Live From DC: Cubs News & Notes – 12/6/16: Chapman Rumors, Soler on the Market, Cubs Interest in Wade Davis

Photo of Jon Ferlise Jon FerliseDecember 6, 2016

Yesterday I was fortunate enough to participate in the Baseball Career Conference that was held by the great folks at Sports Management Worldwide. If you’re serious about a career in the baseball industry then you should check them out. It was a day filled with lots of great guest speakers and it gave me a chance to meet some wonderful people in the baseball industry.

The conference was being held near Washington D.C. in National Harbor directly across from the Gaylord National Resort and Conference Center, which is where the Baseball Winter Meetings are being held. Needless to say, there was a hotbed of activity going on there with Baseball management/executives everywhere you looked. Here’s a few notable items.

  • Word emerged yesterday that Aroldis Chapman is apparently seeking a 6-year deal, which is quite aggressive for a reliever. Typically, teams aren’t very interested in signing a reliever, and especially a closer, to a contract of that length. So, now I, along with many others, I’m sure, are quite confused about exactly what Chapman wants. In that same article at ESPN.com, Chapman also mentioned that he never said he wanted $100 million and that the Cubs haven’t shown interest in bringing him back – as far as he knows. Hmm.
  • I’m not going to shy away now. I’m a big proponent of bringing Chapman back to the Cubs. I’ve mentioned it here and here. And while it’s a bit discouraging to hear the statements coming from him yesterday it’s hard to know exactly where all this plays in the current negotiations. I’d be very surprised if the Cubs haven’t even asked about Chapman though. I mean, he was huge for them and it’s clear he can win in Chicago. Maybe Chapman spoke when, you know, he wasn’t supposed to. Or, maybe he did and it’s all true. Either way, we’re sure to find out soon.
  • Jorge Soler seems to be getting a lot of interest from American League teams and who can blame them, he has the potential to be an offensive beast and could slot right in as a designated hitter/reserve outfielder. Since the Cubs have signed Jon Joy to a one-year contract it looked very crowded in the outfield, particularly with Kyle Schwarber’s return and the fact the Javier Baez seems like the leading candidate to be the Cubs’ starting second-baseman next year, pushing Ben Zobrist to the outfield. That is to say, it’s no surprise to hear the Cubs are shopping Soler.

  • It now seems like the Cubs are having some serious conversations about the availability of Royals’ closer, Wade Davis. And, surprise, surprise, it’s Jorge Soler who’s rumored to be of interest to the Royals.

  • I’ll be the first person to agree that the Cubs should trade Soler, I’m just not all that confident in trading him for Davis. The biggest reasons are that Soler is cheap and signed through 2020, while Davis, at $10 million, may be cheaper than what Malancon – and likely Chapman and Kenley Jansen – was offered, he’s still no bargain. That and he’s only signed through 2017, which makes him a rental, which is exactly what the Cubs just got in Chapman when they surrendered their number one prospect, Gleyber Torres. I don’t see it happening here and my assumption is that the Cubs would rather hold, for now, than get a rental closer when they still have Hector Rondon to work with. Again, let’s wait and see but I’m hoping the Cubs sit this one out.
Photo of Jon Ferlise Jon FerliseDecember 6, 2016
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