Chicago Cubs 2020 Season

#26      

bdutts

Houston, Texas
Starling Marte would be who I'd go after. Considering where the Pirates are, I imagine they want prospects. So you'd probably trade Contreras (or Schwarber or whomever) for prospects and then combine some of the prospects you got with some homegrown prospects to get him.

Haniger with Seattle would be another target. I have no idea why they'd want to trade him, but Seattle is so trade happy, maybe they could work something out. He's mainly a right fielder, but has played about a quarter of his games in center.

Mark Canha - Oakland - would be another.

Fewer attractive middle infielders... Maybe someone like Brock Holt or Greg Garcia, but it feels like the Cubs have already gone down that route with Descalso. Whit Merrifield would be really expensive.



I believe he has no trade restrictions on him this year. His 5 and 10 rights kick in next year. If the Cubs are going to be able to off load him (a really, really big IF), this is the year to do it.

Who to trade them to... The Mets make a lot of sense. Both guys would go right into the starting lineup. Heyward and Contreras to the Mets for Seth Lugo and Brandon Nimmo? Remember, we're assuming the only reason the Cubs would do this is if they were also going to unload a dumptruck of money on free agents. Check out the spending spree Theo went on in 2013 after unloading Gonzalez and Crawford.

Thanks, agree on Marte. I don't know the other two guys you mentioned so I'd have to look at them. And your Mets scenario makes some sense, too.
 
#31      
Purely speculative for discussion, but I wonder if how much of the current Astros' scandal was known by the Cubs' front office in choosing Ross over Espada. The Giants passing on him was also a bit of a surprise.
 
#32      

bdutts

Houston, Texas
Purely speculative for discussion, but I wonder if how much of the current Astros' scandal was known by the Cubs' front office in choosing Ross over Espada. The Giants passing on him was also a bit of a surprise.

Interesting thought.
 
#33      
Are we convinced Caratini can be an everyday starter for the next year or two before Amaya hits the bigs? I get Contreras has major question marks behind the plate, but he honestly might be the best offensive catcher in the league.

If he is moved, they better get some serious return for him. Wouldn't be opposed to him playing more LF either.
 
#34      
Bi
Are we convinced Caratini can be an everyday starter for the next year or two before Amaya hits the bigs? I get Contreras has major question marks behind the plate, but he honestly might be the best offensive catcher in the league.

If he is moved, they better get some serious return for him. Wouldn't be opposed to him playing more LF either.
But could he frame the ball in left field /s
 
#39      
Are we starting the #NicoForSecond campaign?
Between Hoerner, Happ, Bote and maybe Garcia, 2nd base should be covered. The big question is who plays center.

They tendered Almora for some reason. He’s been arguably the worst player in baseball for the last year and a half. They can’t possibly go into Spring Training with him slated to take the majority of the starts in center.
 
#40      
They tendered Almora for some reason. He’s been arguably the worst player in baseball for the last year and a half. They can’t possibly go into Spring Training with him slated to take the majority of the starts in center.
My hope is they dont waste heywards glove by putting him in center. Likewise, hoping they also don't hand the opposing team an out every 9 batters by keeping almora for more than defensive work.

Sadly, if theyre out there looking for a center fielder, they have essentially no options for a major upgrade. Gardner is probably your best bet, but giving him more than a year or two is not a good choice.

Bring back Castellanos and forming a Schwarber, Heyward, Castellanos outfield scares me, but honestly might be our best bet if you dont take into account the kind of coin Castellanos is going to command.

Trading Contreras scares me, but his value probably won't be higher than it is now. His defense and framing make him difficult to root for as a catcher, but he's arguably the best offense catcher in the game right now. The question ultimately comes down to do the Cubs believe Caratini can be an everyday guy and if Amaya is the future behind the plate. If so, Contreras is expendable, for the right price (quality CF please).
 
#41      
...keeping almora for more than defensive work...

Almora is not a particularly good fielder. He catches what he gets to - often spectacularly - but has miserable range for someone who's supposed to be a center fielder. He's slow and gets poor jumps. His arm is also nothing special. Some people try to make him out like a Kiermaier or Harrison Bader in the field, but it's just not the case. He doesn't have anywhere near the glove that would justify keeping his miserable bat in the lineup, even on a platoon or part time basis. Happ can be a more effective center fielder than Almora is based on his speed alone.

I understand wanting a late inning defensive replacement for Schwarber, but you can get someone who's better defensively than Schwarber (low bar) and better than Almora at the plate (extremely low bar).
 
#42      

TwoElevenEastDaniel

Cochrane's-Orchid-Tonic
To their credit and sometimes detriment, Theo and Jed (and I suppose Jason McLeod) seem to bet on guys' work ethic and make up to paper over talent deficiencies. Almora is a prime example of that, because he's such a gym rat and a great kid that it's hard to not imagine him righting the ship.

Having said that, we have data that suggests that not only is he a net negative offensively, but his defense isn't remotely close in reality to what it is in perception. Was this a case of a scouting gaffe based on a guy who crushed HS/Junior International competition but would amount one day to a AAAA player? This was their first draft pick running the Cubs, and the Cubs weren't/aren't in a position to whiff on first rounders.

I'm struggling to discern whether this is a player evaluation or a player development issue.
 
#44      
I would not trade Heyward. He had a great year. He is unselfish and a quiet leader. He was a great signing. I would trade Contreras and Bryant before Heyward. Then you could stock the minor leagues and get a serviceable third baseman and still compete.
 
#49      
Why not take a chance? Also read that Morrow will sign a minor league deal with the Cubs, perhaps on Sunday.
Interesting. Definitely trying to temper any sort of excitement for Morrow, but he would be a great setup man for Kimbrel. Assuming he ever pitches in a game again....
 
#50      

Illiniaaron

Geneseo, IL
Ken Rosenthal reporting that there is virtually no chance of the Cubs signing Castellanos. Supposedly Cubs are telling even the lowest-cost free agents that they need to shed payroll before making any major signings. So barring a major trade look for an offseason similar to last year.