Growing into my baseball fandom, I learned early about the joy of rivalries. The most notable, of course, is the epitome of sports rivalries: that of the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. Maybe that’s a bit of a bold statement that stems from naiveté; baseball is, after all, the only sport which I hang onto […]
Tag: Offseason
A Grand Plan Starts Coming Together
The Cubs offseason plans may not be as opulent as the Gaylord Opryland Hotel decorated from top to bottom with holiday cheer, but it’s starting to look like they’re nearly as grand. When sitting in a hotel as expansive as this, it’s only appropriate to take a wide-angle view of what the Cubs vision is […]
From BP: Cubs Implement Flextime
Over at our main site, Wrigleyville’s Editor-in-Chief Sahadev Sharma wrote up the Cubs’ acquisition of Ben Zobrist, Adam Warren, and Brendan Ryan. The full story is available only to paying subscribers, but we thought you’d enjoy this preview here. Barely an hour before news broke Tuesday night that the Cubs had made multiple moves, Theo Epstein […]
Cubs Player Profile: Kyle Schwarber
Kyle Schwarber Position: That’s a good question. Probably outfield. 2015 Stats: 69 G, 273 PA, .246/.355/.487, .307 TAv, 1.9 WARP Year in Review: Kyle Schwarber impressed the Cubs’ brass from the moment they first met him, in February of 2014. That month, Schwarber’s Indiana Hoosiers traveled to Arizona for a series of springtime games against Washington, Utah, and Oregon […]
Wei-Yin Chen: Potential Offseason Target
Position: LHP 2015 Stats: 191 1/3 IP, 19.3 K%, 5.2 BB%, 1.9 WARP, 3.34 ERA, 4.18 DRA Why He Fits: Taiwanese-born Wei-Yin Chen had been out of the offseason spotlight until this Saturday, when Bruce Levine tweeted that he was a “hot topic” for the Cubs. The timing of this report was interesting after Friday’s John Lackey […]
Jake Odorizzi: Potential Offseason Target
Jake Odorizzi Position: Right-handed Starting Pitcher 2015 Stats: 169.1 IP, 3.35 ERA, 21.4 K%, 6.5 BB%, 2.6 WARP, 3.75 DRA How He Fits: Though a less pronounced necessity now after the Cubs signed John Lackey to be the no. 3 starter, Jake Odorizzi is exactly the kind of profile the Cubs would like to add to […]
Cubs Player Profile: Dexter Fowler, Potential Offseason Target
On the night when Jake Arrieta threw his no-hitter and the Cubs all donned pajamas for the long flight home to Chicago, a lot of players got love for their embrace of Joe Maddon’s favorite shtick. Arrieta himself stole the show, of course, not only with his on-field performance, but with the mustache-covered onesie he […]
From BP: Make That Three Areas of Weakness
Over at our main site, Wrigleyville’s Editor-in-Chief Sahadev Sharma joined forces with George Bissell to write up the Cubs’ acquisition of John Lackey. The full story is available only to paying subscribers, but we thought you’d enjoy this preview here. Soon after the Cubs were eliminated from the playoffs, Theo Epstein made it clear that […]
Doug Fister: Potential Offseason Target
Doug Fister Position: Tall RHP 2015 Stats: 103 IP, 14.0 K%, 5.4 BB%, -1.4 WARP, 4.19 ERA, 6.12 DRA Why He Fits: I hate Pitching Coach Magic. Quarterbacks and head coaches always get too much credit and too much blame in the NFL; closers and pitching coaches are MLB’s answer to that phenomenon. While a good pitching coach […]
Scott Kazmir: Potential Offseason Target
Position: SP 2015: 31 G, 183 IP, 3.10 ERA, 3.89 DRA, 20.3% K%, 7.7% BB% When teams make boneheaded, knee-jerk trades in the hope that they’ll see some short-term upside, it’s really easy to cheer for the other side. That’s why I’ve always been a fan of Scott Kazmir. Once a Mets’ top pitching prospect, Kazmir was […]