According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic the Chicago Cubs have inked outfielder Noel Cuevas to a minor league contract. The deal will pay him $575k if he is at the big league level.
Cuevas went 0-2 in his only big league game this year for the Rockies, but hit a solid .278/.358/.439 in 233 plate appearances for their AAA team in Albuquerque. He missed time due to a quad injury, returned, was not effective, and found himself designated for assignment in September.
The 28-year old appeared in 75 big league games for the Rockies in 2018, but he struggled horrifically posting a .233/.268/.315 line, which was good enough for a wRC+ of 41. He did post an above average contact rate of 81 percent and struck out just 15.7 percent of the time, but a complete inability to drive the ball (.082 ISO and 23 percent hard contact rate) and lack of plate discipline (3.9 percent walk rate and 3.35 pitches per plate appearance) exposed his flaws as a big league player.
Cuevas doesn't exactly excel defensively either, in 285.2 big league outfield innings he has been worth -4 runs defensively, though he did grade much better in right field than he did in left.
This isn't much more of a depth signing. Cuevas does add some much-needed contact skills to the organization, but he doesn't do enough with that contact to justify giving him a serious role with the big league club.
Monday, December 16, 2019
Monday, December 2, 2019
Cubs non-tender Russell, Hultzen
Today was the deadline to tender a contract for arbitration eligible players and the Cubs did that tendering a contract to six of their seven arbitration eligible players. Shortstop Addison Russell was the non-tender, and LHP Danny Hultzen was non-tendered as well despite not being arbitration eligible.
Russell is obviously the big name here and for good reason. It was already a controversial decision to bring him back last year with his domestic violence suspension looming combined with a significant decline in his performance.
Just going by on the field results Russell was not worth a tender. He hit just .237/.308/.391 with nine home runs in 241 plate appearances along with several miscues on the base paths and on the field. He just plain and simple wasn't going to going to be worth the estimated price tag due to the fact that he wasn't going to be guaranteed playing time next with with the emergence of Javier Baez as the everyday shortstop and guys like David Bote and Robel Garcia who can handle second base as well.
Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein said in a statement "We decided to non-tender Addison Russell today simply because the role we expected to play for the 2020 Cubs was inconsistent with how he would have been treated in the salary arbitration process,"
It's hard to bring up Russell without mentioning the terrible domestic violations made by his ex-wife last year. He was suspended 40 games due to the allegations, and it's hard not to believe the allegations played some sort of role in the decision to let him go.
Russell certainly had his moments with the Cubs. He had some huge hits in the 2016 NLCS and World Series, but ultimately his tenure will go down as a disappointment. He hit just .242/.312/.392 in 615 games over five seasons with the team after being ranked as the #2 prospect in all of baseball by Baseball Prospectus before the 2015 season.
Danny Hultzen was a nice feel good story in an otherwise disappointing Cubs season. The former 2nd overall pick in 2011 by the Seattle Mariners was brought in before 2018 on a minor league deal and bounced back from several injuries and setbacks to make his major league debut in 2019 at the age of 29.
He pitched fairly well in his six appearances pitched three and a third innings allowing four hits and two walks while striking out five along with zero earned runs. The non-tender likely does not end his Cubs tenure however, he was out of options next year and the Cubs may bring him back on a non-guaranteed deal that could allow him to start the season in the minor leagues to ramp himself up for the season.
Russell is obviously the big name here and for good reason. It was already a controversial decision to bring him back last year with his domestic violence suspension looming combined with a significant decline in his performance.
Just going by on the field results Russell was not worth a tender. He hit just .237/.308/.391 with nine home runs in 241 plate appearances along with several miscues on the base paths and on the field. He just plain and simple wasn't going to going to be worth the estimated price tag due to the fact that he wasn't going to be guaranteed playing time next with with the emergence of Javier Baez as the everyday shortstop and guys like David Bote and Robel Garcia who can handle second base as well.
Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein said in a statement "We decided to non-tender Addison Russell today simply because the role we expected to play for the 2020 Cubs was inconsistent with how he would have been treated in the salary arbitration process,"
It's hard to bring up Russell without mentioning the terrible domestic violations made by his ex-wife last year. He was suspended 40 games due to the allegations, and it's hard not to believe the allegations played some sort of role in the decision to let him go.
Russell certainly had his moments with the Cubs. He had some huge hits in the 2016 NLCS and World Series, but ultimately his tenure will go down as a disappointment. He hit just .242/.312/.392 in 615 games over five seasons with the team after being ranked as the #2 prospect in all of baseball by Baseball Prospectus before the 2015 season.
Danny Hultzen was a nice feel good story in an otherwise disappointing Cubs season. The former 2nd overall pick in 2011 by the Seattle Mariners was brought in before 2018 on a minor league deal and bounced back from several injuries and setbacks to make his major league debut in 2019 at the age of 29.
He pitched fairly well in his six appearances pitched three and a third innings allowing four hits and two walks while striking out five along with zero earned runs. The non-tender likely does not end his Cubs tenure however, he was out of options next year and the Cubs may bring him back on a non-guaranteed deal that could allow him to start the season in the minor leagues to ramp himself up for the season.
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
Cubs claim lefty CD Pelham from the Rangers
The Cubs and Rangers have teamed up again with the Cubs claiming 24-year old lefty CD Pelham off of waivers from the Rangers today. The 40-man roster stands at 38 as of this move.
Pelham had a disastrous season in the minor leagues in 2019 with an 11.97 ERA in 42 appearances split between AA Frisco and AAA Nashville. He walked 40 and struck out 37 while allowing 48 hits and six home runs in 32.1 innings pitched.
He did make his major league debut in 2018 and did not pitch well in 10 appearances allowing six earned runs in seven and two-thirds innings pitched. He allowed four walks and 12 hits to go along with seven strikeouts.
He did show some flashes of promise, for example this slider to Stephen Piscotty back in 2018 was a very well executed pitch. His slider has the potential to become a good out pitch with some decent bite to it.
He is a hard thrower with a four seam fastball that averaged 96.4 MPH that he threw about 72 percent of the time. The sample size is small, but batters went 10-27 off the pitch with three doubles off the pitch. He struggle to induce swings and misses as batter whiffed just 16.1 percent of the time so despite the velocity it's clearly a pitch that needs some work.
This stands as just a pure depth move. The Cubs could use some lefty bullpen depth, as they don't have much besides guys like Kyle Ryan and Brad Wieck. Pelham still has an option remaining and can be freely shuffled between the Cubs and the minor leagues.
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
Cubs sign Alex Wilson
According to Robert Murray of the Athletic the Chicago Cubs are signing right handed reliever to a minor-league contract. Wilson became a free agent Saturday after he was released by the Milwaukee Brewers.
Wilson struggled horrifically in his 13 outings with the Brewers. He allowed 12 runs in 11.1 innings along with 13 strikeouts to nine walks and three home runs. It's been a strange season as his strikeouts are by far the highest rate at his career, but he was also posting career highs in all the bad stats too. His peripherals aren't that bad as he had an xFIP of 5.04, his left on base rate was a career worst 60.6 percent, and his HR/FB of 30 percent was significantly above his career average of 8.6 percent.
The 32-year old veteran is coming off a four year stretch as a very reliable reliever with the Detroit Tigers. In 246 appearances over that stretch he posted a 3.20 ERA with 172 strikeouts to 62 walks in 264.2 innings. His FIP of 3.87 wasn't terrible, but maybe did suggest that he was getting slightly lucky. Despite the success, the Tigers non-tendered him, and the Brewers picked him up on a minor league contract after spending Spring Training with the Indians.
He throws his mid-80s slider over 50 percent of the time and generally had been very effective with it, but this year it was getting hammered for a .296 average against, his sinker, that he throws 28.2 percent of the time, was getting hammered for a .400 average against. The sample size for these isn't that great, but it does show what his issue was, he just plain and simply wasn't fooling batters and getting them to make outs. He doesn't strike out a lot of batters, so he needs to rely on his defense and inducing weak contact which he didn't do this year.
You can never have enough depth, and that's exactly what Wilson is, a quality depth reliever that could potentially be capable of playing a role in a bullpen whether it be when rosters expand or someone gets hurt.
Wilson struggled horrifically in his 13 outings with the Brewers. He allowed 12 runs in 11.1 innings along with 13 strikeouts to nine walks and three home runs. It's been a strange season as his strikeouts are by far the highest rate at his career, but he was also posting career highs in all the bad stats too. His peripherals aren't that bad as he had an xFIP of 5.04, his left on base rate was a career worst 60.6 percent, and his HR/FB of 30 percent was significantly above his career average of 8.6 percent.
The 32-year old veteran is coming off a four year stretch as a very reliable reliever with the Detroit Tigers. In 246 appearances over that stretch he posted a 3.20 ERA with 172 strikeouts to 62 walks in 264.2 innings. His FIP of 3.87 wasn't terrible, but maybe did suggest that he was getting slightly lucky. Despite the success, the Tigers non-tendered him, and the Brewers picked him up on a minor league contract after spending Spring Training with the Indians.
He throws his mid-80s slider over 50 percent of the time and generally had been very effective with it, but this year it was getting hammered for a .296 average against, his sinker, that he throws 28.2 percent of the time, was getting hammered for a .400 average against. The sample size for these isn't that great, but it does show what his issue was, he just plain and simply wasn't fooling batters and getting them to make outs. He doesn't strike out a lot of batters, so he needs to rely on his defense and inducing weak contact which he didn't do this year.
You can never have enough depth, and that's exactly what Wilson is, a quality depth reliever that could potentially be capable of playing a role in a bullpen whether it be when rosters expand or someone gets hurt.
Wednesday, July 31, 2019
Cubs trade Martin Maldonado to the Astros
Just a few weeks after acquiring catcher Martin Maldonado from the Kansas City Royals, the Cubs have shipped him off to the Houston Astros according to Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic. Astros beat writer Chandler Rome reports the Cubs are getting back Tony Kemp.
Maldonado appeared in only four games with the Cubs collection zero hits in 13 plate appearances with two walks and five strikeouts. He was never expected to be a huge contributor with the bat, but his glove work is very well respected that he could've definitely been useful for the Cubs.
However, the Cubs already Willson Contreras and Victor Caratini as the primary catching tandem, so they might just not feel it is necessary to carry three catchers, especially with the overall lack of depth and offensive struggles.
Kemp, who was designated for assignment last week, is a solid utility player that can fill in at both the outfield and at second base. He was having an OK season with the Astros hitting .227/.308/.417 with a 29-16 strikeout to walk rate and a career best seven home runs. His numbers could possibly be deflated by a .233 BABIP which is well below his career average of .270. Similar to a lot of players this year he is posting career best power numbers, which definitely will play for the Cubs
This is a solid depth move by the Cubs, Kemp is a serviceable defensive player who can provide much better hitting than Albert Almora and Daniel Descalso. He won't be an elite defender, but he is above average and has two outs above average according to Statcast.
The Cubs do save a bit of money with this deal as Kemp is making just $583,600 this year and won't be arbitration eligible until at least 2021.
Maldonado appeared in only four games with the Cubs collection zero hits in 13 plate appearances with two walks and five strikeouts. He was never expected to be a huge contributor with the bat, but his glove work is very well respected that he could've definitely been useful for the Cubs.
However, the Cubs already Willson Contreras and Victor Caratini as the primary catching tandem, so they might just not feel it is necessary to carry three catchers, especially with the overall lack of depth and offensive struggles.
Kemp, who was designated for assignment last week, is a solid utility player that can fill in at both the outfield and at second base. He was having an OK season with the Astros hitting .227/.308/.417 with a 29-16 strikeout to walk rate and a career best seven home runs. His numbers could possibly be deflated by a .233 BABIP which is well below his career average of .270. Similar to a lot of players this year he is posting career best power numbers, which definitely will play for the Cubs
This is a solid depth move by the Cubs, Kemp is a serviceable defensive player who can provide much better hitting than Albert Almora and Daniel Descalso. He won't be an elite defender, but he is above average and has two outs above average according to Statcast.
The Cubs do save a bit of money with this deal as Kemp is making just $583,600 this year and won't be arbitration eligible until at least 2021.
Thursday, July 25, 2019
Can Pedro Strop turn it around?
One of the more disappointing story lines of the 2019 Cubs has been the fall of Pedro Strop. Thanks to a hamstring injury and a velocity drop that way be related to it the once dominant reliever has been a shell of his former self this year.
His 5.27 ERA in 31 appearances has been by far the worst of his Cubs career. The once incredibly reliable reliver has contributed to several late inning blown leads, including giving up three runs in the eighth inning on Monday against the Giants and a game tying three run home run to Starling Marte in the first game after the All Star Break.
A plausible explanation for these struggles has been his recurring hamstring injuries that may contribute to his significant velocity loss. He first hurt his left hamstring running the bases against the Nationals last September, he then hurt his right hamstring during Spring Training and then was placed on the IL in early May with another right hamstring injury. His velocity has been down a full tick this year with his fastball averaging just 94 MPH compared to 95.4 MPH last season which is a significant drop and could help explain his struggles.
Strop has been absolutely brutal in high leverage situations as batters are hitting .359/.444/.769 in 45 plate appearances, which is just not acceptable in any situation, and especially not when the game is on the line. Though it is fair to point out that his .500 BABIP against is just not sustainable and his 15/6 K?BB is pretty solid and right around his career average.
Obviously Strops struggles are concerning, but a lot of it may just be due to some bad luck. His 3.78 xFIP is significantly better and paints a much better picture of Strop. His strikeout-to-walk rate is the best it's been since 2016 and he still is holding hitters to a .222/.294/.465 line which is decent aside from the high slugging allowed. His left on base percentage of 64 percent is the worst of his career and his home run/fly ball ratio is over double his career average.
His problem is that when batters make contact they are crushing the ball as his 90.4 MPH exit velocity against and his 40 percent hard hit rate are by far his worst in the Statcast era. It's incredibly likely his velocity loss can be tied to this as the slower his pitches are, the easier he will be to square up against.
Ultimately time will tell whether Strop will be able to bounce back. There are still two months left in the regular season and the Cubs are likely to add to their bullpen. But right now Strop should not be trusted in key situations until he begins to return to his old self.
His 5.27 ERA in 31 appearances has been by far the worst of his Cubs career. The once incredibly reliable reliver has contributed to several late inning blown leads, including giving up three runs in the eighth inning on Monday against the Giants and a game tying three run home run to Starling Marte in the first game after the All Star Break.
A plausible explanation for these struggles has been his recurring hamstring injuries that may contribute to his significant velocity loss. He first hurt his left hamstring running the bases against the Nationals last September, he then hurt his right hamstring during Spring Training and then was placed on the IL in early May with another right hamstring injury. His velocity has been down a full tick this year with his fastball averaging just 94 MPH compared to 95.4 MPH last season which is a significant drop and could help explain his struggles.
Strop has been absolutely brutal in high leverage situations as batters are hitting .359/.444/.769 in 45 plate appearances, which is just not acceptable in any situation, and especially not when the game is on the line. Though it is fair to point out that his .500 BABIP against is just not sustainable and his 15/6 K?BB is pretty solid and right around his career average.
Obviously Strops struggles are concerning, but a lot of it may just be due to some bad luck. His 3.78 xFIP is significantly better and paints a much better picture of Strop. His strikeout-to-walk rate is the best it's been since 2016 and he still is holding hitters to a .222/.294/.465 line which is decent aside from the high slugging allowed. His left on base percentage of 64 percent is the worst of his career and his home run/fly ball ratio is over double his career average.
His problem is that when batters make contact they are crushing the ball as his 90.4 MPH exit velocity against and his 40 percent hard hit rate are by far his worst in the Statcast era. It's incredibly likely his velocity loss can be tied to this as the slower his pitches are, the easier he will be to square up against.
Ultimately time will tell whether Strop will be able to bounce back. There are still two months left in the regular season and the Cubs are likely to add to their bullpen. But right now Strop should not be trusted in key situations until he begins to return to his old self.
Monday, July 15, 2019
Cubs acquire Martin Maldonado
According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports the Cubs have acquired catcher Martin Maldonado from the Kansas City Royal. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports Mike Montgomery is going back to the Royals.
Maldonado is light with the stick as he is hitting just .224/.288/.359 on the year with six home runs and 55 strikeouts to 17 walks, but he creates almost all of his value on defense as he is an elite framer and has a strong arm throwing out 33 percent of would be base stealers.
Devan Fink of Fangraphs tweets that Maldonaldo has saved an estimated 69.4 runs since 2012 from his framing alone which is a skill the Cubs have lacked in the past few seasons.
Obviously the first concern is towards the health of Willson Contreras, he has not played since Saturday after suffering a foot injury. Sahadev Sharma of the Athletic tweets that Contreras will be going on the injured list with a strain of the arch muscle on his right foot. He is not expected to be out long, but obviously any injury is concerning.
It's likely that Maldonaldo will take over everyday duties will Contreras is out, his defense should give an immediate boost to a pitching staff that has struggled to get calls on the corners all season.
The tricky part is when Contreras comes back. Victor Caratini has been excellent all season and it seems unlikely the Cubs would send him down. One possible option is to cut Daniel Descalso who has provided absolutely no value to the team this year..
The other side of the deal is losing Mike Montgomery. He had been a crucial part of the bullpen the past few years, including getting the final out of the 2016 World Series, but he has not been effective at all this year and it was probably time to move on and get some value.
He's made 20 appearances this season and has posted a 5.67 ERA (6.21 FIP) in 27 innings. His already low strikeout numbers combined with a career high walk rate is not a good combination and an increased home run rate is just a death sentence for a pitcher. He goes to the Royals where he will get a chance to rebound.
Maldonado is light with the stick as he is hitting just .224/.288/.359 on the year with six home runs and 55 strikeouts to 17 walks, but he creates almost all of his value on defense as he is an elite framer and has a strong arm throwing out 33 percent of would be base stealers.
Devan Fink of Fangraphs tweets that Maldonaldo has saved an estimated 69.4 runs since 2012 from his framing alone which is a skill the Cubs have lacked in the past few seasons.
Obviously the first concern is towards the health of Willson Contreras, he has not played since Saturday after suffering a foot injury. Sahadev Sharma of the Athletic tweets that Contreras will be going on the injured list with a strain of the arch muscle on his right foot. He is not expected to be out long, but obviously any injury is concerning.
It's likely that Maldonaldo will take over everyday duties will Contreras is out, his defense should give an immediate boost to a pitching staff that has struggled to get calls on the corners all season.
The tricky part is when Contreras comes back. Victor Caratini has been excellent all season and it seems unlikely the Cubs would send him down. One possible option is to cut Daniel Descalso who has provided absolutely no value to the team this year..
The other side of the deal is losing Mike Montgomery. He had been a crucial part of the bullpen the past few years, including getting the final out of the 2016 World Series, but he has not been effective at all this year and it was probably time to move on and get some value.
He's made 20 appearances this season and has posted a 5.67 ERA (6.21 FIP) in 27 innings. His already low strikeout numbers combined with a career high walk rate is not a good combination and an increased home run rate is just a death sentence for a pitcher. He goes to the Royals where he will get a chance to rebound.
Tuesday, July 9, 2019
Zack Wheeler is a perfect pitching target for the Cubs
A report came out today from Andy Martino linking the Cubs as a possibility for Mets starting pitcher Zack Wheeler.
Wheeler, 29, is a tall, hard throwing right hander with a fastball that has been averaging near 97 MPH could be a real weapon for the Cubs rotation. Despite the high velocity he's had surprisingly good control with a 6.7% walk rate and a 3.82 K/BB ratio this year.
Although the results for Wheeler haven't been as good as last season with a 4.69 ERA, his peripherals are a lot better with a 3.83 xFIP. His left on base percentage (LOB%) is a career low 65.9 percent and indicates he's been dealt a pretty poor hand in the luck department.
Something that has plagued Wheeler this year is a significant increase in the amount of hard contact against him. Last year just 27.1% of the balls in play against him were considered hard contact which ranked in the top four percent in the league, but this year that number has spiked to 34.5 percent.
A decent chunk of that could be attributed to the significant spike in the usage of his sinker, which he has doubled in usage from last year to much worse results. Hitters are averaging .285 off the sinker with an average exit velocity of 87.7 MPH which is a significant regression from last year where hitters averaged .204 and an exit velocity of 81.5 MPH.
He's also dropped the usage of his four seam fastball from 42.3 percent of the time to 27.5 percent of the time despite a .216 batting average against and a .295 slugging percentage this year compared to a .244 average and .342 slugging last year.
The Cubs rotation has been OK, but not really good this season. Cole Hamels, Kyle Hendricks, and Jon Lester have all been great, but Jose Quintana and Yu Darvish have both been big time disappointments for the Cubs. With Cole Hamels potentially still on the shelf for a while with an oblique injury, it's fair to ask whether the Cubs should pursue a starting pitcher.
Obviously the biggest factor to consider is the cost of acquiring Wheeler. If the Mets want Nico Hoerner or Miguel Amaya for a couple month rental than the Cubs should just laugh at the Mets, but if they are able to give up some mid-tier prospects along with being able to fill their bigger needs than this is something they should absolutely pursue.
Wheeler, 29, is a tall, hard throwing right hander with a fastball that has been averaging near 97 MPH could be a real weapon for the Cubs rotation. Despite the high velocity he's had surprisingly good control with a 6.7% walk rate and a 3.82 K/BB ratio this year.
Although the results for Wheeler haven't been as good as last season with a 4.69 ERA, his peripherals are a lot better with a 3.83 xFIP. His left on base percentage (LOB%) is a career low 65.9 percent and indicates he's been dealt a pretty poor hand in the luck department.
Something that has plagued Wheeler this year is a significant increase in the amount of hard contact against him. Last year just 27.1% of the balls in play against him were considered hard contact which ranked in the top four percent in the league, but this year that number has spiked to 34.5 percent.
A decent chunk of that could be attributed to the significant spike in the usage of his sinker, which he has doubled in usage from last year to much worse results. Hitters are averaging .285 off the sinker with an average exit velocity of 87.7 MPH which is a significant regression from last year where hitters averaged .204 and an exit velocity of 81.5 MPH.
He's also dropped the usage of his four seam fastball from 42.3 percent of the time to 27.5 percent of the time despite a .216 batting average against and a .295 slugging percentage this year compared to a .244 average and .342 slugging last year.
The Cubs rotation has been OK, but not really good this season. Cole Hamels, Kyle Hendricks, and Jon Lester have all been great, but Jose Quintana and Yu Darvish have both been big time disappointments for the Cubs. With Cole Hamels potentially still on the shelf for a while with an oblique injury, it's fair to ask whether the Cubs should pursue a starting pitcher.
Obviously the biggest factor to consider is the cost of acquiring Wheeler. If the Mets want Nico Hoerner or Miguel Amaya for a couple month rental than the Cubs should just laugh at the Mets, but if they are able to give up some mid-tier prospects along with being able to fill their bigger needs than this is something they should absolutely pursue.
Tuesday, June 18, 2019
What's a realistic role for Robel Garcia on the big league team?
26-year infielder Robel Garcia has taken the minor leagues by storm this off season. He was signed to the Cubs organization out of Italy and has done nothing but hit.
In 22 games for Iowa he has hit .295/.391/.590 with six home runs, and overall he has hit an impressive 17 home runs in 59 games. It's getting to a point where the Cubs have to seriously getting a look at what he could provide at the big league level.
It would be hard for Garcia to find an everyday role for the Cubs, they already have Kris Bryant at third and Javier Baez at short. The majority of his minor league playing time has come at second base, but he has played just four games there this year, and there's no assurances he will be a good defender.
His best bet would be to settle into a similar role like David Bote, not necessarily playing every day, but getting enough playing time at various positions you essentially are an everyday player. There are no assurances that his hitting will translate to the big leagues, but if it does than the Cubs have a legitimate bench threat in Garcia.
Garcia is a switch hitter so there isn't much of a platoon consideration, the most realistic options for him is to take the place of Daniel Descalso or Addison Russell.
Descalso got off to a somewhat quick start with a .757 OPS through May 1st, but since then he has been absolutely horrific slashing .098/.211/.131 in 33 games and 72 plate appearances. The signing was a questionable one at the beginning, but has proven to be a disaster. The Cubs have to seriously consider cutting bait, especially if they want to be a World Series contender. Of course there are contract considerations to be made here, as he is guaranteed $2.5 million for 2020 and $1 million in a $3.5 million team option for 2021
Russell has been better than Descalso, but still hasn't been as productive as the Cubs would like. He's hitting just .230/.296/.379 since returning from his domestic violence suspension. Although his power is up from 2018, it's still down from where it was in 2016-17. His defense has still been strong range-wise with a 1.2 UZR in 58 innings.
If Garcia continues to force his way into the big league club the best option would probably be to get rid of Descalso, he has been a complete negative to the Cubs and it's something that can't continue to last for much longer.
In 22 games for Iowa he has hit .295/.391/.590 with six home runs, and overall he has hit an impressive 17 home runs in 59 games. It's getting to a point where the Cubs have to seriously getting a look at what he could provide at the big league level.
It would be hard for Garcia to find an everyday role for the Cubs, they already have Kris Bryant at third and Javier Baez at short. The majority of his minor league playing time has come at second base, but he has played just four games there this year, and there's no assurances he will be a good defender.
His best bet would be to settle into a similar role like David Bote, not necessarily playing every day, but getting enough playing time at various positions you essentially are an everyday player. There are no assurances that his hitting will translate to the big leagues, but if it does than the Cubs have a legitimate bench threat in Garcia.
Garcia is a switch hitter so there isn't much of a platoon consideration, the most realistic options for him is to take the place of Daniel Descalso or Addison Russell.
Descalso got off to a somewhat quick start with a .757 OPS through May 1st, but since then he has been absolutely horrific slashing .098/.211/.131 in 33 games and 72 plate appearances. The signing was a questionable one at the beginning, but has proven to be a disaster. The Cubs have to seriously consider cutting bait, especially if they want to be a World Series contender. Of course there are contract considerations to be made here, as he is guaranteed $2.5 million for 2020 and $1 million in a $3.5 million team option for 2021
Russell has been better than Descalso, but still hasn't been as productive as the Cubs would like. He's hitting just .230/.296/.379 since returning from his domestic violence suspension. Although his power is up from 2018, it's still down from where it was in 2016-17. His defense has still been strong range-wise with a 1.2 UZR in 58 innings.
If Garcia continues to force his way into the big league club the best option would probably be to get rid of Descalso, he has been a complete negative to the Cubs and it's something that can't continue to last for much longer.
Tuesday, May 21, 2019
What's the Happs with Ian Happ?
The Cubs decision to send Ian Happ down to Triple-A Iowa was met with mixed reactions. Some felt it was smart because he definitely had some major holes in his swing, but others thought that despite the holes he could still contribute on the big league team.
It's about over a month and a half into the season and it's a good time to look at some of the numbers Ian Happ is putting up for Iowa.
His line in Iowa is not impressive at all with a .223/.348/.378 line in a very hitter friendly environment. His strikeout rate is very high at 25.8% and he has barely hit for any power with just 13 extra base hits.
He's been trending in the wrong direction too with a .207/.373/.328 slash line with 18 strikeouts in 75 plate appearances. It's still too early to begin to question his long term future with the Cubs, he's clearly shown his talent before.
To make things worse he left yesterdays game with a finger injury, but it's not expected to be anything that would knock him out for any significant stretch of time.
Although he had a very strong rookie year for the Cubs, his numbers definitely went down significantly, and that could be tied to a sharp increase to his already high strikeout rates. Even in an era where strikeouts are more acceptable, he is still striking out way too much to be a relied on in the big leagues.
You could make the argument that Happ could do much better than Mark Zagunis, who is currently hitting .242 with a .658 OPS. But if the Cubs want Happ to continue to make adjustments, then it is probably better to keep him down at Iowa for the time being.
It's about over a month and a half into the season and it's a good time to look at some of the numbers Ian Happ is putting up for Iowa.
His line in Iowa is not impressive at all with a .223/.348/.378 line in a very hitter friendly environment. His strikeout rate is very high at 25.8% and he has barely hit for any power with just 13 extra base hits.
He's been trending in the wrong direction too with a .207/.373/.328 slash line with 18 strikeouts in 75 plate appearances. It's still too early to begin to question his long term future with the Cubs, he's clearly shown his talent before.
To make things worse he left yesterdays game with a finger injury, but it's not expected to be anything that would knock him out for any significant stretch of time.
Although he had a very strong rookie year for the Cubs, his numbers definitely went down significantly, and that could be tied to a sharp increase to his already high strikeout rates. Even in an era where strikeouts are more acceptable, he is still striking out way too much to be a relied on in the big leagues.
You could make the argument that Happ could do much better than Mark Zagunis, who is currently hitting .242 with a .658 OPS. But if the Cubs want Happ to continue to make adjustments, then it is probably better to keep him down at Iowa for the time being.
Monday, May 20, 2019
An ode to Jake Arrieta
On July 2, 2013 the Cubs made a trade with the Baltimore Orioles sending solid back of the rotation starter Scott Feldman and back up catcher Steve Clevenger to the O's in exchange for struggling starter Jake Arrieta and struggling reliever Pedro Strop.
The trade made sense for the O's at the time, they were 47-36, and 3.5 games back of the AL East lead, but had a two game lead over the Tigers for the second Wild Card spot. They needed some pitching and although Arrieta and Strop both had legitimate potential, they couldn't rely on them to hit their stride in the middle of a playoff race.
Strop has become one of the more consistent relievers in the history of the Cubs with a 2.71 ERA in 373 appearances and 342 innings pitched on the team. He has been a key reliever for nearly every Cubs playoff run and they don't win a World Series without him.
The true star of that trade was Jake Arrieta. A once top prospect who at the time looked like he was going to be just another pitcher who was hyped in the minor leagues, but was unable to find it in the big leagues.
After making a few starts in the minor leagues for the Iowa Cubs, Arrieta made his big league Cubs debut on July 30 against the Milwaukee Brewers. He showed a bit of his potential allowing just two hits and a run over six strong innings. He walked three while striking out just two. He threw 59 percent of his pitches for strikes against a Brewers lineup that was missing Ryan Braun and Aramis Ramirez.
Overall, the first results for Arrieta were a mixed bag. He posted a 3.66 ERA in 51.2 innings allowing just 34 hits, but he struck out just 37 while walking 24 and giving up seven home runs.
He broke out in a big way in 2014 though posting a 2.53 ERA in 25 starts and 156.2 innings pitched with 167 strikeouts and 41 walks. He was finally able to get his nasty stuff mostly under control and it payed major dividends for him.
To me his breakout start will always be his June 30 start against the Boston Red Sox. He took a no hitter into the 8th inning against the defending World Series champions striking out 10 over 7.2 dominating innings. That was the second of three different starts where he would take a no hitter/perfect game into at least the 7th inning.
I don't think there is any doubt in anyones head that his 2015 season is easily his best season. He won the NL Cy Young award with a 22-6 record and a 1.77 ERA in 229 innings pitched. His second half is considered some of the greatest pitching in the history of baseball. In his final 15 starts he posted an unbelievable 0.75 ERA allowing just nine earned runs in 107.1 innings pitched while striking out 113 and walking just 23
During that stretch he pitched against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday Night Baseball and pitched the Cubs first no-hitter since Carlos Zambrano in 2008. During that game he struck out 12 while walking just one batter.
He took the mound on October 7th in the NL Wild Card game against Gerrit Cole and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Before the game he tweeted at a Pirates fan saying "Whatever keeps your hopes alive, just know it doesn't matter,"
He lived up to his word throwing a complete game five hit shutout and winning the Cubs first playoff game since the infamous 2003 NLCS. Although that Cubs team didn't win it all, it had a very special vibe to it that won't ever be repeated.
The 2016 Cubs were a special team, they were dominant all around and won 103 games on the way to winning their first World Series since 1908.
Although he wasn't as good as he was in 2015 (a very hard task to complete) he was still very good posting a 3.10 ERA in 31 starts and 197.1 innings pitched. He had some crucial starts in the postseason including winning both of his World Series starts. In Game 3 of the NLDS he hit a three-run home run off of Madison Bumgarner who is one of the greatest postseason pitchers of all time.
He fell off a bit in 2017 with a 3.53 ERA in 30 starts. Even though he was no longer the ace he had been before, he was still an excellent starting pitcher who could dominate any given day. The Cubs would lose the NLCS in five games to the Dodgers, but he would secure the Cubs only win of that series striking out nine and allowing just one run in 6.2 innings pitched.
He signed with the Phillies that offseason bringing his tenure with the Cubs to an unceremonious end, but when he takes the mound Monday night against the Cubs, the fans should give him a thundering ovation for what he did for the team.
So thank you Jake, we definitely wouldn't win the World Series without you, now lets hope you get lit up tonight.
The trade made sense for the O's at the time, they were 47-36, and 3.5 games back of the AL East lead, but had a two game lead over the Tigers for the second Wild Card spot. They needed some pitching and although Arrieta and Strop both had legitimate potential, they couldn't rely on them to hit their stride in the middle of a playoff race.
Strop has become one of the more consistent relievers in the history of the Cubs with a 2.71 ERA in 373 appearances and 342 innings pitched on the team. He has been a key reliever for nearly every Cubs playoff run and they don't win a World Series without him.
The true star of that trade was Jake Arrieta. A once top prospect who at the time looked like he was going to be just another pitcher who was hyped in the minor leagues, but was unable to find it in the big leagues.
After making a few starts in the minor leagues for the Iowa Cubs, Arrieta made his big league Cubs debut on July 30 against the Milwaukee Brewers. He showed a bit of his potential allowing just two hits and a run over six strong innings. He walked three while striking out just two. He threw 59 percent of his pitches for strikes against a Brewers lineup that was missing Ryan Braun and Aramis Ramirez.
Overall, the first results for Arrieta were a mixed bag. He posted a 3.66 ERA in 51.2 innings allowing just 34 hits, but he struck out just 37 while walking 24 and giving up seven home runs.
He broke out in a big way in 2014 though posting a 2.53 ERA in 25 starts and 156.2 innings pitched with 167 strikeouts and 41 walks. He was finally able to get his nasty stuff mostly under control and it payed major dividends for him.
To me his breakout start will always be his June 30 start against the Boston Red Sox. He took a no hitter into the 8th inning against the defending World Series champions striking out 10 over 7.2 dominating innings. That was the second of three different starts where he would take a no hitter/perfect game into at least the 7th inning.
I don't think there is any doubt in anyones head that his 2015 season is easily his best season. He won the NL Cy Young award with a 22-6 record and a 1.77 ERA in 229 innings pitched. His second half is considered some of the greatest pitching in the history of baseball. In his final 15 starts he posted an unbelievable 0.75 ERA allowing just nine earned runs in 107.1 innings pitched while striking out 113 and walking just 23
During that stretch he pitched against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday Night Baseball and pitched the Cubs first no-hitter since Carlos Zambrano in 2008. During that game he struck out 12 while walking just one batter.
He took the mound on October 7th in the NL Wild Card game against Gerrit Cole and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Before the game he tweeted at a Pirates fan saying "Whatever keeps your hopes alive, just know it doesn't matter,"
He lived up to his word throwing a complete game five hit shutout and winning the Cubs first playoff game since the infamous 2003 NLCS. Although that Cubs team didn't win it all, it had a very special vibe to it that won't ever be repeated.
The 2016 Cubs were a special team, they were dominant all around and won 103 games on the way to winning their first World Series since 1908.
Although he wasn't as good as he was in 2015 (a very hard task to complete) he was still very good posting a 3.10 ERA in 31 starts and 197.1 innings pitched. He had some crucial starts in the postseason including winning both of his World Series starts. In Game 3 of the NLDS he hit a three-run home run off of Madison Bumgarner who is one of the greatest postseason pitchers of all time.
He fell off a bit in 2017 with a 3.53 ERA in 30 starts. Even though he was no longer the ace he had been before, he was still an excellent starting pitcher who could dominate any given day. The Cubs would lose the NLCS in five games to the Dodgers, but he would secure the Cubs only win of that series striking out nine and allowing just one run in 6.2 innings pitched.
He signed with the Phillies that offseason bringing his tenure with the Cubs to an unceremonious end, but when he takes the mound Monday night against the Cubs, the fans should give him a thundering ovation for what he did for the team.
So thank you Jake, we definitely wouldn't win the World Series without you, now lets hope you get lit up tonight.
Saturday, May 11, 2019
Cubs activate Xavier Cedeno, place Allen Webster on the IL
Before todays game against the Brewers the Cubs made a roster move activating left reliever Xavier Cedeno from the Injured List, and placed RHP Allen Webster on the IL in a corresponding move.
Cedeno had been dealing with a left wrist issue since Spring Training and will be making his season debut. He had been rehabbing between AA Tennessee and AAA Iowa and had allowed four runs in 6.2 innings along with eight strikeouts and five walks. Stats don't matter in rehab appearances as long as the player is healthy.
Webster is dealing with radial nerve inflammation which he may have suffered during yesterdays ballgame. He got lit up for two runs in 1.2 innings along with three walks and two strikeouts. Overall on the season he's posted a 4.91 ERA (5.48 FIP) giving up 14 hits in 11 innings along with nine strikeouts and five walks.
Cedeno could prove to be a huge addition to the bullpen as he posted a 2.43 ERA in 43 appearances between the White Sox and Brewers last year. He's got excellent numbers against lefties in his career as he's held them to a .583 OPS throughout his career.
Cedeno had been dealing with a left wrist issue since Spring Training and will be making his season debut. He had been rehabbing between AA Tennessee and AAA Iowa and had allowed four runs in 6.2 innings along with eight strikeouts and five walks. Stats don't matter in rehab appearances as long as the player is healthy.
Webster is dealing with radial nerve inflammation which he may have suffered during yesterdays ballgame. He got lit up for two runs in 1.2 innings along with three walks and two strikeouts. Overall on the season he's posted a 4.91 ERA (5.48 FIP) giving up 14 hits in 11 innings along with nine strikeouts and five walks.
Cedeno could prove to be a huge addition to the bullpen as he posted a 2.43 ERA in 43 appearances between the White Sox and Brewers last year. He's got excellent numbers against lefties in his career as he's held them to a .583 OPS throughout his career.
Wednesday, May 8, 2019
Cubs likely to activate Addison Russell for tonights ballgame
According to Dave Kaplan of NBC Sports Chicago the Cubs will be activating Addison Russell from AAA Iowa. The corresponding moves will be another player up from Iowa with Ben Zobrist and Daniel Descalso to the injured list.
Zobrist was scratched last night for "personal reasons" and Descalso has been battling ankle soreness since Saturday. It's not clear what a time frame would be for their return, but it's unlikely either of them would miss significant time.
Russell has played in 12 games for AAA Iowa hitting .222/.357/.467 with three home runs and two doubles along with 13 driven in. He probably won't start everyday, but could be a defensive asset off the bench.
The move will obviously be disappointing to a lot of Cubs fans after Russell was suspended 40-games due to horrific allegations of abuse by his ex-wife. To me, there's no good way to speak about this and ultimately I trust Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer along with the rest of the baseball ops department to make the best choice in regard to this.
Update: The Cubs have announced the moves and the original report was not completely correct.
To summarize: Zobrist is placed on the restricted list indefinitely, Russell is back, Descalso is still on the active roster, Pedro Strop has been placed on the injured list with a left hamstring strain, and Mike Montgomery is back with the big league club.
Apparently Strop strained his left hamstring at some point and is likely to miss a few weeks. He strained the same hamstring last year and also strained his right hamstring during Spring Training.
Not sure what is going on with Zobrist, but whatever it is I hope it is not serious and that he will be back as soon as he is able to.
Zobrist was scratched last night for "personal reasons" and Descalso has been battling ankle soreness since Saturday. It's not clear what a time frame would be for their return, but it's unlikely either of them would miss significant time.
Russell has played in 12 games for AAA Iowa hitting .222/.357/.467 with three home runs and two doubles along with 13 driven in. He probably won't start everyday, but could be a defensive asset off the bench.
The move will obviously be disappointing to a lot of Cubs fans after Russell was suspended 40-games due to horrific allegations of abuse by his ex-wife. To me, there's no good way to speak about this and ultimately I trust Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer along with the rest of the baseball ops department to make the best choice in regard to this.
Update: The Cubs have announced the moves and the original report was not completely correct.
To summarize: Zobrist is placed on the restricted list indefinitely, Russell is back, Descalso is still on the active roster, Pedro Strop has been placed on the injured list with a left hamstring strain, and Mike Montgomery is back with the big league club.
Apparently Strop strained his left hamstring at some point and is likely to miss a few weeks. He strained the same hamstring last year and also strained his right hamstring during Spring Training.
Not sure what is going on with Zobrist, but whatever it is I hope it is not serious and that he will be back as soon as he is able to.
Monday, May 6, 2019
Cubs bring back Carl Edwards Jr, option Dillon Maples
Before the first place Cubs start their four game series against the Miami Marlins they made a small bullpen shakeup.
Carl Edwards Jr has been recalled from AAA Iowa, he was originally demoted after showing a complete inability to command his pitches with five walks and a 32.40 ERA in four games this season along with allowing two home runs. He pitched much better in Iowa though, with a 2.16 ERA in seven appearances with two walks and seven strikeouts in eight and a third innings pitched.
Command will be the big thing for Edwards, if he can return to his 2016 form then he can be a huge asset to the Cubs bullpen, but that's easier said than done. The Cubs should start building his confidence by only using him in low leverage situations and slowly giving him a bigger role if he pitches well.
Going down is right-hander Dillon Maples, who struggled with his command with five walks in two and two thirds innings pitched although he hadn't allowed a run.. His control issues take away from his incredible stuff, and unless he can learn to throw strikes, he is going to turn into the typical reliever with great stuff, but just can't figure it out in the big leagues.
Carl Edwards Jr has been recalled from AAA Iowa, he was originally demoted after showing a complete inability to command his pitches with five walks and a 32.40 ERA in four games this season along with allowing two home runs. He pitched much better in Iowa though, with a 2.16 ERA in seven appearances with two walks and seven strikeouts in eight and a third innings pitched.
Command will be the big thing for Edwards, if he can return to his 2016 form then he can be a huge asset to the Cubs bullpen, but that's easier said than done. The Cubs should start building his confidence by only using him in low leverage situations and slowly giving him a bigger role if he pitches well.
Going down is right-hander Dillon Maples, who struggled with his command with five walks in two and two thirds innings pitched although he hadn't allowed a run.. His control issues take away from his incredible stuff, and unless he can learn to throw strikes, he is going to turn into the typical reliever with great stuff, but just can't figure it out in the big leagues.
Tuesday, April 30, 2019
The Cubs shortstop problem
On May 3rd Addison Russell will be eligible to return to the Cubs after his suspension for domestic violence, whether he will join the club at that point remains to be seen, but either way it creates a problem for the Cubs.
Who's gonna start at short?
Russell is a natural shortstop, and aside from a stint at second in 2015, has been the only position he's played in the big leagues. Although his bat has been a disappointment with a .245/.311/.376 line since the start of 2017, he has been one of the top defensive shortstops in the National League saving a combined total of 28 runs in those two years.. He's gotten six minor league rehab games, and has started four at short, but also got a start at second which is a possibility at the big league level.
Right now Javier Baez is starting at short for the Cubs, and he has given them no reason to switch his position. The 2018 NL MVP runner-up has crushed the ball to the tune of a ridiculous .315/.356/.640 line with a .408 wOBA. His nine home runs rank 5th in the National League, and he has managed to improve his walk rate to 5.9 percent. He's been pretty good on the field as well with a DRS of 5 and a UZR of .7
If you were to immediately place Russell back into the starting lineup whether it be at second or short, then you are also displacing one of David Bote or Daniel Descalso who have both been excellent this year.
Mark Zagunis will most likely go down if Russell is brought back, and he's been a disappointment so far with a .250/.276/.357 line with 12 strikeouts and one walk in 29 plate appearances. He's got options left and the Cubs already have enough outfielders.
The best bet for the Cubs might be to bring Russell in a part time role. His defense, while excellent, isn't enough to make up for his well below average bat. If the Cubs can use him in a part-time role they don't have to displace one or two of Baez/Descalso/Bote. He could still get starts at second or short, but most likely to give someone a day off.
Who's gonna start at short?
Russell is a natural shortstop, and aside from a stint at second in 2015, has been the only position he's played in the big leagues. Although his bat has been a disappointment with a .245/.311/.376 line since the start of 2017, he has been one of the top defensive shortstops in the National League saving a combined total of 28 runs in those two years.. He's gotten six minor league rehab games, and has started four at short, but also got a start at second which is a possibility at the big league level.
Right now Javier Baez is starting at short for the Cubs, and he has given them no reason to switch his position. The 2018 NL MVP runner-up has crushed the ball to the tune of a ridiculous .315/.356/.640 line with a .408 wOBA. His nine home runs rank 5th in the National League, and he has managed to improve his walk rate to 5.9 percent. He's been pretty good on the field as well with a DRS of 5 and a UZR of .7
If you were to immediately place Russell back into the starting lineup whether it be at second or short, then you are also displacing one of David Bote or Daniel Descalso who have both been excellent this year.
Mark Zagunis will most likely go down if Russell is brought back, and he's been a disappointment so far with a .250/.276/.357 line with 12 strikeouts and one walk in 29 plate appearances. He's got options left and the Cubs already have enough outfielders.
The best bet for the Cubs might be to bring Russell in a part time role. His defense, while excellent, isn't enough to make up for his well below average bat. If the Cubs can use him in a part-time role they don't have to displace one or two of Baez/Descalso/Bote. He could still get starts at second or short, but most likely to give someone a day off.
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
Cubs place Jon Lester on IL, call up Tim Collins
The Cubs today announced they placed Jon Lester on the injured list and called up Tim Collins from AAA Iowa.
Lester injured himself running the bases during the home opener, and it was a shame because he had been pitching well. Before he left the game he had pitched two innings giving up three hits and a walk, but had also struck out four and had good stuff. Overall for the season he has a 2.57 ERA in 14 innings with 14 strikeouts and six walks.
Although he is likely to only miss a few starts losing Lester is still a huge blow to the Cubs already shaky pitching staff. Tyler Chatwood will make his first start of the season Sunday in Lesters place, but it is unknown who will fill in if he has to miss a second start.
To take Lesters place the Cubs called up Tim Collins from AAA Iowa. Collins had been signed to a big league contract towards the end of Spring Training, but had started the season at Iowa and had pitched well in his first few appearances. In three appearances he pitched two and two thirds innings allowing a run on two hits with a walk and three punch outs.
Last season he made his first big league appearance since 2014 and pitched alright in his return. In 38 appearances for the Nationals he posted a 4.37 ERA in 22.2 innings with 21 strikeouts to 12 walks. It was a solid return considering he was coming back from back-to-back Tommy John surgeries.
If he can prove he is fully back from his injuries than he has the potential to play a key role in the Cubs bullpen, but for now he's just a temporary call up unless he pitches very well then the Cubs could send down Randy Rosario and keep him up.
Lester injured himself running the bases during the home opener, and it was a shame because he had been pitching well. Before he left the game he had pitched two innings giving up three hits and a walk, but had also struck out four and had good stuff. Overall for the season he has a 2.57 ERA in 14 innings with 14 strikeouts and six walks.
Although he is likely to only miss a few starts losing Lester is still a huge blow to the Cubs already shaky pitching staff. Tyler Chatwood will make his first start of the season Sunday in Lesters place, but it is unknown who will fill in if he has to miss a second start.
To take Lesters place the Cubs called up Tim Collins from AAA Iowa. Collins had been signed to a big league contract towards the end of Spring Training, but had started the season at Iowa and had pitched well in his first few appearances. In three appearances he pitched two and two thirds innings allowing a run on two hits with a walk and three punch outs.
Last season he made his first big league appearance since 2014 and pitched alright in his return. In 38 appearances for the Nationals he posted a 4.37 ERA in 22.2 innings with 21 strikeouts to 12 walks. It was a solid return considering he was coming back from back-to-back Tommy John surgeries.
If he can prove he is fully back from his injuries than he has the potential to play a key role in the Cubs bullpen, but for now he's just a temporary call up unless he pitches very well then the Cubs could send down Randy Rosario and keep him up.
Saturday, April 6, 2019
Cubs make some necessary roster moves
Although it's just seven games it's very clear the Cubs needed to make changes to their bullpen. They made several moves today hoping to stop the bleeding before it gets worse.
The Cubs optioned Carl Edwards Jr to AAA Iowa, placed Mike Montgomery on the injured list with a left lat strain, recalled Kyle Ryan, purchased the contract of Allen Webster, and designated Jen-Ho Tseng for assignment.
Edwards Jr has completely fallen apart this season with a 32.40 ERA in four appearances. In an inning and two thirds he has allowed three hits along with five walks and two home runs. It's fair to wonder if his new delivery, which was declared illegal by the MLB, has had an impact on his numbers. Either way a reset to AAA Iowa will do him good and give him a chance to build confidence.
Montgomery had already missed time in Spring Training with a shoulder issue and now a lat injury threatens to derail his season even further. Like Edwards Jr, he's had an absolutely horrible start to the season with a 16.88 ERA in four appearances. He's been giving up a ton of baserunners while also being prone to the long ball. The Cubs expected him to eat significant innings out of the 'pen this year so if he misses a good amount of time it'll be a huge blow to the Cubs.
Ryan was in the mix for the final bullpen job, but ultimately ended up being sent to AAA Iowa. He pitched well in Spring Training with a 2.84 ERA in 12.2 innings pitched along with a mediocre 1.42 WHIP. He last appeared in the big leagues in 2017, but he had a solid 2016 with the Tigers posting a 3.07 ERA in 55.2 innings pitched. He had made just one appearance for AAA Iowa giving up a run in and inning and two thirds.
Webster was another guy in the bullpen mix, and had a dominant Spring Training with a 1.50 ERA in nine appearances. The former top prospect has been working on a conversion to relief pitching, and had good results in the Cubs system last season. Like Ryan he's made just one appearance for Iowa going an inning and giving up one hit along with a strikeout.
Tseng was at one point a highly regarded international prospect, but has failed to live up to expectations in the Cubs system. He hasn't been impressive in the big leagues at all, but he's still just 24. The Cubs would love to be able to retain him and give him some more time to develop.
The Cubs optioned Carl Edwards Jr to AAA Iowa, placed Mike Montgomery on the injured list with a left lat strain, recalled Kyle Ryan, purchased the contract of Allen Webster, and designated Jen-Ho Tseng for assignment.
Edwards Jr has completely fallen apart this season with a 32.40 ERA in four appearances. In an inning and two thirds he has allowed three hits along with five walks and two home runs. It's fair to wonder if his new delivery, which was declared illegal by the MLB, has had an impact on his numbers. Either way a reset to AAA Iowa will do him good and give him a chance to build confidence.
Montgomery had already missed time in Spring Training with a shoulder issue and now a lat injury threatens to derail his season even further. Like Edwards Jr, he's had an absolutely horrible start to the season with a 16.88 ERA in four appearances. He's been giving up a ton of baserunners while also being prone to the long ball. The Cubs expected him to eat significant innings out of the 'pen this year so if he misses a good amount of time it'll be a huge blow to the Cubs.
Ryan was in the mix for the final bullpen job, but ultimately ended up being sent to AAA Iowa. He pitched well in Spring Training with a 2.84 ERA in 12.2 innings pitched along with a mediocre 1.42 WHIP. He last appeared in the big leagues in 2017, but he had a solid 2016 with the Tigers posting a 3.07 ERA in 55.2 innings pitched. He had made just one appearance for AAA Iowa giving up a run in and inning and two thirds.
Webster was another guy in the bullpen mix, and had a dominant Spring Training with a 1.50 ERA in nine appearances. The former top prospect has been working on a conversion to relief pitching, and had good results in the Cubs system last season. Like Ryan he's made just one appearance for Iowa going an inning and giving up one hit along with a strikeout.
Tseng was at one point a highly regarded international prospect, but has failed to live up to expectations in the Cubs system. He hasn't been impressive in the big leagues at all, but he's still just 24. The Cubs would love to be able to retain him and give him some more time to develop.
Friday, April 5, 2019
What the hell is the Cubs problem?
The Chicago Cubs are 1-6.
The team that has averaged almost 97 wins in the past four seasons is tied for the worst record in Major League Baseball and their is one area to blame: their pitching.
The Cubs pitching staff has posted a 7.85 ERA throughout their seven games, which is just completely unacceptable. They have walked an obscene 46 in 57.1 innings pitched and have allowed 16 home runs. The bullpen has been the biggest culprit, blowing three late inning leads and putting the Cubs out of reach in two others.
The starting pitching hasn't been too sharp either, but I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt early on. Cole Hamels strike zone tightened at the worst time,the defense completely failed Kyle Hendricks, and Yu Darvish is still getting back into the swing of things.
It's fair to say a lot of their struggles, though, are not sustainable at all. Going into Fridays game their pitching staff has posted a .355 BABIP, a 64.4 LOB%, and a 26.8% HR/FB rate. All of which are incredibly unlikely to remain at those rates.
However, just because it's early and the Cubs are getting unlucky, doesn't mean there shouldn't be cause for concern. Every game in the regular season counts and if the Brewers are as good as their record, them the catch up job will be extremely difficult.
Carl Edwards Jr has been horrendous and the Cubs need to take a serious look at moving him down to Iowa. He's pitched in four games with an awful 32.40 ERA. He's pitched just 1.2 innings but has managed to give up six earned runs thanks to three hits and five walks allowed.
Of course Edwards is not the only guy to blame. Mike Montgomery has allowed six earned runs, Steve Cishek has a 10.13 ERA, Brad Brach has six walks in four innings. The failures are just all over the place.
It's fair to say the Cubs aren't at full strength right now. Brandon Morrow, Xavier Cedeno, and Tony Barnette are all on the IL, and all of them figured to see significant innings out of the pen when healthy.
It's easy to blame Tom Ricketts for not wanting to open up the checkbook, but I don't think anyone thought it was possible for the pitching to be THIS bad. It's only seven games and I think the bullpen will bounce back, but it's also fair to have some worry.
The team that has averaged almost 97 wins in the past four seasons is tied for the worst record in Major League Baseball and their is one area to blame: their pitching.
The Cubs pitching staff has posted a 7.85 ERA throughout their seven games, which is just completely unacceptable. They have walked an obscene 46 in 57.1 innings pitched and have allowed 16 home runs. The bullpen has been the biggest culprit, blowing three late inning leads and putting the Cubs out of reach in two others.
The starting pitching hasn't been too sharp either, but I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt early on. Cole Hamels strike zone tightened at the worst time,the defense completely failed Kyle Hendricks, and Yu Darvish is still getting back into the swing of things.
It's fair to say a lot of their struggles, though, are not sustainable at all. Going into Fridays game their pitching staff has posted a .355 BABIP, a 64.4 LOB%, and a 26.8% HR/FB rate. All of which are incredibly unlikely to remain at those rates.
However, just because it's early and the Cubs are getting unlucky, doesn't mean there shouldn't be cause for concern. Every game in the regular season counts and if the Brewers are as good as their record, them the catch up job will be extremely difficult.
Carl Edwards Jr has been horrendous and the Cubs need to take a serious look at moving him down to Iowa. He's pitched in four games with an awful 32.40 ERA. He's pitched just 1.2 innings but has managed to give up six earned runs thanks to three hits and five walks allowed.
Of course Edwards is not the only guy to blame. Mike Montgomery has allowed six earned runs, Steve Cishek has a 10.13 ERA, Brad Brach has six walks in four innings. The failures are just all over the place.
It's fair to say the Cubs aren't at full strength right now. Brandon Morrow, Xavier Cedeno, and Tony Barnette are all on the IL, and all of them figured to see significant innings out of the pen when healthy.
It's easy to blame Tom Ricketts for not wanting to open up the checkbook, but I don't think anyone thought it was possible for the pitching to be THIS bad. It's only seven games and I think the bullpen will bounce back, but it's also fair to have some worry.
Wednesday, April 3, 2019
Cubs extend David Bote through 2024
In a really curious move the Cubs have extended infielder David Bote through 2024. The deal also has two options attached to it. According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, Bote will get $15 million over the next five years and also says the club options are worth $7 million and $7.6 million.
Bote broke into the major leagues last year with a .239/.319/.408 line with six home runs in 74 games. That's not the most impressive line, but he had some huge clutch hits for the Cubs, including a game-tying ninth inning home run, an Ultimate Slam, and a walk-off home run against the Reds. He has quickly become a fan favorite and since the guarantee isn't too high it's a really savvy move by the Cubs.
It's an incredibly small sample size, but Bote has gotten off to a good start in 2019 going 4-11 with a double. He's shown his defensive versatility throughout his time with the Cubs spending time at second, third, short, and the outfield. He's also logged two innings at first base.
Bote has a really great story from being an 18th round draft pick in 2012 to initially struggling in the minor leagues and almost quitting the game. He broke through in 2017 and crushed in the Arizona Fall League before making his MLB debut in 2018.
It's a really smart move by the Cubs to lock up one of their younger players. Bote isn't necessarily a franchise cornerstone, but he can prove to be a steady, and reliable plug and play player. The contract locks him up through at the least his age 31 season and could keep him in Chicago through his age 33 season.
Bote broke into the major leagues last year with a .239/.319/.408 line with six home runs in 74 games. That's not the most impressive line, but he had some huge clutch hits for the Cubs, including a game-tying ninth inning home run, an Ultimate Slam, and a walk-off home run against the Reds. He has quickly become a fan favorite and since the guarantee isn't too high it's a really savvy move by the Cubs.
It's an incredibly small sample size, but Bote has gotten off to a good start in 2019 going 4-11 with a double. He's shown his defensive versatility throughout his time with the Cubs spending time at second, third, short, and the outfield. He's also logged two innings at first base.
Bote has a really great story from being an 18th round draft pick in 2012 to initially struggling in the minor leagues and almost quitting the game. He broke through in 2017 and crushed in the Arizona Fall League before making his MLB debut in 2018.
It's a really smart move by the Cubs to lock up one of their younger players. Bote isn't necessarily a franchise cornerstone, but he can prove to be a steady, and reliable plug and play player. The contract locks him up through at the least his age 31 season and could keep him in Chicago through his age 33 season.
Thursday, March 28, 2019
Cubs smack the Rangers 12-4
The Cubs started their 2019 campaign on a perfect note, lighting up the Rangers pitching staff for 12 runs on 13 hits and eight walks.
The offensive star for the Cubs was easily Javier Baez, he hit the Cubs first two home runs of the year and drove in four. He's trying to follow up a monstrous 2018 season where he finished second to Christian Yelich in MVP voting. Hitting two home runs is a perfect start to that.
It was an all-around solid game by Cubs hitters. They forced the Rangers to use seven pitchers and were doing an excellent job at grinding out at bats and making pitchers work. Every Cub batter aside from Daniel Descalso reached base today. Each spot in the lineup reached base two times today.
Jon Lester was solid in his fourth opening day start for the Cubs. He threw six innings allowing two runs on four hits along with two walks to three strikeouts. He allowed the only damage on a two-run home run by Elvis Andrus His velocity wasn't where it was last year, but he still managed to locate his pitches fairly effectively and avoided a lot of hard contact.
Randy Rosario and Brad Brach followed up Lester and both pitched clean 1-2-3 innings. Brach was throwing around the 93 MPH range, which is a good sign after reports of his velocity being down in Spring Training.
Pedro Strop was given the ball in the 9th and got two quick outs before he gave up a two out single to Hunter Pence. He was pulled for Mike Montgomery, who closed out the game, but not before giving up a monstrous two-run home run to Nomar Mazara.
The Cubs and Rangers play again at 7:05 PM on Saturday. Yu Darvish will make his regular season debut going against Edinson Volquez.
The offensive star for the Cubs was easily Javier Baez, he hit the Cubs first two home runs of the year and drove in four. He's trying to follow up a monstrous 2018 season where he finished second to Christian Yelich in MVP voting. Hitting two home runs is a perfect start to that.
It was an all-around solid game by Cubs hitters. They forced the Rangers to use seven pitchers and were doing an excellent job at grinding out at bats and making pitchers work. Every Cub batter aside from Daniel Descalso reached base today. Each spot in the lineup reached base two times today.
Jon Lester was solid in his fourth opening day start for the Cubs. He threw six innings allowing two runs on four hits along with two walks to three strikeouts. He allowed the only damage on a two-run home run by Elvis Andrus His velocity wasn't where it was last year, but he still managed to locate his pitches fairly effectively and avoided a lot of hard contact.
Randy Rosario and Brad Brach followed up Lester and both pitched clean 1-2-3 innings. Brach was throwing around the 93 MPH range, which is a good sign after reports of his velocity being down in Spring Training.
Pedro Strop was given the ball in the 9th and got two quick outs before he gave up a two out single to Hunter Pence. He was pulled for Mike Montgomery, who closed out the game, but not before giving up a monstrous two-run home run to Nomar Mazara.
The Cubs and Rangers play again at 7:05 PM on Saturday. Yu Darvish will make his regular season debut going against Edinson Volquez.
Tuesday, March 26, 2019
Cubs extend Kyle Hendricks
The Cubs announced an extension with starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks that will pay the right-hander $55.95 million over four years. The deal also includes a team/vesting option for a fifth.
Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic breaks down the contract and it seems to be a fair deal for the Cubs and Hendricks. According to Jeff Passan if he finishes in the Top 3 in Cy Young voting the 2024 option will automatically vest, but if he doesn't it turns into a team option.
Hendricks has been one of the Cubs more consistent starters over the past few years with a 2.86 ERA in 87 starts over the past three seasons. Aside from a disabled list stint in 2017 due to a finger injury he has stayed relatively healthy and has averaged 176 innings.
Although he doesn't throw hard at all he is one of the best pitchers in the game at limiting hard contact. That, along with his excellent command, makes him a strong candidate to be a pitcher who will age well as he moves into his 30s.
It's a relatively cheap deal for the Cubs who will have to seriously start looking at extending some of their key players as they start to get closer to free agency. Javier Baez, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, and Kyle Schwarber reach free agency after 2021 and Willson Contreras and Albert Almora are free agents after 2022.
Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic breaks down the contract and it seems to be a fair deal for the Cubs and Hendricks. According to Jeff Passan if he finishes in the Top 3 in Cy Young voting the 2024 option will automatically vest, but if he doesn't it turns into a team option.
Hendricks has been one of the Cubs more consistent starters over the past few years with a 2.86 ERA in 87 starts over the past three seasons. Aside from a disabled list stint in 2017 due to a finger injury he has stayed relatively healthy and has averaged 176 innings.
Although he doesn't throw hard at all he is one of the best pitchers in the game at limiting hard contact. That, along with his excellent command, makes him a strong candidate to be a pitcher who will age well as he moves into his 30s.
It's a relatively cheap deal for the Cubs who will have to seriously start looking at extending some of their key players as they start to get closer to free agency. Javier Baez, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, and Kyle Schwarber reach free agency after 2021 and Willson Contreras and Albert Almora are free agents after 2022.
Sunday, March 24, 2019
Cubs sign Tim Collins, DFA Brian Duensing
The Cubs made an interesting move today signing lefty reliever Tim Collins to a major league contract, and in a corresponding move designated fellow lefty Brian Duensing for assignment.
Collins was at one point a very effective reliever for the Kansas City Royals posting a 3.54 ERA in 228 games and 211 innings with a 221-121 strikeout to walk ratio. His career was derailed by not one, but two Tommy John surgeries derailed his career. He did come back to post a 4.37 ERA in 38 appearances with the Nationals last year, but there are definitely some legitimate questions about his health.
He was with the Twins earlier in the Spring, but was released after posting a 4.91 ERA in seven games, but he also struck out 12 while walking just three.
He's not a particularly hard throwers with a average fastball velocity of 92.4 MPH. His most impressive pitch is his curveball, which although he doesn't throw it that often, it held hitters to a .118 batting average.
He's a solid lefty who is still just 29 and has the potential to be a key part of the Cubs bullpen. He struggled a bit in 2018, but it's fair to say that may just be due to not pitching at the big league level for four years.
Duensing was a major part of the bullpen in 2017 for the Cubs, but fell off in a huge way in 2018. His 7.65 ERA in 48 games was a major step back. His walk numbers spiked significantly and his Spring Training struggles did not help his case whatsoever.
Collins was at one point a very effective reliever for the Kansas City Royals posting a 3.54 ERA in 228 games and 211 innings with a 221-121 strikeout to walk ratio. His career was derailed by not one, but two Tommy John surgeries derailed his career. He did come back to post a 4.37 ERA in 38 appearances with the Nationals last year, but there are definitely some legitimate questions about his health.
He was with the Twins earlier in the Spring, but was released after posting a 4.91 ERA in seven games, but he also struck out 12 while walking just three.
He's not a particularly hard throwers with a average fastball velocity of 92.4 MPH. His most impressive pitch is his curveball, which although he doesn't throw it that often, it held hitters to a .118 batting average.
He's a solid lefty who is still just 29 and has the potential to be a key part of the Cubs bullpen. He struggled a bit in 2018, but it's fair to say that may just be due to not pitching at the big league level for four years.
Duensing was a major part of the bullpen in 2017 for the Cubs, but fell off in a huge way in 2018. His 7.65 ERA in 48 games was a major step back. His walk numbers spiked significantly and his Spring Training struggles did not help his case whatsoever.
Saturday, March 23, 2019
Cubs make another set of moves, including a shocking Ian Happ demotion
The Cubs made their most significant cuts of the Spring season, cutting several players including optioning Ian Happ, who spent the entire 2018 season on the big league roster.
Happ, who had been considered a shoe in to make the roster, was slashing a horrible .135/.196/.192 line on the Spring with four walks and 14 strikeouts. His issue has been strikeouts as he struck out at a 36.1 percent clip last season and saw his power drop off significantly.
It's definitely a major surprise, but the Cubs may want to go with a deeper bullpen in the early season to keep their arms fresh for a potential playoff run. They might see some serious adjustments he could make, and decided Triple-A was the best spot for those changes.
They also sent down a few pitchers (Dillon Maples and Alec Mills), a catcher (Taylor Davis), an infielder (Cristhian Adames), and an outfielder (Johnny Field).
Maples had a decent shot to win a bullpen job, but with him having options remaining and the Cubs having strong depth it was an easy decision to send him down.
Mills had been battling a back issue and had already been a long shot to win a big league job.
Adames was crushing it this Spring so it was kind of a surprise to see him cut especially with the roster opening due to Addison Russells suspension, but that job seems to be going to David Bote.
Davis will be the everyday Iowa starting catcher and continue to work on developing their pitchers for the big league level.
Field is a nice depth piece, but it would've been a long shot to win a big league roster spot, and he just didn't do enough to impress.
Happ, who had been considered a shoe in to make the roster, was slashing a horrible .135/.196/.192 line on the Spring with four walks and 14 strikeouts. His issue has been strikeouts as he struck out at a 36.1 percent clip last season and saw his power drop off significantly.
It's definitely a major surprise, but the Cubs may want to go with a deeper bullpen in the early season to keep their arms fresh for a potential playoff run. They might see some serious adjustments he could make, and decided Triple-A was the best spot for those changes.
They also sent down a few pitchers (Dillon Maples and Alec Mills), a catcher (Taylor Davis), an infielder (Cristhian Adames), and an outfielder (Johnny Field).
Maples had a decent shot to win a bullpen job, but with him having options remaining and the Cubs having strong depth it was an easy decision to send him down.
Mills had been battling a back issue and had already been a long shot to win a big league job.
Adames was crushing it this Spring so it was kind of a surprise to see him cut especially with the roster opening due to Addison Russells suspension, but that job seems to be going to David Bote.
Davis will be the everyday Iowa starting catcher and continue to work on developing their pitchers for the big league level.
Field is a nice depth piece, but it would've been a long shot to win a big league roster spot, and he just didn't do enough to impress.
Saturday, March 16, 2019
Cubs make their second round of cuts
The Cubs dropped their Spring Training roster to 40 as they trimmed 15 players from the roster.
“The Chicago Cubs have assigned 15 players to minor league camp, reducing their spring roster from 55 to 40 players.
Right-handed pitchers James Norwood, Duane Underwood Jr. and Rowan Wick have been optioned to Triple-A Iowa.
Twelve non-roster invitees have been assigned to minor league camp: Right-handed pitchers Christian Bergman, Matt Carasiti, George Kontos and Dakota Mekkes; left-handed pitcher Mike Zagurski; infielders Ryan Court, Phillip Evans, Trent Giambrone and Zack Short; infielder/outfielder Jim Adduci; and catchers Francisco Arcia and P.J. Higgins.
Chicago’s spring roster of 40 players consists of 23 pitchers (which includes two non-roster invitees plus right-handed pitcher Kendall Graveman, 60-day I.L.), three catchers, eight infielders (one non-roster invitee) and six outfielders (one non-roster invitee).”
This cut is a bit more interesting than the last one since at least a few of these guys had at the least a shot at a role on the big league team.
All three of the players optioned should see some time at Wrigley this year, whether it be as as a September call-up or an injury replacement.
The most interesting name off this list is Dakota Mekkes, who shot up prospect lists after a dominating 2018 out of the bullpen. He pitched well in his six Spring appearances, but the Cubs clearly feel like he needs more seasoning. In 94 games for the Cubs organization he has an incredible 1.16 ERA with 190 strikeouts to 67 walks in 147 innings.
Another interesting name is infielder Trent Giambrone who was cut despite a 1.027 OPS in 33 Spring plate appearances. The former 25th round pick posted a .772 OPS for Tennessee, and will likely open the season in Iowa.
Sunday, March 10, 2019
Cubs lose to Brewers 7-5
The Cubs lost to the Brewers 7-5 today snapping a really good run of performances.
Kyle Hendricks was just OK in his three innings of work. He allowed four runs on five hits with a walk and four strikeouts. His sinker did seem to have nice movement on it, but his curveball seemed to hang a bit.
Willson Contreras continued his torrid pace this Spring Training going 1-2 with a blistering RBI double. He's up to a .389/.476/.889 line this Spring, and is a very good sign to see after his second half struggles.
Cristhian Adames went 1-3 with a three run triple and David Bote went 1-3 with a walk.
Brad Brach pitched an inning allowing just a hit and a walk.
Brian Duensing had his first bad outing of the Spring giving up two home runs in his inning, including a moonshot by Tyler Saladino.
Dillon Maples pitched two thirds of an inning striking out one while walking two.
The Cubs will take on the Reds tomorrow, both starting pitchers have yet to be announced.
Kyle Hendricks was just OK in his three innings of work. He allowed four runs on five hits with a walk and four strikeouts. His sinker did seem to have nice movement on it, but his curveball seemed to hang a bit.
Willson Contreras continued his torrid pace this Spring Training going 1-2 with a blistering RBI double. He's up to a .389/.476/.889 line this Spring, and is a very good sign to see after his second half struggles.
Cristhian Adames went 1-3 with a three run triple and David Bote went 1-3 with a walk.
Brad Brach pitched an inning allowing just a hit and a walk.
Brian Duensing had his first bad outing of the Spring giving up two home runs in his inning, including a moonshot by Tyler Saladino.
Dillon Maples pitched two thirds of an inning striking out one while walking two.
The Cubs will take on the Reds tomorrow, both starting pitchers have yet to be announced.
Saturday, March 9, 2019
Cubs make their first cuts plus a trade
The Cubs began trimming their roster as we get closer to the start of the season, they cut 15 players from their roster and bring the roster from 69 players to 54.
"Alzolay, Tseng optioned to Iowa, De La Cruz, Steele optioned to Tennessee; Duncan Robinson, Ian Clarkin, Alberto Baldonado, Craig Brooks, Carlos Ramirez, Colin Rea, Ian Rice, Charcer Burks, Evan Marzilli, Jacob Hannemann assigned to minor league camp. Scahill granted release." - Mark Gonzales of the Tribune.
None of these should be a particular surprise as they didn't really have a serious shot at making the big league roster. Most of these players will go to the minor leagues and work on theirs skills to try and contribute to the big league roster in 2019 and beyond.
Albert Alzolay should have a legitimate shot to contribute on the big league roster later in the year as long as he can prove he's healthy. He had his 2018 season cut short due to a lat issue, and was dealing with another injury early in the Spring.
Ryan Scahill was granted his release after signing a minor league deal in January. He was lit up to the tune of five hits and three runs in two and a third innings pitched. The 31-year old has a lifetime 3.85 ERA in 124 big league appearances, but his 1.44 WHIP and a 4.49 xFIP cast some doubt on his numbers. He will be able to sign with any club looking to contribute to their bullpen.
The Cubs also made a minor trade with the Kansas City Royals sending right-handed pitching prospect Stephen Ridings to KC in exchange for familiar face outfielder Donnie Dewees. Ridings pitched alright out of the Eugene bullpen last year with a 4.15 ERA in 22 appearances, he struck out 44 while walking 15 and allowing four home runs.
Dewees was the Cubs 2nd round pick back in 2015, but he was traded after the 2016 season in exchange for RHP Alec Mills. Last year he hit just .258/.310/.351 split between the Royals AA and AAA teams. He's a high contact kind of guy with just 93 strikeouts in 507 at bats. He's likely to serve as AAA depth, but could be useful in case of an injury.
"Alzolay, Tseng optioned to Iowa, De La Cruz, Steele optioned to Tennessee; Duncan Robinson, Ian Clarkin, Alberto Baldonado, Craig Brooks, Carlos Ramirez, Colin Rea, Ian Rice, Charcer Burks, Evan Marzilli, Jacob Hannemann assigned to minor league camp. Scahill granted release." - Mark Gonzales of the Tribune.
None of these should be a particular surprise as they didn't really have a serious shot at making the big league roster. Most of these players will go to the minor leagues and work on theirs skills to try and contribute to the big league roster in 2019 and beyond.
Albert Alzolay should have a legitimate shot to contribute on the big league roster later in the year as long as he can prove he's healthy. He had his 2018 season cut short due to a lat issue, and was dealing with another injury early in the Spring.
Ryan Scahill was granted his release after signing a minor league deal in January. He was lit up to the tune of five hits and three runs in two and a third innings pitched. The 31-year old has a lifetime 3.85 ERA in 124 big league appearances, but his 1.44 WHIP and a 4.49 xFIP cast some doubt on his numbers. He will be able to sign with any club looking to contribute to their bullpen.
The Cubs also made a minor trade with the Kansas City Royals sending right-handed pitching prospect Stephen Ridings to KC in exchange for familiar face outfielder Donnie Dewees. Ridings pitched alright out of the Eugene bullpen last year with a 4.15 ERA in 22 appearances, he struck out 44 while walking 15 and allowing four home runs.
Dewees was the Cubs 2nd round pick back in 2015, but he was traded after the 2016 season in exchange for RHP Alec Mills. Last year he hit just .258/.310/.351 split between the Royals AA and AAA teams. He's a high contact kind of guy with just 93 strikeouts in 507 at bats. He's likely to serve as AAA depth, but could be useful in case of an injury.
Friday, March 8, 2019
Cubs beat Mariners 9-3
The Cubs picked up their ninth win of the Spring schedule defeating the Seattle Mariners 9-3.
Duncan Robinson took the mound today and gave up two runs on two hits in two innings, the big hit off him was a two-run home run by Jay Bruce. He's likely to head down to AAA, but could wind up being a serviceable depth option.
The Cubs scored all of their runs off Marco Gonzales, who got lit up to the tune of nine runs on 12 hits and two walks in three and two-thirds innings pitched.
Anthony Rizzo went 3-3 with a home run, Albert Almora Jr went 2-4, David Bote went 3-3 with a walk, and Javier Baez went 2-3. It was one of the more impressive outings for Cubs batters who just made Gonzales grind.
Jen-Ho Tseng pitched two innings today while not allowing a base runner, which was very good to see after struggling early on in the Spring.
Randy Rosario struck out the side in his inning of work, though he did allow a hit.
Allen Webster pitched two innings allowing just one hit and striking out three.
The Cubs will take on the Angels tomorrow with Alec Mills going against Griffin Canning.
Duncan Robinson took the mound today and gave up two runs on two hits in two innings, the big hit off him was a two-run home run by Jay Bruce. He's likely to head down to AAA, but could wind up being a serviceable depth option.
The Cubs scored all of their runs off Marco Gonzales, who got lit up to the tune of nine runs on 12 hits and two walks in three and two-thirds innings pitched.
Anthony Rizzo went 3-3 with a home run, Albert Almora Jr went 2-4, David Bote went 3-3 with a walk, and Javier Baez went 2-3. It was one of the more impressive outings for Cubs batters who just made Gonzales grind.
Jen-Ho Tseng pitched two innings today while not allowing a base runner, which was very good to see after struggling early on in the Spring.
Randy Rosario struck out the side in his inning of work, though he did allow a hit.
Allen Webster pitched two innings allowing just one hit and striking out three.
The Cubs will take on the Angels tomorrow with Alec Mills going against Griffin Canning.
Spring training competition watch
As we slowly get closer to the start of the regular season it will start to become time for roster trimming. The Cubs have completed 14 of their 34 games this Spring Training and it's a good time to look at some of the roster spot battles.
Backup Catcher
Since the Cubs didn't make any sort of veteran addition to the roster it's pretty much assured the job will go to Victor Caratini. He's responded with a very solid spring going 6-17 with a double and a home run. He did struggle pretty significantly in the big leagues in 2018 so if he struggles in 2018 expect the Cubs to look outside the organization for help.
Reserve Infielder
It's likely going to come down to David Bote and Cristhian Adames for the final infield position, though Bote will probably end up winning the job.
Both of them have been excellent so far in Spring Training. Adames with a video game like .524/.522/.905 slash line has come out of nowhere since being signed to a minor league deal late in January after being let go by the Marlins. He hasn't appeared in a big league game since 2017 for the Rockies, but during his big league career he has been a very light hitter with a .206/.283/.278 line, while providing slightly below average defense. It's hard to see the value he could provide, but if he's the hot hand going into the regular season than the Cubs might as well give him a shot with Addison Russell suspended.
Bote has had a very good spring as well with a .300/.529/.400 line including five walks in 17 plate appearances. Bote should have the advantage due to the fact that he's both a better hitter and a better, and more versatile defender than Adames. He had an excellent rookie year for the Cubs with several very clutch hits, and has quickly become a fan favorite. Pitchers were able to adjust to him, and he cooled down significantly, so it'll be interesting to see if he made any adjustments to his approach.
Bullpen
There most likely isn't any high leverage roles open in the Cubs bullpen, but a few situational roles are likely to be open. Closer Brandon Morrow will start the season on the shelf, but Pedro Strop will most likely take the closer duties unless the Cubs blow the bank and sign Craig Kimbrel.
One of the them is the primary lefty reliever position. That will most likely come down to Brian Duensing, Xavier Cedeno, and Randy Rosario. Duensing should be the favorite right now as Cedeno hasn't pitched yet due to a wrist injury and Rosario hasn't pitched well in his three appearances while Duensing has yet to allow a run.
Tyler Chatwood has been excellent this Spring and it might be time to actually start taking him serious as someone who can seriously help the Cubs in 2019. He has pitched eight innings and has allowed eight hits, two runs, with five strikeouts and only one walk. It's hard to say what his role could be, but if he keeps pitching like he has the Cubs need to find a way to fit him in.
Backup Catcher
Since the Cubs didn't make any sort of veteran addition to the roster it's pretty much assured the job will go to Victor Caratini. He's responded with a very solid spring going 6-17 with a double and a home run. He did struggle pretty significantly in the big leagues in 2018 so if he struggles in 2018 expect the Cubs to look outside the organization for help.
Reserve Infielder
It's likely going to come down to David Bote and Cristhian Adames for the final infield position, though Bote will probably end up winning the job.
Both of them have been excellent so far in Spring Training. Adames with a video game like .524/.522/.905 slash line has come out of nowhere since being signed to a minor league deal late in January after being let go by the Marlins. He hasn't appeared in a big league game since 2017 for the Rockies, but during his big league career he has been a very light hitter with a .206/.283/.278 line, while providing slightly below average defense. It's hard to see the value he could provide, but if he's the hot hand going into the regular season than the Cubs might as well give him a shot with Addison Russell suspended.
Bote has had a very good spring as well with a .300/.529/.400 line including five walks in 17 plate appearances. Bote should have the advantage due to the fact that he's both a better hitter and a better, and more versatile defender than Adames. He had an excellent rookie year for the Cubs with several very clutch hits, and has quickly become a fan favorite. Pitchers were able to adjust to him, and he cooled down significantly, so it'll be interesting to see if he made any adjustments to his approach.
Bullpen
There most likely isn't any high leverage roles open in the Cubs bullpen, but a few situational roles are likely to be open. Closer Brandon Morrow will start the season on the shelf, but Pedro Strop will most likely take the closer duties unless the Cubs blow the bank and sign Craig Kimbrel.
One of the them is the primary lefty reliever position. That will most likely come down to Brian Duensing, Xavier Cedeno, and Randy Rosario. Duensing should be the favorite right now as Cedeno hasn't pitched yet due to a wrist injury and Rosario hasn't pitched well in his three appearances while Duensing has yet to allow a run.
Tyler Chatwood has been excellent this Spring and it might be time to actually start taking him serious as someone who can seriously help the Cubs in 2019. He has pitched eight innings and has allowed eight hits, two runs, with five strikeouts and only one walk. It's hard to say what his role could be, but if he keeps pitching like he has the Cubs need to find a way to fit him in.
Thursday, March 7, 2019
Cubs fall to Rockies 7-5
The Cubs dropped their 6th game of Spring Training to the Colorado Rockies and fell to 8-6 for the Spring.
Jon Lester took the ball for the Cubs and went 3.2 innings giving up four hits and three runs with a walk and four strikeouts. He allowed two home runs as well.
Brian Duensing pitched an inning allowing just a hit. He's likely got a spot in the bullpen locked down if he continues to pitch like he has.
Brandon Kintzler got lit up to the tune of three runs on three hits with a walk a strikeout. It's his first bad outing of the Spring so I wouldn't worry too much, but it jumps his ERA to an unsightly 10.13.
Dillon Maples and Dakota Mekkes both pitched an inning and didn't allow a run. Both gave up a hit, while Maples struck out two.
Cubs 2018 first round pick Nico Hoerner made his Spring debut and went 3-3 with a triple.
Willson Contreras went 1-3 with a booming two run double.
Cristian Adames hit a home run in his only at bat. He's up to a .524/.522/.905 line this Spring, and may have a legitimate shot at a bench role at this point.
The Cubs will take on the Mariners tomorrow. Duncan Robinson will take the mound for the Cubs, while Marco Gonzales will pitch for the M's.
Jon Lester took the ball for the Cubs and went 3.2 innings giving up four hits and three runs with a walk and four strikeouts. He allowed two home runs as well.
Brian Duensing pitched an inning allowing just a hit. He's likely got a spot in the bullpen locked down if he continues to pitch like he has.
Brandon Kintzler got lit up to the tune of three runs on three hits with a walk a strikeout. It's his first bad outing of the Spring so I wouldn't worry too much, but it jumps his ERA to an unsightly 10.13.
Dillon Maples and Dakota Mekkes both pitched an inning and didn't allow a run. Both gave up a hit, while Maples struck out two.
Cubs 2018 first round pick Nico Hoerner made his Spring debut and went 3-3 with a triple.
Willson Contreras went 1-3 with a booming two run double.
Cristian Adames hit a home run in his only at bat. He's up to a .524/.522/.905 line this Spring, and may have a legitimate shot at a bench role at this point.
The Cubs will take on the Mariners tomorrow. Duncan Robinson will take the mound for the Cubs, while Marco Gonzales will pitch for the M's.
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
Cubs fall to Angels 9-2
The Cubs suffered their 5th loss of the Spring losing 9-2 to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
The offense got off to a quick start in the first when Willson Contreras hit a double that turned into a little league two-run home run thanks to Mike Trout kicking the ball away.
Addison Russell continued his very good start to the spring going 2-3 with two doubles. He will start the season with a 40-game suspension due to domestic violence allegations by his ex-wife.
Nico Hoerner, the Cubs 2018 first round pick, made his Spring debut and went 0-1 after replacing Addison Russell. He has potential to move quickly up the Cubs system in 2019 after his first year was cut short due to an elbow injury.
On the pitching side Kyle Hendricks pitched just OK in his start. He went just two and a third innings giving up three hits and two earned runs with a walk and four strikeouts. He didn't personally allow the runs as Mario Meza gave up a three-run home run to Mike Trout that allowed the inherited runners to score.
Carl Edwards Jr. had a bit of a shaky inning giving up two hits, but he didn't allow a run and struck out two.
Most of the damage was done off Rowan Wick who allowed four runs in two thirds of an inning. He was acquired from the Padres in the offseason in a trade for Jason Vosler and is likely to start the year in AAA.
Tomorrow will see the Cubs take on the Kansas City Royals. The Cubs will start Jose Quintana while Heath Fillymer will get the start for the Royals.
The offense got off to a quick start in the first when Willson Contreras hit a double that turned into a little league two-run home run thanks to Mike Trout kicking the ball away.
Addison Russell continued his very good start to the spring going 2-3 with two doubles. He will start the season with a 40-game suspension due to domestic violence allegations by his ex-wife.
Nico Hoerner, the Cubs 2018 first round pick, made his Spring debut and went 0-1 after replacing Addison Russell. He has potential to move quickly up the Cubs system in 2019 after his first year was cut short due to an elbow injury.
On the pitching side Kyle Hendricks pitched just OK in his start. He went just two and a third innings giving up three hits and two earned runs with a walk and four strikeouts. He didn't personally allow the runs as Mario Meza gave up a three-run home run to Mike Trout that allowed the inherited runners to score.
Carl Edwards Jr. had a bit of a shaky inning giving up two hits, but he didn't allow a run and struck out two.
Most of the damage was done off Rowan Wick who allowed four runs in two thirds of an inning. He was acquired from the Padres in the offseason in a trade for Jason Vosler and is likely to start the year in AAA.
Tomorrow will see the Cubs take on the Kansas City Royals. The Cubs will start Jose Quintana while Heath Fillymer will get the start for the Royals.
Monday, March 4, 2019
Cubs blow out Reds 9-1
The Cubs continued their streak of hot hitting and scored nine runs to beat the Cincinnati Reds 9-1 and move to 7-4 on the Spring. They have scored 9+ runs in five out of their 11 games played.
Albert Almora Jr led off the game with a home run. He's off to a hot start hitting .385/.385/.692 this spring, which is a very good sign considering his second half struggles last year. Charcer Burks would replace him and go 2-2.
The real stars of this game were the pitchers. They allowed just three hits to a Reds lineup that featured Yasiel Puig, Scooter Gennett, and Eugenio Suarez among others.
Alec Mills got the start and pitched two innings allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out three. He does have one more option left so he is unlikely to start the year on the big league roster, but he can go down to AAA and be a useful replacement starter should the need arise.
Brian Duensing pitched a clean inning today and has yet to allow a run in three innings this Spring Training. He had a very bad 2018, but he's signed at $3.5 million and is one of the more experienced lefty relievers.
One of the more intriguing arms to pitch in this game was Allen Webster, who pitched two clean innings with three strikeouts. The Cubs signed him in 2018 as a reclamation project and he pitched fairly well in a limited minor league sample size. They non-tenedered him, but resigned him to a minor league deal. He's pitched pretty well in three appearances pitching five innings giving up a run on a hit and two walks with five strikeouts.
The Cubs travel to Tempe Diablo stadium to take on the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. It will see Kyle Hendricks making his second Spring start against Angels lefty Tyler Skaggs.
Albert Almora Jr led off the game with a home run. He's off to a hot start hitting .385/.385/.692 this spring, which is a very good sign considering his second half struggles last year. Charcer Burks would replace him and go 2-2.
The real stars of this game were the pitchers. They allowed just three hits to a Reds lineup that featured Yasiel Puig, Scooter Gennett, and Eugenio Suarez among others.
Alec Mills got the start and pitched two innings allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out three. He does have one more option left so he is unlikely to start the year on the big league roster, but he can go down to AAA and be a useful replacement starter should the need arise.
Brian Duensing pitched a clean inning today and has yet to allow a run in three innings this Spring Training. He had a very bad 2018, but he's signed at $3.5 million and is one of the more experienced lefty relievers.
One of the more intriguing arms to pitch in this game was Allen Webster, who pitched two clean innings with three strikeouts. The Cubs signed him in 2018 as a reclamation project and he pitched fairly well in a limited minor league sample size. They non-tenedered him, but resigned him to a minor league deal. He's pitched pretty well in three appearances pitching five innings giving up a run on a hit and two walks with five strikeouts.
The Cubs travel to Tempe Diablo stadium to take on the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. It will see Kyle Hendricks making his second Spring start against Angels lefty Tyler Skaggs.
Sunday, March 3, 2019
Cubs beat Sox 13-4
The Cubs had one of their more convincing victories of the Spring, smashing the White Sox 13-4 and moving to 6-4 on the Spring.
Kris Bryant continued his absolutely torrid pace this Spring with a three-run home run in the second inning, if he can keep this pace up in the regular season he could be a serious candidate for his second MVP.
The biggest, and most important storyline from this game was the pitching of Yu Darvish. He went two innings walking just one and striking out three. His velocity was reportedly in the upper 90s and he was commanding his pitches well.
David Bote went 1-1 with a bases-loaded walk and a two run double. He's likely the favorite for the final bench spot as Addison Russell serves his suspension.
Although he gave up a two-run home run, the improved command of Dillon Maples has been a good sight for Cubs fans. It's a small sample size, but he hasn't walked a batter in his first three innings while striking out 6.
Tony Barnette gave up a home run in his inning of work, and that makes three runs allowed in two innings pitched. Early spring results don't really mean much though as long as he's healthy, and he should still be a favorite for a bullpen spot.
The Cubs will be taking on the Reds tomorrow. They have not announced their starter yet, but Tony Santillan will take the mound for the Reds.
Kris Bryant continued his absolutely torrid pace this Spring with a three-run home run in the second inning, if he can keep this pace up in the regular season he could be a serious candidate for his second MVP.
The biggest, and most important storyline from this game was the pitching of Yu Darvish. He went two innings walking just one and striking out three. His velocity was reportedly in the upper 90s and he was commanding his pitches well.
David Bote went 1-1 with a bases-loaded walk and a two run double. He's likely the favorite for the final bench spot as Addison Russell serves his suspension.
Although he gave up a two-run home run, the improved command of Dillon Maples has been a good sight for Cubs fans. It's a small sample size, but he hasn't walked a batter in his first three innings while striking out 6.
Tony Barnette gave up a home run in his inning of work, and that makes three runs allowed in two innings pitched. Early spring results don't really mean much though as long as he's healthy, and he should still be a favorite for a bullpen spot.
The Cubs will be taking on the Reds tomorrow. They have not announced their starter yet, but Tony Santillan will take the mound for the Reds.
Thursday, February 28, 2019
Cubs fall to the A's 10-3
The Cubs suffered their third loss of the Spring to the Oakland A's who used a six run 6th inning to power ahead to a 10-3 victory.
Kyle Hendricks started for the Cubs and pitched well in his two innings allowing two hits and striking out one.
Most of the damage was done off Jen-Ho Tseng who gave up six runs on four hits and two walks in two-thirds of an inning. He was already a very fringe candidate to make the roster, but a really poor showing so far in the Spring significantly reduces those odds.
Bullpen candidate Randy Rosario pitched an inning and gave up two home runs, though it is worth noting both home runs were hit by righties, and he has much better numbers against left handed hitters.
On the hitting side Ryan Court continues to make a strong impression, he went 2-3 with two runs batted in after coming in for Ben Zobrist. The Elgin native most likely will start the season in AAA, but could be a useful player in case there is an injury on the big league roster.
Jason Heyward made his return after being scratched the other day for personal reasons and went 1-2. Ben Zobrist made his season debut and went 0-2.
The Cubs will take on the Arizona Diamondbacks tomorrow as Jose Quintana will face off against Robbie Ray.
Kyle Hendricks started for the Cubs and pitched well in his two innings allowing two hits and striking out one.
Most of the damage was done off Jen-Ho Tseng who gave up six runs on four hits and two walks in two-thirds of an inning. He was already a very fringe candidate to make the roster, but a really poor showing so far in the Spring significantly reduces those odds.
Bullpen candidate Randy Rosario pitched an inning and gave up two home runs, though it is worth noting both home runs were hit by righties, and he has much better numbers against left handed hitters.
On the hitting side Ryan Court continues to make a strong impression, he went 2-3 with two runs batted in after coming in for Ben Zobrist. The Elgin native most likely will start the season in AAA, but could be a useful player in case there is an injury on the big league roster.
Jason Heyward made his return after being scratched the other day for personal reasons and went 1-2. Ben Zobrist made his season debut and went 0-2.
The Cubs will take on the Arizona Diamondbacks tomorrow as Jose Quintana will face off against Robbie Ray.
Phillies sign Bryce Harper
At long last the long saga is over, according to Jon Heyman the Phillies will be signing free agent superstar Bryce Harper. Jeff Passan of ESPN reports the deal is for 13 years and 330 million, the biggest surprise is that the contract does not include any opt outs.
The move most likely makes the Phillies strong NL East favorites and they already added Andrew McCutchen and JT Realmuto along with their already solid core. Their starting pitching is a bit of a question mark, but the offense could be good enough to offset any concerns.
For Philly, Harper brings a 30 home run bat along with very good on base skills. He rebounded after a rough first half last season with a very impressive .300/.434/.538 line. According to most metrics he was not a good defender at all last year with a DRS of -26, but he has been a solid defender in years past so this seems like it could be an outlier.
The Cubs have long been connected to Harper, and frankly it's a bit of a disappointment they didn't sign him, but at 13 years I can understand the hesitation to not want to give him that many years. But still, Harper is a 26-year old generational talent and those types of talents rarely become available on the open market and for the Cubs to claim "broke" is somewhat disappointing especially with their willingness to open their pockets in the past.
The move most likely makes the Phillies strong NL East favorites and they already added Andrew McCutchen and JT Realmuto along with their already solid core. Their starting pitching is a bit of a question mark, but the offense could be good enough to offset any concerns.
For Philly, Harper brings a 30 home run bat along with very good on base skills. He rebounded after a rough first half last season with a very impressive .300/.434/.538 line. According to most metrics he was not a good defender at all last year with a DRS of -26, but he has been a solid defender in years past so this seems like it could be an outlier.
The Cubs have long been connected to Harper, and frankly it's a bit of a disappointment they didn't sign him, but at 13 years I can understand the hesitation to not want to give him that many years. But still, Harper is a 26-year old generational talent and those types of talents rarely become available on the open market and for the Cubs to claim "broke" is somewhat disappointing especially with their willingness to open their pockets in the past.
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
Cubs smash Rangers 9-5
Just like yesterday the Cubs started out the game with a four run lead, but this time they managed to hold on to pick up their fourth win of the season.
David Bote returned from his scary hit by pitch Sunday to go 2-3, Willson Contreras massacred a two-run home run, Christian Adames went 2-2 with a walk, and Mark Zagunis went 2-3 with a two-run home run.
Cole Hamels pitched two innings in his season debut allowing just two hits. Tony Barnette got roughed up in his Cubs debut giving up two runs on a walk and a hit in his inning pitched. Dillon Maples pitched a scoreless inning with two strikeouts and continues to make a strong impression this Spring.
Oscar De La Cruz pitched an inning and a third as he works his way back from a PED suspension, he gave up three hits, including a two-run home run to Matt Davidson, Although he will miss a small portion of this season due to his suspension he will likely start the year back at Double-A Tennessee with the potential to move up.
Tomorrow will see Kyle Hendricks take the mound for the first time against the Oakland A's, who will be starting former Cub Brett Anderson.
David Bote returned from his scary hit by pitch Sunday to go 2-3, Willson Contreras massacred a two-run home run, Christian Adames went 2-2 with a walk, and Mark Zagunis went 2-3 with a two-run home run.
Cole Hamels pitched two innings in his season debut allowing just two hits. Tony Barnette got roughed up in his Cubs debut giving up two runs on a walk and a hit in his inning pitched. Dillon Maples pitched a scoreless inning with two strikeouts and continues to make a strong impression this Spring.
Oscar De La Cruz pitched an inning and a third as he works his way back from a PED suspension, he gave up three hits, including a two-run home run to Matt Davidson, Although he will miss a small portion of this season due to his suspension he will likely start the year back at Double-A Tennessee with the potential to move up.
Tomorrow will see Kyle Hendricks take the mound for the first time against the Oakland A's, who will be starting former Cub Brett Anderson.
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
Cubs fall to the Diamondbacks 5-4
The Cubs were unable to hold onto an early 4-0 lead and dropped their second game of the season to the Dbacks.
After Jason Heyward was scratched for personal reasons Albert Almora Jr would lead off with a double and eventually score on an Anthony Rizzo RBI single. A fielders choice-error would lead to another two runs and a sacrifice fly by Addison Russell would conclude the Cubs scoring.
The big story of the day was the season debut of Yu Darvish, and although he didn't pitch well with four walks in an inning and a third, he concluded the game healthy which is all that really matters at this point. Most reports had his velocity in the mid-90s which is a very good sign for Darvish.
Aside from a dreaful second inning the Cubs overall pitched well. Minus the first two pitchers today, Darvish and Scott Effross, and none of the Cubs pitchers allowed a run.
Cole Hamels will make his season debut tomorrow against his former team, the Texas Rangers, who will be starting veteran righty Edinson Volquez.
After Jason Heyward was scratched for personal reasons Albert Almora Jr would lead off with a double and eventually score on an Anthony Rizzo RBI single. A fielders choice-error would lead to another two runs and a sacrifice fly by Addison Russell would conclude the Cubs scoring.
The big story of the day was the season debut of Yu Darvish, and although he didn't pitch well with four walks in an inning and a third, he concluded the game healthy which is all that really matters at this point. Most reports had his velocity in the mid-90s which is a very good sign for Darvish.
Aside from a dreaful second inning the Cubs overall pitched well. Minus the first two pitchers today, Darvish and Scott Effross, and none of the Cubs pitchers allowed a run.
Cole Hamels will make his season debut tomorrow against his former team, the Texas Rangers, who will be starting veteran righty Edinson Volquez.
Monday, February 25, 2019
Cubs split the split squad games
The Cubs won one and lost one today beating the Padres 6-4, while being smashed 11-1 by the Dodgers.
Jon Lester made his Spring debut and went two innings giving up a walk while striking out three. He had some harsh words during an interview for those predicting the Cubs decline saying "Apparently we're just old and ready to be on the backside of our careers. I'll let a computer program tell me whether or not I'm going to be good this year."
On the hitting side Kris Bryant drew 2 walks and still has yet to make an out this Spring, Willson Contreras launched a three-run home run, and Jared Young ripped a two-run homer as well. Trent Giambrone provided the only offense in the other game with a solo home run.
Bullpen candidates Brandon Kintzler, Brian Duensing, and Randy Rosario each pitched scoreless innings. Christian Bergman made his Cubs debut and went two innings giving up three runs on three hits and a walk.
Ian Clarkin made his Cubs debut after the waiver wire madness he was subjected to this offseason and gave up three runs on two hits and two walks in two innings pitched.
Yu Darvish will make his Spring debut tomorrow against the Zack Godley and the Arizona Diamondbacks..
Jon Lester made his Spring debut and went two innings giving up a walk while striking out three. He had some harsh words during an interview for those predicting the Cubs decline saying "Apparently we're just old and ready to be on the backside of our careers. I'll let a computer program tell me whether or not I'm going to be good this year."
On the hitting side Kris Bryant drew 2 walks and still has yet to make an out this Spring, Willson Contreras launched a three-run home run, and Jared Young ripped a two-run homer as well. Trent Giambrone provided the only offense in the other game with a solo home run.
Bullpen candidates Brandon Kintzler, Brian Duensing, and Randy Rosario each pitched scoreless innings. Christian Bergman made his Cubs debut and went two innings giving up three runs on three hits and a walk.
Ian Clarkin made his Cubs debut after the waiver wire madness he was subjected to this offseason and gave up three runs on two hits and two walks in two innings pitched.
Yu Darvish will make his Spring debut tomorrow against the Zack Godley and the Arizona Diamondbacks..
Sunday, February 24, 2019
Cubs beat the Giants 9-5
In their second game of the Spring the Cubs bats came to life against the Giants and after things were all said and done they moved to 2-0 this Spring Training.
The Cubs got the majority of their offense in the 2nd inning when they scored 8 runs, including 6 against Giants star pitcher Madison Bumgarner. The first six Cubs hitters in the inning reached and would all eventually score.
There was a scary moment in the second inning as reserve candidate David Bote was hit in the helmet by a Bumgarner pitch and would leave the game, but early reports suggest that he will be fine.
Victor Caratini went 2-3, Kyle Schwarber went 1-1 with a double and two walks, Addison Russell went 1-1 with a sac fly, and Johnny Field went 1-2 with a home run.
The pitching side was bit more notable as Tyler Chatwood got roughed up a bit in his Spring debut, he went two innings allowing two hits, two earned runs, a walk, and a strikeout.
The other damage was done to Duncan Robinson as he pitched an inning and a third giving up five hits and three earned runs. He's likely to begin the year at AAA and could be a useful depth piece.
Dillon Maples pitched a scoreless inning with two strikeouts, as well as Dakota Mekkes. Allen Webster pitched the final two innings of the game allowing just a walk.
The Cubs play a split squad game against the Dodgers and Padres tomorrow. Christian Bergman will face Ross Stripling and the Dodgers, while Jon Lester will go against Nick Margevicius for the Padres.
The Cubs got the majority of their offense in the 2nd inning when they scored 8 runs, including 6 against Giants star pitcher Madison Bumgarner. The first six Cubs hitters in the inning reached and would all eventually score.
There was a scary moment in the second inning as reserve candidate David Bote was hit in the helmet by a Bumgarner pitch and would leave the game, but early reports suggest that he will be fine.
Victor Caratini went 2-3, Kyle Schwarber went 1-1 with a double and two walks, Addison Russell went 1-1 with a sac fly, and Johnny Field went 1-2 with a home run.
The pitching side was bit more notable as Tyler Chatwood got roughed up a bit in his Spring debut, he went two innings allowing two hits, two earned runs, a walk, and a strikeout.
The other damage was done to Duncan Robinson as he pitched an inning and a third giving up five hits and three earned runs. He's likely to begin the year at AAA and could be a useful depth piece.
Dillon Maples pitched a scoreless inning with two strikeouts, as well as Dakota Mekkes. Allen Webster pitched the final two innings of the game allowing just a walk.
The Cubs play a split squad game against the Dodgers and Padres tomorrow. Christian Bergman will face Ross Stripling and the Dodgers, while Jon Lester will go against Nick Margevicius for the Padres.
Saturday, February 23, 2019
Cubs win their first game 8-4
The 2019 Chicago Cubs season got off to a picture perfect start. Jason Heyward hit a lead off single and Kris Bryant showed his shoulder was healthy with a two-run bomb to left. The offense would go on to score 8 total runs on ten hits to beat their division foe Milwaukee Brewers 8-4.
On the offense side Daniel Descalso went 1-2 with an RBI in his Cubs debut, backup catcher candidate Taylor Davis went 1-2, and former Met Phillip Evans went 2-2 with a run scored.
2019 is going to be a huge year for Jen-Ho Tseng, who is coming off a very rough 2018, his first start was a big of a disappointment as he went 2 innings allowing 4 hits and 2 earned runs. It's still far too early to draw conclusions, but it was not an ideal start.
The rest of the pitchers performed well, Carlos Ramirez and Craig Brooks were the only other pitchers to allow runs. Rowan Wick, Alberto Baldonado, and Oscar De La Cruz each pitched a 1-2-3 frame.
The Cubs play the San Francisco Giants tomorrow afternoon. Tyler Chatwood will start for the Cubs, while star pitcher Madison Bumgarner will toe the line for the Giants.
On the offense side Daniel Descalso went 1-2 with an RBI in his Cubs debut, backup catcher candidate Taylor Davis went 1-2, and former Met Phillip Evans went 2-2 with a run scored.
2019 is going to be a huge year for Jen-Ho Tseng, who is coming off a very rough 2018, his first start was a big of a disappointment as he went 2 innings allowing 4 hits and 2 earned runs. It's still far too early to draw conclusions, but it was not an ideal start.
The rest of the pitchers performed well, Carlos Ramirez and Craig Brooks were the only other pitchers to allow runs. Rowan Wick, Alberto Baldonado, and Oscar De La Cruz each pitched a 1-2-3 frame.
The Cubs play the San Francisco Giants tomorrow afternoon. Tyler Chatwood will start for the Cubs, while star pitcher Madison Bumgarner will toe the line for the Giants.
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
What will David Botes role be on the Cubs?
David Bote took the MLB by storm through his first couple months. Through his first 123 plate appearances he hit .276/.366/.486 with some incredibly clutch hits for the Cubs including a game tying 9th inning home run, a walk off grand slam, and another walk off home run. He quickly established himself as a legitimate weapon for the Cubs, but he ended the season on a sour note.
After his walk off home run against the Reds he cooled down tremendously hitting just .190/.253/.304 with only one home run and an obscene 31 strikeouts in 87 plate appearances. He was one of many Cubs hitters that faded significantly down the stretch and led to them not winning the division.
Bote does have one major flaw in his game, he struggles tremendously against pitches at the top of the zone. As you can see by the attached image he swung and missed at a significant level of pitches at the top of the zone, and unless he can learn to make consistent contact there he will find himself out of a job.
Bote does provide a good amount of versatility for the Cubs. He can play all over the infield and has a bit of minor league experience in the outfield. His utility will be incredibly useful for the Cubs especially while Addison Russell serves his suspension. Barring significant injury, it's hard to see Bote in an everyday role for the Cubs, but he could turn out to be a very useful role player for the team.
After his walk off home run against the Reds he cooled down tremendously hitting just .190/.253/.304 with only one home run and an obscene 31 strikeouts in 87 plate appearances. He was one of many Cubs hitters that faded significantly down the stretch and led to them not winning the division.
Bote does have one major flaw in his game, he struggles tremendously against pitches at the top of the zone. As you can see by the attached image he swung and missed at a significant level of pitches at the top of the zone, and unless he can learn to make consistent contact there he will find himself out of a job.
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| Courtesy of Baseball Savant |
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
Cubs sign Xavier Cedeno
According to Patrick Mooney of The Athletic, the Cubs have signed lefty reliever Xavier Cedeno to a non-guaranteed deal that could pay him $900,000.
Cedeno, 32, split the 2018 season with the White Sox and Brewers and was very effective. He posted a 2.43 ERA in 48 games and 33.1 innings. He struck out 34 while walking 16 and allowing 26 hits. He held left handed hitters to a .207/.281/.293 line in 64 plate appearances.
Advanced stats aren't the biggest fan of Cedeno as he had a 3.50 xFIP and a very low HR/FB of 5.3 %. Although he definitely not a hard thrower (his fastball averages just 86.8 MPH), his fastball and curveball spin rates both ranked towards the top of the MLB.
If Cedeno makes the team he will likely serve as the replacement to Justin Wilson, who signed with the Mets. He has held lefties to a a .593 OPS throughout his career along with a solid 3.81 K/BB and just 5 home runs allowed.
Cedeno, 32, split the 2018 season with the White Sox and Brewers and was very effective. He posted a 2.43 ERA in 48 games and 33.1 innings. He struck out 34 while walking 16 and allowing 26 hits. He held left handed hitters to a .207/.281/.293 line in 64 plate appearances.
Advanced stats aren't the biggest fan of Cedeno as he had a 3.50 xFIP and a very low HR/FB of 5.3 %. Although he definitely not a hard thrower (his fastball averages just 86.8 MPH), his fastball and curveball spin rates both ranked towards the top of the MLB.
If Cedeno makes the team he will likely serve as the replacement to Justin Wilson, who signed with the Mets. He has held lefties to a a .593 OPS throughout his career along with a solid 3.81 K/BB and just 5 home runs allowed.
Cubs, Sinclair announce Marquee Sports Network
The Chicago Cubs finally announced their long rumored broadcasting network today, ending years of speculation on the Cubs forming their own TV network. They will be partnering with the Sinclair Broadcast Group to launch the Marquee Sports Network in 2020.
Here is the full text of the press release as announced on the Cubs website:
"The Chicago Cubs and Sinclair Broadcast Group today announced the launch of Marquee Sports Network to provide increased access and around-the-clock coverage of the team. This new regional sports network will be the exclusive television home of the Chicago Cubs beginning in 2020.
Sinclair is more known for their news coverage as they own and operate 193 stations across the United States. Their news stations have been criticized for their "conservative bias" and they were in the news last year for making their news anchors read a statement saying they were committed to stopping the spread of fake news.
The network will launch for the 2020 season, which means this year will be the last year you will be able to watch games on WGN, who had broadcast games since 1948 and spread the Cubs fanbase nationwide thanks to being broadcast on WGN America.
Launching their own TV network will be another source of revenue for the Cubs, which is obviously extremely important to them considering their very quiet 2018 offseason.
TV deals for teams have been proven to be extremely lucrative for the team. Take the Dodgers for example, they signed a 25 year $8 billion deal with Spectrum back in 2013, and that has helped (along with open-pocketed owners) them be one of the highest spending teams. However, the deal has been controversial as it has left many fans in the dark as other cable networks have been unable to reach a deal with Spectrum to give access to fans.
It's unsure yet whether Cubs fans will run into the same issues, but until deals are reached with the major distributors that will remain to be seen.
Here is the full text of the press release as announced on the Cubs website:
"The Chicago Cubs and Sinclair Broadcast Group today announced the launch of Marquee Sports Network to provide increased access and around-the-clock coverage of the team. This new regional sports network will be the exclusive television home of the Chicago Cubs beginning in 2020.
In addition to live game broadcasts, which will continue to feature broadcasters Len Kasper and Jim Deshaies, Marquee Sports Network will provide extensive pregame and postgame coverage, unique Cubs content and other local sports programming.
"We are excited to better serve our fans with expanded and exclusive programming showcasing our remarkable players, beloved ballpark and storied past," said Cubs President of Business Operations Crane Kenney. "Our dedicated 'Cubs-centric' network will carry all available Cubs games and feature uncompromising, in-depth and behind-the-scenes coverage."
Given its deep relationships with distributors and affiliations with all the major networks, Sinclair Broadcast Group is well-positioned to help ensure the success of Marquee Sports Network.
"This partnership brings together one of the most iconic sports franchises in the country with one of the largest television broadcasting companies," commented Sinclair's President and CEO Chris Ripley. "It is hard to imagine any content that is more unique and valuable than the live sports entertainment the Cubs have been delivering to their fans for more than a century. Sinclair's strength in production, distribution and local sales will support bringing more content to more viewers, all while leveraging the latest technology."
The creation of this network further demonstrates the Ricketts family's long-standing commitment to provide an enhanced experience for Cubs fans.
"From preserving and enhancing Wrigley Field, to building Sloan Park and Gallagher Way, to expanding in-game programming and increasing our social media engagement, our fans are at the heart of everything we do," said Kenney. "It's time we deliver the comprehensive coverage and rich content they desire."
Sinclair is more known for their news coverage as they own and operate 193 stations across the United States. Their news stations have been criticized for their "conservative bias" and they were in the news last year for making their news anchors read a statement saying they were committed to stopping the spread of fake news.
The network will launch for the 2020 season, which means this year will be the last year you will be able to watch games on WGN, who had broadcast games since 1948 and spread the Cubs fanbase nationwide thanks to being broadcast on WGN America.
Launching their own TV network will be another source of revenue for the Cubs, which is obviously extremely important to them considering their very quiet 2018 offseason.
TV deals for teams have been proven to be extremely lucrative for the team. Take the Dodgers for example, they signed a 25 year $8 billion deal with Spectrum back in 2013, and that has helped (along with open-pocketed owners) them be one of the highest spending teams. However, the deal has been controversial as it has left many fans in the dark as other cable networks have been unable to reach a deal with Spectrum to give access to fans.
It's unsure yet whether Cubs fans will run into the same issues, but until deals are reached with the major distributors that will remain to be seen.
Tuesday, February 12, 2019
Adbert Alzolay "felt something" and will be a few weeks behind
One of the Cubs top pitching prospect, Adbert Alzolay, will start Spring Training behind schedule as he recovers from an injury sustained while throwing last week.
The news came during a media session by Cubs GM Jed Hoyer, who said the Cubs will use an "abundance of caution" after his 2018 season was derailed by a lat issue.
When he did pitch last year he was not as effective as he had been at lower levels, but it's fair to question whether the injury and the PCL being hitter friendly played a role in that. He made just 8 starts for AAA Iowa posting a 4.76 ERA in 39.2 innings. He struck out only 27 while walking just 13.
His prospect status has taken a slight hit after last season. Fangraphs has him ranked as the Cubs 4th best prospect after ranking him 2nd last year. They said his change up is not up to par with his other pitches and that "The combination of injury and the changeup reps lost to [injury] make it more likely that Alzolay ends up in the bullpen, but he could be a dominant high-leverage option there."
If he can get fully healthy and in shape for the start of the season he should start the season back at Iowa, but if he pitches well he could see himself pitching at Wrigley Field by the end of the season, whether it's out of the rotation or the bullpen remains to be seen.
The news came during a media session by Cubs GM Jed Hoyer, who said the Cubs will use an "abundance of caution" after his 2018 season was derailed by a lat issue.
When he did pitch last year he was not as effective as he had been at lower levels, but it's fair to question whether the injury and the PCL being hitter friendly played a role in that. He made just 8 starts for AAA Iowa posting a 4.76 ERA in 39.2 innings. He struck out only 27 while walking just 13.
His prospect status has taken a slight hit after last season. Fangraphs has him ranked as the Cubs 4th best prospect after ranking him 2nd last year. They said his change up is not up to par with his other pitches and that "The combination of injury and the changeup reps lost to [injury] make it more likely that Alzolay ends up in the bullpen, but he could be a dominant high-leverage option there."
If he can get fully healthy and in shape for the start of the season he should start the season back at Iowa, but if he pitches well he could see himself pitching at Wrigley Field by the end of the season, whether it's out of the rotation or the bullpen remains to be seen.
Wednesday, February 6, 2019
2019 Chicago Cubs preview
After a frustrating end to the 2018 Cubs season where they scored a combined two runs in two must win games the Cubs turned their focus onto 2019. The lame duck status of Joe Maddon has raised some concerns among fans that this could be a "do or die" season.
The Cubs have been relatively quiet this offseason on the field as they only inked Daniel Descalso, Kendall Graveman, Brad Brach, and Tony Barnette to big league contracts. Though Graveman will not play for most of 2019 as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.
The bigger moves were off the field as they fired hitting coach Chili Davis and replaced him with former Texas Rangers hitting coach Anthony Iapoce. Pitching coach Jim Hickey also left the team and was replaced with Tommy Hottovy. They also lost bench coach Brandon Hyde to the Orioles and replaced him with former big league infielder Mark Loretta.
Looking at this possible roster I really don't see any glaring weaknesses aside from backup catcher. The biggest key will be keeping everybody healthy as there are some real questions regarding some of the depth options this team has. But if they stay healthy I see no reason they won't win the NL Central and compete for another World Series title.
Starting Pitchers
Jon Lester, 35, if you take a look at the basic stats Jon Lester had a dominant 2018 season. His 18-6 record along with a 3.32 ERA was phenomenal and his excellent Wild Card game start, 6 innings allowing 4 hits and an earned run with 9 strikeouts, was the perfect conclusion to his season but the advanced stats do not paint a pretty picture. Lester allowed significantly more hard contact than he has in years past including his highest hard hit percentage since 2007. That, along with a significant decrease in his strikeout rate is bound to raise some concerns especially as he starts to get up there in age. I'm expecting Lesters numbers to take a step back in 2019 but he should still be a very dependable starter in 2019, though future seasons remain a question mark.
Kyle Hendricks, 29, despite a somewhat slow start to his season Hendricks managed to post one of the best seasons of his career in 2018. His 3.44 ERA and career best walk rate makes him the safest bet for the Cubs rotation.. His ability to limit hard contact and relying on the defense behind him as made him one of the more consistent starters for the Cubs. His xFIP of 3.87 mostly backs up his performance, and his home run issues in the first half were pretty much completely resolved in the second half (only 5 in 88.2 innings). I'd expect Hendricks to be the same steady and consistent guy he has been in the past.
Cole Hamels, 36 was traded to the Cubs near the trade deadline having one of the worst seasons of his career. His ERA and home run rates with the Rangers were the highest of his career, and his peripherals didn't paint a pretty picture either. However, after the trade Hamels did a complete 180 on his season and became one of the Cubs most dependable starters down the stretch. His significantly improved home run rate and improved contact percentages may correlate with his increased fastball use since the trade. While it may not be realistic to expect Hamels to return to that level of dominance, he should be able to return to his career norms (3.40 ERA and 3.40 K/BB) which would be a tremendous boost to the Cubs rotation.
Jose Quintana, 30, although Quintana hasn't exactly lived up to the lofty expectations given considering the quality of the prospects he was traded for, he has still been a fairly dependable pitcher and is perfect for the back end of the Cubs rotation. There are some concerns about Quintana as he posted the worst walk rate of his career and his spin rates on his fastball and curveball both ranked among the worst in the league. His biggest issue has been with falling behind in the count as although he threw 65 percent first pitch strikes, he got absolutely clobbered when he did fall behind to the tune of a 1.066 OPS, compared to .475 when ahead. If Quintana can get his command back to where it was pre-2018 than I think he should take a huge step forward in 2019, but if he doesn't we may be stuck watching mediocre pitching once again.
Yu Darvish, 32, frankly Darvishs first season in Chicago was a disaster, a triceps strain and stress reaction in his elbow ended his season in May and when he did pitch the results were not good. In 8 starts and 40 innings Darvis compiled a 4.95 ERA allowing 7 home runs and 21 walks while striking out 49. Like Quintana, Darvish posted the highest walk rate of his career, but he also had the highest home run rate of his career as well. The good news for Darvish is that his home run rate was a bit higher than normal and his xFIP of 4.24 suggests he got a little unlucky. His LOB% of 72.3 was a bit below his career rate. The spin rate on his fastball was among the top of the league and his statcast expected numbers all suggested that there is a lot of room for improvement. I think Darvish is a really strong bet to bounce back and he should show why the Cubs paid him the big bucks in 2019.
Bullpen
Brad Brach, 32, is one of the new faces of the bullpen had a season that can only be considered a tale of two teams. He was awful for the pitiful Baltimore Orioles posting a 4.85 ERA and a 1.77 WHIP in 39 innings before being traded to the Braves where he was a huge part of their bullpen down the stretch with a 1.52 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. One of Brachs strengths is a perfect fit for this Cubs team as his hard hit prevention ranked in the 94th percentile for 2018, and combined with an usually high amount of bloops suggests he could be a key piece to the Cubs bullpen. He won't be as dominant as he was with the Braves, but he should be a key late inning guy for the Cubs.
Tony Barnette, 35, is the second reliever inked to a big league deal by the Cubs and he has the potential to be the most intriguing. Although his 2018 season was cut short due to a right lat strain, he pitched very well when he was healthy with a 2.39 ERA and a 3.30 xFIP in 26.1 innings. His strongest trait is his command as he walked just 4.8 percent of the batters he faced and had a ground ball rate of 51.4 percent. If healthy this could be a huge coup for the Cubs, he's pitched very well in two of his three big league seasons, and in the poor one he had very good peripherals that suggested he was unlucky.
Brandon Kintzler, 34, was a trade deadline acquisition to strengthen the bullpen but ended up falling flat. He regressed significantly in nearly every stat, and ultimately was one of the reasons the Cubs failed to win the division. In 25 games with the Cubs he posted an ERA of 7.00 and allowing 36 baserunners in 18 innings. He has the inside track for a bullpen spot due to his $5 million dollar salary thanks to a picked up player option. Although expectations will probably be low for him, I think he will mostly bounce back and hopefully post an ERA around 4 while pitching in mainly low/mid leverage situations.
Mike Montgomery. 29, has been one of the unsung heroes for the Cubs in the past few seasons. His ability to both start and relieve makes him a unique asset and someone the Cubs should be able to rely on to give the team innings wherever needed. In 39 games (19 starts) Montgomery posted a 3.99 ERA (4.29 xFIP) in 124 innings. He posted the best K/BB of his career (2.21) and pretty sustainable LOB% (73%) and HR/FB(9.5%). Montgomery should continue to be one of the more reliable arms for the Cubs, though I don't expect him to start much this year, he should still be an effective member of the bullpen.
Tyler Chatwood, 29 was the Cubs second biggest signing of the 2017 offseason and the results were a complete disaster. Chatwood walked 95 batters in 103.2 innings and no that is not a typo. His complete loss of control was one of the more frustrating storylines of the 2018 season and raises a lot of concerns going into 2019. Chatwood generally has good stuff as his fastball and curveball spin rates were both at elite levels, but it doesn't matter if he can't throw it for strikes. 2019 is a make or break season for Chatwood and if he can't find the strike zone soon his tenure in Chicago will be over soon.
Steve Cishek, 32, had one of the best seasons by a Cubs reliever in recent memory and was clearly their most important reliever throughout the whole season. He threw a career high 70.1 in a career high 80 appearances and didn't disappoint with a 2.18 ERA and allowed an incredibly impressive .181/.287/.306 line with a 2.79 K/BB. He did fade a bit down the stretch with a 4.15 ERA in September, but that was almost expected with how much the Cubs relied on him. His 3.91 xFIP suggests to expect a decent amount of regression, but so far his career trend has been to significantly outperform his peripherals. He probably won't be as good as 2018, but even if he regresses to around a 3.00 ERA he will still be a valuable member of the Cubs bullpen.
Pedro Strop, 33, before he went down with a hamstring injury running out a ground ball Strop was the rock of the Cubs bullpen. His 2.26 ERA in 59.2 innings was impressive as well as his dominance in high leverage spots(.548 OPS.) Though there should be some concern about his 4.08 xFIP and career high 83. LOB% with a career low 46.1 groundball percentage. He filled in adequately after Brandon Morrows season was ended, converting 13 of 17 save opportunities, but will likely move back to his normal 8th inning guy role next season. It's fair to expect Strops numbers to fall off a little bit next year, but he's been one of the best relievers in Cubs history and I expect to see more of the same next season.
Brandon Morrow, 34, when healthy he was a dominant relief arm for the Cubs, but after an unfortunate pants mishap in July he didn't pitch for the rest of the season. When he did pitch he was busy posting a 1.47 ERA in 30.2 innings and converted 22/24 save opportunities. He backed up the performance well too with a 1.08 WHIP and a 3.19 xFIP, and the only state that was ridiculous was his 93 LOB% . Morrow is projected to miss some time at the start of the season as he recovers from offseason elbow surgery, but he should return to his normal 9th inning role for 2019.
Catcher
Willson Contreras, 26, it was a tale of two halves for Contreras as the catcher went from being the NL starter at the All-Star game in 2018 to hitting a pitiful .200/.291/.294 in the second half. One of Contreras traits is his energy and it's fair to wonder if he wore down by the end of the season or if his breakdown was just one of many Cubs bats at the end of 2018. His framing metrics were not kind to him, though he did throw a solid 27 runners out. Contreras was one of 4 catchers that logged 1000 innings behind the plate, and it's very possible that was a big cause of his second half decline. I don't expect Contreras to repeat his second half numbers as I think a move away from Chili Davis will do wonders for his performance and if the Cubs can add a veteran backup catcher than a lighter workload could be huge for him.
Victor Caratini, 25, as of now Caratini is the projected back up catcher, but if the Cubs can add a veteran presence then that will change. Caratini did not hit well in 2018 with a .597 OPS and just two home runs along with a below average 6% walk rate. He caught 290.2 innings behind the plate throwing out a league average 28% of base runners, but like Contreras, had below average framing numbers. He will need to have a huge step forward offensively for the Cubs to not look for a veteran addition, but he did have a very good year in AAA and crushed the Puerto Rico Winter League in just 12 games.
Infield
Anthony Rizzo, 29, although Rizzo wasn't as good as he's been in years past he was still one of the best first baseman in the National League last year. He went from hitting .149/.259/.189 with a 15-4 K/BB rate to a .283/.376/.470 with 25 home runs along with playing his typical elite defense at first and winning his 2nd Gold Glove. There are some concerns about his back that has caused him to miss some time, but if he's healthy he should have another elite season. Rizzo has been one of the most important pieces for the Cubs throughout this decade, his bat and clubhouse leadership has made him one of the most valuable hitters in the league. It should be more of the same for Rizzo in 2019. but I would expect his numbers to jump a little bit if he can stay healthy.
Javier Baez, 26, it's not possible to describe how huge Baez was for the 2018 team. He finished 2nd in NL MVP voting with a .290/.326/.554 slash line with 34 home runs along with playing very good defense. Baez still does not walk at all, but he managed to make contact 50 percent of the time when he chased pitches out of the zone. It's highly unlikely that Baez will be able to replicate his 2018 performance as pitchers will most likely adjust to his over aggressiveness, but he definitely still has 30 home run power in him and if he can slightly improve his walk rate while maintaining solid middle infield defense he will be a very valuable player for the Cubs.
Daniel Descalso, 32, although he isn't the big bat signing Cubs fans wanted, he is the one they got. He had a solid season for the Diamondbacks slashing .238/.353/.436 with a career high 13 home runs. Part of Descalsos career high power numbers can be attributed to a significant increase in his launch angle, it jumped to 19.7 from 12.8 the year before. If he can keep it around that level it's not unreasonable to expect his home run numbers to remain the same. His numbers were much better at the hitter friendly Chase Field, but it's worth noting his .245 road BABIP likely deflated his numbers. Descalso provides the defensive versatility the Cubs love, he's spent time at every position except catcher and center field, and can fill in for almost everyone. He figures to be a utility guy that will be plugged in when someone needs a rest or he has a favorable matchup.
Kris Bryant, 27, expectations were high going into the 2018 season, but he played in just 102 games dealing with shoulder ailments that sapped a decent amount of his power. He still managed to hit a very solid .272/.374/.460, but the 12 home runs was a career low along with his .188 ISO. His defense at third also took a nose dive as he was worth -2 defensive runs saved and had a -3.2 ultimate zone rating. He did not have offseason surgery on his shoulder so the Cubs believe his shoulder had healed enough to avoid it. Bryant, barring any reoccurring shoulder issues, should return to being the hitter he has been in the past and could be a potential MVP candidate.
Addison Russell, 25, although Russell will not be on the Opening Day roster due to terrible domestic abuse allegations by his ex-wife, Russell is likely to take back his starting shortstop job when he returns. 2018 was not a good year for Russell, although his defense was still elite, he hit just .250/.317/.340 which is good for a 80 wRC+. The biggest concern for him was his power took a massive nosedive with just a .090 ISO and an average exit velocity of just 86.3 MPH his 26.5 hard hit percentage was one of the worst in the league. Ignoring his off the field issues, if Russell can improve his bat to where it was in the first half than he will be incredibly valuable to the Cubs, but if he doesn't than it may be time to start thinking about his future with the Cubs.
Outfielders
Kyle Schwarber, 25, it was a mixed bag season for Schwarber, who hit for power (26 home runs), and walked a lot (15.3%), but there's still room for improvement. His strikeout rate is still way too high at 27.5% and if he's gonna want to take the next step to becoming an elite hitter, than reducing that will be the biggest key. If he can get his slash line up to .260/.370/.500 than the Cubs would be in really good shape. His defense has improved significantly as he was worth 2 defensive runs saved in left field and had a 9.8 ultimate zone rating, his strong arm is his biggest asset as he threw out 11 runners on the base paths. This is a huge year for Schwarber and if he can keep progressing from his rough 2017 season than he should continue to be one of the most feared bats in the Cubs lineup.
Ian Happ, 24, 2018 was a disappointing season for Happ who struggled to make consistent contact and saw a drop off from his promising numbers as a rookie. When Ian Happ hits the ball he hits it hard, his 90 MPH exit velocity was in the 76th percentile in the MLB, but the big issue is the fact that he struck out 36.1 % of the time, a number that will not lead to any success in the big leagues. Happ has a ton of potential as a switch hitter, but he needs to make more consistent contact if he wants to live up to it. His defense was not good either as he was worth -6 defensive runs saved and a -3.3 UZR in the outfield. Happ is still young enough that his struggles can be corrected, but this will be a big year for him to see him start to make those corrections.
Albert Almora Jr., 24, I've talked about Almora Jr and what to expect from him before, but I'll talk about it again. Essentially it was a tale of two halves for Almora Jr. He went from hitting .319/.357/.438 in the first half to .232/.267/.280 in the second half. I highly doubt he is as good as he was in the first half. but he definitely is a better hitter than he was in the second half. He's an old school contact guy who won't walk too much, but also won't strike out an obscene amount. The only issue with high contact guys is they often rely on a bit of BABIP luck to hit for a high average. His defensive metrics were great as always with 8 runs saved in center. Almora should see his overall numbers remain at relatively the same numbers they were last year, though hopefully his halves aren't as extreme as last years.
Jason Heyward, 29, 2018 was Heywards best hitting season as a Cubs, and although it is still below average it gives some cause for optimism. Heyward his a respectable .270/.335/.395 last year including a walk off grand slam against the Phillies. One of Heywards more impressive traits is his ability to avoid strikeouts as he struck out just 12.3% of the time and only swung and missed just 16.7%.. Although his defense wasn't as good as it has been, he was still a very solid defender out in right with an 89% catch rate and 3 defensive runs saved. If Heyward can keep up his current offensive trajectory and still be the same defender than he is an incredibly valuable player for the Cubs, and even if the offense doesn't improve but the defense stays the same he provides a lot of value.
Ben Zobrist, 38, despite his advanced age he was excellent with the bat in 2018 on the heels of a disappointing and injury filled 2017. He hit .305/.378/.440 with a very good 10.6% walk rate and 11.5% strikeout rate. Zobrist is entering the last year of his contract and it's natural to expect some regression considering both his high BABIP (.331) and his higher than career average hard hit rate (35.5%). His biggest asset is his versatility as he can play both the infield and outfield at an above average level. He would be a big beneficiary of the NL potentially adding the DH as he could play there and potentially keep him more fresh throughout the season. Either way he probably won't be the hitter he was in 2018, but he is still a solid, versatile player that is exactly what this team needs.
The Cubs have been relatively quiet this offseason on the field as they only inked Daniel Descalso, Kendall Graveman, Brad Brach, and Tony Barnette to big league contracts. Though Graveman will not play for most of 2019 as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.
The bigger moves were off the field as they fired hitting coach Chili Davis and replaced him with former Texas Rangers hitting coach Anthony Iapoce. Pitching coach Jim Hickey also left the team and was replaced with Tommy Hottovy. They also lost bench coach Brandon Hyde to the Orioles and replaced him with former big league infielder Mark Loretta.
Looking at this possible roster I really don't see any glaring weaknesses aside from backup catcher. The biggest key will be keeping everybody healthy as there are some real questions regarding some of the depth options this team has. But if they stay healthy I see no reason they won't win the NL Central and compete for another World Series title.
Starting Pitchers
Jon Lester, 35, if you take a look at the basic stats Jon Lester had a dominant 2018 season. His 18-6 record along with a 3.32 ERA was phenomenal and his excellent Wild Card game start, 6 innings allowing 4 hits and an earned run with 9 strikeouts, was the perfect conclusion to his season but the advanced stats do not paint a pretty picture. Lester allowed significantly more hard contact than he has in years past including his highest hard hit percentage since 2007. That, along with a significant decrease in his strikeout rate is bound to raise some concerns especially as he starts to get up there in age. I'm expecting Lesters numbers to take a step back in 2019 but he should still be a very dependable starter in 2019, though future seasons remain a question mark.
Kyle Hendricks, 29, despite a somewhat slow start to his season Hendricks managed to post one of the best seasons of his career in 2018. His 3.44 ERA and career best walk rate makes him the safest bet for the Cubs rotation.. His ability to limit hard contact and relying on the defense behind him as made him one of the more consistent starters for the Cubs. His xFIP of 3.87 mostly backs up his performance, and his home run issues in the first half were pretty much completely resolved in the second half (only 5 in 88.2 innings). I'd expect Hendricks to be the same steady and consistent guy he has been in the past.
Cole Hamels, 36 was traded to the Cubs near the trade deadline having one of the worst seasons of his career. His ERA and home run rates with the Rangers were the highest of his career, and his peripherals didn't paint a pretty picture either. However, after the trade Hamels did a complete 180 on his season and became one of the Cubs most dependable starters down the stretch. His significantly improved home run rate and improved contact percentages may correlate with his increased fastball use since the trade. While it may not be realistic to expect Hamels to return to that level of dominance, he should be able to return to his career norms (3.40 ERA and 3.40 K/BB) which would be a tremendous boost to the Cubs rotation.
Jose Quintana, 30, although Quintana hasn't exactly lived up to the lofty expectations given considering the quality of the prospects he was traded for, he has still been a fairly dependable pitcher and is perfect for the back end of the Cubs rotation. There are some concerns about Quintana as he posted the worst walk rate of his career and his spin rates on his fastball and curveball both ranked among the worst in the league. His biggest issue has been with falling behind in the count as although he threw 65 percent first pitch strikes, he got absolutely clobbered when he did fall behind to the tune of a 1.066 OPS, compared to .475 when ahead. If Quintana can get his command back to where it was pre-2018 than I think he should take a huge step forward in 2019, but if he doesn't we may be stuck watching mediocre pitching once again.
Yu Darvish, 32, frankly Darvishs first season in Chicago was a disaster, a triceps strain and stress reaction in his elbow ended his season in May and when he did pitch the results were not good. In 8 starts and 40 innings Darvis compiled a 4.95 ERA allowing 7 home runs and 21 walks while striking out 49. Like Quintana, Darvish posted the highest walk rate of his career, but he also had the highest home run rate of his career as well. The good news for Darvish is that his home run rate was a bit higher than normal and his xFIP of 4.24 suggests he got a little unlucky. His LOB% of 72.3 was a bit below his career rate. The spin rate on his fastball was among the top of the league and his statcast expected numbers all suggested that there is a lot of room for improvement. I think Darvish is a really strong bet to bounce back and he should show why the Cubs paid him the big bucks in 2019.
Bullpen
Brad Brach, 32, is one of the new faces of the bullpen had a season that can only be considered a tale of two teams. He was awful for the pitiful Baltimore Orioles posting a 4.85 ERA and a 1.77 WHIP in 39 innings before being traded to the Braves where he was a huge part of their bullpen down the stretch with a 1.52 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. One of Brachs strengths is a perfect fit for this Cubs team as his hard hit prevention ranked in the 94th percentile for 2018, and combined with an usually high amount of bloops suggests he could be a key piece to the Cubs bullpen. He won't be as dominant as he was with the Braves, but he should be a key late inning guy for the Cubs.
Tony Barnette, 35, is the second reliever inked to a big league deal by the Cubs and he has the potential to be the most intriguing. Although his 2018 season was cut short due to a right lat strain, he pitched very well when he was healthy with a 2.39 ERA and a 3.30 xFIP in 26.1 innings. His strongest trait is his command as he walked just 4.8 percent of the batters he faced and had a ground ball rate of 51.4 percent. If healthy this could be a huge coup for the Cubs, he's pitched very well in two of his three big league seasons, and in the poor one he had very good peripherals that suggested he was unlucky.
Brandon Kintzler, 34, was a trade deadline acquisition to strengthen the bullpen but ended up falling flat. He regressed significantly in nearly every stat, and ultimately was one of the reasons the Cubs failed to win the division. In 25 games with the Cubs he posted an ERA of 7.00 and allowing 36 baserunners in 18 innings. He has the inside track for a bullpen spot due to his $5 million dollar salary thanks to a picked up player option. Although expectations will probably be low for him, I think he will mostly bounce back and hopefully post an ERA around 4 while pitching in mainly low/mid leverage situations.
Mike Montgomery. 29, has been one of the unsung heroes for the Cubs in the past few seasons. His ability to both start and relieve makes him a unique asset and someone the Cubs should be able to rely on to give the team innings wherever needed. In 39 games (19 starts) Montgomery posted a 3.99 ERA (4.29 xFIP) in 124 innings. He posted the best K/BB of his career (2.21) and pretty sustainable LOB% (73%) and HR/FB(9.5%). Montgomery should continue to be one of the more reliable arms for the Cubs, though I don't expect him to start much this year, he should still be an effective member of the bullpen.
Tyler Chatwood, 29 was the Cubs second biggest signing of the 2017 offseason and the results were a complete disaster. Chatwood walked 95 batters in 103.2 innings and no that is not a typo. His complete loss of control was one of the more frustrating storylines of the 2018 season and raises a lot of concerns going into 2019. Chatwood generally has good stuff as his fastball and curveball spin rates were both at elite levels, but it doesn't matter if he can't throw it for strikes. 2019 is a make or break season for Chatwood and if he can't find the strike zone soon his tenure in Chicago will be over soon.
Steve Cishek, 32, had one of the best seasons by a Cubs reliever in recent memory and was clearly their most important reliever throughout the whole season. He threw a career high 70.1 in a career high 80 appearances and didn't disappoint with a 2.18 ERA and allowed an incredibly impressive .181/.287/.306 line with a 2.79 K/BB. He did fade a bit down the stretch with a 4.15 ERA in September, but that was almost expected with how much the Cubs relied on him. His 3.91 xFIP suggests to expect a decent amount of regression, but so far his career trend has been to significantly outperform his peripherals. He probably won't be as good as 2018, but even if he regresses to around a 3.00 ERA he will still be a valuable member of the Cubs bullpen.
Pedro Strop, 33, before he went down with a hamstring injury running out a ground ball Strop was the rock of the Cubs bullpen. His 2.26 ERA in 59.2 innings was impressive as well as his dominance in high leverage spots(.548 OPS.) Though there should be some concern about his 4.08 xFIP and career high 83. LOB% with a career low 46.1 groundball percentage. He filled in adequately after Brandon Morrows season was ended, converting 13 of 17 save opportunities, but will likely move back to his normal 8th inning guy role next season. It's fair to expect Strops numbers to fall off a little bit next year, but he's been one of the best relievers in Cubs history and I expect to see more of the same next season.
Brandon Morrow, 34, when healthy he was a dominant relief arm for the Cubs, but after an unfortunate pants mishap in July he didn't pitch for the rest of the season. When he did pitch he was busy posting a 1.47 ERA in 30.2 innings and converted 22/24 save opportunities. He backed up the performance well too with a 1.08 WHIP and a 3.19 xFIP, and the only state that was ridiculous was his 93 LOB% . Morrow is projected to miss some time at the start of the season as he recovers from offseason elbow surgery, but he should return to his normal 9th inning role for 2019.
Catcher
Willson Contreras, 26, it was a tale of two halves for Contreras as the catcher went from being the NL starter at the All-Star game in 2018 to hitting a pitiful .200/.291/.294 in the second half. One of Contreras traits is his energy and it's fair to wonder if he wore down by the end of the season or if his breakdown was just one of many Cubs bats at the end of 2018. His framing metrics were not kind to him, though he did throw a solid 27 runners out. Contreras was one of 4 catchers that logged 1000 innings behind the plate, and it's very possible that was a big cause of his second half decline. I don't expect Contreras to repeat his second half numbers as I think a move away from Chili Davis will do wonders for his performance and if the Cubs can add a veteran backup catcher than a lighter workload could be huge for him.
Victor Caratini, 25, as of now Caratini is the projected back up catcher, but if the Cubs can add a veteran presence then that will change. Caratini did not hit well in 2018 with a .597 OPS and just two home runs along with a below average 6% walk rate. He caught 290.2 innings behind the plate throwing out a league average 28% of base runners, but like Contreras, had below average framing numbers. He will need to have a huge step forward offensively for the Cubs to not look for a veteran addition, but he did have a very good year in AAA and crushed the Puerto Rico Winter League in just 12 games.
Infield
Anthony Rizzo, 29, although Rizzo wasn't as good as he's been in years past he was still one of the best first baseman in the National League last year. He went from hitting .149/.259/.189 with a 15-4 K/BB rate to a .283/.376/.470 with 25 home runs along with playing his typical elite defense at first and winning his 2nd Gold Glove. There are some concerns about his back that has caused him to miss some time, but if he's healthy he should have another elite season. Rizzo has been one of the most important pieces for the Cubs throughout this decade, his bat and clubhouse leadership has made him one of the most valuable hitters in the league. It should be more of the same for Rizzo in 2019. but I would expect his numbers to jump a little bit if he can stay healthy.
Javier Baez, 26, it's not possible to describe how huge Baez was for the 2018 team. He finished 2nd in NL MVP voting with a .290/.326/.554 slash line with 34 home runs along with playing very good defense. Baez still does not walk at all, but he managed to make contact 50 percent of the time when he chased pitches out of the zone. It's highly unlikely that Baez will be able to replicate his 2018 performance as pitchers will most likely adjust to his over aggressiveness, but he definitely still has 30 home run power in him and if he can slightly improve his walk rate while maintaining solid middle infield defense he will be a very valuable player for the Cubs.
Daniel Descalso, 32, although he isn't the big bat signing Cubs fans wanted, he is the one they got. He had a solid season for the Diamondbacks slashing .238/.353/.436 with a career high 13 home runs. Part of Descalsos career high power numbers can be attributed to a significant increase in his launch angle, it jumped to 19.7 from 12.8 the year before. If he can keep it around that level it's not unreasonable to expect his home run numbers to remain the same. His numbers were much better at the hitter friendly Chase Field, but it's worth noting his .245 road BABIP likely deflated his numbers. Descalso provides the defensive versatility the Cubs love, he's spent time at every position except catcher and center field, and can fill in for almost everyone. He figures to be a utility guy that will be plugged in when someone needs a rest or he has a favorable matchup.
Kris Bryant, 27, expectations were high going into the 2018 season, but he played in just 102 games dealing with shoulder ailments that sapped a decent amount of his power. He still managed to hit a very solid .272/.374/.460, but the 12 home runs was a career low along with his .188 ISO. His defense at third also took a nose dive as he was worth -2 defensive runs saved and had a -3.2 ultimate zone rating. He did not have offseason surgery on his shoulder so the Cubs believe his shoulder had healed enough to avoid it. Bryant, barring any reoccurring shoulder issues, should return to being the hitter he has been in the past and could be a potential MVP candidate.
Addison Russell, 25, although Russell will not be on the Opening Day roster due to terrible domestic abuse allegations by his ex-wife, Russell is likely to take back his starting shortstop job when he returns. 2018 was not a good year for Russell, although his defense was still elite, he hit just .250/.317/.340 which is good for a 80 wRC+. The biggest concern for him was his power took a massive nosedive with just a .090 ISO and an average exit velocity of just 86.3 MPH his 26.5 hard hit percentage was one of the worst in the league. Ignoring his off the field issues, if Russell can improve his bat to where it was in the first half than he will be incredibly valuable to the Cubs, but if he doesn't than it may be time to start thinking about his future with the Cubs.
Outfielders
Kyle Schwarber, 25, it was a mixed bag season for Schwarber, who hit for power (26 home runs), and walked a lot (15.3%), but there's still room for improvement. His strikeout rate is still way too high at 27.5% and if he's gonna want to take the next step to becoming an elite hitter, than reducing that will be the biggest key. If he can get his slash line up to .260/.370/.500 than the Cubs would be in really good shape. His defense has improved significantly as he was worth 2 defensive runs saved in left field and had a 9.8 ultimate zone rating, his strong arm is his biggest asset as he threw out 11 runners on the base paths. This is a huge year for Schwarber and if he can keep progressing from his rough 2017 season than he should continue to be one of the most feared bats in the Cubs lineup.
Ian Happ, 24, 2018 was a disappointing season for Happ who struggled to make consistent contact and saw a drop off from his promising numbers as a rookie. When Ian Happ hits the ball he hits it hard, his 90 MPH exit velocity was in the 76th percentile in the MLB, but the big issue is the fact that he struck out 36.1 % of the time, a number that will not lead to any success in the big leagues. Happ has a ton of potential as a switch hitter, but he needs to make more consistent contact if he wants to live up to it. His defense was not good either as he was worth -6 defensive runs saved and a -3.3 UZR in the outfield. Happ is still young enough that his struggles can be corrected, but this will be a big year for him to see him start to make those corrections.
Albert Almora Jr., 24, I've talked about Almora Jr and what to expect from him before, but I'll talk about it again. Essentially it was a tale of two halves for Almora Jr. He went from hitting .319/.357/.438 in the first half to .232/.267/.280 in the second half. I highly doubt he is as good as he was in the first half. but he definitely is a better hitter than he was in the second half. He's an old school contact guy who won't walk too much, but also won't strike out an obscene amount. The only issue with high contact guys is they often rely on a bit of BABIP luck to hit for a high average. His defensive metrics were great as always with 8 runs saved in center. Almora should see his overall numbers remain at relatively the same numbers they were last year, though hopefully his halves aren't as extreme as last years.
Jason Heyward, 29, 2018 was Heywards best hitting season as a Cubs, and although it is still below average it gives some cause for optimism. Heyward his a respectable .270/.335/.395 last year including a walk off grand slam against the Phillies. One of Heywards more impressive traits is his ability to avoid strikeouts as he struck out just 12.3% of the time and only swung and missed just 16.7%.. Although his defense wasn't as good as it has been, he was still a very solid defender out in right with an 89% catch rate and 3 defensive runs saved. If Heyward can keep up his current offensive trajectory and still be the same defender than he is an incredibly valuable player for the Cubs, and even if the offense doesn't improve but the defense stays the same he provides a lot of value.
Ben Zobrist, 38, despite his advanced age he was excellent with the bat in 2018 on the heels of a disappointing and injury filled 2017. He hit .305/.378/.440 with a very good 10.6% walk rate and 11.5% strikeout rate. Zobrist is entering the last year of his contract and it's natural to expect some regression considering both his high BABIP (.331) and his higher than career average hard hit rate (35.5%). His biggest asset is his versatility as he can play both the infield and outfield at an above average level. He would be a big beneficiary of the NL potentially adding the DH as he could play there and potentially keep him more fresh throughout the season. Either way he probably won't be the hitter he was in 2018, but he is still a solid, versatile player that is exactly what this team needs.
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