The Cubs have discussed a Jonathan Villar trade with the Orioles, reports Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com, though he adds that a match between the two teams appears unlikely at this time.
Chicago was tied to Eric Sogard before he was traded from Toronto to Tampa Bay, and Addison Russell’s recent demotion to Triple-A Iowa further illustrates that the Cubs could be in the mix for a second baseman. The potential return of Ben Zobrist, who is slated to head out on a minor league rehab assignment, could lessen any urgency to make an outside addition, though.
Villar has split the 2019 season between shortstop and second base in Baltimore, drawing negative reviews at second base from both Defensive Runs Saved and Ultimate Zone Rating a year after rating quite well in both categories. His familiarity with shortstop would also be a welcome addition for the Cubs, given that Russell’s demotion left the MLB roster without a true backup to Javier Baez there.
The 28-year-old Villar is hitting .262/.326/.421 with 13 home runs, 22 doubles, two triples and 22 stolen bases (in 28 attempts). Villar’s speed is an element the Cubs’ roster currently lacks. His 22 steals are only seven fewer than the Cubs have totaled as a team. Villar’s wheels likely hold some interest to the Cubs — they’ve also been connected to fleet-footed D-backs outfielder Jarrod Dyson — but Villar’s 24.1 percent strikeout rate (26.7 percent for his career) don’t align with Chicago’s reported interest in adding hitter with plus contact skills (e.g. Sogard, Dyson).
From a contractual standpoint, Villar is affordable. He’s being paid $4.825MM in 2019 (with about $1.66MM yet to be paid out) and is controllable via arbitration for the 2020 season as well. The Orioles were also willing to include some cash in the trade that sent Andrew Cashner to Boston, providing reason to believe they’d be willing to do so with their other trade assets as a means of sweetening the prospect return. Given his relative proximity to free agency and the Orioles’ aggressive tear-down, Villar is a logical trade candidate in the next three days. However, the demand for pitching help throughout the league is far greater than the demand for middle infielders, and the Orioles don’t necessarily need to move Villar if no appealing offer materializes.
Can he hit leadoff? Yes.
Is he cheap? Yes
Does he play 2nd/SS? Yes
Should the Cubs get him? Yes
Anyone CAN hit leadoff, the question is whether they should.
His .326 OBP in a leadoff role doesn’t inspire confidence.
I wouldn’t say anyone CAN hit lead off…..
Literally anyone can hit leadoff. You can put your starting pitcher at leadoff. Is he hitting leadoff? Yes. Will he be good at it? No.
He seems to be referring to the ability to be penciled in at the top of a lineup, but not their effectiveness there.
Thank you, Captain Obvious.
Using that ridiculous lógic, anyone can play SS as well, even Bartolo Colon, or me.
You need to be signed first.
It’s not logic, but fact.
After the musical chairs the Cubs have played in the lead-off spot since Fowler left I would be good with coaxing Corey Patterson or Felix Pie out of retirement. By the way, I’m only half kidding…It’s been that bad.
Felix Pie IS playing for Leon in the Mexican League. He is 34, and last year stole 13 bases out of 19 attempts. This year, 3 steals out of 8 attempts. Cranked out 18 homers so far this year. Maybe they purchase his contract and stash at Iowa. ( well, maybe not, but it is possible.)
And PS, the Bravos de Leon are 14 games out of 1st place, so that would make them “sellers” rather than buyers right now, LOL
He’s a solid option then because he may be in good shape. Ricky Henderson wouldn’t happen to still be playing in any over-60 beer leagues, would he? Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, would be a downgrade to what we have thrown out there the past few seasons.
Thats funny. Don Kessinger anyone?
Sogard has been dealt
Merrifield is not available
Villar could be the best option I could think of being available for that particular role
Leury Garcia a better choice.
Why would he be a better choice? Not saying you’re wrong, curious as to your reasoning. Basically same OBP, Villar with more power and speed it seems. Open to the idea of it makes us better, what do you really like him?
Much better defense.
Plays more positions including CF.
Yeah both of those are true. But think we need a lead off hitter out of that too, and Leury doesn’t offer enough offensive value to hit there. That said, after I looked it up, the player value is a lot closer than I thought it would be.
Garcia $1.5 mil salary vs nearly $5 mil for Villar.
Plus, Garcia puts the ball in play. But who are the Cubs willing to deal? The Sox don’t need any more failed, or failing, former hot prospects.
To be fair, he leads off most of the time. Against LHs, he usually bats down in the order and Alberto leads off. Villar is having a down year vs lefties and all Alberto has done is lead the majors in BA vs southpaws.
He’s fast so he HAS to bat leadoff! Insert eye roll!
Trade With Sox. L.Garcia and Bummer for Russell, Chatwood, and Edwards
No, Sox don’t want that garbage.
Also, Bummer is a keeper.
Caratini for Garcia
In what world does that make sense for the Sox?
Better backup to McCann than what we have. More offense than Collins.
Cheaper than McCann in case Sox don’t sign him for next year.
Garcia usage will go down when Robert and Madrigal start next year.
Not the comment I was responding to.
Well the “keysox” proposal is foolish and doesn’t deserve a reply.
We could for sure really use his speed as a huge option in close games
This. Exactly this. Cubs have ZERO speed.
Bullpen has been pooping its pants with great speed, lately.
I would disagree with this. They’re not a huge base stealing team, but they have speed.
Cite your sources. It’s Baez and then no one else. They have good base runners, but that doesn’t equate to fast.
Kris Bryant is a very good base runner. Lightning speed? No, but plus at getting the extra base. Heyward has decent speed as well. Almora can run but he seems pretty clueless on the bases when it comes to instincts on the bases. So – Baez, Bryant, Heyward can run. The rest, not so much. The bullpen is the more immediate need. Nine losses after carrying leads past the 7th inning is unacceptable.
https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/sprint_speed_leaderboard?year=2019&position=&team=CHC&min=10
They don’t have any super speedsters like Billy Hamilton, but the majority of their active roster is well above league average.
The Cubs have 2 players in the top 110 for speed, and the fastest (Baez) is 79th. I’m not like a WHIZ at math, but that means the average team has 2-3 guys faster than our fastest guy. The Cubs have terrible team speed.
I thought the stolen base was completely devalued by sabermetrics and FanGraphs? Maybe Theo and Jed have started a new THEOlogy Metric.
Stolen base attempts have a negative value on runs scored over the course of a season unless your success rate is 73% or higher. (Numbers a couple years old, might have varied a little) So it’s possible for the category to have value, but it has to come with a high success rate. That said, Cubs almost never run, and that’s probably why.
You can spout all the sabermetrics you want re stolen bases. I trust they’re true. But come the post-season you’ll need every weapon available—and at key moments, when the margins are minuscule, you’ll want speed.
Yeah this is totally true. You’re not playing for a season’s sample size worth of runs in the postseason, you may be playing for one or two extra runs.
FWIW Villar also clears the hurdle rate. But I tend to agree w Dimitrios here.
The O’s should give Villar away for a bag of Harold Stassen for President buttons. Squigly numbers on a team that’s obviously out of contention don’t always translate to a team that’s “in it”. With arb-2 looming for Villar, he’s looking to fluff his stats to the complete exclusion of whether that fluffing helps his team win a game. And those guys seldom change their modus operandi. His defense is “meh” at best, and he’s way too expensive for what he gives. If you want to win games, you can’t do it with Villar, you have to work around him.
Curious if you’re watched him in Baltimore or Milwaukee. In Milwaukee his bone head play and his consistent ability to make a big mistake at exactly the wrong time reduced his value way under what his stats indicated it should be. I assume that continues in Baltimore..
Like most, I suppose, I always looked at his numbers and thought, “Well, this guy’s pretty useful”. I watch a lot of AL East, and couldn’t believe what a complete moron the guy is. Really, and I’ve seen my share of morons in MLB over the years. But Villar really takes the cake. In a competitive situation, I’d run Rob Refsnyder out there instead of Villar. He’s THAT bad.
As an O’s fan I will say this about his year. (1) I believe that he is playing better defense than his metrics show, at 2B anyway. He’s been much better now that RIchie Martin has settled into the SS position defensively. (2) He is (and has always been) a classic case of a guy who thinks like a power hitter even though he isn’t. He should have a higher walk rate and a lower K rate, take advantage of his speed, etc. but power hitters get paid and speed guys don’t. (3) The most infuriating thing about his speed game is the inopportune times he gets thrown out stealing. Of the six CS this year, three were pickoffs that were scored as CS, PLUS another three times where he was legit picked off. I think he’s a useful player, and the Orioles really don’t have any middle infield prospects above A-ball (unless you consider Mason McCoy a prospect, which some do). However, given that the next two years are about finding out what we have, I wouldn’t be upset at Villar moving on.
Unless you trade him straight up for Russell. Please stay away. Cubs dont need another brewers castaway
Cubs have plenty of guys that can play second. Go get someone that can get on base. And let’s not forget an actual setup man for the bullpen should be priority 1-6 right now.
Charlie Blackmon and Jake McGee would net you the leadoff OBP guy and another lefty for the pen. Question is the return to Colorado and if the Cubs could absorb the $$’s.
Take him. Villar’s getting non tendered this offseason if he’s still an oriole. Whatever lotto ticket we get back is just fine.
He would be a mistake.
Villar for Russell?
Annuyy is h u
The Os would be looking for a couple players 16-19 years old. Guys in the Dominican league you never heard of or a player just drafted.
Cubs are interested in a MIF? Who’s fast? With plus contact skills? Jerry Dipoto has your man! Dee Gordon built a career on contact skills, speed and 2B defense. Oh! He even has recent MLB experience in CF and was a legit leadoff guy “not that long ago” too! Eh? Eh? Whatcha think, Theo? You know you want that clutch SB guy in the playoffs!
Now, in some seriousness, I’m actually a bit curious if Gordon has been on the Cubs radar, as his profile does seem to fit much of what was posited here that they want. Add in that the M’s need to empty his roster slot and would probably like to off-load however much of his contract they can, though it shouldn’t be much. That said, when Dipoto has just wanted to clear space, he’s shown a lot willingness to eat money this year.
Could it make any sense for that the Cubs be interested in Gordon to fill in 2B until Zobrist comes back and then slot into role-player down the stretch?
Villar offers all of that and he can hit Hrs. The orioles will likely non tender him next year. I think there’s a rumor their interested in Villar and not Gordon for a reason.
I mentioned Dee Gordon as a possibility weeks ago.
Dee Gordon is a better option for the Cubs with his ability to play IF and CF except his quadricep injury is a bad injury for the speed merchant.
Orioles trade,
2B Jonanthan Villar
Cubs trade,
P Paul Richan
OF/2B Jared Young
Deal.
Can he pitch?
Classic Cubs pickup—not an upgrade, marginal player (there’s a reason he has been given away), and ultimately not an area of need (except backup ss). Dude will just take up a roster spot…like CarGo did. Smdh.
I’m sure Reds would part with Scooter Gennett for couple of minor Leaguers.
Will di di bat lead off next year when cubs sign him next year ?
That’s about all you can expect from the cubs… adding a scrub utility player, and a AAAA reliever to their scrap heap.
Villar, like the rest of the players mentioned over the past 2 weeks would not be an upgrade. It would simply be more of the same. Just a different name. The only exception would be Merrfield who appears to be a pipe dream. The Cub’s front office is likely being forced to make a deal for the sake of making a deal and showing fans that they are making an effort..
I’d like to see the Cubs get some veteran playoff presence. Maybe Curtis Granderson.
Playoffs?
Make it happen Cubs sign Jonathan Villar now!