The Rundown: Edwards Keeps Dealing in AFL, Hamels and CarGo Are Trade Possibilities

Photo of Bryan O'Donnell Bryan O'DonnellNovember 6, 2014

C.J. Edwards continues to impress in the Arizona Fall League.

Getting the start on Wednesday, he helped the Mesa Solar Sox beat the Glendale Desert Dogs 11-2, giving up one run in two innings and striking out four.

He also walked two and gave up two hits. After a relatively quiet first inning, he ran into some trouble in the second but was able to get out of it while limiting the damage.

At the plate, Cubs prospects did some damage of their own. Bijan Rademacher stayed hot, going 1-for-2 with a walk, a run scored and two RBI. Dan Vogelbach added two hits, and Danny Lockhart scored a run and drove one in.

In related Edwards news, former scout Bernie Pleskoff writes on MLB.com about how impressive the Cubs’ top pitching prospect has looked. He has been sitting in the 91-93 mph range with his fastball, producing a lot of swings and misses. Pleskoff also praises his curveball as a solid secondary pitch.

I know Edwards is still a ways away from pitching in the big leagues, so I’m trying to not get too excited about him. But I’m definitely excited.

Rumor time

Some familiar faces are floating around in Cubs Rumor Land, as well as a couple new ones.

Jon Heyman writes that the Cubs will look into a trade for Cole Hamels. The Cubs were first linked to Hamels when they claimed the left-hander on revocable waivers last August. The Phillies predictably pulled Hamels back, but it showed us the Cubs had interest.

We have since heard that the Phillies will be in rebuilding mode for the next couple years, and Hamels will be an obvious trade chip.

The Cubs will most likely try to sign a free agent pitcher — such as Jon Lester or James Shields — before pursuing a trade. If they miss out on signing those top pitchers, will it be worth giving up a top prospect (and more) for Hamels?

Meanwhile, Patrick Mooney compares possible catching target Russell Martin to Welington Castillo. He points out some of the positives of keeping Castillo: he has a strong arm and good blocking skills, he’s familiar with the organization, and he had some success with the pitching staff (catching all three of Jake Arrieta’s near-no-hitters).

It will be interesting to see what the Cubs do at catcher. Martin would provide an upgrade in OBP, pitch framing and possibly leadership. But will that be worth the large contract? I’m leaning toward wanting the Cubs to sign Martin, but I’m worried his price/years will become ridiculous since he’s pretty much the only free agent option (and he’s not exactly young anymore either).

Tulo/CarGo available?

The Rockies may be listening to offers for trades involving shortstop Troy Tulowitzki and outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, according to Ken Rosenthal. Interesting.

Both players have suffered a number of injuries over the past couple years, so they could be a risk in the future. But their talent is undeniable.

ESPN.com’s David Schoenfield writes that a deal involving CarGo and the Cubs would make sense. I’d be in favor, depending on the price, but again, the injury risk is real.

Other notes

* A number of Cubs have been nominated for MLB.com “GIBBYs” (yes, that’s a thing — it stands for Greatness in Baseball Yearly). Starlin Castro is up for Bounceback Player, Anthony Rizzo is nominated for Breakout Hitter, and Jake Arrieta is up for Breakout Pitcher. Luis Valbuena and John Baker are up for awards as well. Winners will be announced on Dec. 6. You can vote here.

* Should the Cubs look at Melky Cabrera? Bruce Levine suggests as much. I don’t have a lot of interest.

* Ken Rosenthal writes that the A’s will be listening to offers on starting pitchers Jeff Samardzija and Scott Kazmir. It sounds like Billy Beane will be somewhat patient, however, possibly waiting until the trade deadline to make a move. Both pitchers will become free agents after next season and likely wouldn’t be re-signed by Oakland. I don’t see the Cubs being in on a trade for Samardzija, but what about once he becomes a free agent?

* A look at options for the Tampa Bay managing position from Marc Topkin. Dave Martinez is seen as the favorite, and Topkin doesn’t think Rick Renteria has a realistic shot.

* Former Cub infielder Ryan Theriot caused a firestorm on Twitter yesterday. Not sure if he was just trying to stir the pot or what, but I’ll let his Tweets speak for themselves:

Pitcher Brandon McCarthy then won Twitter when he came back with this:

Photo of Bryan O'Donnell Bryan O'DonnellNovember 6, 2014
Back to top button