OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post

JAF373 · 04-19-2022, 02:17 AM

August 1, 2023

A week prior to the Deadline, we were in an odd spot standings-wise. At 3.5 GB of the Cardinals and a half-game back of the Reds, the NL Central was clearly "doable," but the odds were likely in the 20-25% range. Still, the fans have stuck with us through two terrible years, and I felt it was worth it to make some additions (beyond Sandy Alcantara) to make a real run for the division crown. It's a flawed roster, but the weakness of the division dictated our Deadline strategy.

The market for bats was exceedingly weak, though we did find a useful bat right at the gun on Deadline day. Given our injury situation (Kershaw out all year, Manaea/Beeks another 1-2 weeks on the shelf) I poked around for another starter, but ended up focusing more so on multi-inning relief arms.

07/24/23: Acquired RHP Kirby Yates from Philadelphia for RHP Isaiah Magwood

-Yates, 36, signed a 1-year, $6M deal with the Phillies in the offseason and was reasonably effective over 32 IP. His strikeout stuff has dipped a bit, but he's still a reliable mid/late inning arm. Our setup duo of Bryan Garcia (52 IP, 3.12 ERA/3.42 FIP, 24.7% K rate) and Burl Carraway (34 IP, 2.12 ERA, 2.86 FIP, 34.7% K rate) has held up quite well, but the middle portion was showing cracks with a recent decline from Rule 5 pick Mason Fox and below-average production from long man Nabil Crismatt. The Phillies agreed to absorb the remainder ($2.2M) of his pro-rated salary.

-Magwood, 23, was our 16th round pick in 2022 out of Jacksonville State. He's generally flashed above-average stuff, but his dismal control likely precludes any sort of big league career. He showed quite well at Low A Myrtle and earned a mid-season promotion to South Bend, but with 50 stamina and the aforementioned control issues, this is strictly a reliever profile. He walked 14.9% of hitters following the promotion to High-A and my scout slapped a 25+ FV grade on him. If the control doesn't improve, he's unlikely to ever get past AA.

With the middle somewhat firmed up, I pulled the trigger the following day on another bullpen deal, this time landing a right-handed long man to replace Nabil Crismatt.

07/25/23: Acquired RHP Chad Kuhl from Pittsburgh for RHP Lucas Davenport

-Kuhl, 30, returned to Pittsburgh on a waiver claim in May 2022 and was awarded $1.3M at arbitration in the offseason. He'll hit the free agent market at the end of this season. For Pittsburgh, he appeared in 27 games, starting 10, and pitched to a reasonable 4.31 ERA (4.41 FIP) with a 22.6% K rate and 6.6% BB rate. With 65 stamina, he's built to pitch deep into games, but I wanted him to fill a 3-4 inning role.

In a corresponding move, we DFA'ed Crismatt, who was initially acquired off of waivers from San Diego in June 2022. His 4.53 FIP (3.88 FIP) was hardly offensive, but with a 9.9% BB rate and just a 40 grade (40 movement), he was too combustible for my taste. Kuhl is a clear upgrade. Fortunately, Crismatt cleared waivers and was outrighted to Iowa. There's a decent chance he ends up back in our bullpen at some point this season.

-Davenport, 19, was our 18th round pick last season out of a south Texas HS. My scout gave him a 30 FV grade with 55 stuff but only 40 control. With a potential 60 fastball and 65 slider, it's feasible that he eventually develops into a useful relief arm. He slotted in as the Pirates' 60th-ranked organizational prospect.

With time running out on Deadline Day, I reached out to the Jays regarding one of the pieces in their crowded outfield. This particular player was on an expiring contract and playing a limited role on a disappointing team.

07/31/23: Acquired OF Randal Grichuk from Toronto for LHP Daniel Paret

-Grichuk, 30, signed a 4-year, $52M deal with Toronto following the 2019 season. The deal didn't work out well for the Jays, and Grichuk was pushed down the depth chart with Toronto's outfield talent influx. While Andrew McCutchen (picked up off the free agent scrap heap in June) has been a boon, we very much needed another right-handed hitting power bat to balance out a left-handed heavy lineup. In 177 PAs for Toronto this season, Grichuk posted a 124 wRC+ with a .226 ISO and a 26% K rate. He'll never hit for average, but the thump in his bat should help us against LHP and he's still a very strong defender (65 LF - 40 CF - 55 RF). Toronto agreed to eat 75% of the remainder of his deal, too (approximately $3M of the remaining $3.8M). In a corresponding move, we sent Jimmy Herron (who has been a human yo-yo this season) back to Iowa. I'm a fan of Herron's defense, but he's the embodiment of the "Quad A" outfielder (111 wRC+ at Iowa; 82 wRC+ in MLB).

-Paret, 23, was our 22nd round pick out of Stetson in last season's draft. Our scout thinks he's cannon fodder (20 FV) and unlike to ever get out of A ball. Clearly, Toronto was happy to cut ties with Grichuk and clear a roster spot for nothing in return other than a bit of salary relief.

So, with some reshuffling of our frigid lineup, here's how things will look as we emerge from the Deadline:

04-19-2022, 02:17 AM	#51
JAF373 Minors (Triple A) Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 256	Cubs Make Deadline Additions August 1, 2023 A week prior to the Deadline, we were in an odd spot standings-wise. At 3.5 GB of the Cardinals and a half-game back of the Reds, the NL Central was clearly "doable," but the odds were likely in the 20-25% range. Still, the fans have stuck with us through two terrible years, and I felt it was worth it to make some additions (beyond Sandy Alcantara) to make a real run for the division crown. It's a flawed roster, but the weakness of the division dictated our Deadline strategy. The market for bats was exceedingly weak, though we did find a useful bat right at the gun on Deadline day. Given our injury situation (Kershaw out all year, Manaea/Beeks another 1-2 weeks on the shelf) I poked around for another starter, but ended up focusing more so on multi-inning relief arms. 07/24/23: Acquired RHP Kirby Yates from Philadelphia for RHP Isaiah Magwood -Yates, 36, signed a 1-year, $6M deal with the Phillies in the offseason and was reasonably effective over 32 IP. His strikeout stuff has dipped a bit, but he's still a reliable mid/late inning arm. Our setup duo of Bryan Garcia (52 IP, 3.12 ERA/3.42 FIP, 24.7% K rate) and Burl Carraway (34 IP, 2.12 ERA, 2.86 FIP, 34.7% K rate) has held up quite well, but the middle portion was showing cracks with a recent decline from Rule 5 pick Mason Fox and below-average production from long man Nabil Crismatt. The Phillies agreed to absorb the remainder ($2.2M) of his pro-rated salary. -Magwood, 23, was our 16th round pick in 2022 out of Jacksonville State. He's generally flashed above-average stuff, but his dismal control likely precludes any sort of big league career. He showed quite well at Low A Myrtle and earned a mid-season promotion to South Bend, but with 50 stamina and the aforementioned control issues, this is strictly a reliever profile. He walked 14.9% of hitters following the promotion to High-A and my scout slapped a 25+ FV grade on him. If the control doesn't improve, he's unlikely to ever get past AA. With the middle somewhat firmed up, I pulled the trigger the following day on another bullpen deal, this time landing a right-handed long man to replace Nabil Crismatt. 07/25/23: Acquired RHP Chad Kuhl from Pittsburgh for RHP Lucas Davenport -Kuhl, 30, returned to Pittsburgh on a waiver claim in May 2022 and was awarded $1.3M at arbitration in the offseason. He'll hit the free agent market at the end of this season. For Pittsburgh, he appeared in 27 games, starting 10, and pitched to a reasonable 4.31 ERA (4.41 FIP) with a 22.6% K rate and 6.6% BB rate. With 65 stamina, he's built to pitch deep into games, but I wanted him to fill a 3-4 inning role. In a corresponding move, we DFA'ed Crismatt, who was initially acquired off of waivers from San Diego in June 2022. His 4.53 FIP (3.88 FIP) was hardly offensive, but with a 9.9% BB rate and just a 40 grade (40 movement), he was too combustible for my taste. Kuhl is a clear upgrade. Fortunately, Crismatt cleared waivers and was outrighted to Iowa. There's a decent chance he ends up back in our bullpen at some point this season. -Davenport, 19, was our 18th round pick last season out of a south Texas HS. My scout gave him a 30 FV grade with 55 stuff but only 40 control. With a potential 60 fastball and 65 slider, it's feasible that he eventually develops into a useful relief arm. He slotted in as the Pirates' 60th-ranked organizational prospect. With time running out on Deadline Day, I reached out to the Jays regarding one of the pieces in their crowded outfield. This particular player was on an expiring contract and playing a limited role on a disappointing team. 07/31/23: Acquired OF Randal Grichuk from Toronto for LHP Daniel Paret -Grichuk, 30, signed a 4-year, $52M deal with Toronto following the 2019 season. The deal didn't work out well for the Jays, and Grichuk was pushed down the depth chart with Toronto's outfield talent influx. While Andrew McCutchen (picked up off the free agent scrap heap in June) has been a boon, we very much needed another right-handed hitting power bat to balance out a left-handed heavy lineup. In 177 PAs for Toronto this season, Grichuk posted a 124 wRC+ with a .226 ISO and a 26% K rate. He'll never hit for average, but the thump in his bat should help us against LHP and he's still a very strong defender (65 LF - 40 CF - 55 RF). Toronto agreed to eat 75% of the remainder of his deal, too (approximately $3M of the remaining $3.8M). In a corresponding move, we sent Jimmy Herron (who has been a human yo-yo this season) back to Iowa. I'm a fan of Herron's defense, but he's the embodiment of the "Quad A" outfielder (111 wRC+ at Iowa; 82 wRC+ in MLB). -Paret, 23, was our 22nd round pick out of Stetson in last season's draft. Our scout thinks he's cannon fodder (20 FV) and unlike to ever get out of A ball. Clearly, Toronto was happy to cut ties with Grichuk and clear a roster spot for nothing in return other than a bit of salary relief. So, with some reshuffling of our frigid lineup, here's how things will look as we emerge from the Deadline: