Extra money and initial signings, Arenado Splits, Pederson Bits, Cohen Quits and other Cubs Bullets

Extra money and initial signings, Arenado Splits, Pederson Bits, Cohen Quits and other Cubs Bullets

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Cubs: We managed to open the payroll a little bit, we are looking for some old friends for a meeting, tour and signed with Joc Pederson! Cardinals: LOL, check this out.

Just couldn’t give us a whole day …

• I know that hopeful Cubs fans will want to point out the ugly cracks in the road to Nolan Arenado’s home as proof that he will stink when Coors Field is not his home park, but unfortunately, this has not proved true for everyone the big bat that changes teams from the Rocky Mountains. Of course, Coors Field helps improve offensive performance because of the impact of the elevation on the ball’s displacement (off the bat and out of the pitcher’s hand). There is no denying that. But what’s been at stake for a long time is how this altitude affects human players, who need to constantly adjust inside and outside Coors Field (the so-called “Coors Hangover Effect”). That is, sometimes the part of the “road” of the divisions is artificially depressive besides the “initial” part of the divisions being inflated.

The most recent estimate I saw is that the Coors Hangover Effect can cost a hitter more than 11 wOBA points when he is a Rockies player on the road. Arenado is a career of 0.344 wOBA on the road, which is about 10 points better than an average league mark. So add 11 more points and you will have a guy who is probably solidly above average, even on the road. For reference, a .345 wOBA in 2019 would have placed you as the 66th best bat in baseball, around a 116 wRC +. Combined with his defense, that would still make Arenado an exceptional player. Maybe not a super-duper star, but very good and impactful. (The real question is whether he would be that guy in general with another club, or if he would be that guy * on the road * with another club, and he would still be better at home (Busch Stadium), as many guys are for a number of reasons I mean? The divisions probably don’t give us an immediate reason to say that it will stink.)

• Some important things here from Bruce Levine:

• It may be that Samardzija and Rodon are among the Cubs’ favorite candidates, and also, Levine confirms Dave Kaplan’s report that the Cubs’ budget for players’ payroll has increased (which allowed them to hire Joc Pederson, but it is unclear how much more flexibility there is (can you please subscribe to Kolten Wong?)). Maybe the Cubs needed a little extra money to even get their initial purchase options at low prices? For example, it is * not * so hard to imagine that interest in a guy like Carlos Rodon could be strong enough that he could get a modest guaranteed contract.

• To that end, Sahadev Sharma suggests that the Cubs may be looking for two starting pitchers right now: one that you would consider a “positive” move (like Rodon or Foltynewicz?) And one that could more reliably give you innings (like Samardzija or Arrieta?). And a “for that purpose” within a “for that purpose”, just something to keep in mind about these signings for the Little Lions now:

• The reality is that many of the young people will have opportunities throughout the season, even if they are not “in rotation” on the first day. Bryan is right that a guy like Adbert Alzolay is a different case, but what if Shelby Miller or Jeff Samardzija starts the opening week in rotation instead of, say, Cory Abbott? I really have nothing to do with it, because again, the opportunities will come during the year – it happens every year – and in addition, we know that a lot of guys will only be able to release around 100 entries this year. So get all the guys you MIGHT want or need right now, while you can still hire them. Then, do the rest.

• A handful of interesting additional signature bits from Pederson:

• Old friend Steven Souza Jr. signed a minor league agreement with Astros, who hope to not play a doubleheader while he’s on the list. (Remember this?)

• Random fun fact – for the past three years, Jason Heyward’s bar line looks almost identical to his career bar line. Last three years: .261 / .347 / .419; Career: .261 / .345 / .414.

• Just because:

• Fergie doc soon, and I will watch:

• Kindness of puppies:

• That new Mets owner who tweeted madly and had fun lasted … about two months on Twitter. After GameStop’s selling price dropped and hedge funds defending and fighting Barstool and all that madness, Steve Cohen decided he had enough and deleted his account.

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