2015 Cubs Offseason: Building a Winner Around David Ross

[Quality Start Machine]

What the hell are the Cubs going to do with Brendan Ryan?

[SKO]

What the hell are the Cubs going to do with Brendan Ryan?

See what size Bubble Yum bucket he needs and tell him to grab a seat?

[Eli]

What the hell are the Cubs going to do with Brendan Ryan?

He's awful and I'd be pretty surprised if he's on the Opening Day roster. I think he's less useful than Jonathan Herrera, actually.

[SKO]

What the hell are the Cubs going to do with Brendan Ryan?

He's awful and I'd be pretty surprised if he's on the Opening Day roster. I think he's less useful than Jonathan Herrera, actually.

Yeah I'm not sure why he would be the PTBNL at all here, unless it was a salary thing.

[Tonker]

What the hell are the Cubs going to do with Brendan Ryan?

He's awful and I'd be pretty surprised if he's on the Opening Day roster. I think he's less useful than Jonathan Herrera, actually.

Yeah I'm not sure why he would be the PTBNL at all here, unless it was a salary thing.

Hardly: he's getting paid $1MM in this, the last year of his deal.

[Quality Start Machine]

What the hell are the Cubs going to do with Brendan Ryan?

He's awful and I'd be pretty surprised if he's on the Opening Day roster. I think he's less useful than Jonathan Herrera, actually.

Yeah I'm not sure why he would be the PTBNL at all here, unless it was a salary thing.

Hardly: he's getting paid $1MM in this, the last year of his deal.

Besides, this would be an odd time for the Yankees to suddenly start giving a shit about payroll.

[SKO]

What the hell are the Cubs going to do with Brendan Ryan?

He's awful and I'd be pretty surprised if he's on the Opening Day roster. I think he's less useful than Jonathan Herrera, actually.

Yeah I'm not sure why he would be the PTBNL at all here, unless it was a salary thing.

Hardly: he's getting paid $1MM in this, the last year of his deal.

Besides, this would be an odd time for the Yankees to suddenly start giving a shit about payroll.

The Yankees have been giving a shit about payroll for several years now.

[Canadouche]

What the hell are the Cubs going to do with Brendan Ryan?

Ryan has much-needed post season experience, plus he's shown some surprising dominance when used out of the pen. A player with this amount of versatility is like gold.

[Saul Goodman]

His job is apparently to keep trolling the shit out of Cardinals fans.

[Quality Start Machine]

What the hell are the Cubs going to do with Brendan Ryan?

He's awful and I'd be pretty surprised if he's on the Opening Day roster. I think he's less useful than Jonathan Herrera, actually.

Yeah I'm not sure why he would be the PTBNL at all here, unless it was a salary thing.

Hardly: he's getting paid $1MM in this, the last year of his deal.

Besides, this would be an odd time for the Yankees to suddenly start giving a shit about payroll.

The Yankees have been giving a shit about payroll for several years now.

Number 2 with 2 open spots on the 40. Maybe they've eased up a tad since George died, but they've still got 5 guys making over 20 mildo, and their top 7 make more than the entire Cubs' payroll, even with figuring in Jake's arbitration.

[Bort]

Interesting nugget from Peter Gammons that I hadn't heard on the guy SKO hates. This also makes it sound like a starting pitcher deal might not happen until midseason.

Hoyer and Epstein tried to get one young, controllable starter to fit in behind Lester, Jake Arrieta and Lackey with Kyle Hendricks and Jason Hammel. They were in the Shelby Miller sweepstakes, but the Braves insisted on both Soler and Willson Contreras, but Chicago would not include Contreras, who may well end up catching in the big leagues as the season progresses.

Tampa wanted Baez, but the Cubs still have concerns about the medicals on Drew Smyly and Alex Cobb, coming off injury. They tried to get involved with Carlos Carrasco or Danny Salazar with the Indians, but the price is high. It may be that come Memorial Day, the Cubs are settled enough and the Indians have started slowly enough that some sort of deal could be worked around one of the Indians starters and a Baez/Soler package. But the Indians know that if they have their current rotation and things break right, they can be serious contenders in the American League Central, and be serious contenders built on starting pitching. So why move one of the Big Four before seeing where Michael Brantley is come April?

Considering what the Braves got for Miller, neither Soler & Contreras for Miller or Baez & Soler for Corrasco are outside the realm of possibility.

But if I were Theo, I'll be goddamned if my trigger finger wouldn't be really fucking itchy on the Corrasco deal if that's what Cleveland wanted.

"That's Our Fork"

You wouldn't trade Soler and Contreras for a 5-win pitcher?

Was that the question?  I was too distracted by your comment being enveloped into what you were quoting (hence the phrase).

"There but for the grace of God go I"?

"tHree bu tfor teh grave of BoD go"

I Muttley'd.

[Quality Start Machine]

So as of now, the Cubs have:

C-Ross
C-Montero
C/OF - Schwarber
1B - Rizzo
2B - Zobrist
SS - Russell
3B/OF - Bryant
IF - Ryan
IF - LaStella
IF - Baez
OF - Coghlan
OF - Heyward
OF - Soler
OF - Szczur
SP - Arrieta
SP - Lester
SP - Lackey
SP - Hendricks
SP - Hammel
RP - Brothers
RP - Cahill
RP - Ramirez
RP - Warren
RP - Wood
RP - Strop
RP - Grimm
RP - Rosscup
RP - Rondon


That's 28 guys, not including Edwards or Patton, who will probably start things off in Iowa.

So do they make another deal or do they just look to cut guys out of Spring Training?

[Saul Goodman]

So as of now, the Cubs have:

C-Ross
C-Montero
C/OF - Schwarber
1B - Rizzo
2B - Zobrist
SS - Russell
3B/OF - Bryant
IF - Ryan
IF - LaStella
IF - Baez
OF - Coghlan
OF - Heyward
OF - Soler
OF - Szczur
SP - Arrieta
SP - Lester
SP - Lackey
SP - Hendricks
SP - Hammel
RP - Brothers
RP - Cahill
RP - Ramirez
RP - Warren
RP - Wood
RP - Strop
RP - Grimm
RP - Rosscup
RP - Rondon


That's 28 guys, not including Edwards or Patton, who will probably start things off in Iowa.

So do they make another deal or do they just look to cut guys out of Spring Training?

Ah yes, the key December 23 roster deadline has arrived. Get it together, Theo!

[Yeti]

So as of now, the Cubs have:

C-Ross
C-Montero
C/OF - Schwarber
1B - Rizzo
2B - Zobrist
SS - Russell
3B/OF - Bryant
IF - Ryan
IF - LaStella
IF - Baez
OF - Coghlan
OF - Heyward
OF - Soler
OF - Szczur
SP - Arrieta
SP - Lester
SP - Lackey
SP - Hendricks
SP - Hammel
RP - Brothers
RP - Cahill
RP - Ramirez
RP - Warren
RP - Wood
RP - Strop
RP - Grimm
RP - Rosscup
RP - Rondon


That's 28 guys, not including Edwards or Patton, who will probably start things off in Iowa.

So do they make another deal or do they just look to cut guys out of Spring Training?

David Patton is back? Fuck

[SKO]

So as of now, the Cubs have:

C-Ross
C-Montero
C/OF - Schwarber
1B - Rizzo
2B - Zobrist
SS - Russell
3B/OF - Bryant
IF - Ryan
IF - LaStella
IF - Baez
OF - Coghlan
OF - Heyward
OF - Soler
OF - Szczur
SP - Arrieta
SP - Lester
SP - Lackey
SP - Hendricks
SP - Hammel
RP - Brothers
RP - Cahill
RP - Ramirez
RP - Warren
RP - Wood
RP - Strop
RP - Grimm
RP - Rosscup
RP - Rondon


That's 28 guys, not including Edwards or Patton, who will probably start things off in Iowa.

So do they make another deal or do they just look to cut guys out of Spring Training?

I would just roll with those guys into spring training. They aren't getting the value they want trading Baez or Soler so both are Cubs till at least July 31st. As for the bullpen/pitching log jam, that'll sort itself out. Last year they seemed to have crazy bullpen depth going into spring training and then Ramirez and Grimm got hurt and we had to spend a month watching Brian Schlitter and Phil Coke. I prefer having to possibly cut someone who is actually good to having to play someone who is definitely shitty.