tx_rush Posted December 9, 2015 Share Posted December 9, 2015 Castro trade to Yankees reported confirmed, in exchange for RHP Adam Warren and PTBN. Cubs instantly become more likeable Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
satchmothesnowdog Posted December 9, 2015 Share Posted December 9, 2015 Bruce Levine just reported the cubs were dangling Soler for Shelby Miller, but the braves are apparently high. Maddon just came out and said Soler and Baez are two guys he wants to build around and the talk rado here has done nothing but talk about Heyward possibly signing today. My friend in the Bronx hates the Yankees more than anything and he's cussing Theo out right now so bad. He hates the Yankees so much he's actually a sox fan. Any thoughts on Theo trading Castro to the skanks as an FU to the sox? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Analog Cub Posted December 9, 2015 Share Posted December 9, 2015 Bruce Levine just reported the cubs were dangling Soler for Shelby Miller, but the braves are apparently high. Maddon just came out and said Soler and Baez are two guys he wants to build around and the talk rado here has done nothing but talk about Heyward possibly signing today. My friend in the Bronx hates the Yankees more than anything and he's cussing Theo out right now so bad. He hates the Yankees so much he's actually a sox fan. Any thoughts on Theo trading Castro to the skanks as an FU to the sox? I don't think Theo would trade Castro to the Yankees as a way of giving a team he hasn't worked for in years the middle finger. Castro isn't exactly a player that would singlehandedly carry a team to the top of its division. When he's on, he's a dominant 5-6 batter. When he's off, he's GIDP, losing games through fielding errors, or just striking out a lot. Yanks should expect inconsistency unless they're able to change him around like he went through after getting swapped to 2B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
satchmothesnowdog Posted December 9, 2015 Share Posted December 9, 2015 (edited) Bruce Levine just reported the cubs were dangling Soler for Shelby Miller, but the braves are apparently high. Maddon just came out and said Soler and Baez are two guys he wants to build around and the talk rado here has done nothing but talk about Heyward possibly signing today. My friend in the Bronx hates the Yankees more than anything and he's cussing Theo out right now so bad. He hates the Yankees so much he's actually a sox fan. Any thoughts on Theo trading Castro to the skanks as an FU to the sox? I don't think Theo would trade Castro to the Yankees as a way of giving a team he hasn't worked for in years the middle finger. Castro isn't exactly a player that would singlehandedly carry a team to the top of its division. When he's on, he's a dominant 5-6 batter. When he's off, he's GIDP, losing games through fielding errors, or just striking out a lot. Yanks should expect inconsistency unless they're able to change him around like he went through after getting swapped to 2B.No, my friend is irrational when it comes to the Yankees. Every player they acquire is going to be a hall of fame player and they screwed whoever traded them to them. He's having a meltdown. The cubs got rid of a shit contract, picked up the perfect player for that young team and got a pitcher who led the league in pop ups because of a rising fastball. Plus, he's cheap and under contract control. Another smart move. Lose Motte, replace him. That Theo theory was his, by the way. Edited December 9, 2015 by satchmothesnowdog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
satchmothesnowdog Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 Wscr in Chicago report Heyward is a Cub!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Analog Cub Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 They're gonna get Heyward to play CF? Or is it as I feared and they're gonna trader Soler for either a CF or they re-sign Fowler? LackeyHeywardZobristWarren for CastroA bunch of bullpen moves There are definitely worse offseasons. And we took two of the Cardinals' players :haz: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
satchmothesnowdog Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 They're gonna get Heyward to play CF? Or is it as I feared and they're gonna trader Soler for either a CF or they re-sign Fowler? LackeyHeywardZobristWarren for CastroA bunch of bullpen moves There are definitely worse offseasons. And we took two of the Cardinals' players :haz:heyward is a center fielder and they claim right now their plans are to keep soler in right. Heyward won a gold glove in center, don't forget that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tx_rush Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 Heyward is only 26. Very good player. I think they will probably have to move Soler at some point, but you cant keep everyone. Heyward defensively could be a solid-above average centerfielder, or an elite RF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
satchmothesnowdog Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 They signed him to play center. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laughedatbytime Posted December 11, 2015 Author Share Posted December 11, 2015 Heyward is only 26. Very good player. I think they will probably have to move Soler at some point, but you cant keep everyone. Heyward defensively could be a solid-above average centerfielder, or an elite RF.I'd rather have Soler, Fowler, and Heyward in that order. If this contract keeps us from signing a pitcher or requires trading a good young hitter for a pitcher, I'll be pretty pissed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
satchmothesnowdog Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 Heyward is only 26. Very good player. I think they will probably have to move Soler at some point, but you cant keep everyone. Heyward defensively could be a solid-above average centerfielder, or an elite RF.I'd rather have Soler, Fowler, and Heyward in that order. If this contract keeps us from signing a pitcher or requires trading a good young hitter for a pitcher, I'll be pretty pissed.they've been dangling Soler out there for two weeks, but the Braves got greedy and Miami is nuts for what they want for Fernandez, coming off elbow surgery.Heyward has been in the rumor mill since the day the cubs beat the Cardinals in the division series. I really think that he was their main focus all along and they always intended on trading gor pitchers like Tyson Ross and signing guys like Lackey. I'm just elated they didn't waste a dime on Szmarjda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tx_rush Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 Heyward is only 26. Very good player. I think they will probably have to move Soler at some point, but you cant keep everyone. Heyward defensively could be a solid-above average centerfielder, or an elite RF.I'd rather have Soler, Fowler, and Heyward in that order. If this contract keeps us from signing a pitcher or requires trading a good young hitter for a pitcher, I'll be pretty pissed.they've been dangling Soler out there for two weeks, but the Braves got greedy and Miami is nuts for what they want for Fernandez, coming off elbow surgery.Heyward has been in the rumor mill since the day the cubs beat the Cardinals in the division series. I really think that he was their main focus all along and they always intended on trading gor pitchers like Tyson Ross and signing guys like Lackey. I'm just elated they didn't waste a dime on Szmarjda Fernandez is the real deal, he looked awesome coming back from TJ....hes a guy worth losing a couple blue chip guys over. He is the one piece of the puzzle the cubs lack, a young, dominant, controllable arm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
satchmothesnowdog Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 (edited) Heyward is only 26. Very good player. I think they will probably have to move Soler at some point, but you cant keep everyone. Heyward defensively could be a solid-above average centerfielder, or an elite RF.I'd rather have Soler, Fowler, and Heyward in that order. If this contract keeps us from signing a pitcher or requires trading a good young hitter for a pitcher, I'll be pretty pissed.they've been dangling Soler out there for two weeks, but the Braves got greedy and Miami is nuts for what they want for Fernandez, coming off elbow surgery.Heyward has been in the rumor mill since the day the cubs beat the Cardinals in the division series. I really think that he was their main focus all along and they always intended on trading gor pitchers like Tyson Ross and signing guys like Lackey. I'm just elated they didn't waste a dime on Szmarjda Fernandez is the real deal, he looked awesome coming back from TJ....hes a guy worth losing a couple blue chip guys over. He is the one piece of the puzzle the cubs lack, a young, dominant, controllable arm.His numbers were awesome, but you have to be concerned with any of these young kids who keep throwing this hard turning into the next Josh Johnson after you dump off an awesome talent like Soler and Almonte for him.He is awfully appealing, though.I do think Matt Moore could be had at much cheaper a price. Edited December 12, 2015 by satchmothesnowdog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laughedatbytime Posted December 12, 2015 Author Share Posted December 12, 2015 Heyward is only 26. Very good player. I think they will probably have to move Soler at some point, but you cant keep everyone. Heyward defensively could be a solid-above average centerfielder, or an elite RF.I'd rather have Soler, Fowler, and Heyward in that order. If this contract keeps us from signing a pitcher or requires trading a good young hitter for a pitcher, I'll be pretty pissed.they've been dangling Soler out there for two weeks, but the Braves got greedy and Miami is nuts for what they want for Fernandez, coming off elbow surgery.Heyward has been in the rumor mill since the day the cubs beat the Cardinals in the division series. I really think that he was their main focus all along and they always intended on trading gor pitchers like Tyson Ross and signing guys like Lackey. I'm just elated they didn't waste a dime on Szmarjda Fernandez is the real deal, he looked awesome coming back from TJ....hes a guy worth losing a couple blue chip guys over. He is the one piece of the puzzle the cubs lack, a young, dominant, controllable arm.His numbers were awesome, but you have to be concerned with any of these young kids who keep throwing this hard turning into the next Josh Johnson after you dump off an awesome talent like Soler and Almonte for him.He is awfully appealing, though.I do think Matt Moore could be had at much cheaper a price.And the Maddon discount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
satchmothesnowdog Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 Heyward is only 26. Very good player. I think they will probably have to move Soler at some point, but you cant keep everyone. Heyward defensively could be a solid-above average centerfielder, or an elite RF.I'd rather have Soler, Fowler, and Heyward in that order. If this contract keeps us from signing a pitcher or requires trading a good young hitter for a pitcher, I'll be pretty pissed.they've been dangling Soler out there for two weeks, but the Braves got greedy and Miami is nuts for what they want for Fernandez, coming off elbow surgery.Heyward has been in the rumor mill since the day the cubs beat the Cardinals in the division series. I really think that he was their main focus all along and they always intended on trading gor pitchers like Tyson Ross and signing guys like Lackey. I'm just elated they didn't waste a dime on Szmarjda Fernandez is the real deal, he looked awesome coming back from TJ....hes a guy worth losing a couple blue chip guys over. He is the one piece of the puzzle the cubs lack, a young, dominant, controllable arm.His numbers were awesome, but you have to be concerned with any of these young kids who keep throwing this hard turning into the next Josh Johnson after you dump off an awesome talent like Soler and Almonte for him.He is awfully appealing, though.I do think Matt Moore could be had at much cheaper a price.And the Maddon discount.Hell yeah. I guess Maddon has sat in on every meeting with the free agents and guys they've considered trading for. He's the ticket guys buy right now. He's why Heyward signed with the Cubs. That, and he knows Cardinal fans are dildos :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tx_rush Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 Heyward is only 26. Very good player. I think they will probably have to move Soler at some point, but you cant keep everyone. Heyward defensively could be a solid-above average centerfielder, or an elite RF.I'd rather have Soler, Fowler, and Heyward in that order. If this contract keeps us from signing a pitcher or requires trading a good young hitter for a pitcher, I'll be pretty pissed.they've been dangling Soler out there for two weeks, but the Braves got greedy and Miami is nuts for what they want for Fernandez, coming off elbow surgery.Heyward has been in the rumor mill since the day the cubs beat the Cardinals in the division series. I really think that he was their main focus all along and they always intended on trading gor pitchers like Tyson Ross and signing guys like Lackey. I'm just elated they didn't waste a dime on Szmarjda Fernandez is the real deal, he looked awesome coming back from TJ....hes a guy worth losing a couple blue chip guys over. He is the one piece of the puzzle the cubs lack, a young, dominant, controllable arm.His numbers were awesome, but you have to be concerned with any of these young kids who keep throwing this hard turning into the next Josh Johnson after you dump off an awesome talent like Soler and Almonte for him.He is awfully appealing, though.I do think Matt Moore could be had at much cheaper a price.And the Maddon discount.Hell yeah. I guess Maddon has sat in on every meeting with the free agents and guys they've considered trading for. He's the ticket guys buy right now. He's why Heyward signed with the Cubs. That, and he knows Cardinal fans are dildos :) As much as I hate the Cards, they have some of the best fans in MLB, if not the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
satchmothesnowdog Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 (edited) Heyward is only 26. Very good player. I think they will probably have to move Soler at some point, but you cant keep everyone. Heyward defensively could be a solid-above average centerfielder, or an elite RF.I'd rather have Soler, Fowler, and Heyward in that order. If this contract keeps us from signing a pitcher or requires trading a good young hitter for a pitcher, I'll be pretty pissed.they've been dangling Soler out there for two weeks, but the Braves got greedy and Miami is nuts for what they want for Fernandez, coming off elbow surgery.Heyward has been in the rumor mill since the day the cubs beat the Cardinals in the division series. I really think that he was their main focus all along and they always intended on trading gor pitchers like Tyson Ross and signing guys like Lackey. I'm just elated they didn't waste a dime on Szmarjda Fernandez is the real deal, he looked awesome coming back from TJ....hes a guy worth losing a couple blue chip guys over. He is the one piece of the puzzle the cubs lack, a young, dominant, controllable arm.His numbers were awesome, but you have to be concerned with any of these young kids who keep throwing this hard turning into the next Josh Johnson after you dump off an awesome talent like Soler and Almonte for him.He is awfully appealing, though.I do think Matt Moore could be had at much cheaper a price.And the Maddon discount.Hell yeah. I guess Maddon has sat in on every meeting with the free agents and guys they've considered trading for. He's the ticket guys buy right now. He's why Heyward signed with the Cubs. That, and he knows Cardinal fans are dildos :) As much as I hate the Cards, they have some of the best fans in MLB, if not the best.their comment on Twitter today said otherwide. Calling Heyward a TRADER. Yes, trader. Not traitor, even though he was traded to the Cards and wasn't some home grown boy. Maybe it's just the Cubs that bring out the ugly in the Cardinal fans, because all I ever see from them is boorish behavior, nastiness and vitriol, especially towards Cub's fans and the Cubs in general. http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/hey--jason-heyward--don-t-read-what-cardinals-fans-are-tweeting-you-221041958.html Edited December 12, 2015 by satchmothesnowdog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laughedatbytime Posted December 18, 2015 Author Share Posted December 18, 2015 http://www.bleachernation.com/2015/12/17/theo-epstein-speaks-missing-price-impact-of-lackey-when-to-spend-pitcher-trades-more/ With Jason Heyward in the fold, Chicago Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein was in the spotlight a bit this week – or at least catching a corner of the spotlight – which means he had a fair bit to discuss. You can read up on his remarks here at ESPN and here at CSN, and he also did a radio interview on WEEI in Boston. Among Epstein’s thoughts, together with my own … Epstein indicated on WEEI that the Cubs’ interest in David Price was legitimate, and he said all the complimentary things you’d expect, but they had to draw the line somewhere financially, when considering the risk of any pitcher. That line wound up being some $50 million shy of what Price ultimately got from the Red Sox. You don’t have to bust out the calculator to know, then, that the Cubs were willing to offer Jason Heyward a greater guarantee than Price. We’ll never know the structure the Cubs were offering Price, and there’s also the matter of Heyward very likely opting out after three years of his current deal, but it’s still notable. Price has long been thought of as the more impactful player, and, maybe in the short-term he is. But when you factor in the age difference (four years), and the positional player versus pitcher dynamic, Heyward does seem like the better financial risk. Speaking of which, getting John Lackey for just two years sounds like it was far more palatable to Epstein’s risk appetite than a longer contract for a younger pitcher. Lost in the shuffle of the Cubs’ other moves a bit, it’s important to remember that, right now, Lackey is the Cubs’ big pitching addition. And, as Epstein said, this is a guy who has simply been flat-out good for three straight post-Tommy John seasons, even as he heads into his late-30s. The stuff is still good and adaptable, the velocity is good, and the commitment is conservative. Even on the other side of the exciting Heyward signing, Ben Zobrist signing, and Starlin Castro/Adam Warren trade, I remain thoroughly impressed and pleased by the Lackey signing. The Cubs needed a quality middle-of-the-rotation arm this offseason at a bare minimum, and they got their guy early on a reasonable deal. Getting Heyward when they did was at least partly about the fact that some of the other big market clubs were not going to be spending aggressively on a position player this offseason (Dodgers, Yankees, Red Sox), and Epstein suggested that won’t be the case the next time a rare 26-year-old free agent comes around. It was important, then, to get it done now. That’s especially true, I’d add, when you consider that the Cubs will have an especially strong window of contention in the next two years, while Jake Arrieta is under team control, and while Jon Lester is still relatively young. Although the Cubs have committed a lot this offseason already, Epstein pointed out that it’s mostly money – which is to say, the Cubs still have quite a bit of prospect/young player currency with which they could part if they wanted another upgrade. But, like Jed Hoyer, Epstein isn’t going to say there’s anything else the Cubs really have to do right now. The Cubs anticipate right now that Jason Heyward will be their center fielder in 2016. Obviously there’s a lot of play with those words, because things can change, but that’s the expectation unless something dramatic happens elsewhere in the outfield. Epstein implied, as many have suspected, that the Cubs have been especially aggressive this offseason because next year’s free agent class is so much thinner than this year. We’ve said it before: you can sign guys only when they’re actually available. It sounds from Epstein like the Cubs were pleased to be able to get the Lackey deal and the Warren trade done before it became clear just how expensive pitching was going to be in free agency and in trade. I suspect that’s something they were anticipating, and, while they had trade talk irons in the fire to try and acquire an impact, cost-controlled, younger starter, the Cubs weren’t going to be left holding the bag if they couldn’t pull it off. So, they got Lackey and Warren, they re-signed Trevor Cahill, and they’re solidly covered right now if they don’t make another addition. I suspect those conversations will continue, though I also believe the Cubs aren’t going to pay a Shelby-Miller-level return for a cost-controlled starter just because that’s what the Diamondbacks were willing to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laughedatbytime Posted December 19, 2015 Author Share Posted December 19, 2015 http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/159439600/cubs-sign-jason-heyward-cardinals-rivalry A Cardinal fan laments the ascendancy of the Cubs. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Analog Cub Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 http://s5.tinypic.com/ajxbet.jpg 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fordgalaxy Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 (edited) Heyward is only 26. Very good player. I think they will probably have to move Soler at some point, but you cant keep everyone. Heyward defensively could be a solid-above average centerfielder, or an elite RF.I'd rather have Soler, Fowler, and Heyward in that order. If this contract keeps us from signing a pitcher or requires trading a good young hitter for a pitcher, I'll be pretty pissed.they've been dangling Soler out there for two weeks, but the Braves got greedy and Miami is nuts for what they want for Fernandez, coming off elbow surgery.Heyward has been in the rumor mill since the day the cubs beat the Cardinals in the division series. I really think that he was their main focus all along and they always intended on trading gor pitchers like Tyson Ross and signing guys like Lackey. I'm just elated they didn't waste a dime on Szmarjda Fernandez is the real deal, he looked awesome coming back from TJ....hes a guy worth losing a couple blue chip guys over. He is the one piece of the puzzle the cubs lack, a young, dominant, controllable arm.His numbers were awesome, but you have to be concerned with any of these young kids who keep throwing this hard turning into the next Josh Johnson after you dump off an awesome talent like Soler and Almonte for him.He is awfully appealing, though.I do think Matt Moore could be had at much cheaper a price.And the Maddon discount.Hell yeah. I guess Maddon has sat in on every meeting with the free agents and guys they've considered trading for. He's the ticket guys buy right now. He's why Heyward signed with the Cubs. That, and he knows Cardinal fans are dildos :) As much as I hate the Cards, they have some of the best fans in MLB, if not the best. Yeah, these are stellar fans. Cardinal fans. A sampleJmack @RMcardsfan Dec 15I hope @Tsunamy27 beans Heyward every at bat for the next 7 years.... Edited December 19, 2015 by Fordgalaxy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fordgalaxy Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 http://www.sportsone...rdinals-rivalry A Cardinal fan laments the ascendancy of the Cubs. I can't like your post enough. To see those self-important, condescending douche bags that call themselves Cardinal fans so pissed off and threatening violence gives me a semi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
satchmothesnowdog Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 http://www.sportsone...rdinals-rivalry A Cardinal fan laments the ascendancy of the Cubs. I can't like your post enough. To see those self-important, condescending douche bags that call themselves Cardinal fans so pissed off and threatening violence gives me a semi.Indeed. The cardinals and their fans are truly the Yankees of the national league, from their om.field accomplishments, to their boorish and loutish behavior. Piss on them all for acting like f***ing children. I.don't recall anyone lightning the Jersey of Maddux om fire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laughedatbytime Posted December 25, 2015 Author Share Posted December 25, 2015 Preview on ESPN of the 2016 NL Central The National League Central has had both wild cards in two of the past three seasons and one wild card in 2013 and 2011. It's been the toughest division in the NL. While the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds are taking a step back into rebuilding mode, the top three teams could once again all make the postseason. Here's a look at each team ... St. Louis Cardinals 2015: 100-62, plus-122 run differential, lost to Cubs in Division Series Projected 2016 record from FanGraphs: 88-74 2015 payroll: $132.6 million Projected 2016 payroll from Baseball-Reference: $132 million Cardinals fans have been frustrated by an offseason that saw the Cubs sign both Jason Heyward and John Lackey and the Cardinals counter thus far only with the signing of capable but unexciting Mike Leake. (Yes, "capable and unexciting" now equates to an $80 million contract that most thought was reasonable.) Maybe the Cardinals still have another signing in them, but their current payroll matches up with last season, suggesting their offseason maneuvering is likely complete. If that's the case, the path to the playoffs will once again rely on the depth of a pitching staff that allowed the fewest runs of any team in a full season since 1972. Lackey and Lance Lynn (Tommy John surgery) are out, but Leake and Adam Wainwright are in, and the Cardinals will happily take the draft pick for losing Lackey. It's going to be difficult to repeat that kind of run prevention: The Cardinals had a 2.94 ERA but 3.47 fielding independent pitching. The staff ranked seventh in the NL in both walks and strikeouts, so it's not like it dominated in those areas. Still, Wainwright should be back at full strength after his torn Achilles heals, and Leake has been a durable 30-game starter throughout his career. If Carlos Martinez is healthy after the shoulder injury that shut him down for the postseason, the rotation should again be one of the best in the majors. The bullpen had a 2.82 ERA, third in the majors, and returns all its primary guys. Something to keep in mind: The Cardinals won 100 games. Via the BaseRuns projection -- bases gained and bases allowed -- they should have won 89 games. So given the likely regression of the pitching staff, the offense will have to perform better after finishing 11th in the NL in runs. But there's also this: The offense may have underperformed a bit. It was fifth in the NL in OBP and ninth in slugging. While the Cardinals hit .253 overall, they hit just .242 with runners in scoring position. Of course, 2016 isn't 2015. Losing Heyward means the Cardinals will need Randal Grichuk and Stephen Piscotty to perform over a full season. Both hit better in the majors than they had in the minors. The Cardinals also need Matt Holliday to play more than 73 games and hope that Yadier Molina's second thumb surgery takes. Matt Carpenter was the team's surprising power source with 28 home runs. He struck out more but still drew 81 walks and led the NL in doubles for the second time in three years. The ultimate key for a better offense, however, may be first base, currently some combination of Matt Adams, Brandon Moss and Piscotty. The Cardinals were 28th in the majors in wOBA at first base. If somebody steps up there, the Cardinals' chances increase for a sixth straight trip to the postseason. Pittsburgh Pirates 2015: 98-64, plus-101 run differential, lost wild-card game Projected 2016 record from FanGraphs: 87-75 2015 payroll: $95.8 million Projected 2016 payroll from Baseball-Reference: $91.3 million The Pirates have the second-most wins in the majors over the past three seasons, but all they have to show for it are three wild-card berths, the last two of which ended in defeat, to Madison Bumgarner and Jake Arrieta. Now comes the bad news: Three-fifths of the rotation currently consists of Jeff Locke (4.49 ERA in 2015), Jonathon Niese (4.13 ERA with the New York Mets in 2015 with the lowest strikeout rate of his career) and Ryan Vogelsong (4.63 ERA with the San Francisco Giants over the past three seasons). It's safe to say that the playoff chances of the Pirates reside on how those three -- or perhaps prospects Tyler Glasnow, Jameson Taillon or Nick Kingham at some point -- perform behind Gerrit Cole and Francisco Liriano. Trouble is, the Pirates' infield depth took a hit as Neil Walker was used to acquire Niese. They can slide Josh Harrison over to second base and will hopefully have Jung Ho Kang ready early in 2016 to play third base, but they've lost that ability to slide Kang between second, third and shortstop. The Pirates will need Mark Melancon and Tony Watson -- by one measure, the two most valuable relievers in the majors over the past three seasons -- to once again be a dominating duo and they'll need Gregory Polanco to blossom from solid regular (.256/.320/.381) to star. Chicago Cubs 2015: 97-65, plus-81 run differential, lost NLCS Projected 2016 record from FanGraphs: 100-62 2015 payroll: $133 million Projected 2016 payroll from Baseball-Reference: $162.2 million It's not difficult to envision a path to the playoffs for the Cubs. The FanGraphs projection has them at 100 wins, the highest total in the majors, an especially impressive figure considering projection systems are usually pretty conservative. In other words: The Cubs are loaded. One thing I love about the Cubs' offseason: Not only does the Lackey signing bring a solid No. 3 starter behind Arrieta and Jon Lester, but the Starlin Castro-Adam Warren trade also brought back a solid swingman. With Kyle Hendricks, Jason Hammel, Warren and Travis Wood, they have tons of rotation depth in case of injuries. The other reason to love this, of course, is the young offensive core. FanGraphs projects Kris Bryant at 5.6 WAR, Anthony Rizzo at 5.2, Heyward at 4.8, Kyle Schwarber at 2.9 and Addison Russell at 2.3. It's not unreasonable to expect all five of those guys to exceed those figures. And if Jorge Soler figures out how to hit those pitches that do bendy things ... watch out. Is there any chance this club becomes the 2015 version of the Washington Nationals, a World Series favorite that doesn't even make the playoffs? Sure, it's baseball. A long list of injuries ... the bullpen implodes ... Joe Maddon brings a tiger into the clubhouse and he bites off the arms of the entire infield ... I mean, I guess there's a way the Cubs disappoint. Milwaukee Brewers 2015: 68-94, minus-82 run differential Projected 2016 record from FanGraphs: 73-89 2015 payroll: $98 million Projected 2016 payroll from Baseball-Reference: $59.1 million Your path to the playoffs is probably slim when your owner is writing a letter to the fans that states, "The commitment you've demonstrated to the Brewers, I assure you, is equaled by my own commitment to doing better. Each of you deserves that. By doing better, I mean fielding a playoff-competitive team and one day bringing a world championship to Milwaukee. To move toward accomplishing this lofty goal, I believe we need to take a step back and build more intensively from within." It's the smart move. The Brewers' collapse down the stretch in 2014 spilled over into 2015, and it's time to rebuild. Considering the caliber of competition in the division, the Brewers weren't going to compete in the next couple of years. New GM David Stearns has a tall task ahead of him, but the Brewers do come from one position of strength compared to some other small-market clubs with a strong fan base that has allowed them to draw at least 2.5 million fans each of the past nine seasons. The farm system is also in much better shape than it was a few years ago. Shortstop Orlando Arcia had a strong season at Double-A and could reach the majors in 2016, and the Carlos Gomez/Mike Fiers trade brought in two potential starting outfielders in Brett Phillips and Domingo Santana. Stearns will have to decide about trading catcher Jonathan Lucroy (they're probably stuck with Ryan Braun), and it would be nice if Matt Garza got off to a nice start so he could be flipped. Otherwise, it looks like the Brewers will be battling the Reds for fourth place and maybe hoping to finish fifth. Cincinnati Reds 2015: 64-98, minus-114 run differential Projected 2016 record from FanGraphs: 79-83 2015 payroll: $118.8 million Projected 2016 payroll from Baseball-Reference: $103.3 million The Reds are in the same boat as the Brewers. They tried to give it one more run last year, but Homer Bailey blew out his elbow, Jay Bruce was awful again, Devin Mesoraco got hurt, Billy Hamilton didn't hit and Johnny Cueto and Leake were eventually traded. The Reds started rookie pitchers in their final 64 games and ended up losing 98 games, the franchise's most since 1982. Whatever did happen to Paul Householder? Anyway, the Reds have traded Todd Frazier for second baseman/shortstop Jose Peraza, a glove-first slap hitter with speed. They tried to trade Aroldis Chapman, but we know what happened there. They apparently had a deal in place to trade Brandon Phillips to the Nationals, but Phillips invoked his 10-and-5 rights to veto it. Bruce has been minus-0.3 WAR the past two seasons, so even if somebody wants him, he won't bring much in return. As of now, the Reds aren't as bad as the bottom feeders in the NL East. They still have one of the best hitters in baseball in Joey Votto. Hamilton and Zack Cozart are elite defenders. All the young starters at least picked up experience. And for now, they still have Chapman and Phillips. http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/67294/path-to-the-playoffs-nl-central-2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick N. Backer Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 About a month from pitchers and catchers. Can you imagine how heartbreaking it would be if the Cubs don't win the World Series? I can't even bear to think about it. ;) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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