With the clock ticking towards the trade deadline the Cubs have made another addition to their pitching staff as they have traded for right-handed reliever Brandon Kintzler according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network (on Twitter). In return, the Cubs send 23-year old RHP Jhon Romero to the Nationals according to Cubs beat writer Carrie Muskat (on Twitter).
Kintzler, 33, has had a solid season for the Nationals with a 3.59 ERA 42.2 innings pitched. Primarily a ground ball pitcher, Kintzler relies on a sinker to get outs throwing it 75% of the time which could allow him to thrive with the Cubs defense behind him.
Romero was having a solid season for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans with a 3.27 ERA and a 57-17 K-BB ratio. It's a reasonable return for the Nationals as relievers like Romero are ultimately a dime a dozen especially in this level of the minor leagues.
Kintzler has suffered from much harder contact against him as his line drive rate (28.1%) is much higher than his career norm (23.7%), and is partially to blame for a sharp 8 percent decrease in his ground ball rate. A cause for this may be both his sinker and slider dropping a tick from his excellent 2017 and with bullpens becoming more reliant on velocity that was something he couldn't afford to lose.
It's worth noting that Kintzler has a mutual option for 2019 that starts off as a 2019 team option for 10 million, but if that's declined than it turns into a 5 million player option that is likely to be executed.
This marks the third and most likely final acquisition by the Cubs to a pitching staff that was in need of some serious reinforcements after a shaky first half. Cole Hamels was added to boost their shaky rotation, Jesse Chavez and now Kinzler will boost an already solid Cubs bullpen.
Tuesday, July 31, 2018
Cubs minor league recap: 7/30/2018
AAA Iowa 8-1 victory over the Sacramento River Cats
Notable performers:
Chris Coghlan 2-5 2 runs and an RBI
Trey Martin 2-3 with a run, an RBI, and a walk
Ryan Court 2-4 with a double, 2 runs, 2 RBI, and a walk
Mark Zagunis 1-4 with a walk
Duane Underwood 6.0 IP 5 H 1 ER 1 HR 4 K
Brad Markey 2 IP 1 K
Dillon Maples 1 IP 1 H 1 BB 3 K
AA Tennessee 3-0 loss against the Chattanooga Lookouts
Notable performers:
Charcer Burks 2-4
Zack Short 1-4 with a double and 2 strikeouts
Ian Rice 2-3 with a walk
Duncan Robinson 5 IP 7 H 3 ER 2 BB 1 SO
Jake Stinnett 1 IP 1 K
Class-A South Bend 3-0 loss to the Western Michigan Whitecaps
Notable performers:
Chris Singleton 2-3
Brendan King 2 IP 2 H 3 SO
Low-A Eugene 5-3 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps
Notable performers:
Grant Fennell 2-4 with a home run and 2 RBI
Jonathan Sierra 1-2 with 2 walks and an RBI
Luis Vazquez 2-4 with a double
Fausto Carrera 6 IP 4 H 1 ER 1 HR 1 BB 3 SO
DSL Cubs1 9-2 victory over the DSL Indians/Brewers
Notable performers:
Rochest Cruz 3-6 with a double and an RBI
Jonathan Rodriguez 2-5 with a double and 2 RBI
Albert Hinirio 3-4 with a double and an RBI
Luis Rodriguez 5 IP 4 H 1 UER 5 SO
DSL Cubs2 14-2 victory over Phillies White
Notable performers:
Pedro Martinez 1-2 with 2 walks and 2 RBI
Widimer Joaquin 2-3 with an RBI and 2 walks
Christhian Espinal 2-4 with a double and 2 RBI
Brailin Pena 3-4 with an RBI and a walk
Francisco Gracia 2 IP 1 BB 2 SO
Notable performers:
Chris Coghlan 2-5 2 runs and an RBI
Trey Martin 2-3 with a run, an RBI, and a walk
Ryan Court 2-4 with a double, 2 runs, 2 RBI, and a walk
Mark Zagunis 1-4 with a walk
Duane Underwood 6.0 IP 5 H 1 ER 1 HR 4 K
Brad Markey 2 IP 1 K
Dillon Maples 1 IP 1 H 1 BB 3 K
AA Tennessee 3-0 loss against the Chattanooga Lookouts
Notable performers:
Charcer Burks 2-4
Zack Short 1-4 with a double and 2 strikeouts
Ian Rice 2-3 with a walk
Duncan Robinson 5 IP 7 H 3 ER 2 BB 1 SO
Jake Stinnett 1 IP 1 K
Class-A South Bend 3-0 loss to the Western Michigan Whitecaps
Notable performers:
Chris Singleton 2-3
Brendan King 2 IP 2 H 3 SO
Low-A Eugene 5-3 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps
Notable performers:
Grant Fennell 2-4 with a home run and 2 RBI
Jonathan Sierra 1-2 with 2 walks and an RBI
Luis Vazquez 2-4 with a double
Fausto Carrera 6 IP 4 H 1 ER 1 HR 1 BB 3 SO
DSL Cubs1 9-2 victory over the DSL Indians/Brewers
Notable performers:
Rochest Cruz 3-6 with a double and an RBI
Jonathan Rodriguez 2-5 with a double and 2 RBI
Albert Hinirio 3-4 with a double and an RBI
Luis Rodriguez 5 IP 4 H 1 UER 5 SO
DSL Cubs2 14-2 victory over Phillies White
Notable performers:
Pedro Martinez 1-2 with 2 walks and 2 RBI
Widimer Joaquin 2-3 with an RBI and 2 walks
Christhian Espinal 2-4 with a double and 2 RBI
Brailin Pena 3-4 with an RBI and a walk
Francisco Gracia 2 IP 1 BB 2 SO
Monday, July 30, 2018
Cubs should pursue Jeremy Hellickson
If someone had suggested the Washington Nationals would be sellers before the season started they likely would've been called crazy, but here we are on July 30th and the Nationals are 52-53 and 6 games behind the Phillies. An article written by Jeff Passan on Yahoo! Sports suggests the Nationals clubhouse is a "mess" and along with their offensive struggles makes them candidates to sell off.
Obviously the first name that pops into mind is star outfielder Bryce Harper, but the prospects he would cost would make a trade hard to justify with free agency looming after this season. One name that I personally haven't seen mentioned in rumors is Jeremy Hellickson, the veteran righty has had a very solid season and likely wouldn't cost too much.
Hellickson, 31, has quietly had a very solid season with the Nationals with a 3.59 ERA in 15 starts and 72.2 innings pitched. This follows up an awful 2017 campaign where Hellickson had a 5.43 ERA in 30 starts split between the Phillies and Orioles.
The advanced stats back Hellickson up as well, he has an xFIP of 3.92 and a left on base percentage (LOB%) of 71.6. A part of Hellicksons success seems to be an increase in curveball usage and a decrease in four seam usage. This season hitters are hitting just .216 off his curveball compared to .325 against the four-seamer. Hellickson has been having much more success putting the ball on the ground and reducing the amount of hard contact against him which may work in his favor with the Cubs strong defense behind him.
The Cubs rotation has been a question mark all season as Jose Quintana and Tyler Chatwood have been incredibly disappointing and while Mike Montgomery has been solid his numbers have been trending in the wrong direction. The addition of Cole Hamels helps supplant the problem, but the Cubs should still be looking for an extra arm and I think Hellickson is who they should target.
Obviously the first name that pops into mind is star outfielder Bryce Harper, but the prospects he would cost would make a trade hard to justify with free agency looming after this season. One name that I personally haven't seen mentioned in rumors is Jeremy Hellickson, the veteran righty has had a very solid season and likely wouldn't cost too much.
Hellickson, 31, has quietly had a very solid season with the Nationals with a 3.59 ERA in 15 starts and 72.2 innings pitched. This follows up an awful 2017 campaign where Hellickson had a 5.43 ERA in 30 starts split between the Phillies and Orioles.
The advanced stats back Hellickson up as well, he has an xFIP of 3.92 and a left on base percentage (LOB%) of 71.6. A part of Hellicksons success seems to be an increase in curveball usage and a decrease in four seam usage. This season hitters are hitting just .216 off his curveball compared to .325 against the four-seamer. Hellickson has been having much more success putting the ball on the ground and reducing the amount of hard contact against him which may work in his favor with the Cubs strong defense behind him.
The Cubs rotation has been a question mark all season as Jose Quintana and Tyler Chatwood have been incredibly disappointing and while Mike Montgomery has been solid his numbers have been trending in the wrong direction. The addition of Cole Hamels helps supplant the problem, but the Cubs should still be looking for an extra arm and I think Hellickson is who they should target.
Which Cubs position player is the most expendable?
The Cubs have a problem that all major league teams would all love to have: too many talented position players, but not enough positions to play them in. It's a good problem to have, but ultimately it leaves someone as the odd man out.
Ian Happ is the one that has been in rumors the most, especially for Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom, but after a slow start he has been crushing the ball with a .253/.375/.445 line. The strikeouts for Happ are an issue as he has struck out at a 35% clip, however, although the samples sizes are small he has brought down his strikeout rate through each month of the season. Happ has been the beneficiary of some good luck with a BABIP of .390 that most likely will go down. One key value that Happ provides is that he can play multiple positions as he has seen time at all three outfield spots along with seeing time at third base. The Cubs might be preparing Happ to fill the role as a Ben Zobrist-type super utility player after Zobrist's contract expires after the 2019 season. Happ is just 23 and still has a lot of potential and if he is traded the return would have to be significant for the Cubs
Addison Russell is another name that was brought up in rumors a few months ago when he was struggling and Manny Machado was still available. Russell is just 24 has had an alright season with the bat with a .264/.335/.374 line which adds up to a 92 wRC+. His 9.3% walk rate along with a 20.3% strikeout rate is pretty solid and shows he at least has good plate discipline and bat control. Russell's lack of power is concerning with just a .110 ISO and a 5.7% HR/FB rate, which may be due to a decrease in both exit velocity and launch angle and a significant decrease in his hard hit percentage. What Russell doesn't provide on offense he certainly does on defense as he is a top tier defensive shortstop with an 11 defensive runs saved and a 2.4 ultimate zone rating. I think Russell is ultimately unlikely to be traded as he provides a ton of defensive value at a premier position and from the outside his offensive issues seem easy to fix.
David Bote initially came up when Ben Zobrist went down in April with some minor back tightness and although he has shuffled up and down between Iowa and Chicago he has done nothing but hit. He has put up a .327/.422/.519 line including a game-tying two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth last Thursday off the Diamonbacks. Like Happ, Bote has benefited from some significant good luck with a .395 BABIP and a most likely unsustainable 95.4 MPH exit velocity and 57.5 hard hit percentage. One thing Bote is really lacking is that he doesn't have the versatility Ian Happ has and his primary position is already locked down by former NL MVP Kris Bryant, who is currently on the disabled list. Ultimately I think Bote is the most likely to be traded as he is the oldest of the trio, and although he won't necessarily provide the return that Ian Happ could provide I think teams would be much more willing to meet the demands for Bote than for Happ. However, with the Cubs current injury situation it is highly unlikely a deal for Bote would happen in-season.
The Cubs are in a tough spot, all three players could provide significant value to the team there ultimately isn't enough playing time to go around when the team is healthy. If the Cubs can use one of these players to make a significant upgrade to their shaky pitching staff I think it would ultimately be the best for the Cubs competitive window.
Ian Happ is the one that has been in rumors the most, especially for Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom, but after a slow start he has been crushing the ball with a .253/.375/.445 line. The strikeouts for Happ are an issue as he has struck out at a 35% clip, however, although the samples sizes are small he has brought down his strikeout rate through each month of the season. Happ has been the beneficiary of some good luck with a BABIP of .390 that most likely will go down. One key value that Happ provides is that he can play multiple positions as he has seen time at all three outfield spots along with seeing time at third base. The Cubs might be preparing Happ to fill the role as a Ben Zobrist-type super utility player after Zobrist's contract expires after the 2019 season. Happ is just 23 and still has a lot of potential and if he is traded the return would have to be significant for the Cubs
Addison Russell is another name that was brought up in rumors a few months ago when he was struggling and Manny Machado was still available. Russell is just 24 has had an alright season with the bat with a .264/.335/.374 line which adds up to a 92 wRC+. His 9.3% walk rate along with a 20.3% strikeout rate is pretty solid and shows he at least has good plate discipline and bat control. Russell's lack of power is concerning with just a .110 ISO and a 5.7% HR/FB rate, which may be due to a decrease in both exit velocity and launch angle and a significant decrease in his hard hit percentage. What Russell doesn't provide on offense he certainly does on defense as he is a top tier defensive shortstop with an 11 defensive runs saved and a 2.4 ultimate zone rating. I think Russell is ultimately unlikely to be traded as he provides a ton of defensive value at a premier position and from the outside his offensive issues seem easy to fix.
David Bote initially came up when Ben Zobrist went down in April with some minor back tightness and although he has shuffled up and down between Iowa and Chicago he has done nothing but hit. He has put up a .327/.422/.519 line including a game-tying two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth last Thursday off the Diamonbacks. Like Happ, Bote has benefited from some significant good luck with a .395 BABIP and a most likely unsustainable 95.4 MPH exit velocity and 57.5 hard hit percentage. One thing Bote is really lacking is that he doesn't have the versatility Ian Happ has and his primary position is already locked down by former NL MVP Kris Bryant, who is currently on the disabled list. Ultimately I think Bote is the most likely to be traded as he is the oldest of the trio, and although he won't necessarily provide the return that Ian Happ could provide I think teams would be much more willing to meet the demands for Bote than for Happ. However, with the Cubs current injury situation it is highly unlikely a deal for Bote would happen in-season.
The Cubs are in a tough spot, all three players could provide significant value to the team there ultimately isn't enough playing time to go around when the team is healthy. If the Cubs can use one of these players to make a significant upgrade to their shaky pitching staff I think it would ultimately be the best for the Cubs competitive window.
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