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#Post#: 237575--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '15 (8/3 - 12/1)
DIR By: ben
Date: August 16, 2015, 8:04 pm
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Excuse me...the fit with Utley isn't obvious to me because we've
got several guys there who, together, seem pretty solid and it's
not clear how much Chase has left in the tank or what Rueben
Amaro would attempt to extract for him.
#Post#: 237577--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '15 (8/3 - 12/1)
DIR By: CUBluejays
Date: August 16, 2015, 8:05 pm
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2B right now is a giant hole. Coghlan can hit, but leaves a lot
to be desired on defense. Castro is Castro. Can he hit or field?
LaStella and Baez could fill in nicely or suck. Utley can at
least play some defense and should be able to hit some.
#Post#: 237584--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '15 (8/3 - 12/1)
DIR By: davep
Date: August 16, 2015, 9:02 pm
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Baez can play defense, and may hit a lot more than "some". But
I would much rather have Utley, if the price is not too steep.
His overall game is probably not much more than can be expected
from Coghlan.
It is always a good idea to keep on the lookout for the next
Gary Gaetti or Karos. But for that kind of gamble, you don't a
loss to harm you substantially.
#Post#: 237606--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '15 (8/3 - 12/1)
DIR By: Playtwo
Date: August 17, 2015, 12:08 pm
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Even with all of the young position players, the Cubs are up to
roughly 7th in the NL in runs scored/game. They are 7th in OBP
and 10th in SLG. Looking ahead as Bryant, Schwarber, Soler, et
al. progress (a year or two down the road), the Cubs are well
positioned to have one of the most potent offenses in the NL.
#Post#: 237608--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '15 (8/3 - 12/1)
DIR By: Playtwo
Date: August 17, 2015, 12:20 pm
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The Cub defense has seemed to be OK, but by advanced metrics
they are strong only at C, Rizzo, and Russell. Bryant is OK,
and LF has been OK (at least pre-Schwarber). Fowler, Soler, and
Castro are terrible. A major opportunity for improving the team
going forward will be to strengthen their up the middle defense
(2B and CF).
#Post#: 237609--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '15 (8/3 - 12/1)
DIR By: CUBluejays
Date: August 17, 2015, 12:40 pm
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You have to be careful with UZR/DRS. They can take between 1-3
years to stabilize.
#Post#: 237613--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '15 (8/3 - 12/1)
DIR By: Playtwo
Date: August 17, 2015, 1:19 pm
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Wittenmeyer says that the Cubs have made an offer for Utley:
HTML http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/7/71/883206/cubs-starlin-castro-ignores-reports-chase-utley-looms
In recent years, Utley has been a good offensive player (mostly
a bit above the current median performance for NL second
baseman, similar to this year's Coghlan). Only if Utley is
outstanding defensively would I feel strongly that he is worth
pursuing by the Cubs. Can anyone comment on his current
defensive abilities at 2B?
#Post#: 237614--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '15 (8/3 - 12/1)
DIR By: CUBluejays
Date: August 17, 2015, 1:29 pm
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Last year his UZ/150 was 8.5, which would put him in the above
average to great. This year it is -12, it might be down due to
the ankle injury or decline or both.
#Post#: 237616--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '15 (8/3 - 12/1)
DIR By: craig
Date: August 17, 2015, 4:55 pm
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--- Quote from: Playtwo link ---
> ....In recent years, Utley has been a good offensive player
(mostly a bit above the current median performance for NL second
baseman, similar to this year's Coghlan). Only if Utley is
outstanding defensively would I feel strongly that he is worth
pursuing by the Cubs. ...
--- End Quote ---
Defensively Coghlan is bad at 2B, and Castro is probably below
average, given his limited experience plus being kind of flaky.
So, I think so long as Utley is at least in the ballpark of
being average defensively, defensively he won't hurt and might
help significantly. Offensively could help significantly,
relative to castro. And he'd add depth and strengthen the
bench. So I'm pretty interested.
My premise is that he won't cost anybody very significant in
prospects, and that he'll mostly be a matter of taking on salary
burden. The way the Cubs season is going and the stadium is
filling, I think they can afford the payroll hit. If
Wittenberger is correct that the Cubs have made an offer, they
must not feel his payroll cost is prohibitive, so if they're not
worried about it I'm not either.
#Post#: 237617--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '15 (8/3 - 12/1)
DIR By: CurtOne
Date: August 17, 2015, 5:03 pm
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"Kind of flaky"?
Craig's getting soft.
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