The Cubs have already added Wade Davis and Brian Duensing to their bullpen, but they’re still trying to add depth, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. Ideally, they’d like to add another lefty, and they’ve been in touch with Travis Wood about returning.
But Wood’s agent, Darek Braunecker, says his client has attracted interest from seven NL teams, as ESPN’s Jesse Rogers noted today. Those clubs value Wood’s versatility and hitting ability (Wood has a career .182/.208/.314 line, strong for a pitcher), and Wood would also like another shot at starting, a chance he’s unlikely to get with the Cubs. So a return to Chicago is far from a certainty.
Another possibility for a left-handed addition to the Cubs’ bullpen is Jerry Blevins, who posted a 2.79 ERA, 11.1 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 42 innings in a specialist role for the Mets last season, Wittenmyer writes. And the Cubs remain interested in righty Greg Holland, the former Royals closer who’s returning from Tommy John surgery and should be fully healthy for Spring Training. The team could also consider adding a bullpen piece in tomorrow’s Rule 5 Draft.
In the meantime, the Cubs’ addition of Davis will bump Hector Rondon back into a setup role, even though Rondon has had success as a closer in parts of each of the last three seasons. Manager Joe Maddon, though, says Rondon understands the move.
“He understands Wade being there,” says Maddon. “He was great. I told him how much I respect him. And he’s all about the team. It’s just one of those things.”
I realize they won’t spend the money, but still adding Chapman shouldn’t be entirely ruled out.
Though if offers really are nearing 100 million, I understand
So if everyone of us at the Cubs parade pitched in $20 we could have chapman?
The media and City Hall claimed 5 million attended the Cubs parade. That just isn’t possible. Do the math and consider logistics. There are only 8.5 million in the three state metropolitan area. In other words Mikel, it might cost you $39.99 plus tax.
Cubs are a nationwide team. They’re “America’s team.” WGN broadcasts their games in every single state. So, people come from all over the country.
That’s just at the parade. Gotta take account for every cubs fan everywhere else. So there’s at least 20 million cubs fans across the U.S. I know a few from Canada that were cheering for them. 5$ from 20mil fans. Would have him too.
No it’s ruled out he went back to the jankees
Unrelated, but has anyone else had their app crash whenever they’re inside the app and a notification from within the app pops up? Like when I’m reading a story and a new one is posted while I’m reading and the app crashes
Happens all the time.
Yes. Not always, but it has happened before.
Have you updated the app? I have iPhone and when I update app it usually quits doing it
might as well trade strop amd rondon as Maddon didn’t trust them down the stretch or in the playoffs, though one was injured.
Its a long season, bro.
I would not say there was a complete “trust issue,” rather, more along the lines of both were coming back from injuries, and were not their normal selves. I suspect they would be healthy by spring training, and will have good years in 2017.
I wonder though, why they were even on the postseason roster then? Obviously, it doesn’t matter now, because they won, but they had Joe Smith, who could have neutralized Guyer and Davis, who are each bad vs. righties, and Cahill and Hammel…
They both were rushed back from injuries very late in the reg. season. Strop jacked up his knee and Rondon had triceps issues……. neither bode well for solid pitching. They have the entire offseason to heal and be 100% for next season.
That said, for Rondon’s sake I wish they’d trade him. The guy is like a half step down from the elite closers in the game. Yet Maddon has 0 trust in him and has about as long a leash on Rondon as he does on Hendricks, another player with an aggravatingly short leash. Take advantage of this insane reliever market and trade him for a top pitching prospect. Rondon gets to be an awesome closer elsewhere, Cubs potentially get their young, controllable future SP. Win-win IMO. (HOU) Joe Musgrove for Rondon. Gives the Astros some back end of the bullpen insurance if/when Giles fails again.
The Cubs definitely need more left-handed depth in their bullpen, especially if they stick with the plan to have Mike Montgomery earn a spot in the rotation this spring. I’d rather the Cubs employ Montgomery as their late inning lefty, where he excelled so well for them after acquiring him from the Mariners last summer, and have the front office pursue a solid and controllable starter this offseason, but what do I know?
The whole intention of getting Montgomery was to eventually put him in the rotation. Keeping him in the pen would halt progress. I feel my fellow Cub fans are being to nostalgic this offseason and it is getting kind of annoying. It seems there is a large portion of fans wanting EVERYONE back and in their same positions. The most nonsensical plea from the homer section of the fanbase is to re-sign Fowler for some pointless reason. That makes a giant log jam in LF…. even with the Soler trade. Fowler back means Schwarber, Zobrist, and Almora all battle for playing time in LF. No. Almora is the starting CFer. Blocking him essentially kills his chance to be a full time starter and/or build trade value. I know you didn’t bring Fowler up but this Montgomery sentiment is the same deal. “He was good in the pen….. so leave him in the pen.” No. With half of the Cubs rotation likely gone within 1 calendar year (Hammel this year, Arrieta and Lackey next offseason) they NEED to audition him as a starter to see what they have for next offseason and have an idea of what they need next offseason. Whether Montgomery does great or not they will need SPs for 2018. Holding off on Montgomery just creates more questions for next year. “Can Montgomery start? Do we need 3 SPs or just 2? Who knows, too bad we didn’t have Montgomery start in 2017 and we’d have a better idea……” sh** like that. Great, we won the World Series. You don’t win more WS by standing pat and retaining everyone at their same spots. Getting and staying young with a balance of veterans is how you establish long term success. Progress is the key. Having Almora in CF is progress…. moving forward. Montgomery in the rotation is progress….. and moving forward. Maintaining players as 4th OFers and bullpen arms is standing pat…. no progress. Don’t be afraid of change………. it’s why I was hoping they’d offer up Soler, Baez, Jimenez, Cease, and Candelario for Chris Archer AND Colome. Sucks to lose Baez but Zobrist is a capable stopgap at 2B while we wait for Happ to debut at 2B……… and just 365 days ago most Cub fans were very willing to deal him away and wrote him off as a bust already. Rotation would then be Lester, Archer, Arrieta, Hendricks, and Lackey for this year….. holy sh**. Then for 2018 we’d have Lester, Archer, Hendricks, and Montgomery with only 1 spot to fill…….. Otani???? Then the bullpen would’ve been Colome, Rondon, Strop, and Edwards at the back end……. NICE!
Dude. Seriously. Return button. Nobody can read this wall of text.
I don’t think anyone even bothers. I see his user name and just scroll past it. He could very well have awesome posts, but it’s just not worth reading the walls of texts
I like your thoughts on these except a couple of things. Almora shouldn’t be treated as the starting cf without earning it. He could be a flop for all we know right now.
Otani won’t be had by the Cubs. With the new cba, the Cubs actually have the fewest dollars available for international signings. Kinda wish the sox weren’t irrational and we could get Quintana.
And I also think that’s a lot to give up for archer coming off a terrible year.
I would rather the Cubs hold onto their prospects for now and let’s see what happens with Monty. If he falters in the rotation, we may need to open the wallet to retain Jake. Bc there may not be a lot of options.
I’m glad they didn’t overspend on a closer. Soler will be missed but had no spot on this team.
Maybe I missed it somewhere, so if so my bad, but I don’t think the White Sox would have the same opposition to trading Quintana to the Cubs as trading Sale to the Cubs did. If anything though, the Sox might be giving the Cubs a higher price tag for Quintana (same as they would do if a division competitor came calling) since they play in the same city. You might think that’s a stupid reason, but it makes sense if you believe Quintana would continue to pitch well if he were to go to the Cubs. For example, if the White Sox traded Quintana to the Cubs and Quintana continued to pitch really well (or helped them win another WS), the White Sox organization and their fans would never hear the end of it from the Cubs fans since they traded such a great player to them.
I agree. People around here are WAY too high on Almora. From what I’ve seen so far, I’m really not that impressed or sold on him being the starting CF. With all of the great prospects the Cubs have, this year will be make or break for him.
Almora basically won game 7. 9 out of 10 players don’t tag up. They pitch to Rizzo if he doesn’t tag up. It may have been a much worse result. Almora is outstanding. On both sides of the field.
Stop thinking that we want to read your nonsense. It is insulting to us.
/book
Baez and Jimenez and cease? Hell no
Baez ain’t going anywhere. 2020 my guess Zo will retire a cub and by then. Almora will be in cf. Schwarber and Jimenez will share left. With schwarber doing some catching as well.
Rather get a number 4 starter, bump Lackey to 5, and put Montgomery back in the pen. Be a lefty setup option to Rondon and Strop and Edwards.
Forget Wood. Forget the pen. The goal should be trying to acquire a starter. That would alleviate the concerns of the rotation past 2017 when Lackey and Jake are gone. And it would allow Montgomery to serve in a big bullpen role.
I hope they deal for a starter sooner rather than later. If they wait until next offseason other teams will know the Cubs are desperate and use that as leverage in trade talks
Cubs fans need to understand that you can’t win a best of 5 or 7 series without a dominant closer. A patchwork bullpen can get you to 85 wins, you’re at a severe disadvantage in the playoffs with inconsistent relievers called on to close out games.
Agree. But the conversation isn’t about a closer. The article is discussing situational relievers. The thought from us is that the Cubs have multiple rotation openings in 2018. Get a starter now. Nice Montgomery to the situational role.
Bingo
Can never have too much depth, but with Duensing, Grimm, Strop, Rondon, Edwards, and Davis, and then Leathersich, Pena, Zaztryzny, and Aaron Crow who could be huge if he has anything left in the tank, I’m not worried at all about the pen.
Crow is done.
Ryan Sherriff is going to have his name called in the morning. Rule 5 Draft.
As a Mariners fan, I agree that Montgomery is best served as a starter than a reliever. I feel like everyone’s first thought of Montgomery (the reliever) is of his save in Game 7 of the World Series (which was only one out I’m pretty sure; might be wrong though). Why go out and sign a starter or trade for a starter to take over Lackey and Arrieta’s spot when they leave when you have Montgomery, who can fill that role right now (unless that starter is a Chris Archer type of a starter, if not actually Chris Archer). Granted Montgomery is only one guy, and he probably won’t replace Arrieta and Lackey’s production by himself, Montgomery has at least earned a shot to see what he can do. If Lester continues to pitch well (and there are no signs that he won’t) and Hendricks proves that last year wasn’t some sort of one-year wonder, then at that point the Cubs wouldn’t even need a top tier starter and can settle (and save some money) on a #3/#4 pitcher depending on how Montgomery does.
Why not have Montgomery and Wood fight for the #4/5 starting spot and whoever shows they can handle it starts the season off there and then if one of them falters in rotation switch em out (this makes a ton of sense) I also think that they should get a quality SP in Rule 5 or have Zastryzny as a backup in case both can’t handle it
Also is reading articles on the app impossible for anyone else, for me a video keeps playing every minute and it’s obnoxious
because twood has offers from other teams (apparently) where he’s not as much fighting for it
Give G Holland Davis a we need Holland Blevins Davis and Rondon and Edwards all get a challenge to be Closer then Strope and those guys get a challenge for set up men then you see some talent for the best bullpen in all the MLB stop awarding positions due to pay scale