I still think Baez and/or Soler get moved at some point for pitching
If they are doing well, I don't see that happening. I am not assuming a need for pitching.
I still have a feeling one of them does get moved. Which one is a mystery to me. Both have pros and cons. Their trade value helps the team more than a bat off the bench IMO.
Then again the depth might be needed. We were pretty fortunate last year with aches and pains. HOnestly either way it goes I have faith in the FO to make that call.
I think it would be crazy for Soler not to make the team, although the cool weather in April does make sense. I actually wouldn't be too surprised to see Baez start the season in Iowa.
I think we make too much of the cold weather. He was great in the post season when it was cold. He also hit .247 in April, while not great, was his first April in MLB.
I will agree he did very well in the post season, which is why I would be surprised to see him not make the opening day roster. As I said before, I would be surprised to see him not make the opening day roster, but I have been wrong before, as we all have.
No way Soler goes to AAA; he's too valuable as a trade chip in the monetary sense and besides, our first 7 games are in warm weather cities. Even if he's ultimately used as a platoon partner with Schwarber in LF, his contract makes holding onto him a steal. Baez will get sporadic plate appearances, but I don't know how serious the thumb injury is at the moment.
I'm going with Lastella/Kawasaki/Baez. I think Soler going to AAA makes a lot of sense. I still think Baez and/or Soler get moved at some point for pitching so they both need to be performing well somewhere to have good trade value. Soler struggling in the cold at the MLB level with sporadic playing time probably isn't the best situation for him. Let him rake for awhile at AAA and then look at options from there. I don't think the sporadic playing time is a problem for Baez since his defense and new position versatility will keep him on the field enough to perform at the MLB level so no real need for AAA.
No way Soler goes to AAA; he's too valuable as a trade chip in the monetary sense and besides, our first 7 games are in warm weather cities. Even if he's ultimately used as a platoon partner with Schwarber in LF, his contract makes holding onto him a steal. Baez will get sporadic plate appearances, but I don't know how serious the thumb injury is at the moment.
I still think Baez and/or Soler get moved at some point for pitching
If they are doing well, I don't see that happening. I am not assuming a need for pitching.
I agree we don't necessarily need pitching this year, honestly looking at our team we don't really have any serious needs anywhere. I guess I'm looking this year and coming years. We really have zero needs at any position this year or even next (fowler leaves and we have Almora ready, Ross/Montero are gone in coming years we have Contreras, etc.) but our rotation could be upgraded even if it isn't needed just yet. I don't have a ton of faith in Hammel this year, Lackey is gone in 2, Lester declining possibly in a few years. Maybe it all hinges on the negotiations with Arrieta. If he is re-signed maybe we don't need a Carrasco/Salazar but if he leaves in 2 years it sure would be nice to have a top tier starter like Carrasco there. I guess in 3 or 4 years Baez could take over at 2B and Soler could play RF in 3 if Heyward opts out, but I think instead of waiting 3 years for starting jobs to open for them, trade them for pitching. I think pitching is worth more than 2 bench players no matter how talented they are.
Sending Soler down might be the best thing at this point, he looks like he lost his focus a bit, his fielding has not taken a step forward and actually gotten worse and his approach at the plate has gotten sloppy too.
It seems to be that worrying about options is something non-contending teams do. If they think the can win it all, then they should put the best possible roster together. More and more we will see Cubs losing guys on waivers or as minor league free agents. This what happens when you build a good team and a great system. You can't keep everyone.
Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
Post by evilhasarrived on Mar 28, 2016 20:35:59 GMT -5
Feeling the urge to vent.................these mods are bad for my blood pressure.
Why? Just why are so many hell bent on trading away Soler and Baez this year. You can't get a Carrasco for either of them. They've tried. It's highly probable that both are at their trade value low at this point in time. Given time, you could get a huge haul back in return for either.
Nobody in the MiLB system has a comparable ceiling to that off Soler or Baez. Most have a pretty good idea where Bryant, Schwarber, and Russell are headed. If only one among Soler and Baez attain their ceiling, keeping both will be the far better move. The Cubs FO has proven they can get the needed pitching without having to move core pieces. The farm system is still deep and teams that fall out of contention will be willing to part with impact pitching for MiLB talent IF the need should arise, at the TDL.
For now, I say allow both players to help the Cub's win games with the deepest line up in baseball. Soler's bat is ready to be a huge asset (better than Fowler's.) Let's let the defense come along. Baez' glove and speed on the bases is set to help boast this team's chances. That makes him a major asset as his word-in-progress bat comes along at it's own pace. Fowler will be here for only this season. Zobrist will soon turn 35. There is no need to get short sighted now. Soler and Baez will help this team win at least as many games as the pitcher they'd get in return for them this year. This trade talk is several years premature.
