Bleacher Bums Forum

By "emergency" do you mean a few innings or a few weeks? 

The occasional day off or, God forbid, the rest of the game after an injury to PCA.  If PCA is going to be out for a while, Kevin Alcantara is your man.

Yes, I believe that to be the case.

So you'd want to roll with a Happ, Suzuki, Conforto/Shaw OF?  Again that seems like a bad idea for a pitching staff that is bulti on allowing contact. 

For fewer than ten games spread across six months that Counsell can hand pick based on what ballpark we're playing in and who's on the mound today?  Sure, no sweat.

I think you're greatly overestimating and overvaluing the CF defense difference between Suzuki and Carlson/McCormick.

I'd just like to have someone other than Happ than can play at least an OK CF.  It doesn't have to be Alcantara. 

...If PCA is going to be out for a while, Kevin Alcantara is your man.

That's how I see it.  Alcantara can get to tomorrow's game.  So *IF* PCA gets hurt, your replacement is Alcantara, unless you like Shaw or somebody else better.  If PCA doesn't get hurt, he's going to play.  No particular need to have a backup CF on the big-league roster when you can call i Kevin before the next game starts. 

I realize that maybe Alcantara will be bad.  Or that PCA might struggle so badly that you'll want to bench him sometimes against tough LHP. 

Jed is reel reel smart.  He ain't gonna keep no Comforto.  That would be stoopid.

Get the desire for bench depth but just seems a bit off to sign Conforto, Carlson, McCormick (plus Alcantara) for one roster spot.

Could be, sure, but also wonder if maybe Cubs still want to develop Ballesteros at catcher and want him to get catcher reps at Iowa for a couple or three months at Iowa before committing him to DH?  Could also DH Suzuki more than now expected if keep two of the above OFers and they play the field.

Not advocating that but wonder if Cubs thinking of that possibility more seriously.