The Cubs are “in strong pursuit” of Daniel Descalso, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter link). They’ll have interesting company in the bidding, though, as the division-rival Cardinals are also involved on their former infielder, as previously rumored and as Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports tweets.
Descalso, 32, was a mainstay with the Cards for several years, but has spent the past four seasons out west with the Rockies and D-Backs. In that time, the veteran has not only spread his wings a bit defensively but heated up a bit with his left-handed bat.
Known primarily as a utility infielder, Descalso has now spent a fair amount of time in the corner outfield. It’s likely that these and other clubs will mostly value him for his ability to field any position on the dirt, but it surely doesn’t hurt that he’s now familiar with left field.
At the plate, Descalso has earned a rather expansive role in Arizona by producing sturdy on-base numbers. He’s still a clearly below-average hitter over the course of his career, but Descalso has also perhaps shown some newfound abilities at the plate as an acolyte of the flyball revolution.
Last year, Descalso popped a career-high 13 long balls and turned in a healthy .198 ISO — well north of anything he had shown previously. An aggressive new approach also resulted in quite a few more strikeouts (26.0%) than usual, but Descalso more than made up for that by setting new career marks (by a wide margin) with a 15.1% walk rate and 43.1% hard-contact rate. The results — a .238/.353/.436 slash — were impressive.
Given those changes, and Descalso’s preexisting reputation as a reliable veteran and generally solid defender, it’s not hard to see why these two contending clubs have interest. Presumably, others do as well, though the infield market is still quite overloaded with possibilities.
They are? Did he steal something from them?
Daniel Disgraziato
Cardinals need to bring him back, gutsy player who is loved in the clubhouse. Left hander utility bat they are looking for…
I was shocked when they originally let him go because of Gregg Garcia
Idk Garcia can hit,
This war may not reflect it but he is sneaky good
Especially out west. He can also play all over and was a cheaper option.
Kaboom.
Tailed off hard the last two months with the bat.
Double D has been pretty clutch in big situations throughout his career. 3rd base is probably his best defensive position, but he handles 2nd pretty well too. He’s a true utility guy that, like most, can get overexposed when used too much.
He’ll likely get at least 2 years at around $2MM per, which is cheap enough.
Yeah, when I think clutch, Descalso immediately comes to mind.. LOL
You are horrible at trolling. Mainly because it’s all you do, so it’s easy to spot. Just see your sn and know it’s a troll’s comment.
How about explaining how he’s clutch and give proof? There’s no trolling, you’re just a guy who tosses out s–t like it’s fact. The guy batted .202 last year w/risp. His career avg. with men on base is not stellar either, so don’t tell us all he’s clutch. He just played the last 2 years in a hitters park and was average at best.
More of the same from you. Trolling is what comes natural to you.
All i need to do to give proof is reference the 2011 WS.
He’s not a starter. Never has been and shouldn’t be. Just as i said originally, overexposure for utility guys is their downfall. Just as he was overexposed last season because of Lamb and others being injured. But you won’t take that into account, because it messes up your narrative as a troll.
You need to learn the difference between trolling and knowing what is correct and incorrect. I can’t stand sheeple like you who claim trolling as soon as someone exposes them for stupidity. Descalso was no more exposed in 2018 as he was in 2017, or the years he was in STL getting over 300 at bats. Your clutch comment takes us back 7 years to the 2011 WS and you claim because of that he’s a clutch player? Learn the game, Understand the game. Then come back here with something more than calling someone a troll. Descalso is a below average player, and it doesn’t matter if he gets 150 at bats or 350.
And quite pointless. I used to enjoy the conversations on this site. Now it’s just name calling and pissy little boys mad at one another because their opinions aren’t the same.
I’m not mad. Just tired of the same ol’ same ol’ from him. I post a comment and he decides i’m a moron that knows nothing and is full of s**t. He could have stated i’m wrong and peeled off, but that’s not his “style”.
Ya I’m with batty on this one. It’s one thing if you want to have a real baseball conversation, but daved comes to the Cardinals threads just to put down every player and fan of the Cardinals. He’s not here for baseball, he’s here for the pleasure of putting down other people for their choice of team
big hit in that 2011 ws. that was a big hit. that hit alone made me like him as a player a tad bit. should he return to st louis, no. go to the cubs, no.
You are correct…
https://www.azsnakepit.com/2018/12/9/18132322/2018-arizona-diamondbacks-reviews-8-daniel-descalso-free-agent-clutch-veteran
This is the proof that daved wanted. Where are ya man?
“Career marks (by a wide margin)…..43.1% hard contact rate.” Hit .238…….. Don’t teams have enough .238-like hitters (Russell, Schwarber, Happ, Bote)? The obvious point of this story is that 28 teams aren’t pursuing him.
Well you’re officially a moron for ignoring the fact that his OPS was 789. Batting average is irrelevant in today’s game. Someone who comments here should know that
Anyone who follows baseball in general should know that if they’ve really thought about it
Doesn’t take a mathematician to figure out why batting average is a fairly limited evaluation tool
I will accept the moron comment, but me being a Cub fan and you being a Cardinal fan——you can have him. Three of the four Cubs I named fit the same mold, to pretty darn near statistics (Schwarber .238/.823; Bote .239/.727; Happ .233/.761) and the point was they have enough of those guys. And at 32, DD had career marks…by a wide margin. Those numbers, all inclusive seem to be his ceiling. We can argue all day about relevant and more relevant stats—-when it comes down to it, the team that scores the most runs in a game, wins. That’s the important stat.
no stat is irrelevant
You do know a 100 point difference in ops is huge, right? Saying all those guys fit ‘the same mold’ based pretty much only on batting average is a pretty ridiculous statement…
And batting average, by being part of OBP, which is half of OPS is not irrelevant.
BA must be irrelevant because they are trying to give away their only .300 hitter. They all yip bad defense but I saw nothing worse than Matt Holliday and Jose’s hitting more than made up for it. Hot/Cold Carpenter had 16 errors – a lot more than Jose yet nobody is yelling for him to be traded (I would love to see it). Bring back DD too. JJ is another guy they should have kept.
Probably because Errors and defense have nothing to do with one another…
I think I’d rather have Tommy back, but I guess the Cubs were doing him a favor trading him to LAA so he can get more playing time.
I was thinking the same thing. Why give up LaStella and then go after someone who’s kinda like him but not as good?
Garcia was kind of a bust wasn’t he? So many times he looked so overmatched at the plate.
Why the Cardinals ever traded Descalso and John Jay in the first place is beyond me. Both were and are dependable day to day players. Valuable players, as they have been in the Cardinals playoff runs as well as their other teams ever since leaving St. Louis. Jon Jay had a career .300 average as a lead off hitter for the Cards when he was traded. Descalso wasn’t an actual starter in the infield, but played somewhere on the diamond every day. Maybe coincidence, but since their trades, the Cardinals began their downward trend in the Central Division.
Gyorko for jay has been won by the cardinals.
They also began employing Mike Matheny around the same time. I would bet everything I own that their downward trend correlated with the Matheny hiring a lot more than those two trades.
yes, it’s a coincidence
Because both Jay and DD suck beyond belief.
Dude. You claim your not a troll but then you post comments like this. Come on man.
Descalso was not traded by cardinals. He signed as a free agent. They might have non tendered him fearing his arbitration sum if I remember correctly.
You are correct.
Since this a rumors app…I’ve heard JJ wasn’t the most liked guy in the clubhouse.
Fyi Descalso was non tendered. So another day another fail for your daily crybabying about FO… Stop trying to pretend you are a fan..
His name loosely translates to
“Shoeless Daniel.”
Always loved that…..
Yeah, he played the little boy in “The Bicycle Thief”.
Somehow this doesn’t surprise me that the Cardinals are chasing this stiff.
Rambling nonsense.
I guess if Maddon wants to further demoralize Schwarber then the Cubs should sign him. .238 with no power? why?
Cubs at 36 on 40 man. Cardinals at 40, honestly who do see them cutting loose to add Descalso?
Cecil, Gregerson, Leon, and possibly even Fowler.
Took a closer look, Mayers is out of options so….
Lol, Mayer’s isn’t going anywhere. With a real manager in charge of the bullpen, he can be a very valuable piece
Gant is out of options also so both he and Mayers are going to stick with big club? No options= little flexibility and less trade value.
Yes they both are going to stick with the big club. Did you see how good Gant was in the rotation last year? He’s going to be a valuable long relief guy this year if he isn’t traded as back end rotation help for a team in need of it.
Last time this battle occurred it resulted in an 8 year/$184 million dollar contract for Jason Heyward. I hope this result is exactly the same.
How did the Cubs do in 2016 and on since that “battle”? How have the Cardinals done in the same time frame?
I’ll help you…Cubs have been in the playoffs all 3 years including a World Series and two NLCS’s. The Cardinals have been golfing the last 3 October’s.
As a Cub fan, I hope this Descalso battle has a similar result as well .
Did the Dexter Fowler $82 million deal escape your memory as a more recent “battle”???
I wonder how Fowler feels
Didn’t we just trade one of him to the Angels?
Can someone explain the article comment that states Descalso is generally a solid defender? DRS 2B -1. SS -21. 3B -11.. If that is deemed “solid”, then tell me what below average is? This is why I hate defensive metrics. They are not exact nor reliable, and apparently nobody knows what is considered good or bad? Defense always has and always will need the eye test. It is still the most reliable way to judge a defender if you watch most games.
A man after my own heart.
I half agree with you. defensive metrics can weed out showmanship though. Like the outfielder who makes an amazing diving catch but metrics say it’s a catch he should’ve made anyway and he wouldn’t have had to dive had he not gotten a late break. Or players who jump to catch the ball when they didn’t need to, etc.
Isn’t that known as Jim Edmonds Syndrome?
Isn’t the problem with the ‘eye test’ that it’s unreliable and wholly subject to personal opinions on ‘good’ and ‘bad’?
Would rather they bring back Murphy and move Baez over to short permanently.
Not a Cubs fan, but yours is the best idea in this thread.
I definitely agree but if not Murphy, sacrifice someone in a trade for Whit Merrifield.
But instead they tendered a wife beater.. Not surprisingly since Theo had no issues with Manny beating his wife, or an elderly Red Sox clubby..
They could dump someone like Cecil. lol Wishful thinking!
The Cards want a lefty bench ph bat with some pop. It can be debated if DD power surge last season would translate to ph at busch. He has been getting on base at a solid clip the last 3 years.
Unless they plan on moving Zobrist and/or Happ, I don’t see why the Cubs would want this dude. Can’t see why the Cards would either unless they’re worried Fowler will continue to be horrible.
Who needs Harper right?
Right, because it’s the same thing.
Was there something wrong with Greg Garcia?
GG stopped hitting and then his OBP dried up as a result
The cubs dump off la Stella’s salary for descalso to spell Addison Russell. Perhaps the cubs will trade russel to the Mets so the the mets can have a onetwo punch with Russell and familia.
Mets could bring back Reyes and have the trifecta of scum.
Regarding this comment section, when did this site become Reddit? Name calling and trolling and fake accounts everywhere. Another website ruined by idiotic children.
I remember this site many years ago, when MLBTR was straight draconian in removing posts that had even a HINT of being anything but glowing remarks about the subject of the post. Sarcasm, jokes, ANYTHING were not tolerated. It was absolutely horrible management. They finally realized they could either police comments and drive people away, or let things take their course.
As a Cubs fan, this is a fire dump.. Move La Stella and bring in someone worse. This has been a terrible offseason for them.
Agreed. They are relying on what they have. And what they have regardless of Injuries wasn’t enough to hold off a team that will only get better
Barring injuries they win the division.
Barring injuries Darvish and Morrow arevaround all year, plus Bryant.
Barring injuries they win 96 to 98 games.
Barring missing two numbers, i wuld have won 1.6 billion… Culda wulda shulda..
Because the off season is over?
Did I say it was?
He has a -0.6 dWAR in ‘17 and ‘18. I would not say he is good defensively. Only versatile.
I like analytics and modern stats up to a point, but I’ll never get used to .238 batting average and “impressive” in the same sentence no matter what the OBP and SLG are.
“The [results] — a .238/.353/.436 slash — were impressive.”
No, they weren’t. He exchanged contact for power at a time when there’s a declining rate of the former, thus making it more valuable. Tired of the PC remarks, just call it for what it is, unremarkable.
The former is declining because it’s not nearly as practically valuable as once thought. Weak contact just leads to runners thrown out.
There you go Cubs, so much for looking for a “professional hitter”! DD is just like too many on the team already and while I trust the FO I think they are betting on fool’s gold thinking the answer is for the youngsters to emerge from the pumpkin, then midnight strikes and we are back to the same all or nothing players we have. This is the definition of insanity, bringing back the SAME lineup and expecting different results. DD is not going to change this path the Cubs are on and don’t really think he’s needed. Hell, I’d rather trade for Fowler, have the Cards eat some money and put him back in the leadoff spot hoping a change in scenery works! I just don’t know what the hell the Cubs are trying to do this off season…….
That lineup was a good chunk of why they won a World Series
So, specify, what do you want?
Better yet, what would you have done by mid December?
Theo’s bad signings are officially taking their toll when Daniel Descalso is the only rumor for the Cubs.
Wasnt Theo supposed to have won multiple titles by now in Chicago?
I believe he has been called a “dynasty builder and a miracle worker” by many reputable media sources.
Where are these dynasties I’ve heard so much about?
All I’ve seen is a tank job cut short, numerous bad signings, and a juicer to carry his reputation in Boston.
One of TIME Magazine’s most influential leaders? Give me a break!
He brought a championship to both Boston and Chicago.. I never understood the vitriol coming from people, but taking into consideration that you are from Missouri, I assume you are a Cardinals fan and therefore your opinion doesn’t matter. The Cubs are very talented, but if they don’t do anything this offseason, it’s a throw away season.
Theo would’ve run most franchises into the ground with the countless bad contracts he has handed out. Darvish, Heyward & Chatwood would’ve got him shipped out of KC, TB or any other small market team.
Can anyone tell me if Descalso is any good at all at shortstop? If not, I don’t understand the cards interest.
I believe Baez would be one of the best shortstops in baseball if the Cubs would leave him there. Merrifield from K.C. is a good second baseman and lead off hitter. Maybe Happ and Heyward for him with the Cubs eating some of Heywards contract?
I can’t imagine anyone taking on Heyward’s contract.. Even offset, does KC have the money to pay for that? It would be probably $10=12 million.