Chicago Cubs Revamp

Weeks ago, I made a return to FCM. I was looking for an old baseball file that I thought I had stashed on the FCM site. Of course, I got questions of if I was planning on returning. Initially, I debunked any thoughts that I was making a comeback.

While surfing the message board, Jason messaged me and asked if I would consider coming back as his co-GM. Being nice, I told him I'd consider it and let him know - I never intended on actually coming back. However, the more I thought about it, the more the co-GM idea grew on me.

I'm usually one who likes totally control over everything - my way or the highway! But I don't want to feel like I'd be doing the team or the league of a disservice if I have to leave for awhile as well as not wanting to feel like I need to be present for every little thing the team could need.

I've probably been more active (and have taken charge) more than I anticipated, but it's the nature of the beast. I really like working as a team with Jason. It's nice to have another opinion on trades (or someone to reign me back from doing something stupid). It's refreshing and unique to me to be talking trade with Rocky, all the time while I'm relying the information back to Jason, and having to consider what both are saying in order to come to an agreement. The George Marks trade was probably the most fun that I've ever had in trade negotiations. Working with what Rocky wanted in return and what Jason was alright was giving up for Marks was a challenge that proved to be just as enjoyable to see the process unfold.

When I decided to team up with Jason, we talked of our strategy with the team. It was obvious that this team had a lot of young, show-ready positional players and painstakinly little-to-no pitching. It was when Jason said he was tiring of being in a perpetual rebuild that I knew exactly what we needed to do. With what holes we had, stashed away in Triple-A were so many young talented prospects, so the decision was to sign relatively young players to 2-3 year deals as stopgaps and then maybe a few prove good enough to stick around in year 3, maybe even year 4. I feel the off-season went about as well as one could hope. I don't think you'll ever get all of your targets, unless you have globs of money to throw away.

FREE AGENCY
OF Alan Williamson - $10M/4 Years
After it's all said and done, yes, I would have loved to have been around when Hick was apparently shopping him for a cheap price. However, that's not the case.

We would have loved to have gotten him at around 7M/4 Years, but that wasn't in the cards for us and we're excited for his potential. We believe if given full-time duties he can put up a .290/.355/.415 slash line.

OF Zach Fields - $5M/2 Years
We really feel Fields will have a bounce back season. If he can regain his 2052 form, we'll be happy since 30 bombs in KCR likely turns into 33 or 34 bombs in CHC.

OF Lyle Woodcock - $6.5M/3 Years
After the dust settled, this is one I regret. Though just 27, he looks to have been regressing for the past 3 seasons. Like Fields, we think he'll rebound, 30+ homers would be a welcomed addition to our lineup.

IF Jerry Johnson - $Draft Day
I really like him for a future bench spot. He can't hit for much, but he can walk and plays good defense at 2 positions.

SP Gio Dominguz - $9M/3 Years
He was a target of mine all the way back in the '42 draft. With good control, movement, and curve he should slide nicely into the bottom of the rotation.

SP Erik Taylor - $8M/4 Years
I think he was one of the steals of Free Agency. Maybe many were scared away from his low fastball, but judging by his career 0.79 HR/9, it hasn't hindered him any. He does have three other good pitches which help. The big question remains how long he'll stay as a starter. He's probably the top candidate to move to the 'pen once Brant Legg is ready.

CL Aaron Pitman - $2.5M/2 Years
His movement, good pitches, and great ability to still keep the ball in the park makes him our choice for first dibs as our Closer. We're just hoping regression isn't too terribly rough on him.

SU Matt Doyon - $3M/2 Years
He's never relieved a game in his life, but he has a killer changeup and we're hoping he can turn that into success in the bullpen.

MR Eric Mrocekova - $1M/2 Years
If you're following our logic, it's easy to see why we like him. He's another low homerun guy and above any other indicator, that is the most reliable metric (HR/9) in Mogul for pitching success.

TRADES
1B Richard "Dick" Pickle III - $13.1M/4 Years
Like Melvin Upton Jr. in 2015, Pickle will be going back to his given name and 6th grade nickname. He's always had a fascination with whacking balls and now he'll play in the most hitter friendly home park to date.

We were thrilled to get him and were pleased that we were able to move Sean Gialde in the deal, who we thought was a little too old for our core players. Pickle should be a mainstay in our lineup for years to come.

CF Brandon Hertz - $500K/3 Years
If I recall correctly, he was a guy that I liked in my final draft with the Mariners, but cautioned that he was taken too high and would probably never live up to his 1st round billing. Anyways, I love the vroom on this kid and he'll make a fantastic platoon option.

DH Horacio Aguilar - $Money Bitches!/1 Year
It was a deal we couldn't up. Potentially getting a .900+ OPS threat AND a 1st round pick? Even if he doesn't hit quite up to what we hope, the future Hall of Famer, should still be good for 25 homers and an .800 OPS in the least.

SP George Marks - $21.1M/6 Years
I'll be honest, I asked for Kyle Arrington and after getting no response, we sent out a search party, looking for other options. It quickly became clear that Marks (and Rocky) were the most sane option. Seemingly others were demanding both the #4 pick and Jones plus wanting another top SP prospect. There was no way we were parting with the #4 pick and Jones.

He has two outstanding pitches to go along with fantastic health and has the kind of vitals that makes you think he could be a top tier pitcher for years even beyond his current contract. The bonus to this deal was taking on Aguilar made this possible.

SP Grant McNatt - $500K/2 Years
How this guy is only rated an 87 we do not know. He had a rough go-around in '53, but we're aren't phased. His great vitals and great AAA HR/9 numbers make us believe he'll be a great player for us.

SP Manuel Santillan - $Draft Day
He'll probably never amount to anything great, but we're hoping he can be a servicable long reliever with his Career Window jump.

YOUTH INFUSION
CA Scott Laduc - $500K/3 Years
A switch hitting catcher who has a cannon, a good eye, and look like he'll be a quality overall offensive threat in the future? Yeah, that's my kind of backstop.

2B Lee Brinker - $500K/1 Year
He hasn't lived up to expectations yet, but he has the tools for success. He has already showed off his power and defense. Now it's time for him to complete his game by walking more and putting up a respectable average.

3B Jeremy Gladthorn - $500K/3 Years
Though he may struggle with contact in 2054, he could soon be one of the most dangerous 3B in all of FCM. He looks to have legitimate 30 HR, 100 BB abilities to go along with what should be high quality defense when his development is all said and done.

SS Luis Henchoz - $500K/3 Years
This is another guy who looks like he should walk a lot and play good defense. He should also provide solid pop and hit for a nice average. A .275/.360/.450 slash line would be considered a smashing success with his defense.

OF Tom O'Sullivan - $500K/3 Years
Originally, he was slated to start out at Triple-A, but after seeing him hit his Career Window, we decided his rangey defense and solid contact/eye combo were enough to platoon him vs LHP.

SP Dustin Georges - $500K/1 Year
This guy is quite underrated. His low homeruns are, of course, a bright spot for me. His super heater and high quality movement are just he needs to continue out producing his overall.

Oh Know, What About The Monies?
It's true that we need a little bit of cash to balance out and stay in the black by the end of the year. However, it's not as bad as it looks. Once you consider that the Cubs have seen their budget rise to $95.6M (2052) and $105.5M (2053), we'll obviously be increasing our budget - and more than the past 2 seasons since we'll be more than a sub-80 win club.

If that's not enough to persuade you on feeling comfortable with our finances, consider that I have Payroll sheet in Excel...



...It's the same Payroll sheet that I've been using since I joined FCM and what I found it hilarious when a new LAD GM named sxr007 thought the Rockies were doomed to run into financial problems. Like in Colorado and Seattle, the northsiders have it under control.

OUTLOOK
It's hard to say how much we should win. We're easily much improved from 2053. We'll certainly win more than 60 games and most likely wins more than 80 games. I feel we have some quite underrated players, so on the surface we don't look like a team who could challenge for a playoff spot, but I think we're good enough. The issue is, as stated on the pod, will all of these young guys experience the early career woes that plaque many players upon being called up?

GoIrish's Draft grades

yesterday someone asked me to give my input on some of the draft and asked me to make an article. Seeing as how I have the time today, here it is.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Draft Grade : B+
Best Pick: Patrick Tuyet
Notes: Tuyet I had on my draft board and he fell about where I anticipated, I had him going from 8-12 in the draft. He was a pretty safe pick and I think will be a solid 2 or 3 type of pitcher in a rotation. I really like Poland in the 3rd round for him, good health and power, he should be a good bullpen piece in 3-4 years. Wallace in the 2nd is another good pick, will play solid defense and he is a switch hitter.

Atlanta Braves
Draft Grade : B-
Best Pick: Stan Lomax (in trade)
Notes: I do think Lomax is a good pitcher and was worthy of the trade. I just scratch my head because he gave up the 1st overall pick in the draft and every round to pick him up when he is a team that needs pieces for the future. I think adding Icasiano to the trade was smart and he got some good value in return for him in this trade. I think Greenwalt will be a better OF than Icasiano but because of the higher peak rating, he picked up more prospects in return.

Baltimore Orioles
Draft Grade : D
Best Pick: Sinkovitz (via trade)
Notes: I do not think the 5th overall pick of the draft is a good value for Sinkovitz. Looking at the vitals of Sinkovitz, he looks more of a 4th pitcher in a rotation. He does not have a high ground ball percentage (28.5%) and none of his vitals are really strong. I think Baltimore would have done themselves more of a service to hold onto that pick.

Boston Red Sox
Draft Grade : C+
Best Pick: Overstreet
Notes: I think Overstreet is going to be a solid OF. He is going to be a solid 5th or 6th hitter in a lineup and should be average defensively in the outfield. The reason this grade is not a B is because of the 2nd and 3rd round picks. Louthian and McAllister both hold a health rating in the 60's. The times they get on the DL in the minors could hurt their progression. Of those 2 players, I think the 3rd round pick McAllister was a better pick than the 2nd round pick of Louthian.

Chicago Cubs
Draft Grade : C
Best Pick: Watamaro Suzuki
Notes: This draft for the cubs was high risk/high reward. On paper there were safer picks but Suzuki, Anthony, Garcia and Robinson are all picks in the 1st 2 rounds that 3 of the 4 have health ratings above 80 (Garcia at 75) and given time hopefully 1/2 can hit or exceed their potential. Cubs also feel they obtained another good RP in the 3rd round in Wildman.

Chicago White Sox
Draft Grade : B+
Best Pick: Nelson Gajou
Notes: Gajou is a real good pick for the start of the 3rd round. High Endurance, high ground ball (55%), solid control (76) and good health (74). He is a player that I can see exceeding his 80 peak, he may end up peaking in the mid 80's after a jump but could end up performing like a low 90's rating type of pitcher. I think he will be a strong 4th or 5th pitcher in a rotation. I do not give him an A because I think he missed on his 1st pick of the draft. I think his friend/domestic partner jps, ended up with the best player in the draft. I do think Trembath will be a very good ace or #2 pitcher in a rotation however, I just think he missed hitting the home run pick. Tymm and Deeter in the 2nd round were both good picks.

Cincinnati Reds
Draft Grade : A
Best Pick: Eason and Page
Notes: In my opinion, Eason was the best pick in this draft and jps had him fall into his lap. A tremendous pick with tremendous upside. I think he is going to be a monster in the future when he makes it to the ML roster. I also really like his 2nd round pick of Page. I think he will be a good defensive OF that should hit well towards the back of the lineup. Gentner was another good 1st round pick at 11, thought he should have gone a few picks ahead but some teams reached on SP. Greensite though, his health scares me a little (health rating in the 60's with a player rating in the 50's).

Cleveland Indians
Draft Grade : B
Best Pick: Dave Hyte
Notes: I think Hyte is a real good pick for the 12th pick of the 2nd round. He is 17 years old with 2 pitches already grading out in the mid 60's. He has a decent health rating at 71, so I think he is prospect that will pan out and be a very solid setup or closer. The 1st round pick of Sanquiche was decent, I think a little reach that should have gone later in the 1st. The 3rd and 4th round picks of Sullivan and DeVane are very solid picks. Sullivan should be a tremendous pick for the 3rd round. Will not be more than a .230-.240 hitter but should have a decent OBA and power that will play solid D. A very good hitter for the 6th or 7th spot in your lineup.

Colorado Rockies
Draft Grade : C+
Best Pick: Barker
Notes: Colorado traded their 1st and 3rd round picks for the rights to Mike Chitty. Chitty has tremendous eye and power while playing above average defense. I just think they could have obtained Chitty at a much less of a cost than their 1st and 3rd. I think their 2nd round pick of Barker should be good, He appears to be the type of player that could either be a solid bench player with a chance of being a solid starter hitting in the back of your lineup.

Detroit Tigers
Draft Grade : A
Best Pick: Brian Singer
Notes: I think Singer should have gone higher than a lot of the other starting pitchers selected ahead of him. I think he is a tremendous fit in detroit with that 65% ground ball. Guidero was more of a need selection for Stang as he did not have any 3rd base prospects in his system. He could end up being a decent player. I really like the 4th round selection of Gonzaba, in time he could be a real solid short relief pitcher.

Florida Marlins
Draft Grade : C
Best Pick: Jamie Shadwell
Notes: The top 3 picks for Hokey all have a health rating in the 60's. I think he is hoping that these players turn into trade bait for bigger pieces that he is looking to acquire. I think Bunning was not a bad pick for the end of the 1st round and Johnson was not bad in the 2nd. These 3 players if they stay healthy could turn this draft into an A or if they get injured could turn this draft into a F.

Houston Astros
Draft Grade : B+
Best Pick: Peter Conwell
Notes: DJ did a lot of drafting with a total of 14 picks in this draft. Most of those picks (12) coming in the 3rd round and later. I think Conwell is going to be a solid player and should be able to hit at the top of a lineup with that speed. I really like the defensive rankings on a lot of his picks, I think that is a stat that is sometimes overlooked. Tremendous draft by DJ to find some gems like Nufio, Porcell and McQueen.

Kansas City Royals
Draft Grade : inc
Best Pick: none
Notes: Mike did his normal routine of getting rid of picks for cash so he can sustain a higher budget.

LA Angles
Draft Grade : C+
Best Pick: Brian Smith
Notes: I think the 7th overall pick was a little high for Smith. I thought he should have gone about 6-9 picks later in the draft. He should be a solid reliever with some good upside. His next 3 picks all have a contact rating in the 50's. Not sure how many of them will pan out.

LA Dodgers
Draft Grade : C +
Best Pick: Yoshizumi Ii
Notes: Mhall traded his 1st and 2nd round pick to the Cubs to get Ii, which he is using now as a starting pitcher as opposed to a bullpen piece. Which makes a lot of sense since his endurance is at 45. He is 1-1 since the conversion pitching a great outing vs SDP but getting shelled against ARZ. This was a move I toyed with and thought of doing a few times with Ii but I had the horses already in my rotation.

Milwaukee Brewers
Draft Grade : B
Best Pick: Gongolez
Notes: Milwaukee had 3 picks in the draft and all 3 of those picks were in the top 35 picks. I think Gongolez has some good upside, I just was surprised that he took him with Eason still on the board. Poez I thought was a little bit of a reach as well and Powell is a solid 2nd round pick that could end up being a real good everyday player.

Minnesota Twins
Draft Grade : B+
Best Pick: Larry Zimmerman
Notes: I think Zimmerman was a tremendous pick for that late in the 1st round. I think he should have gone much earlier in the 1st and was passed up by people going after starting pitchers. Reiter is about where I thought he would go in the draft and Crawley at 17 was a little bit of a reach. If he would have picked a little better in that slot, this draft could have been an A.

New York Mets
Draft Grade : A-
Best Pick: Carlo Elizarraz and Thomas
Notes: The 1st 2 picks by Corey were tremendous values for where he picked them in the draft. Thomas I feel should have gone a little earlier in the draft ahead of some of the other pitchers and Carlo is a tremendous prospect. I think Corey will move him to SS or 2nd base and he will go from being an average 3rd basemen to being one of the best MI prospects in this draft. I am now kicking myself for not reaching on him at pick #30 in the draft. Moyne in the 3rd round is another pitcher that will be a solid bullpen piece.

New York Yankees
Draft Grade : B+
Best Pick: Sanetomo Kijimuta
Notes: I think Kiji at the end of the 1st is a great pick. I feel he should have gone 5-7 picks ahead of where he was taken. However, I think Kesterson was a little bit of a reach. I like the picks of Huckle and Bentaro in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. Both should be solid to above average players.

Oakland A's
Draft Grade : A
Best Pick: Greg Manwaring (via trade)
Notes: Oakland gave up their 1st and 2nd round picks for Manwaring, who I feel is a very good pitcher that is well worth those 2 picks. Only bad thing is that JPS turned that pick into the best player in the draft.

Philadelphia Phillies
Draft Grade : B
Best Pick: Kurt Wilson
Notes: They moved a lot of their picks in the draft but they picked up a steal of a pick at 19. Kurt Wilson should have gone a bit earlier in the draft but was pushed off by some of the over-value in the SP's in this draft.

Pittsburgh Pirates
Draft Grade : A
Best Pick: Paul Poisal
Notes: Poisal is a player that should have gone at the end of the 1st round. He is going to be a gold glove outfielder being able to play any of the 3 positions and it looks like he is going to be a quality hitter. I like the pick of Vail, he should be a pretty good 2 in a rotation. Not sure he is going to be a dominate ace type but will be very solid. I also really like the vitals on Coildoron (minus his health).

San Diego (whales vagina) Padres
Draft Grade : C
Best Pick: Carlo Gonzales
Notes: I think the 1st round pick of Taylor was very weak. Not sure he is going to be anything tremendous. Gonzales in the 2nd round however is a great pick. Ed Diaz in the 3rd has some good potential and could end up being something in his future bullpen.

San Francisco Giants
Draft Grade : A-
Best Pick: Joseph Meyer
Notes: I think Meyer in the 2nd round is a tremendous pick. He will be a very good OF. I think the paring of Meyer and Koehler in this draft is tremendous synergy. Both should be good fielders on the corners and both good hitters. One from the right side of the plate and the other from the left. Maxim at 2nd base in the 3rd round is another really good pick and tremendous for where he picked him up.

Seattle Mariners
Draft Grade : C-
Best Pick: Midwinter
Notes: Midwinter in the 3rd round is a real good pick. He already has solid defensive numbers and he has the potential to being elite on the defensive side. If his offense ever catches up with his defense he will be a steal. Ainza at 14, I thought he was a little bit of a reach. He should have gone late 1st to early 2nd.

St. Louis Cardinals
Draft Grade : B
Best Pick: Billy Rogers
Notes: I think Rogers will be very good when he makes his way to a ML roster. In this past sim he dipped 4 rating points but I think he will have a jump or two once again when it is all said and done. I think he will be very similar to Chitty that Colorado picked up in a trade with the NYY but I think Rogers has the potential to be a little bit better with contact. I really like Vafiadis in the 2nd round. I was set to take him at 30 and I am kicking myself for not taking him with my 23rd pick in the 2nd round.

Tampa Bay Rays
Draft Grade : A-
Best Pick: Brandon Robertson
Notes: Robertson should have gone earlier in the draft. He fell to 24 because he did not have a higher peak rating. However, his vitals, ground ball % are all very very good. I think eventually you will see him take a jump and become a low 90's peak and will be a tremendous 2-3 in a rotation. King was another great value pick for Tampa, he should have gone at the end of the 1st round but the SP run pushed him down in the draft. Poseo is another quality pick in the 3rd that could be a solid pick in the future with a jump.

Texas Rangers
Draft Grade : B+
Best Pick: Windham
Notes: I think Windham went about where he should have gone in the draft about 4-8. I think he would have been better suited to be drafted by a NL team (92 hitting) but will be a solid mid/upper rotation type of pitcher. I think the 2nd round pick of Tynsdale is interesting, it will be a question of him staying healthy (66 health) if he pans out or not. He could either be really good or really bad.

Toronto Blue Jays
Draft Grade : B+
Best Pick: Matteson
Notes: Like always, Andy did a good job in the draft. He loaded up on draft picks and picked a lot of mid round players that have the potential to being really good. I really think Wiedemann in the late 3rd round will be a good player. Matteson at the end of the 1st round is a tremendous pick.

Washington Nationals
Draft Grade : B+
Best Pick: Andy Warden
Notes: Warden in my opinion was the best RP prospect in this draft. 50% ground ball with solid movement and power numbers. His health rating of 73 make him less of a risk in the long run. He should be a very good closer. Todd Gardner in the 2nd round is another real good RP that I wish would have remained on the board for another 3 picks. Strong Power throws 2 of his 3 pitches real well right now. He has a good ceiling.

NL Central Draft Grades

In this quick write-up, I'd like to take a look at the jobs done by the various gms in the 2020 draft. The NL Central is argueably the best division in baseball and with the 2020 draft being a solid draft class, the results of this year will have a significant effect on the future of the National League. I will attempt to keep my bias out of the grades and keep it honest, not trying to hurt anyones feelings but I'm not going to sugarcoat a poor draft.

Chicago Cubs
Draft Grade: D+
Best Value Pick: P Chris Vieira (4th Round, 120th Overall)
Draft Notes: I am not really sure that any player that Sean drafted this season has any serious MLB career ahead of them. Sean drafted some very raw talents and I have my doubts that they will end up panning out. Sean didn't really need a great draft because his team is already great but he is always going to be looking for cheaper options and I doubt this class will produce any good options in the future. Out of all the players, RP Chris Vieera might have the best shot of being a solid bullpen piece.

Cincinnati Reds
Draft Grade: B+
Best Value: P Gustavo Telon (3rd Round, 71st Overall)
Draft Notes: I was much more impressed by the mid round picks of JPS than the early round picks. I realize JPS did not stay around for the whole draft and I am not sure who credit really goes to but for Cincinnatti it was a solid draft. He picked up good value in players like P Telon, LF Page and P Wilder but to me his first 2 picks were very risky. He had the 3 and 11 pick in the draft and he picked a terribly overrated 3B in Marv Eason and a questionable high schooler in 1B Eric Gentner. Considering the other talent that was on the board in the early first round, I feel that he will look back and regret his top 2 picks in this years draft.

Houston Astros
Draft Grade: B
Best Value: SS Peter Conwell
Draft Notes: Conwell was argueably most projectable position player in this years draft and to scoop him up in the late first round was certainly a good move. I know from talking to DJ he was quite high on his mid round picks but I personally believe that is where his picks fell off. I don't see the projectability in players like Nufio, Porcell, or Mezquita so that hurts his grade significantly. He had a ton of picks anticipating a loaded draft but the more I look at the draft, I feel many GM's were fooled by the top heavy talent and the 4th round and beyond were average. DJ agree to disagree on his mid round picks here.

Milwaukee Brewers
Draft Grade: C-
Best Value: LF Joseph Powell
Draft Notes: Simply, Erick had two of the first 5 picks and in a draft that I considered to be top heavy, Erick landed two questionable prospects. He could have made a huge move to set up his team for competition in the NL Central but I feel he missed his shot with this draft. This draft could have proven to be critical in his growth and honestly, I feel like he blew it.

Pittsburgh Pirates
Draft Grade: -
Best Value: P Jeff Vail
Draft Notes: Vail to me, was the best prospect at any position in this draft and to land him at the 6th pick was huge for me. I am obviously not going to give myself a grade because it would be biased. I felt like I made the most of my picks and picked up some projectable players that will help my team within a couple of season.

St Louis Cardinals
Draft Grade: C-
Best Value: Billy Rogers (practically by default)
Draft Notes: I am highly doubtful anybody in this group of draftees becomes a major league starter in their career. Maybe I am too low on their draft but I question the projectability of all the draftees and I could turn out to be wrong but I see a group of MLB bench players and AAAA players for the Cardinals draft

The transformation from pretender to contender?

After the 2nd half collapse in 2012, the Chicago Cubs made the tough choice of having to rebuild. With aging veterans like Matt Holliday, Aramis Ramirez and Victor Martinez and holding onto some bad contracts like Oni Taki. The Cubs were in a position that they were handcuffed and made the difficult decision to rebuild. This decision to rebuild was questioned by many owners and many of the prognosticators said that the Cubs would not be in a position to contend again for a good 5 seasons.

Here we now are 2 seasons after the start of the rebuild and the 2015 roster of the Chicago Cubs make you scratch your head and wonder one thing. Are they Back?

When you look at this roster you will notice something different from the back to back team that played in the NLCS in 2011 and 2012. Michael Almnazar 24 years old, James Aitkenhead 25 years old, Nick Trudeau 24 years old, Starlin Castro 25 years old, Antonio Diaz 22 years old, Eric Gossage 24 years old, Agustin Toulis 23 years old, Manny Barbely 23 years old and Kelvin De La Cruz 26 years old. This revamp of the Chicago Cubs is built around youth and they will not have father time on their shoulder and the pieces that are at 30 or above are pieces that can be replaced. The Cubs in 2011 and 2012 did not have another thing, players in the minors ready for their time. Those teams treated the minors as trade bait to acquire that next piece to the team. Thomas, Trout, Widdup and Morris are players that in their time when they are ready can all be solid contributors to the current ball club and are in no threat of going anywhere in the near future.

With that being said, I still do not feel like the Cubs of 2015 are done with this roster as of yet. The newly added co-gm and gm have been in lengthy discussions about some directions of improvement. With the recent acquisition of Aybar at 2nd base, gives this Cub team something that they did not have in 2011 and 2012. A very good defense up the middle. Castro, Aybar, Diaz and Morrison are very good defenders. In the first 11 games of this season, the Cubs have committed only 1 error and that 1 error was committed by the best defensive player on the roster, Michael Almnazar.

The Chicago Cubs owner went on the record last night in FCM radio show in saying "We are not a playoff team". They might not be the front runner for the playoff spot in the National League but I think the National League will soon find that this 2015 Chicago Cubs are not the Cubs of 2013 and 2014.

A little insight.....

I have been asked a question a few times now and I
Thought I would give a little insight to the question
that keeps being asked.... WHY?


The answer is simple but not so simple. The roster of the cubs were built for winning now and we did a tremendous job of it winning 98 games and 92 games the season prior.and making it back to back years to the NLCS. The only team in the league that can take that credit. However, at the trade deadline, the Cubs were in a position with a 2 game lead on the best record in baseball, not their division but baseball. After the trade deadline, the Cubs played under .500 ball. They took a LA Dodger team in the first round to a 5th game even though the dodgers were missing their best player. Then lost in 6 games to the eventual world series champion for the 2nd season in a row.

Taking a closer look at the post trade deadline collapse of the cubs can only be attributed to one thing, age of the roster. To get in back to back post seasons and a chance to win the championship the Cubs sacrificed their farm. The 3,4 and 5 hitter for the Cubs are at the ages of 33,34 and 35 next season. Entering the next season, thought was put into if that heart of the batting order could maintain their level of performance. With watching the post trade deadline collapse, the answer was no. So with a bare minor league system, handcuffed to contracts on aging players, the Cubs only had one choice. To get the most they can now while their players still hold a strong market value.

The decision was then made to sell off all the parts of the team except for emerging star Starlin Castro and Stolmy Pimentel. Two players that in the future that will be stars in the league. The Cubs now have a nucleus of young players. The Cubs feel the acquisitions of Thomas De'lon, Devon Mesoraco, Michael Almanzar, Tim Melville, James Aitkenhead, Nick Trudeau, Pascal Nichols all headline the acquisitions of this off season as they all can become tremendous players in the future Chicago Cubs lineup. Other youngsters were acquired that the Cubs are excited about as well. It is now a waiting game in Chicago for these players to develop.

Chicago Cubs Make some Moves

The Cubs in the past 24 hours have made 3 different moves to their Major league roster. First and foremost they added a big bat to the middle of their lineup in Victor Martinez. Their trading kicked off with a minor move that resulted in Khalil Greene being moved to Texas in exchange for a 21 year old pitching prospect named Robbie Ross. Robbie is a good couple years away from making a crack at the 25 man roster. The major reason for this trade is that Greene became expendable. He was the main back up to Ryan Theriot and Aaron Hill in the middle of the infield. But with the emergence of Starlin Castro, it made Greene the odd man out.

The second trade that was made was a trade with the Boston Red Sox, Where the cubs received Victor Martinez, Mitchell Herold and Daniel Bard with Boston receiving Jose Valverde and Geovany Soto. The bottom line is that the cubs were too right handed in their lineup. Right hand pitching this season has been very effective against the Cubs. This trade brings in a switch hitter to the every day lineup to provide more balance. Also in the trade, the cubs picked up Mitchell Herold, who has been on the cubs radar for a while now. With the injury to Porcello for 2 weeks, he is getting thrown into the rotation to see if he can put together better numbers than what he was doing in the tough AL East. The last part of the trade was Daniel Bard. With the cubs dealing a reliever in this trade they pick another arm up for their pen. The cubs are hoping a shift to the NL will light a spark for these two young pitchers. The cubs moved Valverde mainly because of his expiring contract and they did not know if the contract 11 plus million a year was a good value on a 33 year old arm. The cubs did not want to see Soto go but it was a price to pay to obtain Ramirez.

The last trade was with the Cubs and Philly. The Cubs sent Aaron Hill and Micah Hoffpauir to Philly for Freddy Freeman and John Baker. The under the radar pickup in this trade for the cubs is John Baker. This allows the cubs to play John Baker at catcher vs Right hand pitching and either Victor Martinez or Ronny Paulino at catcher for Left handed pitching. Baker puts another left handed bat for the cubs in their lineup while still being a good defensive catcher behind the plate. Victor Martinez then can play at 1B where his ability to handle a pitching staff will not be a major effect on the team. Aaron Hill was going to be a free agent come this off season and his demands were pretty high for a slightly above average 2nd baseman. The cubs will be able to move Andy Laroche over to 2B and not miss a beat on the defense and pick up some production on the offense. And Freddy Freeman is allowed to ease slowly into his major league career and play in certain situations that would be most beneficial to his long term potential. He is mostly going to only be put out there against right handed pitchers when the cubs are playing in the AL ballparks. Freeman also gives us a better left handed bat coming off the bench in pitch hit situations.

Preview Chicago Cubs 2011

The Cubs come into 2011 with much optimism about a redone roster. Midway through last season the cubs acquired Andy LaRoche to play first base from Pittsburgh. Then they obtained Aaron Hill from Toronto and Hideki Matsui from the Angels. Then in this offseason the every day lineup picked up the speedster Austin Jackson to set up the table for this lineup.


Projected 2011 lineup
1) CF Austin Jackson 24 years old (88)
2) 1B Andy LaRoche 27 years old (86)
3) LF Hideki Matsui 36 years old (86)
4) 3B Aramis Ramirez 32 years old (87)
5) 2B Aaron Hill 28 years old (89)
6) SS Ryan Theriot 31 years old (81)
7) C Geovany Soto 28 years old (86)
8) RF Kosuke Fukodome 33 years old (84)

Bench
Carlos Guillen OF/SS(79)
Michah Hoffpauir 1B/OF(81)
Alfonso Soriano OF(85)
Khailil Green SS/2B(83)
Xavier Nady OF/1B(83)
Ronny Paulino C(81)

The rotation last season was very inexperienced and one pitcher from last years staff remains in the rotation in Luke Sommer. The cubs acquired Brandon Marrow from Toronto in their mid-season push. Then in this offseason they obtained Fautino De Los Santos from the A's. Then in deals with the Tigers they obtained Rick Porcello and Justin Verlander.

Projected 2011 Rotation
1) RHP Justin Verlander 28 years old (94)
2) LHP Fautino De Los Santos 25 years old (84/89)
3) RHP Rick Porcello 22 years old (85/93)
4) RHP Brandon Marrow 26 years old (87)
5) LHP Luke Sommer 25 years old (84)

The Bullpen also has some minor changes and it started in last season as well when the cubs obtained Jason Frasor from Toronto. Then in this past offseason, they obtained Jose Valverde and Phile Coke from Detriot.

Projected 2011 Bullpen
Closer - RHP Carlos Marmol 28 years old (90)
Setup - RHP Jose Valverde 31 years old (88)
Short - RHP Jason Frasor 33 years old (81)
Short - LHP Phil Coke 28 years old (81)
Middle - LHP John Grabow 32 years old (77)
Long - LHP Jeff Beliveau 24 years old (81)