Oh hey look - end of spring training and teams are looking to trade extra outfielders. From Rosenthal...
Obviously nothing is imminent and Rosenthal himself said Cubs want to hold onto him, but this is the exact type of player I expect the Braves to sniff around on as teams try to trim their rosters.Sources: #Cubs’ Matt Szczur among trade candidates #Braves considering for extra OFer. Szczur out of options; Cubs expected to keep him.
50PoundHead (03-21-2017)
Cubs have no need for him and need to trade him. He would be a waste on the 25 man roster imo. what Rosey was saying was that they would keep him over just waiving him. Basically telling any teams interested that they better come with a real offer.. Really a win/win for both clubs and I would not be surprised if it gets done.
jpx7 (03-21-2017)
Again, I was hoping for a competent 4th OFer. Szczur, or any other guy that can't make a 25 man roster, doesn't qualify.
Are you capable of understanding a nuanced point? I could be added to the 25 man roster as the 4th OFer, but that's not what I meant when I claimed the Braves need to address the situation.
Sure I understand your point. We hashed out that argument last week. Let sleeping dogs lie, I say.
In terms of Szczur, or players of his ilk, I like the idea of sniffing around players that won't cost real trade assets and/or are inexpensive and/or on the right side of 30. Is Szczur that player? Maybe, depends if you think he's the same 1-2 WAR player he was last year. I would prefer him over Angel Pagan.
Last edited by chop2chip; 03-21-2017 at 06:07 PM.
If the White Sox cut out of options Rymer Liriano I'd grab him to be a back-up OF. He is only hitting .205 with a .705 OPS and too many K's in spring but he is also coming off missing a lot of time due to injury. Bottom line is that I still like his potential, his minor league track record prior to the injury was solid: http://www.baseball-reference.com/re...d=lirian001rym. I could see him cutting down the K's and taking off at some point. So I'd stash him on the bench as a back-up OF, he is a RHH too, then if he breaks out you have a long-term starting OF and possibly an Acuna-Inciarte-Liriano trio in 2019.
It would make more sense if that last hitter was a lefty. We currently have Jace from the left side and presumably Bonifacio from the right (he is a switch hitter but hits much better righty). You want more left handed hitting options.
50PoundHead (03-21-2017), Braves1976 (03-21-2017)
Tapate50 (03-22-2017)
jpx7 (03-21-2017)
.731 career OPS vs LHers is all that is really relevant. Considering Markakis posted a .613 mark vs LHer last year, and Inciarte has a career .641 against them, Szczur would be an offensive upgrade over them against 1-2 LHers per week. While he isn't a "good" defender, he is leaps and bounds better than Kemp, and would be worth putting in as a late game defensive upgrade.
I was hoping for a better 4th OFer (more like a 3rd OFer miscast as a bench player by the Braves due to them incorrectly identifying Kemp and Markakis as everyday players), but grabbing a 25 year old guy that can handle CF and hit a little vs LHers wouldn't be the worst scenario if they get him for a reasonable price.
Staying with the current OF bench options is unacceptable given how poor Kemp and Markakis are.
jpx7 (03-22-2017)
I'd say pick him up on his name alone.
As for Szczur, he's 25th guy for the Cubs because of the versatility they have on their bench. He's better than Schwarber in LF and he is a RHH off the bench and can play RF if Heyward slides over the CF or is taken out as part of a double-switch. I don't know if that profile fits with the Braves, but as you say, he's better defensively than Kemp and he would give us a RHH guy with some power on the bench. Only thing Bonifacio brings to the table is the ability to play six positions on the field.
Last edited by 50PoundHead; 03-22-2017 at 12:23 PM.