CHC / PIT Blockbuster

[Chicago Cubs]

Division rivals hook up on a blockbuster...

Pirates get:
Domingo Santana RF MIL - $2.04/TC3
Jameson Taillon SP PIT - $1.02/TC2
Anthony DeSclafani SP CIN - $2/ARB1
Chris Shaw 1B/LF SF - $0.2 prospect
Tom Murphy C COL - $0.5/TC1 ($0.2 if returned to farm)
Tony Wolters C COL - $2.04/TC3
Michael Baumann SP BAL - $0.2 prospect


Cubs get:
Chris Sale SP BOS - $18/4yr w/ TO


I am still reeling from giving up so much for a single player...  But sometimes you just have to pay what it takes when acquiring a player that was never really available for trade.  Losing Domingo from my starting lineup especially hurts and I'll need to head back to the trade market for a new starting RF.  I really love Taillon and I think DeSclafani is hugely underrated coming off injury too. 

Otherwise I am basically trading from team depth.  Murphy could win the starting C job for COL this year and play half his games at Coors, but he was blocked by Contreras and Barnes on my depth chart.  Shaw looks likely to play 1B where he's blocked by Rizzo and Josh Bell.  Even if he plays LF then he's still blocked by Braun, Gardner and Nick Williams.  Baumann is a nice prospect that I specifically targeted in the draft, but he's a few years from the bigs and I wasn't going to let a guy like that prevent me from acquiring Sale.

What do I even need to say about Sale?  He's likely a top 3 SP in the league and locked up for 4 years with a TO.  His 653pts last season was 2nd overall for SP behind only Kluber.  He surpassed 600pts in 2016 as well and he hasn't finished with less than 526pts in each of the past 5 seasons.  Sale can carry a team in this league as was evidence by PIT's sustained success last year.  He'll join MadBum and Severino to form an elite trio at the top of my rotation; with Fulmer, Maeda and Ed-Rod rounding out a graet final 3 and Steven Wright providing insurance.  

So while it was certainly a lot to pay for a single player... I just needed to give what it took to get this deal done.  The types of blockbuster trades are what makes these leagues so fun for me.  Thanks to John in PIT for the trade and amiable negotiations.  Best of luck to you with the franchise-altering trade.

[Pittsburgh Pirates]

So I wasn't really looking to move Sale, but I had to decide on a direction for my franchise.  My line up is not quite ready to compete on an every day basis and with Sale in the line-up my second starting pitcher at this point is Zach Eflin...not exactly a recipe for sustained success.  Adding Taillon and DeSclafini....I am hoping that one of the two can be a number 2 in my rotation for the next 5-7 years.  If the other ends us being an every day 4 or 5 for a couple years that is just a bonus.  Santana is a relatively cheap outfielder who does many things well but nothing spectacular.  With Taylor, Altherr, and Santana I feel like I have a solid outfield that I will need to add a stud to down the road but I will be able to count on this group for a great combination speed, power, and run production. 

Catching is an area I need to address.  Murphy and Wolters clearly don't light the world on fire at this point.  I am hoping that Murphy will be able to fulfill the promise most in the Rockies organization believed he had before last year's injury issues.  With two guys in the minors I really like in Allen and Garcia in the minors I now have 4 potential every day catchers.  If one becomes a hitter I should be in good shape behind the plate.  

Baumann is a prospect that intrigues me.  He has some command issues but he has two really good pitches and projects as a starter.  He's a big guy and he has quickly risen up the ranks of the Orioles farm system.  His sub .200 BAA in high A ball last year and the strikeout per inning he averaged have me thinking he will get a legit shot at becoming a starter.  My major concern is that he is in Baltimore who really struggles to develop pitchers.

I need a 1B of the future and I am hoping that Shaw will displace the sh&% show that is Brandon Belt.  Chances are he ends up in the OF, but the guy has a sweet left-handed power stroke and is just scratching the surface at the plate with his trimmed down frame.  

I'm still not sure I love this move...giving up Sale in such a great contract situation sucks.  I would have liked to have landed more sure bets than this but I am hoping the quantity of players I have added will increase my chances of hitting a home run here.  Good luck to the Cubs...it sucks to be in the NL Central.  

[Milwaukee Brewers]

docced