For some reason Javier Baez annoys many people outside of Chicago Cubs fans because as it turns out enjoying baseball isn’t allowed or something like that. Anyway, if you thought baseball traditionalists hated him before, then get ready for the stupid reactions if Baez starts using a bat that changes colors.
Yeah, you read that correctly. Baez is one of three players who were shown a new bat that’s being developed by a Japanese company.
The bat appears as a traditional natural-wood bat, but changes to color when brought into the sunlight. The idea has batters taking a bat out of the dugout and having it change colors from natural to blue on the way to home plate. The bat then returns to the natural wood color when in the shade.
SSK revealed the bat first to its pro players, Javier Baez, Ronald Acuna Jr. and Fernando Tatis Jr. “Watching their excitement about these bats during spring training when it was a prototype was a great indicator of the success we’re looking to achieve with this product that gives all ballplayers a way to showcase their own personality,” Kucich says.
It was really only a matter of time before the Chicago Cubs would move Tyler Chatwood out of the starting rotation and that day has arrived.
Chatwood, who is averaging less than five innings per start and has walked 85 batters in 94 innings through 19 starts, has been moved to the bullpen after the recent acquisition of Cole Hamels.
So, Mike Montgomery stays in and Chatwood is out.
Mike Montgomery is slated to start on Thursday so Tyler Chatwood will be in the pen.
After the news broke Chatwood spoke to reporters and although he’s obviously pissed about his performance this season, he views this move as a positive to hopefully return to not being awful anymore.
I mean, there’s no way that Chatwood thinks he still deserves to be in the rotation, but at least he has a good mindset about the decision.
#Cubs Chatwood: "obviously you never want that but there's stuff I need to work on "
#Cubs Chatwood: "I'm not going to lie, I've been grinding all year and it hasn't been fun grinding that hard. Luckily we've been winning games I've started and that eases it a little. I'm excited to get back to what I know I can be"
Chatwood actually seemed somewhat relieved to go to the pen. Said it’s hard to change your mechanics when you’re starting every 5th day for a first place team.
As I’ve said before, there’s no way Chatwood pitches in another meaningful situation for the Cubs this season. He’ll strictly be in during mop-up duty and I guess we’ll see if anything has changed.
Anyway, hopefully the next time Chatwood starts for the Cubs is next spring training.
Chicago Bears fans are growing frustrated with first round pick Roquan Smith. It’s been over a week since training camp began for the team down in Bourbonnais. During that time the young linebacker has been sitting at home while his agents and the Bears front office continue to sit in a deadlock over his rookie contract.
It’s been hard to pinpoint exactly what the hangup is. Some have assumed it’s over offset language in his contract regarding whether the Bears get money back if they were to cut him. Others claim it’s about the distribution of his roster bonuses. This might seem a bit trivial but there are no guarantees for a young player in the NFL and every penny matters in case things don’t go as planned.
That’s fair. However, it’s only part of the story. Head coach Matt Nagy offered some clarification to the issue after the teams’ latest practice on Saturday. It turns out that part of the holdup may be due to the NFL itself and it’s recent controversial rule change involving hits with the helmet.
Matt Nagy: one of the details the #Bears and Roquan Smith have been hung up on is related to the new helmet lowering rule, which for the first time allows for players to be suspended
This rule is basically similar to the “targeting” rule in college. Players will be penalized, fined, ejected and even suspended for lower their helmets when making a tackle. Smith, being a linebacker whose job it is to make tackles, is heavily impacted by this.
Roquan Smith seeking language protection again NFL punishment
Much of this new reality was brought about, ironically, by fellow Bears linebacker Danny Trevathan. Last season he was fined and suspended for a vicious helmet-to-helmet hit on Green Bay Packers wide receiver, Davante Adams. The fact it happened on national TV caused a huge uproar and no doubt got the ball rolling much faster on a rule change.
The problem is regarding a suspension. If Smith were to make such a hit and get suspended it would likely cost him some of the guaranteed money in his contract. His agents may be trying to push the Bears to insert some protections in the language of the deal against that eventuality, something that Nagy said is given to “very few” rookies.
This has fast developed into a situation where it comes down to who will blink first. The Bears want their first round pick in camp but aren’t going to be bullied into meeting all his demands. They’re bolstered by the fact they have Nick Kwiatkoski waiting in the wings and he’s had a really good camp thus far. If Smith wants to press the issue, they can sit back and ride it out with Kwiatkoski.
There isn’t a ton of leverage the #8 overall pick can utilize short of sitting out the entire season and applying for re-entry into the 2019 draft. The odds of that happening are astronomically low and it’s virtually guaranteed he’d be drafted much later than he was this year, costing him more money in the long run.
Dave Wannstedt was the head coach for the Chicago Bears for a long time from 1993 to 1998. He still loves the organization and has stuck close to the team as an analyst for Fox Sports and 670 The Score. So it shouldn’t be a surprise he would take their side in matters regarding contract negotiations, as he did when asked about the ongoing holdout status of first round pick Roquan Smith.
People sometimes forget that Wannstedt wasn’t just the head coach too. During the first four seasons of his tenure in Chicago, he acted as the de facto general manager as well, so he played a big part in acquiring players. This might explain why the team had so much trouble draft top tier talent, but that’s not the point.
This shows that he has a clear bias and even distaste for agents, as his comments reflected when answering the question.
‘‘It really doesn’t make much sense. The way [salaries] are slotted now, for a rookie to hold out because of some fine print, it’s pretty selfish from an agent standpoint to do that. This kid needs to be here. These are valuable days. They play a preseason game a week from now. And you do not get these days back.
You would think that an agent would be smart enough to understand that. At some point, the player’s got to understand: ‘This guy works for me. I’m not working for the agent.’ And you’ve got to stand up and say: ‘The contract’s fair. I need to get in practice and help this football team.’ ’’
Opinions will vary on the comment itself. Some will agree, some won’t. However, in making them it seems Wannstedt exposed himself as a bit of a hypocrite.
Former player calls out Wannstedt for having no place to criticize Roquan Smith
Former Miami Dolphins tight end Randy McMichael played under Wannstedt for three years from 2002 to 2004. During that time it appears man developed a sincere dislike for his former head coach as his retort over the Smith comment reflected.
Players always selfish. Was it selfish when u quit on us in 2004 Dave 🙄 https://t.co/4uwsoPRR21
This is in reference to Wannstedt resigning from the Dolphins midway through the 2004 season when the team had started 1-8. Not long after he’d left, he accepted a position to take over as head coach at the University of Pittsburgh. It’s hard not to see that and think Wannstedt ducked out when things got hard. A selfish move.
So for him to accuse the agents of being selfish in trying to get Smith the best possible deal they can, it’s rather laughable. Especially considering Wannstedt’s personal bias on top of that. Maybe he would’ve been better off just not answering the question at all.
The Chicago Bulls have made some bold moves this offseason. The front office started off by drafting Wendell Carter Jr. and Chandler Hutchinson in the 2018 NBA Draft. They accomplished their number one priority by resigning Zach LaVine to a four-year, $78 million deal. They signed Jabari Parker to a two-year, $40 million deal. They moved Antonio Blakeney to their NBA roster, claimed Antonius Cleveland off waivers and signed Rawle Alkins to a two-way contract.
Official: Bulls sign Rawle Alkins to two-way contract.
All these moves in addition to their current core, have fans excited about their rebuild with many fans believing the Bulls can make the playoffs this upcoming season. However, if these problems occur, the Bulls will not make the playoffs and throw a wrench in their rebuilding process.
Injuries
One thing that can set any team back is injuries, but the Bulls have a few key players on their current roster with a well-documented history of going under the knife. Their number one priority in the offseason (LaVine) missed 58 games last season, as he was recovering from his torn ACL. After returning from his ACL injury, LaVine missed some additional time with a sore knee. Their highest-paid player this year, Parker has already two ACL injuries in his career and only played 38 games last season (including playoffs).
Lauri Markkanen only played 68 games due to back spasms, Kris Dunn only played 52 games with various injuries throughout last season and Cameron Payne only played 25 games coming off right foot surgery. No player on the Bulls’ projected rotational lineup has played more 70 games except for Robin Lopez, Justin Holiday and Denzel Valentine — players not in the Bulls’ long-term plan and fall into the trade bait category. Your best ability is availability, and if their central core can’t stay healthy, you can stay goodbye to the playoffs and still have more questions than answers about their rebuild.
The Face Of The Franchise
Who’s the face of the franchise for the Bulls? Who’s the star? Who’s the centerpiece? Could it be Markkanen? The front office currently views Markkanen as their centerpiece of their team and want to build around him. They drafted Carter Jr. as they believe his skill set will complement Markkanen’s.
That being said, if Markkanen is just a good, but not great, player to build around, then you set your rebuild back. Could it be LaVine? They re-signed LaVine to a long-term deal so that he could be the face of the franchise. As the Jimmy Butler trade went down, LaVine was viewed as the critical piece and future face of the franchise. LaVine did not have the year that he envisioned, which caused many critics to doubt him after getting that big contract. LaVine realized this and ready to prove them wrong.
Zach LaVine says he is ready to “wake up” all the people who doubted his new deal. https://t.co/wonqD7R0Ew
If LaVine does not prove his critics wrong, then the Bulls are stuck with an untradeable contract for just a rotational player. Could it be Parker? It could be deja vu — the “hometown kid” leads the Bulls back to the playoffs. However, if Parker shows that he is nothing more than the player he was in Milwaukee last season, then he is just a player coming off the bench and not on the court in crunch time.
Defense
Every Bulls’ fan is worried about their defense it coming season. The only true defenders in their potential starting lineup are Carter Jr. or Lopez and Dunn. Parker is expected to move back to the small forward position when he is much better suited to play the power forward position. Parker is a little too slow to defend small forwards, and he is coming off two ACL injuries. Parker’s comments seem that he does not care about defense either.
LaVine is also known as one of the worst defenders in the league. He is in the bottom-tier in defense RPM. Dunn cannot do it all at on the perimeter. He will need the help of LaVine and Parker. If they do not step up their defense, the Bulls could be in the lottery again next year.
The Chicago Bears have tried to stay patient with former third round pick Hroniss Grasu. After originally being slated to start at center, the Oregon product tore his ACL in 2016 and lost his job to Cody Whitehair. Since then he’s served as the primary backup at center. Now even that job may be in jeopardy. As Grasu is out once again, this time with a calf issue, the Bears quietly signed a free agent to boost the depth at center.
Normally such moves shouldn’t be read too much into. They’re purely to fill up the back end of the depth chart in camp. However, this could end up being a special case. The Bears signed 25-year old Jack Allen, formerly of the New Orleans Saints where he served as backup for two years to Pro Bowler Max Unger.
Roster Update: We have signed OL Jack Allen and waived DL Bunmi Rotimi.
Allen is an Illinois native out of Hinsdale. He actually won the state championship in wrestling during his high school years before heading off to Michigan State to play football. There he helped the Spartans win the Rose Bowl in 2013 and developed into an All-American center by 2015. Despite that success, he still ended up going undrafted.
Jack Allen has traits that fit what the Chicago Bears do
The primary reasons he went undrafted were his limited size and athleticism. Yet draft experts were still high on him thanks to his strength, grit, intelligence and leadership qualities. He showed a clear understanding of how to mask his weaknesses while maximizing his strengths. He’s capable in pass protection and also demonstrates an ability to pull on running plays and screens, something that will feature heavily in the Bears offense.
Jack Allen is good pulling C. The nuances of OL play he demonstrates well in all phases. Smart & technically sound. pic.twitter.com/osWkf2RQDI
NFL.com draft expert Lance Zierlein was a fan of Allen. He expected the center to go in the fifth round two years ago, believing he offered tons of underappreciated value. That high opinion was reflected in who he compared Allen to.
Somebody Bears fans know and love.
“NFL COMPARISON: Olin Kreutz
BOTTOM LINE: Despite having a cat named “Bubbles,” Allen is a coach’s dream with the leadership, competitiveness and the tenacious mindset to grind out the will of defenders by the end of the fourth quarter. While there are clearly some athletic limitations, Allen is especially adept at minimizing those while accentuating his strengths. There are too many check marks in his favor to expect him to fall short of an NFL career as an eventual starter.”
Being compared to Bears royalty is never a bad thing. Nobody is saying Allen will be a future star in Chicago, but if they were looking for a dependable backup they can’t do much better. Allen is a tough grinder who understands who to work hard and seems the type that will be ready to play if and when the need ever arises. If nothing else he gives the team an excuse to move on from Grasu who has been mostly a disappointment.
Matt Davidson #24 of the Chicago White Sox pitches against the Toronto Blue Jays during the ninth inning on July 27, 2018 at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois. The Blue Jays won 10-5. (Source: David Banks/Getty Images North America via Zimbio)
Position players pitching is a joke. There are few scenarios where a position player should take the bump to kill an inning. And that is the only time such a player should do so: to kill an inning in a desperate situation.
As the Toronto Blue Jays thrashed the White Sox on Friday night, Joe McEwing — the only coach left in the dugout after Rick Renteria and Don Cooper were tossed in the first inning — decided to bring in Matt Davidson (again) to close out the ninth inning of what turned out to be a closer game than one thought. Of course — as the GOAT does — Davidson sat the Blue Jays down in order and maintained his sterling 0.00 earned run average and flawless stat line.
But McEwing’s move is more a function of Thyago Vieira‘s collapse in the fifth inning when — surprise, surprise — he couldn’t find his command. Vieira drilled two batters, gave up two earned runs and made 2/3 of an inning look excruciatingly painful. I’m sure there were some jitters involved in Vieira’s performance, but this is not uncommon for him. In fact, he’s more infamous than famous for this little gem when he was with the Seattle Mariners.
Vieira was promoted on Friday after Joakim Soria was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday and he fits the closer mold, not middle-relief. But seriously, he won’t fit any role in the big leagues if he can’t find the strike zone.
McEwing turned to Luis Avilan, Tyler Danish and Hector Santiago to soak up the later innings and then curiously entered Davidson to close out what was then a 10-2 affair. While entertaining, this is inexcusable. Davidson is not conditioned to throw off a mound and he could seriously injure himself.
I can hear all of you now, chortling with incredulous gullibility. Yes, Davidson could get hurt. Would people care given his fire-and-ice performance this season? You can answer that for yourself.
My objection lies with respecting the game. You heard me. There was no reason for McEwing to use Davidson in Friday’s game other than to avoid burning an inning with another reliever and in the bottom of the ninth, the White Sox mounted a comeback (I know, I know. I use the term comeback loosely).
Sure, the White Sox are on a 10-game stand, but relievers are trained to throw on consecutive days and coaches have conditioning schedules to match this practice. There is no reason to shirk a reliever’s innings in favor of a position player. And if the bullpen isn’t prepared for the heavy load, then the coaching staff should be scrutinized.
And don’t think that I don’t recognize the White Sox inability to get innings out of their starters. That fact is not lost on me, but there is a larger pattern in baseball to make these weird decisions as a claim of brilliance and unorthodox wisdom that is just downright nonsense. And yes, the wizard of unorthodoxy himself Joe Maddon is front and center in this charge.
Just like Golf, baseball is a game with ethics and honor. It is patently different than the NFL and NBA. No matter how much Major League Baseball tries to funnel the ratings of the other two leagues, the ethos of baseball will never match them. In fact, baseball should stay far away from the NFL given Roger Goodell’s speckled tenure as commissioner and the looming health crises with CTE the league continues ignoring. But that’s neither here nor there.
I understand the general public’s frustration with unwritten rules in baseball. If you never played the game beyond little league and high school, I wouldn’t expect you to understand. This doesn’t mean you can’t learn and respect the philosophy behind this code of ethics, but they exist for a reason. At its core, these rules govern a communal understanding of fair play and honor.
I can hear the laughter again…”honor?”
Yes, honor. All professional leagues have them. It’s why starters are swapped out when an NBA team is up by 50 points and the same in the NFL. In fact, don’t we hear reports every year of a high school football coach that let his team run up the score on a hapless opponent and is promptly shamed by the public? I remember a recent episode in my neighborhood where Mike Trout‘s alma mater smoked their opponent by nearly 40 runs — an egregious episode of unchecked competitiveness.
And don’t feed me this nonsense about stealing bases when a team is up by 10 or more runs as the only way to compete. Stealing bases in an aggressive tactic to try and win. You can compete without taking extra bases and avoid insulting a team. In fact, haven’t we heard the sabermetric argument to turn Major League Baseball into a slugfest by killing the bunt, shifting more and focusing on launch angle?
Increasingly, baseball has turned into a feast or famine show of home runs and strikeouts. The nuances have been drained from the game and the true value of what made baseball entertaining in the first place, with it. Fans are missing the risk/reward decisions that managers make from pitch to pitch. The idea of a sacrifice bunt has been completely distorted into a philosophy of clinging to outs as if taking hell hacks and striking out at historic rates is more entertaining than putting the ball in play and forcing the defense to make plays.
NEWS FLASH: Baseball is a game predicated on the risk/reward dichotomy.
So, should major-league ball clubs stop competing when they are losing by 10 or more runs? Instead of making a mockery of the game and trotting unprepared position players to the mound, why not institute a 10-run rule? If managers like Joe Maddon (we can include McEwing to make it fair) are going to close their bullpens down 10 runs what’s the point in continuing the game? As fans — besides the novelty of watching Anthony Rizzo lob the eephus pitch like it’s slow-pitch softball — are you going to pay the exorbitant prices to watch someone do something they aren’t trained to do?
Moreover, what if Rizzo gets hurt? What if Kris Bryant hits the DL because he has a shoulder injury that impacts his swing? …wait…that already happened and Bryant is one of the few players on the Cubs roster that hasn’t pitched.
It’s fun now, but eventually, the sheen of this silly and dangerous practice will fade and fans will AND ABSOLUTELY SHOULD let the team know about it.
A Chicago Bears Khalil Mack trade? Really? Look, trade speculation is fun. Part of what makes football and professional sports in general so thrilling is the fortunes of a team can often turn on one bold decision. Nowhere is this high-stakes poker game more evident than in the front offices. A big trade involving any star player can either make a break a franchise. The Bears found this out when they dealt for Jay Cutler back in 2009.
So before even talking about the idea itself, it’s important to ask the question. Why would they go for this? Sure, this looks like just another Cutler situation. Give away the farm for a chance to win now. It almost worked back then. The Bears reached the NFC championship with Cutler in 2010. Ultimately it was a failure. Why should they believe it can be different with Mack?
Namely because the team situations are completely different. Nine years ago, the Bears were a mostly veteran group. They had their star core in place and it was felt a quarterback was needed to get them back into the Super Bowl picture before that core began to fade. Olin Kreutz was 32. Brian Urlacher was 29. Lance Briggs was 29. Charles Tillman was 28. The Cutler trade was meant to be a rescue operation while they had some time left.
This is different.
A Bears Khalil Mack trade would be a final-piece-to-puzzle situation
This current Bears team is nothing like that bunch back then. It’s a group with loads of upside but more importantly: youth. Most of the best players on the team including Jordan Howard, Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman, Tarik Cohen, Cody Whitehair and Kyle Fuller are 27-years old or younger. This group has a chance to last for a solid period of time, but it’s also one that feels incomplete.
Outside of Leonard Floyd, their pass rush situation not ideal. Sam Acho, Aaron Lynch, Isaiah Irving, and Kylie Fitts is what they have. None of them could be called a legitimate starter. Certainly not an equal of Floyd. So imagine how quickly things would change if Mack were to suddenly arrive. He, Floyd and Hicks rushing the passer? That’s straight nightmare fuel.
Now, of course, most will dismiss the idea. There’s no way in hell the Oakland Raiders would trade Mack. First of all, that sort of argument has been used many times right before big names were traded in the past. Second, the warning signs are growing that there’s a serious disconnect between the All-Pro and his new head coach.
Interesting fact of day: Jon Gruden and Oakland DE Khalil Mack have not spoken once since the Raiders hired their new head coach in January. No contact between two men who should be vital this season for the Raiders.
Bad communication is one thing but no communication?
A trade remains unlikely but this situation opens the door a bit wider. If a team would be willing to get aggressive enough in their pursuit, they may just convince the Raiders to sell. So let’s play the what-if game. If Oakland were to make Mack available, what would their price be? Needless to say, it would be high. Pass rushers are the second-most valuable resource in the NFL behind quarterbacks. Great ones never come cheap.
Too early to be thinking Khalil Mack trade. Raiders would want way more than a 1st round pick. Chiefs got a 1st round pick & 2 3rd round picks from the Vikings for Jared Allen a decade ago. https://t.co/3EHE6Cwof6
Jared Allen was also an All-Pro in Kansas City when they traded him to Minnesota. Keep in mind though, this was a decade ago. Back then quarterback fever wasn’t quite at its peak levels that it is today. Put simply the ballpark of a Mack trade will hover around two 1st round picks. Yes, that’s even with his current contract situation (he’ll be a free agent in 2019).
That’s how incredible Mack is. He’s a generational talent good for at least 10 sacks a year who’s in his prime and has never missed a game in his career. He can change the complexion of a game the moment he steps on the field. If a team wants somebody like that on their roster, they must be one of two things. Either very lucky or very willing to pay a high price.
GM Ryan Pace has shown in the past he doesn’t fear the bold move. What he hasn’t done yet is make one involving a veteran player. If he feels this Bears team is close to contention, this might be the perfect time to break that streak. He’s got his quarterback and new offense in place. Mack could turn that defense into the best in the NFL.
There are certain stats regarding offensive football in the NFL that can often indicate the difference between good and bad. Turnover ratio is one. Third down conversion is another. Perhaps the most important of all? That’s red zone offense. Don’t believe it? The world champion Philadelphia Eagles were 7th in red zone attempts and 2nd in red zone efficiency. The year before, the eventual champion Patriots with 1st in attempts and 10th in efficiency. This stuff matters. A lot. Something the Chicago Bears offense has tried to master for ages.
It’s almost like a lost art for this team. Since the stat came into prominence in the early 2000s, they’ve struggled at it. Since 2003, the Bears have finished in the top 10 in red zone efficiency just three times. In other words, they were settling for lots of field goals. It’s little wonder they’ve had such a hard time winning games.
Now some will argue the Bears were actually solid last year, ranking 6th in efficiency at 60.61%. The problem is that the stat is misleading. Chicago was also 31st in red zone attempts at 2.1. In other words, they made 33 trips into the red zone and 20 of them ended in a touchdown. Meanwhile, the Patriots made 4.4 attempts per game, which rounds out to 70 for the year and scored a touchdown on 44 of them.
Clearly, the Bears red zone offense isn’t even in the same zip code.
Bears offense starting to flex their red zone muscles in training camp
That may be getting ready to change. Head coach Matt Nagy is bringing a similar system with him to Chicago that turned Philadelphia into a powerhouse. Though it took some time, results have begun to show up in ever-increasing numbers. The Bears’ latest padded practice on Friday proved as much when Mitch Trubisky and the passing game scored several times during 11-on-11 drills.
Leading the charge, much to the delight of fans, was wide receiver Allen Robinson. The prized free agent receiver started camp slowly, still recovering from his knee injury last season. This marked the first time he seemed at full go, and the Bears defense felt it most inside the 10-yard line where he made two pretty catches for scores.
He wasn’t the only one. Others got into the act. Running back Tarik Cohen, who’s expected to play a prominent role in this new offense, showcased exactly why with a couple dump off catches that look like they too would’ve been scores. It further proves how dangerous he is, no matter where the offense sits on the field.
If that weren’t enough, tight end Adam Shaheen joined in the fun. What was unique about his score was where he was lined up. The Bears had him flanked out like a wide receiver. This drew coverage against Prince Amukamara. Keep in mind Shaheen is 6’6, 270 lbs. Amukamara is 6’0, 204 lbs. That’s a serious mismatch and Trubisky wasted no time in exploiting it.
This was just a taste of what the new Bears offense could be capable of. Not just in 2018 but in the coming seasons as well. They have weapons of every shape and size, and this creates problems for a defense. It’s often in the red zone where the money is made and games are won or lost. Things should get interesting for Chicago when the games arrive next month.
The Chicago Cubs have made two trades in the last week to replenish the bullpen with the addition of right-hander Jesse Chavez and to help address the end of the starting rotation, trading for Cole Hamels.
Yet, they may not be done making moves before the trade deadline.
Closer Brandon Morrow has been on the disabled list twice this season and is currently not on track to return from his latest 10-day stint being sidelined. The Cubs’ bullpen has been great this season, ranking second in the National League with a 3.29 ERA, but you can never be too proactive when looking ahead to the final two months of the season that will hopefully lead into another postseason run.
With Morrow’s status currently up in the air the Cubs have to prepare for the worst case scenario. And even if Morrow does return completely healthy the Cubs could still use another bullpen arm, as Brian Duensing’s days on the North Side seem to be coming to an end.
With that in mind and even after the trades of Chavez and Hamels, the Cubs remain active in the trade market. The latest report has the Cubs linked to Miami Marlins reliever Brad Ziegler.
Source : Cubs & Indians have shown the most interest thus far in Marlins RP Brad Ziegler.
The 38-year-old right-hander hasn’t been anything special for the Marlins in the past two years, but he’s still been pretty good against right-handed hitters, holding them to a .683 OPS in 102 at-bats this season.
Overall in 2018, Ziegler has a 4.09 ERA, but he’s really turned his year around starting in June. In his last 27.2 innings, Ziegler has only allowed three earned runs. That includes 24 scoreless appearances since the beginning of June. In July, Ziegler has a 0.75 ERA in 12 innings.
Ziegler is in the final year of his contract, making $9 million this season before becoming a free agent. So, like the Hamels trade with the Texas Rangers, a deal for Ziegler won’t cost the Cubs much.
That being said the Cubs have plenty of options in the trade market for another reliever, so if another deal is made maybe expect it to go down to the wire on July 31, as the front office weighs the different possibilities.
The 31-year-old has a 1.40 ERA and 0.85 WHIP in 38.2 innings for the Padres this year.
Yates would be a dream get for the Cubs, but again at this point the expectation should be another under the radar move like the Jesse Chavez acquisition.
