Bleed Cubbie Blue - Know your enemy: 2021 Cubs opponentsA Chicago Cubs Fan Community Since February 9, 2005https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47557/cubbieblue.png2021-03-12T09:00:00-06:00http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/rss/stream/220552882021-03-12T09:00:00-06:002021-03-12T09:00:00-06:00Know your enemy: Minnesota Twins
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<figcaption>Hammond Stadium, spring home of the Twins | Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>This team always seems to lurk just under the radar.</p> <p id="rni6iO"><strong>KEY ADDITIONS:</strong> J.A. Happ, Andrelton Simmons, Kyle Garlick, Matt Shoemaker, Andrew Romine</p>
<p id="xfsk9i"><strong>KEY SUBTRACTIONS:</strong> Rich Hill, Marwin Gonzalez, Jake Odorizzi, Alex Avila, Trevor May, Tyler Clippard, Eddie Rosario</p>
<p id="ggeEAj">While the “sexy” 2021 pick for the AL Central is the <a href="https://www.southsidesox.com/">White Sox</a>, the <a href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Minnesota Twins</a> would likely like to remind you — in a “Minnesota nice” way, of course — that they have won the division the last two years and in MLB’s last full season, 2019, won 101 games.</p>
<p id="KGO8s5">Even with some of the departures listed above, this is still a strong lineup and rotation. DH Nelson Cruz is back for another year and even at 40, seems productive. J.A. Happ replaces Rich Hill in the rotation and Matt Shoemaker replaces Jake Odorizzi. That might be a slight downgrade, but the Twins will back that pitching with solid hitting that includes Cruz, Jorge Polanco, Josh Donaldson and Max Kepler.</p>
<p id="162AL0">Remember when the Twins took Byron Buxton second overall in 2012? That was right after Carlos Correa and four picks before the <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> chose Albert Almora Jr. and if you think Cubs fans are hand-wringing over the Almora pick, imagine how Twins fans feel about Buxton, who was supposed to be a superstar. Injuries have held him to just one MLB season of over 100 games, and <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheathletic.com%2F2420139%2F2021%2F03%2F01%2F10-thoughts-from-the-start-of-twins-camp%2F&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bleedcubbieblue.com%2F2021%2F3%2F12%2F22317165%2Fknow-your-enemy-minnesota-twins" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">he added 12 pounds of muscle this offseason</a> in an attempt to keep healthier. </p>
<p id="Xtn7MB">The Twins are ably managed by Rocco Baldelli. Baldelli was thought by some to be a bit over his head when he became the youngest manager in baseball at age 37 in 2019, but that 101-win season silenced most of the detractors. Baldelli could wind up managing in Minnesota for a very, very long time.</p>
<p id="wTVdvs">These guys will have a lot to say about who wins the AL Central. Just anointing the White Sox champions ahead of time ignores reality.</p>
<p id="TUWzbG">The Cubs and Twins are scheduled for a pair of two-game series in 2021, oddly, both in pennant-race crunch time:</p>
<p id="VGPnm9">August 31, September 1 at Target Field</p>
<p id="qwOs7b">September 21-22 at Wrigley Field</p>
<p id="nhGukE">This concludes the “Know your enemy” series for 2021. Hope you’ve learned something about each of the Cubs’ 19 opponents this year.</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2021/3/12/22317165/know-your-enemy-minnesota-twinsAl Yellon2021-03-11T09:00:00-06:002021-03-11T09:00:00-06:00Know your enemy: Kansas City Royals
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<figcaption>Surprise Stadium, spring home of the Royals | Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>This team does have some good young pitchers.</p> <p id="897Cjr"><strong>KEY ADDITIONS:</strong> Andrew Benintendi, Wade Davis, Greg Holland, Brad Brach, Ervin Santana, Carlos Santana</p>
<p id="comVh1"><strong>KEY SUBTRACTIONS:</strong> Maikel Franco, Mike Montgomery, Ian Kennedy, Randy Rosario, Franchy Cordero, Alex Gordon</p>
<p id="AF6g42">In late June and early July 2014, the <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> went into Fenway Park and swept the then-defending <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/world-series">World Series</a> champion <a href="https://www.overthemonster.com/">Red Sox</a>. Jake Arrieta, presaging his two no-hitters, took a perfect game into the eighth inning in <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BOS/BOS201406300.shtml">the first of those three</a>.</p>
<p id="aTeE9Y">You’re wondering what this has to do with the <a href="https://www.royalsreview.com/">Kansas City Royals</a>, and, dear reader, I am now going to tell you.</p>
<p id="bRbwb4">If the Cubs had lost just one of those three to the Red Sox, both teams would have finished the 2014 season at 72-90. The Cubs would have thus leapfrogged two other teams (<a href="https://www.thegoodphight.com/">Phillies</a>, <a href="https://www.southsidesox.com/">White Sox</a>) in the 2015 draft order and would have drafted ahead of the Red Sox, since they had a worse record than Boston did in 2013.</p>
<p id="gJF273">The Cubs had Andrew Benintendi on their draft radar, but he was taken by Boston with the No. 7 overall pick. The Cubs, drafting ninth overall, wound up with Ian Happ, which finally looks like it’s going to be a good choice.</p>
<p id="jcKa2h">Benintendi? Well, he had good years for the Red Sox in 2017 and 2018, a 4.5 bWAR year in the Red Sox’ World Series year in ‘18. He wasn’t as good in 2019 and last year was an utter disaster for him, a .442 OPS in a season ruined by a rib injury.</p>
<p id="9QFsZK">And now he’s a Kansas City Royal, acquired in a three-team deal that involved the <a href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/">Mets</a>.</p>
<p id="tVqWm8">You know, this just might wind up being a really good trade for KC. Benintendi is only 26 and has had productive big-league seasons. If he can stay healthy, the Royals might have themselves a steal.</p>
<p id="XVt1u3">The rest of the team? Well, it’s Whit Merrifield, Salvador Perez and... some guys. Perhaps Carlos Santana will retain his evil ways and hit for them. Nicky Lopez is a pretty good shortstop, but hasn’t hit much, yet. They just spent a lot of money (four-year, $25 million extension) on Hunter Dozier, so they’d better hope he’s as good as he was in 2019.</p>
<p id="Iwvpu3">They do have some promising young pitchers, including Jakob Junis, Brad Keller and Kris Bubic (the latter was a college teammate of Nico Hoerner’s), and reliever Josh Staumont absolutely tied Cubs hitters in knots when the two teams met in 2020.</p>
<p id="qI0zBy">Kansas City has also created the Wade Davis/Greg Holland reunion tour, hoping to capture some 2015 magic. Fun, but unlikely those guys are still as good six years later. At the very least, they can mentor some of the Royals’ younger hurlers.</p>
<p id="O0BlRB">The Cubs are scheduled to face the Royals August 20-21-22 at Wrigley Field.</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2021/3/11/22317111/know-your-enemy-kansas-city-royalsAl Yellon2021-03-10T10:00:00-06:002021-03-10T10:00:00-06:00Know your enemy: Detroit Tigers
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<figcaption>Detroit Free Press-USA TODAY NET</figcaption>
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<p>The Tigers haven’t been good in a while, but might be turning a corner.</p> <p id="d1rG2a"><strong>KEY ADDITIONS:</strong> Jose Urena, Robbie Grossman, Wilson Ramos, Nomar Mazara, Wily Peralta, Julio Teheran</p>
<p id="LhQaW8"><strong>KEY SUBTRACTIONS:</strong> Ivan Nova, Austin Romine, Jordan Zimmermann, Jorge Bonfacio</p>
<p id="zzoBuV">The Tigers had a horrific 114-loss season in 2019, and went 7-19 in September.</p>
<p id="riuklm">Why, then, do I think they might slowly be on the way back?</p>
<p id="a6uekD">Finally, some of their recent high draft picks from all the losing seasons might bear fruit. Former No. 1 overall pick Casey Mize didn’t do all that well in his first MLB season, but discount that due to the weirdness of 2020. Mize and Matthew Boyd should be anchoring this rotation for a while, and I think they are poised to improve.</p>
<p id="LAwAJS">To that, the Tigers added a couple of pitchers who have struggled recently but could be due to recover their previous level in Wily Peralta and Julio Teheran. They’re also getting Michael Fulmer back after Tommy John surgery in early 2019.</p>
<p id="uVDRd9">This pitching staff won’t be as bad as it was last year.</p>
<p id="FDwWQs">Hitting? Welllll... that’s another story. Miguel Cabrera is still here, but he’s 38 now and hasn’t had a really good year since 2016. Still, there’s something to be said for having a future Hall of Famer on your team, and Miggy is within reach of two significant milestones — 500 home runs (he has 487) and 3,000 hits (he has 2,866). Former Cubs prospects are at the corners — Isaac Paredes, who went to Detroit in the Nick Castellanos deal, is the likely starting third baseman and Jeimer Candelario, who was sent to the Tigers in 2017 for Alex Avila, will start at first.</p>
<p id="00iG5d">Am I trying to talk myself into the Tigers being better? Maybe. I’ve always kind of liked this team and rooted for them when they weren’t playing the <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a>.</p>
<p id="nP15Z6">They’ve brought A.J. Hinch on board as their manager and you are probably still thinking he has that <a href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com">Astros</a> stink on him and you could be right, but before you dismiss him entirely I would recommend you read <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheathletic.com%2F2406890%2F2021%2F02%2F26%2Fa-j-hinch-returns-to-tigers-after-astros-cheating-scandal%2F&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bleedcubbieblue.com%2F2021%2F3%2F10%2F22307798%2Fknow-your-enemy-detroit-tigers" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">this excellent profile of him</a> written by Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic (subscription required). There’s room for redemption stories in baseball, right?</p>
<p id="xB6K9O">Let’s be clear, I’m not saying the Tigers are a contender this year or even a .500 team. But there is a chance they could get out of last place. Baby steps, right?</p>
<p id="fJ7Eio">The Cubs are scheduled to face the Tigers in a three-game series May 14-15-16 at Comerica Park.</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2021/3/10/22307798/know-your-enemy-detroit-tigersAl Yellon2021-03-09T11:00:00-06:002021-03-09T11:00:00-06:00Know your enemy: Cleveland Indians
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<figcaption>Goodyear Ballpark, spring home of the Indians | Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>This is not your father’s Cleveland team. Heck, it’s not even last year’s ballclub.</p> <p id="Yza4fE"><strong>KEY ADDITIONS:</strong> Eddie Rosario, Amed Rosario, Ben Gamel</p>
<p id="MnEhJj"><strong>KEY SUBTRACTIONS:</strong> Francisco Lindor, Carlos Carrasco, Brad Hand, Carlos Santana, Domingo Santana, Delino DeShields, Tyler Naquin, Adam Cimber</p>
<p id="KtDThO">The Indians came within one win over the Twins of being the AL Central champions in 2020. They did make the expanded postseason and promptly got swept in a wild-card series by the <a href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">Yankees</a>.</p>
<p id="lrwJtq">And then... they pretty much dismantled their team. Just look at that list above! The Indians have shed themselves of perhaps their best position player, one of their top starting pitchers and three of their better relievers, including their closer.</p>
<p id="NGKTFP">In doing so they have shed enough payroll that their 2021 total player compensation might, per Spotrac, <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/cleveland-indians//payroll">be under $40 million</a>.</p>
<p id="dJBx3a">If that’s not an argument for a salary floor, I don’t know what is.</p>
<p id="UtkMYY">The Indians still do have the 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner and a couple of other young starting pitchers who could be decent, including Triston McKenzie and one of the 2019 poster boys for “Don’t do this in a pandemic,” Zach Plesac. (He’s the nephew of former Cub and NBC Sports Chicago announcer Dan Plesac, in case you were wondering.)</p>
<p id="SLs26n">The bullpen, though... yikes. Without Brad Hand, the total number of MLB saves recorded in 2020 by current members of the Cleveland bullpen is... two. One from James Karinchak, who will get the first shot to close, and the other from ancient Oliver Perez.</p>
<p id="cB7fze">There are still some decent hitters on this team, including Jose Ramirez and the new left fielder, Eddie Rosario, so they might put up some runs. They’ll need to, because the staff is going to give them up at a high rate. At best, this appears to be a .500 ballclub.</p>
<p id="95Y7Ts">It’s also the last year we will be calling them “Indians,” as <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2020/12/14/22173899/cleveland-indians-new-name-spiders-blues-rocks">they announced in December</a> that they’ll be rebranding for the 2022 season. After this season, the Cubs won’t face them again until 2024, so whatever the new identity is (Spiders? Rocks? Blues? Something else?) should have taken hold by then.</p>
<p id="2FlT4b">The <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> are scheduled to face the Tribe (they’ll have to dump that alternate nickname, too) in a pair of two-game series in 2021:</p>
<p id="xOIUlN">May 11-12 at Progressive Field</p>
<p id="TYJMb1">June 21-22 at Wrigley Field</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2021/3/9/22307762/know-your-enemy-cleveland-indiansAl Yellon2021-03-08T11:00:00-06:002021-03-08T11:00:00-06:00Know your enemy: Chicago White Sox
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<figcaption>Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>These guys are good... but that manager...</p> <p id="NbDC1p"><strong>KEY ADDITIONS:</strong> Lance Lynn, Adam Eaton, Liam Hendriks, Tony La Russa</p>
<p id="kqiKzB"><strong>KEY SUBTRACTIONS:</strong> Alex Colome, James McCann, Edwin Encarnacion, Gio Gonzalez, Nomar Mazara</p>
<p id="JAxXBN"><a href="https://www.southsidesox.com/">White Sox</a> shortstop Tim Anderson is on the record:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Tim Anderson: "I got to be a little bit more careful with my words. ... We have a chance to be the best team in the AL."<a href="https://twitter.com/DannyParkins?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DannyParkins</a>: "Tim, don't become a politician on me. ... Just say what you feel."<br><br>Anderson: "(Bleep) it, we're the best team in the American League."</p>— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) <a href="https://twitter.com/670TheScore/status/1365415812199251969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2021</a>
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<p id="n5830Z">Well, you know, he might be right. The Sox are laden with right-handed power (Jose Abreu, Eloy Jimenez, Yoan Moncada, Anderson) and they have young players about to break through (Nick Madrigal, Andrew Vaughn).</p>
<p id="SnjrTH">They lost their closer (Alex Colome) to free agency but signed another one (Liam Hendriks) who might be better.</p>
<p id="qmJymE">Their rotation looks pretty deep, deep enough that they were willing to give Carlos Rodon another shot (I kind of wish the <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> had taken a chance on Rodon).</p>
<p id="HDTzjZ">The Sox absolutely pounded Cubs pitching last year, 35 runs in six games, including 16 (!) home runs. That’s an .869 slugging percentage allowed, something the Cubs will absolutely have to figure out how to fix when they play the Sox later this year.</p>
<p id="BD3HEJ">The biggest storyline surrounding this team is Tony La Russa, back to managing at age 76 for the first time in a decade. I won’t belabor his DUI case as that’s been done to death; the bigger story is whether a man can manage a team on which not one player was even born when La Russa last managed the White Sox in 1986. A recent example of a manager even older than that having success is Jack McKeon, but McKeon was clearly seen as an interim guy. The Sox are putting quite a bit more faith in La Russa. </p>
<p id="ox5wkn">As Mike Bojanowski said to me when the Sox hired Ozzie Guillen to manage, “This is either the dumbest thing they’ve ever done, or the smartest.” Well, the Guillen hire one worked, as he managed them to a <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/world-series">World Series</a> win. La Russa has three WS titles to his credit. Only five managers (Joe McCarthy, Casey Stengel, Connie Mack, Walter Alston and Joe Torre) have more.</p>
<p id="S8dZMo">La Russa needs 36 wins to pass John McGraw into second place all-time among managers (behind Mack). He’ll get there long before the Cubs have the first of their six scheduled games against the White Sox:</p>
<p id="n1392j">August 6-7-8 at Wrigley Field</p>
<p id="lcXhP9">August 27-28-29 at Guaranteed Rate Field</p>
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https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2021/3/8/22306159/know-your-enemy-chicago-white-soxAl Yellon2021-03-07T11:00:00-06:002021-03-07T11:00:00-06:00Know your enemy: San Francisco Giants
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<figcaption>Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Giants are old... and new.</p> <p id="pEUDIL"><strong>KEY ADDITIONS:</strong> Tommy La Stella, Alex Wood, Anthony DeSclafani, Matt Wisler, Nick Tropeano, Curt Casali</p>
<p id="C8VAJz"><strong>KEY SUBTRACTIONS:</strong> Jeff Samardzija, Drew Smyly, Tony Watson, Tyler Anderson, Daniel Robertson, Sam Coonrod</p>
<p id="7Ol13O">I don’t know what to think about the 2021 Giants.</p>
<p id="6mAGFg">They still have a few hangers-on from their three <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/world-series">World Series</a> teams of the 2010s: Buster Posey, Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford.</p>
<p id="KM1E9B">They have a bunch of veterans who have seen better years, including Evan Longoria.</p>
<p id="hXNGzx">They have some guys who you think are up-and-comers, but who are nearly 30, like Alex Dickerson and Mike Yastrzemski. Incidentally, the grandson of Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski has put up two solid years for the Giants after not being much of a prospect for a long time. Even at 30 he could still put up several solid seasons, maybe an updated version of Ryan Ludwick.</p>
<p id="9ecUy9">All of this, more or less (Posey opted out of the 2020 season), produced basically a .500 record (29-31) in 2020 and the Giants missed the playoffs on a tiebreaker.</p>
<p id="1UqL3q">Pitching was once their strength and helped lead them to those three World Series. But now, they have Johnny Cueto — and he’s certainly not the guy he was in 2016 — and a few question marks. Kevin Gausman was pretty good last year, but he’s not the guy you’d think of as a No. 2 starter, and neither are Anthony DeSclafani or Alex Wood, both reclamation projects who are next in line.</p>
<p id="6t06ut">The Giants bullpen contains one pitcher — Tyler Rogers — who had any saves for them last year, and he had three. At the moment, <a href="https://www.mlb.com/giants/roster/depth-chart">no one on their depth chart</a> is listed as closer. They’ll have to figure that out during spring training, I suppose.</p>
<p id="awGeuh">The Giants recently signed Scott Kazmir, a guy who I’d have liked the Cubs to take a chance on a while back, to a minor-league deal. He hasn’t pitched in MLB since 2016 and one of his teammates his rookie year in Tampa was Fred McGriff.</p>
<p id="YgsAuH">I would have liked Tommy La Stella back on the Cubs, but I wouldn’t have paid him what the Giants did (three years, $18.75 million). Good for Tommy, I wish him well, except when he faces the Cubs.</p>
<p id="G3Czmy">In the end, does it matter? As I have noted in earlier articles about NL West teams, the Giants, <a href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/">Diamondbacks</a> and Rockies are going to be fighting it out for third place in this division that will be dominated by the <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> and Padres.</p>
<p id="UO7mB8">But the Giants still do have that gem of a stadium next to San Francisco Bay. Worth the trip.</p>
<p id="tpTtz5">The <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> and Giants are scheduled to face each other seven times in 2021:</p>
<p id="qgQelV">June 3-4-5-6 at Oracle Park</p>
<p id="N3YwAR">September 10-11-12 at Wrigley Field</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2021/3/7/22304830/know-your-enemy-san-francisco-giantsAl Yellon2021-03-06T09:00:00-06:002021-03-06T09:00:00-06:00Know your enemy: San Diego Padres
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<figcaption>Photo by Matt Thomas/San Diego Padres/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>They’re going to be good competition for the Dodgers.</p> <p id="MsT3NH"><strong>KEY ADDITIONS:</strong> Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, Joe Musgrove, Nick Burdi, Mark Melancon, Keone Kela</p>
<p id="ZV8PpK"><strong>KEY SUBTRACTIONS:</strong> Kirby Yates, Garrett Richards, Trevor Rosenthal, Mitch Moreland, Yonder Alonso, Joey Lucchesi</p>
<p id="71GXf9">The Padres have, obviously, significantly improved their team this offseason with the acquisitions of Yu Darvish and Blake Snell.</p>
<p id="Buf0hc">What you might not remember is that the Padres were already a good team before these additions. They finished with the second-best record in the National League’s shortened 60-game season at 37-23 and beat the Cardinals in a wild-card series before succumbing to the <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> in a division series sweep.</p>
<p id="x9lgAu">That offense was led by Manny Machado (.304/.370/.580, 16 home runs) and Fernando Tatis Jr. (.277/.366/.571, 17 home runs) and Tatis was just 21 years old putting up those numbers. You all know about the massive deal Tatis signed recently, which will keep him a Padre basically for his entire career, and it’s likely going to be worth it. It won’t cost the Padres all that much for the first few years, anyway:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here's the breakdown of Fernando Tatis Jr.'s 14-year, $340M contract, per source:<br><br>2021: $1M 2028: $25M<br>2022: $5M 2029: $36M<br>2023: $7M 2030: $36M<br>2024: $11M 2031: $36M<br>2025: $20M 2032: $36M<br>2026: $20M 2033: $36M<br>2027: $25M 2034: $36M</p>— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) <a href="https://twitter.com/Feinsand/status/1363882025657262085?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2021</a>
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<p id="IgmWpz">The first six years of that deal look like a relative bargain. If the Padres win the <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/world-series">World Series</a> in that time, no one will care about the rest of it.</p>
<p id="MZJRKn">The Pads have some other good hitters, including Wil Myers finally seeming to show the tremendous potential he had as a Rays rookie several years ago. Myers hit .288/.353/.606 with 15 home runs in 2020.</p>
<p id="PfWFbr">The pitching staff, of course, is their crown jewel now with Darvish and Snell leading a staff that was pretty decent already. Chris Paddack, a solid starter who has been the best on the staff previously, is now their No. 3 or No. 4 starter. Dinelson Lamet, apparently healthy, had a good year in 2020 and is set for bigger things.</p>
<p id="zZfIhS">With Mark Melancon on the staff now, they’ll have options at closer, including Drew Pomeranz and Emilio Pagan, with Kirby Yates having departed in free agency.</p>
<p id="Y12PWL">It seems to me that the 19 games the Padres and Dodgers play against each other could decide this division. Both should beat up on the other three teams. The Dodgers won six of the 10 regular-season games between the teams in 2020. Watch for the Padres to be tougher than you might think.</p>
<p id="mZucgS">The <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> and Padres are scheduled to face each other six times in 2021, all within a 10-day period:</p>
<p id="hCb2kT">May 31, June 1-2 at Wrigley Field</p>
<p id="JCR37s">June 7-8-9 at Petco Park</p>
<p id="yv5JIU">I find myself hoping that the Cubs will not have to face Darvish in either series.</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2021/3/6/22303787/know-your-enemy-san-diego-padresAl Yellon2021-03-05T11:00:00-06:002021-03-05T11:00:00-06:00Know your enemy: Colorado Rockies
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8v_FUVUZ2bhWXTu74SA5w-8QJIo=/903x602:6000x4000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68917824/1127646254.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>The Rockies logo at Salt River Fields in Arizona | Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>One thing’s for sure: Their fans were not happy with the Nolan Arenado trade.</p> <p id="5aTQHy"><strong>KEY ADDITIONS:</strong> Dereck Rodriguez, Austin Gomber, Greg Bird, C.J. Cron</p>
<p id="v7lAmc"><strong>KEY SUBTRACTIONS:</strong> Nolan Arenado, Wade Davis, Matt Kemp, Daniel Murphy, Chris Owings, Kevin Pillar, David Dahl, Tony Wolters</p>
<p id="qDI36P">Remember that game I told you about in the Pirates “Know your enemy” article called “Name 3 Pirates”?</p>
<p id="COh30p">You could probably do that for the Rockies, too. Oh, sure, you know Trevor Story, but he seems likely to be traded by the deadline.</p>
<p id="EkKLpv">The trade of Nolan Arenado is the big story here. Probably, it’s the only story here, why this team felt it not only had to trade the face of the franchise but kick in $50 million to the Cardinals to do it.</p>
<p id="4MKN96">And you think we have it tough as <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> fans.</p>
<p id="b0mTow">The Rockies still have a few good pitchers in Jon Gray, German Marquez and Antonio Senzatela, and that will probably keep them from being as bad as the Pirates will this year. It won’t help the Rox any having to face the Padres and <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> 19 times each this year.</p>
<p id="AkTDPI">A great Rockies story is Daniel Bard, who returned to the major leagues in 2020 seven (!) years after he last appeared with the <a href="https://www.overthemonster.com/">Red Sox</a> and had an excellent season, striking out over a batter an inning and posting six saves. (Incidentally, the Cubs tried a reclamation project with Bard in 2015, but he still had the yips.) He’ll close for the Rockies; it’s too bad they likely will not have many save opportunities. This is potentially a 100-loss team, especially if they trade Story in July.</p>
<p id="F2ENeP">The Cubs and Rockies are scheduled to play six times in 2021, all in August:</p>
<p id="4DKAIL">August 3-4-5 at Coors Field</p>
<p id="34zomP">August 23-24-25 at Wrigley Field</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2021/3/5/22299837/know-your-enemy-colorado-rockiesAl Yellon