Cubs acquire Anthony Rizzo from San Diego; Andrew Cashner to Padres

[PKBadger]

http://www.mlbtraderumors...p;utm_source=twitterfeed

 

Which means that, in all likelihood, Prince Fielder will not be wearing a Cubs uniform in the near future. (Not that I think Epstein was ever seriously considering it anyway.)

 

Our nightmare is over.

[jjfanec]

Young power arm (who was recently injured) for a young power bat. I think the trade has less risk for the Cubs since Cashner is coming off an injury so it is a win for them there. However, I usually side with the team that gets the young arm over the team that gets the bat. All in all it seems like a good deal for both sides. I know little about Rizzo but his minors number look good and his majors number look like a guy who was rushed. Cashner was one of the few promising young players near or at the majors for the Cubs

[monty57]

The Padres will use Cashner out of the bullpen, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets.

 

I don't know why you would trade your top prospect for a promising young starter and then stick him in the bullpen.

 

Which means that, in all likelihood, Prince Fielder will not be wearing a Cubs uniform in the near future.

 

And Boras will not be able to use the Cubs as leverage in negotiations. The few teams still in talks with Prince's team are probably pretty happy about this trade.

[MadisonBrewerBlue]

wow....i watched rizzo mash in tucson last season. he is an upgrade over pena from 2010 for the cubs. prince is out of the mix in chicago.

[RedFlash2]

I believe the Cubs were NEVER in on Prince Fielder. Didn't fit into what Theo was saying. I think Cubs inclusion was a media and/or Boras creation trying to create a market for his client. Now that there is no NY/LA/Chicago/Boston in the talks, Boras is likely crying in a fetal position.

 

As for the deal, Cashner has more upside but Rizzo is more likely to reach his ceiling. I'm hoping Adrian Gonzalez lite with Rizzo. Prolly a longshot, but hey one can dream right? More likely a rich man's version of Adam LaRoche. I like Cashner but it will be at least 2 years before he'll be a starter. A #1 prospect for essentially a reliever? That's a win for the Cubs and that doesn't include Cates .v. Na.

 

As for Cates .v. Na, a power bullpen arm .v. a potential 4th OFer? Sign me up.

 

Great trade for us Cubs, and it's great to have a competent front office.

[brettac1]

That's totally correct. They just weren't going to sign a guy when they weren't in position to win, and they clearly aren't at this point.

[paul253]

This is something I'm surprised we don't see more of. Prospect for prospect trades. A few years ago I was calling for a Lawrie-Pineda trade with Seattle. No idea if it would have happened but with Milwaukee in desperate need of pitching then and Seattle in need of offense it would have made sense for both teams.

 

I think this is a good move for Chicago, especially if Cashner was a bullpen guy. I think they'll eventually end up trading Garza for a pitching prospect or two. Reports were that Toronto was offering Kyle Drabek.

[Ennder]

Yet another nice move for the Cubs, starting to get worried that they will actually get things turned around now that they have a real GM.

[PKBadger]

The Padres will use Cashner out of the bullpen, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets.

 

I don't know why you would trade your top prospect for a promising young starter and then stick him in the bullpen.

 

I've read a number of tweets and ESPN chats logs where Keith Law has answered questions about Cashner. He feels that the best option is to use him in the bullpen 2012 to build up arm strength after the injury and then move him to the rotation for 2013. It sounds like the Padres follow the same line of thought.

[DHonks]

Kegstand81, I was hoping the Cubs would sign Fielder. A Soriano-like 10 year contract would have been a beautiful thing.

[brettac1]

Yet another nice move for the Cubs, starting to get worried that they will actually get things turned around now that they have a real GM.

Yeah, for sure. I felt they were going to get good once I started to read up and listen to Ricketts, and then especially when they got Theo. When they do get good, it won't be once every few years like it was with Hendry. That's the scary thing.

[TheCrew07]

For me this comes down to what Cashner's future will be... is he just a reliever? Are the Cubs selling high on someone they believe will have injury issues or will never reign in his control to maximize his potential?

 

If Cashner becomes a reliever I think this is a better trade for the Cubs. If Cashner can master his control and moves into the top of the rotation, then San Deigo becomes the clear winner.

 

Cashner was intriguing to follow, and I'm not sorry he's out of the division given his live arm but he's a shoulder injury guy now... and my gut feeling is the Cubs will not regret this trade, unless Rizzo falls flat on his face, which doesn't seem likely.

[dlk9s]

My god, the Padres have no idea what they're doing.

[SoCal Brew Crew Fan]

Yet another nice move for the Cubs, starting to get worried that they will actually get things turned around now that they have a real GM.

We can only hope they buckle under the pressure of Chicago sports talk radio and revert to their normal idiocy...but with their minor league talent, a real GM for once and a potentially large payroll, I can't help but think they are going to own the second half of the decade in the NL Central.

[dadofandrew]

I've liked what SD has done so far, and the GM has a fine track record in ARI, they just needed a few adjustments and they won 90 games. Cashner may well be used as a reliever to protect him or set him up for success, but I do not feel he means long term, unless they see him as a dominant closer. I like Alonso more than Rizzo, especially in SD, as Rizzo sounds like a masher, with Alonso more a line drive guy.

[molitor fan]

This sexual assault allegation against Castro could really impact the longterm future of the Cubs, who are starting to put some things in place to make them a much more consistently competitive team

[jjfanec]

[quote author=SoCal Brew Crew Fan wrote:

[/b]

We can only hope they buckle under the pressure of Chicago sports talk radio and revert to their normal idiocy...but with their minor league talent, a real GM for once and a potentially large payroll, I can't help but think they are going to own the second half of the decade in the NL Central.

What minor league talent are you talking about? Most of their prospects had rough years last year. They might have a had a good draft but they had a bottom half of the league system before that draft

[RockCoCougars]

Now that Theo is in charge, the Brewers should just forfeit the next ten seasons. The impossible task of matching wits with this baseball god will just serve to demoralize the fanbase. Better to just close up shop and hope to retool once Epstein moves on.

[jjfanec]

RockCoCougars]Now that Theo is in charge, the Brewers should just forfeit the next ten seasons. The impossible task of matching wits with this baseball god will just serve to demoralize the fanbase. Better to just close up shop and hope to retool once Epstein moves on.

Exactly! Theo is the greatest gm ever. We should appeal to Bud to move back to the AL instead of Houston. If Melvin made these same moves there wouldnt be half the love

[TheCrew07]

I love the "if Melvin made these kind of moves" card because it's completely unprovable and unsupportable.... he doesn't make prospect trades, he doesn't even really ever trade for legit prospects. Which is exactly the problem that many people have with the man, he's all about proven talent, regardless of age and/or current effectiveness. People don't hate on Doug for the sake of hating on him, they hate on him because they have legitimate concerns about the sustainability of the franchise past this season.

 

I'm not sure what else can literally be said, it's all been covered by numerous posts in a variety of posts in every forum on this board. It's pretty easy to understand why people like Melvin, but it's not all that difficult to understand the counterpoints either.

 

In my opinion he's just a very average GM. He's not an innovator, he's not out in front of the market, he simply sticks to a set strategy and let's it run its course every year, then starts over again. He's done some very good things for the organization, the Brewers made an NLCS on his watch, but those positives don't wash away the baggage and the negatives that come along with him.

 

This deal is hard to evaluate because Cashner is a wildcard for me, I don't have a firm opinion on him as a prospect or starting pitcher, he would be the Cubs version of Cody Scarpetta for me (though he throws harder than Cody). If Scarpetta would be traded for a potential impact bat I'd most likely be luke warm to the idea because I'm not sold he's a starting pitcher long term and position players carry more value than relievers. Actually, Cashner is probably a combination of Jeffress/Scarpetta, but I would feel similarly about that fictitious player. A not so young fireballer with a good 2nd pitch but no control and a bit of an injury history... how do you realistically project such a player without seeing them pitch every 5th day?

[jjfanec]

This deal is hard to evaluate because Cashner is a wildcard for me, I don't have a firm opinion on him as a prospect or starting pitcher, he would be the Cubs version of Cody Scarpetta for me (though he throws harder than Cody). If Scarpetta would be traded for a potential impact bat I'd most likely be luke warm to the idea because I'm not sold he's a starting pitcher long term and position players carry more value than relievers. Actually, Cashner is probably a combination of Jeffress/Scarpetta, but I would feel similarly about that fictitious player. A not so young fireballer with a good 2nd pitch but no control and a bit of an injury history... how do you realistically project such a player without seeing them pitch every 5th day?

Cashner is a much better prospect that Scarpetta. Cashner was a big name in the draft and has already been in the majors. He had some control problems his first year in the minors but after that he wasnt Jeffress bad. If he ends up a reliever it is a good trade but it sounds like SD will pitch him out of the pen for one year to build up his arm strength.

[RockCoCougars]

I don't think that Rizzo is a slam dunk by any means. Granted, he's very young and seasoned for his age, but at the same time he didn't set the world on fire during his cup of coffee last year. Going further, baseball history is riddled with guys who put up huge numbers in the PCL and turned out as complete flops. This may turn out to be a great trade for the Cubs, but I wouldn't use it as a centerpiece of Theo's nomination for executive of the year just yet.

[TooLiveBrew]

EDIT: got rid of ad hominem post

It'll be interesting to see how Rizzo does. Obviously he's thought of highly for more than just his stats in the minors, since he was the main piece sent for Adrian Gonzalez & has now been re-acquired by the same dude who traded him to the Pads. The more I've learned about baseball, & especially MiLB, is that minor league stats are not necessarily a reliable way to assess a prospect. Just because someone shines statistically doesn't make him a legit prospect, & just because someone flops at a given level or levels doesn't make him a bust or dud either.

[jjfanec]

EDIT: got rid of ad hominem post

It'll be interesting to see how Rizzo does. Obviously he's thought of highly for more than just his stats in the minors, since he was the main piece sent for Adrian Gonzalez & has now been re-acquired by the same dude who traded him to the Pads. The more I've learned about baseball, & especially MiLB, is that minor league stats are not necessarily a reliable way to assess a prospect. Just because someone shines statistically doesn't make him a legit prospect, & just because someone flops at a given level or levels doesn't make him a bust or dud either.

He is still pretty young and takes a good amount of walks. His lack of power over 69 games in the majors last year was surprising. I know SD isnt a hitters park but he didnt have much pop. Looking at his minors numbers I will chalk that up to being brought up too fast.

[JohnBriggs12]

wow....i watched rizzo mash in tucson last season. he is an upgrade over pena from 2010 for the cubs. prince is out of the mix in chicago.

The plan is to start the year with 29 year old Brian LaHair who did as much mashing in the PCL as Rizzo and more than Gamel for that matter at 1B. If LaHair hits well, they've created more value they can deal to eventually make room for Rizzo.