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By Steve Adams | at
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klassic
It is likely that something will happen causing something else to likely happen, thus making it likely that nothing happens. Did you use the word likely enough?
Steve Adams
Seems likely.
Reworded some of that sentence, haha. Thanks.
Mysterious Two Hole Steve
I say its highly unlikely.
stl_cards16
It wouldn’t be that crazy for Bradley to out-perform Samardzija this year. If that’s the return the Cubs are really asking for, I see no reason to even speculate that Samardzija could be traded anymore.
fumf
That’s if they’re talking Shark for Bradley straight up. Why wouldn’t the Cubs start with Bradley though? You can ask for the world at this point because the trade deadline has been pretty kind to the Cubs the last couple years as far as the prospect haul for guys like Feldman, Garza, Dempster.
Vipul Koul 2
If only dbacks would not have traded Matt Davidson for reed they could have put him and a mid level prospect or 2 for Jeff samardzija
stl_cards16
I don’t see the Cubs interested in a 3B as the centerpiece to a trade right now. They have plenty of options long-term at third.
sourbob
Considering how terrible Veras is looking in spring training, Hanrahan to the Cubs makes a certain amount of sense. He’d be back in the NL Central and re-establishing himself in a low pressure situation. And if he’s good, he’d be all but guaranteed to get dealt to a contender by July 31st.
arthur3
I am not sure if there is such a thing as a “low pressure situation’ for a closer. Hanrahan’s greatest strength as a relief pitcher is/has been his ability to overwhelm batters with superior velocity for one inning, late in a game. As it stands now, he is strictly a single inning pitcher coming off major surgeries, pitching with a sharp decrease in his velocity. With the current limits of his fastball speed and his limited arsenal of alternative pitches, Joel Hanrahan could just as easily find himself on the waiver wire by July 31st.
Rally Weimaraner
The cubs evaluation of Shark in trade talks and extension talks just don’t line up. They are treating him as an ace in trade talks and a back of the rotation starter in extension talks. I would be surprised if either an extension or a trade happens before opening day.
Vivid_Reality
They offered him a 5/55 extension that would have paid him 15m/year for his free agency years, that is pretty reasonable. Shark wants to be paid like an ace. As for the trade talks, why would they ever move him now for less when they could just hold onto him. He will always have more value at the deadline unless he completely unravels. The Cubs have all the negotiation power so unless they are blown away, they will simply hold onto Shark.
Jeffy25
Well, he loses his compensation status at the deadline.
Gocubs2010
He is an Ace but he’s only been an ACE for 1 year so he won’t get a lot in extension.
TheoHoyer
He is NOT an ace.
Rally Weimaraner
Shark is not an ace. Neither his career 4.19/3.94/3.85/6.1 (ERA/FIP/xFIP/fWAR) nor his 2012 numbers (his best single season) 3.81/3.55/3.38/3.0 are “ace” level performance.
cjax
Most MLB pitchers have been playing practically their entire lives, Samardzija just began focusing on baseball over the last few years, so to already be this good, he is definitely worthy of ace status.
Seamaholic
I can’t imagine the Cubs would ask for Bradley in any seriousness. Just a prelim to tell themselves they tried. Then they serious negotiate. I’m not sure I would trade Bradley straight up for David Price, let alone Samardzija.
Gocubs2010
Archie Bradley could be a Ace for years or he could be a bust that’s what happens with prospects, You just never know.
godzillacub
Who else do they have that is interesting to the Cubs besides Bradley? They already traded arguably the other two best arms in their system in Skaggs and Holmberg, and the Cubs want pitching . . . the match is no longer there.
Prozack
Here we go again the cubs thinking they can get samarjida for Bradley lol.
How about samardija for Zeke Spruill and wil harris
Gocubs2010
Only reason they are saying no is because of the age factor. If Shark was as young but wouldn’t sign an extension the offer is not that bad.
Butch Crassidy
At 29 and with barely over 65 career starts under his belt, Shark is relatively young for his given age. I understand he’s still a little old for most teams who would consider parting with a stud on the farm for a starter, but I’m sure if the D-Backs or another club felt they could contend for a title this year, dealing a top prospect for Shark wouldn’t be that terrible of a prospect. No pun intended.
justinept
The ‘mileage’ discussion really only works in its inverse. In that, you can speed up the aging process by throwing an unusually high number of pitches, but you can’t slow it down. Aging happens naturally whether you throw a baseball or not. That’s the issue with Shark. He’s 29, and we’re still using the word ‘potential’ with him. Even if he comes an ‘ace’ (he won’t), then the window for that peak performance is just a year or two before the age decline kicks in.
Butch Crassidy
Obviously I wasn’t trying to say that because of his lack of innings, he could easily be a front-end starter into his late 30s. And yes, he’s going to age, regardless. I’d never argue that his aging process is slowing; that wouldn’t make sense. But this being only his third full season as a starter, you’ve gotta figure his peak window will be open for a year or two longer–perhaps–than most other starters his age. Maybe because he’s a power pitcher, could you then factor in added stress on the arm outside of the norm.
justinept
I know what you were trying to say, and I’m disagreeing with it. The body starts breaking down at a certain age regardless of usage. For a pitcher, that’s usually 30-32 years old. This can happen sooner if a player over uses his body… but you don’t get a few extra years just because you took it easy in your 20s. That’s not how the body works.
Butch Crassidy
The fact that you typed “usually” proves that there are exceptions because if you didn’t entertain the possibility of them, you would’ve opined that all pitchers, regardless of usage, break down around that age. Could Shark be an exception? Possibly. I just feel that his aging process started a bit late, is all, and that his late start could very well enable his career to be productive for a year or two longer than it would have been had he, say, been a full-time starter since 24, 25. You can sail in your boat and I’ll sail in mine. I get your point.
brian310
John Danks?
Cubstein
Come on Towers, make that last grasp at saving your career by trading for Samardzija.
david 32
In what scenario could the Cubs pry Bradley away?
Samardzija, Olt, and Pierce Johnson maybe?
Butch Crassidy
That, would not be a smart move by the Cubs. AT ALL.
Rene2331
Only in your world.
JCurrie39
At the deadline perhaps if Veras and Barney are having good seasons. It would almost be like the Detroit trade for Omar Infante and Anibal Sanchéz for Jacob Turner.
Jeffy25
Hanahrahan would be a good pickup for really anybody.