Shawn Kelley, Blake Treinen and Koda Glover. Those three players are currently the Washington Nationals best options at closer for the 2017 season.
Kelley has been in the MLB for the past eight seasons appearing in 356 games and 342.1 innings. He holds a 3.50 ERA with a 403/108 K/BB ratio. Kelley has registered 11 career saves.
Treinen has played in 148 games and 185.1 innings in his three years at the MLB level. He holds a career 2.91 ERA and a 158/76 K/BB ratio. Treinen has one career save.
Glover appeared in 19 major league games and 19.2 innings in 2016. He pitched to a 5.03 ERA and a 16/7 K/BB ratio. In 59 minor league games and 86 innings, Glover pitched to a 2.09 ERA with a 104/16 K/BB ratio. He holds 13 career saves, all at the minor league level.
The Washington Nationals are one of the favorites to win the National League in 2017. They have a dominant offense featuring Daniel Murphy, Adam Eaton, Trea Turner, Bryce Harper and others. Coupled with a pitching rotation that contains Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Tanner Roark, the Nationals could realistically compete with the Cubs for the NL pennant.
However even with a dominant rotation/lineup, the Nats cannot succeed with a lights-out closer. Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman proved how important elite relief pitching was during the Indians and Cubs playoffs runs.
If the Nats aren’t able to have atleast one dominant relief pitcher, they will struggle come playoff time. It’s much easier for Dusty Baker to send out a proven closer who knows how to handle the ninth, rather than the aforementioned three.
Without that proven closer on the roster, the Nationals will either need to add one through free agency or the trade market.
In terms of free agency, only Joe Blanton and potentially Luke Hochevar stand as potential additions for the club. But Blanton only has two career saves with Hochevar holding three.
At this stage of the game there isn’t much available in terms of relief pitching on the free agent market. It appears as if the Nationals best shot at landing a lights-out closer is via trade. If the Nationals do choose to go that route, White Sox closer David Robertson is likely their best option.
Robertson has been in the MLB for the past nine seasons appearing in 524 games and 519 innings. He holds a career 2.97 ERA with a 685/211 K/BB ratio. Robertson has converted 118 career saves including atleast 34 the past three seasons.
The White Sox closer is also on a team-friendly contract earning $25 million over the next two seasons. The Nationals were bidders for all three of Mark Melancon, Kenley Jansen and Aroldis Chapman. Landing Robertson gives Washington the lights-out closer they desire at a much lesser price.
Chicago and Washington have had trade talks for Robertson throughout the offseason. At one point USA Today’s Bob Nightengale even reported that a deal was close. But even with both teams interested in getting a deal done, Robertson remains on the White Sox.
There’s a good chance more teams are interested in Robertson. He’s a talented closer on a cheap contract. However the Nationals have looked like the favorites for most of the offseason and will realistically remain the favorites until a deal is made.
The White Sox want to trade him and the Nationals covet him, but what will it take for Washington to land David Robertson?
You thought the UConn’s women’s basketball team had an impressive winning streak? Pfft, let me introduce you to the TNT Bulls. No, they’re not the Chicago Bulls. We all know what the Chicago Bulls are. Bad. However, the TNT Bulls play the best in the league and they beat the best in the league.
LeBron James owns the Bulls in the playoffs, but even he cowers when the TNT Bulls are on the schedule. They are elite. The best. They give fans confidence. Too much confidence.
The TNT Bulls are also the biggest tease in the NBA.
Jason Patt, managing editor for FanRag NBA and a contributor to BlogABull, started the TNTBulls hashtag a few years ago when he noticed a trend. The Bulls kept winning games on TNT.
If you were on social media at any point during Thursday night’s game when the Bulls hosted the Boston Celtics, then you already know about this true super team. The overall streak is incredible, winning 17 games in a row at home when the game is televised on TNT. Yet, during the last two years, this version of the Bulls and that streak has been even more ridiculous.
The last nine home wins on TNT have come against top teams from each respective conference.
#Bulls have won 17 straight home games on TNT, including their last 9 against: BOS, SAS, BOS, LAC, OKC, CLE, OKC, CLE, SAS. #TNTBulls
Did Jimmy Butler get fouled by Marcus Smart last night? It doesn’t matter because the Bulls had no business being in that game. But no, the TNT Bulls rise up to the competition and more often than not produce entertaining games.
We saw that again last night, when Butler was going head-to-head against Isaiah Thomas in the fourth quarter. That was wonderful. Butler rising to the challenge, defending Thomas and Thomas coming back beating Butler a few times. Ultimately, Butler won the duel, drawing a controversial foul in the last second of the game, leading to his two made free throws that kept the TNT Bulls’ winning streak alive.
In a vacuum, that game was awesome. You had big-name players, controversy and drama all the way to the end of the game. A lovely, exciting game, with a favorable result for the Bulls. Nothing more a Bulls fan could ask for.
29 points from Mr. J.G. Buckets tonight, but it was two free throws at the very end that really mattered… #clutch 💪 pic.twitter.com/mvDRMFIzwQ
Then, you go back to reality. The 104-103 win brought the Bulls one game closer to being .500, as they enter the All-Star break with a 28-29 record. They’re going nowhere, destined for early exit in the playoffs, if they can hold on to a spot in a dreadful Eastern Conference. They’ve been stuck in mediocrity, which makes games like the one last night more frustrating.
It’s been the same story for years. Beat the elite teams, then shit the bed against average and bad teams. This TNT streak emphasizes that perfectly. Every so often the Bulls look like they can actually compete down the road in the postseason and the tease was bigger in previous seasons because most of the fan base knows better by now. That doesn’t mean some fans aren’t immune from the facade.
After each one of these “statement wins” during the last four years all the Bulls have accomplished by the end of the season is at best lose in the second round of the playoffs. Each time, a segment of the fan base fell for the tease and were left with blue balls.
The good thing is, this season the Bulls have made it easier to not fall for it. So, even after an exciting win over the Celtics, the overall joy is tamed.
Following the win, Butler was asked about the 17-game winning streak at home on TNT broadcasts and here’s how he responded.
Jimmy Butler isn't as excited about the #TNTBulls streak as all of us are: "Y'all come up with the dumbest statistics."
Sure, it’s a meaningless stat, but sadly that’s all Bulls fans have to talk about nowadays because the TNT Bulls are must-watch TV. That team cares. That team gives effort. That team makes fans happy.
Then, the schedule goes on, the TNT crew leaves Chicago and the Bulls revert back to what they really are, while keeping the illusion of greatness alive with some fans.
Here’s a summary of the Bulls winning streak at home on TNT.
2/16/17 Bulls win 104-103 over the Celtics. Boston entered the game, winning 11 out of their last 12 games. The Bulls had no Wade and were only 5-5 before beating the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference because of course.
12/8/16 Bulls win 95-91 over Spurs. SA had won 13 straight road games, entered game with an 18-4 record. Bulls were 11-10.
10/27/16 Bulls win 105-99 over Celtics. Opening game of the season with a bunch of players who don’t fit the coach’s system. Wade with the dagger. Raise hopes, classic Bulls.
12/10/15 Bulls win 83-80 over Clippers. LAC were 13-9 and had won six of their last seven games.
11/5/15 Bulls win 104-98 over Thunder. OKC loses 3rd in a row, Bulls improve to 4-2. Early season game, so not much of a tease.
10/27/15 Bulls win 97-85 over Cavs. Opening game of the season. Bulls love beating LeBron in the regular season.
3/5/15 Bulls win 108-105 over Thunder. OKC had won nine of their previous 11 games.
2/12/15 Bulls win 113-98 over Cavs. CLE was 14-1 in their previous 15 games. It didn’t go so well when they met in the playoffs.
1/22/15 Bulls win 104-81 over Spurs. Bulls were 2-6 in previous eight games, while Spurs had four-game winning streak and won 8-of-10 games.
12/25/14 Bulls win 113-93 over Lakers. Kobe didn’t play, LA sucked. Expected result.
12/18/14 Bulls win 103-97 over the Knicks.
3/13/14 Bulls win 111-87 over the Rockets. HOU was 15-3 in previous 18 games. Had a 44-20 record entering game vs. Bulls.
2/13/14 Bulls win 92-76 over the Nets. Brooklyn wasn’t the dog shit team they are now and actually made it to the second round of the playoffs this season. They had won 4-of-5 games entering their game against the Bulls.
12/5/13 Bulls win 107-87 over the Heat. Miami started the season 14-4, so of course the Bulls beat them by 20.
10/31/13 Bulls win 82-81 over the Knicks. Derrick Rose with the game-winner. Oh, the good times that ended three weeks later when he tore his right MCL.
4/11/13 Bulls win 118-111 over the Knicks. This win actually snapped New York’s 13-game winning streak. Pretty impressive for the Derrick Rose-less Bulls.
2/28/13 Bulls win 93-82 over the 76ers. And the streak begins. Joakim Noah with a ridiculous triple-double of 23 points, 21 rebounds and 11 blocks.
The first couple wins dating back to the 2012-13 season were actually fine because at the time expectations were lowered, when Derrick Rose was recovering from his torn ACL. So, those games were all fans had. Regardless, the TNT Bulls are dangerous and have made some fans delusional about what the team can do when the postseason comes around.
Just watch, some fans will fall for the tease again in March, when the Bulls could possibly be higher in the standings and then look who comes to the United Center.
Nobody needs to be told how important this 2017 off-season is for the Chicago Bears. They’re coming off their worst season in 47 years. A 3-13 slog through the muddy swamps of depression this team has become over the past decade since their flirtation with glory in Super Bowl XLI. Since then every major move they’ve tried only seemed to hasten the collapse.
A new regime has decided to try a more measured and precise approach. GM Ryan Pace has never once looked like a man getting ahead of himself. His focus has remained on acquiring talent for the roster and trust his veteran coaching staff to keep developing it. Thus far only poor luck with injuries has clouded what looks like an exciting, young group.
The time has come for what should be their biggest push. Salary cap space is higher than its been in years. Perhaps most important is the ownership they have of the #3 overall pick in the upcoming draft. The highest they’ve sat since 1972. Experts keep debating what the Bears might do with it. So what about somebody who understands their situation better than most?
What better way to kick off NBA All Star Weekend than a national radio interview with Jimmy Butler? The Bulls star chatted with the guys of ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike on Friday morning. Of course, they had to get the elephant in the room out of the way first. Butler reaffirmed what he said after his two free throws gave Chicago a 104-103 victory over the Celtics Thursday night: Marcus Smart definitely fouled him. Got him on the elbow.
…We’ll let that debate sit for now. Let’s get to the more pertinent questions Jimmy answered about where he and the Bulls stand at the All Star break.
Tune Out Trades
Former NBA star Jalen Rose, who was in studio with Mike & Mike, asked Butler how he deals with the trade rumors that are swirling around his name as the deadline approaches. The answer is one Bulls fans have heard before:
“That’s easy. I don’t really pay attention to any of it. Like I always tell everybody, I try to control what I can control. That’s one thing that’s way out of my control. I think if I continue to win games for this organization, then I’ll be there. If not, then I think they must do what they have to do.” – Jimmy Butler
The latest gossip about a potential deal sending Butler to the Celtics has died down. Based on numerous sources, the Bulls would demand too much in any Butler trade, and he will remain in Chicago for the rest of the season.
What Happens Now?
Rose then asked Jimmy what the team’s expectations are for after the All Star break, given all of the turbulence through the first 57 games. Jimmy made sure not to say anything about a playoff run.
“To be better. I think that’s what everybody wants. That’s what everybody needs from us. We’ve had some ups, we’ve had some downs. That’s just how the season goes, that’s how basketball goes. I think everybody’s bought in. I think everybody learned from it and everybody accepted it. So if we keep rolling, winning games like we went into this break we’ll be just fine afterwards.” – Jimmy Butler
The win over Boston pulled the Bulls within a half game of .500 at 28-29. They’re just one game back of the Pacers for the 6th seed, and two games clear of Milwaukee in 9th. Getting back to the playoffs looks very possible if Gar Forman and John Paxson don’t make any drastic moves before the deadline. If the standings in the East remain similar to today, the Bulls would likely face Cleveland, Boston or Washington in the first round.
…Uuuh
Mike Greenberg mentioned that there’s been a lot of talk from the outside about the Bulls not all being on the same page this season. The front office, coach Fred Hoiberg, the three alphas, the young guys, etc. So, Greeny asked Butler flat out: is everyone finally on the same page now? Jimmy must’ve been caught off guard by the question, because it took him a few seconds to respond.
“…Uuuh, it could be. I don’t know. I won’t lie to you. But it looks that way when everybody’s winning. Like I’ve always said, when you win everybody looks good. Everything looks okay. It’s when you lose and you hit adversity, that’s when all the questions pop up. That’s when all the rumors pop up, and that’s when everybody has a problem with everybody. But when you win, everything looks great.” – Jimmy Butler
That sounds like a not-so-subtle admission that everyone isn’t on the same page. Butler pauses, like he’s trying to figure out a way to answer the question without getting himself in trouble. Then the best he can come up with is, “I won’t lie to you.” That’s basically a no. He then reuses one of his favorite phrases; one he used a lot when posed questions about his rift with Derrick Rose last season. When you’re winning, everything’s fine. When you lose, that’s when problems and rumors pop up. Well, the mediocre Bulls have done plenty of losing this season.
Something tells me Butler isn’t convinced that his team’s two game winning streak before the break solved all of their issues from top to bottom.
At least everyone has some time off now to regroup. Jimmy can enjoy a little getaway as he’ll be living it up with the league’s brightest stars down in New Orleans. You think he’ll get any hard-hitting questions about the Bulls locker room from his Olympic team buddies? Probably not. Enjoy yourself, Jimmy. You deserve it. And you’ll be right back in the thick of a tumultuous Bulls season when it’s over; trying not to reveal too much when the media asks you what’s going on with your team.
Most of the focus lately regarding the Chicago Bears is on the fast approaching free agent period and 2017 NFL draft that will follow on its heels. People really haven’t taken a chance to look back at what the team accomplished. Sure the record and the injuries were hard to swallow, but were there any positives at all?
It was felt back in April that Ryan Pace and his front office had done a solid job navigating the draft. He’d acquired a series of solid athlete and gotten good value for most of their picks. Most grades at the time ranged in the B+ to B range. After several months and a 16-game rookie seasons to digest, has their grade swung in either direction?
NFL.com draft expert Bucky Brooks hands down his final tally for every team in the league, going by division. The NFC North got the full spectrum. Detroit earned a respectable B+. Green Bay had an average C+ and Minnesota pulled a surprisingly poor D. None of them could measure up to the Bears though.
The Chicago Bears QB rumors are pretty much the only thing fans are interested in at this point. That’s perfectly understandable. In this modern NFL, there are two different kinds of teams. Those that have good quarterbacks and those that don’t. This franchise has tried for decades to get into the former category, but with little to no success.
GM Ryan Pace is the latest man to take up this monumental task. For the past two years he’s been carefully biding his time, sticking with known quantities like Jay Cutler and Brian Hoyer to hold things down while he rebuilt the rest of the roster. Now with a solid offensive line, Pro Bowl running back and decent receivers the timing feels right for a change.
What nobody can figure out is who the Bears might actually be focused on. Sure they likely have a short list of options they’d be comfortable with, but who is the name that stands above the rest? There are plenty of media sources that have put in claims stating it’s one guy or another. Perhaps the best way though is to focus on who they aren’t talking about.
#SeeRed Nation is dwindling. #FireGarPax Nation, on the other hand, is amassing soldiers like never before. As the Bulls sputter through another mediocre season (27-29, currently 7th in the East) the once-proud Chicago fanbase is quickly losing interest. The Madhouse on Madison is still rocking for the Blackhawks, but the United Center’s nickname is laughably inaccurate when the Bulls hold court. The atmosphere mirrors a smattering of disinterested, still-hungover college kids sitting through a boring lecture on Monday morning. Not only that, fans at home are either turning off their TVs or changing the channel as the Bulls’ ratings are flirting with a ten-year low.
Unfortunately for those Bulls fans desperate for change, crowd ambiance and TV ratings don’t tell the whole story. Team owner Jerry Reinsdorf can easily weave a different one: the Bulls remain one of the most valuable NBA franchises with the best home attendance numbers and high merchandise sales. So what will it take for Reinsdorf to actually pay attention to the growing anger among his organization’s enormous fanbase? More over, what will it take for the owner to finally do something about it?
Let’s look at this dilemma from both sides.
The Good
The Michael Jordan Era Bulls took the NBA’s popularity to a whole new level, both nationally and globally. Through most of the late 1980s and ’90s, new basketball fans without a hometown team (or a bad one) adopted the Bulls simply because Jordan was the best show to see. When the dynasty broke up in 1998, most fans stayed and suffered through a long and painful rebuilding process. Count yours truly among them. I stayed up late on school nights to watch Elton Brand, Ron Artest, Jamal Crawford, Tyson Chandler, Eddie Curry, Ben Gordon and their sidekicks get pummeled by just about every team in the league. Why? Because I was hooked on the Bulls, regardless of the product. The glory days had a firm grip on the neurons in my brain that should’ve told me to cut bait and run from such a mess.
That’s the same reason these 2016-17 Bulls are still pulling in great numbers across the board. Bulls fans have a uniquely indestructible form of loyalty because of the dynasty. We’re all eagerly watching and waiting for our team to get back to the NBA mountaintop, because we know how great it feels to be there. The arrival of hometown hero Derrick Rose finally pulled the franchise out of the rebuilding dog days, and his MVP season (at just 22 years old) had fans believing more banners were coming. But bad things happened, and the Bulls haven’t gone any further than the second round since 2011. Nonetheless, brainwashed fans continue to buy tickets and merchandise despite the poor product on the floor this season.
Shut Up & Take My Money
The Bulls lead the league in home attendance this season. On average, 21,600 fans pour into the United Center for every home game. That’s actually an attendance percentage of 103.3%, given the seated capacity of 20,917. But Bulls fans are so desperate to see their beloved team that tens of thousands more buy standing room tickets over the course of the season. In fact, Reinsdorf’s team has led the league in attendance every year since 2010. From 2005-10 Chicago ranked second every year behind Detroit, except in ’07 when they ranked first. Starting to get the idea about the unbending loyalty?
Not only are fans paying big bucks to see the Bulls play at the Madhouse, they’re spending lots more on jerseys and other merchandise. Forbesreleased an article last month ranking the jersey and overall merchandise sales of NBA players and franchises. Dwyane Wade’s Chicago homecoming sparked a huge wave of purchases, as his #3 Bulls jersey ranked 6th among all players from October-December in 2016. Rising star Jimmy Butler’s #21 is also a hot item, coming in 9th overall in that same time span. In total sales for team merchandise, the Bulls came in 4th, trailing only the Lakers, Cavaliers and Warriors. That would be the two most recent NBA champions and one of just two teams (LA and New York) with a larger market than Chicago.
Perhaps the offseason departures of franchise staples Rose and Joakim Noah (whose jerseys both hang in my closet) prompted thousands of Bulls fans to rush out and update their wardrobes with Wades and Butlers. Still, that minor uptick wouldn’t account for the entirety of the 4th place finish in overall merchandise sales across the league. On the big picture scale, that’s all about the blind obsession of the greatest fans in all of sports. “The Bulls are underachieving this season? Who cares! Shut up and take my money!”
As lifer Bulls fans, we are all Fry; eagerly hurling our money at an inferior product that’s wildly overpriced. When will we ever learn to put our collective foot down and say no?
Nobody is saying the Chicago Bears have an elite pair of offensive tackles. Then again most other NFL teams can say the same. In fact a number of those who made the playoffs can say. Including the mighty New England Patriots who set a Super Bowl passing record with Nate Solder and Marcus Cannon on the edge. Neither has ever been to a Pro Bowl in their careers.
Yet when some people talk it’s almost as if Chicago has the absolute worst edge protectors in existence. Sure, Charles Leno and Bobby Massie wouldn’t be the first choices in a total league re-draft but they’d be considered solid mid-round picks an offense can function with. How can one know that?
Simple. The Bears already did it. In 2016. The numbers clearly indicate that this offense is capable of being productive if they get the quarterback position straightened out. That’s with Leno and Massie remaining the starters. No jokes. No misdirections. Simple facts.
The 2017 season is going to answer a lot more questions about the Chicago Cubs than you automatically think of before the 162-game journey begins. Can the Cubs repeat as World Series champions? No team has done it since the New York Yankees won three in a row from 1998-2000. But that’s not why you clicked.
This year, it won’t be much of an issue. Of course, that’s taking health for granted, but Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta, Kyle Hendricks and John Lackey are all back to fill out the rotation. Lefties Mike Montgomery and Brett Anderson, are the two favorites to win the fifth spot in the rotation and how they perform in 2017 might give fans an indication as to what direction the Cubs go in 2018 and beyond.
See, the big problem that the Cubs could be facing after the 2017 season is replacing two and maybe even three pitchers in the starting rotation.
Lester and Hendricks are guaranteed to be back, but Lackey and Arrieta will be free agents after the 2017 season and right now both are good bets not to return to the Cubs. Lackey will be turning 39-years-old in October, so don’t expect the front office to give him any more money after his $32 million, two-year deal expires. Meanwhile, Arrieta will be 32-years-old for the 2018 season and if he remains adamant about getting a $200 million deal, there’s no way the Cubs re-sign him, especially after not getting far in contract extension talks during the previous two winters.
That being said, Arrieta has expressed interest in wanting to return to the Cubs after 2017.
Jake Arrieta doesn't want to see his time end with the #Cubs, leaves door open to contract extension. He's a free agent after 2017 season. pic.twitter.com/d9sPFrbRdm
Regardless, I just can’t see him backing down from his demands, nor the Cubs giving in to those contract demands. And yes, he’s going to get a huge deal as a free agent.
Bam! Losing at least 40 percent of your starting rotation isn’t exactly what any team is looking forward to and that’s exactly why the Cubs are scooping up low-risk, high-reward pitchers. So, that’s why 2017 will be much more important for the future than you think.
Who are the options to come into the rotation in 2018? You might think the Cubs will just open up their pockets and look at free agency, but the starting pitching class is weak heading into the offseason. The next big option is via a trade, but we’ll get into that later on.
Right now, here are the guys the Cubs have who will have a shot to perform in 2017 and make a case to join the starting five in 2018.
Most Likely
Mike Montgomery
Hell, he might even be in the rotation this season, but some really bad things have to happen for Montgomery not to be in the starting rotation in 2018. The absolute worst-case scenario is Montgomery gets plenty of starts this year and he pitches poorly, so the Cubs figure that he’d be more valuable in the bullpen, where he’s been primarily used from since he was acquired from the Seattle Mariners. Otherwise, Montgomery is a lock to be in the rotation and did well the few times he did start for the Cubs last year.
Montgomery, 27, will be a free agent after the 2021 season.
Maybe…?
Eddie Butler
Alec Mills
Brett Anderson
Eddie Butler and Alec Mills are two starting pitchers the Cubs traded for with the Colorado Rockies and Kansas City Royals, respectively. These two right-handed pitchers are the classic reclamation projects. Butler is a former first-round pick, who was painfully underwhelming with the Rockies, while Mills was let go after the Royals signed Jason Hammel despite a nice season in the Minor Leagues in 2016.
The numbers for Butler aren’t pretty. He made 28 starts with the Rockies, making 36 total appearances over three seasons and ended up with a 6.50 ERA in 159.1 innings. That includes a 1.77 WHIP. Bad. So, what’s the hope for Butler?
Check out this FanGraphs article by Eno Sarris, who breaks down an incredible changeup that Butler once had, but lost and needs to get back to become effective. The positive? Butler appears to have developed a good slider and still throws 93 mph, but the game-changer for Butler remains getting back his changeup.
That’s a good pitch. He’s still throwing 93. The sinker has decent outcomes (55% grounders, 5% whiffs, both above average). He’s found a slider. That’s the now for Eddie Butler, and it’s more exciting than his results were last year.
The future? If it works out for him, and for the Cubs, who could use starting-pitching depth behind the six they’ll have in the majors, it’ll have more to do with his past than his present. He’ll find that changeup again, and he’ll find that promise that once made him a first-round pick and a Futures Game GIF monster.
(Eno Sarris)
There’s some guy on the Cubs who I’ve heard has a pretty good changeup.
Maybe he can help out Butler.
For Mills, there are some positives. He had Tommy John Surgery in 2013, but came back and pitched extremely well in 2015, which was his first full professional season. Mills made 21 starts in 2015, posting a 3.02 ERA in 113.1 innings. Then, he made the jump to Double-A last year and was more impressive, lowering his ERA to 2.39 over 67.2 innings. Overall in 2016, Mills recorded a 3.22 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 125.2 innings.
Mills is 25-years-old, while Butler turns 26 in March. They’ll both see some action with the Cubs this year, as the club continues to emphasize not over-working their starting pitchers and eventually using a six-man rotation later in the year.
Brett Anderson is going to be an intriguing option for the Cubs after this year. The lefty signed a one-year deal, with a bunch of incentives. The key for Anderson is obviously staying healthy because the rundown on his injury history is ridiculous. Bleacher Nation’s Michael Cerami wrote about Anderson and went through all of the pitcher’s stints on the disabled list.
April 27, 2010: 15-day DL with left elbow inflammation and forearm strain
June 4, 2010: 15-day DL
June 7, 2011: 15-day DL with left elbow soreness
July 31, 2011: Transferred to 60-day DL
March 13, 2013: 60-day DL
May 1, 2013: 15-day DL with sprained right ankle
June 14th, 2013: Transferred to 60-day DL
April 13, 2014: 15-day DL with fractured left index finger
April 25, 2014: Transferred to 60-day DL
August 6, 2014: 15-day DL with lower back strain
August 16, 2014: Transferred to 60-day DL
April 3, 2016: 60-day DL after back surgery
August 23, 2016: 15-day DL with left index finger blister
Anderson is 29-years-old and since making his MLB debut in 2009, he’s made 115 starts, including some great stretches with the Oakland A’s and the Colorado Rockies. However, those great performances by Anderson were in 2010, 2011 and most recently in 2014. He did have a solid 2015 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, making 31 starts, with a 3.69 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 180.1 innings.
So yes, Anderson has shown more than just a few flashes of being a good arm for a starting rotation, but if he can’t show the Cubs that he can stay healthy, he only made three starts with the Dodgers in 2016, then they’ll most likely move on from him. Yet, if he does get through a full season with no hiccups and pitches well, then he immediately becomes a priority for the Cubs. Again, the free agent market for pitchers after 2017 isn’t filled with many great options, so Anderson might get overpaid. Overpaying happens in free agency no matter what, so that wouldn’t be anything new. Just look at Rich Hill, who came out of nowhere during the previous year and a half and earned himself a three-year, $48 million deal this past offseason.
As a Cubs fan, you want them to re-sign Anderson because that means he was pretty damn good in 2017.
The Young Arms
Rob Zastryzny
Duane Underwood Jr.
Dylan Cease
Trevor Clifton
What have the Cubs done better than any other team in MLB during the past five years? Draft, trade for and develop star position players. What’s been lacking? Not much young star power in terms of pitching in the farm system. They’ve tried, drafting 107 pitchers since Theo Epstein took over, but as CSN Chicago’s Patrick Mooney pointed out last week, only Zastryzny has reached the MLB level out of the 107.
Zastryzny is the most feasible from this group to make the rotation in 2018. The 24-year-old made his MLB debut in August of 2016, and was fantastic out of the bullpen. He pitched 16 innings, posted a 1.13 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, surrendering only a .207 batting average and .497 OPS to hitters. That came after making 68 starts in the Minors from 2013-16.
Cool, but what would be even better is if one of the other three pitchers has an incredible breakout 2017 and somehow gets into the conversation of making the rotation in 2018. Yet, that chance is slim.
Will Underwood finally live up to his potential and stay healthy? Time will tell for the 22-year-old, who is on the 40-man roster and will pitch for the Cubs down in Arizona this spring training. In 2016, Underwood struggled at Double-A Tennessee, going 0-5, with a 4.91 ERA in 13 starts.
Meanwhile, Clifton and Cease haven’t even pitched above the A-ball level. Clifton was the minor league pitcher of the year for the Cubs in 2016, leading the Carolina League with a 2.88 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and .225 appoints batting average.
Cease, 21, has only pitched 68.2 innings in the minors. Again, these guys are long, long, very long shots to even enter the discussion of the starting rotation.
The rotation can be a problem in 2018, but it’s not all doom and gloom for Epstein and the rest of the front office. They’ll continue to draft pitchers, and at this point pitching coach Chris Bosio has proven to turn around careers of underachieving pitchers.
In Theo we trust, right?
Yep. But it is something to keep your eye on and see who the Cubs look for to be in the starting rotation in 2018 and beyond.
Jimmy Garoppolo is fast becoming the top quarterback target of the 2017 NFL off-season. Many view him as the best option available in any market, including the upcoming draft class. The Chicago Bears have already been connected to him. Word is GM Ryan Pace likes him and believes he can build a competitive team around his talents.
Edelman says Garoppolo has 'Favre, Rodgers Confidence'
The Bears are expected to make a strong push once the new league year becomes active in March. Problem is they aren’t expected to be the only team. Both the Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers are very much in the Garoppolo mix, and they have the advantage of holding a higher volume of draft picks in addition to high draft position.
In other words it will take a degree of good luck for the Bears to land Garoppolo. However, their reasoning for doing so is pretty straightforward. His Illinois roots. The arm strength and accuracy combination. Mobile and athletic. A confident thrower of the football. The tools are there.
What many aren’t discussing is the ever-so-subtle added reason they might be targeting him. One that could prove to be a coup of the highest order.
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So yes, Anderson has shown more than just a few flashes of being a good arm for a starting rotation, but if he can’t show the Cubs that he can stay healthy, he only made three starts with the Dodgers in 2016, then they’ll most likely move on from him. Yet, if he does get through a full season with no hiccups and pitches well, then he immediately becomes a priority for the Cubs. Again, the free agent market for pitchers after 2017 isn’t filled with many great options, so Anderson might get overpaid. Overpaying happens in free agency no matter what, so that wouldn’t be anything new. Just look at Rich Hill, who came out of nowhere during the previous year and a half and earned himself a three-year, $48 million deal this past offseason.