Tagged: Diamondbacks

Matt Garza for Profar?

Because I have been traveling, I have not had the opportunity to get in on the Matt Garza trade posts, but I have an opportunity to now, and it seems, just in time…

The madness starts with David Kaplan, via Bob Nightengale, saying that Jurickson Profar is in play…

Let me first say, Garza for Profar won’t happen because that deal would have already been made.  I could see Profar being in play if the Cubs add to the deal with good prospects that are less developed.  Garza, Arismendy Alcantara, Dan Vogelbach for Profar and some other lesser pieces has a VERY outside shot of happening.  Maybe not that exact deal, but something along those lines.

Another report about a trade with the Rangers has the Cubs looking to acquire Neftali Feliz.  Again, that would be a great move for the Cubs, in spite of Feliz recovering from Tommy John surgery.  He has the stuff to be a really good starter, but if injuries were to prevent that, he is definitely the kind of guy you put on the mound in the ninth to end games.  Again, I am not sure it is likely that he comes to the Cubs in any deal.  Jon Heyman reports that Martin Perez isn’t going anywhere in a Garza deal, so it would seem that door is closed.  It makes sense.  The Rangers need pitching, so it wouldn’t be a great move to deal a young pitcher producing in the rotation right now.

The most likely acquisition for Matt Garza from the Rangers is Mike Olt, who seems to be the most realistic of the players being discussed.  The big concern about Olt is that he was struggling with vision problems early this season.  That problem was, apparently, an inability to make tears, causing things to be blurry.  Once discovered, Olt was given special drops, and for his part, seems to be past the injury, saying “I definitely noticed a huge difference the first day I used them.”  Being past his vision issues would make him a still excellent prospect, and a nice “buy low” piece.

A lot of teams, including the Blue Jays, Red Sox, Indians, Diamondbacks, and Dodgers are also being connected to Garza, among others.  The most talked about, though, with actual players in return being discussed is Texas.  It would be a significant upset, in my mind, if Garza went anywhere but Texas.  Unless a team swoops in late with a package that wows Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer (which the Red Sox can if Clay Bucholtz doesn’t return healthy), the Rangers are the team to watch, especially if it is to be believed that Matt Garza has pitched his last inning as a Cub.

EVERYBODY PANIC! Albert Almora’s Career Might Be Over (But Probably Isn’t)

We’ve all seen it already:

“Not a good day! Broke my Hamate bone!” – @albertalmora

Immediately (after the “What the hell is a hamate bone?” comments) the comparisons to Derrek Lee started.  And the comparisons to Ian Stewart started.  And Theo Epstein suddenly doesn’t know what he’s doing because he drafted a guy and nine months later he got hurt.  And the Chicago Fire of 1871 had nothing on what is happening with the Cubs.  And on and on and on…

The hamate is a bone in the wrist under the fifth metacarpal.  *DUDE…PRESS 1 FOR ENGLISH!*  It’s the bone in the wrist that is under the bone in the hand that is under the pinky finger.  Actually, fracturing this is quite common in baseball players because of the force put on it, either when pitchers pitch or hitters hit.

Comparing Almora to D-Lee is a horrible idea.  Derrek Lee had two fractures in his FOREARM, the distal radius and distal ulna.  Again, in English, he broke the two bones in his FOREARM very close to his wrist, which is why when you hear someone on ESPN say “broken wrist” or read someone in the paper say “broken wrist,” it should be taken with a grain (or shaker full) of salt.  Lee broke both bones in his FOREARM, which cost him a lot of the strength and stability his swing.  Almora’s injury is so common among baseball players that it boarders on being a non-story.

Ian Stewart is also a bad comparison to Almora.  Stewart had a bone pieces removed from his wrist because they were pressing on a nerve.  Without seeing his x-rays (which I am assuming didn’t show much since it took so long for him to have the problem found), or the MRI which revealed the problem last summer, I am not sure if he had fragments or a bone spur that was pressing on the nerve.  It seems like Stewart is fully healed, now, though, since he reported coming out of his minor league game yesterday with no pain.

Long story short, Almora has an injury, and it is significant.  I can’t sit here and write, in good faith, that a fractured bone is not a significant injury.  It’ll keep him off the field for about a month.  That’s significant.  However, his injury is known, was likely found early, and is common enough that treating it is pretty straight forward.  My own hamate fracture was: put in a cast for four weeks, rebuild the strength.  And that was it.  Such it will be for Almora.  And I am sure the Cubs will take it slow with their highly touted prospect.  Just to make sure.

OTHER STUFF FOR THE DAY:

  • The Diamondbacks quit on Sterling Peralta and sent him back to the Cubs today.  Peralta was selected in the Rule 5 Draft, and since he was released from the major league roster, he was offered back to the Cubs for $25,000.  He has a great arm, but never pitched about Class A.  Nice to see him back.
  • Brett Jackson has some mild shoulder soreness.  He’s currently on life support, and family has been notified.  Or, he’s going to sit out today and give it some rest.  On second thought, rest is probably more accurate.  But since we’re all over-reacting to injuries, I thought I’d give it a whirl with B-Jax.
  • The Cubs have split squads going today.  The regulars mixed with some top prospects play the Japanese National Team today, and the other squad takes on the Sox on WGNA at about 2, local time.

Bob Brenly Replacement Speculation

It was just announced that Bob Brenly will not be returning to the Cubs, as the color analyst on WGN broadcasts.  The Len and Bob (which will soon be renamed to Len and whoever fills the spot) Facebook page released the following statement from Brenly regarding the change:

“Working here in Chicago was one of the most enjoyable experiences of my professional career.  The Ricketts family, everyone associated with the Cubs and WGN and, most importantly, Cubs’ fans everywhere, will always be in our hearts, and Joan and I wish nothing but the best for the organization moving forward.  I was very blessed to have the best play-by-play man in the game as my partner for eight years and Cubs’ fans are very fortunate to have Len Kasper as the voice of the Cubs. I’ll miss working with him and we look fondly toward returning to Chicago in the future.”

So that’s that.  I know the ink on that statement isn’t even dry, yet…but this is a blog.  Not posting irresponsible speculation would be irresponsible of me.  (See what I did there?)  So…some potential candidates to fill the role left by Bob Brenly…

  • Mark Grace: I might get some flack for this one, since he hasn’t passed a field sobriety test since he left the Cubs to be the Diamondbacks’ first baseman.  However, Mark Grace is pretty much an all-time Cub.  He is the last Cub to hit for a cycle.  It would be fitting for him to try to resurrect his personal life in the booth.  Besides, Lenny and Gracey has a nice ring to it.  No?  Yeah…not so much.
  • Rick Sutcliffe: I know.  I’m reaching.  Sut’ legitimately sounds like he loves his ESPN gig every time I hear him on there.  But come on…how awesome would this be?
  • Doug Glanville:  He looks like he would be okay not having the “Doug” song from “The Hangover” sang to him from Mike Greenberg at 8:00am ever again.
  • Nomar Garciaparra: He’s another guy I think is a reach because he likes his ESPN gig.  However, he would be a good fit and seemed to be genuinely liked by Cubs fans when he was with the team.
  • Eric Karros: This is one guy that I could legitimately see joining Len Kasper.  And I like him, so it wouldn’t be as painful as listening to Steve Stone used to be.
  • Steve Berthiaume: I had to pick somebody who is not a former Cub, and since his name was thrown around with the D-Backs job, there at least seems to be some play in this idea of him leaving his really sweet ESPN gig.

Ultimately, this is all speculation.  Any of the names I have mentioned would be excellent additions, from my perspective.  There are some guys (Bobby Valentine) who I would cringe at the thought of, but it’s going to be a waiting game and we’ll find out how it plays when Spring Training starts/

Brandon Phillips is Still the Gold Glove Favorite, Can’t Win in the West, and the Coming Off-Season

Photo: AP

In the last inning of the last game required to break the consecutive errorless games streak by a second baseman, Darwin Barney committed an error.  A throwing error, his third of the season.  His first error since April.  In spite of all of that, I still think Reds’ 2B Brandon Phillips is the favorite to win the Gold Glove this season.  These awards seem to be given based on reputation, and it is no secret that offensive production plays into the defensive award, as well.  None of this is to say that I don’t want Darwin to win the award.  He absolutely should.  It would be brutal for anyone but him to win after going over five months between errors, and the one he makes is on an insanely tough play.  Anybody that has seen the play knows that would not have been an error if it did not allow to cause a run to score.  We’ll see how it turns out.

After last night, the Cubs have gone 0-17 in road games against the NL West.  It is unfortunate that the team didn’t have a western swing in July, when they played well before the deadline.  They have two more opportunities to win a game out west this weekend, finishing the series against the D-Backs.  Should they fail to get a win, they will lose their 100th game, and have the first 100 loss season since 1966.

After all of the fuss about what Jed Hoyer said this week about having financial flexibility, it is important for Cubs’ fans to know that they can put away their anticipatory Josh Hamilton jerseys.  There will not be a major signing this off-season.  When you look at everything that the front office has said over the course of the last year, there is no reason to believe that they are going to pony up the cash for a big time free agent when they have said it is their goal to build from drafting and developing good players.  The goal is to have a strong organization from top to bottom, and we saw that over the course of the last few months.  Trading Ryan Dempster, Paul Maholm, Geovany Soto, and Reed Johnson were all products of building a strong organization.  When you combine those statements with Theo Epstein saying he made mistakes in his approach toward the end of his tenure in Boston, there is no reason to believe there are going to be any nine figure deals getting tossed around this off-season.  It will be another in the process of building for future success.  At this point, the actual baseball season is a formality.  Games, at least in the north side of Chicago, won’t be all that significant for the next two to three years.

 

News, Notes, And NEVER FORGOTTEN

Even though this is admittedly only a hobby of mine, I still feel as though I have let down those that actually read this, to an extent, so here goes some of the new information regarding the Chicago Cubs…

Photo: Ted Warren, AP

First, the team is looking to finalize minor league affiliations this week, including extending the agreement by two years with the Northwest League Runners- Up, the Boise Hawks.  The big decision is expected to be swapping low A affiliation from the Peoria Chiefs to the Kane County Cougars.  Kane County is only about 30 miles west of Chicago, so the logistics of the matter seem to be the biggest reason why.

Brett Jackson could be available tonight for the Cubs in Houston, but he is not in the starting line up, unless a late change happens.  David DeJesus is tabbed to lead off, and play in center, flanked by Bryan LaHair in right and Alfonso Soriano in left.

Speaking of Alfonso Soriano, he has a very real chance at hitting 30 HR and driving in 100 runs for a terrible offense.  He stands at 28 HR and 94 RBI, the RBIs being his best mark since joining the team in 2007.  Equally as important, Sori has been excellent in left field all season long, and is worthy of at least a consideration of a Gold Glove.  His reputation precedes him enough that there is almost no shot he gets that award, but his defense has been as good as his offense.  And his leadership brings a ton of value to a young team, learning how to be a professional.  Dale Sveum seems to go out of his way just about every day to compliment Soriano on everything he does.  Like him or not, he has earned his contract this season.  This off-season could bring some suitors for Soriano, as long as the Cubs are willing to eat much of the $36 million he will be owed over the last two years of his deal.  With the improved defense and strong numbers, the Cubs could get a strong return on Soriano from a team looking to add a right handed bat that can play the outfield.  He still figures to have the most value as a DH for a deficient AL team.

Photo: Doug Mills, AP

Sahadev Sharma wrote a great piece for ESPNChicago.com on Jorge Soler, and his comparisons to Sammy Sosa, linked here.

Lastly, with today being 9/11, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention what happened 11 years ago.  That was obviously a senseless act of death and destruction that never needed to happen.  The way Americans all over the country, though, rallied around each other was the most inspirational thing I have seen in my 27 years.  There are a lot of acts of courage, bravery, heroism, and selflessness associated with that day, and those days immediately afterward.  It remains my hope that those times return to this country, sooner rather than later.  Baseball played a huge role in the healing process.  I remember very fondly, Sammy Sosa flying the Stars and Stripes after a home run during the first game at Wrigley after the attacks.  Even though the Cubs were not a part of the World Series that season, it remains one of the premiere sports memories of my life, as the Yankees and Diamondbacks fought in an epic seven game battle, with President George W. Bush throwing out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium before game three to chants of “U-S-A, U-S-A!”, and culminated by Bob Brenly’s D-Backs getting a walk-off hit from former Cub, Luis Gonzalez.  Baseball was a major contributor to the return to “normalcy” after what happened on this day, 11 years ago.  Ballparks filled, the flag flew resolute, and versions of “The Star Spangled Banner” were belted out as passionately as they had ever before.  On this day, I hope that we take the time to remember the men and women, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, that lost their lives on that day…and PLAY BALL! 

The Other Guys’ Deadline Thread

3:10 PM: And that’s that.  Garza and Soriano (for now) have not been traded.

2:15 PM: The Cubs are saying that Alfonso Soriano is likely staying put, but that could change in August when he clears waivers, according to Bob Nightengale.

2:04 PM: David Kaplan is back on  Earth, saying the Cubs and Tigers are hard at work on Soriano, but is not sure money is going to work out.

2:01 PM: Harold Reynolds just said his “favorite rumor” is Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza for Justin Upton.  That would be a huge move for the Cubs.

2:00 PM: One hour from the deadline.  Nothing new to report.  Arodys Vizcaino is ranked #3 in the Cubs’ system, though.  So that’s cool.

1:54 PM: The Cubs and Tigers continue to discuss names in a Soriano deal that seems like a long shot at this point.  It is not known of Sori would go to the Tigers at this point.  Other players discussed with Tigers have been Tony Campana and Luis Valbuena.  All of this is speculation, and for his part, Jim Leyland thinks the Tigers are done making trades.

1:50 PM: Carrie Muskat has reported that Casey Coleman, Wellington Castillo, and Adrien Cardenas are going to be called up to Chicago to replace the players traded last night.

1:41 PM: All of the talk around the Cubs seems centered on Dempster, with almost nothing being said about Garza or Soriano.  With so little time remaining, I would be surprised (mildly) if either was not a Cub at 3:01 this afternoon.

10:00 AM: Ken Rosenthal says that as of early this morning, the Rangers did not think they had a match to get Garza.  He also says the Rangers have said there is “minimal attractive talent.”  It appears the Rangers are going to stand still at the deadline as far as pitching goes.

9:55 AM: Dave Sappelt tweets that he is not being called up.  The mystery continues…

9:54 AM: Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Rangers don’t like the low amount of quality starting pitching available and may wait until the August waiver period.  Meanwhile, Buster Olney is reporting that Garza is an interesting option for GMs that have confidence in the doctor’s report on his MRI, and that the Diamondbacks have the prospects and aggressive GM to make a trade for Garza work.

9:32 AM: For what it’s worth, the Geovany Soto deal is now official.  They will get the dreaded player to be named later…or some of their money back.

9:28 AM: David Kaplan says he spoke to Brett Jackson, who told him that he would be playing in today’s day game for the Iowa Cubs.  I still think it’s going to be Dave Sappelt getting the call up.  We know now it will not be Jackson, at least not today.

9:08 AM: Jon Heyman reports that the Cubs are talking to the Rangers and two other teams about Matt Garza.  Those teams are assumed to be the Reds and the Blue Jays.  He also says it is still possible that Garza could stay until at least winter.

9:04 AM: Not really trade related, but since Brett Jackson is not being traded and it does not appear that he is going to be called up, Twitter exploded on Jackson for nothing more than a coincidence, which was Jackson being removed from the Iowa Cubs’ game last night in a double switch right around the same time Reed Johnson was getting hugs in the Cubs’ dugout.

8:54 AM: The Dodgers appear close to acquiring Shane Victorino from the Phillies for Josh Lindblom and a second player.  That pretty much kills any chance that the Dodgers would be willing to take on Alfonso Soriano.

The Deadline Day Dempster Thread

3:21 PM: It is confirmed that the Cubs have gotten Villanueva, who Baseball America rated in the Top 100 before 2012, and Hendricks, who has great numbers at high A this season.

3:16 PM: Sources are saying that the Cubs have acquired 3B Christian Villanueva and RHP Kyle Hendricks for Ryan Dempster.

3:06 PM: The Cubs are getting two players in Single A, one position player and one pitcher, according to Ken Rosenthal.

3:02 PM: Everyone is confirming Dempster to the Rangers.  We’ll see what the return ends up being.

3:00 PM: Jon Heyman reports that the Rangers have acquired Ryan Dempster.

2:58 PM: Ryan Dempster possibly to the Rangers.  Again, no confirmation.

2:51 PM: The Dodgers are officially out on Dempster, according to multiple sources.  Jim Bowden reports that the Yankees may have acquired Dempster, but was trying to gain confirmation.

2:30 PM: The Yankees are not the leaders in the Ryan Dempster sweepstakes.  MLB Network reports that the Dodgers have all but given up on acquiring him.

2:01 PM: Harold Reynolds just said his “favorite rumor” is Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza for Justin Upton.  That would be a huge move for the Cubs.

1:44 PM: Dempster has told ESPN Chicago’s Bruce Levine that he will waive his no trade rights, and accept a potential trade to the Yankees or Rangers.

1:35 PM: The leaders to acquire Dempster in the last 85 minutes before the deadline appear to be the Yankees.  The Cubs have tried to accommodate Dempster and send him to LA, but without the package the Cubs want, it appears the Cubs will send him out east.

1:09 PM: Yankees and Diamondbacks are discussing acquiring Ryan Dempster.

9:54 AM: The Rangers may wait until August to look for starting pitching, according to Ken Rosenthal.  With the Yankees, and now the Rangers, not being motivated…doesn’t that just leave the Dodgers again?

9:30 AM: Kaplan is saying the Yankees have spoke to the Cubs about Dempster, but are not as motivated as Rangers or Dodgers.  All this time, I thought the Dodgers were not very motivated.

9:25 AM: Jayson Stark is reporting that the Yankees are telling teams they are not in the running to acquire Ryan Dempster.  Jon Heyman confirms this report, but also says that Dempster is only willing to accept a trade to the Dodgers.  There is a ton of information out on Dempster.  Almost none of it makes any sense at all.

9:14 AM: Contrary to what David Kaplan reported, Ken Rosenthal reported that Dempster was still only willing to accept a trade to the Dodgers…so there’s that.

8:46 AM: David Kaplan is reporting that the Rangers and Yankees have emerged as suitors for Ryan Dempster.  The Rangers are looking for starting pitching after Roy Oswalt was rocked again last night and the Angels sold the farm for Zack Greinke last week.  The Dodgers are still Dempster’s preferred destination, it is believed that he would approve a deal to either the Rangers or Yankees.  He also says that the backlash at Dempster for not approving the Atlanta deal is over-blown.