Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full) 

28 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, and twelve players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors. 

Last updated 3-26-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 15
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Caleb Kilian
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
Jameson Taillon
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

INFIELDERS: 7
* Michael Busch 
Nico Hoerner
Nick Madrigal
* Miles Mastrobuoni
Christopher Morel
Dansby Swanson
Patrick Wisdom

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Cody Bellinger 
Alexander Canario
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

OPTIONED: 12 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Ben Brown, P 
Alexander Canario, OF 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Keegan Thompson, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 
Hayden Wesneski, P 

 



 

Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Jim Hendry Fired

This is one of those times I wish I could adjust the headline size so it could fill the whole front page.

Anyway, ninja Hendry finally bit the bullet as Ricketts wasn't kidding when he said a major announcement was coming. Hendry says he was informed as of July 22nd that he wouldn't be retained for next year.

"He never missed a beat; it's a credit to his character that we were able to operate the way we did and get the job done," Ricketts said. "We had the trade deadline coming up and I didn't think it made any sense to change horses in mid-stream."

Followed by this little quip...

Hendry, 56, said Cubs Chairman notified him July 22 that he wouldn't be retained. He indicated that was one factor in deciding not to trade away veteran players at the deadline, figuring he should leave those decisions to his successor.

That, along with just naming Randy Bush as the interim sort of defeats the whole purpose of keeping him an extra month, but who am I to question the reasonings of billionaires.

Hendry conveniently leaves with a 749-748 record as a GM, I guess the gift of a winning record is better than a gold watch. Ricketts says the search for the new GM starts today (shouldn't it have started on July 22nd?) and it will be a private process and be a search outside of the organization. And that the new GM will report directly to Ricketts, rather than using Crane Kenney as a buffer.

It's step one of the process and for that I am glad. Unfortunately, it's really step two of the process where the real excitement or possible dissappointment lives.

Comments

[ ]

In reply to by navigator

"July 21 off day" Hendry was canned that day but owners could not reach him because he was on a plane. He thougth with the last time an owner's decision was made while he was on a plane he was getting an 8 year probation period.

Well this was about 2 years too late. I'll take it nevertheless. Pat Gillick or Billy Beane. Go get 'em Ricketts!

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In reply to by Dr. aaron b

I am SO happy the Cubs finally got rid of Hendry and can now hopefully move on and pick a GM who knows how to build a winning organization. Hopefully this new GM will fill the minor league system with coaches who can take our draft picks and signees and actually mold them into stars at the MLB level, something Hendry's regime clearly failed to do as consistently as other teams have done.

"That . . . sort of defeats the whole purpose of keeping him an extra month" You would have had Randy Bush, representing an organization without a GM, talking to Baez, Vogelbach et al. about why they should join the Cubs. That would be a tougher sell, wouldn't it?

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In reply to by VirginiaPhil

I suppose, I also suppose that HS kids really only cared about how much money they got and what their agents tell them. Other than the initial phone call saying congrats you've been drafted and congrats on signing, I'm sure most of the talk is between the agent and whomever is negotiating the deal for the Cubs (wilken, bush, hendry, area scout, etc).

on the player side... not sure if Kerry Wood will come back again on the cheap could see Dempster opting out with the sparse FA market out there does Koyie Hill get cut today or do we really have to wait a month? no biggies, other than replacements for Dempster and Wood will cost more than those two will.

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In reply to by jacos

Cubs (and Cubs fans) love recycling old heroes. Can it really be that far off that we have Maddux as GM, Sandberg as manager, and K. Wood as pitching coach, with the whole organization touting Shawon Dunston, Jr., as the next big thing?

As I mentioned last thread, Levine opined Rick Hahn should get an interview. Any thoughts here? Personally, I have been advocating to bring in John Schuerholdz as Head of Baseball Opps, but why would he want to run the Cubs?

in other news, Castro gets hit #300 of his career ESPN has him projected at 209 hits for the year

Logan White seems like a guy who fit what Ricketts is looking for. He's had a really good track record for player development. Maybe a John Schuerholtz as President and Logan White as GM combo could work out?

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In reply to by Rob G.

As for what qualities he will seek in the new GM, Ricketts listed player-development skills and a strong baseball analytical background. Hendry was not a proponent of sabermetrics. Understatement or Understatement of the year?

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In reply to by jacos

Ricketts said on Friday that he wants the next GM to be someone who believes in finding and developing young players, knows his way around a computer and comes from a winning climate. what a belittling way to phrase that...

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In reply to by The E-Man

Does developing mean that when a player is called up to the big team (i.e. Castillo, Colvin, LeMahieu), their name is actually written on the lineup card almost every day? Or do they get to sit and watch the Koyie Hill's, Jeff Baker's, and Blake DeWitt's play?

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In reply to by George Altman

Hopefully part of it means not promoting LeMahieu to the bigs at all, because he was having a lucky 45 games, and not showing future batting champ skills like Hendry and Co probably thought.

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In reply to by George Altman

quade only started leM like 6-7 times over the month they had him...he's filler...don't think anyone thinks otherwise. his bat is probably not going to be anything but a low-power contact hitter, but his D is good enough to play MLB already. welcome to bench world...aka, where d.barney should be and where he's on the way to when he doesn't go at least 2-for every couple of games. -edit- he started 8 times

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In reply to by crunch

You watch your mouth, Darwin Barney is the cheaper replacement for Theriot this team THOUGHT they were getting with Blake DeWitt... He's obviously the piece we've needed to get over the hump!!

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In reply to by The Real Neal

"he was having a lucky 45 games" I would say you've been lucky that he slumped when he got to Iowa (at 22). Gives you something to thump your chest about. 3 for 4 last night, up to .273, the air must have been heavy, pushing those pop flies down before the fielders could catch them.

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In reply to by VirginiaPhil

Aren't you amazed that I could tell that not only would LeMahieu's batting average drop precipitously, but that his XB power would dry up as well? And I hadn't seen him swing a bat since ST of last year. I must be a genius. BABIP. It's always right. It's not me, it's just fact. Learn it, understand it. I wasn't "right" about Campana or LeMahieu or Jackson. It's just that 1+1 is always 2.

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In reply to by The Real Neal

"BABIP. It's always right. It's not me, it's just fact. Learn it, understand it." You must be the only one who understands it. Put any two sabremetricians in a room and they won't agree on what BABIP tells them.

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In reply to by The Real Neal

What would they say Ted Williams' 1941 BABIP of .378 said about his skill level as a hitter? Not being snarky or a wise-ass -- I'm just not deeply versed on the theories discussed regarding the significance of BABIP, other than the basics that have been discussed here.

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In reply to by JoePepitone

They would say that he was lucky that year. It's not unheard of to go that high for a season, but Ted's career BABIP was .328 (probably would have been higher if not for the shift), so again, having one season where it was .378 doesn't mean that he's going to do it, or come close to that every year. What we're talking about here, is looking at a third of a season of minor league numbers, inflated by an unsustainable BABIP, and then deciding who you're going to promote to the majors based mostly on batting average. Theo Epstein would have looked at Slappy Campana and LeMahieu's stats in the minors and immediately knew that they were having a run of good luck. Hendry was unable to do that, because he doesn't "know his way around a computer."

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In reply to by The Real Neal

This is a good discussion. LeMahieu obviously could not sustain his babip of .378 He is, however, a .323 hitter in 1000 atbats in the minors. He needs to develop some power...and it'd be nice if he walked more, but what sample size is needed to say that this guy could hit .300? Coming up and sitting 2/3 of the time didn't help him any, that's for sure...

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In reply to by Dusty Baylor

As I understand it, if you just want to statistically forecast what LeMahieu is going to do in the majors you would look at his line drive and groundball rates in the minors and smooth them a bit for what guys typically do in the majors, then stick them into a spreadsheet that predicts batting average. I think he's probably going to be a pretty good average hitter, whether that's .280 or .300, it's hard to say, because it depends on "scouting" stuff. But unless he learns to walk, or develops some HR power, he's not going to be anything more than a second division starter.

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In reply to by The Real Neal

He looks like a Freddy Sanchez in the making to me. No reason to start his service clock to soon, because unless he develops 15+ HR pop or walks a lot more, his main value will come in being cheap and average-slightly above average.

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In reply to by The Real Neal

Agreed Neal, like I said.."He needs to develop some power...and it'd be nice if he walked more," I suppose I'd just have liked to have seen him play regularly until A-Ram was back. But Blake DeWitt is a beast, so I can see why he'd play.

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In reply to by Dusty Baylor

Yeah, but we were still competing for a pennant then... at least in Quade's mind. Blake DeWitt is a pretty good comparison for what his bat looks like LeMahieu's bat is going to be for me. I don't see any reason for him to likely start taking walks, so let's hope the power starts to come into play.

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In reply to by The Real Neal

"But unless he learns to walk, or develops some HR power, he's not going to be anything more than a second division starter." LeMahieu is a big kid. The Cubs have always said that they thought he would develop power. If they thought otherwise, they wouldn't like him as much. So your line about LeMahieu is the conventional line. Also not original is your theory that LeMahieu was really not the .358 hitter he appeared to be at Tennessee. I could have told you the same thing. In fact, I did, but the way I phrased it was that he had been hot and would cool off, and you said his BABIP was unsustainable. I say hot/cold, you say lucky/unlucky. I don't accept your characterization, but I realize that you're trying to be scientific, so fine. What I really object to is crocodilian Cub fans, which you are in respect to LeMahieu, Campana, Coleman. Real fans should give prospects the benefit of the doubt. They are all going to have to earn their starts one way or another, they don't need you calling them lucky when they do well.

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In reply to by The Real Neal

The guys I have the most trouble with, Vitters and Colvin, I'm trying to like (and make excuses for), and I'm succeeding better than you are with Barney, Campana and LeMahieu. I know they're slap hitters, but still, they have redeeming qualities. Campana can do a lot with a slap hit and he has a pretty good plan for getting from first to home. As has been noted recently, Barney seems to get a lot of his singles with RISP. People look at LeMahieu's frame and his age and they say, "The doubles will come." Young and fresh goes a long way with me. The way you get on these guys' cases, you remind me of Bobby Valentine!

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In reply to by VirginiaPhil

They're low OBP singles hitting shits... they're essentially the problem with the Cubs for the last 100 years, so excuse me if I am not really excited about making them a third of our lineup on a regular basis. The name of the game isn't leading the league in singles. The guys you get excited about have really high BABIP's, and the guys you have trouble with have low ones. If you could just internalize the concept, you'd probably quit getting excited about the wrong guys and be happier about the guys who are actually likely to making meaningful contributions to a winning team.

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In reply to by The Real Neal

Colvin lost a fly ball in the twilight the other night but, no worries, Barney saw what was going on and made a Mays-like catch. He's the problem with the Cubs for the last hundred years? As AZ Phil once said, Barney is not chopped liver. Internalize it!

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In reply to by The Real Neal

people been trying to get b.cher for years. he's been a darling of the under-the-radar scene, but supposedly very comfortable in BOS. he's been with them a long time and kinda proud of what he does there even if he knows he'll never get the top job with wonderboy theo around. i dunno if he wants to advance or not...no idea about his desire there...i just know he's comfortable in BOS.

i'm looking forward to 200 well thought out posts about what 60-80 year old is going to save the cubs this time. i bet lou pinella is just what the team needs...oops, wrong elderly man in a suit saving a ballclub. wake me up when we find out who's playing 3rd, 1st, RF, and pitching in the 3+4 slots in the rotation. on the GM note...i hope they hire Terry McCheckboardcoat because he's the best thing to happen to a pencil since an empty peanut butter jar. also... "And that the new GM will report directly to Ricketts" that should alarm people...unless they're stienbrenner-run-team fans. that one don't sit well with me. baseball men are baseball men...shipbuilders are shipbuilders...

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In reply to by jacos

WSCR afternoon guys need to get a dose of reality if they give a flying fuuuuuuu about crane kinney. they should be more upset about randy wells right now. he can bring as many priests as he wants in while the players aren't in the dugout...meh. once he stopped talking to the press in 09 people almost forgot he existed.

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In reply to by crunch

since he seems to have had a hand in giving Soriano 2 extra years, yup. I picture him as the guy that was penciling out trade ideas to Hendry and passing them over in the lunch line. It seems he's been ignored once Ricketts takes over and I'm sure he's very good at weaseling money out of governments and people. Ricketts seems respective of letting baseball people do baseball things, so it's fine with me if all he has to do is say okay 99 out of 100 times to whatever the GM asks of him.

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In reply to by Rob G.

kenny green-lights money expendatures. he also plays with the city tax base and tries to talk breaks/incentives. i doubt kenny was walking down the hall screaming "hey, can we give soriano more years?" someone most likely just asked him if he can make the money happen. c.kenny is a money guy and regular joe...his biggest asset is making money happen and trying not to bleed money out while projecting it both now and in years following. outlets like despito.com have demi-god'd what the guy does, totally overblowing his role.

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In reply to by jacos

throw in 10 obscene words, call him a pussy, and you got a despio.com article...they think the guy practically runs the team by himself. last thing i recall him pushing is the renovation to dig under wrigley in order to keep the place from being discussed as a craphole that needs to be moved out of.

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In reply to by jacos

i doubt he did anything but sign off on the money, myself. unlike some blog outlets would have some to believe...he's a money guy. that's his focus. i think it's more likely someone asked if he could make it work and he made it work cuz making money work is what he does. now...whether the cubs should have a guy in his position who's main job is obtaining and managing money...that's another issue. the guy isn't a baseball guy...he's just good at managing sports event related loot. the city of chicago and business leaders borrowed him a while to help with the chicago olympics bid...that's his thing...money, promotion, and government hurdle jumping.

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In reply to by crunch

Having been a "money guy" myself (nothing near the millions mind you), it would be foolish to say that money people just say yes and no to money decisions. It is the job of money people to scrutinize the details and if needed make suggestions and recommendations to the operations people. They may not always be followed but they are most certainly listened to simply because they have the power to say NO to your expenditures.

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In reply to by 10man

Very true. The 'money guy' at the end of the day a) has the ear of the boss, because it's his money and b) has absolutely as much or as little input over EVERYBODY else as the boss allows him. It's an entirely believable scenario that some balance sheet or formula said that based on his year with the Nats, Soriano was going to put X number of asses in the seats over Y number of years, and that made it smart to invest for those Y years. Did it happen? I have no idea. But it's definitely possible.

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In reply to by jacos

I think it's pretty clear the suit who gave Soriano that deal was John McDonough, who did the same thing as soon as he got to the Blackhawks. According to reports when Dale Tallon was fired, McDonough had a direct hand in signing Cristobal Huet, a horrible goalie the Hawks overpaid, which ended up having some impact on Tallon being fired, and then the next year they signed Marian Hossa to a huge 12 year deal.

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In reply to by crunch

It has been reported that Kenney. is also under contract and his is up soon? When Ricketts bought the Cubs, there were writers who stated that Kenney was part of the Trib deal. NONE of us know the real deal except for Real Neal (liked the rhyme), so we will have to see after this year. I am truly shocked, however, that Tom ate the money this year on Jimbo. This was a jaw-dropper to me.

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In reply to by jacos

I've heard the same crap about Kenney and that Ricketts will have a hard time getting someone of Friedman or Gillick's resume on the payroll UNTIL he defines Kenney's role on the team. No one coming into a GM type role wants to sit around a conference table with Kenney giving his two cents on what they should do. How tough would it be for Ricketts to assure any candidate that that won't happen and give the new person the title of President/Baseball Operations while Kenney gets a new title President/Business Administration.

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In reply to by George Altman

I've heard the same crap about Kenney and that Ricketts will have a hard time getting someone of Friedman or Gillick's resume on the payroll UNTIL he defines Kenney's role on the team. I think Ricketts did that today.

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In reply to by crunch

who does Epstein report to? all depends on how involved Ricketts will be, if it's just a matter of saying yes to most everything and occasionally no, you're spending too much, then it's better than reporting to Crane Kenney.

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In reply to by Rob G.

it does depend on the ricketts...i wasn't happy with zell demanding the same thing and it turns out he was very hands-off. zell wasn't an attention whore at the park every other day passing out water, blankets, and other cubs disaster relief in between signing autographs, though.

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In reply to by Rob G.

he also didn't meddle with operations and raised payroll without playing baseball man. i just really don't wanna see the cubs steinbrenner-ized. there is nothing i like at all about the steinbrenners and mark cubans of the world...well, cuban the person is okay, unlike steinbrenner who doesn't deserve the bacteria that's breaking down his body in the grave.

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In reply to by crunch

Random reality-check. That's a little fucking harsh, George Steinbrenner personally gave a shit-ton to his favorite charities out of his own pocket, tax write-off or not, and you can't argue whether he cared about the team or the wins and losses vs. $$ and cents. Like him or hate him, he (almost literally) lived and died by that team, and the Chicago fucking Cubs would be lucky to have such an owner. I'm as big a fan of statues and honoring the past as the next fan, but unless Ronnie's statue is actually manning the hot corner for the next several years, it's not really where Ricketts' fucking focus should be. He puts up statues because the fans will flock to see them and spend money, Period. Firing Hendry is the second decision (first was spending on the draft) in what will hopefully be a long line of decisions indicating that Tom Ricketts realizes this is a baseball club and not just one of daddy's fucking business ventures. The punchline is that the fans will pay to see the team FUCKING WIN, something Steinbrenner got and Mark Cuban TOTALLY gets, and very few owners actually do.

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In reply to by Tony S.

george steinbrenner paid a gambling buddy, i mean "private investigator," to trash dave winfield...i don't care if he paid him off to let it pass later, either. ken griffey jr. has some pretty strong opinions about it, too. one of steiny's favorite charities...richard nixon...got steiny in trouble for illegally giving money to that charity. at least ronald reagan was around to pardon him. i personally found him to be a horrible person for baseball.

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In reply to by crunch

baseball men are baseball men...shipbuilders are shipbuilders... Sure... but at some point the baseball man has to report to a shipbuilder. Unless you are a team like the Rangers and owned by a baseball guy, there always comes a point where the baseball guy reports to the business guy. Ricketts seems to basically be saying that the "buck stops here."

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In reply to by big_lowitzki

hell, nolan ryan is an issue in himself...especially to the pitchers. steinbrenner was a nightmare...i fear mini-steins when i see signs of them. zell turned out to be a false alarm...mark cuban never got a chance to, and it looks like he might not for a long time (if ever)... i got nothing that says ricketts will steiny-up the team, but i do know tom loves to be seen, heard, and associated with the cubs more than any owner around that i know of.

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In reply to by crunch

nolan ryan is an issue in himself...especially to the pitchers. So baseball guys should report to baseball guys, except when you don't like the baseball guys? I really don't get the criticism of Ricketts here. This has NOTHING to do with baseball guys and shipbuilders. This has to do with individual personalities. i do know tom loves to be seen, heard, and associated with the cubs more than any owner around that i know of. You've never heard of Mark Cuban? But seriously, Ricketts may like to be seen, but there is ZERO evidence that he has any desire to get in the way of baseball decisions. Being a public face of the organization is not at all the same thing has trying to run the baseball side of things.

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In reply to by crunch

but i do know tom loves to be seen, heard, and associated with the cubs more than any owner around that i know of. seems common for many of the family owned teams Arte Moreno is all over Angels stadium, McCourts were everywhere before the divorce, Angelos and McLane's meddling has been well documented and on and on...

I say we trade Koyie Hill to White Sox for a bottle of Ozzies hair gel.

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In reply to by The E-Man

Theriot career ISO: .071 SLG: .354 Barney career ISO: .067 SLG: .351 Neither one has any kind of punch. And I don't think either one ever will (Barney has some arm-bar issues). They are both Mark Grudzielanek Lite.

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In reply to by Charlie

HAHA! Except that Theriot is 30 and Barney is not only a better ss than he or Castro (see AZ Phil's myriad comments on the topic) but just 23. Gotta give the edge to range, arm, and youth here, Charlie. Theriot has maxed out while Barney is finishing his first MLB season.

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In reply to by The E-Man

to be fair...when i call him "theriot-lite" i'm just talking about his bat...just playing around, anyway. that said, considering the whole player and defense...i'd take barney 10 times out of 10. i just see barney as a theriot-clone hitter with a touch less power. it's miniscule enough to not even bother seriously defending, though. they've very similar results-wise.

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In reply to by The E-Man

I actually agree with you on that, although I think if you are putting much stock in Barney, you are over-estimating his ability to grow. (He's 25, by the way, and will turn 26 in November.) I mostly just see the difference between the two, particularly in terms of their hitting which I took as the referent of crunch's post, to be negligible. I see them both (at least while they are playing 2B) as Mark Grudzielanek with less pop. At SS Barney has much more value than Theriot (and there is no comparison with Grudzie), but that's not likely to happen with the Cubs.

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In reply to by VirginiaPhil

fwiw, (post 84) "to be fair...when i call him "theriot-lite" i'm just talking about his bat...just playing around, anyway. that said, considering the whole player and defense...i'd take barney 10 times out of 10." i just started calling him that based solely on his bat + projection. just a bit of fun.

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In reply to by crunch

He cost $15 million over three years and looks like a mediocre defender to me. I guess that is probably the way my evaluation of him differs from most others, though. But still, how much is a stable bat worth if all it provides is empty batting average?

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In reply to by Rob G.

I tend not to believe the defensive metrics when my eyes tell me otherwise, though I don't know enough about either the metrics or defense to make much of an argument. So back to my lair it is.

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In reply to by Charlie

Centerfielders can and do "game" UZR by simply calling balls that are easier for their corner outfielders to catch. Mike Cameron in Milwaukee (and Marlon Byrd now) are pretty good examples of this.

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In reply to by The Real Neal

I could certainly be wrong, but I really don't see it that way. I think some players might, but I think your 'average' MLer doesn't. At least I hope not, otherwise you've just shaken the foundation of something I greatly enjoy. Side note, I always thought of pitchers thinking about stats more than position players. Meh.

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In reply to by Paul Noce

Yeah, you're probably right. All the hundreds of reports over the years of players who were just interested in padding their stats rather than helping the team have all been false. Do you really think it's that hard for a center fielder to tell himself "I am going to try to catch everything I can, regardless of whether it's easier for the other guy or he is in a better position to throw than I will be"?

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In reply to by The Real Neal

Stories about people trying to pad their stats are on offense. You're not seeing any player decide, while the ball is on the way towards them, "oh, hell, i better not try to catch that because it will affect my UZR." You've obviously never played baseball if you think otherwise.

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In reply to by Paul Noce

So this is your theory now, that a guy can decide to pad his stats in the tenth of a second that he has to choose to swing at a pitch, but in the five to nine seconds a ball is in the air he can't make a decision? You realize, that's a really poor conclusion to make. I asked my buddy about this just last night. He played center in HS, and got scouted a little. He said "I totally could do that".

biggest crowd at Wrigley in over thirty years what a strange season this has been

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In reply to by navigator

Isn't there an official capacity at Wrigley? If they've sold every seat and standing room, shouldn't there be some practical limit on number of people in the stadium? I know they've added literally thousands of seats in the past 30 years, so how is it possible they had a bigger crowd 30 years ago?

back to back triples for the cubs...d.barney + b.dewitt. lulz.

back to back "triples" I love it when defensive replacements fuck up

ninja in for his 120th appearance on the season (59th, really...surprised he ended up as the cubs iron-man-reliever...rarely comes in to only face 1 batter). he could get 85+ip this year. ...and can quade quit batting j.baker 4th? it wasn't funny the other 7-8 times, either.

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In reply to by crunch

I mean, as if you really needed a reason to drop kick Quade: Baker batting clean-up, DeWitt playing OF, Hill playing at all let alone taking up a roster spot, Castillo/Colvin/LeMahieu watching from the bench. Let me count the ways.

Soto throws out another, puts him over 30%, top half of major league rankings among those who qualified (16 total) just ahead of Yadier actually, although only half as many runners have run on Yadier.

http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/6048/quades-fate-to-be-h… The pluses for Quade staying oh the job are based on the fact his whole career has been based on player development. As the Cubs continue to go younger, Quade's teaching technique might be considered a plus while he's being considered by the next general manager. Shortstop Starlin Castro and second baseman Darwin Barney have continued to improve during Quade's time as manager. Todd Hollandsworth disagrees...

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In reply to by Rob G.

I think it would be fun to give Quade a team full of vets one year and a team full of rookies the next and then compare the amount of blame that he doles out and accepts in press conferences. Of course, he'd have to commit Hari Kari in the all vet year, so maybe they ought to do that one second.

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In reply to by George Altman

"does Levine have any credibility as a reporter left?" I don't think Levine loses credibility because the GM talks to him. If I were GM, I would only talk to a reporter if I thought there was a chance he might have a useful idea or insight once in a while. In Chicago, that's Levine. I expect Levine will develop a better relationship with the next GM than the beat reporters will.

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In reply to by VirginiaPhil

With such a close relationship you'd think Levine would know his name wasn't Henry. Levine doesn't seem to care if he gets names right, scores right or facts right. He doesn't even bother to fix the blunders on his blog when readers point them out. Other than that, he's a great reporter.

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In reply to by Rob G.

They can spin Quade's qualities all they want, but the moment the Cubs hire an outside GM, the first thing the new GM will do is fire Quade. If Randy Bush wants to get any credit around the league for his time as the interim GM he should fire Quade first thing tomorrow morning. Give Hendry his day, but then get rid of Quade right this second.

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In reply to by Newport

Agreed, I meant the part about the new GM. MAAYYYYYBE Ricketts convinces the new guy that Quade is good for the 'rebuilding', but much more likely canning Q is the VERY first move the new guy makes.

from Wrongway... MLB is stongly leaning toward the 1-game playoff when it adds two wild card teams. This year's ALE race is selling Selig on idea

allegedly behind that paywall link is this from a Wittenmyer article http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CSTB&p_theme=cst…
"Nobody inside or outside the organization expected to get the eight-year, $136 million value on it — and it has had little effect on other signings along the way.
It also has been well documented that what drove the price so high had nothing to do with the baseball operations side of the team, nor Jim Hendry. It came directly from the top of an organization that was about to put the club up for sale and needed a quick-fix big splash in the free-agent market to make the product more attractive. Former Cubs president John McDonough admitted in 2007 he closed the deal himself, adding years and value to it."
Greenberg says something similar here http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/columns/story?columnist=greenberg…

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Sometimes people tend to read to much into things. That quote, taken out of context of a negotiation makes it sound like the deal was done for 6 years at $100 million and then McDonough (McDough?) came in and just threw two years and $40 million on top. More likely he just gave them what they were asking for in length, and trimmed the deal down from $160 to whatever he wound up with to finish the damned thing, rather than having them lose out to the Angels ala Betran and the Mets (or Hampton and the Mets) trying to be coy.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

if I were to speculate, there were talks, anyone in baseball(including Hendry) was thinking 6/100(in that range) was about the most they'd offer up (and no way we're going past 6 years). Soriano and his agent were asking 8/160 or whatever and then McDonough with Kenney's approval said, let's just submit an 8/144 offer or whatever it is and wrap this up.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Yeah, that's pretty much what I was saying, but that doesn't mean that Hendry wouldn't have been talked into a 7th year, or that the Cubs would have lost him and likely not win in '07 or '08.

longer quote from Ricketts
Our focus will be on what we focused on the last couple years here, and that’s player development. We believe very strongly that the way to build consistent success in an organization is through identifying talented players, bringing them into the system and developing them into productive players at the major league level. … [The next GM will] have to share a commitment to player development. … We’ll look for guys that maybe have a stronger analytical background than we have here. … But I think we all have to keep that in perspective. The sabermetric stuff is important, but it’s just a piece. We’re not running the baseball organization by a computer model.

picked up BA from the newstand and had their best tools edition Cubs I came across Midwest League Best OF Arm - Anthony Giansanti Best Defensive OF - Matt Szczur Best Defensive C - Micah Gibbs FSL Best Defensive 3b - Matt Cerda Best Infield Arm - Junior Lake Hak-Ju Lee was Best batting prospect, fastest runner, best defensive SS and most exciting player Southern League No Cubs showed up, it was the Paul Goldschmidt and Matt Moore show Iowa No Cubs showed up, Jose Ceda was named best reliever also a bit on Archer saying he's still showing good stuff but with mediocre results...not missing as many bats as he should be and still well away from the majors with his control.

Cubs are back on track to draw 3,000,000 at home again. Of course all that can change pretty fast in September.

[ ]

In reply to by navigator

Playing "the kids" will probably help. No one wants to see Skinny Dick and Koyie Hill play, not even their mothers. Along those lines, from Muskett: Cubs pitcher Andrew Cashner, who threw 32 pitches in a live batting-practice session on Friday, is expected to begin a Minor League rehab assignment on Tuesday. Cashner has been on the disabled list since April 6 with a strained right rotator cuff he suffered during his first and only start this season on April 5. Friday was his third live BP session. If all goes well, the right-hander expects to be back with the Cubs on Sept. 1. "That's what I'm shooting for," Cashner said. "[I want to] be ready to roll and ready to come right out of the bullpen."

My wife volunteered me for my 10 year old sons football league. I'm in charge of music at the stadium. Heh heh Any suggestions?

Wscr Dan Bernstein tweet Crane Kenney is a tumor on the Cubs. Ricketts lets it become more vascular and potentially metastatic. web • 8/19/11 9:59 PM

I think the time has come to stop worrying about what was and start worrying about what comes next. I don't know much about Josh Byrnes, so I looked him up. I found this: Carlos Gonzalez, Brett Anderson, Chris Carter, Aaron Cunningham, Dana Eveland, and Greg Smith to the A's for Dan Haren on December 14, 2007. on wikipedia. Now, I was okay with the Garza deal, but this is insane...! Anybody else scared of the Josh Byrnes possibility besides me?

[ ]

In reply to by Tony S.

i'm just waiting to see who it is before i even give a fuuuuuuuu... i wanna know what's up with 3rd/RF/1st and 2 pitching slots...and how much money mr. unnamed has to work with. it's not like there's a lot of system to trade away for anything that's going to be gold, but they probably can't fill all that without doing some trading. whoever the GM is, they have a lot to do and the cubs should probably find out who it is and get them into the fold asap. ...also, i think josh b. made his bed with a slew of bad trades...as bad as that trade was, the trade that got rid of d.haren was also horrible. joe saunders for one of the best starters under a reasonable multiple-year contract...way to go. i dunno if anyone really wants him as a GM...at least i'd be shocked.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

I'm sort of stoked that Ricketts seems interested in a sabre guy, even though I've often disputed the absolutes that some people put on stats. Good, old school scouting is still important, but Ricketts seems aware of this, too. His emphasis on player development, and shrewdly keeping Hendry around to sweet talk the draftees was another thing I was impressed by. I don't buy the argument that all the draft picks would have signed no matter who was in charge, as one columnist I saw suggested. I saw a report that Dillon Maples was landed specifically because of Hendry's college recruiter like sales job on the Cubs. That shows huge class on Hendry's part, doing that after being fired, and smarts on Ricketts' part for knowing Hendry had the kind of character to do that kind of thing. I, for one, thought Ricketts was an idiot up until a few days ago. Instead, he's starting to look like a pretty sharp suit.

i'm glad hendry is finally gone. and i'm not sure if my joy is anti-climactic or premature. it's only 1 move of a whole host of moves that need to be made. crane kenney contributes nothing, and probably detracts from, the baseball operation. unless he miraculously pulls off a complete publicly financed wrigley renovation, he needs to be dispatched. if only to remove a potential roadblock for a genuine baseball president to interview and be hired. quade is already a dead-man walking, no sense wasting words about it. fleita has been around for eons. wilken has been around plenty long enough. they are both hendry guys. the only reason to keep them now is for continuity until the new full-time gm is interviewed and hired. then they need to walk the plank. i'm hoping ricketts' press conference vote-of-confidence is just as terminal for them as it was earlier this summer for hendry. hendry's dismissal was the best well-kept secret i can recall. i am hopeful ricketts is playing possum when he says "the search can now begin". i am hopeful he has more good secrets, and will keep them well until september 30. and then the demolition can truly begin. glad hendry has been dismissed, but it's only the first mile of the marathon. also, good to see old-timers like manny trillo and 10 man jump in. all we need now is a little news from ruz.

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In reply to by dc60124

imo, fleita (notoriously cranky, yet mostly fair...) and wilken are pretty good baseball guys and cubs guys. quade/crane...meh, *shrug* whatever...don't care either way whether they stay or go. quade has his supporters, but there doesn't seem to be anything he does especially well as a manager aside from not looking/acting like he's out of his league or lost.

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In reply to by Cubster

Ugh. These kids need to stay away from both energy drinks and the unregulated supplements. Maybe the Cubs need to install some offseason curricula on GNC and the drug testing policies. (They could create a course on hydration and energy while they are at it.)

Here's a reason why I think we should all be talking about how strangely unproductive Marlon Byrd has been: Colvin's R/PA in 2011: .0696 Byrd's R/PA in 2011: .120 Colvin's RBI/PA in 2011: .101 Byrd's RBI/PA in 2011: .062 Colvin R/PA in 2010 and 2011: .130 Byrd R/PA in 2010 and 2011: .128 Colvin RBI/PA in 2010 and 2011: .130 Byrd RBI/PA in 2010 and 2011: .090 Meanwhile, Colvin has practically hit himself out of the majors, and Byrd's production hasn't been questioned by anyone in the mainstream media or in the front office. We could look at these numbers and say they are just runs and RBI, and absolutely agree that these often vary drastically, but I suspect that if we take a close look at Byrd's approach and what he actually brings to the table, we'll find that his batting average severely skews our perception of his actual value.

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In reply to by Charlie

BP tracks RBI opportunities...how many runners you bring in that are on base Byrd is at an abysmal 6.7% this year in driving other baserunners in, Colvin at a much better 11.2%, although still sub-par. Reed leads the team at 20% btw, out of the regulars, Ramirez at 16.7%, Castro 15.3%, Pena 14.1%, Barney at a very good 13.3% for a singles hitter last year though Byrd was at 14.7%, Colvin at 14.0% it's something that tends to fluctuate quite a bit, the most consistent hitters are those that hit for average(i.e don't strike out too much) and have power like A. Ramirez

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In reply to by Rob G.

I guess that is a more fair way of looking at it. Still, I'm awe-struck at Byrd's 2011. But I suppose that doesn't necessarily indicate that his overall game is as poor as I perceived it to be--he just hasn't driven in runs this year. Colvin's skillset, I would argue, still proves him more offensively productive in 2010 and nearly so in 2011; they may have been close in driving in runners on base in 2010, but Colvin could drive himself in at any given time, and he also appears to be the better baserunner, and--remarkably--he's had a higher walk rate with the Cubs than has Byrd.

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In reply to by Charlie

not sure about nearly so in 2011, production is also getting yourself on-base for others to drive you in I'm not a fan of Byrd's or anything, he hits a lot of groundballs, that's gonna lead to double plays with runners on, doesn't really walk much. But he's pretty cheap and would be an okay #2 hitter(had OBP over .345 the last 2 years) and perfectly fine, #6, #7 hitter by a team not run by morons.

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In reply to by Charlie

I think we can all agree that he's not the problem with the team. He shouldn't be batting 3rd unless he's in AAA, but he's still a really nice 4th outfielder or a "second division" starter.

graham hicks (from the t.gorz trade) back from the DL and on assignment in AZ...

Recent comments

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    I expect OF Christian Franklin to have a breakout season at AA Tennessee in 2024. In another organization that doesn't have PCA, Caissie, K. Alcantara, and Canario in their system, C. Franklin would be a Top 10 prospect. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    The Reds trading Joe Boyle for Sam Moll at last year's MLB Trade Deadline was like the Phillies trading Ben Brown to the Cubs for David Robertson at the MLB TD in 2022. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Javier Assad started the Lo-A game (Myrtle Beach versus Stockton) on the Cubs backfields on Wednesday as his final Spring Training tune-up. He was supposed to throw five innings / 75 pitches. However, I was at the minor league road games at Fitch so I didn't see Assad pitch. 

  • crunch (view)

    cards put j.young on waivers.

    they really tried to make it happen this spring, but he put up a crazy bad slash of .081/.244/.108 in 45PA.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Seconded!!!

  • crunch (view)

    another awesome spring of pitching reports.  thanks a lot, appreciated.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Here are the Cubs pitchers reports from Tuesday afternoon's Cardinals - Cubs game art Sloan Park in Mesa:

    SHOTA IMANAGA
    FB: 90-92 
    CUT: 87-89 
    SL: 82-83 
    SPLIT: 81-84
    CV: 73-74 
    COMMENT: Worked three innings plus two batters in the fourth... allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits (six singles and two doubles) walked one, and struck out six (four swinging), with a 1/2 GO/AO... he threw 73 pitches (52 strikes - 10 swing & miss - 19 foul balls)... surrendered one run in the top of the 1st on a one-out double off Cody Bellinger's glove in deep straight-away CF followed one out later by two consecutive two-out bloop singles, allowed two runs (one earned) in the 2nd after retiring the first two hitters (first batter had a nine-pitch AB with four consecutive two-strike foul balls before being retired 3 -U) on a two-out infield single (weak throw on the run by Nico Hoerner), a hard-contact line drive RBI double down the RF line, and an E-1 (missed catch) by Imanaga on what should been an inning-ending 3-1 GO, gave up another run in the 3rd on a two-out walk on a 3-2 pitch and an RBI double to LF, and two consecutive singles leading off the top of the 4th before being relieved (runners were ultimately left stranded)... threw 18 pitches in the 1st inning (14 strikes - two swing & miss, one on FB and the other on a SL - four foul balls), 24 pitches in the 2nd inning (17 strikes - three swing & miss, one on FB, two SPLIT - six foul balls), 19 pitches in the 3rd inning (13 strikes - seven swing & miss, three on SL, two on SPLIT, one on FB - three foul balls), and 12 pitches without retiring a batter in the top of the 4th (8 strikes - no swing & miss - four foul balls)... Imanaga throws a lot of pitches per inning, but it's not because he doesn't throw strikes...  if anything, he throws too many strikes (he threw 70% strikes on Tuesday)... while he gets a ton of swing & miss (and strikeouts), he also induces a lot of foul balls because he doesn't try to make hitters chase his pitches by throwing them out of the strike zone... rather, he uses his very diverse pitch mix to get swing & miss (and lots of foul balls as well)... he also is a fly ball pitcher who will give up more than his share of HR during the course of the season...   
     
    JOE NAHAS
    FB: 90-92 
    SL: 83-85 
    CV: 80-81 
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day... relieved Imanaga with runners at first and second and no outs in the top of the 4th, and after an E-2 catcher's interference committed by Miguel Amaya loaded he bases, Nahas struck out the side (one swinging & two looking)... threw 16 pitches (11 strikes - two swinging)...   

    YENCY ALMONTE
    FB: 89-92 
    CH: 86 
    SL: 79 
    COMMENT: Threw an eight-pitch 5th (five strikes - no swing & miss), with a 5-3 GO for the first out and an inning-ending 4-6-3 DP after a one-out single... command was a bit off but he worked through it...   

    FRANKIE SCALZO JR
    FB: 94-95
    CH: 88 
    SL: 83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 6th inning... got the first outs easily (a P-5 and a 4-3 GO) on just three pitches, before allowing three consecutive two-out hard-contact hits (a double and two singles), with the third hit on pitch # 9 resulting in a runner being thrown out at the plate by RF Christian Franklin for the third out of the inning... 

    MICHAEL ARIAS
    FB: 94-96
    CH: 87-89
    SL: 82-83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and allowed a hard-contact double on the third pitch of the 7th inning (a 96 MPH FB), and the runner came around to score on a 4-3 GO and a WP... gave up two other loud contact outs (an L-7 and an F-9)... threw 18 pitches (only 10 strikes - only one swing & miss)... stuff is electric but still very raw and he continues to have difficulty commanding it, and while he has the repertoire of a SP, he throws too many pitches-per-inning to be a SP and not enough strikes to be a closer... he is most definitely still a work-in-progress...   

    ZAC LEIGH: 
    FB: 93-94 
    CH: 89 
    SL: 81-83 
    CV: 78
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and tossed a 1-2-3 8th (4-3 GO, K-swinging on a sweeper, K-looking on another sweeper)... threw 14 pitches (11 strikes - one swing & miss - eight foul balls)... kept pumping pitches into the strike zone but had difficulty putting hitters away (ergo a ton of foul balls)... FB velo is nowhere near the 96-98 MPH it was a couple of years ago when he was a Top 30 prospect, but his secondaries are better...   

    JOSE ROMERO:  
    FB: 93-95
    SL: 82-84
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 9th (14 pitches - only six strikes- no swing & miss) and allowed a solo HR after two near-HR fly outs to the warning track, before getting a 3-1 GO to end the inning... it was like batting practice when he wasn't throwing pitches out of the strike zone...

  • crunch (view)

    pablo sandoval played 3rd and got a couple ABs (strikeout, single!) in the OAK@SF "exhibition"

    mlb officially authenticated the ball of the single he hit.  nice.

    he's in surprisingly good shape considering his poor body condition in his last playing seasons.  he's not lean, but he looks healthier.  good for him.

  • crunch (view)

    dbacks are signing j.montgomery to a 1/25m with a vesting 20m player option.

    i dunno when the ink officially dries, but i believe if he signs once the season begins he can't be offered a QO...and i'm not sure if that thing with SD/LAD in korea was the season beginning, either.

  • crunch (view)

    sut says imanaga getting the home opener at wrigley (game 4 of the season).