Bleacher Bums Forum

Jessie Rogers was on the Cubs Talk podcast and said the intial Darvish contract discussions was 5/$125 and it was the Cubs who pushed for the 6th year to bring down the AAV.

And put me in the he doesn’t opt out camp, because if he’s good enough at 33 to get better what is left on his contract then there is a good chance the contract escalators kick in.

That's pretty amazing.  Obviously it's a world where hitters all whiff, so contact-hitting just isn't a thing like in previous generations.  But to be a higher K-guy than modern greats like Scherzer or Strasburg or Kershaw, that's pretty awesome. 

I wonder how the Cubs will coach him to make him better. With Dodgers, he average 5.1 innings per start (not counting playoffs of course.)  Not sure Maddon is that way.  But it wouldn't shock me if the Cubs perhaps encouraged to adjust situationally toward a variably more pitch-to-contact approach?  If it's taking 100 pitches to get through 5 innings with 7K's and 2 walks, maybe if the offense has scored some runs might it be OK to throw a few more fastballs and cutters early in the count, and allow some contact, but resolve a few more AB in 1-3 pitches instead of taking 6 pitches per batter? 

Hard to know.  I like the Dodgers way, keeping the exposure and the wear on the starters limited so they're strong for November baseball, and of course a lot of pitchers aren't as effective 3rd and 4th times through the order.  So being fine with mostly 6 inning starts on a good day, and being fine with 5-inning starts on days that aren't as easy, that seems maybe smart to me. 

But, keeping the wear down on the starters at the expense of the bullpen is a mixed blessing too, if the pen is going 3-4 innings every single day.  I'm glad it's guys wiser than me thinking that stuff through. 

Thanks for recommendation to pay for the Athletic.  Mooney and Sharma are good, I took the plunge with some birthday money.   

Hope springs eternal, I love the spring stories, maybe especially before exhibition games actually begin.  Have already seen three classics. 

Mooney had an article with Montgomery.  I think we've noted that Montgomery had said he'd prefer to start.  Anyway, in the article MM suggested that the usage was hard on him, and that his arm got really worn out.  Said he's talked to the Cubs about using him a little differently, if possible, this year.  He didn't seem to have any attitude at all, seems like a thoughtful, good guy.  But noted that his usage was so unusual that he doesn't think either he or the Cubs totally knew how to do it best, and that he thinks both he and they are positioned to be somewhat smarter about it this year.  Part of it is on him, of course.  Athletes are all tough heros, and want to help the team, so it's hard for guys to say my arm is tired.  MM sounded like he knows he needs to be more honest this year, and be more willing to say so when he's not good to go.  But I think the Cubs need to give him more rest.  He mentioned one time, which I think I remember, where he started a game and threw 5-6 innings, then came back only 3 days later and pitched 3 more.  They'd never do that mid-season with Q or Lester; don't think should with MM either. 

I wonder if they'll be a little more careful and restful with him during periods where he may be starting?  Or whether, perhaps, they'll use him less as a starter?  For example, is Tseng was doing well for Iowa, and they needed an occassional fill-in start, perhaps is Tseng was reasonably anti-awful, maybe it woudl be better to use him for the spot starts and leave MM in relief?  Or else if MM does get used in rotation, to keep him there on a regular schedule for a bunch of weeks, even if that means skipping some starts for other guys or going 6-deep for a while? 

Think he's a smart guy, and Cubs are smart too.  So I'm hopeful that having gone through it for a year, that they'll all be a little wiser about how to both utilize him but also protect him, to mutual benefit.   

That's an impressive accomplishment, but it has to be viewed within the context of the modern era of the strikeout.

Agreed. And in the context of the modern era of the strikeout, Yu is without peer.

For an old timer who watched Koufax, Gibson, Marichal, Ryan...that stat is mind blowing.

Yeah, could see doing that for a while.  3 thoughts:
1.  That shortens the pen by an arm.  Kinda want to have all of your relievers used and effective to get by with that.  (As opposed to having Florio or Frankoff.....)  Also might help if you had some 2-inning relievers, and let guys pitch through full innings and reduced the mid-inning switches.

2.  If going with 6-man rotation, my mind views that as everybody going on 6-day rotation, one extra day.  But I wonder if that isn't how they'd do it, instead just let one guy skip a start per rotation, so that each guy got a 10-11 day break.   the next week Hendricks gets to skip and get a 10-day break, etc..  Maddon has seemed to talk about that with All-star, that getting a good solid 10-14 day break can really help some tired arms.  I almost wonder, if you did 6 man on either side of the break, if you couldn't enable 2-week breaks for several or all of the regular starter?   

Are you allowed to put guys on 10-day DL just for rest-purposes? 

I definitely don't like that second approach (and the answer to the DL question is no - at least in theory).  If you're going to go with a 6-man I think it's a straight 6-day cycle, with Montgomery floating to the pen if there are multiple off days.

If you're going to go with a 13-man staff anyway (which I don't like) I wouldn't be concerned with a 6-man rotation shorting the bullpen one guy.  A 7-man bullpen should be more than plenty with a 6-man rotation full of well-rested starters.