Jays targetting Jeff Samardzija and/or Ryan Hanigan

[Angrioter]

Kyle Franzoni

Now, the Cubs are pretty stacked in terms of outfield depth and on the left side of the diamond, as both areas feature some of the best prospects in the game. However, the Cubs will be looking for help in three areas; pitching, catching, and the right side of the infield. Their window of competitiveness is also a couple of years away, meaning that Toronto doesn’t necessarily have to part with anything that is close to a finished product.

 

So what would a reasonable package include:

 

Sean Nolin – Nolin may be more of a finished product than the Cubs would really be looking for, but that could play out well for the Cubs, at least in terms of pitching. Nolin showed some solid promise last season at Double-A, but he tends to fall down the depth chart a bit, so the Blue Jays could see fit to part with him.

 

Mitch Nay – Nice power option with a quick bat, Nay currently plays third base, but could move across the diamond on a deeper team. The Cubs could use that profile at first base, right across the diamond from Kris Bryant.

 

Chase DeJong – Toronto is going to have to give up a young arm that they are high on, and DeJong may be that guy. Just 19-years-old, he’s made short work of the rookie leagues and could be tough to part with.

 

Andy Burns – A 23-year-old, Burns had a solid showing in 2013, making the jump to Double-A. Another third baseman by trade, Burns worked out at first in the AFL and has also seen time at second base, which may make him attractive to the Cubs.

 

 

Michael Wray

My proposed package for Samardzija would be as follows:

RHP Kyle Drabek, OF Anthony Gose, LHP Sean Nolin, LHP Daniel Norris, LHP Tyler Ybarra, SS Richard Urena.

My premise is definitely “quantity over quality” but avoids the issue of having to part with either Aaron Sanchez or Marcus Stroman. Blue Jays fans may feel that I’m being too generous but I’m skeptical the Cubs would bite on this offer without at least Stroman involved.

I cherry-picked a few (okay, most) of those names based on tweets from Baseball America’s Ben Badler (which were picked up by Chicago Now) who dropped Ybarra’s name and referred to D.J. Davis, Mitch Nay, Dawel Lugo, Alberto Tirado,and Urena as “secondary trade chips”.

Drabek and Gose would most likely contribute to the Cubs in 2014 and as former top prospects may still have enough shine to bring something back of value to Toronto.

 

Norris probably saw his stock drop a bit across baseball after he struggled with fastball command in Lansing this season but was much better in the second half and is still oozing potential.

 

Urena is a 17-year-old defensive wizard that MLB.com ranked as the ninth best International prospect in 2012. For a teenage he handles the bat well and his MLB.com profile refers to him as “soft-spoken and humble” and makes note of “his good makeup and overall character.”

That all being said, if I were the Cubs I probably would not accept my package (at least not yet). I see them holding out for basically a better collection of young players and the Blue Jays may not have enough highly regarded to make this deal work.

 

 

Justin Jay

For all accounts, the going word is that the Chicago Cubs are looking for 3-4 top young prospects in a package for Jeff Samardzija. That said, the Blue Jays will need to put together a solid package if they intend to acquire the right-hander.

 

If the Toronto Blue Jays make a trade with the Chicago Cubs, it should be a blockbuster. Let me preface this by saying I am AGAINST trading our young arms, but realistically we’re more-than-likely going to have to for a trade like this. I’m hoping to come up with a fair remedy for that dilemma however. I’m familiar with Theo Esptein trades during rebuilding phases and the man does not stray from the plan. Since it’s obvious what Toronto needs at this time, what are the Cubs weaknesses and Toronto’s strengths?

 

First and foremost, the Cubs are looking to go cheap during the rebuilding phase. With Jeff Samardzija going into arbitration at already $2.64M this past season, he’s probably going to see a significant upgrade in pay (Editor’s note: MLBTR projects $4.9M). Typically, Epstein tries to avoid arbitration and if he’s trading somebody like the Shark, it’s because he can’t hammer out some pre-arbitration agreement. So enter Toronto.

 

Yes, this sounds a bit crazy, but why not dangle the potential of Brandon Morrow out there. The Cubs still need a pitcher. They do have starters in the pen like Justin Grimm, old Jays friend Carlos Villanueva, and if they’re very desperate, Daniel Bard. With Travis Wood as the Cubs current #1 (I refuse to call him an Ace), Morrow’s 1 year at $10M with a 2015 buyout of $1M might appeal to Theo. Epstein has no young arms ready and it may prevent the Jays from having to give up a guy like Marcus Stroman or Aaron Sanchez, or both. As stated before, it sheds Toronto of $10M. If Toronto wanted to make the offer look more appealing however, they could pick up some of that Morrow money for the Cubs.

 

So while we’re at it, Toronto’s need for catcher won’t be filled through the Cubs organization, but their 2B spot could be. The Cubs have a plethora of young middle infield talent, but not as much in the outfield. SS Javier Baez is more than ready for The Show, is practically untouchable, and could be up sooner rather than later. He probably won’t move to 3B because the Cubs will most likely give Mike Olt the shot to play 3B being that he’s 25. Behind Baez is SS Arismendy Alcantara, another guy the Cubs are high on. This makes Starlin Castro, who took a step back last season, expendable. He is signed to a lengthy, back loaded contract through 2019, with a team option for 2020. Moving Castro to 2B would immediately stop the train of 2B coming through Toronto, especially if he’s committed and focused. It’s because of that lack of focus and maturity that has possibly put Castro on the outs in Chi-town and he may be obtainable with a decent (ie, NOT Stroman or Sanchez) pitching prospect and Anthony Gose or Moises Sierra.

 

Like I said, I know this trade sounds a little crazy. I know that plenty of writers this offseason have killed the “you have to give something to get something” phrase to justify their means. When you’re Toronto however, teams around the league know this team is desperate to be a contender. AA showed his hand last season. Doing anything this offseason with a high payroll, last place finishing team, is not going to be easy. So a little outside the box thinking can’t hurt.

 

Shark Trade Bait

[GeorgiaPeach]

Maybe I see more potential in Sierra's bat than most people? Personally, I'd rather trot him out in LF than Cabrera.

 

There's potential. But, you're ignoring his defence which IMO doesn't play anywhere. His plus arm is wasted because he doesn't utilize it properly.

[Dr. Dinger]

C'mon Man........Sierra's f***ing garbage, he needs to be converted to a pitcher, and it won't likely happen with this org, as he's out of options.

 

I was saying this two years ago. This guy will never be a major league regular, his instincts are appalling.

[Angrioter]

Yesterday I saw Rafael Dolis throwing a bullpen session for Red Sox

[Angrioter]

I'm jelly you're so close to the action.

 

Dolis told me he does not want minor league contract, he prefers to play in Japan.

[Dr. Dinger]

He had to be told to wear sunglasses on a flyball? There's just no need for this type of behavior from an MLB player, and appalling is a perfect word to describe his instincts and baseball smarts.

 

Not to mention his baserunning. Just clueless.

[Angrioter]

Cubs Likely To Trade Samardzija This Offseason

 

Jeff Samardzija's name has been swirling about the rumor mill for quite some time, and David Kaplan of CSN Chicago reports that as many as eight teams have shown "considerable" interest in Samardzija. Kaplan lists the Blue Jays, Orioles, and Diamondbacks as frontrunners to land the pitcher often referred to as "Shark," though as Kaplan notes, the asking price is substantial.

 

One Major League source told Kaplan, "I don't see him throwing another pitch for the Cubs," while a second offered a laundry list of reasons that Samardzija is an excellent trade candidate: he has two years of control remaining, has no injury history, comes with relatively low mileage on his arm due to his prolific football career at Notre Dame and is an excellent clubhouse presence. "Add in the fact that this guy is a big-time competitor, and I would have no hesitation in acquiring him," said Kaplan's second source.

 

Kaplan points out that teams run a serious risk by waiting for resolution to the Masahiro Tanaka situation since teams that miss out on the Japanese standout will swarm on Samardzija and other alternatives. One NL scout suggested that if he were a GM and didn't have pockets deep enough to guarantee landing Tanaka, he'd give up more than he'd like to get the Cubs' hurler.

 

The Orioles are among the frontrunners for Samardzija but most scouts that Kaplan checked in with do not expect the Cubs to trade for catcher Matt Wieters unless he was part of a much larger deal that also included young starting pitching that is nearly MLB ready.

 

Shark's value drops a bit.

[Angrioter]

[bbb44]

Keep that trade value going down cause heis a 4th or 5th starter that has the value of a couple mid level prospects

[Angrioter]

Keep that trade value going down cause heis a 4th or 5th starter that has the value of a couple mid level prospects

 

Cards or dodgers rotation?

[bbb44]

On a good team he is a 4th starter , 4 plus era that has logged 200 innings once with no proven track record .

 

AA is better of signing a like Scott Kazmir to a 2 yr contract and im guessing with the inflation this off season at 7 or 8 per and rolling the dice with either Stroman , Drabek or Hutch to start the season instead of dealing one or more of them for Shark

[ElNik2013]

Pressure builds on AA to get Samardzija and a catcher. Given the payroll inflexibility, I can see AA looking at the 5M Samardzija will make in arbitration and thinking if he can get him, he'd have money left over to go after a 2B like Infante or go after another SP. Good bye Sanchez and/or Stroman +

[jayswin11]

I'm still ok with the Marlins deal, but that Dickey trade really f***ed us.

[KingKat]

I'm still ok with the Marlins deal, but that Dickey trade really f***ed us.

 

Each trade f***ed the Jays in a different way. The prospects were better in the Dickey trade but the payroll flexibility hit of the Marlins trade was massive. It's basically why AA can't do anything now.

[jayswin11]

Each trade f***ed the Jays in a different way. The prospects were better in the Dickey trade but the payroll flexibility hit of the Marlins trade was massive. It's basically why AA can't do anything now.

 

Good point really I guess we would have been better off making neither deal. Or a much smaller one for Reyes only.

[TheHurl]

People really have to stop pretending we gave up nothing in the Marlins deal. Yunel and Henderson Alvarez are producing in the majors and out-produced the three returned last year. Even if you think he won't produce in the majors, Marisnick could be traded right now for an upgrade over half the Jays team. DiSclafani put up a 5.0 K/BB ratio over 130 innings last year. Number of pitchers in the Jays org who pitched 100 innings and had a 4.0 K/BB or higher...just one (Stroman 4.78). Then there is Hech and Nicolino.

[Abomination]

People really have to stop pretending we gave up nothing in the Marlins deal. Yunel and Henderson Alvarez are producing in the majors and out-produced the three returned last year. Even if you think he won't produce in the majors, Marisnick could be traded right now for an upgrade over half the Jays team. DiSclafani put up a 5.0 K/BB ratio over 130 innings last year. Number of pitchers in the Jays org who pitched 100 innings and had a 4.0 K/BB or higher...just one (Stroman 4.78). Then there is Hech and Nicolino.

 

I think you're overvaluing Marisnick, but time will tell. Alvarez hurt to lose, but I got a sense that he was refusing to make any adjustments and the coaching staff had it with him (don't know for sure, just my observations). We all know Yunel was traded for other reasons, and may very well have been released otherwise.

[vic city]

Each trade f***ed the Jays in a different way. The prospects were better in the Dickey trade but the payroll flexibility hit of the Marlins trade was massive. It's basically why AA can't do anything now.

 

To be fair...since the trade, we've gotten rid of Buck ($6M), Bonifacio ($2.6M) and JJ ($14.1M). Yes, Reyes and Buehrle are overpaid but trading Bono and not picking up JJ's QO are basically the ONLY reason why we have a little money to play with this offseason.

[vic city]

I think you're overvaluing Marisnick, but time will tell. Alvarez hurt to lose, but I got a sense that he was refusing to make any adjustments and the coaching staff had it with him (don't know for sure, just my observations). We all know Yunel was traded for other reasons, and may very well have been released otherwise.

 

This.

 

The only reason Yunel's season was so good (in comparison to Reyes) is because Reyes spent so much time on the DL and even when he got back he was only running at 75%. Plus Yunel burnt his bridge with the gay slur. f***, even Dana White fined/suspended Nate Diaz for calling another fighter a fag. These dudes are professional fighters and even then they're held to a certain professional standard.

 

Personally, I'm not that high on Marisnick. However I think Alvarez will have a decent career (me and Greg Zaun), but Reyes is a stud and will be much better next year. Plus we all know what to expect out of Buehrle (he's better than AJ Burnett, BJ Ryan, Joey Hamilton or any other pitching acquisition in ages!).

 

The NYM trade will likely hurt us more.

 

PS: I hate pitching with Dickey in MLB the show 13. I don't even know where the f*** I'm pitching the ball LOL

Edited November 28, 2013 by vic city

[vic city]

But we wouldn't have had JJ and Boni without making the Marlins trade. You seem to be arguing that the trade has increased our financial flexibility, and I don't understand that.

 

I see your point. But at the time it was a good trade to make (hence the empty seats in Miami). JJ alone is why the trade didn't work out for us but with his track record at the time of the trade, it would be hard for any of us not to pull that trigger.

 

Basically I think we're just cursed. Joe Carter wasn't supposed to hit that HR! The baseball gods called for a weak ground ball to SS but Joe was too strong for his own good, lining it into the LF bullpen. Now we're cursed forever...

[vic city]

Does anyone really want double a making any more trades.

 

I dont trust him anymore

 

Do you think his GM peers call him triple A behind his back? LOL

[Chappy]

Why did you leave the old forum

 

I'm planning on going back there

 

See ya.

[vic city]

Why did you leave the old forum

 

I'm planning on going back there

 

I don't know what's with all the forum hopping. The only reason I came here was because the old forum is DEAD and I just found out there's a different board. I don't care what forum I post in, I just want to be able to talk Jays and the other site is basically just DJBlueRay and WangDickeyJohnson. There's literally 20 posts per day on the other board.

 

I've never had problems with other posters from any board I've ever been on. Some people completely trash other people's opinions when they don't agree with them but I'm not about that. I just wanna talk Jays. The internet is a beautiful thing that some people try to turn ugly...

[KSaw]

Keep that trade value going down cause heis a 4th or 5th starter that has the value of a couple mid level prospects

 

Emerging front end starter. His value is well known and I'm only taking time to post here because I think that Toronto actually lands him. Cost? Some recent deals have shocked me but I'd guess Stroman, Drabek, a good low level prospect and Sierra.

 

I'll go further and say that if a deal gets done, AA pulls out of all talks with the big money SP free agents and inks Scott Kazmir to a 2-year deal for around $17.5 million.

[KSaw]

I have been super busy and also needed a baseball break after that awful season.

 

I like Jeff Samardzija a lot. I see him as primed to make a big jump to the next level, if not beyond. Get him out of Wrigley, put a pen behind him, toss in the one more year of maturation he just experienced and watch out.

[Chappy]

Emerging front end starter. His value is well known and I'm only taking time to post here because I think that Toronto actually lands him. Cost? Some recent deals have shocked me but I'd guess Stroman, Drabek, a good low level prospect and Sierra.

 

I'll go further and say that if a deal gets done, AA pulls out of all talks with the big money SP free agents and inks Scott Kazmir to a 2-year deal for around $17.5 million.

 

I would be shocked if it's Stroman. I'm guessing its Sanchez instead. Stroman is pretty much ready to step into the rotation and we will need that as insurance in AAA. Plus Sanchez probably fits in better with what the Cubs are trying to do with all their lower level prospects and considering he is further away and has the higher potential ceiling, I could see him being moved.

[GNick]

I would be shocked if it's Stroman. I'm guessing its Sanchez instead. Stroman is pretty much ready to step into the rotation and we will need that as insurance in AAA. Plus Sanchez probably fits in better with what the Cubs are trying to do with all their lower level prospects and considering he is further away and has the higher potential ceiling, I could see him being moved.

 

Toronto gonna trade their best prospect for Jeff Samardzija? It was hard enough for Anthopoulos to do it for RA Dickey. Then he wanted a window to negotiate 4 year control. Dickey was reigning Cy Young winner. What has Samardzija ever proven? Right now he's mid-rotation starter...Toronto could sign a guy, difference between the two isn't worth his best prospects.

[z3r0s]

Alvarez is still just as odd a pitcher as he was with the Jays. He put up a great FIP last year, but at the end of the day he's still a 5 K/9 player. Playing for the Fish will help him, but a 2.6% HR/FB not likely repeatable.

[KingKat]

Alvarez is still just as odd a pitcher as he was with the Jays. He put up a great FIP last year, but at the end of the day he's still a 5 K/9 player. Playing for the Fish will help him, but a 2.6% HR/FB not likely repeatable.

 

He's still a work in progress. When he was called up by the Jays, he still needed to work on developping a third pitch. He's been doing his development at the MLB level which is far from ideal but he's holding his own despite this.

[HERPDERP]

Acquiring Samard doesn't really seem productive unless we also make a move to get another mid rotation starter.

 

Him alone won't propel us past last place