Montero and Maddon have not hashed things out regarding his playing time last year and in the playoffs. Montero is happy to contribute to the team in any way he can while Maddon doesn't think there is really anything to talk about.
Arrieta is open to an extension but also open to being a free agent at the end of the season and doesn't rule out signing with the Cubs again.
Maddon says he will likely use his bullpen in a more traditional way during the regular season instead of the somewhat eccentric fashion he adopted during the playoffs and World Series.
Nobody likes the relocation of the bullpens at Wrigley Field under the bleachers but they all agree they will have to live with the decision.
Such is the news from Spring Training. Much ado about nothing.
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
Thursday, February 2, 2017
The Chapman Trade
I read kind of an interesting article about the Chapman/Torres trade, referenced here: hehttp://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2017/1/28/14422404/gleyber-torres-trade-yankees-cubs-aroldis-chapman-andrew-millerre. The gist of the piece is that, in retrospect, the Cubs were taken. Sure, they got the dominant relief pitcher they craved to win the Worls Series, but, again in hindsight, they gave up a star prospect in Torres and the Yankees wound up eventually with both Torres and Chapman.
Hard to argue with that reasoning, though it should be pointed out that the Cubs did win the Series and that, potential superstar or not, they have two All-Star shortstops on the team already under their control for the next five years.
At the time, I didn't like the deal, not so much because they gave up Torres, but more because it did not look like they needed Chapman for other than pyschological or confidence building purposes. As it turned out, because of injuries to Rondon and Strop, they really did need that big gun to bolster the bullpen.
This kind of one up trade of a prospect for the major chip that changes the game short-term has become a bit of a pattern for the Cubs. Vogelbach for Montgomery was a no-brainer. Soler for Davis, probably worthwhile, but still a player with a potentially big future for a rental with some issues. The verdict on that one, in my mind, is a little less clear.
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