, since the Cubs want some sort of mentoring veteran presence, it is hard to see Rasmus filling the bill here. By all accounts he was clubhouse poison in St. Louis, or at least La Russa hated his guts there and pretty much ran him out of town.
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Lester Signs
Looks like Lester is signing with the Cubs. Red Sox seem to be low bidder and Giants the highest, but Lester picked the Cubs anyway, six years, $155MM. Big money, but it proves the new regime is finally getting serious about contending. Good news.
The Cubs also picked up Montero to catch for a couple of low profile minor league players. Montero is a good defensive catcher who can hit right-handed pitching reasonably well and is pretty expensive. The Cubs are shopping Castillo, though I hope they hold on to him as a backup/platoon.
The Cubs also picked up Montero to catch for a couple of low profile minor league players. Montero is a good defensive catcher who can hit right-handed pitching reasonably well and is pretty expensive. The Cubs are shopping Castillo, though I hope they hold on to him as a backup/platoon.
Monday, December 8, 2014
Trade Talk
Still no word on the Lester front, though it is said a decision is immanent. The Cubs did sign Jason Hammel to a multi-year deal. This is not a big deal, though Hammel will help solidify the middle of the rotation, which now consists, I guess, of Arrieta, Hendricks, Wada, and Hammel. Hammel pitched better than his record indicates in his two month stint with the Athletics. I kind of thought the Cubs would make a bigger play for Masterson since he has a bigger upside.
Supposedly the Cubs are negotiating to acquire Miguel Montero from the Diamondbacks. This makes some sense. Montero is a good defensive catcher who hits righties well. A platoon with Castillo would make a formidable combination, or at least an improvement over last year.
Epstein and Hoyer are at least talking a good game. They want to contend for the division. They are looking for left-handed batters who can get on base as well as starting pitchers.
On the other side of town, the White Sox are making a bit of a splash. They have rented Jeff Samardzija for next to nothing in exchange. Also picked up the Yankees closer David Robertson. Not a big fan of multi-year big money contracts to relief pitchers, although Robertson is good.
Supposedly the Cubs are negotiating to acquire Miguel Montero from the Diamondbacks. This makes some sense. Montero is a good defensive catcher who hits righties well. A platoon with Castillo would make a formidable combination, or at least an improvement over last year.
Epstein and Hoyer are at least talking a good game. They want to contend for the division. They are looking for left-handed batters who can get on base as well as starting pitchers.
On the other side of town, the White Sox are making a bit of a splash. They have rented Jeff Samardzija for next to nothing in exchange. Also picked up the Yankees closer David Robertson. Not a big fan of multi-year big money contracts to relief pitchers, although Robertson is good.
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Holding Pattern
Looks like things are in a bit of a lull on the Lester front. Cubs, Red Sox, Giants, and now Dodgers are the main contenders. If the Cubs fail, I can see them making a move on trading for Hamels, but not going hard after the other top tier free agents like Scherzer and Shields. For one thing, the Cubs are not likely to want to give up a draft choice.
I was a little surprised to see the Cubs non-tender Wesley Wright, who was OK in the bullpen last year and is a pretty consistent reliever. Also only 29. Backup catcher Baker, not so much. Kind of surprised they tendered Travis Wood. He had a down year in 2014, though if you look at most of his peripherals, he was pretty much the same guy he was in 2013 when he had an up year. Don't know what to make of the move. Maybe he is trade bait or maybe he is headed for the bullpen, especially with Wright gone.
I was a little surprised to see the Cubs non-tender Wesley Wright, who was OK in the bullpen last year and is a pretty consistent reliever. Also only 29. Backup catcher Baker, not so much. Kind of surprised they tendered Travis Wood. He had a down year in 2014, though if you look at most of his peripherals, he was pretty much the same guy he was in 2013 when he had an up year. Don't know what to make of the move. Maybe he is trade bait or maybe he is headed for the bullpen, especially with Wright gone.
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