Cubs executives met with Bryce Harper and agent Scott Boras during the Winter Meetings, holding discussions that reportedly were around three hours in length, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. No deal appears to be close between the two sides, though the most intriguing detail stemming from the meeting is that president of baseball operations Theo Epstein asked Harper and Boras to check in with the Cubs before agreeing to a deal with another team, in order to give the Cubs more time to try and create payroll space for the free agent slugger.
We’ve heard all offseason long that the Cubs have little in the way of spending capacity, and outside of modest deals to sign Daniel Descalso and Kendall Graveman, there hasn’t been much activity at all coming out of Wrigley Field. The decision to exercise Cole Hamels’ club option is still the Cubs’ biggest move this winter, and that transaction required a corresponding move (trading Drew Smyly to the Rangers) in order to clear some money off the books.
The Cubs certainly have their share of high-priced contracts that haven’t yet worked out — Jason Heyward, Yu Darvish, Tyler Chatwood, Brian Duensing, Brandon Kintzler, and Brandon Morrow stand out as players who delivered subpar seasons in 2018, either due to injuries or just a poor performance. Of course, those same reasons present major obstacles in finding a trade partner for any of those names. Adding to the team’s difficulty is that the Cubs firmly intend on being contenders in 2019, which is why they aren’t seriously considering dealing the likes of Kris Bryant or Anthony Rizzo.
Some creativity will certainly be required if Epstein and his front office plan to make a serious run at Harper, considering that Boras has every intention of landing a record-setting contract for the outfielder. Chicago could certainly explore the type of luxury tax-reducing salary dump trade that the Dodgers have become experts at in recent years, most recently their seven-player swap with the Reds just two days ago. That very deal has been rumored to be part of the Dodgers’ own pursuit of Harper, so the Cubs could already be behind the Dodgers in that regard, though Harper (like most major Boras clients) isn’t expected to sign until later in the offseason.
As per Roster Resource, the Cubs are currently on the hook for a payroll in excess of $220MM next season, which comes with a projected luxury tax price tag of just under $234.5MM (reminder: the luxury tax payroll carries some different calculations than solely the dollar figures on the MLB payroll). This puts them in position to exceed the $206MM Competitive Balance Tax threshold, and thus pay a tax penalty of 20% of every dollar on the overage. This is the “first-timer” rate for any team that exceeds the threshold but stayed under the line in the previous season. If the Cubs’ tax bill were to exceed the $246MM mark next season, they’d face a larger financial penalty as well as a ten-spot drop in the draft order for their highest selection in the 2019 amateur draft. (The Red Sox faced this penalty for their $40MM+ overage last season.)
The Cubs have owed luxury tax just once in their history, as crossing the CBT threshold in 2016 resulted in a $2.96MM tax bill. Needless to say, this was a small price to pay considering that the Cubs ended their World Series drought that season. As MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes has observed in the past, the actual dollar amount surrendered for these luxury tax payments is a veritable drop in the bucket for a big-market team, so there isn’t any major financial downside for a team to pass the threshold once, or even multiple times.
The Cubs are also expected to have even more revenue on hand in the form of a new TV contract, though it could be that ownership wants to have that money firmly in place before making any future financial commitments. 2019 is also the last year of guaranteed salaries for Hamels, Morrow, Kintzler, Duensing, Ben Zobrist, Steve Cishek, and Pedro Strop, so quite a bit of payroll money will be available next winter to help in ducking under the tax threshold, or at least avoiding the higher $40MM+ overage penalty.
cubs are gonna have so many bad contracts if this happens
Cubs aren’t signing Harper. Basically if the Harper gets close to signing in the NL central to check in.
Nobody in the NL Central, other than Chicago, has the money or ball to sign Harper.
Cardinals definitely have the money to sign Harper if they chose too.
Stl has plenty of money.. what’re you talking about
Seriously? Cardinals could buy the Cubs
You’re overvaluing the cards and undervaluing the cubs.
They’re both in the JV compared to any team on either coast.
Boston, new York and los Angeles are not the only coastal teams. Those are the only markets consistently more profitable than Chicago
The Cubs franchise is worth more than the Cardinals, so how exactly could the Cardinals buy the Cubs?
@Ry I think it was a joke about the Cardinals having so much money to spend this offseason
New England, not Boston.
value of the cardinals has nothing to do with them being able to buy the cubs. you have no idea about business transactions.
St. Louis? Ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That’s true. East and West Coast teams such as Boston, New York and West Coast Teams, mainly the Dodgers, have more money than all of the Midwest teams. But living expenses and taxes are a lot higher than the Midwest. That’s why you hear basically nothing else from the MLB radio Network except about those teams. The Cardinals could and should sign Harper. However, that won’t happen because they are stuck with albatross bad contracts already with duds like Fowler and Cecil. The Cardinals will start those two. Just to save Mozeliak’s face. And….their playing time will cost the Cardinals crucial wins during the year.
Don’t have money or ballz to do it. Cards will never sign a guy to a $35-40M year, 10 year deal, until it’s the absolute norm in baseball. That will be in about 15 years. They will stick to mid tier guys like Cecil, Fowler, Leake etc.
Also, Harper would never want to play in a garbage city like St. Louis.
Both of those “albatross bad contracts” had good years with the Cards their first year with the team, followed by a terrible year. There is a chance they turn it around. St. Louis has been manipulated by management to not be very welcoming to high priced players. The fact you even consider those 2 contracts albatross bad contracts shows the Cardinals have created this culture of not going for the home run. To those cities mentioned in bigger markets those are just normal contracts. Cardinals fans need to be more welcoming to players with high expectations instead of always playing the cynic.
Easy they are a little small market team that’s what they tell Mlb to get free draft pick every year . They have money because they don’t spend it
Oakland, San Diego even Seattle aren’t anywhere near the level of the Cubs in spending. St. Louis too for the most part.
And haven’t made playoffs last 3 years . Good trade for them with goldschmidt and they stepped up on miller . Should make playoffs this year if cubs and brewers stay quiet. Now will they sign goldschmidt to big contract or let him walk like pujols? I like Cardinal way(Cub fan)!not getting held up. Harper 10/375-400 is scary
Bryce Harper will be under the Yankees Christmas tree this year…..along with Manny Machado!
Merry Christmas to all!!!
St. Louis is a nice city and an even greater baseball city. 11 WS wins, great history, loyal fans, and no BS from the media. So people like to troll and attack the city out of jealousy. Sad.
Bryce to LA and Machado to Philadelphia or NY
Honestly I think you are correct about Harper. Manny? Probably the Yankees. They have the need & the money.
@red
I got a VHS tape at a yard sale for a quarter about the Cardinals. Really informative. A great baseball town.
Here’s the link:
amazon.com/Saint-Louis-Cardinals-Highlights-Casset…
If by near the level you mean the Cardinals spent over 50% of their team revenue on payroll while the cubs spent less than 50%, then yes, you are correct. The Cardinals did not go down a level.
Guess you never heard of crook county then in Illinois
St. Louis is a garbage city? News to me.
St Louis is a hell hole are u kidding?! Go ahead buddy keep telling yourself we’re jealous of you.
Problem is most FA’s don’t want to go to St. Louis, not that Cards don’t have $$.
Also, jaytai, your Cards have a value less than 2B vs. Cubs nearly 3B…(not that they would ever want to buy the Cards.)
Yes they could
If by nice city you mean highest murder rate per capita in the US for three years running, then yeah, St.Louis is very nice.
@MetsYankeesRedSox:
Cool. A billion dollars tied up in three players.
Not my money so I don’t.
No, as a Cubs fan I begrudgingly give the Cards props for how they have run their team historically. The results are clear. The city on the other hand is sort of a sh*thole. Just keeping it real.
You must live in one of the few nice parts of the city…
I’ve been to St Louis and it’s not a nice city. At all
St. Louis? The team that couldn’t afford to keep their prince?
St. Louis, Baltimore, Chicago, Oakland.
All scary.
Living expenses on the coasts dont accelerate nearly as much with people in these extreme wealth brackets…ownership…players..whoever. we’re talking real estate increasing fractionally for the wealthy. A home going for 60k in the midwest might very well be 300k in many California locations…which is exclusionary for middle income families….but wealthy are the wealthy and many major urban areas outside of the coasts have their own high costs. An increase in a dollar a gallon for gas is nothing for someone making extreme money. They drive same mileage as any person.
The only real place that would help might be a place like Texas without state income tax.
I have a question. How did RedFeather get 6 upvotes for a comment that makes no sense whatsoever? More importantly, how did he gets 10 responses to such nonsense?
Perhaps I’m clueless. If so, somebody please translate this gibberish so I and any other clueless people can understand it. Maybe a good hit of peyote will help as well.
He slammed the Cubs
You want likes here? All you gotta do is attack the right team
Oh you live in a world where up votes matter.
Unfortunately I live in a country where most votes don’t matter. I’m also still waiting for that translation…
I just upvoted this comment
I’m still waiting for MLBTR to gift us all with an iggy user button.
Ho Ho Ho!
Merry Christmas!!
You really need that translated? I’ll spell it out for you so you can understand and move to work on getting more upvotes. Cubs won’t pony up on Harper unless the Cards make an offer. Cubs see Cards as a treat to possibly make a splash so they will have to over pay yo keep him from signing with the Cards. You’re welcome
These mid west NL squabbles are comical. I prefer the Yanks/Sox stuff much better.
You mean political votes right? Votes that affect our country? Because upvotes mean people agree with the comment which you seem to lack and have some jealousy over.
He’s mad coz HRC lost!
Then why are you in this blog dude? And pick a team already
LMAO @ you
Funny thing is that I just gave you an upvote for that
RedFeather… The only thing with less credibility than a homer, is a defensive homer. Have some egg nog and chill.
Mr. MacPhisto – I understood it perfectly.
RedFeather: Appreciate the translation. Your reply makes much more sense than the original comment. That being said, I don’t believe the Cubs are motivated to sign Bryce Harper based on the Cardinals interest, or lack of it according to any reports I have seen lately.
In my humble opinion Harper will either be a Cub, Dodger, Phillie, White Sox or Yankee when all is said and done this offseason. Sorry to say it (not really) but Harper going to St. Louis is not in the Cards!
Never said Harper was coming to STL. Just said that the cubs have asked to check in with them before he signs. Which would make all the sense in the world for them to make an offer is Harper has a decent offer in hand from the cubs. Doesnt matter though. I really dont thing the cub nor the Cardinals will sign Harper.
Heyward is his new JD Drew deal. When it’s over and done, it will look so-so and most people will probably say he thought was getting a potential star type player with a good glove and good bat, but what he actually got was just a good glove and average bat, just like he did with Drew.
Only difference is a couple more seasons with the Heyward deal and about 100m more. 10y later
Drew had a 114 OPS+ for the Red Sox
Heyward has an 81
Drew has an above average bat, Heyward is way below average
He said when it’s done and OPS does not take in fielding
I was just pointing out the error in the average bat part
Heyward should play Golf instead of Baseball, this guy sucks big time.
Does defence and base running matter to you?
Not for that price.
Heyward has a career 103 OPS+.
Get a life
.270 is way below average? Wow
It is when it is accompanied by a $20mil+ salary and a .300 slugging percentage and .300 obp To be fair, it was a dramatic improvement over his 2017 season and his 2016 season, so at least they are paying him for …. never mind I couldn’t figure out why they are paying him that much.
Haha. “Only difference is $100 million.”
Drew signed his deal in 2004. Heyward in 2015. Big difference $$ in baseball in that time frame.
Baseball inflation has not hit 100 million dollars. Heywards deal was significantly larger any way you slice it
In 2007, Drew got 5/70. In 2010, Holliday got 7/126. In 2016, Heyward got 8/184. There is a good timeline of how baseball salaries have increased. 3 outfielders, all FA, all with a different set of tools. It’s just a matter of how baseball has evolved, made more money, and how they value players in today’s game.
Drew was an overpay in 2007, but I still think It was part of a deal with Boras to get Daisuke signed. Theo HAD to have Matsuzaka, put up a huge posting fee, and needed Boras’ help.
Those 3 are not comps. Holliday is significantly better than the other two.
Great memory……..
From what I’ve seen so far, JD gave more production in his contract. Then again, there’s always tomorrow. But you are correct that the employers never got anywhere near the sort of player they were sold.
The Heyward saga has had me wondering…….
The Cardinals atmosphere and their fans, along with their ‘get on base and get moved around’ style of play has a way of taking a talented hitter that has been beaten down or plateaued, and bringing out their full value as a top-tier run producer. From Orlando Cepeda to Ritchie Allen to George Hendrick to Jack Clark to Matt Holliday to Jim Edmonds to Mark McGuire and others, good hitters have come in the past 60 years and succeeded. Happened to Hayward.
So he goes to the Cubs – playing home games in a smaller park – and falls flat.
Why the sub-standard performance? Was his Cardinal year a salary run? Cardinals magic? Pressure to perform in Chicago? He seems healthy.
I still think a bad contract swap of Fowler and Heyward would be good for both teams, with the Cubs paying the difference in salaries.
Really can’t imagine the cubs ever sending jason and 58 million dollars to the cardinals. that is a ridiculous amount of money to bite. they would essentially be paying dexter fowler over $35 mil per year for 3 years. i think i’d take heyward over 5 years for the same money. He’s only 29, Fowler will be 33 next year, that would just be a terrible trade
What would motivate CHC to do that? Save no money, get older and worse?
If Harper signs with the Cubs, he can hide in the ivy with Andre Dawson.
Yup. Plus a lack of room. Like the Dodgers though – if the Cubs start moving people and money, that is the only way I see it.
I still see LA as his destination for now.
If the Cubs move Hayward they will go after Harper and probably trade for a lead off hitter (2nd base?)
No team will take on a dime of that contract though…
A gold glove OFer with some bounce back potential?
Somebody would definitely take that if the Cubs ate enough money
My thoughts exactly on that front, petrie000
If they eat the money? That just keeps them far from Harper because of the luxury tax. If he goes anywhere it’ll be LA or St. Louis.
“If he goes anywhere it’ll be LA or St. Louis.”
So he might just stay home and retire?
All I said was somebody would take the contract, how it works in relation to Harper is a whole different subject than what I was delving into to
Bounce back potential? Heyward has been bad for three years now. There’s no bounce back.
No GM would agree to take on Heyward’s massive salary in a trade. The Cubs would have to eat a sizeable portion of it first. And I’m sure there’s a no trade clause hurdle to overcome as well. Epstein screwed up royally with Heyward. You don’t pay guys to catch balls in the OF, you pay them to hit.
if the cubs eat the money than that makes zero sense
ChiSoxCity: In addition to his superb defense and base running skills, Heyward did hit decently enough with the Braves and Cardinals. In fact, in his 6 seasons prior to joining the Cubs Heyward averaged just over a 3.o oWAR per year and that included a subpar 0.8 metric in 2011.
With the Cubs, Heyward has posted a -0.6, 0.5 and 1.1 oWAR since joining them in 2016. I guess that shows some progress but might also point to some serious flaws in the way the Cubs handled him. This would include “Genius” Joe in the dugout as well as his decision to replace his batting coaches so frequently. With the recent hiring of Anthony Iapoce, the Cubs and Heyward will have their third new batting coach in the past 4 seasons.
Heyward hasn’t done enough offensively to earn the type of overpay he received from the Cubs. In retrospect, 25 HRs in 1200 ABs as a Cub proved everybody right who questioned the signing to begin with. I also have to disagree on his usage. Heyward’s unplayable on regular basis due to his lack of production, and this assessment has little to do with batting average.
Heyward’s contract isn’t worse than some of these other “albatross’s”. 20 mil for the next 4 years. Cubs might need to include a couple prospects or Schwarber. I’d like to see the tigers get Heyward and maybe if the Cubs include Haap they won’t have to send as much money.
I guess you didn’t actually look at the stats
MooseMichaels: “If he (Harper) goes anywhere it’ll be LA or St. Louis. lol
Harper’s a free agent. He’s got to somewhere…eventually. That somewhere will be one of 4 cities, Chicago, LA, Philly or NY. No chance he goes to St. Louis.
Like the lotto you have to be in the game to at least have a chance. Reports indicate that all those cities have at least bought one ticket with a Harper or Boras meeting. I haven’t seen one even hinting at a Cardinals interview, only that the Redbirds are essentially done with their big moves this winter. Harper would be the BIGGEST move of the offseason, at least in terms of dollars.
They have 5 players that play 2nd rignt now. They dont need another one. Jim hendry was obsessed with Brian Roberts and at one point the Cubs had 8 2B on their roster when Hendry was in charge. He proved he was the worst gm of all time.
He got Derek Lee and Aramis Ramirez for essentially nothing, so it’s hard to call him the worst of all time
His tenure ended badly for a variety of reasons, but there’s no need to get hyperbolic about it
Hahaha “cubs print money”
These is the way of the MLB until the new CBA when owners will want a limit on years of contracts.
“until the new CBA when owners will want a limit on years of contracts.”
Will never happen.
Theo is great at building a team from scratch, it’s when he starts signing big money free agents when he screws up. The terrible Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez, and John Lackey contracts got him ran out of Boston. In Chicago he already has Jason Heyward and Yu Darvish. Signing 2 WAR outfielder Bryce Harper to a 10-year deal will kill him and he knows it.
The only way it happens is if they also make a Dodger type move as the article infers. My guess is the Cubs just did their due dilligence.
Not buying this. I don’t know… Coming out of LF
Plus, weren’t the Cubs crying “broke”? What changed
Xabial, for once – you and I are in total agreement.
Of course you’re not, you’re in denial while you’re waiting for your mom to get back from Walmart with more hot pockets.
What’s wrong with hot pockets?
Hot pockets are freaking disgusting now. I wouldn’t feed it to a dog.
To be fair…dogs eat poop….bc it has more nutrient value than a hot pocket.
I like Hot Pockets.
Ironically only a 12 year old would use such a childish insult.
Of course you edit your comment as you realize more so by the second that Theo can do what he wants. #Cubs
This kind of stuff makes me embarrassed to be a cub fan
Nothing “changed” because Theo never flat out said “We don’t have any money to spend.”. That was just the way certain media outlets chose to interpret some of the comments he made.
Edited twice within the time limit, impress-er pathetic.
Kind of like the three whiny prat comments out of you in the span of five minutes.
Anybody who seriously bought the we’re out of money angle is gonna be surprised how this winter ends up.
NCAA, exactly
It’s not about available money. It’s about the luxury tax. They can’t take on Harper and pay Heyward without going way over.
They’re already way over. Their current projection is $220M, which is about $22M over what the luxury tax threshold will be.
The Cubs are top 5 in revenues, they can afford it. You’re a sucker if you believe otherwise.
So Robertson or Britton and kimbrel?
The Cubs themselves never cried broke, no
The Cubs were never crying broke. They have plenty of money
xabial – this is a GUESS: 1) They have to make it look like they are doing something or 2) They are open to pulling “a Dodgers” (open RF or LF) and move money and people, if they think he is a possibility.
Plus, with other teams not making noise with him, maybe it is worth the meet???
I am buying they are serious, but I still think he is a Dodger. That is where you and I disagree of course 🙂
Agreed. You have to look interested even though you’re not. Offseason is also a game. Get other teams to overspend and push the price up even if you’re not buying. Fans don’t get mad at the effort. Blame the player instead. Player chooses another team. You’re not the bad GM. You’re smart for not paying to high a price
I seriously doubt Harper goes to LA. They are loaded on the LH side now with only Turner as a RH power bat.
Rondon – To me, and I am no one, that is the only reason it would not make sense. But then why trade Puig (and others) for ………Homer Bailey??? I get it, but that opens up a RF spot.
Pab – My personal feeling is that they are kicking the tires with the lack of news (unlike Manny who has lots of news).
But again, it is a guess.
Cubs never cried broke it was media and wishful thinking brewers and cardinals fans
And a lot of White Sox fans…
Keep saying that over and over and over till you believe it. The cubs aren’t broke the cubs aren’t broke. So if they aren’t broke why don’t they spend some money to upgrade that soso team? They don’t print money kids. They are past their limit kids. Face facts!
That 20 million they gave Cole Hamels earlier in the off season says hello
Or are we ignoring that because it doesn’t fit the narrative?
Seriously, 220 million in payroll and some idiots call them ‘broke’…
Are you the Rickett’s family accountant? It’s either that or you are psychic with a magic crystal ball. If the latter, what number’s should I pick for the this week’s lottery?
And you keep saying that over and over til you believe it: The Cubs are broke the Cubs are broke, they’re so so… til you face facts… kid.
Are all free agents signed?? Wait until spring training before cubs file for bankruptcy
Haven’t the Yankees via Brian Cashman been saying something similar about Harper all offseason, essentially that they don’t have a spot for him on their roster with an already overcrowded outfield?
It seems to me that you are the one, “Coming out of LF” with your desire to see Harper in the Bronx.
Bring it on X, soooooo sure of the Yankees getting Bryce. Go Cubs
Only thing worse than a cub is a cubs fan . Boooo
Yankees fan
Do it. Do it.
I would be ok with them signing and probably overpaying him, cause they do have a lot of freed up money next year. Make one last run and go cheaper next year
Yawn … check in with me so I can drive up the price
Theo doesn’t really want to sign Harper to a monster contract. But he does like the idea of raising the cost of Harper for other competitive teams, and “come back to us” is a way of doing it. Boras will use it in negotiations–but he’s too smart to rely on it. If the Cubs have to free up a lot of money first, Boras won’t chance that it may not happen.
Maybe if the cubs trade a prospect and a lot of money the braves could take him back
Lol if that happened
I think Mr. Heyward has a say in if he is traded and factor in where if he is traded. Braves would be likely to want him and he may want to go there. Cubs would only want prospects for the farm in return if they are indeed making room to run after Harper.
Actually, he doesn’t. His contract gave him full no-trade protection for the first three years, then only partial no-trade protection to 12 teams for the next two years. Then he has full no-trade rights after 2020 again because of his 10-5 rights.
Are trying to agree stating he doesn’t then that continue stating he has partial no trade to 12 teams? Sounds like agreement.
Schwarber might like coming home to Ohio and the Reds are willing to take on contracts right now.
Schwarber doesn’t cost anything (contract sense) the reds would have to give up (some) prospect capital for as high as regards as Theo and company hold him. (Not agreeing on what their prospect price would be for KS.)
I think he’s suggesting Schwarber plus overpaid vets in order to dump salary and make room for Bryce
Still makes no sense. Cubs will need Schwarber’s cheap years to offset what they pay Harper
Spending a bunch of money on Harper then trading away the complimentary players he’ll need is beyond pointless
How do you figure it’s pointless… You’re using Schwarber to trade dollars… package him with Heyward to get a team to take on more money. Then using the freed up cash on Harper. So in a sense you’re trading Heyward and Swarber for Harper…. not a bad move … Like what Seattle did with the Mets… they used Diaz to get the Mets to take more of Cano…
Because, as I said before, trading away the supporting cast Harper needs to make the move worthwhile to get Harper in the first place isn’t really logical
If you’re breaking the bank to get Harper, you need to maximize the first several years of the contract to get peak value out of him… Which means keeping as much of the team they have as intact as possible
Which means not trading away a cost controlled slugger to help protect him in the line up…
Ah I was so close to agreeing with you then you mentioned the ‘lineup protection’ dragons
I’m sure Bryce will survive without Schwarber protecting him in the lineup.
Priggs89 + ChiSoxCity: What would really be ironic, funny or intriguing is if the White Sox decided that they would take Jason Heyward off of the Cubs hands in order for their city rivals to sign Bryce Harper, a free agent our beloved currently covet along with Manny Machado.
1-It’s more likely than not that both Machado and Harper sign elsewhere this offseason. The White Sox currently have an opening in RF with Daniel Palka atop their depth chart.
2-Even though Harper would seem to make a little more sense for the White Sox with his high OPS left-handed bat, Machado would be the better bet to sign on the South Side with only two other suitors involved, the Phillies and Yankees.
3-Clearly the White Sox are not taking on Heyward’s contract just to fill the OF void for the next couple of seasons until Luis Robert or Blake Rutherford are ready for prime time. They would need to be coerced into a deal. What if that bribe included CF Albert Almora, OF Ian Happ or OF/DH Kyle Schwarber?
4-Almora is of particular interest because he would be another pawn the White Sox would have to sign Machado. Aside from selling Machado on their bright future they have already utilized his great friend Wellington Castillo in trying to persuade him into coming to the South Side since last winter when the Machado to the White Sox trade rumors began. Then two weeks ago just ahead of their meeting with Machado they went and traded for Yonder Alonso, his friend, neighbor and brother-in-law. The final piece to a potential coupe would be to bring Machado’s boyhood pal on board, the one he refers to as his “cousin” because of the tight bond they shared when growing up. Machado didn’t have a father raising him and each of the boys referred to their respective moms as their “aunt” despite not being blood relatives. It’s been speculated that both the White Sox and Phillies have offered bigger contracts to Machado than the Yankees have. Adding yet another BFF to their stable just might be enough to persuade Machado in his final decision. The worst outcome would be to have Almora and Heyward manning CF and LF along with top prospect Eloy Jimenez in LF for the next couple of seasons.
Typo: The worst outcome would be to have Almora and Heyward manning CF and RF along with top prospect Eloy Jimenez in LF for the next couple of seasons.
So how would that help the Cubs
Johnnyringofwc? Schwarbers contract helps the Cubs. He is not expensive at the moment
It helps them get rid of Heyward and replace him with Harper. You still have Happ, who is better in the OF, and about the same at the plate. Cubs fans love players built like refrigerators who can barely run, but he belongs in the AL.
*Schwarber belongs in the AL.
They could use some good lfers over there, I hear
The idea is you package Schwarber with a pricey contract or two, then get some prospects back in return. Then you sign Harper. Harper takes Schwarber’s place, you get prospects in return, and you have your man. Is it worth it? Probably not. lol.
The Reds aren’t just taking on huge contracts Willy nilly. Everybody they’ve brought on so far is a free agent after next season. They’re looking for trade chips to deal at the deadline. Heyward definitely doesn’t fit that.
doubt cubs need him.
I don’t want him, unless a miracle happens and he stops striking out and starts hitting above .240
How is Brandon morrow’s contract bad? Yeah he was hurt for a while but in the 30+ games where he pitched, he had an era of 1.47
angels would take him off the cubs hands.
Uh, what good is a closer who’s hurt all the time? The Cubs barely used Marrow last year.
The harsh reality of this Harper situation is if the Cubs really want to get Harper they will because he wants to be a Cub. It seems like they are being smart about this by moving some money off the books so the tax penalty has a chance of not happening next year. They are going to blow by the tax threshold with or without Harper this year.
legit question: are there any direct quotes from harper saying he prefers any team? I only ask because there’s those saying he wants to be a Dodger, a cub, a yankee….
thank god not an angel!
He always wanted to be a Nippon Ham Fighter.
Direct quotes, no. But he has gone out of his way to imply it. Heck, even his dog is named “Wrigley”.
He also implied he idealized Mickey Mantle paying homage with his jersey # (3+4 = 7)
Jersey # >>> Dog name 😉
He’s also best friends with Kris Bryant…
The jersey number is a stretch; the dog name and him being best friends with Bryant (and their wives being close friends too) is not a stretch.
It’s not a stretch it’s been said by him that’s why he wears it
It’s facts
Are the Cubs going to give him an opt-out in 3 years to follow Bryant in free agency?
no he wants to be in NY…no LA
Call me sentimental but I wouldn’t mind Heyward back if the Cubs ate some of his contract
His defense in RF at a reasonsble cost maybe with his best friend Freddie he could bounce back
2nd thought nah keep the Cubs stuck with that contract
The Braves have been looking for an outfielder all offseason and they still have up to $30MM to spend this winter according to reports. Jason Heyward wound up with that huge FA contract mostly based on his body of work in Atlanta which was deserving of that deal based on his excellent WAR. He also had a nice season in his walk year with the 2015 Cardinals who were in a bidding war with the Cubs to retain his services.
I can see Heyward rebounding and getting back to that pre-2016 version of himself. I don’t see it happening with the Cubs but it could happen with a change of scenery. Why not with the Braves were he was utilized more properly than he has been with that dope they have in the Wrigley Field dugout?
The Braves can basically have Heyward for nothing in terms of talent going back and the Cubs would still need to pony up some significant dollars as well. That and the fact that they also desire to move out the player who is currently in Bryce Harper’s best position should be reason enough for the Cubs to do this deal. The multi-million dollar question is would the Braves be motivated to do it as well?
it’s almost is as if you’re trying to talk yourself into believing this is possible.
Heyward’s contract is absolutely terrible. just don’t see anyway anyone really takes him. Maybe in a few years for prospects.
I’m talking strictly from baseball sense. Jason Heyward had accumulated a 29.8 WAR in his first 6 MLB seasons before signing as a 26-year old FA with the Cubs three offseasons ago. That works out to a 4.97 average per year.
In comparison, Bryce Harper has totaled 27.4 WAR in his first 7 MLB seasons with the Nationals, good for a 3.91 yearly average. Injuries have negatively impacted that total, something that did not happen with Heyward. Harper will also be 26 when he signs his mega free agent contract this winter.
Heyward’s contract may look bad now but he still has a world of talent including elite defensive skills along with being a superb base runner. He is still just 29 and is a prime candidate for a bounce back with a return to his previous hitting skills which were well above average as a Brave and Cardinal. We are not talking about a one dimensional player with an albatross of a contract like Ryan Howard or Chris Davis.
I absolutely agree. Even with his bloated contract, I’ve never thought he was a total bust in Chicago, even in ’16, his worst year, when ironically they won it all. If the Cubs pay it down in a trade to market value, which compared to what gold glove level outfielders are asking now, it might not be as huge an amount as you think, a trade could happen. If they want Harper, barring an “all in” thumbs up from Ricketts, Heyward is the guy they have to move and I think there just might be a taker.
Braves fan here – hadn’t considered taking back Heyward, but as I think it over I really don’t hate it. We’d have the best defensive OF in recent MLB memory, and if Heyward is ever going to bounce back at the plate it’d be back at home with Freddie in his ear. Gives us a veteran presence (my mind goes to the story of him being the motivator during the infamous game 7 rain delay), a fan favorite, the best overall defense in the NL to help our young staff come along…
I think of shades of the KC mini-dynasty, but with more money and more years for the core. All about defense, smart baserunning, pitching and high levels of team chemistry. And obviously, we certainly wouldn’t have to give up anything significant in return to get it done. I like it better than CarGo/Markakis/Castellanos if no better options present themselves.
Yes, I can see it, too, if the Cubs eat some of the salary and take Julio and maybe a lottery ticket in return. Reduce AAV to ~$15mm for the rest of the contract. You have your RF for the next five years.
All seriousness just heard a Heyward to Giants rumor bringing back Melancon & Wil Smith
Maybe if the cubs sent 40 mil and a prospect to ATL
It’s an old rumor but it’s been circulating. Giants do love their veteran outfielders
And they sure love those 3 rings too!
It was Melancon and Shark, not Smith.
How you gonna tell me what I heard it was Wil Smith now if you heard something different fine but don’t tell me what I heard.
I stand corrected. An article from a fan-written column about a tweet from a huge MLB Insider called Charles the Cat is certainly legit.
Every plausible rumor I have heard was a salary swap – moving Melancon and Shark would sorta equal out to Heyward’s contract. The Giants could use a mediocre outfielder in right and the Cubs would get a bullpen piece and see if Shark can regain past Cub glory.
To think the Giants would trade Melancon and Smith, a one-time all-star closer who is finally healthry and a current ace closer who is making $4 million, for Heyward is pretty dang laughable. There better be some A prospects coming back.
Negative dude, go to Mlb at bat app, and the article is right there. There was a lot of moving parts, but was interesting article.
Melancon’s contract has been under heavy water since it was signed. He’s a negative value asset.
He makes less, his contract is shorter, and he still has some value as a reliever. He certainly has more value than Heyward’s contract.
No, the article was about Melancon and Smith. The general rumor might’ve been updated more recently, but the article was about Melancon and Smith.
calltothepen.com/2018/12/23/cubs-rumors-jason-heyw…
Bull pen help for roster dump. I can see happening.
The Orioles would totally take Heyward, Duensing, Chatwood, and anyone else the cubs would like to dismiss…if we can trade you Chris Davis?
No. Heyward can at least make weak contact and play a position
Damn why did Tomlin fake that punt ???????
How many people honestly think he’s not going to either the Yankees, Cubs, or Dodgers? Always a chance another team could make a big splash but he just doesn’t seem to fit most of the other teams who could conceivably pay him what he wants. Cubs may have to play with the books a bit to make it happen should Theo go that way… but it’s not like they actually have a serious payroll issue. They can play just fine with the big market boys if they want to.
I’m not counting the Phillies out.
I just don’t see Harper signing somewhere unless he thinks they’re going to win the 2019 World Series.
He’s not going to Chicago.
Where is he going to play?
He isn’t worth it.
He’s had 3 years below starter level WAR out of 7.
One monster year. One really good year and 2 good years.
Sure, Jan.
Frankly, the biggest competitor premier free agents have these days is the players who put up 2 WAR for pre-arb prices. Committing to a decade-plus of ten or fifteen times that price for the privilege of hoping a FA will be two or three times that player makes exactly no sense to most of the league.
Pretty interesting spin on the Giants and Cubbies working out a deal to swap players on mlb.com. Might work for both sides.
How would this work for Giants?? They give up a top notch closer who is only making 4 mill and one bad contract of 2 yrs/30 mill….but they take on a 5 yr / 105 mill deal???
Cubs would have to send LOTS of money and top prospects back
What players involved? Obviously Smith or Watson and??
actually the cardinals do have the money if they want to spend.
I still think the Tigers would take Heyward and play him in center. Tigers have nothing in center.
Plus 60 mill minimum.
Cubs are old news. Has beens.
Frisco… guess a Giants fan? Pot meet kettle.
Almora-CF
Harper-LF
Bryant-3B
Rizzo-1B
Zobrist-2B
Baez-SS
Contreras-C
Heyward-RF///Not too shabby.
Not too realistic.
Almora leading off? No Schwarber? The only way Harper works is in RF, which means Heyward wouldn’t be on the team anymore.
Pawn
Oh, please god no, Theo. Don’t do it!
Harper isn’t going to the Cubs. However, I do find it interesting that in 2016 they exceeded the tax threshold. And so did the Red Sox last year. Soooooo basically you overspend and stock up to take it all? Duly noted.
Houston didn’t
Heyward certainly is not worth his contract but did not have a “subpar” year.
Heywards line drive stroke was coming back all season. If Cubs ever featured him, he would put up some career numbers, but they don’t/wont. If he is not a Cub next year, I look for a monster season from him on a contending team.
I want whatever your smoking. it’s powerful stuff…
What does ‘featuring’ a player mean?
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome your 2019 Cubs, featuring Jason Heyward on bongos!
And with him there was the son, a young squire (squeee-air),
Bryce Harper, a lover, a lusty bachelor (batch-uh-lair),
With contract laid, they were lied in pressa,
Of twenty years destroyed, the team debated I guessa,
Floitering, floundering of all the day,
He was as fresh as the month of May.
As the Cubs dug deep, thy passion obsessuh,
Bryce dug in and the Cubs hopes fermentuh
Machado a Yank, and maybe a Phil
“Dodgers, oh Dodgers, for 3 billion I will.”
You may have to lie off the eggnog 🙂
The cubbies have been lurking. On several occasions, BH has implied that he wants to be a Cub. I have yet to see him implying that he wanted to be a Dodger or Yankee. If I’m wrong, please enlighten me.
He’s basically said he loves everyone that seems willing to throw sacks of money at his feet
but when? look at how many times he has referenced the cubs in the last year.
What happened to “team stupid money”?
Just what he needs. A brick wall to run into. I almost want the Cubs to sign him.
If the Cubs were willing to sign KB to an extension this past summer for north of $300 million, knowing they’re already going to be over the luxury tax threshold for 2019 and pay another +50 million on top of the $234.5 million in taxes….
Why not sign Harper?
KB doesn’t want to sign an extension, he wants to go to free agency, at least by all accounts Harper seems to want to be a Chicago Cub.
It just makes sense to me to at least give Harper an offer.
The extension story has been flatly denied by both sides
If it means somehow getting rid of heyward, I’m all for it. But that’s a big if. Heyward is favorite in the clubhouse and Harper is a huge douche.
Weird to make an assessment of his character. What has done to earn that?
Gotten into fights with teammates, constantly gets ejected with umps, argues on every single borderline call…
You mean the fight with Papelbon, after which JP said it was all his fault and he was 100% wrong? That fight with teammates?
Haven’t heard anything about Tulo. Is it possible this could be fueling the interest in Harper. Healthy Tulo makes this discussion interesting. Cubs are deep at 2b and Addy back month 2 of season. Javy is ideal pot sweetener to add to team to take on salary. Miami might be interested in Chatwood and send Starlin back. Heyward to ATL for prospects. Chatwood and Javy for prospects and or Castro.
Replacing Javy with Tulo is insanity, mostly because Javy can walk under his own power past the month of July
This is why you haven’t heard anything about it. There pretty much is no such thing as a healthy Tulo…
I’m not sure why the cubs would get rid of javy. He is too valuable to them. Additionally, The cubs would have to pay down heyward’s contract to about 10-12 mil a year to get anything back from Atlanta, if they even want him.
Javy is no different than the stock market, pump it to dump it. Javy’s stock is sky high right now, under team control thus optimal trade value. If the Cubs are making room to go after Harper High salaries will need to be accompanied by some value. Cubs don’t have much on the farm to sweeten deals, but have lots of 2nd basemen. This whole thread is speculation, I’m only throwing out plausible moves that A team would consider.
Cubs aren’t getting rid of Javy. He’s as untouchable as they come right now.
Okay, I agree on Heyward. The Cubs would have almost certainly landed Harper if there was no Heyward, I think most people would agree with that. I hope he can be moved or he will always be remembered as the one who single handedly blocked a Harper deal. I do think he could be moved if the Cubs ate 1/4 of his salary and threw in a prospect? They do have a few other potential moves other than Heyward to clear payroll. Zobrist -12M, Russell-3M, Kintzler-5M, and possibly Quintana(10.5M) in a creative trade. wtih a team like the Mets could also work.
megaj,,,,,well informed post
I can’t make my own mind up with Bryce Harper. As a diehard Cubs and White Sox fan my heart has always wanted him to sign with one of my two faves. My brain however has been in conflict since the offseason began
I originally had Harper signing with the Cubs when free agency began. This was based on fact as much as hope. It’s no secret that Harper prefers the Cubs above all other teams and we all know the reasons why. However, shorty after the signing period began the Cubs elected to pick up Cole Hamels $20MM team option and that put a serious question mark into their chances of also being able to afford Harper. Since that decision reports have had them “crying poor” all offseason.
This prompted me to switch my pick to the Dodgers a few weeks ago as Harper’s most likely landing spot figuring that LA would move enough payroll while also freeing up RF at some point this winter. That transpired a few days ago but also had me thinking of changing my destination for Harper once again. Why? Because in order to accomplish those two goals LA also moved two right-handed hitting OF’s leaving them with a batting order virtually composed of lefty hitters.
As a result, I began thinking of other destinations for Harper, perhaps the Phillies and the White Sox who have zero payroll and luxury tax concerns. While thinking of the White Sox chances I also recalled some local blog talk earlier this offseason in regards the chance the White Sox might also be interested in acquiring Giancarlo Stanton from the Yankees as a cheaper alternative to signing Harper and just let the Yankees have a go at him instead.
That got me to thinking of the Yankees once again, despite the fact that they have an abundance of OF’s and seem to be one of the three finalists for Manny Machado, perhaps even the favorites to land him. Then recalling the Dodgers dilemma with too many lefty bats had me thinking more of the Yankees with too many right-handed bats. It seemed to me that Harper fit better in the Bronx lineup than he did in the LA lineup. How can this problem be worked out, perhaps mutually benefitting both big market teams?
The solution is quite simple. The Yankees trade right-handed slugger Giancarlo Stanton to the Yankees for a bag of balls and then sign Bryce Harper to play a corner OF spot. Stanton does have a full no-trade clause provision in his contract but he had agreed to waive it for a few teams when the Marlins put him on the trading block last winter. In addition to the Yankees, he had also authorized a trade to the Dodgers. I’m guessing he would gladly waive that clause once again to land in LA, especially considering the heat he took from many Yankee fans in his first year in NY. This scenario also makes a world of sense for the Dodgers aside from the need for better balance in their lineup. Stanton’s remaining salary obligation to LA would be considerably less in terms of both years and total value than what Harper is likely to sign for this offseason. If this trade scenario to LA comes to pass, I suspect that it won’t happen until after the Yankees find out if Machado chooses them over the Phillies and White Sox, perhaps shortly after the new year begins. While it’s always possible that the Yankees could land both mega FA’s, I suspect that Harper won’t be signing with the Yankees if they already have a deal in place with Machado.
All this has led me to possibly change my mind one final time regarding Harper. If the Cubs are successful in reducing their payroll and/or ownership approves a huge expenditure regardless of luxury tax concerns then I will also “double back” to my original prediction of him signing with his prefered team on the North Side of Chicago.
This will satisfy both my heart and brain as a Cubs fan but leave a hole in the former with my White Sox side. My brain says otherwise, but my heart is still hoping that Machado says no to NY and that maybe he will wind up on the South Side after all. If not, there is always A.J. Pollock to ponder over!
Hot Air
This post reads like it was written by a baseball-loving-stoner. I love it. lol
“…and that’s all I have to say about that.”
This narrative needs to die honestly. New York is not trading Stanton and the Dodgers have no interest in Stanton. They basically had zero interest in him last year. They wanted Stanton on their terms and their terms only last year. The basic rebuttal was that Stanton was probably going to opt which again still makes zero sense. The contract was extensively backloaded, shocking I know coming from Loria who had no intention of paying any of it, in which it extends until 37. Which for an NL team being stuck with a older COF, well Dodger fans know it all to well…. I’m not sure why people don’t understand the Dodgers have no interest in extensive contracts with COF. Even in the discussion for Harper the Dodgers basically threw out that the weren’t interested in the years. The Dodgers don’t value COFs the same way point blank. So please let that die peacefully even though I know Yankee fans like to push Stanton out.
The Dodgers need arises from a professional RH or S that can handle himself from the right side. They expressed an interest in an impact bat and wanted more contact. They have gobs of power and K’s they aren’t going to add another, and if they do it’ll be a soon to be FA. I’m not sure really why people want to connect it beyond the RH power aspect. Even the discussions of Castellano/Martinez smelled like a piece to flip. They basically have the comp pieces like Taylor and Kikè who will receive everyday ABs and deserve to quite honestly along with their best hitter in Tuner. The most logical place to fill those RH bats is at 1st and behind the plate. If you’re looking at lengthening the lineup it’s clear it’s either behind Tuner or Bellinger and at the bottom. Idk there’s still something that tells me that bat they are looking for will be extremely doable at the deadline. I can see them filling out this offseason with going hard after Kluber and a guy like Cervalli. Muncy, Taylor, and or Kikè will get their opportunity again to sink or swim. And yes 1B bats are so extremely easy and cheap to come by at the deadline especially upcoming free agents. So what makes sense for the Dodgers knowing the roster at the beginning of OD will not look the same as it will at the end, I’ll basically bet it’s Cervalli and Abreu with a potential platoon type bat at the deadline.
my question is can harper pitch because the way i see chc and mil have huge weaknesses in there sp and asking your bp to cary you over 162 games is going to leave them ragged. the way i se it the cubs need a true tor guy and maybe a 3~5 guy if they want to be serious contenders. lester has a lot of miles on that arm and can you honestly say he is a #1 anymore, also don’t see yu bouncing back he’s breaking down more and more and is on the wrong side of 30 for hope of a comeback. Q and chatwood haven’t worked out at all for chc and hammels he might be decent but i never thought much of him even back in 08 when all of baseball loved him.
Alright well what clubs want to get involved and take a bad contract for CB draft pick and prospects? The Giants should look at Heyward and maybe Morrow, Alzolay and Lange, for Smith and Melancon? (Or combination of whoever) giants take on salary, get some nice prospects and get out of Melancons contract, Cubs can feel free to send some cash over too… maybe a little far fetched and can easily be tweaked but the premise is the Giants take on salary to get prospects
My prediction is that Harper goes to a non contender that offers a mt of money and years. A lesser Cano to my Mariners.
14yrs/500mil to the Twins.
We’d just need Jim Pohald to smoke a bunch of crystal right before sitting down with Scott Boras.
TBH the juice/buzz is for him to sign with the cubs. Look how many replies this is generating in this short amount of time. He fits their lineup best; and instantly turns them into a superteam again! I actually wouldn’t be surprised if they signed him and keep J-Hey
I think Harper goes to the Cubs because their offer is going to be right in line with what the Yanks & Phil’s offer & also his best friend, Kris Bryant, is on the team. I remember hearing a few years ago about KB looking forward to Harper’s free agency because they had always wanted to play together in the bigs
I like Harper, don’t think the Cubs need him, but won’t hurt. It does help down the road signing KB to extension or retaining as free agent. I like that backbone long term, with a handful of home grown core supporting cast.
“The Cubs don’t need him.” lol. Jason Heyward has about 1200 official plate appearances as a Cub. During that time, he’s hit a total of 26 HRs. Harper hit 60+ more HRs than Heyward during the same timespan. You’re on drugs if you don’t think the Cubs don’t need more offense. That’s ok though. The White Sox have $70M to spend on payroll. We’ll take Harper, or Machado, or both.
Harper also trolled the internet by saying Harper and KB one back to back. The only way that happens is all star games. Maybe the rangers make joey gallo available. The 3 of them have been playing since they were 9 years old. Move Bryant to left.
It’s embarrassing when people flirt with each other and pretend they don’t like each other and get all weird and it’s like JUST GET A ROOM, DAMN
I think that Harper will either sign with the Yankees or Dodgers. Boras wants to make him a global figure, kind of like Labron James. My guess is the Dodgers because LA isn’t too far from Las Vegas, his home town.
Imo, this report needs to also include all the comments Boras has made consistently over this FA period, that he says (paraphrase)
‘if a team says, call us at the end right before a final offer, and we will try to clear up payroll. Then I tell the team, everyone says that, clear your payroll first’
Replacing Heyward’s rally killing bat with Harper would be a much needed improvement for their offense. Which is why it won’t happen. The Cubs aren’t allowed to make impactful moves during the offseason.
Heyward was actually pretty clutch this year. He had 3 walk off hits. (I know doesnt seem like much but it included a walk off grand slam.
Heyward and clutch should never be used in the same sentence. He had a few timely hits here and there, but he’s still a pathetic hitter. The Cubs can and should do better.
Heyward had a .324BA with runners in scoring position.
Runners in scoring position w/2 outs went up to .346BA
With Bases loaded Heyward had .375BA
Lol. He led Cubs in RISP, dawg. How is that not clutch?
Cubs’ 7-6 post-season clinching win, HR, three RBI
Facts matter little when you have a narrative to sell.
What kind of sample size is that?
If Heyward were a yankee, he’d already be traded away or demoted by now.
A sample size. The only sample size that’s been provided…
Again, what is the sample size. Looks like cherrypicked stats to me.
That’s exactly what splits are
What do your eyes and common sense tell you? The Cubs are better when Heyward sits on the bench. Maddon can’t even justify putting him in the starting lineup everyday.
Then post some stats that prove your point
You have those, right?
I watch every single game, every year. If you don’t MLB Ticket, or season tickets, you probably have no clue what I’m talking about. The simplest way to find proof yourself are the number of games play or at-bats he had last year.
So that’s a no, then, you don’t have them?
Leaving us with either his actual statistics to go off of, or your personal opinion that you can’t independently support?
Sounds like the same argument you get from flat earthers…
Typical tone-deaf Cubbie Koolaid drinker. You don’t even know your own team, but you want to cry and complain how everybody “hates” you. Run along boy, I don’t have time to post stats that are readily available online for you. Heyward sat A LOT the last two seasons, including the playoffs.
So you’re now doggedly refusing to even attempt to support your initial argument with anything besides your ‘eye test’ and lashing out at the fact you got caught effectively talking out your @$$? Gotta pretend to be a professional scout next?
You made a definitive statement, which was countered by someone pointing out it was factually wrong in 2018 and then just dismissed the facts and told the rest of us it’s because you, some amateur anoymous commenter on an internet forum, know better then the actual stats… Because you believe you know better….
Let the adults talk baseball for a while, okay? At least until you learn how to make a half decent argument. ..
ChiSoxCity
The splits xabail provided were for 2018. It was easy to find for anyone familiar with BB Ref…took me only a few minutes
131 PA .324 BA…..etc
baseball-reference.com/players/split.fcgi?id=heywa…
But Ellsbury is worse than Heyward and he’s still a Yankee.
how about the Cubs clear some payroll by trading Darvish to the Reds for low-level prospects considering his contract size and injuries? The Reds need an ACE type SP and the Cubs could just sign another one late in offseason if needed.
Call me insane , but would a way to get rid of Heywards contract. Say a team like Toronto that has 60some mill on the payroll for next year. Trade Heyward and the cubs top 2 or 3 prospects to the jays for stroman or Sanchez . I have no idea how good the cubs minor league system is.
Toronto would need to give up more than one player. They don’t need to trade any prospects. They can trade happ and Schwarber happ is versatile and can play 7 positions.
Schwarber can DH, play left. Possibly try to catch again. And maybe learn first.
Toronto wouldn’t need to give up more than one player because hey why would the cubs get greedy if someone wants to take on heywards contract plus take your pick stroman or Sanchez whoever they would think will bounce back and if it doesn’t work out for the cubs they still got rid of heywards contract and sure why not throw in happ and scwraber but the jays at the beginning of a rebuild would most likely ask for prospects and if the cubs want something take pillar he would make up for heywards D. But say would the jays do this. Well there’s always a change Heyward can fulfill his potential plus a few prospects or Happ. So I do think this is a crazy idea it might work.
Jokes. Cubs is non-movers.
Padres are too stacked to sign this chump Harper. I feel sorry for the team that does
Please do it Cubs lol, make Heyward’s contract look good
I reckon Theo is trying to leave the Cubs with a bunch of terrible contracts before he flees to Miami in 3 years. Yup.
Karl, there might not be baseball in Miami in 3 years..It just doesn’t matter there..not a baseball town..
It’s debatable that there’s baseball in Miami now…
Trade kintzler, duensing and one other. That’s possible 20 mil of relief. I don’t want Harper because it would put a serious hold on extending rizzo ,Bryant and eventually baez
Lots of money coming off the books before those guys are free agents.
This tells us two things. 1) Harper wants to play for the Cubs but 2) he won’t take less money just for them
Harper was never going to take less money to begin with.
With all the talk of payroll restrictions, I’m having a lot of trouble understanding the justification for giving Cole Hamels 20mm, especially when there’s already a very formidable rotation in Lester/Darvish/Hendricks/Q/Montgomery.
Darvish has been riddled with injuries and has been ineffective. Montgomery can be useful as a spot starter, but has never handled heavy usage well. Hamels still has good stuff, mound presence, toughness and tons of playoff experience. His fit with the Cubs is a no-brainer; would fit even better with the White Sox.
I believe Theo has a strict budget without Harper. He has the same budget with Harper + Harpers aav. Basically 2 budgets. I with Harper and one without Harper.
I would rather Theo wait till next year and go after Mike Trout. His numbers are better than Harpers. Then we would also be done with several contracts.
So, who gave this story to the media? Boras. Driving up the price for the other teams.
Like clockwork.
Someone hasn’t been paying attention to the way the Cubs operate.
ChiSoxCity…you mean the way nobody pays attention to your Sox? BTW, speaking of operating, I love how Sox put it out there that they’re in on both Harper & Machado to wake up their fanbase, then say they will not be handing out any record deals! Talk about playing the fans! Lmao!!
Obviously you misunderstood my post, and assumed I was saying something negative about the Cubs. I’m referring to Epstein’s preference for keeping FA negotiations low key and behind the scenes. You need to work on your inference skills, buddy. And Cubs fans in general need to stop being so thin-skinned all the time.
You really shouldn’t blame others for your failure to articulate yourself. You can’t post these vague (mostly negative towards the Cubs) comments with little substance and then lash out when its taken the wrong way.
Yea I did not find your post insulting at all. You were just saying they were under the radar in their attempt
If the Cubs do want to clear payroll, one trade would be Quintana to NYM for Matz + Plawecki. Both are in their first year of arbitration (Plawecki as a super-two).
Matz replaces Q in the rotation, with a projected arb of $3mm, saving ~$7+MM in 2019. Plawecki would cost ~ $1.3mm. Net savings $6mm+.
The Mets upgrade their 4th starter, and get LHP certainty (vs the combo of Matz and Vargas), making it cheaper to go find a 6th starter.
Not sure why the Mets would do that deal as Matz is better or close to Quintana.
Only way Harper is in Wrigley next year is if Theo pulls a miracle and can unload Heyward or Chatwood. One has nearly 100m left on contract and the other can’t throw strikes!
So, only other option is to go to Ricketts and show him how only 2019 would be a payroll mess. With several contracts totaling about 60m coming off the books after ‘19, a Harper contract could fit in nicely beginning in 2020.
That would be a miracle to get rid of Heyward.
And while we’re at it, why not Chatwood and Darvish too.
I’ve said it since the beginning of the off season that Harper will go to the cubs. Heyward will be moved and I think we’ll get Britton too. Harper will sign a 12 year 380 million contract with multiple opt outs.
Almora
Harper
Bryant
Rizzo
Baez
Zo
Contreras
Schwarber
P
I would agree Cubs are the team Harper sees himself playing for. I do think Schwarber is going, though, along with Heyward and Russell.
Okay, so here is my $.02c worth.
All this conjecture how BH wants to go to LA because it’s near home..The Cubs because of a best friend and his dogs name…The Yanks because he worshipped Mantel 3+4=7…None of this matters..
I maintain and always have, that Benjamin’s matter. Bryce Harper and Manny Machado are going to take care of their families first and foremost..
May the bidding commence!
If either or both of them sign for the lowest figures I’ve seen tossed around ,the family will be well taken care of…
I’m willing to bet that Harper would take a slightly lower amount to play for a team that has a chance to win or a team that he wants to play for.
e.g. if his only two offers were Cubs 10-years $350M, or the Royals 10-years $370M, he’d choose the Cubs.
His agent is boras man. He’s going to do what boras wants. That’s why i stand by my prediction of team with most years and money.
Scott Boras doesn’t have Sith powers, he can’t make Harper do anything
Bird, Ellsbury, Estrada, Gray, and Voit from the Yankees to the Cubs for Darvish, Heyward, Rizzo, Schwarber, and Zobrist,
That would clear more than enough space on the Cubs payroll for them to sign Harper and the Yankees can flip Darvish to the Dodgers with Stanton for Hill and Pederson.
lol…I rather just not say anything to that proposal…smh
hitting the xmas eggnog early i see
You are delusional lmaoo
LOL!!! Yankees fans on that good ish.
What’s the trade value of Happ or Almora?
I wouldn’t be surprised if Happ is available right now after they signed Descalso and have Bote.
If they add Harper and Heyward moves to CF, Almora could be expendable and have more value than say an older asset like Zobrist.
Or Almora and Heyward could platoon in CF
I know intra-division trades are more difficult, but if the Cubs want to move payroll, the Reds are looking for frontline starter and a CF – so they could be a potential match, something to watch out for. Reds have a pretty good farm system as they’ve been cellar dwellars for years now, but probably wouldn’t have to give up good prospects if they ate most of salary which Cubs would probably want to make room for Harper
Almora and Darvish to Cincinatti with the Cubs eating a little salary for a few low-level prospects seems like a win-win for both teams. Although, I’m not sure how willing the Reds would be to take on that much salary on an injury prone pitcher, knowing their rivals would use the extra cash to sign Bryce Harper.
Cubs would need to send Hayward out. And possibly Darvish to make this happen. No way they would sign Harper and go into the season with Hayward, Schwarber and Harper with no DH.
Only way Cubs sign Harper is to trade Heyward ,,, this is obvious so stop bringing it up!!
Only teams that would take Heyward are Braves and Giants…only way they would take him is
A) Braves get Contreras and Heyward for low/medium end prospects , Maybe Flower
B) Giants get Heyward/Happ for Melancon/Will Smith or Samarja
They should have jumped all over the Mainers to fill needs when they opened up the trade doors..
Aloyzay/Amaya/Addison/Happ/Schwarder (not all but a group of these jokers) for Haniger/Segura or Diaz
They can still dump Chatwood, Zobrist salaries pretty easily to Seattle ,, just tag Happ and another prospect with it.. Chatwood and Zobrist contracts are both up next yr.. They could dump Chatwood to Miami if they add Happ and get Starlin Castro back to take over 2nd base.. They have moves to make, they just gotta part ways with Happ/Schwarber/Aloyzay/Amaya…do NOT trade Almora , that would be stupid
For the Braves to move Heyward, no matter the players and or prospects they include, they would have to eat a significant amount of his salary. The Heyward contract is shaping up to be one of the worst signings in recent memory. Not Carl Crawford bad, not yet, but still terrible.
They can still dump Chatwood, Zobrist salaries pretty easily to Seattle ,, just tag Happ and another prospect with it.. Chatwood and Zobrist contracts are both up next yr.. They could dump Chatwood to Miami if they add Happ and get Starlin Castro back to take over 2nd base.. They have moves to make, they just gotta part ways with Happ/Schwarber/Aloyzay/Amaya…do NOT trade Almora , that would be stupid
I don’t believe Zobrist should be categorized as a dump. He’s a valuable player, still producing at a high level, and if he was a free agent multiple teams would try to sign him at his current salary level, especially on a 1-year deal.
If the Cubs sign Harper they will have nothing left for anyone else for years to come.
The Cubs need pitching.
Their mistake was letting Arrieta and Davis go.
Bryce Harper – Fourteen years, $420MM
Are you kidding?
The Cubs need pitching? Lester, Hendricks, Hamels, Quintana, and Darvish seem like an amazing rotation to me, likely the best in MLB. What the Cubs need is health and for their fans not to over react.
A Bryce Harper signing would be awful for the Cubs long-term, but Theo, while good at building teams, is notoriously bad at picking big-money free agents–Carl Crawford, John Lackey (the first time), Pablo Sandoval, Jason Heyward, possibly Yu Darvish–so maybe they do sign him. But if they do sign him, and the Cubs don’t win 2 out of the next 3 World Series, Theo will be pounding the pavement looking for a new job.
Lester and Hamels are over the hill and Darvish isn’t clutch.
Although I will say that Lester and Hamels were class acts in their day.
I’d pick up Keuchel SP rather than Bryce Harper .
I’d also pick up ex Indian Allen RP.
The Cubs already have enough hitting.
Maybe they could dump Heyward? They way over paid for him.