Official 2015-2016 Offseason Baseball thread

and now Heyward to the Cubs as well

I don't mind that we lost Heyward. Don't get me wrong, I liked having him on the team, but is he really worth $186 mil for 8 years? He is a great outfielder but wasn't that great at bat.

We have three up and coming outfielders that are way cheaper in Grichuk, Pham, and Piscotty.

Hopefully the Cards land Alex Gordon who is a great left fielder and has a .359 OBP. Dude can crack the ball too. He was injury prone last year so the Cards could get him at a bargain price.

I think it's asking a lot relying on Pham and Grichuk this early. I love Grichuk, but he still has some big holes in his swing that need to be addressed. Piscotty will be fine. He has a great approach and hits to all fields.

Idk about Pham though. I was impressed with him lasat year, but he came out of nowhere. Time will tell with him.

Gordon is good, but he isn't the best hitter. His WAR speaks for itself though. At 31, he has probably peaked in production.

Ultimately, losing Heyward will hurt. He's a golden glove outfielder that is now in his prime. He was great in the 2nd half last year. Bet he has a big year in 2016. :(

I'm sure Heyward will do great, there's no pressure on him, that lineup is stacked. But two opt out clauses? The Cubs got fleeced on this deal. If he has a good 3 or 4 years he opts out and gets even more money. If he sucks he stays for 8 years and collects pay checks. I don't see how you give him that contract unless you are the Cubs and know you have 3-4 years to win before your entire team is up for ridiculous free agent contracts.

Cards need to make a splash now or they're in trouble. CarGo, Davis, Gordon, Cespedes are all still in play.

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The Cubs got fleeced on this deal. If he has a good 3 or 4 years he opts out and gets even more money. If he sucks he stays for 8 years and collects pay checks

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Honestly, I think his deal was about right considering what the MLB market has showed us thus far. Even if he isn't hitting to his potential, he is still a 3-4 WAR guy. With that said, that's great for a guy who is just scratching the surface of his potential.

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Cards need to make a splash now or they're in trouble. CarGo, Davis, Gordon, Cespedes are all still in play.

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I do agree with this. Gyorko isn't going to change the dynamics of the club enough to make a significant difference. We need a damn power bat. We need a power bat BAD. Give me Cespedes or Davis please. If Cespedes, move Piscotty to 1st (or teach Holliday the position).

Shelby Miller for Heyward looks bad now. Should have signed Heyward after the trade.

The deal the Braves made with Diamondbacks looks like something I wish the Cards would have done.

Usually his panic moves are low hanging fruit like Ty fricking Wiggington

I think you are all underestimating Heyward. He's not just a guy whose stat line you can look at, and know the story. He's only 26, can get on base, hit for power, steal bases, and is probably a top 3 defensive outfielder. Plus the Cubs will have him for his age 27-32 years, which are considered peak years in the MLB.

I'm not a Cards or Cubs fan, but Heyward is unreal.

Good all around players are valued more than they ever have been. You don't see players with no weaknesses like you do Heyward. His WAR doesn't lie, the guy doesn't need to put up 40 bombs to be valuable.

I do think that the Cubs could run into trouble when Heyward gets into his 30s, as part of the reason he is so valuable is his speed, and fielding ability, which will decline with age.

Agreed, he's pretty much got a dream deal. If he keeps up his play, he'll get even more money when he opts out since the market value of top players is bound to increase. If he somehow declines, he just doesn't opt out, and collects his check.

As a Sox fan, it kills me to say, the Cubs are going to be frighteningly good for foreseeable future. Who knows though, everyone said that about the Nats.