· The Cubs lost 4 players to the MLB Rule 5 Draft today. They lost OF Michael Burgess, P Starlin Peralta, INF Matt Cerda, and P Alvido Jimenez. None really hurt too bad but Peralta had the most upside but he may not stick with the Dbacks. What the Cubs could have lost and what they did lose is a big win for the Cubs.
· The Cubs did not partake in the AAA portion of the Rule 5 Draft.
· The Cubs took 24 year old pitcher Hector Rondon. He has had two elbow surgeries so there is considerable risk there but he has bounced back well. Toward the end of last season he was hitting 98 MPH on the radar and in winter league he is sporting a 3.71 ERA with 5 BB 10 H 11K in 17 innings. Scouts seem to really like him and he is a nice pick up for the Cubs.
· It seems like Jason Grilli will sign with the Pirates on a two year deal. Which means a Farnsworth/Cubs reunion is still possible!
· The Cubs are not in on Ryan Dempster and all the reunion contract talks are overblown.
· The Cubs did sign Nate Schierholtz to a one year $2.25M with incentives. It seems Schierholtz maybe the starting RF for the Cubs or he could platoon or this could be a precursor to a bigger signing or trade. Lots of “ORS” in play.
· I do not really care for the Schierholtz signing although the money and time is a good value. I just see Nate as only a 4th or 5th outfielder and if that is all he is on this team than it is a great deal. I can even say if he is a possible platoon with Sappelt or maybe a guy like Delmon Young then it seems OK. But if he is “the guy” for RF I just do not like it. See Schierholtz statshere and make sure to check out his splits for last season. He did well against righties so he has that going for him.
· With the Cubs interested in Grilli I am surprised to hear them not at least linked to Koji Uehara since he only signed a one year deal with the BoSox.
· The Phillies and Twins made a solid baseball trade today that was great for both teams. The Twins get Vance Worley and Trevor May while the Phillies get a controllable speedy CFer in Ben Revere. Just a great trade for both clubs.
· The Royals have some financial issues so they may be looking for a starter via trade where a team can take on that cash. Reports state they are not in on Anibal Sanchez because of money he wants. Reports also say that the Rays want Wil Myers plus more for James Shields which is like WHOA! So they Royals may wait until Spring to find a starter which benefits the Cubs since they could audition Garza in the Spring. I am still all for a Wil Myers for Matt Garza trade with the Cubs picking up most of the money.
Until Next Time…
No comments:
Post a Comment