54.13 - CBS Recap

[KJChmura]

The first two weeks under new management led to trades and a waiver claim. Let's break it down below.

Chicago receives Felipe Mendez from Rockville

Felipe Mendez is a player we immediately had our eyes on. As a 6 year veteran of the GBC and 4 year veteran of BBA, we liked the experience he could bring to the team. In addition, we also liked his contract situation and hope we can reach a long term deal by end of the season. Felipe will initially find a spot in the Chicago rotation, but if he remains on the team next year, we envision him as a reliever long term. Mendez is a great asset in the locker room and is the exact style of veteran we are looking for as we continue this rebuild. He has high work ethic and has a history of being a strong teammate.

Price & Beard arrive in Chicago

Eli Price and Ben Beard came to Chicago in a trade that sent Brian King to Omaha. Price is a relief prospect that we see late inning potential. The rest of this season he will finish in Double-A and as we head into next season, he will start in Triple-A with hopes of being part of the Chicago bullpen by end of next summer. With Beard, this is a longer play. Beard will finish the season with Short-Season Single-A and begin next season in Single-A. We want to take is slow with Beard as there is no urgent need for him in the majors. Best case scenario, we develop him to be a #4 or #5 starter. Worst case scenario, he is minor league depth that may get a spot start in a few years. With this trade, both Price & Beard fit the mindset of players we are trying to build around. This trade will not add any wins to this season or even next, but within a few years, we are hopeful one of the players will be an impactful player for us.

Welcome Home Wattson

Rocky Wattson is officially back in Chicago.If you look at the Chicago record books, Wattson's name is all over them. For the price of $1, it was a no brainer to bring Wattson home. Wattson will be immediately activated to the major league roster and help us finish the season. We do envision a scenario, where Wattson is kept with the team beyond 2054. Rocky is a tremendously hard worker and can help set an example for the young guys on the team. As long as he can produce as a "ok" level, we will have a spot for him in Chicago.

New Catcher Arrives

Bruce McKinley, Dvimurdhan Sameer, & Abidin Yigit came over from Calgary in the final trade. McKinley is a strong BBA veteran that will add leadership and defense to the team. Catching is a Top 3 position for us (Catcher, Short Stop, Starting Pitcher) that we put tremendous value in. A strong defensive catcher that can lead the team is very important for Chicago's future. Today, I am not sure we have our future catcher on the roster. I do, however, believe that McKinley can help fill the gap. McKinley has a $5 million option for next season. Between now and then, we are optimistic he will perform well enough for us to pick up that option.

Sameer is a young reliever that needs seasoning. He will come to Chicago and immediately be added to the bullpen. We do not want to rush him, but we do want to get him experience. Over the next 2 years, we plan on seeing if he is part of our future or not. Yigit is the longshot for us. Yigit has potential, but is at least 3-4 years away from the majors. Our goal for Yigit is to develop him into a super utility player. This season, he will finish off the year by playing outfield. Next season, we plan on having him learn second base and 1st base. By end of 2056, we expect him to be ready for Triple-A and be on his way to being the super utility player we have in mind.

Cruz Claimed

Juan Cruz was claimed off waivers from Sacramento. Juan is only 27 and has 2 seasons under his belt at the major league level. With Juan, we plan on seeing if he can help out our bullpen and potentially earn a 2055 spot. The majority of the rest of 2054 will be about figuring out who has a spot in 2055 or not.

[Jwalk100]

Always good to see a plan.

[CTBrewCrew]

@niles08 Omaha cant get enough ex Wolves pitchers ….(king)

[niles08]

@niles08 Omaha cant get enough ex Wolves pitchers ….(king)

This one cost me a bit more than the last one.

[chicoruiz]

Chicago has a great heritage, and it looks like you’re a worthy carrier of the torch!

[Jess64]

Fantastic article. Good luck with the franchise!