Cubs Fans...

[ACamp1900]

Did you go to Apple Valley? My brother-in-law was friends with Jason growing up.

No. I went to Victor... his dad coached and taught at Jason's biggest rival... lol. My daughter starts at Apple next month tho, we are already talking smack to each other.

His pops and mine were friends for decades until my father's death last year.

I'm a few years older but if your in law was big in baseball during that time we MIGHT know each other.

 

[Irishnuke]

No. I went to Victor... his dad coached and taught at Jason's biggest rival... lol. My daughter starts at Apple next month tho, we are already talking smack to each other.

His pops and mine were friends for decades until my father's death last year.

I'm a few years older but if your in law was big in baseball during that time we MIGHT know each other.

Nah he was a wrestler. Mike Culbertson.

 

[GBdomer]

Guess GBdomer is the only local kid to leave Illinois, no irony whatsoever...

Think you are missing my point

 

[ACamp1900]

Nah he was a wrestler. Mike Culbertson.

Doesn't ring a bell... I looked him up on Facebook to see if he looked familiar, nope. He's apparently a Steelers fan tho so no big loss... .

 

[BGIF]

How many Cubs are on the All-Star team this year?

 

[Irish Man3]

RP Wade Davis is the only one I could find on the roster.

 

[Rogue219]

How many Cubs are on the All-Star team this year?

Enough for this year's ratings of the game to be slightly higher than last year's game, the lowest rated ever. Thankfully this past week didn't count for home field in the World Series, which should be regarded as one of the worst ideas ever in the history of ideas about anything ever.

In other news, Cubs are still looking at Sonny Gray from the A's despite yesterday's Quintana deal. Arrieta and Lackey come off the books after this year, so there is room both now and later in the rotation. Gray would be with them for 2019 and 2020. He'd go to arbitration but would be relatively affordable.

I put nothing past Theo Epstein.

 

[Southside Sully]

Cubs will make a play for Yu Darvish I bet.

 

[Rogue219]

Cubs will make a play for Yu Darvish I bet.

I've heard this. He's 30 years old and in his walk year. Had surgery though. Wonder if that scares them off.

 

[arrowryan]

Theo and the Cubs might trade for Sonny Gray. If they don't get him, there could be a lot of big names in free aganecy this year. Sale, Mad Bum, Cueto, Tanaka, Darvish and Matt Moore could be free agents.

Sale and Q playing for the North Siders. Get the band back together!

 

[BobbyMac]

Theo and the Cubs might trade for Sonny Gray. If they don't get him, there could be a lot of big names in free aganecy this year. Sale, Mad Bum, Cueto, Tanaka, Darvish and Matt Moore could be free agents.

Sale and Q playing for the North Siders. Get the band back together!

Sale doesn't hit the market until '20. When he resigns with the Right Sox and wins a WS.

 

[arrowryan]

Sale doesn't hit the market until '20. When he resigns with the Right Sox and wins a WS.

I know its not likely but its possible. I would like Gray as long as they don't trade any current Chicago players.

 

[ozzman]

I know its not likely but its possible. I would like Gray as long as they don't trade any current Chicago players.

Any trade they make will have to include mlb roster players. The q trade took their last two legitimate prospects.

Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk

 

[arrowryan]

What a debut by Q yesterday; struck out 12 and only gave up 3 hits.

If they catch the Brewers and win the central, they could have a playoff rotation of Lester-Q-Arrieta-Hendricks. That would be a darn good rotation.

As for 2018, a top 3 of Lester-Q-Hendricks will be good. Hopefully they can resign Arrieta as he has been much better lately. If not him, they'll have to sign someone.

 

[Rogue219]

Any trade they make will have to include mlb roster players. The q trade took their last two legitimate prospects.

Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk

Oakland would likely want Happ or Baez in return for Gray. I have heard Almora as well.

Gets a little tougher now for the Cubs in terms of assets on the farm. I think they're shrewd enough to get something done and have Gray for this year as well as his contract beyond.

If they acquired Gray, or even Fulmer from Detroit, I think it puts them in the driver's seat for the Central. Still like the Dodgers and Nationals better, though.

 

[BobbyMac]

What a debut by Q yesterday; struck out 12 and only gave up 3 hits.

If they catch the Brewers and win the central, they could have a playoff rotation of Lester-Q-Arrieta-Hendricks. That would be a darn good rotation.

As for 2018, a top 3 of Lester-Q-Hendricks will be good. Hopefully they can resign Arrieta as he has been much better lately. If not him, they'll have to sign someone.

It's Jose to you. You don't get to call him Q until his first check clears.

Good thing you can spend some money because Lester and Arrieta are huge ???'s long term.

Theo has a decision to make on Arrieta. How far is he going to decline off the peak? He already has 4 more years of a declining Lester which won't end well. You can't get stuck with two of them on your roster. Sonny Gray's gonna cost you names that you don't want to give up (but should in a blink of an eye) He offers 3 years of control and he's DIRT cheap.

It will be interesting to see how Theo plays it.

 

[arrowryan]

Oakland would likely want Happ or Baez in return for Gray. I have heard Almora as well.

Gets a little tougher now for the Cubs in terms of assets on the farm. I think they're shrewd enough to get something done and have Gray for this year as well as his contract beyond.

If they acquired Gray, or even Fulmer from Detroit, I think it puts them in the driver's seat for the Central. Still like the Dodgers and Nationals better, though.

Hell no, they can keep him then. They would dipping way too deep into the young talent pool thats already in the MLB. Happ is pretty much already an everyday starter, Almora is an everyday starter once Jay is gone, and Baez can play everywhere and his defense is elite.

I'd pass. Sign someone this off season and they have a few guys in the minors that will be MLB ready in 2018-19. Look out for Dillon Maples and Oscar De La Cruz.

 

[arrowryan]

It's Jose to you. You don't get to call him Q until his first check clears.

Good thing you can spend some money because Lester and Arrieta are huge ???'s long term.

Theo has a decision to make on Arrieta. How far is he going to decline off the peak? He already has 4 more years of a declining Lester which won't end well. You can't get stuck with two of them on your roster. Sonny Gray's gonna cost you names that you don't want to give up (but should in a blink of an eye) He offers 3 years of control and he's DIRT cheap.

It will be interesting to see how Theo plays it.

Like I said in my previous post, I am not trading away 3 players under the age of 25 that helped my team win the World Series and the last 2 games were in Cleveland.

I'm not ready to say that Lester or Arrieta are declining. We have to remember that these two guys were pitching all the way into November! These guys are in fact human and a drop off in production in 2017 was likely. I think Arrieta's price has dropped due to his first half struggle. Although, he has pitched very well his last few starts so I think he is starting to figure it out again. If he can pitch well the rest of the season and hopefully the post season, I would be against a 4 year/$95 mil contract (or something similar).

 

[Rogue219]

Hell no, they can keep him then. They would dipping way too deep into the young talent pool thats already in the MLB. Happ is pretty much already an everyday starter, Almora is an everyday starter once Jay is gone, and Baez can play everywhere and his defense is elite.

I'd pass. Sign someone this off season and they have a few guys in the minors that will be MLB ready in 2018-19. Look out for Dillon Maples and Oscar De La Cruz.

I don't think that's how Theo Epstein does business, though, and when you look at the free agent market for starting pitchers it makes perfect sense they want guys like Quintana and Gray who are under controlled contracts. Good contracts at that. JQ is 28 and SG is 27. The free agents to hit the market this winter who are SP are mostly thirty somethings.

Pitching is the currency right now, and if you have it, you can ask for a lot. The White Sox proved that. Billy Beane knows this. He also knows the Cubs' farm system isn't anywhere near where it was a year ago and he has to ask for more. Plus he got taken for a ride trading Addison Russell by the Cubs a few years ago. I doubt they do it again.

 

[Rogue219]

Like I said in my previous post, I am not trading away 3 players under the age of 25 that helped my team win the World Series and the last 2 games were in Cleveland.

I'm not ready to say that Lester or Arrieta are declining. We have to remember that these two guys were pitching all the way into November! These guys are in fact human and a drop off in production in 2017 was likely. I think Arrieta's price has dropped due to his first half struggle. Although, he has pitched very well his last few starts so I think he is starting to figure it out again. If he can pitch well the rest of the season and hopefully the post season, I would be against a 4 year/$95 mil contract (or something similar).

Arrieta and Lackey are gone. They would not be looking at Sonny Gray or Michael Fulmer otherwise. Arrieta isn't as effective and he's likely going to get offers that the Cubs won't want to match. They'll use that money to do other things.

If they were to get another cost controlled starter, it would set them up for now and beyond. Lester, Quintana, Hendricks and Gray gives them a four man rotation in the long term. The fifth starter can be whomever. It makes sense and it speaks to how Epstein wants to do things.

 

[arrowryan]

Zack Britton anyone? I saw a few reports yesterday that the Cubs were very interested and they would have him through the 2018 season. Wade Davis is a free agent after this season, but he has been really good and I'd resign him even if they got Britton.

 

[BobbyMac]

Jon Lester wore this cap today to honor his uncle who passed away yesterday. He was an ND alum. Lester's a Catholic school product from the Seattle area.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Emotional Jon Lester pays tribute to his uncle with Notre Dame rallying cry:<a href="https://t.co/CZjflSfhAo">https://t.co/CZjflSfhAo</a> <a href="https://t.co/zWFDOJAMqt">pic.twitter.com/zWFDOJAMqt</a></p>— CSN Chicago (@CSNChicago) <a href="https://twitter.com/CSNChicago/status/888909747952529408">July 22, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[johnnycando]

Guys:

Y'all think we're holding off on adding another hand in the bullpen?

With the way the Nats and Dodgers are playing, I'd be inclined to hold off too, on selling the farm.

I think if the guys all start playing to potential we can contend. But those 2 aforementioned ball clubs are insane hot right now.

Maybe we'll heat up in September and be sizzling come October. Gotta keep the brew crew and Red birds/turds behind us too. Easier said than done.

These Diamondbacks are gonna be a good test.

 

[AdmiralBackhand]

Those guys have to cool off some, don't you think? I don't know who I would be looking to pick up, but the club sure is playing well. Since the ASG, they are what, 13-3? If we can keep that up the month of August and we might be able to build a comfortable lead in the division.

 

[NDdomer2]

Maddon openly said he hopes to add a relief pitcher that can go at lefties and righties. Well see if Theo makes it happen for him

 

[johnnycando]

Those guys have to cool off some, don't you think? I don't know who I would be looking to pick up, but the club sure is playing well. Since the ASG, they are what, 13-3? If we can keep that up the month of August and we might be able to build a comfortable lead in the division.

Yeah I agree.

Just play the game. Wish we had that competitive fire we had last year...

 

[johnnycando]

Maddon openly said he hopes to add a relief pitcher that can go at lefties and righties. Well see if Theo makes it happen for him

We just can't afford to deal out any good ball players in my opinion

 

[Blazers46]

Maddon openly said he hopes to add a relief pitcher that can go at lefties and righties. Well see if Theo makes it happen for him

Justin Wilson can do just that. I think the recent trade is decent.

http://http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2724777-cubs-trade-rumors-justin-wilson-alex-avila-deal-reportedly-close-with-tigers

 

[Irishnuke]

Maddon openly said he hopes to add a relief pitcher that can go at lefties and righties. Well see if Theo makes it happen for him

Joe nailed it. Great trade.

 

[johnnycando]

Justin Wilson can do just that. I think the recent trade is decent.

http://http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2724777-cubs-trade-rumors-justin-wilson-alex-avila-deal-reportedly-close-with-tigers

Link wouldn't work for me but I found one that does:

Deal done: Tigers trade Justin Wilson, Alex Avila to Cubs for prospects

Great news. Thanks for sharing!