Latest Cubs Moves:
Cubs Option OF Junior Lake to Triple-A Iowa
The Chicago Cubs optioned outfielder Junior Lake to Triple-A Iowa while recalling right-handed pitcher Dan Straily, the team announced on Saturday.
Lake, 24, had been in the majors since debuting last season after the All-Star break. He hit .284 with a .332 on-base percentage and an OPS of .760 in 64 games in 2013. He burst on the scene as a dynamic player displaying both power as well as the ability to bunt for a hit.
But he regressed this year, hitting only .216 at the time of his demotion with a strikeout percentage of 33.5. He had 102 strikeouts and just 10 walks in 305 plate appearances. Lake began the season in a platoon role playing mostly against left-handed pitching. Eventually he lost playing time to hot-hitting left fielder Chris Coghlan and was reduced to a bench role.
Straily, 25, was acquired on July 4 along with minor leaguers Addison Russell, Bill McKinney and a player to be named later from the Oakland Athletics for Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel. Straily was 3-3 with a 3.00 ERA in seven starts for Iowa this year. He's 13-11 with a 4.11 ERA in 41 starts in the big leagues over three seasons, all with the Athletics.
Straily is scheduled to start on Saturday night against the New York Mets but is expected to return to Triple-A Iowa after the game.
My Take on Junior Lake to Iowa:
This was a great move because Lake is really struggling, and some time in the minors should help him work on his hitting mechanics, as he strikes out way too often without being able to draw a walk. Straily being called up gives the Cubs to evaluate just what exactly they got when sending Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel to Oakland. This also gives the Cubs' starters an extra day of rest.
Latest Cubs Trade Rumors:
Starlin Castro to be Traded to the Mets?
CSN Chicago has reported that Starlin Castro may be in the midst of trade rumors due to the fact that the Cubs are loaded at young talent at SS (Castro, Javier Baez, Addison Russell, and Arismendy Alcantara). However, according to President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein, GM Jed Hoyer, and the Chicago Sun-Times, the Cubs are not thinking of moving Castro right now. Castro wants to stay in Chicago as well.
In the fairly unlikely event that Castro may be on the move, a team that may pursue him is, well, the New York Mets. Here's why, according to Bleacher Report. This link, and this link as well as here and also this site show Castro's latest rumors.
Starlin Castro is a "perfect match" in New York, according to the Mets.
But again, don't expect Castro to me moved for the time being. Again, according to the Chicago Tribune, Castro really wants to stay put and remain a Cub.
And it's worth reiterating that the Cubs are fine with a surplus of shortstops.
Do the Cubs want Zack Wheeler?
The New York Mets and Chicago Cubs seem like the perfect match for a trade; two teams with their eye on being relevant in 2015, one with a stockpile of young hitting, the other with pitching. Cubs fans may have seen a preview of their future ace on Friday night when Zack Wheeler led the Mets to victory.
Wheeler was a top 10 prospect in baseball for a long time, and he has done little in his past year in the majors to create cause for concern about his future as a top-of-the-rotation stud.
Wheeler has had his hiccups, but he has still been remarkably solid for a pitcher who just turned 24, posting 3.46 ERA over his first 247 innings. He has proven that his talent alone can carry him to major league success, and if he refines his command and develops his changeup a little more, he could be one of the best pitchers in baseball.
Wheeler would be a perfect fit for the Cubs. Assuming Chicago makes a big addition to its staff this offseason, whoever it signs along with Wheeler and Arrieta would make for a very solid top three of a rotation.
However, because Wheeler has established himself over the past year as one of the bright young stars in baseball, he would come at a steep price.
The Mets may have interest in Starlin Castro, but if they were to trade Wheeler, they would likely demand one of Baez, Bryant or Russell. New York is looking to compete in 2015, meaning a pu-pu platter of intriguing yet younger and further away prospects wouldn’t be enough for a deal.
It is possible the Cubs target another Mets pitcher in a deal such as Noah Syndergaard or Jonathon Niese. Syndergaard is less proven than Wheeler yet the organization values him just as highly, but Niese could also make sense, and he would likely cost less than one of the Mets’ two younger studs.
Who else should the Cubs want to target other than Wheeler?
Kevin Gausman and Andrew Heaney are attractive young pitching stars for the Cubs, whose farm system is loaded with young, talented position players... but lacks young pitching talent.
Why should the Cubs want Gausman from the Baltimore Orioles? Gausman struggled during his stint in the majors in 2013, but he still has a humongous ceiling and was rated as the No. 10 prospect by Baseball Prospectus coming into this season despite his less than ideal start to his career. He has still had some hiccups this season but has posted a 3.90 ERA while exhibiting the ability to be a future ace.
Trading for Gausman would be a tricky proposition for the Cubs because the Orioles currently imagine Gausman and Dylan Bundy leading their future rotation. However, it will be difficult for them to re-sign J.J. Hardy this offseason and could be enticed by the Cubs’ potential left-side infielders.
Gausman has truly elite talent and is a good bet to be a stellar starting pitcher for a long time. Adding him to their rotation would give the Cubs a much-needed starter who would be under team control who could also potentially become their long-term ace.
Despite Gausman’s relatively unimpressive stat line, he would still cost the Cubs one of their prime prospects. The Orioles would likely be interested in any of their elite hitting prospects, as they could put Bryant or Baez at third and slide Manny Machado back to short, or Russell and Machado could potentially form the best left side of an infield in baseball.
Why do the Cubs want Andrew Heany from the Miami Marlins? Heaney came into the season as the top left-handed pitching prospect in baseball, according to Baseball Prospectus (No. 30 overall), and he would be a great addition to the Cubs' pitching staff.
Heaney struggled during his cup of coffee in Miami earlier this season, but he has continued to prove in the minors that he is a refined left-hander with above-average stuff who will be ready to contribute in the near future.
Miami would also love to obtain a premier power-hitting prospect to put alongside Giancarlo Stanton moving forward. The Marlins will be looking to compete in 2015 with the return of Jose Fernandez and continued excellence of Stanton, and the idea of adding a potentially elite bat under team control like Baez would make them salivate.
However, unlike Wheeler and Gausman, who have shown at least some major league success and were once considered top 10 prospects in all of baseball, Heaney is a shade lower in terms of talent. If Miami wanted to acquire one of the Cubs' premier young hitters like Baez, they would likely have to include another significant prospect in the trade.
The reason the Cubs might prefer Heaney to someone like Wheeler or Gausman is that they could possibly acquire him without giving up one of their premier hitters. A deal centered around Albert Almora, Jorge Soler or Arismendy Alcantara could be enough to sway the Marlins into dealing their young lefty.
Jon Lester to Cubs this offseason?
According to Bleacher Report, the Cubs are the favorites to land Jon Lester this offseason. Lester, unlike Wheeler, Gausman, and Heaney, Lester is a proven veteran who's succeeded in the playoffs and can add some guidance and leadership to this very young Chicago Cubs team. The Cubs have never (and I mean never) had an elite LHP, and Lester would be just the one the Cubs would love to have.
The Cubs would like some elite, veteran pitching to balance the young, talented hitting. The Cubs have shown that when they claimed Cole Hamels off waivers earlier this month.
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