…sounds nice, but if that’s all he has, it would only mean the ball would leave the ballpark that much quicker.

Don’t blow 40mil on a gamble. My guess is Chapman turns into a middle of the road starter.

We were discussing this in another thread. In general, if we had the money, I’d be for it. No, he isn’t a certainty. Yes, he might be older than his listed age (although the 26 year old rumors were largely dismissed). Yes, his velocity may not be able to consistently sit in the upper 90’s once he gets here. Yes, there are some folks that are concerned about the inconsistent slider, and a changeup that still needs work. (every report I’ve read suggests that socalbob’s comments are spot on)

All that aside, most people acknowledge he would be a top 10 prospect in baseball. He would add an elite arm to the system (I am a huge Jay Jackson fan … but Chapman’s potential exceeds Jackson and Cashner.) He would add a potential lefty starting arm. Heck, I feel like I would be alright with him as the 5th starter right now (emphasis on 5th starter). This is the type of talent that would be worth that roll of the dice.

That said,

a) There’s been few rumors connecting the Cubs to him.
b) Do we have that sort of money to spend?

My guess is no, so I’m not getting my hopes up here. Maybe we are secretly saving up for Yu Darvish (j/k considering he won’t be coming anytime soon and Ricketts just got in).

As for a guess, well, this will be interesting due to the financial climate. I could see a surprise team emerge. Looking at some teams -

a) Red Sox – They are looking for another pitcher to mix in there in the 5th spot, perhaps near midseason. If they buy Chapman’s ability to adjust, this fits. They have spent money on the foreign markets aggressively, landing Jose Iglesias this past summer. Obviously, there’s Daisuke, but they go after youngsters as well, such as Che-Hsuan Lin. This would be the big move to counter last offseason when they failed to land Teixeira. There might be some money concerns, though, as they have some bad contracts, like Lowell. But the money should be there if Theo wants it.

b) Yankees – They get mentioned because, well, it’s the Yankees. They also have money clearing up. That said … they don’t have that much budget flexibility and they have to figure out the OF situation first. Also, they aren’t exactly crying for starters. Even if they let Chien-Ming Wang go, they could go with CC/AJ/Andy/Joba/Phil and have a pretty solid group. They’ll be in it … particularly if the Red Sox are in it.

c) Orioles – This is a team close, and a big signing could be a “statement” move, akin to the Gil Meche signing for the Royals several years back. That said, what they need is more up the middle talent (SS). And I don’t think they have the money to really challenge the big boys.

d) Nationals – What? There’s actually some money available, assuming they don’t get gunshy post-Strasburg. They need impact arms, and they need to rebuild the system (it’s much better than given credit for, but more work is needed). This would be a bold statement … but I doubt it happens.

e) Mets – They need another starter, and they need impact. Under Omar, they’ve been aggressive in Latin America, helping to overcome some system deficiencies. That said, do they have enough money to afford to go “all-in” here … and still fix their other holes, particularly if Chapman isn’t ready? The system still lacks impact pitching, outside of Mejia and maybe Holt.

f) White Sox – While pitching isn’t a huge issue, Kenny Williams has never shied away from the splash. They’ve also signed two recent high profile Cubans in Alexei Ramirez and Dayan Viciedo. Adding Chapman could also allow Kenny to contemplate dealing an arm to fill another need. The biggest problem here is money. They’ve got some money clearing up in the near future, but can he make it work now (and clear up enough money to make other moves this offseason).

g) Tigers – This is a team that, by most accounts, has some money this offseason, but not that much. That said, a lot of veteran contracts clearing up in the near future, so they could make it work. Pitching, though, isn’t a huge issue, with Verlander/Porcello/Jackson a solid top 3. This, though, would be a bold move, something they may want to do.

h) Angels – They could use an impact move, and they are active abroad. They also could use an arm. The question here is how the other stuff shakes out … and whether or not they buy Chapman being able to help now. They’ve got so many moves they need to ponder, from Figgins to Abreu to Vlad. The system’s a bit thin, and Arte is fond of big moves, so this is one to watch.

i) Cardinals – This is a team that needs to show Albert some love, and the way to do that is to build a strong team. Their system is a mess (Arguably the worst in baseball … there’s a thread on Sickels site that touches on this). That said, the big league squad is in a good place right now overall. There’s some money (FA’s, along with the Wagner Mateo signing suggest that). The issue here is that they may want to address Holliday first (I think DeRosa is a backburner issue for them, as they might go Allen Craig there to save some dough).

If I had to take a guess right now, I’d guess … Red Sox. I half wonder about a darkhorse like, say, the Pirates. But everything fits for the Red Sox, A potential desire to make a big move. Adding a top young arm to the mix. Adding an arm that might be ready by midseason, or at worst, can help in the pen.

If I had to pick a 2nd team, I’d go … White Sox. I want to say the Cardinals or the Angels, but this feels like a possible Kenny move if he can clean the money situation up (it’s not bad, but does he have the extra money to make the move). This would give Kenny a ton of flexibility. Say he buys Aroldis fitting in this year. If so, maybe he tries to shop Peavy or Floyd (Buerhle won’t go anywhere and Danks seems unlikely) to fill some offensive and bullpen holes. And Aroldis could start in the pen instead.

The Ricketts family needs to get a handle on the spiraling Cub payroll that is already chocked full of bad contracts. I can’t see any way they have appetite to pony up the money it would take to land Chapman.

Job one for the Ricketts should be on building a top flight front office with major focus on player scouting, selection and development. That is what has been missing in Chicago ever since Dallas Green left. Even the Yankees, Red Sox, Angels and Dodgers are heavily dependent on a successful player development system. You can’t keep buying your way out of deficiencies elsewhere.

To throw some money at the future. I wonder how extensively the Cubs have scouted him.

I would doubt it happens, but I haven’t heard what our budget will be. And sure buying a team is expensive, but I would guess you wouldn’t buy a franchise without either spending some cash pronto or rebuilding immediately.