Dexter Fowler traded to Cubs

Peacock is recovering from an injury and will likely not be competing for the fifth starter spot in ST.

 

Over the last 2 seasons Dominguez has gotten On base at a 27% clip. Valbuena has gotten on at a 34% clip.

Over the last 2 seasons Fowler has gotten on at a 37% clip and Gattis has gotten on at a 30% clip.

And over the last 2 seasons Lowrie has gotten on at a 33% clip and Gonzalez has gotten on at a 30% clip.

Is our team OBP really much worse? I would say we have at least replaced it in the aggregate. Still not a good OBP team, but not worse.

 

i've always like straily. He looked good coming up...could definitely recapture it.

I like the trade given the OF glut. Seems to say Gattis will get more time in LF at least to start, while we sort out Singleton.

 

IIRC by defensive metrics, Carter is a better defensive LFer viz-a-viz Gattis.

 

Outfield glut is gone, now time to clean up the catcher glut. If we can include a catcher as one of the pieces in a deal for a legit SP then I will be ecstatic.

 

Who's the catcher we'd be most likely to trade? Corporan, given the reports the Stros spoke to the Rangers about him?

 

I think the Astros are trying to trade Castro, but aren't willing to simply give him away for peanuts.

If they don't get a decent offer for him they will go ahead and flip Corporan.

 

I'm hoping that changes when adjusting for park. (i.e. Gattis will be better than Carter in MMP, and Carter would be worse than Gattis at Turner)

If not and if Gattis really is that awful, then clearly there's another plan and it's Singleton/Gattis/Carter at 1B/DH, with Gattis getting spot starts at C (probably becoming someone's personal catcher --> catching 35 games a season)

 

Stephen Strasburg might be available but for how much

 

Strasburg and Zimmerman are apparently available. Craziness. Yeah, you'd have to give up a lot to get either but they're both on the right side of 30. Zimmerman is eligible to be a FA after this season, so his price tag might be too high to retain. Strasburg doesn't get FA until 2017 but would likely cost more in a trade.

If I'm Luhnow, I at least call to see what their starting point is.

 

I love the trade. I believe Valbuena will be our starting 3b, he has power, and gets on base. Strailey, this guy is going to start as our number 5 starter, but he has the stuff to be a number 3 starter. Always has nice whip numbers, his problem is the home run. If he can improve a little bit on the homers allowed, he will be a number 3 for us.

 

Fairly certain Luhnow has already put in 15 calls on Strasburg. I'd offer Appel + Castro. The Nats would probably ask for Correa.

 

I keep thinking the Astros may just be trying to become a deep team. If that is the case, Astros would likely be shopping Corporan and not Castro. Not much to support this notion other than just pure speculation on my part. Though Castro would still be available.

 

This was a good trade. I liked.

 

As a Cubs fan, what should I be expecting from Fowler? I think it's a good trade for both sides.

Just saw Straily the other day at the Cubs Convention, looked happy. Can't really speak for him on the mound much, didn't get to see him pitch enough. Valbuena is a solid 3B though, he was one of our better hitters last season. I know the Cubs are basically making this move to clear 3B for Bryant who'll probably be up in late April.

 

Very good on-base skills, some power, mediocre defense, mediocre baserunning, 40 games on the DL.

 

So basically a future depth player. Kind of what I was expecting anyway, we do need some depth in the outfield.

 

He'll be a free agent after this season. He probably should be starting in a corner OF position to mitigate his decreasing range this season.

 

Also a guy Astros management was apparently intimidated by as he should have been playing RF or LF and Marisnick or Springer should have been in CF.