2015 Cubs Offseason: Building a Winner Around David Ross

[SKO]

What's the feeling around trying to acquire Shelby Miller as 4th starter, assuming The Cubs also sign one of the top-tier FAs?  He probably wouldn't cost as much as Carrasco or Ross but also isn't as good.

I'm pretty sure last year was his ceiling but, who knows?

I've been wondering if there's a fit with any of the young Rays pitchers. Odorizzi, Smyly, Karns all would make sense, but I wouldn't give up Soler for any of the three, and that seems to be who the Rays would want.

Getting Karns from The Rays would be, literally, impossible.  He's now a Mariner.

Oh wow I totally missed that. Well jeez I feel like if that package got Karns, a perfectly respectable #4 type, the Cubs should be able to land a quality starter without even touching Soler or Baez.

[Oleg]

What's the feeling around trying to acquire Shelby Miller as 4th starter, assuming The Cubs also sign one of the top-tier FAs?  He probably wouldn't cost as much as Carrasco or Ross but also isn't as good.

I'm pretty sure last year was his ceiling but, who knows?

I've been wondering if there's a fit with any of the young Rays pitchers. Odorizzi, Smyly, Karns all would make sense, but I wouldn't give up Soler for any of the three, and that seems to be who the Rays would want.

Getting Karns from The Rays would be, literally, impossible.  He's now a Mariner.

Oh wow I totally missed that. Well jeez I feel like if that package got Karns, a perfectly respectable #4 type, the Cubs should be able to land a quality starter without even touching Soler or Baez.

Odorizzi is interesting.  Not expensive, probably.  Not sure what The rays would need but someone should ask Hendry's secretary to lob a call.  Maybe McKinney plus?  Probably more, huh?

[Eli]

What's the feeling around trying to acquire Shelby Miller as 4th starter, assuming The Cubs also sign one of the top-tier FAs?  He probably wouldn't cost as much as Carrasco or Ross but also isn't as good.

I'm pretty sure last year was his ceiling but, who knows?

I've been wondering if there's a fit with any of the young Rays pitchers. Odorizzi, Smyly, Karns all would make sense, but I wouldn't give up Soler for any of the three, and that seems to be who the Rays would want.

Getting Karns from The Rays would be, literally, impossible.  He's now a Mariner.

Oh wow I totally missed that. Well jeez I feel like if that package got Karns, a perfectly respectable #4 type, the Cubs should be able to land a quality starter without even touching Soler or Baez.

Odorizzi is interesting.  Not expensive, probably.  Not sure what The rays would need but someone should ask Hendry's secretary to lob a call.  Maybe McKinney plus?  Probably more, huh?

Don't the Rays have a reputation of being almost impossible to trade with because their asking prices are so high? I feel like I've heard this, even after Friedman left.

[SKO]

What's the feeling around trying to acquire Shelby Miller as 4th starter, assuming The Cubs also sign one of the top-tier FAs?  He probably wouldn't cost as much as Carrasco or Ross but also isn't as good.

I'm pretty sure last year was his ceiling but, who knows?

I've been wondering if there's a fit with any of the young Rays pitchers. Odorizzi, Smyly, Karns all would make sense, but I wouldn't give up Soler for any of the three, and that seems to be who the Rays would want.

Getting Karns from The Rays would be, literally, impossible.  He's now a Mariner.

Oh wow I totally missed that. Well jeez I feel like if that package got Karns, a perfectly respectable #4 type, the Cubs should be able to land a quality starter without even touching Soler or Baez.

Odorizzi is interesting.  Not expensive, probably.  Not sure what The rays would need but someone should ask Hendry's secretary to lob a call.  Maybe McKinney plus?  Probably more, huh?

Don't the Rays have a reputation of being almost impossible to trade with because their asking prices are so high? I feel like I've heard this, even after Friedman left.

Well Karns didn't seem to cost much, otherwise I guess I don't know. I wasn't even aware that was Friedman's reputation, although he certainly seems to have done well in the trades I can remember him pulling off (Price/Shields/Garza (sigh)). I do remember the Rays being despised in the Pre-Friedman days for unrealistic asking prices, which is why Aubrey Huff languished there forever.

[Saul Goodman]

Jake! Leathersnitch! The Cubs finally get one of those young Mets pitchers.

[Quality Start Machine]

Jake! Leathersnitch! The Cubs finally get one of those young Mets pitchers.

Between this and Andury Acevedo, the Cubs nabbed a couple low-risk guys with the potential of nice return on investment. Not bad.

[Oleg]

Jake! Leathersnitch! The Cubs finally get one of those young Mets pitchers.

Between this and Andury Acevedo, the Cubs nabbed a couple low-risk guys with the potential of nice return on investment. Not bad.

Except they all have to go on the 40 man roster and their 40-man roster crunch is well documented.  Epstink is up to something.

[Chuck to Chuck]

Jake! Leathersnitch! The Cubs finally get one of those young Mets pitchers.

Between this and Andury Acevedo, the Cubs nabbed a couple low-risk guys with the potential of nice return on investment. Not bad.

Except they all have to go on the 40 man roster and their 40-man roster crunch is well documented.  Epstink is up to something.

Think I read the 40 man is at 32 today.

Yep.  31 once Leatherface is added to the 60-day DL.

[Quality Start Machine]

Jake! Leathersnitch! The Cubs finally get one of those young Mets pitchers.

Between this and Andury Acevedo, the Cubs nabbed a couple low-risk guys with the potential of nice return on investment. Not bad.

Except they all have to go on the 40 man roster and their 40-man roster crunch is well documented.  Epstink is up to something.

If by "something" you mean "putting together a team for 2016", then yeah.

[Saul Goodman]

Holy crap, Cumberbatch has averaged 15.2 K/9 in the minors. Here's hoping Chris Bosio and company can fix his control issues (4.9 BB/9) and turn him into another bullpen monster picked up on the cheap.

[PenFoe]

Holy crap, Cumberbatch has averaged 15.2 K/9 in the minors. Here's hoping Chris Bosio and company can fix his control issues (4.9 BB/9) and turn him into another bullpen monster picked up on the cheap.

NO

[Saul Goodman]

Holy crap, Cumberbatch has averaged 15.2 K/9 in the minors. Here's hoping Chris Bosio and company can fix his control issues (4.9 BB/9) and turn him into another bullpen monster picked up on the cheap.

NO

How can you even type with Snork's dong hanging out of your mouth?

[Saul Goodman]

As a general rule I don't believe anything Dave Kaplan says.

[SKO]

As a general rule I don't believe anything Dave Kaplan says.

Actually Kaplan is usually pretty locked in on rumors. He reported that the Cubs had offered Lester 7 years and 135 million+ early in the offseason last year and stood by it as Gordo said he heard it was nowhere near that blah blah.

It's Kaplan's opinion that's completely fucking worthless.

[SKO]

DPD, but I am going to hope they floated the Lackey rumors just to get us all willing to accept Snork back with open arms, because fuck John Lackey.