2012 Free Agent and Trade Ideas Thread 17

[Knuckles]

Chicago Cubs Rumors

Cubs To Sign Kyuji Fujikawa
By Zach Links [December 1, 2012 at 3:59pm CST]
3:59pm: Fujikawa will receive a $1MM signing bonus, $4MM in salary for 2013 and '14, plus a vesting option at $5.5MM or $6MM based on games finished, Rosenthal tweets. If the option does not vest, it turns to a $5.5MM club option with a $500K buyout (Twitter link). In total, Fujikawa has a guaranteed $9.5MM when including the buyout.


Read more at http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/chicag...Dv09qQWK8oG.99

Another update

[Yagyu+]

David Kaplan:

Sources tell me not done on adding starters. Cubs will head to Nashville looking to add another starter and a RF. Third base tough to fill.

Does that mean DeJesus is moving to center?

[JBears79]

David Kaplan:



Does that mean DeJesus is moving to center?

It fits the Choo rumor we have been hearing.

My bet is Masterson/Jimenez and Choo will be heading to Chicago soon.

[JBears79]

David Kaplan:



Does that mean DeJesus is moving to center?

Hope so. His bat profiles much better there.

[turnaround3]

Why do we like Masterson so much?

He's not a kid anymore, he was never an elite prospect even when he was younger, and outside of 2011 he has back-end starter basically engraved on his forehead.

I'm all for Choo. And I don't have any reservations with Chisenhall either since we're so hard up for 3B help. Just don't see the excitement with Masterson.

[RedHeadsRule]

Why do we like Masterson so much?

He's not a kid anymore, he was never an elite prospect even when he was younger, and outside of 2011 he has back-end starter basically engraved on his forehead.

I'm all for Choo. And I don't have any reservations with Chisenhall either since we're so hard up for 3B help. Just don't see the excitement with Masterson.

Good velocity, great groundball guy. Teams try to load up on lefties against him, and we have one of the best defensive right sides of the infield in baseball.

[turnaround3]

Good velocity, great groundball guy. Teams try to load up on lefties against him, and we have one of the best defensive right sides of the infield in baseball.

Ehhhh...

If that's the best reasoning we can come up with, especially considering how actively Barney is reportedly being shopped, I think I'd rather just go for Ubaldo and hope he can dig up any of what he had for 4+ consecutive seasons that he's only 2 years removed from. He's still only 28 so logic would dictate all that stuff is still buried in there somewhere.

[ABE32]

Masterson has top end stuff minus the results. I would take either one of the two.

[Chi-Town Cubs25]

Masterson is Travis Wood 2.0

[ABE32]

Masterson is Travis Wood 2.0

I really need to stop posting on here. Folks are getting worse than SB.

[Chi-Town Cubs25]

I really need to stop posting on here. Folks are getting worse than SB.

Maybe you should look at the stats. I've already compared the two in previous posts before but you probably know more than me because I bet you're super smart.

[deltaclown]

There's really nothing about Ubaldo that appeals to me. It's easy to keep hitters off balance with a 100 MPH fastball and good secondary stuff, so I get how he was effective in Colorado (without a jaw dropping K/9, btw). He's lost 5 MPH though. He's not what he was in Colorado, and probably never will be. I'd only be OK with him if the staff is confident he can get that velocity back. Because this current version of Ubaldo sucks.

Masterson put up 4.6 WAR two seasons ago. He's huge, has much better stuff than 2012 Ubaldo Jimenez, and his trade value is as low as it's gonna get after last season. I don't know about giving some of the packages that Gato suggested, but there's plenty of value to be had there. He strikes me as a Garza type. Get a really talented AL pitcher into the NL central and let him rebuild his value. I'd much, MUCH prefer him to Ubaldo, all things equal.

[deltaclown]

Masterson is Travis Wood 2.0

What does this even mean?

[gaughan333]

Yeah, Soriano for Brown is one I would like to do.

Soriano to the Yankees for Hughes and a couple of their lesser known but liked prospects that I've mentioned (Murphy and Gumbs) would be interesting to me.

I'd also be curious to see what the yankees want for brett gardner

[Tryptamine]

Maybe you should look at the stats. I've already compared the two in previous posts before but you probably know more than me because I bet you're super smart.

Comparable stats, maybe. Comparable stuff? Absolutely not. Masterson has considerably more potential so it's not fair to call them similar.