It has been a while so….
· The Cubs signed Wesley Wright to an one year $1.425M deal. BleacherNation does a great job running down what he is and what he brings to the Cubs.
· The Cubs named Eric Hinske their 1st base coach.
· The Cubs traded cash considerations for George Kottaras who on Monday inked an one-year 1.075M deal with them.
· There has been a ton of talk about the Tanaka saga and posting system. The deal includes a cap of $20 in which those who make the high cap bid all have the right to negotiate with the postee which in this case is Tanaka. The only way this works out better for the Cubs is if the posting cap went higher than $20M. Hard to complain about the new rules if you’re the MLB.
· There has been plenty of weight thrown around by our friends to the east saying they may decide not to post Tanaka after all.
· The Cubs are expected to big major players on Tanaka regardless of posting price or contract. This has been widely spread across other media outlets outside Chicago.
· Archie Bradley is off limits to everyone for just about every player including David Price so he is not likely in Chicago.
· Looking at the recent non-tender list I feel John Axford, Andrew Bailey,Ronald Belisario, Tommy Hanson andRyan Webb would all make solid additions to the Cubs current roster.
· There are 5 serious suitors I see for Jeff Samardzija and below are the deals I feel are the most fair and probable for him.
1. Blue Jays: I would love to get Aaron Sanchez but I don’t see that happening. The deal I see is Marcus Stroman, Sean Nolin, Kyle Drabek, and Anthony Gose. It could be a little more or a little less depending if it is just for Shark or if the Cubs throw in another piece or two.
2. Dbacks: Forget getting Archie Bradly because it won’t happen. I feel the Cubs could likely expand this deal to a guy like Schierholtz so I am keeping that in mind as well. The deal I see is Tyler Skaggs, Andrew Chaffin, and Jake Barrett. If Schierholtz is involved I could see they including an Eaton or Pollock.
3. Dodgers: Puig is not coming and Kemp not likely either. The deal I see is Zach Lee, Joc Pederson, and Chris Reed. I got to admit this deal does a lot for me and it seems like something the Dodgers would pull the trigger on.
4. Orioles: I do not see Bundy being dealt but he is not as “off-limits” as everyone thinks. Honestly I think the Orioles deal will include Gausman as the headliner and followed by Mike Wright. After that it drops off quite a bit.
5. Braves: The Braves/Shark chatter is getting louder and I am being told they are going to be major players and actually have been but it has been very much under the radar. The Braves farm is not as good as it once was but they can certainly compete with the other 4 teams on this list. For the Braves to be involved they will need to include Lucas Sims or Christain Bethancourt. I am going Bethancourt because the Cubs obvious need for catching depth in the minors. After that the Braves have some impressive arms and also keep in mind it seems like the Braves always overpay in trades (example Paul Maholm and rumored Delgado/Dempster deal). So the deal I see is Christian Bethancourt, David Hale, Tommy La Stella, and Sean Gillmartin. Would love this package if I was the Cubs front office.
· Hey folks! Our friends at CubsDenhave a awesome Winter Meeting thread going. Check it out!
· So Arodys Vizcaino is doing more than well in instruction league hitting 98 MPH on the guy, throwing free and easy, and with great control according to Theo Epstein. DROOL!!
· The Cubs are likely to make a couple of moves at the Winter Meetings but no major free agent signings because of the stage of the rebuild they are in.
· Javier Baez will stay at SS for now reports all the Chicago media outlets but he is likely to see time at numerous positions in the Spring.
· Moving Baez to 2b would be an easy transition says Theo if it comes to that.
· Lots of speculation that Baez could make his Wrigley debut sometime in June.
· No impact prospect will break the team out of Spring Training. That prospect list does not include Mike Olt who is likely to compete for the starting job at 3rd.
· The Cubs radio gig is down to Ron Coomer and Todd Hollandsworth. I really hope Hollandsworth gets the job, I am a big fan!
• The Cubs are in on both John Axford and Joba Chamberlin.
Until Next Time…
