Rizzo & Cubs Strike It Rich and Trades Coming... Plus Signings?

·         The Anthony Rizzo deal for the Cubs is fantastic but now  I think it maybe even better than first thought after seeing the breakdown  Rizzo will get a $2M signing bonus, make $750K in 2013, $1.25M in 2014, $5M in ’15 &’16, $7M in ’17 & ’18, $11M in ’19, and teams options of $14.5M for ’20 & ’21.  Special thanks to Jon Heyman for the breakdown on this.  Basically making this a 9 year deal worth $70M with incentives.

·         With the Cubs only paying Rizzo $14M over the next 3 years it allows the Cubs to hand out more money to other FA and able assume more dollars in contracts via trades.  The deal also does not get expensive for several years which in turn helps the Cubs because by then the money from the renovation, TV deals, signage, etc… should be really paying off.

·         The next step now in the words of Tom Loxas of CubsDen and others is to lock up Shark and Garza (once proved healthy).  I am on board with both but only if the money is right with Garza.  I think a deal modeled after Edwin Jackson for Garza is a good starting point for the Cubs and his representatives.  Do I think Garza would sign for that, not likely unless a NTC is given, which is not going to happen either.  I really do not have grasp on what Shark would get on the open market so I will leave that guessing up to you.

·         If the Cubs did lock up Garza and Shark then they could be looking to really cash in on players like DeJesus, Soriano, CarVill, and Feldman as far as prospects.  I could then see them packaging the prospects from those deals with current prospects in their farm like Baez, Vogelbach, Johnson, and/or others for a premier young impact player like Giancarlo Stanton for example.  Or they could use those prospects and trade them for other prospects which is rare but it has happened.

·         Once again if the Cubs did extend Garza and Shark (and deal the others listed above) then their rotation looks pretty strong for 2014 with Shark, Garza, T. Wood, and E. Jackson.  Then if they draft Gray or Appel and they are as advertised then wow 2015 looks pretty dang great!

·         One guy I think the Cubs need to try to acquire besides Stanton is Jurickson Profar.  The guy is going to be a stud, he is near ML ready right now, and is being dangled by the Rangers but not for pieces the Cubs necessarily have. Although a lot could change if Texas has pitching woes and Garza comes back strong.  Texas had a lot of interest in Garza last season remember.  I also still hold to the fact that a prospect exchange is still very possible between the Rangers and Cubs.

·         I love trade scenario’s so how about this one-

Cubs get- Jurickson Profar, Martin Perez, and Mike Olt

Rangers get- Matt Garza, Javier Baez, Brett Jackson, and Josh Vitters

 

The Cubs would have their young dream team infield assembled and ready for the 2014 season with Rizzo at 1^st, Profar at 2b, Castro at SS, and Olt at 3^rd.  I know it is a pipe dream but I can dream can’t I?

 

Until Next Time….

 

 

Quick Hits....

Quick Hits-

·         The Cubs traded Alberto Gonzalez to the Yankees for either a PTBNL or Cash.

·         Kameron Loe cleared waivers and elected free agency rather than reporting to Iowa.

·         Kyuji Fujikawa is set to return to the Cubs bullpen today and Dolis has been optioned to Iowa to make room for him.

·         It is very likely the Cubs either take Gray or Appel depending on what the Astros do.  There has been no talk of what player the Astros prefer. Drooling over the idea of a Price, Shark, Garza, Appel, and Wood rotation right now.  That is if they keep the three that are currently on the roster.

·         Mr. Kevin Gregg is the official closer of the Chicago Cubs per Dale Sveum.

·         Ian Stewart went on waivers and was not claimed so he was optioned to Iowa.

·         Ian Stewart and David Sappelt both deleted their twitter accounts which is not really news but it is, at least to me since I followed them on Twitter.

·         The Cubs next big target just might be Masahiro Tanaka who is putting up big numbers at the age of 24 in Japan.  He could be posted after this season and he is a player I see the Cubs betting hard on.  Check out his numbers found here.

·         Brett at Bleacher Nation has the latest on the Wrigley Renovation found here and here.

·         Three impact prospects the Cubs should target via deadline trades are Nick Castellanos, Jurickson Profar, and Jedd Gyorko to either speed up the rebuilding process or flip for an impact player like David Price or Giancarlo Stanton.

·         A source told me the Cubs would have to be blown away to trade Travis Wood and Jeff Samardzija so a trade is unlikely.  But says Feldman, Garza, and CarVill are very much available.

·         The closing days for Marmol are likely over as a Chicago Cub.  They will try to improve his numbers though long relief and doing some set-up work in which he has succeeded in.

·         Here is an idea that I have.  Why not send Marmol down to Iowa and stretch him out into a starting pitcher.  Just a thought. He has started before.

·         Ken Rosenthal says that Chase Headley is a perfect fit for the Cubs which I just do not see.  The cost of players, the lack of control, and the age of Headley make no sense for the Cubs right now.

·         Did you know Jorge Soler is hitting .290/.374/.559!  The guy should be called up soon to AA IMO.

Until Next Time…

Cubs Talk: Price, Prospects, and More....

Here is the latest-

·         Mr. Jon Heyman labels the Cubs and Rangers as landing spots for Tampa Bay’s David Price.  This is purely speculation because of all the things that could happen between now and then but is it from an anonymous source so that is at least something.  Find the story here.

·         I talked to source of mine who I have not spoken to until last year’s off-season but he says the Cubs will being going into this trade deadline to acquire as many top prospects as possible to flip to other teams for young ML talent that maybe available at the deadline or next off-season.  The prospects he said the Cubs may might get in a trade not “make sense” for the Cubs but may make sense for another team.  He tells me the Cubs have their sights set high to somewhat accelerate the rebuilding process by attempting to acquire players like Stanton or Price.  He even said the Cubs could try to deal for a player like Jurickson Profar to attempt to move him for a player like David Price.

·         The same source also told me that while the Cubs have not given up on Brett Jackson or Josh Vitters they may look to trade them both at the deadline or next off-season.

·         Brett from Bleacher Nation has a Cubs injury update found here.

·         The Cubs plan on taking either Appel or Gray with their 2^nd overall pick.

·         Cubs Den has two great pieces on players being a building block or on the trading block found here and  here.  Make sure you look for the 3^rdpart soon at www.chicagonow.com. 

Bruce Levine Chats it up-

·         The Cubs have very left-handed which is why Sappelt is still with the Cubs and why he is still getting starts.

·         The Cubs may DFA Michael Bowden to make room for Fujikawa who comes off the DL next week.

·         Bruce sees the Cubs trading 3-5 players are the deadline.  (I honestly see about 6 ML players dealt named Garza, Marmol, Soriano, DeJesus, CarVill, and Russell.)

·         DeJesus is more valuable to this team in the next two months than trading him now.

·         Sounds like Bruce has some concerns about CarVill and thinks he may come back down to earth once the weather heats up.

·         It is too early to determine who will play SS in the future for the Cubs but the Cubs have a nice problem with Baez and Castro.

·         Baez could be up in the big leagues by next June and Soler is probably about a year away.

·         Levine says the Cubs do not have the players to get David Price but mentions Baez as a piece even though he does not view him as a realty to trade. (I think if the Cubs started with Baez and added Johnson among others they could get that done.)

·         Szczur is a top of the order hitter while BJax is a HR-RBI hitter.

·         The front office will trade anyone if it benefits the Cubs and follows the direction the front office has.

Until Next Time…

Cubs Stuff: Svuem, Pitching, Levine, and Much More...

·         The Cubs picked Julio Borbon off of waivers and DFA Alberto Gonzalez who passed waivers and was sent to AAA Iowa.

·         The Cubs expect to make a corresponding move in the next week in order to add depth to their infield which consist of their starters and Cody Ransom.

·         There is a lot of talk of David Sappelt being sent back down to Iowa but since he is the only right handed bat they are hesitant to do so.

·         The Cubs are still expected to call up Ian Stewart in the next 7 days or so which would require another roster move.  There has been a lot of talk of Stewart losing starting time because of the good play by Luis Valbuena.

·         What would make the most sense is if the Cubs traded the hot hitting David DeJesus or veteran Alfonso Soriano.

·         Dale Sveum confirmed that when discussing player demotion he was not specifically talking about Rizzo or Castro but the whole team.

·         MLBTR has a good piece on Carlos Villanueva as a trade candidate which I say is swell but I also think he could be an extension candidate given the fact he has not been relied on as a starter throughout his career and the Cubs are in need for pitching.  Carlos is only 29 years old and I think could be a part of the building for the future.  Although if a team is willing to give up a nice prospect package (better than Maholm) for him then by all means trade him.

·         Sveum has put himself on the hot seat recently but has Theo’s backing.  Honestly firing him during the season makes no sense and if they are going to transition to someone else it is likely to be in the off-season.  Unless something drastic happens Sveum is going to be the manager the entire year.  Although at the end of the year I can see Jed and Theo take feelers around the league for a manager that maybe fits the next phase in their plans. (Hint: Mike Maddux).

·         I think at the deadline the Cubs are going to end up trading Carlos Villanueva, Scott Feldman, and Matt Garza out of the rotation while keeping Shark, Wood, and EJax.  Then I expect the Cubs to be big players on David Price and expect to slot Arodys Vizcaino into the rotation as well next season.  That would give them 5 solid starters plus acquiring the young talent from CarVill and Garza to either flip for Price or fill in the gaps for prospects gone in a potential David Price deal.

Here are some tidbits from Levine’s chat today-

·         Cubs are not going to fire Sveum.

·         An outfielder will be out when Stewart gets back to Chicago.

·         If the Cubs are prepared to trade Baez then they could get Stanton.  It would take more but it take at least him. (I trade Baez and others in a heartbeat for Stanton).

·         Any player 28 and younger fits the Cubs future plans.

Until Next Time… 

Quick Hits: Wrigley, Theo, Rizzo, Prospects, and more...

Quick Hits-

·         Some roster moves happened yesterday with Brent Lillibridge and Hisanori Takahashi DFA’d and the Cubs calling up Kevin Gregg and claiming Cody Ransom.  Jed described this as a numbers move which can be understood given Lillibridge and his struggles and Gregg having better stuff than Takasashi.

·         Kameron Loe is also now in the bullpen and has a nice solid debut for the Cubs.

·         Dolis was optioned to the minors, Steve Clevenger was placed on the DL, and the Cubs activated Darwin Barney off the DL.

·         Ian Stewart will be activated in the next week to 10 days.  Then it is likely that either Alberto Gonzalez or newly acquired Cody Ransom would be waived or sent down to AAA.

·         Matt Garza will begin his rehab in Kane County.  Reports are teams are still very much interested in Garza. He is on track to be back with the Cubs by mid-May.

·         The Cubs of course are going to look to acquire young impact talent for their veteran players if and when they start selling.  Some position players the Cubs will be keeping an eye on is Wil Meyers of the Rays, Anthony Rendon of the Nationals, Jurickson Profar and Mike Olt of the Rangers, Jedd Gyorko of the Padres, and Nick Castellanos of the Tigers, and Lonnie Chisenhall of the Indians.

·         I am also hearing whispers that if the Fish do make Stanton available they will “give up nearly anyone” for a shot at getting him at Wrigley.

·         Two fantastic articles from Cubs Den on Anthony Rizzo found here and the Cubs spending next off-season found here.

·         Two great pieces on the Wrigley Field renovation talk from Bleacher Nation found here and here.

·         Patrick Mooney has some great quotes from Theo found here.

·         How about this!  The Cubs most valuable trade piece right now by the numbers is…. Travis Wood!

Until Next Time….

Cubs Hit and Run: Batman, Wrigley, Barney, and More..

·         Jorge Soler got a 5 game suspension and a fine for his bat incident.  It seems the initial reports blew it up bigger than it actually was but it is still bad enough to get Soler a 5 game suspension.

·         Darwin Barney is playing in IowaSaturday through Monday and if everything goes well he will be activated off the DL Tuesday.

·         Garza continues to make strides by throwing off the mound this week but is still not expect to be in the rotation until mid May.

·         The more I see and hear about Logan Watkins the more I think he should be playing for the big league club.  The only problem is he has 0 games at 3^rd base in his minor league career and no indication that he is going to start taking grounders there in Iowa.

·         Brett at Bleacher Nation has another update on the Obsessive Wrigley Renovation found here.  It sounds like they are finally getting things done and making a genuine effort to include the things that concern the rooftops.  Moving back the exterior walls is genius but my one question is why don’t they just place the jumbotron across the street near the rooftops? It is very close to the location shown in the rooftops proposal found here? It should be also noted that I am coming around to the idea of having digital signage on the rooftops as well.  It looks pretty nice in the video but I also feel the Cubs should be the main one capitalizing on the advertising since the fans are there to see the product on the field and everything that entails by the Cubs not the rooftops.

·         A goats head was delivered to Tom Ricketts at Wrigley which is pretty crazy.  Following @NotTomRicketts on twitter during that time was freaking hilarious though.  Seriously, he is worth a follow.

Some Cubs chat with ESPN Chicago ()-

·         Steve Clevenger maybe the player that gets called down Tuesday when Barney is activated of the DL but Gonzalez is still possible.  Jesse does not think Lillibridge will go anywhere.

·         Jesse Rogers does not believe Ryan Sweeney will get called up.

·         No teams are interested in Marmol.

·         The Cubs will keep the best 5 pitchers in the rotation when Garza comes back.

·         Appel will be drafted by the Cubs with the number 2 pick if he is not taken first overall.

Until Next Time…

Cubs Hit and Run: Next up, Baez, and Schierholtz

Here is something not cool that may force my hand to change from blogger to another web based company for Hot Stove Cubbies content.  The new blogger app for my mobile phone does not let you link up to other websites that you are sourcing.  This makes it extremely hard to update all those who look to HSC with the latest info and rumors with links to great sites such as Bleacher Nation, CubsDen, and many others.  I will continue to search for a resolution but until then I will be posting the full URL to the site in which you will have to copy and paste into your browser.  Instead of the friendly “click on a link” that HSC has provided in the past.

I do apologize for the inconvenience and hope to get a resolution soon one way or another.

Now onto everything Cubs-

·         Seriously a fantastic read on the idea of trading Javier Baez found atCubsDen.  John makes some fantastic points about Baez but the only way I trade someone of his caliber is if the Cubs get a impact player in return like Stanton or Price or Trout.  Plain and simple.

·          I think the next 3 players to get the call up to the majors are Brett Jackson, Logan Watkins, and Ryan Sweeney.  I imagine we will see Watkins getting some time at 3^rd in Iowa very soon to prove his versatility.  Sweeney may end up in Chicago if Sappelt struggles continue and Brett Jackson will likely be up around the trade deadline when the Cubs trade Soriano or DeJesus or both.

·         Lots of talk that Alberto Gonzalez maybe staying with the club and Lillibridge getting the boot when Barney comes back next week.  Not sure how I feel about that.

·         Nate Schierholtz defense in RF and good Abs are proving to be a big surprise to many including myself.  But we should not be surprised because in 7 years he owns a .270 OBP .320 OBP while playing great defense. He sports a .989 fielding percentage with 26 assist and only 8 errors in 506 games.  If he is just average at the plate (which he currently is way above) while playing the great defense it is hard not to like this signing.

Until Next Time…

Cubs Hit and Run: Marmol. Reds, Wrigley, and the DH

· So the Cubs are 2-1 and that makes me happy. Just thought I would get that out there.
· Carlos Marmol is still the closer (which I understand why) despite having a 20.50 ERA but it he continues down this road he will lose his spot and all of his trade value.
· The Reds have lost Ryan Ludwick for at least 3 months to which I say the Reds should look at Soriano or DeJesus to replace him.
· Trading away Soriano or DeJesus at this point would have to make sense in the form of prospects. The Cubs are not going to give either away although the addition of Ryan Sweeney on a minor league deal does make it easier to trade one while Brett Jackson continues to get ABs in Iowa.
· It looks like the Wrigley Renovation deal is completed and will be announced before Monday’s home Opener at Wrigley.
· I exchanged emails with a scout friend of mine today who told me that Starlin Castro would be better suited moving from SS to 2b than SS to 3rd when Baez is ready for majors. He did add he can see Baez moving to 3rd but moving him away for SS would be a “shame” given the high ceiling he as in that part of his game.

Now the latest from Jesse Rogers-

· Scherholtz is more of a Theo type hitter and he looks like he will get more early playing time especially if his production continues.
· Brett Jackson will get called up for sure if he produces in AAA Iowa.
· Edwin Jackson is not likely to be traded unless someone gives up the farm.

The DH has been in the news and passionately discussed recently. So I want to say that I come out completely in favor of having the DH in the both leagues. Here is why-

· Having a DH protects your pitchers.
The last thing you want is your pitcher who is getting paid to pitch to get hurt while batting or running the bases. The pitcher does not get paid to hit; they get paid to pitch.

· Adding a DH brings bat the balance of power among the two leagues.
Right now in interleague play and the World Series the AL has a huge advantage in their ballpark. While teams in the AL have players like David Ortiz, Jim Thome, Travis Hafner, etc.. for their DH; teams in the NL get to put out utility players and 4th outfielders in that spot. The balance of power needs to be more equal and adding the DH to the NL does that.

· Balancing the “perks” of signing a player to a big contract favors having a DH.
Right now the NL is at a huge disadvantage because a team in the AL can hand out mega deals to the best hitters in the game regardless of defense and age. If a dynamic hitter in the American League can no longer play the field in year 3 of a 7 year deal it is not an issue because they can still plug that player in the DH spot. Where as in the NL you are stuck to either trading, releasing, benching, or letting the player play the field even though he is a defensive liability.

· Making the game more exciting.
So many pitchers get off the hook with the pitcher hitting. It is essentially a free spot for the opposing team when that pitcher comes up to bat. By adding an actual hitter to the lineup you have more big opportunities in a game which makes the game more exciting.


· Veterans/Hitters have more places to play and more options.
There is the potential of 15 more spots for aging veteran ball players or players that simply can hit but not play the field. Players like Jim Thome, Vladimir Guerrero, Carlos Lee, etc.. who are still free agents would likely be a part of the MLB right now if the DH existed in the National League. Not only that but players coming up through the minors (Dan Vogelbach) who are good hitters but maybe blocked by an All-Star at their position have more of an opportunity to stay with that team because of the DH option. Furthermore it would allow all players access to all 30 teams through free agency. Because lets be honest a player like Adam Dunn does not have 30 options for several reason but not having a DH in both leagues should not be one of them. Fact is Adam Dunn wanted to sign with the Cubs at a discounted when he was a free agent. It went even as far as hearing speculation that he may accept a one year deal to play for the Cubbies. But because the Cubs were so worried about his defense at 1st and did not have a spot in the outfield they passed on him. If the Cubs had the DH he would have been signed by the them. I have a feeling this is the not a rare occurrence either, we just don’t hear about it.

All in all I am not sure how you argue against the Designated Hitter at this point. The game basics are the same but baseball overall has dramatically changed over time. The average fan likes the long ball, 8 to 7 final scores, and offense overall. Hardcore and traditional fans do love the strategy and tidbits of the game which I respect (and do not discount) but most average fans do not understand that portion of the game. I have evolved on this issue and now firmly support the National League adopting the Designated Hitter.

http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=chc

Cubs Hit and Run: Marmol, Roster, Bleacher Nation, and Levine Speaks

Here is the latest talk and much respect to one website in particular-

· After yesterday’s game Dale Sveum still says that Marmol is their closer. I agree he should remain the closer for mental and trade value reasons. If you demote Marmol in the first game of the season he may never get “it” back. He is a closer and closer’s by nature are a different kind of person. You just hope Marmol goes on one of his streaks to bring his trade value up.
· Brett at Bleacher Nation has done a tremendous job of updating everyone on the Wrigley Renovation process. This has been a huge undertaking and one frankly that I was not willing to take on. The amount of time and energy that Brett has put into it should be commended. You should check it out if you have not already. In fact he has a new update hot off the presses today here.
· Click this link found here and in the middle part of the page on the right side you can find the updated rosters of the Cubs minor league affiliates. Some good players at all levels but Daytona’s team is stacked!

Here is the latest from Levine-

· Levine speaks up for Marmol and says in a roundabout way it is best to have him stay as closer.
· The Cubs are going with Lillibridge and Gonzalez for the next two weeks while Barney is out.
· No reason to trade for David Price now on both ends. The Cubs are never going to trade Baez at this point and the Rays are trying to win a World Series and cannot do that without Price.
· Ricketts is making it seem they are willing to move from Wrigley Field but they won’t because that have too much invested in the current area.
· The Cubs are not going to trade Jeff Samardzija.
· Cubs lineup is better this year although run production will be a challenge.
· The Cubs will go after the best free agents available but they have to make sense and Cano may not make sense next year.
· No reason to trade a younger cost controlled lefty like James Russell.
· The Cubs tried trading for Lonnie Chisenhall and Mike Olt in the offseason but were unsuccessful.

Until Next Time…

Hot Stove Cubbies 2013 Chicago Cubs Player Stat Projections

It is that time of year to do my stat projections for the 2013 Chicago Cubs. It should be noted that I have listed only the 25 man roster in the past but since the Cubs some impact players starting on the DL I have included them (Matt Garza and Scott Baker). I have omitted Ian Stewart because I do not think he will play a game in a Cubs uniform this year and I did not include Brett Jackson because his call up status is in question.

I predict the Chicago Cubs to go 76-86 which is good for 4th place in the division ahead of the Brewers. Now let’s get down to the 2013 Hot Stove Cubbies Stat Projections for the Chicago Cubs.