Here's the opposite approach....suggested KW strategy

[caulfield12]

It's all good.

 

Roll with Humber for 1-2 more starts. You don't let Hernandez, Castro or Axelrod start again.

 

You wait for all the first tier guys to be traded at the deadline and just patiently blow up the prices for those guys without pulling the trigger. Shields has too much wear and tear on his arm from all the deep playoff runs to take a risk on committing to him long-term. Josh Johnson, same concerns, even more expensive to acquire.

 

 

That leaves you just needing to win a war of attrition with the A's, Rays, Orioles, etc. At best, you take the division. At worst, you have Chris Sale for one game against Weaver or Darvish/Harrison/Holland.

 

 

Right now, you're diligently identifying all those guys like Liriano, maybe Garza (because of the injury) or Maholm, Vargas, Blanton, Kevin Correia from the Pirates, Jorge DeLa Rosa...you find two of those guys that Cooper really likes (having perhaps identified a simple mechanical fix) and bring them in to audition for 2013. None of those guys would be starters that would be offered $12.5 million or more in arbitration. So basically, you've got a three-pronged approach.

 

1) You preserve Sale, Peavy and Quintana so they're able to go late into the season and post-season

2) You still have the option to use Danks but you don't have to force him into the rotation if he's not ready

3) You have the luxury to audition Floyd, Liriano and starter #6 for the 2013 team.

 

One of the better second tier pitchers, you can trade them Humber + a prospect (15-30) to acquire that guy.

The other one, you can use your depth of relief pitchers in combination with Johnson/Snodgress/Rienzo/Molina/Castro/Hernandez/Santiago.

 

It's going to be a BIT tricky passing pitchers through waivers, but not every team competing for the playoffs has the financial flexibility we do because of the Myers/Youk trades AND because of possible insurance money on the Danks contract.

 

 

There's no pitcher that we could reach a consensus would be the ace to push in front of Sale for a possible Wild Card sudden death playoff game, agreed?

 

Not Greinke, based on this season, not Cliff Lee, not Shields. Chris Sale would obviously be the starter against the Rangers or Angels, so Greinke's not worth nearly as much as we're making it out to be because he's only going to get 4-5-6 starts at USCF, and it won't affect our bottom line of revenue THAT much once kids go back to school in mid-August.

 

You can accomplish all of this without having to give up Viciedo, Floyd, Quintana, Reed and maybe even Jones. You might have to give up Walker/Mitchell/Thompson/Saladino.

 

In the end, those two additional starters give you lots of insurance, they prevent having to go to a minor leaguer again in the stretch drive, they protect Sale/Peavy/Quintana, they allow you to match-up with opposing teams week by week and they really solidify the back half of your pen with veteran experience when/if Danks does come back.

 

There's always the possibility Myers likes it here and we decide to keep him instead of Floyd for 2013, but to use as a starter again. This preserves all kinds of financial flexibility going into 2013 and doesn't commit us to someone we don't want to be stuck with going forward.

Edited July 27, 2012 by caulfield12

[Jerksticks]

Amen!

 

My opinion is that KW is quietly building a young powerhouse. The pitching stables are deep, and the low minors may be riddled with talent. He has done exactly what Theo n Kids are supposedly trying to do. Don't listen to Keith Law and sorts because this farm is stacked and produces MLB talent like crazy. Imagine if Beckham was the stud he looked like in 2009. We'd be nearly unstoppable.

 

So I vote to stay the course and keep the stables full as well.

 

KW4MVP

[caulfield12]

One less big name crossed off the list.

 

Down to Josh Johnson (maybe), Dempster, Shields (maybe), Garza (maybe, due to injury).

 

Shields' innings pitched the last 3-4 seasons, and the 6+ ERA in this recent stretch really doesn't do much for this season at all.

Would depend on what they're asking. The cost probably will be be prohibitive.

[Wanne]

I still wouldn't mind Vargas...

[caulfield12]

 

2. Rotation mortar: Matt Garza, James Shields, Paul Maholm

 

Cubs president Theo Epstein and GM Jed Hoyer are looking to turn any short-term asset into long-term ones. Garza has pitched well in both leagues and in the postseason, bringing a level of security to a contender. Likewise, Shields is a valuable innings eater, but the Rays are not expected to move him unless it's a clear win for them in terms of what's coming back.

 

Maholm is essentially the same lefthanded pitcher as (Wandy) Rodriguez -- only younger and hotter. Like Dempster, Maholm is a rising stock. Over his past six games, he is 5-0 with a 0.94 ERA -- looking a lot like the potential Fister of 2012.

 

3. Discount rack: Francisco Liriano, Kevin Correia, Randy Wolf, Jeff Francis

 

How does a guy who allows fewer hits than innings pitch to a 5.31 ERA? The problem with Liriano is he looks great when he controls his slider and awful when he doesn't. "He can give you seven [innings] or 2 1/3 -- that's the problem with counting on him," said a scout.

 

Said another evaluator, "There were a ton of teams there to watch him the other day (against the White Sox) -- and by the second inning they were all out of there."

 

Correia is expendable because of the Pirates' acquisition of Rodriguez, and could be worth a flier for another NL team. His low strikeout rate is a warning to AL teams. Wolf, after an awful first half, has put together back-to-back quality starts.

 

Francis may be the best bargain out there, with Toronto heavily interested in bringing the lefthander back to his home country. He's been so good lately that the Rockies let him blow through their 75-pitch limit in his last start; he threw 97. And get this: With that win by Francis, the Rockies were 8-2 with Francis since they signed him June 9, and 5-25 with anybody else getting the ball.

 

 

 

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writ...l#ixzz21rQs48tf

[chw42]

I still wouldn't mind Vargas...

 

He's going to be a trainwreck at the Cell. 5.93 FIP on the road, 3.5 at Safeco.

[caulfield12]

KW has to be scouring the rosters for ground out/sinker guys who have the ability to pick up 6-7 K's per game.

 

A pretty short list.

Edited July 28, 2012 by caulfield12

[knightni]

Joe Blanton would be a great underrated acquisition.

[GoodAsGould]

Joe Blanton would be a great underrated acquisition.

 

I would not be a fan, I don't think Blanton gives us anything better than what we got with Humber outside maybe of a few more innings. If we going under the radar maybe the Wsox should look and see if the Nats will move John Lannan or Paul Maholm from the Cubs. I think if KW makes a move it will be something none of us see coming like Liriano or Romero.

[knightni]

I would not be a fan, I don't think Blanton gives us anything better than what we got with Humber outside maybe of a few more innings. If we going under the radar maybe the Wsox should look and see if the Nats will move John Lannan or Paul Maholm from the Cubs. I think if KW makes a move it will be something none of us see coming like Liriano or Romero.

Romero is very pricey, Liriano is injury-prone, Lannan and Maholm are not an improvement.

 

Lannan does intrigue me from a "fix-em" approach for the offseason, though.

[GoodAsGould]

Romero is very pricey, Liriano is injury-prone, Lannan and Maholm are not an improvement.

 

Lannan does intrigue me from a "fix-em" approach for the offseason, though.

 

Not sure how you want Blanton but than say lannan and maholm aren't an improvement. Romero is pricey but he is having a tough season and is a guy who can be a top of rotation starter with maybe a few adjustments and no duh on liriano. The top guys are off the market you can find flaws with anyone else but that's why their trade value isn't as high.

[caulfield12]

Lannan has to be considered a possibility.

 

Pitchers whose teams don't want to carry their salary for the remainder of the season or have an option for next year, etc.

 

Let's see how Humber does tonight...hard to be optimistic, but he showed up against the Red Sox. Totally erratic, though, from game to game.

 

Dice-K is another of those guys, but doesn't seem likely the Red Sox are going to want to help us again after YOUK has performed so well for us. Then again, not even John Henry is beyond wanting some salary relief with so many bad contracts on that team. He's supposed to come back soon. Fits the profile of a guy who's going to be passed through waivers in early August.