Junichi Tazawa is set to arrive in Cubs camp on Monday after working out visa issues that delayed his arrival, per the Chicago Tribune’s Mark Gonzales. Tazawa remains a long shot to make the Cubs Opening Day roster, as he hasn’t been an asset to a major league bullpen since 2016 with the Red Sox. After posting a 7.07 ERA for the Marlins and Angels last season, Tazawa looks to re-establish himself in Cubs camp for former employer Theo Epstein, though again, the window of opportunity in Chicago is slim. Pedro Strop, Carl Edwards Jr., Steve Cishek, Mike Montgomery, Brandon Kintzler, and newcomer Brad Brach all figure to hold down spots in the Chicago pen, leaving Tazawa to compete for the final remaining innings with Xavier Cedeno, Tyler Chatwood, Alec Mills, Brian Duensing, Dillon Maples, Randy Rosario, and a few others. Brandon Morrow’s injury provides a limited-time opportunity for someone, but he’ll obviously take over one of those open spots when he returns for the injured list. Here are a few more notes from the Cubs bullpen and the rest of the NL Central…
- A couple weeks before being traded from the Orioles to the Braves last season, reliever Brad Brach noticed his arm slot had shifted higher than usual, writes the Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma. When his release point shifts over-the-top, Brach loses some of the deception in his delivery and changes the plane of his pitch movement. He is cognizant, however, that he’s more effective as he stays closer to a three-quarters delivery. The mechanical adjustment certainly seemed to help as he turned in 23 2/3 innings of 1.52 ERA ball after joining the Braves. His peripherals don’t wholly buy the shift in performance, but his fastball command certainly improved and that’s the foundation of his arsenal. Of course, the revelation is only one part of the process, as refining and automating the lower arm slot will continue to be a process as he starts throwing again this season. If Brach can repeat his delivery consistently, he may prove to be a significant addition to a Cubs pen who needs the help.
- Brach should have no trouble keeping his competitive edge with the Cubs, who are facing a dogfight in a tight National League Central. There’s no tanking here, where the Reds have raised the floor with marked improvements to their rotation this offseason. The Cardinals and Brewers have made obvious win-now additions this winter as well, and while the Cubs have largely stood pat (excepting additions like Brach above), there’s little doubt they will be in the competitive mix once again. The sleeper in the division and maybe the league is the Pirates, per Ben Frederickson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The PECOTA projection system has the Pirates ahead of the Cubs, and though they’ve been quiet this winter, their biggest additions were made at least year’s deadline when they traded for Chris Archer and Keone Kela. It would certainly be a surprise for the Pirates to steal the NL Central from such a crowded field, but they’re only three years removed from the most successful stretch in recent franchise history and they finished above .500 last season. A Pirates division title would be surprising, for sure, but it’s not inconceivable.
- In a video for CBS Sports, Jim Bowden expresses optimism that Paul Goldschmidt will outperform both Bryce Harper and Manny Machado en route to an MVP-type season. Goldschmidt should certainly bolster the Cardinals offense in 2019, though his long-term future with the club remains uncertain. The Cardinals are pursuing an extension with Goldschmidt, and given the current free agent market, Goldy would be wise to at least consider locking up his long-term future now if the offer is fair.
Let’s go Bucs
No doubt it’s a wide open central. Why the heck not? Get above .500 and you never know.
I think Archer is going to have a big year
optimism. I like it.
As a Rays fan I said that for the past 6 years. Never happened. We fleeced you guys in that trade for sure.
No way the Rays fleeced the Pirates in that trade. Baz is unknown & a few years away, Glasnow is terrible, no control whatsoever, & Meadows is a nice player, nothing more. Maybe hit .280, maybe 20 homers, & maybe 65 RBI’s. Archer has the potential to win 18-20 games, with a sub .3 era & 200+ k’s. Archer will still be playing when the 3 prospects are gone & forgotten.
If Glasnow becomes something, good for him. But, I spent 3 years watching that kid pee down his leg and hit the backstop pretty much every time he got on the mound.
And if Meadows becomes better than Marte, Polanco or Dickerson there, so be it. He wasn’t going to do that here.
If Baz becomes something, that will hurt, but…he’s a low level prospect.
I’d make that trade again right now.
Archer=Quintana=Sonny Gray. All kinds of projections and hype as the next great thing and not much to show for it.
“Meadows is a nice player, nothing more. Maybe hit .280, maybe 20 homers & maybe 65 RBI’s.” All 3 of those stats could very well be the high water mark for the Pirates in 2019 if Dickerson doesn’t have another great year.
Pirates got fleeced. Maybe
When we brought Burnette, Liriano, Happ and Volquez here there was no fanfare and they were all incredible. Archer had the spotlight on him and I think it made him nervous.
I expect 3 really good yrs from Archer.
He complained in an interview about being sent back to minors. Then had a horrible run in the minors afterwards. Maybe Pirates were scared he had a bad attitude or work ethic. Or maybe because there was pressure to perform in minors he couldnt handle it and folded.
We got 2 outfielders from Cutch and Cole trades plus a few others in the system. In hindsight with Polanco injury losing him sucks. But if he didnt get hurt Meadows would have been of #4 all yr and might of hurt him long term anyways. Who knows.
Or maybe him getting injured every year reminded them to much of Polanco. It seems when outfielders have leg issues, it stays with them.
Glasnow is what scares me.
The trades outcome will likely be graded in a few yrs by what he has done.
Fair weather Pirate fans only seen the bad. The same people that were mad we didnt sign Martin to 5yrs/80mill. Or give Cutch a 8yr/175mil type contract were crying Glasnow is a bust.
Scherzer, Kluber, Arrieta, heck Randy Johnson took a few yrs to get going. The same fans calling Trevor Williams a bust after a bad 5 game stretch mid season. The same fans saying Morton wasnt good until he left Pittsburgh, even though he actually was good, just not healthy.
Glasnow was amazing with Tampa. I think he had one bad game and one bad inning vs World Series champs Boston Red Sox. He even had a great stretch in Pirates bullpen.
We have a great bullpen. Let Glasnow go 5innings full throttle then use the pen.
Glasnows minor league numbers are sick. Just insane. Like Kershaw numbers. If he figures it out he could be a Chris Sale.
I cant imagine someone being that good for years not eventually finding himself.
well have to meet again in 3yrs to discuss Baz lol
Cutch was a mvp candidate for yrs and his highest extra base total was 69.
Last yr Polanco had 61 in 122starts
Marte 57 in 137 starts
Dickerson 55 in 123 start
For what it’s worth cutch had 53 in 153 starts so the trade worked out even though everyone wanted to lynch management.
Marte and Dickerson have gold gloves too.
The main thing is staying healthy.
3yrs in Pirates AAA Meadows played 151 games. His slash
250/309/391
His last 38games(25 starts) on Pittsburgh 239/293/337 1 homerun and 6 rbi.
Potential to win 20 games??? How about he win just 13 one time in his career? What a ridiculous comment.
He looked good in September. I’m hoping he has a big year and if Trevor Williams is solid again. The pitching staff could be great this year.
last place in Central this yr
Yea no. They’re not going to be in last place. I don’t think they’ll be in first unless a miracle happens, but they’re not goung to drop from an 82 win team to a dead last team. Sure the competition got better, but it’s not like everybody got 20 games better.
If the Pirates starters each had two more wins than last year they could win 90 plus games. Enough for a wild card?
It’s not that they got 20 games better. Every team in the league is better and in turn that will take wins from the Pirates. They aren’t improved but every other team is. Hence stiffer competition they are decent but look like last place at this point. That’s not a slight though. They just didnt improve.
They’re not passing the Cubs. And, while MLB1225 is generally not a homer, and is full of insights generally? It’s the Pirates and the Reds battling for the last two spots still as I see it.
We shall see. That is why they play the games.
I love how competitive this division looks to be, top to bottom. You can’t count any team out. If you’re a fan of a central team (or just a baseball fan in general) this is going to be one of the funnest seasons to watch. If you told me that the first and last place teams ended up only 5 games apart, I would not be the least bit surprised. Is it April yet?
I’ve been thinking the same thing. Man this is going to be a fun year.
Well I don’t believe that as things stand now, the Pirates are going to be above the Cubs. A miracle and then some has to happen before the Pirates pass the Cubs, but I don’t see them being worse than the Reds. The Reds did improve, but I don’t think they’ve acquired enough talent to surpass the Pirates.
Funny how everyone is writing the Cubs obituary already. Won 95 games last year, with almost no contribution from Yu or KB, and no contribution from Morrow after the All-Star game. Brach will help with the pen, and the rotation is still strong. While the division has gotten stronger, this is still a very good ball club. Cards and Brewers will be tough, and even the Reds should be better. Gonna be a fun year!
Exactly. Too many things went wrong for the Cubs last year for it to continue. They’re still in the hunt.
Gonna be a great division; The Bucs may be the “worst” team, but they’re better than the “worst” team in other divisions. Cubs, Cards and Brewers all have legitimate claims; Cinncy could very well surprise.
Too many things went wrong with the other teams. The cub window is shutting fast. They’ll be lucky to be a .500 team. They have way to many question marks. And way too many women beaters.
?
please explain
Lmao
Typical pathetic cub fan
Themed… Could you be more biased in your opinion? There is no window closing on the Cubs, Hellen Keller. Bryant, Baez and Rizzo are in their prime and could have outstanding years. Maybe I should’ve written this in Braille for you?
The Cubs are a good team, no doubt. But they are the oldest team in the Division. They are the team most likely to regress or have the most injuries.
They have had the least pitcher injuries, by far, in the Division the last four years. In other words, they’ve been the luckiest team in the Division the last four years. They still can be.
The average team loses half their pitchers to injury every year. Do they have the depth to compete? Sure. Name 9 reasonable starters and 12 reasonable relievers, and they have the depth they need.
Don’t just say, “I believe,” name them.
That’s arguably the stupidest f….. comment I’ve ever seen on this site. You win the dumb s…of the year award
You’re argument is just as much opinion as his. Where are your ‘facts’ that prove they are most likely to regress? There are none.
my reply was to comfortably stupid and his reference to murderers
My reply was to Polymath about the Cubs regressing.
gotcha…
Their window is definitely closing. Face it! There is no dynasty for you.
The Cardinals are depending on too many if’s!! Dedicating themselves to Dexter Fowler in Rt. Field and Brett Cecil as a lefthanded in the bullpen is insane. They’ve tried them for 2 years and the 2 have literally cost them 10-20 games. Martinez is a head case, with more pride in what color his hair is than pitching. Wacha, Wainwright, Reyes, are always injured, and still are. Carpenter can’t make the hurried throw from third. Ozuna’s shoulder is a question mark. O’Neal is a guaranteed 100 strike outs. Jose Martinez can’t catch even a cold in Rt. Field, but he can hit. The Cardinals signed a non hitting Utility man when they already had the best Utility men in the game in Carpenter. The big thing is John Mozeliak is still calling the shots. He hasn’t signed an impact free agent or traded for an impact player at the trading deadline in years and years. He’s made a couple of good trades in Ozuna and Goldschmidt. But….he has proven over the years he can’t complete the deals on top free agents. Plus, if he signs a lesser free agent, he can’t evaluate them and ALWAYS signs a dud to big money!! Cardinals will start good and fade continually until another big bat and starting pitcher is signed.
Your on right path with your evaluation of mozeliak and the Cardinals. I think Fowler could be better than expected and Cecil may not even make the opening day roster, as the Cardinals have several guys out of options and pitchers they don’t want to lose. O’Neal is way over hyped and will strikeout nearly half the time. Cards could have great season, but will need Goldy, to be himself and Ozuna to hit like he did in 2017, plus you need a proven closer unless you move Corky the Clown into that spot.
So true. That BS Mozeliak’s selling per his alleged belief in Fowler, yada, yada and just handing him the starting role in RF was insane. And now, Foul-up has the audacity to complain he hasn’t been given proper consideration in so far as his becoming their CFer. Now that there is just beyond pathetic. Of course DeWallet is behind much of it too; God forbid they lose any money by dumping him, something Walt Jocketty – man do I miss that guy – would’ve done in a NY minute…not that he would’ve pursued him in the first place. I imagine Dexter, much like a Brandon Moss redux in waiting, will linger similarly until someone among Cardinal mgmt. – hopefully with an itchier trigger finger – delivers the final blow. Hallelujahs that, I’d say. Hallelujahs.
Agreed Zachary, the pronouncements of the demise of the Cubs are premature. There are plenty of names on the roster that can be circled for better performance this year – you note the two big ones, Bryant and Darvish. Of course some guys might not match last year’s production – thinking primarily of Baez and Hamels. Then there are legitimate age-regression questions for Lester and Hamels. I would like to have seen a better back end of the bullpen option than treading water until Morrow gets back. All expectations for the coming season are based the back of the baseball card, so to speak, and the hope that guys who under-produced get back to their norms while the guys who broke out keep up the pace and the new acquisitions will plug the holes they were supposed to plug. The division looks better on paper, but it’s easy to exaggerate the Cubs’ problems, too.
The Cubs’ rotation is still strong? When was it strong? When Arrieta won the Cy Young 4-5 years ago? The Cubs’ rotation got one thing this year…older.
Dumpster Divin’ Theo!
dumpster fire chitown311!
He’s having his stroke in installments.
Goldy is more consistent than Harper and my impression is that he’s a much better clubhouse presence than Machado. I don’t think he will have any trouble getting a good contract in free agency.
Assuming he rakes like previous years, I got zero problems with Mo paying him 5/$150 on a new deal.
Would you have an issue paying him that TODAY (prior to season starting)?
I think that’s the right amount of years/dollars.
With the new CBA around the corner, his higher age, and teams refusing to overpay, Goldy will probably face the same issue in FA. Cardinals will extend him mid season and pay a fair price. $150 over 5 with a six year option.
I like Goldschmidt and the acquisition of him, except Carpenter being at 3B everyday. He’s going to hurt them over there. A bench of Gyorko, Munoz, Martinez, O’Neill, Pena is a lot of RH redundancy too.
With Goldschmidt being 31, 32 in September, I don’t see him getting more than 3 guaranteed with an option. I also think the Cardinals don’t extend him. They might extend Mikolas in season, but other than that play it out with the rest of the FA.
I don’t know why everyone thinks Carpenter was bad at 3B. He was actually pretty good there. If the Cardinals don’t extend Goldy maybe they can send Carp back to 1B and go after Nolan Arenado
Except arenado won’t hit FA. Think rockies lock him up. Which is fine, his splits are concerning.
The Nl central is like a bridesmaid at a wedding. Throw the bouquet up and see who is gonna win the division. The al in my opinion is a 2 team race. The fading Indians and the up and coming White Sox. Everyone writes them off cause they ain’t the Cubs but they are just like the 15 Cubs. They need to pull the trigger on Keuchel or Machado, or both and it’s over.
I would say that the Sox are more like the 14 cubs. The 15 cubs had some major pieces in place.
Eloy comes up and he will make am immediate impact imo. They also have flexibility for midseason trades. The nl at the time was way tougher. The al central can easily be had with 85 wins if the Indians crap the bed. Let’s see how the season plays out. I hope the prospects can live up to the potential.
Eloy will definitely mash. It will be interesting to see if he’s better suited to DH.
By the end of the year, if the Sox can lose less than 90 games, the rebuild will be on target. They need to see some improvement from Moncada and Giolito.
Moncada is a question mark to me. Swings at everything. I was hoping they would pick someone up in case he doesn’t figure it out.
Not even close to the 2015 cubs
Yeah I remember Wellington Castillo last spring comparing the Sox to the Cubs and said they were actually better than the ‘15 team. That call played well.
The Twins could be a sneaky good team this year. They’ve quietly had a good offseason, especially if Schoop can return to something close to his ‘17 season.
Goldschmidt at 30 milion, or Machado or Harper?
That’s an easy one.
EVERY team will kick itself for not acquiring Goldy this winter, even teams that didn’t (supposedly) have a “need”. And the cost just wasn’t that high.
You know what you call the Rays with Goldy? A Wild Card participant. And the same can be said for most teams. He’s this year’s JD Martinez. He does more than improve the lineup arithmetically, he improves it geometrically.
Not sold on Goldschmidt as he begins playing in St. Louis. I’m in AZ and saw him go thru long droughts every year. Just thinking if that happens now, he will be Dexter 2.0
Can’t compare St. Louis to playing in AZ.
Maybe 2 reporters at your locker…and that’s if you had a great game!
He doesn’t impress as the type of personality that will thrive under pressure.
Every player goes through cold spells. The best hitters are only successful between 30-33 % of the time….
Goldy is one if not the most consistent baseball player in the MLB. Look at his numbers dude.
Him and Jose abreu get the exact same numbers every year
I should clarify, not compared to each other, compared to themselves
Hahahahahahahahahaha
5/$150 sounds good to me if he rakes like previous years.
About time the Pirates are shown some respect. Just because they’ve had a quiet offseason doesnt mean they’re destined to win less than 70 games, like most people seem to think. Very solid team that could steal this division with a little luck.
Neal Huntington must have created PECOTA for the Pirates to be picked ahead of the Cubs. The Pirates have zero depth in the starting lineup, including
the starting pitching staff. One big injury to a starter & they will fall off a cliff.
Yep, that’s what PECOTA is saying. Take it for what it’s worth, of course. I argue that the Cubs are likely to win 90 games, but there’s a big range on that win total. They’re a veteran team, so things could get ugly if players hit the wall or get injured. Or things could go great if Bryant regains his form, Darvish recovers, and the other vets keep performing at a high level.
No disrespect to the pirates, but it’s more likely the nl central will be a three team race with the reds on the heels of the brewers, cardinals and the cubs. The reds have a chance at a wildcard for sure.
That’s assuming Harper and Machado ever sign.
central will be a dog fight. even the pirates are going to be decent. their rotation gives the brewers fits.
Dog fight among pit bulls.
No offense to Michael Vick.
all the offense to michael vick. he’s a pos
Cincinnati is the sleeper in the Central !!!!
Sleeper, as in Sominex.
why is alec mills still with the Cubs?
Why not? He’s not eligible for free agency so why would they just dump him?
Rotation depth at Iowa
I think Goldschmidt is a good match in St. Louis… boring city and boring player (personality wise). He’s not very flashy and wouldn’t be a good fit in a big market or an exciting city.
Boring city? Have you even ever been to st. Louis? There are a million fun things to do, many are free. Great food, good drinks, stuff for the kids to do. Maybe you should know the city before you say it’s boring. Also 29 other teams are gonna wish they had traded for boring Goldschmidt. Also flashy is not usually a good thing, it’s usually a negative impact.
I’ve been there numerous times and the only parts that fit your description are those immediately surrounding the ballpark
The rest of it is pretty forgettable unless you like cheaply mass produced beer…
I loath when people try to talk about city’s…why does it matter, this is a baseball forum…every city has its bad and good things about it…obviously the bigger city’s are going to have more excitement but who cares because it’s what happens in the baseball field that matters…so whether a player or city is boring holds no weight
Because the ridiculous over-reaction by Cardinals players and a lot of the fans is frankly hilarious to me.
Other than that, yeah, it’s really irrelevant.
You and JJB are both simply wrong.
Shaw’s Garden’s is nice. The FREE St. Louis Zoo is great. I think the Muny Opera still has free seats on the back rows.
City is the home of toasted ravioli, among food.
Kudos! I chose not to live my entire life there cause I wanted to see other places. Now reside in Sun Valley Idaho, with all it has to offer, but while St. Louis has its drawbacks, Summer humidity is tough, it is still a vibrant community that loves and knows it’s Baseball. Still watch every game and enjoyed my three years in the Cards’ minor leagues. Yep, an Idahoan that still loves the Re Birds and the city that supports them so we’ll. Goldschmidt is a perfect fit and my guess come June he chooses to accept an extension, slightly less than you predict, but still around the 150 mil mark. If Fowler rebounds or if they add a left-handed right fielder with thump they should eek out the increasingly tough division.
You have said this before about the area immediately around the ballpark and that is the complete opposite of the truth… it just proves that you have no earthly idea what you are talking about.
Most of the best stuff in St Louis isn’t downtown or even necessarily in the city itself. Hell, some of it is on the Illinois side of the metro area.
Seems to me you just don’t know what to do with yourself. Anywhere can be boring if you are just a pompous @$$ about it.
What exactly do you expect them to have that they don’t? How is Cincinnati, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Minnesota or Detroit any better? You think bigger cities like Houston, Atlanta or Philadelphia are so great? Think again!
Flashy does not mean negative impact at all.
Flashy is for idiots. Like a moth to the flame.
I’m just picturing goldy in a yankees uniform. I think he ends up signing there.
I will throw up. I was hoping the Brewers would pull it off for him. Jesus is not real. he was awful at the end of last year and I think that’s closer to his true form. unless he figures out where the strike zone is like the first half last year
Definitely not trolling. When players and former players (Dempster & Bryant), as well as analysts like Keith Law agree with the sentiment, you’re just fighting a losing battle trying to polish St. Louis. Yeah, yeah, it’s not a barren wasteland, but it’s a BORING CITY OVERALL.
“AGirlHasNoName: St Louis really is boring, right?”
“Keith Law: That whole meme has cracked me up because it is probably my least favorite city to visit among the 26 MLB metro areas. Not a great food scene, not a lot to do, and on a personal level not many people I know in the area.”
That is 3 people dude. Get a grip.
Who cares what Keith Law thinks. Maybe the problem for him is that he doesn’t know many people in the area so he doesn’t know where to go… because if there is one thing I know St Louis does good its food.
This is a nonsense statement…I’m sure the Yankees will pass on Goldy because he is boring lol what sense does that make
troll comment, move on.
Same with you…move on
If Cubs fall 15 games off last year with a healthy KB, Yu, & Morrow…well, it will surely be epic.
That said, I love the prediction!
Morrow is far from healthy. They need a closer who doesn’t always get hurt
Go home PECOTA, youre drunk…. last place pirates.
Last year, they won 82. You predicted 52. PECOTA isn’t worried about the competition.
Truth hurts?
Cardinal Fans are hoping Paul Goldschmidt will sign a long term contract with the Cardinals. However——-Cardinals Fans are extremely aware that John Mozeliak is horrible at both attempting to sign star players to long term contracts. Also, in the resent past, John Mozeliak has signed what he thought were free agent star players to huge contracts and the Cardinals are currently eating the money while those players play else where! Plus, he currently has at least 2 dud free agents he’s signed long term who he is insisting the manager starts or uses because of there non tradeable contracts plus they are over the hill. I’ll have to say he’s pretty good at trading. Horrible at negotiating free agent contracts of which any non injured, or outstanding performing player would sign long term. Hasn’t happened. And won’t happen with Goldy either!!
Ummm…does Matt Holiday ring a bell…so yea it has happened
I think the pirates stealing the division is a reach unless other teams have some crappy luck. But they could very well end up having the best rotation in the NL and thats with the 5th spot still a big question.
That along with an improved second base, likely improved short and third.. i think they have a real shot at 85-90Wins and at least be with in spitting distance of the lead in september.
The Pirates should be fighting for a postseason game at the least in september.
The Pirates have not improved enough to catch up with the three teams in front of them,and the Reds have clearly improved their pitching.This is the year that they needed to add some key good free agents,and NH failed.I see the Prates at about 83 wins,and third or fourth place.I also see possibly no more than 10-12 games separating first from fifth places,and the historically unique possibility of all teams in the division having winning records as they all battle each other on an almost equal basis.
> window of opportunity in Chicago is slim
Baseball blogs = deliciously bad writing
A case can be made that the Pirates have the best starters in the division. A case can be made that they have the best bullpen in the division. A case can be made that they have the best outfield in the division. A case can be made that they have the best catching tandem in the division. And each spot in the infield has the potential to be better than last year.
But, they didn’t spend any money on veteran free agents that are rarely worth the money, so, obviously they’ll go 20-142.
MM, is that you? 🙂
Josh,I admire your hope and agree that your posts are almost always accurate and thoughtful.I fully wish that you are correct in your high estimation of the Pirates year but I think that you fail to see that the Cubs and Brewers have proven to be good teams and the Cardinals and Reds have clearly improved themselves.The Pirates will not have the weak AL Central division to beat up on this year either.
If all things come out the best that you and NH are hoping then the Pirates have as good of a chance of competing for the division crown as any team.
I have found,however,that that rarely happens.
They traded away their fifth starter,20% of the rotation,who was good in that position for nothing with no viable start of the year replacement.They lost a valuable young reliever to injury with no replacement when one could easily have been signed.Their best hitter who happens to be an outfielder is out for one-two months,and they had to sign a fifth outfielder in case the temporary replacement gets hurt as he has on an annual basis throughout his career.The main catcher that they have is good but one foul tip away from being lost for the year.I agree with the infield statement but at this point unfortunately we do not know confidently that that will happen especially at the key position of shortstop.
I do not believe it to be. a house of cards,but all of these things must happen for the Pirates to realistically think that they can win the division..Even the contention for a wild card position is a crapshoot as the game losers have found out.
I certainly hope for all Bucco fans sake that you are right and I am wrong but I think that too many things have to break right for them to contend for a division Ten years ago we would have been happy with a winning record but they need to contend if they say that they are trying to do so.
Random thoughts.
The Bucs won 82 last year and it’s not as if everything broke their way, far from it. The aggregate slash line of the infield will be hard pressed to NOT improve this year. The other 4 teams in the division won’t have “the weak AL central division to beat up on this year” either. Is Archer guaranteed to NOT pitch better than last year?
Also, if I’m not mistaken, Goldy’s OPS against the Bucs is roughly 300 points less than it is against the Brewers & Cubs.
It would take a lot of best case scenarios for the Pirates to win the division, simply because they have rivals with more resources who can/will paper over any holes that develop.
But, the Cubs pitching could fall off a cliff, the Cards could be good but not great, the Brewers pitching is a minefield of regression candidates and while the Reds upgraded their pitching, it was so bad that it’s still not very good even after being upgraded.
These teams could finish in any order and it wouldn’t be shocking.
The cubs and brewers have proven themselves to be good teams? The cards barely missed out on the playoffs and probably had more injured players than anyone else in baseball last year. Plus, they had Matheny running the team into the ground for most of last season. So, I think the cards have proven themselves as a good team this entire century. I’m sure you didn’t mean it as an insult, but the cards have certainly proven themselves as a good team, and as you said they improved.
The Cardinals are the team that kept the Pirates out of the Divison title for three staright years.
I never denigrate any team but they would be one of the last ones that I would.
They have not been in the playoffs though for three straight years,and finished behind the first two teams that I mentioned who were both very good for the whole year last year.The Cardinals May have played much better after Matheny left and I think will be a good team this year,and may very well be the most well rounded.
I think Goldschmidt will be a fine addition,Ozuna may very well play better,and I think that they have a lot of good young pitchers.
But like everyone else,they have to prove that this year,and the entire division is much better so it will not be easy for any team to win it.
I think that you may have taken some heat because I included them with the Reds who were clearly an inferior team last year but I think both teams have improved themselves externally while the others are relying more on internal improvement.
You can make a bad case for literally anything and it’s still technically a case….
Just as you can make an empty rebuttal for no apparent reason….
It’s not empty when it’s true
It would be different if you’d actually tried to make a case for any of these, then they could be refuted one by one… But you opted not to, so there’s nothing wrong with responding to vague with vague
It actually kind of proves two points at once…
Yes, the rotation (minus the 5th guy), bullpen (back end), and OF/C positions are are well and good, but it’s not good enough to pick up the slack of the underachieving infield. Bell NEEDS to step up on both sides of the ball, SS and 3B won’t be solved until Hayes and Tucker are ready, and that’s not even guaranteed, and Frazier still hasn’t fully proved himself over a full year (though I think he has a good chance to be very good).
Free agency is not always a losing game like NH wants you to believe, especially right now when most guys are making a fraction of what they normally would. SS and 5th starter are still obvious holes, and the cheap “solutions” NH acquired don’t inspire much confidence that this team finish much higher than .500.
The 5th starter is just a seat warmer for Keller and Lyles/Kingham/Brault can eat innings, the extent of Nova’s value at this point.
SS is a clear area to upgrade, but aside from the fantasy of Machado, which free agent offered a clear upgrade? The free agent SS’s were a big pile of mediocre and offered no obvious upside over the question marks they have.
I’m not sure they can eat innings, none of them have been able to consistently in the past. And remember the last time they had a seat warmer for a top prospect? Not saying Keller is Glasnow, but that’s still the nature of prospects. This situation reeks of 2016, NH’s worst offseason.
Iglesias is an upgrade and is even still available, likely for pennies on the dollar. He basically is now what Erik Gonzalez’s best case scenario is.
you forgot Tony Barnette and George Kontos among Cubs relievers.
In my estimation, the Cubs are better than the Pirates at every position other than centerfield. I’d take the Cubs starting pitching over the Pirates starters. Pirates win the closer, but Cubs win the rest of the bullpen. So how are the Pirates better than the Cubs??
Cannot agree with the rotation claim. The Pirates just have better starting pitching unless Darvish becomes the pitcher of yesteryear, and Lester pitches better in 2019 than 2018 which is doubtful. I’m not as high on the Pirate outfield as some, but if the other pieces fit together I could see them surpassing 85 wins. The division is brutal. If any team manages 90 wins they should take it. No matter who performs well every game will be contested. I like the Cards’ pitching better than others but still no weak sisters in the Central.
The Pirates would be less of a sleeper and more of a legitimate threat if they made actual impact moves to fill their holes, specifically SS and 5th starter (after trading Nova who’s $9M contract was apparently too burdensome). The fact that they’re currently projected to have the 2nd lowest payroll in baseball just adds salt to the wound. I’ve tried to be positive the past few years as the front office slowly let a great team fizzle into nothingness, but now I’m afraid they’re going to waste this opportunity as well.
I could not agree with you more JT.
And that is the shame of it.NH put together a fairly good team,but when it came right down to it,he did not know how to add through free agency.
One arguement is that we do not know who wanted to come to Pittsburgh,but there were plenty of free agents that he could have added that could have added to the overall strength of the team.Not a lot,but a few.Statiscally,at least some of them would have been happy to play in Pittsburgh.
NH seems good at keeping his own players,fairly good at trades,but not in getting free agents,and those are necessary to add when you want to compete for a division title.As we all know,that window is short for small market teams,and he needs to take advantage of the moment when he can.
My complaint this year is that he is looking into the future when the future is now.
“Getting free agents…are (is) necessary to compete for a division title.” Since when? Free agency is fool’s gold. Look good on paper, but overpay for a soon to be aging & declining stud is stupid. A long term deal for a short term player hardly ever works.
Who said anything about long term deals.Your ideas may very well be the way that NH thinks or reacts,take your choice.The Pirates are and have been wise in staying away from expensive contracts for aging players.They do not have the money for the superstars.This year,when they say that they want to compete,is a perfect time for a veteran left hander and right hander in the pen and a proven shortstop.They have signed none of the above.It is especially worrisome when the market has been good and they are way under their spending capacity of just a few years ago.
If the Mets and the Reds of all teams have woke up and tried to compete why can’t the Pirates get out of their rut?
Because they make a profit from the television deal and revenue sharing before they even sell a ticket. Doesn’t matter if they try. Nutting still makes money while the taxpayers (fans or not) foot the bill for the stadium.
So with a side note to this story, regarding the Cubs bullpen, to put it in layman’s terms that eryone can understand, quite frankly, it’s a mess!and it is a direct result of them spending outrageously three years ago, and now they have maneuvered themselves into a corner, that is going to be hard to overcome. Pay attention here, Philadelphia, you tanked traded, released players so that you couldget out from under so many terrible contracts, which put you in last place for umpteen seasons, and now that you have a fresh start your gm says he is going to spend ‘Stupid Money’ to try and get back to the top. Insanity can be defined as repeating the same wrong actions over and over, but hope for a different outcome!but getting back to the Cubs, and the messed up situation that they have put themselves in, at least they can still fall back on that ‘yeah but we won 3 years ago’ as they sink to the bottom!
The Cubs have actually been dominating that division since they won the WS. Even when the Brewers won it, it was by 1 game.
If that’s sinking to the bottom, what does that say about the Cardinals who have been staring up at them since 2015?
If the Pirates win the division i will buy a season ticket package next year!