Bleed Cubbie Blue - Know your enemy: 2018 Cubs opponentsA Chicago Cubs Fan Community Since February 9, 2005https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47557/cubbieblue.png2018-03-09T11:00:01-06:00http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/rss/stream/167860552018-03-09T11:00:01-06:002018-03-09T11:00:01-06:00Know your enemy: Chicago White Sox
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<figcaption>Camelback Ranch, spring training home of the White Sox | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Sox could be better than you think this year.</p> <p id="zKzELQ"><strong>SCOTTSDALE, Arizona</strong> — The expectation of some <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> fans is that when any of us talks about or writes about the <a href="https://www.southsidesox.com/">White Sox</a>, we’re supposed to put all kinds of hatred and snark into what we say about the Cubs’ crosstown rivals.</p>
<p id="EiW59C">I’m just not one of those people. I think it’s good that Chicago has two MLB teams. If they win, it’s good for the city — of course, except when they’re playing the Cubs.</p>
<p id="JQRK92">And I’m here to tell you that the Sox appear to be doing a rebuild in similar fashion to what Theo & Co. did for the Cubs. Of course, you know about the deal that brought <span>Jose Quintana</span> to the Cubs and sent <span>Eloy Jimenez</span> and Dylan Cease (and two others) back to the Sox.</p>
<p id="diHBTI">Eloy looks like the real deal, though he probably won’t be in the major leagues until this September at the earliest. And even if he becomes a great player, the Cubs still get 3x years of Quintana from that deal — well worth it in my view.</p>
<p id="izfo45">This year’s White Sox ought to be improved from last year’s 95-loss version. <span>Yoan Moncada</span>, who got off to a very slow start when brought to the major leagues, ended his 2017 season hitting .305/.374/.500 over his last 20 games (25-for-82 with four home runs). That’s a hint of what the Sox expect from him, and he won’t turn 23 until May.</p>
<p id="HFSCcU"><span>Jose Abreu</span> and <span>Avisail Garcia</span> lead this offense; the latter had a breakout season in 2017 in which he made the All-Star team. Garcia turns 27 this year and could have another big offensive year. Abreu is 31 and has been a consistent hitter since he reached the majors from Cuba in 2014, and also appears to be a quiet team leader.</p>
<p id="eO2UZe">One of the young Sox I expect to break out is <span>Nicky Delmonico</span>, who hit .262/.373/.482 with nine home runs in 141 at-bats in a late-season trial last year. If he can continue to hit like that, or improve, the Sox offense should follow.</p>
<p id="wqT50H">The Sox rotation still awaits Michael Kopech, who throws 100 miles per hour; he’ll start the year at Triple-A, most likely, but could be added to the rotation later this year and is expected to have an immediate impact when he does make the big leagues. </p>
<p id="rbE7it">After this year the Sox will be out from under <span>James Shields</span>’ contract. Shields has been a disaster since coming to the Sox; he has a 5.99 ERA for them in 43 starts over the last year and a half. Occasionally, he’ll go through a stretch of a handful of starts where he looks decent and you think he’s going to recover his “Big Game James” ability, and then he throws a stinker like <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/KCA/KCA201707210.shtml">this one</a>. </p>
<p id="1WYi32">And the Cubs should thank the White Sox for taking <span>Carlos Rodon</span> with the third overall pick in the 2014 draft, because the Cubs had the next pick and rumor had it that if <span>Rodon</span> had been on the board when the Cubs picked, they would have taken him. Instead the Cubs chose <span>Kyle Schwarber</span>, and you know what he’s accomplished, while Rodon simply can’t stay healthy. He’ll start this year on the DL.</p>
<p id="OZF16z">The Sox mixed-and-matched at closer last year after shipping <span>David Robertson</span> back to the <a href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">Yankees</a>, but this year they’ll have <span>Joakim Soria</span>, former <a href="https://www.royalsreview.com/">Royals</a> closer, to wrap up the ninth inning when they have the lead. Soria turns 34 this year, but is a reasonable stopgap until the Sox return to contention.</p>
<p id="GYzQeW">Which they could do in 2019. I’ve been thinking that the Sox would be a reasonable destination for <span>Jake Arrieta</span>, if they choose to spend the money. Only Shields has an expensive deal with the Sox and that one’s up at the end of this year (and some of his money is being paid by the <a href="https://www.gaslampball.com/">Padres</a>). <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fbi0znpmRfiFPb0L-WQD9LRQEcJHAG7122SoVnYgBeI/pubhtml">Per this Cot’s spreadsheet</a> the Sox have only $70 million in contract obligations for 2018; signing Arrieta could put them in marginal wild-card contention this year.</p>
<p id="S9dHbk">Lastly, I’m going to leave this prediction right here. The White Sox should be in position to contend for a wild-card spot in 2019. As such, I think that after this year they’re going to let Rick Renteria go and sign Joe Girardi to manage them.</p>
<p id="RZFUDN">Could happen, right?</p>
<p id="m6N3WQ">The Sox lead the all-time series with the Cubs 58 wins to 54, though the Cubs have been better in recent years: 13-9 since 2013.</p>
<p id="lfmYg5">The White Sox will visit Wrigley Field May 11-12-13 and the Cubs travel to the South Side September 21-22-23. That September series ought to be real interesting, especially if the Sox are mathematically eliminated by then and the Cubs are closing in on a division title.</p>
<p id="gAsJCJ">This concludes the “Know Your Enemy” series for the 2018 season. Opening Day is in less than three weeks!</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2018/3/9/17077668/know-your-enemy-chicago-white-soxAl Yellon2018-03-08T10:00:01-06:002018-03-08T10:00:01-06:00Know your enemy: Minnesota Twins
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<figcaption>Hammond Stadium in Ft. Myers, spring home of the Twins | Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Can the Twins repeat their wild-card season from last year?</p> <p id="FSQkQp"><strong>SCOTTSDALE, Arizona</strong> — The <a href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Twins</a> executed a big turnaround in 2017, going from a 99-loss team in 2016 to the wild-card game with 85 wins, a 26-win improvement.</p>
<p id="x8PXHW">They’re going to have to be better to stay in contention for one of those spots, as several of the other contenders have improved, and the <a href="https://www.letsgotribe.com/">Indians</a> seem to have a lock on first place in this division.</p>
<p id="4k3GKQ">Minnesota, like several other teams, could use <span>Jake Arrieta</span> in their rotation. We’ve been over and over the reasons why Jake remains unsigned; it’s likely not the Twins’ lack of interest in him. They could afford him — the only really expensive player on their club is <span>Joe Mauer</span>, whose eight-year deal expires after this year. Mauer, the Minnesota native, is probably not going anywhere, but he’s likely to re-sign with the Twins at a lower salary beginning in 2019.</p>
<p id="fGNTp7">If the Twins do sign Jake before Opening Day, that would significantly improve them and possibly even allow them to challenge Cleveland for first place.</p>
<p id="OpHNf0">The rest of this team returns largely intact from last year, with a number of good young sluggers led by <span>Brian Dozier</span> and Eddie Rosario. What the Twins really want is to have <span>Byron Buxton</span> fulfill his potential. He was a 5.1 bWAR player last year, but most of that value was from his outstanding defense. He hit just .253/.314/.413, with 16 home runs and 29 stolen bases, which is good, but not what you’d really want from the 2nd overall pick in the 2012 draft.</p>
<p id="rCeQC4"><span>Ervin Santana</span>, who had an excellent 2017 that included an All-Star nod and seventh place in Cy Young voting, returns to anchor the rotation. <span>Jose Berrios</span> had a fine season at age 23 and the hard-throwing righthander figures to get even better. The Twins acquired <span>Jake Odorizzi</span> from the <a href="https://www.draysbay.com/">Rays</a> in one of Tampa Bay’s salary dumps, giving up only a mid-level prospect, so their rotation definitely looks stronger this year.</p>
<p id="GOLHEC"><span>Brandon Kintzler</span>, who closed for the Twins much of last year, was traded away midseason and former closer <span>Glen Perkins</span> retired, so the Twins had to punt. Right now <span>Fernando Rodney</span> (yes, somehow he’s still around) is listed as the Twins’ closer on <a href="http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/team/depth_chart/index.jsp?c_id=min">their depth chart</a>, but don’t be surprised if <span>Addison Reed</span> winds up closing for them at some point this season.</p>
<p id="GecMkv">Third baseman <span>Miguel Sano</span> was accused of sexual assault by a female photographer late last year. <a href="http://m.startribune.com/twins-third-baseman-miguel-sano-talks-to-major-league-baseball-investigators/475330433/">Here’s an update on the status of MLB’s investigation</a>, with a note that Sano had recently spoken to MLB investigators:</p>
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<p id="zYjmVt">The investigation is conducted solely by MLB security under the commissioner’s office, and the Twins and Sano have been left largely uninformed about its progress.</p>
<p id="STwvo6">But interviewing the accused is typically the final step in an investigation of this sort, and Sano’s meeting Tuesday may indicate that Commissioner Rob Manfred will receive the results of the investigation soon. The decision of whether to discipline Sano rests solely with Manfred. Punishments in previous cases under the new policy have included suspension, fines and sensitivity training, though in most cases a police report was included in the evidence.</p>
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<p id="MBNjLE">The Twins will visit Wrigley Field for a three-game series June 29-30 and July 1.</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2018/3/8/17077638/know-your-enemy-minnesota-twinsAl Yellon2018-03-07T09:00:02-06:002018-03-07T09:00:02-06:00Know your enemy: Detroit Tigers
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<figcaption>Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Tigers began rebuild mode last year.</p> <p id="QSqH1m"><strong>SCOTTSDALE, Arizona</strong> — The <a href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/">Detroit Tigers</a>’ last <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/world-series">World Series</a> championship was in 1984.</p>
<p id="1BRMMI">That’s one of the longer championship droughts, and in recent years Tigers management has been trying to patch together a team that could win one more for owner Mike Ilitch.</p>
<p id="aBIuMZ">They did have a decent, if brief, run from 2011-14, losing the ALCS twice but winning the A.L. pennant in 2012, when they lost the World Series to the <a href="https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/">Giants</a>.</p>
<p id="LzVji7">Ilitch died in February 2017, and the Tigers, who hung around as close to first place as five games out on July 19 (despite being seven games under .500!), decided to rip it all down and start over. </p>
<p id="dgs6t1">They traded <span>J.D. Martinez</span> to the <a href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/">Diamondbacks</a> and <span>Alex Avila</span> and <span>Justin Wilson</span> to the <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> at the non-waiver deadline. Then Justin Upton and <span>Justin Verlander</span>, who both cleared waivers, were shipped out at the last possible moment to make them eligible for the postseason with their new teams, August 31.</p>
<p id="LJGcal">It worked out really well for <span>Verlander</span>, once the face of the Tigers franchise. He threw two great games in the ALCS to help the <a href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Astros</a> beat the <a href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">Yankees</a>, and then was a key part of their World Series win over the <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a>.</p>
<p id="ZXPvZT">Then Ian Kinsler was traded to the <a href="https://www.halosheaven.com/">Angels</a> this offseason, so that’s five significant players from previous Tigers teams gone.</p>
<p id="QQas7L">I confess I personally do not know much about the prospects the Tigers got in all these deals, but the consensus from those who do is that they did pretty well.</p>
<p id="KyWTnJ">The Tigers are not completely left without decent players. Nick Castellanos had a fine 2017 and looks like he’ll be a good player for several seasons. <span>Jose Iglesias</span> is a fine defender, though he didn’t hit much in 2017. Former Cubs prospect <span>Jeimer Candelario</span> hit really well after being included in the Avila/Wilson swap: .330/.406/.468 (31-for-94). He suffered a minor injury in a spring training game a week ago, <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2018/02/26/detroit-tigers-jeimer-candelario-gausman-collision/110873618/">but it turned out to be just a bruise</a>, so he should be ready to go on Opening Day. <span>Candelario</span> was blocked with the Cubs and this is a great opportunity for him to play. I wish him well.</p>
<p id="c2zUNu">Despite the loss of Verlander, the Tigers rotation is still decent. <span>Michael Fulmer</span> has a chance to become the new ace of the staff, and Detroit has to hope that <span>Jordan Zimmermann</span> is better than he was last year (I’ll spare you the details, but he was awful). </p>
<p id="46mVhz">Detroit’s bullpen was one of the biggest reasons for their postseason failures, but they might have found a decent closer in Shane Greene. After the Wilson trade Greene posted a 2.48 ERA and 1.292 WHIP, with 23 strikeouts in 21⅔ innings and eight saves in nine opportunities. Behind him, though... a number of miscellaneous setup guys. </p>
<p id="0GztXj">The Tigers went 17-41 after the July 31 deadline deals and lost 98 games, their worst showing since the awful 2003 team lost 119. They might not do much better this year, but they are going about their business the way the Cubs and Astros did. They have the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft and if GM Al Avila and his staff do their homework properly, perhaps they can return to contention in three years or so.</p>
<p id="BQjvmu">The Cubs will face the Tigers at Wrigley Field July 4-5 and will travel to Comerica Park August 21-22.</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2018/3/7/17074722/know-your-enemy-detroit-tigersAl Yellon2018-03-06T10:00:02-06:002018-03-06T10:00:02-06:00Know your enemy: Kansas City Royals
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<figcaption>Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The Royals have fallen on hard times again.</p> <p id="4FO6aK"><strong>SCOTTSDALE, Arizona</strong> — The <a href="https://www.royalsreview.com/">Kansas City Royals</a> were in the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/world-series">World Series</a> in 2014 and won it in 2015 and had a core of players (<span>Eric Hosmer</span>, <span>Mike Moustakas</span>, <span>Alex Gordon</span>) who appeared ready to lead them to more postseason appearances.</p>
<p id="AlpfR9">That hasn’t happened. Injuries ruined their 2016 season and in 2017, the tragic death of <span>Yordano Ventura</span> had an effect not just on the KC pitching staff, but on the team emotionally. Even while Moustakas was setting Royals franchise record with 38 home runs (Kansas City is still the only team that’s never had a 40-homer man) and Hosmer posting good numbers, both on their way to free agency, the Royals were back under .500 at 80-82.</p>
<p id="r5sseE">With Hosmer signed with the <a href="https://www.gaslampball.com/">Padres</a> and Moustakas still on the open market, KC has moved on. They signed <span>Lucas Duda</span> to a fairly team-friendly contract to replace Hosmer at first base, and though Duda hit just .217 last year, he also slammed 30 home runs and drew 60 walks for a .322 OBP. If he can get back to his 2014-15 level, when he was a 3 bWAR player, the Royals will have good production for a lot less money.</p>
<p id="Hms6qC"><span>Cheslor Cuthbert</span> replaces Moustakas at third base. Cuthbert had a decent 2016 but spent a fair amount of time in 2017 on the DL and didn’t hit when he played. That will be a downgrade.</p>
<p id="8z75w8">The KC pitching staff returns largely intact, led by <span>Danny Duffy</span>. <span>Jason Hammel</span>’s ERA was awful last year, but his peripherals were still pretty good and the ugly ERA and W/L record still provided 1.3 bWAR. Hammel is 35 now and his career is approaching its end; when he’s done, his best years will have been as a Cub.</p>
<p id="e8l4w2">The Royals hope <span>Jorge Soler</span> will finally show the potential he did as a Cub. Soler hit at Triple-A Omaha (.267/.388/.564, 24 home runs in only 74 games), but he was only there because he was horrific in the major leagues, hitting just .144/.245/.258 with 36 strikeouts in 97 at-bats. Soler is 26 and I believe he can opt out of his contract after this year, otherwise KC has him under contract at a fairly reasonable $4.7 million per year through 2020.</p>
<p id="LWOoTX">If Soler finally hits like <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> fans hoped he would, that’s a big win of a trade for the Royals.</p>
<p id="llS5to">Really, this team doesn’t appear to be much better or worse than they were a year ago. If the pitching holds up — and the bullpen, led by <span>Kelvin Herrera</span>, is pretty good — they’re probably a .500 ballclub again.</p>
<p id="WC3DQZ">The Cubs will be at Kauffman Stadium August 6-7-8. If you’ve never been to the K, it’s a cool road trip. The ballpark was extensively renovated in 2009 and now has an excellent <a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/kc/hall_of_fame/index.jsp">Royals Hall of Fame and Museum</a>, and if you go to K.C. the <a href="https://www.nlbm.com/">Negro Leagues Baseball Museum</a> is a must-see. It’s only about a seven-hour drive from Chicago.</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2018/3/6/17071022/know-your-enemy-kansas-city-royalsAl Yellon2018-03-05T09:30:01-06:002018-03-05T09:30:01-06:00Know your enemy: Cleveland Indians
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<figcaption>One of the cool sights at Goodyear Ballpark, spring home of the Indians, is an airplane boneyard beyond the right-field wall | Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Cubs and the Tribe have a history now.</p> <p id="GF8sWY"><strong>SCOTTSDALE, Arizona</strong> — As every Cub fan knows, the <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> extended the <a href="https://www.letsgotribe.com/">Indians</a>’ <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/world-series">World Series</a> drought to 68 years in 2016.</p>
<p id="lgGf1S">The Indians blazed through the 2017 regular season, winning a record 22 straight games in the process of winning 102 games, posting the best record in the American League and reaching the century mark for the first time since 1995 and just the third time in franchise history.</p>
<p id="PuJPy4">All that went for nothing after the Tribe blew a two games to none lead and lost their division series to the <a href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">Yankees</a>, extending that championship drought to 69 years.</p>
<p id="CO6ZF0">Trust me, Indians fans. We know how this feels.</p>
<p id="lopDfm">The Indians return the same team, or most of it, that’s won the A.L. Central two years in a row. They are led by <span>Corey Kluber</span>, last year’s A.L. Cy Young Award winner, and <span>Carlos Carrasco</span>, <span>Trevor Bauer</span>, <span>Josh Tomlin</span> and <span>Danny Salazar</span> make a formidable rotation. <span>Cody Allen</span> returns as closer, and of course <span>Andrew Miller</span> will mow through some setup innings behind <span>Allen</span>. Bryan Shaw, their setup man the last couple of years, departed to the <a href="https://www.purplerow.com/">Rockies</a> via free agency.</p>
<p id="aXero5">So the Indians’ pitching staff, which was best in the A.L. in preventing runs in 2017, leading the league in that category by almost 100 runs, returns nearly intact.</p>
<p id="5CdrlQ">What about the offense? It’s lost <span>Carlos Santana</span> to free agency; Cleveland hopes <span>Yonder Alonso</span> will pick up some of that slack. Alonso had the best year of his career in 2017, hitting .266/.365/.501 with 28 home runs split between Oakland and Seattle. The Indians signed him to a pretty reasonable dollar deal, if he can continue that production.</p>
<p id="PNsKPo">One of the majors’ best double-play combinations returns in <span>Francisco Lindor</span> and <span>Jason Kipnis</span>. The outfield’s a bit of a question mark, with <span>Michael Brantley</span> recovering from surgery with “no timetable” for his return:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Michael Brantley taking cuts, looks good...Tito said Brantley is doing great but no update on return <a href="https://twitter.com/wkyc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@wkyc</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/WKYCSports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WKYCSports</a> <a href="https://t.co/eJ034FpBYM">pic.twitter.com/eJ034FpBYM</a></p>— Dave Chudowsky (@DaveChudowsky) <a href="https://twitter.com/DaveChudowsky/status/969271482554531840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2018</a>
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<p id="Q93Nb2">Highly touted rookie <span>Bradley Zimmer</span> was sort of a flop last year, hitting .241/.307/.385, but it was still a 1.5 bWAR season. If he lives up to his minor-league potential, the Tribe has a keeper.</p>
<p id="BsKh6i">The rest of the A.L. Central is either rebuilding or unsure (will the <a href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Twins</a> actually sign one of the still-free-agent starters?), so the Indians will likely cruise to another division title. The only question, then, is whether they can turn that into a drought-busting World Series championship. Of course, I hope this is the Cubs’ year to win again, but if they don’t make it to the World Series and the Indians do, I’ll be rooting hard for Cleveland to win.</p>
<p id="ZHc18X">The Cubs will travel to Cleveland for two games April 24-25, and I certainly hope it’s stopped snowing in Cleveland by then. The Tribe will visit Wrigley Field May 22-23 for a pair of night games.</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2018/3/5/17070030/know-your-enemy-cleveland-indiansAl Yellon2018-03-04T09:00:02-06:002018-03-04T09:00:02-06:00Know your enemy: Colorado Rockies
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<figcaption>Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, spring home of the Rockies | Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Rockies were surprisingly good last year. They could improve on that.</p> <p id="NbWdgO"><strong>SCOTTSDALE, Arizona</strong> — Even though the <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> have been a 90-win team for the last three seasons and the <a href="https://www.purplerow.com/">Rockies</a> just squeaked in as the second wild card last year, the Rox have given the Cubs fits over that period. The Cubs are just 8-11 against the Rockies since 2015, and they lost three of four to them at Wrigley Field last year.</p>
<p id="Q8eaEb">And the Rockies are returning most of the powerful lineup that led the National League in runs last year. The 824 runs was two more than the Cubs scored.</p>
<p id="UAVqLG"><span>Charlie Blackmon</span>, who hit .331/.399/.601 and led the league in runs, hits, triples, batting average and total bases and still managed no better than fifth place in MVP voting, leads the way. He’ll be a free agent after this season and will be in high demand.</p>
<p id="2bKktt">The only major changes for the Rockies will be the move of <span>Ian Desmond</span> to the outfield to make room for highly-touted rookie <span>Ryan McMahon</span> at first base. <span>McMahon</span> hit .355/.403/.583 with 20 home runs in 119 games split between Double-A and Triple-A last year, so he should fit right in with this bunch.</p>
<p id="Hl90px"><span>Chris Iannetta</span>, who played for the Rockies from 2006-11, returns as their starting catcher.</p>
<p id="IJ9xT3">Colorado’s rotation is also much the same as last year’s, minus <span>Tyler Chatwood</span>, now a Cub. Another Cub connection will be in the Rockies’ bullpen, as <span>Wade Davis</span> signed a three-year deal with a fourth-year mutual option. Davis did a good job in his one year in Chicago and, apart from any games he pitches against the Cubs, I wish him well.</p>
<p id="Rwaa1h">The Rockies will lead the National League in runs again. I can say that with reasonable certainty because they do this almost every year — they have led the league in runs each of the last four seasons. It’s really up to the pitching to determine how well the Rockies do this season; it was good enough to give them the second wild card in 2017 and could well be good enough for that again.</p>
<p id="yed5S0">The schedule-makers must have something in for the Cubs. The last time the Cubs played in Denver later than May 10 was 2014. That’s the case again this year, as the Cubs’ annual visit to Coors Field will be April 20-21-22. Check the forecast for snow. The Rockies will be at Wrigley a bit more than a week later (April 30, May 1-2), and unless the teams somehow meet in the postseason, that’ll be it until 2019.</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2018/3/4/17050540/know-your-enemy-colorado-rockiesAl Yellon2018-03-03T10:00:01-06:002018-03-03T10:00:01-06:00Know your enemy: San Diego Padres
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6vUOml9BsjjWG8WrQ-OX59m-n5k=/0x0:4981x3321/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/58813401/514684026.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Peoria Stadium, spring home of the Padres | Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The Padres are... doing things.</p> <p id="K47IOJ"><strong>SCOTTSDALE, Arizona</strong> — The <a href="https://www.gaslampball.com/">San Diego Padres</a> recently signed <span>Eric Hosmer</span> to an eight-year, $144 million contract about two weeks ago.</p>
<p id="2ftsvO">And the only question I have is: Why?</p>
<p id="bGrlcJ">The Padres are light years from contention. Hosmer and third baseman <span>Chase Headley</span> (reacquired from the <a href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">Yankees</a>) are the only Padres making more than $6.8 million this year, and while Hosmer should be in the prime of his career, Headley, who will be 34 in May, isn’t. Neither is <span>Freddy Galvis</span>, the third highest paid Padre at that $6.8 million figure. Galvis is a good defender, but never hit much, and Petco Park is tougher on hitters than his former home in Philadelphia. (The Padres were dead last in the N.L. in runs last year.)</p>
<p id="y8s1kq">So... what are the Padres doing here? Rebuilding? They do have some decent-to-good young players in <span>Manuel Margot</span> and <span>Jose Pirela</span>.</p>
<p id="nhKExs"><span>Wil Myers</span> is still here. Myers hit 30 home runs last year in an otherwise forgettable season (.243/.328/.464) that produced 2.1 bWAR. Good, but not the superstardom that was projected for Myers after his appearance near the top of prospect lists when he was in the <a href="https://www.royalsreview.com/">Royals</a> organization. With Hosmer’s signing, Myers will be moving back to the outfield. He hasn’t spent significant time there since 2015.</p>
<p id="2hm6nT"><span>Hunter Renfroe</span> had a pretty good rookie season last year, though he struck out 140 times in 445 at-bats, which is obviously not optimal.</p>
<p id="ZsXF3v">Perhaps all that needs to be said about the Padres and 2018 is that, <a href="http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/team/depth_chart/index.jsp?c_id=sd">per their depth chart</a>, <span>Clayton Richard</span> is their No. 1 starter.</p>
<p id="xTmmgf">Yikes. Richard posted a 4.79 ERA and 1.515 WHIP last year, led the major leagues in hits allowed (240) and for all that had a 0.4 bWAR season. None of the other Padres starters strike fear into the hearts or bats of big-league hitters.</p>
<p id="e2TV7j">For some reason, the Padres didn’t trade <span>Brad Hand</span> at the deadline last year, nor in this past offseason. He’ll close again, and if he’s as good as he was in 2017, there will be teams coming to call at the deadline again this year. And Hand is under contract to the Padres for two more years after 2018 (plus a 2021 buyout), which would be quite affordable for a contending team.</p>
<p id="BALgJS">This is likely one of my safest predictions for 2018: The Padres will finish last in the N.L. West. It’s a measure of how anonymous this team is that the photographers who usually take photos at spring practices, the ones I use in this series, didn’t take any at Padres workouts. Instead you see the lovely photo of Peoria Stadium, the Padres’ spring home, at the top of this post.</p>
<p id="5cpl5i">The <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> will face the Padres in San Diego July 13-14-15 and the Padres will be at Wrigley for a four-game set August 2-3-4-5.</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2018/3/3/17050414/know-your-enemy-san-diego-padresAl Yellon2018-03-02T09:00:02-06:002018-03-02T09:00:02-06:00Know your enemy: San Francisco Giants
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<figcaption>The Giants’ two key offseason acquisitions: Evan Longoria and Andrew McCutchen | Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Giants look to come back from a dismal 2017.</p> <p id="q6syRs"><strong>SCOTTSDALE, Arizona</strong> — Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. A three-time champion team suffers injuries to significant players and has down years from others, and goes from a perennial contender to a team that’s having its worst year in almost a decade.</p>
<p id="sxEgm3">The <a href="https://www.secondcityhockey.com/">Chicago Blackhawks</a> might even miss the playoffs this year.</p>
<p id="MA5n1A">Oh, you thought I was talking about the <a href="https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/">San Francisco Giants</a>?</p>
<p id="wBSUQI">Actually, I was. The parallels between what happened to the Giants last year and the struggles of this year’s Blackhawks are eerie. Last year the Giants lost <span>Madison Bumgarner</span> to an injury that shouldn’t even have happened; this year the Blackhawks lost <span>Corey Crawford</span> to an injury the team doesn’t even want to discuss.</p>
<p id="Kx1pPz"><span>Hunter Pence</span> had a down year for the Giants last year. <span>Jonathan Toews</span> has disappeared for the Blackhawks.</p>
<p id="ML3mmM">There are others, but you get the idea. The Giants lost 98 games in 2017; the Blackhawks are likely out of the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nhl-playoffs">Stanley Cup</a> playoffs for the first time in a decade.</p>
<p id="JPd3hX">The Giants have done something about this, or at least acquired players that give them hope they can return to postseason contention.</p>
<p id="jzzT33">The biggest acquisition is <span>Andrew McCutchen</span>, who has been the face of the <a href="https://www.bucsdugout.com/">Pirates</a> franchise since 2009. After a down year in 2016, McCutchen returned to form in 2017 and the Giants hope he continues that. He’s a free agent after this year. It will be strange to see him in the orange and black uniform of the Giants.</p>
<p id="Psd0IS"><span>Evan Longoria</span>, another face of a franchise (<a href="https://www.draysbay.com/">Rays</a>) for the last decade, was acquired as well. Longoria’s offensive numbers sagged a bit in 2017, though he still posted a good 3.6 bWAR season. He’ll finish his career with the Giants, most likely, as he’s under contract through 2022 with a team option/buyout for 2023.</p>
<p id="Comzoq">The Giants traded away <span>Denard Span</span> and signed former Cub Austin Jackson, who will get a shot at the center field job. Other than those three, the Giants players who helped them win three <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/world-series">World Series</a> are back for another shot at it.</p>
<p id="baouv2">S.F.’s top three starters are solid: Bumgarner was good after he returned from the dirt bike shoulder injury, and <span>Jeff Samardzija</span> and <span>Johnny Cueto</span> are quality arms, despite both of them having mediocre 2017 seasons. <span>Mark Melancon</span>, signed to close before 2017, was bad and then injured and missed much of the season. The Giants acquired <span>Sam Dyson</span> by trade from the <a href="https://www.lonestarball.com/">Rangers</a>; he was pretty good apart from one horrific outing against the <a href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">Cardinals</a> in late August and two bad ones at the end of the season. If those two return to form the Giants bullpen could be pretty good.</p>
<p id="uQ54Db">Bruce Bochy, who will head to the Hall of Fame when his career is over, returns for his 12th season as Giants manager and 24th managerial season overall. He and his staff do a good job and it’s hard to believe there won’t be a significant improvement over the Giants’ 98-loss 2017. Incidentally, Bochy, who turns 63 in April and doesn’t seem anywhere near retirement, is 147 wins away from 2,000 in his career. He won’t get there this year, obviously, but when he does he’l become just the 11th manager in MLB history with 2,000 career wins.</p>
<p id="zmIpGj">The <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> and Giants face each other six times in 2018: May 25-26-27 at Wrigley Field and July 9-10-11 in San Francisco.</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2018/3/2/17050358/know-your-enemy-san-francisco-giantsAl Yellon