2015 Cubs Offseason: Building a Winner Around David Ross

[PenFoe]

I think with this offense they can get by with Almora in CF for a few weeks if they absolutely had to.  By all accounts his defense is MLB ready.  Seems like it'd be a painful to see him flail away at MLB pitching (he and Ross in the lineup would frighten me) but if they didn't re-sign Jackson and didn't feel comfortable with Baez out there then I think that could turn out to be a plausible short-term solution.

They'd just go with Szczur out there. Almora would OPS like .400 in the bigs right now.

THIS for sure.

Except Baez.

Baez would be my first choice in this awful hypothetical where Heyward gets hurt.  It's just that Baez-as-a-CF is kind of an unknown quantity at this point.  Let's see how it plays out in Mesa.

I'd probably put Eddy Julio Martinez in CF, sight unseen, than Almora.

Yeah well you're a proven dope.

That feels very subjective. 

[Eli]

I think with this offense they can get by with Almora in CF for a few weeks if they absolutely had to.  By all accounts his defense is MLB ready.  Seems like it'd be a painful to see him flail away at MLB pitching (he and Ross in the lineup would frighten me) but if they didn't re-sign Jackson and didn't feel comfortable with Baez out there then I think that could turn out to be a plausible short-term solution.

They'd just go with Szczur out there. Almora would OPS like .400 in the bigs right now.

I'll take that if the alternative means having to watch a 3-ring circus in the OF, which is what the outfield defense would look like with Mack Seizure holding down the fort in center is all I was saying.

It's not like he's Kevin Kiermaier out there. He's probably an above-average defensive CF right now. If Heyward were to get hurt, there'd be dozens of options available in trade or off the street that would likely be better than Almora.

If Almora has any role in their future plans, he should just be getting minor-league reps until his plate approach sticks. Making him face major-league pitching would just be cruel.

[PenFoe]

I think with this offense they can get by with Almora in CF for a few weeks if they absolutely had to.  By all accounts his defense is MLB ready.  Seems like it'd be a painful to see him flail away at MLB pitching (he and Ross in the lineup would frighten me) but if they didn't re-sign Jackson and didn't feel comfortable with Baez out there then I think that could turn out to be a plausible short-term solution.

They'd just go with Szczur out there. Almora would OPS like .400 in the bigs right now.

I'll take that if the alternative means having to watch a 3-ring circus in the OF, which is what the outfield defense would look like with Mack Seizure holding down the fort in center is all I was saying.

It's not like he's Kevin Kiermaier out there. He's probably an above-average defensive CF right now. If Heyward were to get hurt, there'd be dozens of options available in trade or off the street that would likely be better than Almora.

If Almora has any role in their future plans, he should just be getting minor-league reps until his plate approach sticks. Making him face major-league pitching would just be cruel.

I have as big a prospect-boner as anyone and I've been well known to really overrate these guys, but Almora is crappy. 

[PenFoe]

DPD. 

No idea about this source, but this guy says the Cubs have the best rotation in all of MLB.

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

DPD. 

No idea about this source, but this guy says the Cubs have the best rotation in all of MLB.

When I read something like this...

Only the Cardinals have Nos. 4 and 5 starters that stack up to Jason Hammel and Kyle Hendricks,

...I assume we've reached the End Times of Starting Pitching.

That can't be true, can it?  Hammel and Hendricks are the best 4/5 in baseball?  Really?

[Yeti]

DPD. 

No idea about this source, but this guy says the Cubs have the best rotation in all of MLB.

When I read something like this...

Only the Cardinals have Nos. 4 and 5 starters that stack up to Jason Hammel and Kyle Hendricks,

...I assume we've reached the End Times of Starting Pitching.

That can't be true, can it?  Hammel and Hendricks are the best 4/5 in baseball?  Really?

Hammel had an fWAR of 2.4, bWAR of 1.7, a FIP of 3.68, and an ERA+ of 105
Hendricks had an fWAR of 3.4, bWAR of 1.8, a FIP of 3.36, and an ERA+ of 99.

I know Hammel gets the hate due to his progressive descent to mediocrity last year. I know we are terrified of Hendricks because he looks like he'll get lit up every 5th day, but I think we need to stop being so fatalistic about those 2. They're not as bad as we might feel like they are.

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

DPD. 

No idea about this source, but this guy says the Cubs have the best rotation in all of MLB.

When I read something like this...

Only the Cardinals have Nos. 4 and 5 starters that stack up to Jason Hammel and Kyle Hendricks,

...I assume we've reached the End Times of Starting Pitching.

That can't be true, can it?  Hammel and Hendricks are the best 4/5 in baseball?  Really?

Hammel had an fWAR of 2.4, bWAR of 1.7, a FIP of 3.68, and an ERA+ of 105
Hendricks had an fWAR of 3.4, bWAR of 1.8, a FIP of 3.36, and an ERA+ of 99.

I know Hammel gets the hate due to his progressive descent to mediocrity last year. I know we are terrified of Hendricks because he looks like he'll get lit up every 5th day, but I think we need to stop being so fatalistic about those 2. They're not as bad as we might feel like they are.

I wasn't being fatalistic so much as just (apparently) undervaluing the back-end of the Cubs rotation.

In any event, heady times we're in.

[InternetApex]

DPD. 

No idea about this source, but this guy says the Cubs have the best rotation in all of MLB.

When I read something like this...

Only the Cardinals have Nos. 4 and 5 starters that stack up to Jason Hammel and Kyle Hendricks,

...I assume we've reached the End Times of Starting Pitching.

That can't be true, can it?  Hammel and Hendricks are the best 4/5 in baseball?  Really?

Hammel had an fWAR of 2.4, bWAR of 1.7, a FIP of 3.68, and an ERA+ of 105
Hendricks had an fWAR of 3.4, bWAR of 1.8, a FIP of 3.36, and an ERA+ of 99.

I know Hammel gets the hate due to his progressive descent to mediocrity last year. I know we are terrified of Hendricks because he looks like he'll get lit up every 5th day, but I think we need to stop being so fatalistic about those 2. They're not as bad as we might feel like they are.

I wasn't being fatalistic so much as just (apparently) undervaluing the back-end of the Cubs rotation.

In any event, heady times we're in.

In 2004, the Cubs had Matt Clement and Greg Maddux as the 4th and 5th starters. That team won the offseason world series so hard I can still feel it in my colon when the weather is just so.

[SKO]

DPD. 

No idea about this source, but this guy says the Cubs have the best rotation in all of MLB.

When I read something like this...

Only the Cardinals have Nos. 4 and 5 starters that stack up to Jason Hammel and Kyle Hendricks,

...I assume we've reached the End Times of Starting Pitching.

That can't be true, can it?  Hammel and Hendricks are the best 4/5 in baseball?  Really?

Hammel had an fWAR of 2.4, bWAR of 1.7, a FIP of 3.68, and an ERA+ of 105
Hendricks had an fWAR of 3.4, bWAR of 1.8, a FIP of 3.36, and an ERA+ of 99.

I know Hammel gets the hate due to his progressive descent to mediocrity last year. I know we are terrified of Hendricks because he looks like he'll get lit up every 5th day, but I think we need to stop being so fatalistic about those 2. They're not as bad as we might feel like they are.

I have bitched about Hendricks more than anyone but Sterling and I still agree he's a wonderful 5th starter. I think the problem with Hammel is there's no way to know which Hammel we are getting. I doubt we see first half Hammel again and second half Hammel wasnt even serviceable. 

That said, if Hammel falters Warren also seems to be an above average starting pitcher who is probably better than most 4s. Heady times indeed

[Saul Goodman]

DPD.  

No idea about this source, but this guy says the Cubs have the best rotation in all of MLB.

It's a strange list of the best rotations that doesn't even list the projected rotations, 1-5, themselves.

I also think the Mets' is better, but a Cubs trade for Carrasco, Salazar, Odorizzi, or dare I say Gray would push them to number 1.

And SKO's right. I still hate Hendricks but I can't argue with the overall value.

[Oleg]

DPD. 

No idea about this source, but this guy says the Cubs have the best rotation in all of MLB.

When I read something like this...

Only the Cardinals have Nos. 4 and 5 starters that stack up to Jason Hammel and Kyle Hendricks,

...I assume we've reached the End Times of Starting Pitching.

That can't be true, can it?  Hammel and Hendricks are the best 4/5 in baseball?  Really?

Hammel had an fWAR of 2.4, bWAR of 1.7, a FIP of 3.68, and an ERA+ of 105
Hendricks had an fWAR of 3.4, bWAR of 1.8, a FIP of 3.36, and an ERA+ of 99.

I know Hammel gets the hate due to his progressive descent to mediocrity last year. I know we are terrified of Hendricks because he looks like he'll get lit up every 5th day, but I think we need to stop being so fatalistic about those 2. They're not as bad as we might feel like they are.

I wasn't being fatalistic so much as just (apparently) undervaluing the back-end of the Cubs rotation.

In any event, heady times we're in.

The Cubs are still pretty top-heavy.  They're one of the best rotations in baseball because they project to get about 8 wins out of Arrieta/Lester.  Add in 3 wins from Lackey and they could have league-average starting (or slightly below) and still be top-5.

The Mets don't have anyone as good as Arrieta.  Yet.  They seem to have about 4 x 4-win pitchers, which is also scary good.  Same with Cleveland.

It's also the only reason that The Dodgers are in the conversation...Kershaw is about an 8-win pitcher, which is crazy.

[SKO]

The Cubs have signed Matt Murton to a minor league deal according to the twitter.

Hi Apex

[Eli]

The Cubs have signed Matt Murton to a minor league deal according to the twitter.

Hi Apex

This is more exciting than the Jason Heyward signing.

[Powdered Toast Man]

The Cubs have signed Matt Murton to a minor league deal according to the twitter.

Hi Apex

This is more exciting than the Jason Heyward signing.

I cannot contain my excite.

[SKO]

Via some dude in Eli's Twitter: The Matt Murton Family Breakfast



Yes that appears to be some kind of breakfast sandwich and some kind of chicken breakfast with Matt Murton's face on it.