The Starlin Castro Farewell Tour?

[Quality Start Machine]

He's a 25 year old shortstop one year removed from being an all-star, with a team-friendlywhose multi year stats place him at the bottom of the list for starting MLB short stops and he has a long term contract.

Wherever the convo travels from here, the "he doesn't have any trade value" part of it needs to be removed.

He doesn't have any trade value.

No, Chuck...I mean, you realize than in 4 of his 6 seasons his OPS+ is over 100, right?

[Yeti]

If Castro truly has no trade value, then just keep him and let him play the Jonathan Herrera role next year. Maybe that's too awkward of a possibility and they'd rather just start clean, but I don't see them just dumping him entirely without getting back some kind of value.

Fortunately, there are definitely a few GMs in baseball who will look at Castro's age and history and reckon he's worth something.  I think the Cubs will be able to trade him, and not get completely arseraped, either.

That's definitely possible. I think they can get rid of him for only a few hemorrhoids.

Also, a Shields type acquisition wouldn't replace Hendricks, it would replace Haren.  Adding Price next year would replace Hammel.  Hendricks at $510k isn't going anywhere. He makes Price possible.

Hammel isn't a FA after this season

[Chuck to Chuck]

If Castro truly has no trade value, then just keep him and let him play the Jonathan Herrera role next year. Maybe that's too awkward of a possibility and they'd rather just start clean, but I don't see them just dumping him entirely without getting back some kind of value.

Fortunately, there are definitely a few GMs in baseball who will look at Castro's age and history and reckon he's worth something.  I think the Cubs will be able to trade him, and not get completely arseraped, either.

That's definitely possible. I think they can get rid of him for only a few hemorrhoids.

Also, a Shields type acquisition wouldn't replace Hendricks, it would replace Haren.  Adding Price next year would replace Hammel.  Hendricks at $510k isn't going anywhere. He makes Price possible.

Hammel isn't a FA after this season

Hammel goes to the pen in that scenario. Or gets traded.

[Chuck to Chuck]

He's a 25 year old shortstop one year removed from being an all-star, with a team-friendlywhose multi year stats place him at the bottom of the list for starting MLB short stops and he has a long term contract.

Wherever the convo travels from here, the "he doesn't have any trade value" part of it needs to be removed.

He doesn't have any trade value.

No, Chuck...I mean, you realize than in 4 of his 6 seasons his OPS+ is over 100, right?

No, Fork...I mean, you realize than over the last 3 seasons he ranks 24th in WAR for shortstops, right?
No, Fork...I mean, you realize than over the last 4 seasons he ranks 19th in WAR for shortstops, right?
No, Fork...I mean, you realize than over the last 5 seasons he ranks 17th in WAR for shortstops, right?

I mean, you realize that's called a trend line, right?

[SKO]

If Castro truly has no trade value, then just keep him and let him play the Jonathan Herrera role next year. Maybe that's too awkward of a possibility and they'd rather just start clean, but I don't see them just dumping him entirely without getting back some kind of value.

Fortunately, there are definitely a few GMs in baseball who will look at Castro's age and history and reckon he's worth something.  I think the Cubs will be able to trade him, and not get completely arseraped, either.

That's definitely possible. I think they can get rid of him for only a few hemorrhoids.

Also, a Shields type acquisition wouldn't replace Hendricks, it would replace Haren.  Adding Price next year would replace Hammel.  Hendricks at $510k isn't going anywhere. He makes Price possible.

Hammel isn't a FA after this season

Hammel goes to the pen in that scenario. Or gets traded.

And again, why would you replace a younger, better, cheaper pitcher with one year left on his deal with James Shields and that contract?

If that's the cost for offloading Starlin, you are better off keeping Starlin.

[Saul Goodman]

Guys, guys. He goes to the Mets for Jacob de Grom and that's that, end of story. Are we done here?

[Quality Start Machine]

Guys, guys. He goes to the Mets for Jacob de Grom and that's that, end of story. Are we done here?

Close, he goes to the Jets to be their new quarterback.

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

That crazy right-winger from Florida had some interesting things to say about Starlin today.

[Chuck to Chuck]

If Castro truly has no trade value, then just keep him and let him play the Jonathan Herrera role next year. Maybe that's too awkward of a possibility and they'd rather just start clean, but I don't see them just dumping him entirely without getting back some kind of value.

Fortunately, there are definitely a few GMs in baseball who will look at Castro's age and history and reckon he's worth something.  I think the Cubs will be able to trade him, and not get completely arseraped, either.

That's definitely possible. I think they can get rid of him for only a few hemorrhoids.

Also, a Shields type acquisition wouldn't replace Hendricks, it would replace Haren.  Adding Price next year would replace Hammel.  Hendricks at $510k isn't going anywhere. He makes Price possible.

Hammel isn't a FA after this season

Hammel goes to the pen in that scenario. Or gets traded.

And again, why would you replace a younger, better, cheaper pitcher with one year left on his deal with James Shields and that contract?

If that's the cost for offloading Starlin, you are better off keeping Starlin.

Because the return on Starlin sitting on the bench is zero while the return on increasing salary to fill a need would be positive.  It eliminates the need to start Tsuyoshi Wada 7 times, Travis Wood 7 times, Clayton Richard 3 times, Dallas Beeler 3 times, Dan Haren 1 time and Donn Roach 1 time.

[SKO]

If Castro truly has no trade value, then just keep him and let him play the Jonathan Herrera role next year. Maybe that's too awkward of a possibility and they'd rather just start clean, but I don't see them just dumping him entirely without getting back some kind of value.

Fortunately, there are definit

ely a few GMs in baseball who will look at Castro's age and history and reckon he's worth something.  I think the Cubs will be able to trade him, and not get completely arseraped, either.

That's definitely possible. I think they can get rid of him for only a few hemorrhoids.

Also, a Shields type acquisition wouldn't replace Hendricks, it would replace Haren.  Adding Price next year would replace Hammel.  Hendricks at $510k isn't going anywhere. He makes Price possible.

Hammel isn't a FA after this season

Hammel goes to the pen in that scenario. Or gets traded.

And again, why would you replace a younger, better, cheaper pitcher with one year left on his deal with James Shields and that contract?

If that's the cost for offloading Starlin, you are better off keeping Starlin.

Because the return on Starlin sitting on the bench is zero while the return on increasing salary to fill a need would be positive.  It eliminates the need to start Tsuyoshi Wada 7 times, Travis Wood 7 times, Clayton Richard 3 times, Dallas Beeler 3 times, Dan Haren 1 time and Donn Roach 1 time.

Except in your scenario they have already eliminated that need by signing Price. So again how does adding a pitcher more expensive and not as good as Hammel help? Also Shields has been worth over a win less this year than last. Pretty soon he's likely to be a - WAR player owed 20 million dollars. So your brilliant strategy is to pay a pitcher version of Castro more money than Castro just so you can say you got "something" for Castro.

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

God I had forgotten about the Donn Roach Game.

In fact, I'm still not clearly remembering it.

[Chuck to Chuck]

Except in your scenario they have already eliminated that need by signing Price. S

No, that's not what my scenario was. It was originally an either/or.  But, then again, you're the SKOiest.

[SKO]

Except in your scenario they have already eliminated that need by signing Price. S

No, that's not what my scenario was. It was originally an either/or.  But, then again, you're the SKOiest.

Then why did you talk about moving Hammel to the pen? Jesus. There is no acceptable scenario for saying James Shields should be in the Cubs plans. None.

Regardless there are many ways to add cheap, good pitching or they could go after Price (in which case having Shields contract would probably be more prohibitive than having Castro's). Adding Shields makes no sense in any scenario from a competitive or financial perspective.  They'd be better off eating half of Castro's deal and trading him for a AA reliever

[Saul Goodman]

That crazy right-winger from Florida had some interesting things to say about Starlin today.

That overwrought opening graf belongs in Totally Unreadable though.

[Tonker]

Really nice play in the top of the ninth from our boy, there.