Mesa Miscellany: March 4

Javier Báez picked out a new locker this spring. It’s not too far from where he set up shop a year ago, but there was meaning behind the change in real estate. Báez moved into Pedro Strop’s old spot.

“He’s the guy that you want to have right next to you. He’s a leader,” Báez said. “It’s going to be hard not having him right next to me.”

On Wednesday, following his first appearance against the Cubs as a member of the rival Reds, Strop let out a laugh when asked about Báez moving into his old stall at Chicago’s Mesa complex.

“Yeah, he told me that, that he was going to take my locker,” Strop said, flashing that wide smile Cubs fans grew to love. “That way, I think he’s not going to miss me that bad.”

Strop laughed again, as he did throughout the chat with reporters.

“Maybe the locker’s going to smell like me still,” he continued, his volume rising. “I wear a lot of cologne!”

His audience laughed with him now.

“Every time,” said Strop, who then mimed spraying himself with cologne, while making the “Tss, Tss, Tss” sound.

After seven seasons as a key part of the bullpen and behind-the-scenes culture, there is no doubt that Strop’s presence will be missed around the Cubs this year. That was evident on Wednesday, when his third-inning appearance included plenty of shouts from Chicago’s dugout and laughs on the field from the reliever.

Strop got Victor Caratini to fly out and exchanged friendly words with the catcher as he trotted of the field. He used a quick pitch to fool Albert Almora Jr., who struck out and also sent some playful jabs the pitcher’s way as he headed to the dugout.

After Strop got his third out, he pointed to the first-base dugout, continuing to banter back and forth with a few of his old friends. He then threw his head back and laughed, as he pointed skyward on his way to Cincinnati’s bench.

“It felt so weird, me pitching against them,” Strop said. “They were just screaming, ‘Stinks!’ A bunch of stuff. Like Rizzo, Caratini, the boys in the dugout, ‘Hey, throw the fastball!’, every time I threw a slider. So, it was getting my attention a little bit.

“Usually, I’m really focused and look like I’m mad. But today, I couldn’t. I couldn’t. I couldn’t do that. It was fun. I was happy to see my ex-teammates in there, enjoying the moment, me pitching against them. Me, too. I enjoyed the moment.”

Over the offseason, Strop hit the free-agent market, along with fellow veteran relievers Steve Cishek and Brandon Kintzler. The Cubs made it no secret that they were going to be up against it in terms of the budget room, but the sheer volume of holes in the relief corps made it also plausible that the team try to retain a veteran from that group.

Strop — after posting a 2.90 ERA in 411 games over parts of seven seasons for Chicago — wanted to be back. The Cubs also expressed an interesting in bringing him back. But…

“To be honest, they did try hard to bring me back,” Strop said. “It’s just they couldn’t. Money-wise, they couldn’t.”

Strop said the message he received was that the Cubs could not make it work in conjunction with their goal of trying to stay under the luxury-tax threshold. The reliever then pointed out that “they haven’t signed anybody over $1 million” since last season ended.

The Reds gave Strop a one-year, $1.825 million contract, even with him coming off a rough, injury-marred ’19 campaign. The Cubs spent $1.85 million total (before any bonuses) over the winter on true Major League deals (Steven Souza Jr. received a $1 million base salary and righty Jeremy Jeffress was given $850,000).

For the bullpen, specifically, the Cubs also added righties Ryan Tepera ($900,000) and Dan Winkler ($750,000) on split MLB contracts, took Trevor Megill in the Rule 5 Draft, traded for Casey Sadler and added a pile of arms via Minor League pacts.

“They did try to sign me back,” Strop repeated. “I don’t feel bad, like, ‘Oh, why don’t they want me no more?’ Because I know they did. And I’m really happy. It made me feel good when I saw that, even when I didn’t have my best year, they tried to bring me back.

“So, that was a good feeling. Now, time to turn the page.”

Initially, Strop said joining Cincinnati came with mixed emotions.

“At first,” Strop said, “when I first signed with them, I was like…”

The pitcher then let out what could be described as a prolonged groan of discouragement.

“What am I going to do now?” Strop continued. “But, it’s not bad. I’ve done it before, from Rockies to Rangers, Rangers to Orioles. It’s just been so long on the same team. A lot of great moments with the Cubs.

“But, it’s been easy. It’s been easy. The boys are a great group of guys also here, and I’m really glad and happy to be here and help them to win.”

MORE ON THE BULLPEN…

• Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein had some positive things to say about the crop of relief candidates in camp during a discussion with reporters on Wednesday morning:

“It’s been really good so far. It was a little daunting building the bullpen and knowing that you’re not going to be bringing in too many household names or guys who are coming off good years, because we were looking to do it efficiently. We’ve had really good feedback so far. You guys saw Jeffress the other day. He looked really comfortable on the mound, throwing three pitches and up to 95. Winkler is throwing the ball maybe as well, if not better than he has at any point in his career. He’s really coming out hot. He’s made some good adjustments. Tepera looks healthy, and this is a guy that’s got a really proven track record in the AL East. And Casey Sadler, outstanding breaking ball — maybe even a little bit better than it was last year. And he’s getting some good movement on his fastball. He’s been really impressive, too. Yeah, some of these guys we’ve brought in on either small trade or small free-agent signings have given us some good early feedback. But, it’s really early. You know how volatile bullpens can be. But, the early returns are encouraging for us.”

• We know that Craig Kimbrel is lined up for the closer’s role, and that lefty Kyle Ryan and righty Rowan Wick have earned spots as setup men based on their respective ’19 showings. It’s a safe assumption that Jeffress is a virtual lock for a job, too.
• One more bullpen spot will go to either Tyler Chatwood or Alec Mills. Chatwood is the leading candidate to snag that fifth spot in the rotation. Mills, who is out of Minor League options, would then be the top contender for a swing-man job in the ‘pen.
• There are two other pitchers out of options: Duane Underwood Jr. and Sadler. Yes, they both could win roles, but this could wind up being an either/or competition in the coming weeks.
• Tepera and Winkler each have a Minor League option, but it should not go unnoticed that both manager David Ross and Epstein have raved about both relievers in recent days. They also offer more MLB experience than some of the other candidates.
• It’s also worth noting that lefty Brad Wieck will be on a conservative program the rest of the spring. He underwent a heart procedure and is due to have a follow-up with a cardiologist on Monday. Wieck’s already playing catch, but he hasn’t been cleared to resume running or lifting, yet. And, given that, it’s hard to know when he’ll be back on a mound.
• Given that situation, Ross was recently asked if he prefers to have a second lefty in the bullpen. He said, no, that he could just as easily rely on righties who have good versus-lefty splits. With that in mind, two to keep in mind are, again…

Tepera
v-R (career): .220/.279/.367, .279 wOBA
v-L (career: .220/.335/.419, .323 wOBA

Winker
v-R (career): .203/.282/.332, .270 wOBA
v-L (career): .234/.327/.438, .329 wOBA

• No, those splits are perfect, but they are solid in the opposing average department and relievers with relatively even splits will be increasingly valuable in this new three-batter-minimum world we’re living in.
• So, you ask, what’s the projected bullpen? Well, as of this precise moment in time, I’d say a solid educated guess would be: Kimbrel, Ryan, Wick, Jeffress, Tepera, Winkler, Mills and Sadler.
• But, in the name of keeping depth at the front end of the season, the Cubs will have to give serious thought to guys like Megill, Sadler and Underwood. Megill, as a Rule 5 guy, would need to stay on an active MLB roster all season long.

NICO HOERNER WATCH…

You know this situation by now. Hoerner is competing for the vacancy at second base. He also hadn’t played above Double-A until an emergency call to the bigs in September last year. He held his own, but some offensive flaws were exposed down the stretch.

This spring, he’s been bouncing between second and short in the name of getting him at-bats. A lot of the work on the defensive transition takes place in the morning workouts. And while plenty of shortstop can make that move to second with ease, there are hurdles to overcome there.

Since we all know the box score isn’t what’s important in the spring, Epstein was asked Wednesday what he’s evaluating with Hoerner as the Cubs weigh their decision on the rookie:

“A couple things are going on with him. He’s adding second base to his game. And that’s not as easy as it sounds. Shortstop’s a more demanding position, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a lot of nuances that come with second base. So, that’s a process for him.

“And then, with him, it’s approach at the plate. He can do so many different things. He’s one of those hitters with a gift of great bat control and contact ability, so he can make contact on a lot of pitches. But, I think it’s becoming a little more intentional, a little bit more disciplined about what he’s looking for earlier in the count and what he can really drive and not getting himself out on pitcher’s pitches. Specifically, in off the plate with the fastball, where they were able to get him swinging last year. And then, obviously, chase sliders off that. But, I think he’s got a real plan and now it’s just about reps, applying that plan.

“He’s proven he can come up here and be a big league player. It’s just trying to put him in a position to be the best player that he can be. That decision hasn’t been made at all, but he brings obvious things to the table, including a lot of things that we don’t have in abundance in other places. We also want to make sure that he ends up being the best player that he possibly can be for the long haul. So, we’ll just try to figure out how much of that we can accomplish up here and what our other options are, and make a decision.”

What are some of those defensive nuances at second?

“I think the things I’ve seen early on is it’s just a different timing, right?” Ross said. “With your footwork and how things are coming off the bat. He’s done a great job. I think the first game he had over there, we saw a couple balls he laid back on that he might normally come up and get. He’s kind of made that adjustment already, the last game he played over there, some really clean movements.

“Turning the double play is unique and he’s working on that. Just the overall different side, how the ball spins differently on this side. From a right-handed hitter, you’re going to have a little inside-out side spin a little more than when you’re at short. From right handed hitters, you get the top spin on those balls and it might take a little more of a secondary hard hop, where that one might scoot down and stay low.

“Little things like that. Spinning the ball. How it’s coming off the bat. Reading swings is a thing. Anticipation. He’s very good at his fundamentals. He’s just fundamentally sound. It’s just different views are tough.”

Other items of note from Wednesday…

• The Cubs allowed five runs in the ninth inning on Tuesday, allowing the Rockies to pull off an 11–10 walkoff victory. Now, wins and losses don’t mean much in the spring, especially when the late innings at this point are filled with Minor Leaguers. That said, it does present the chance for a teaching moment, and Ross took advantage of that on Tuesday. Immediately after the loss, cameras caught him in the dugout, talking some things over with a group of players.
• Said Ross: “It’s another moment to teach. [Tuesday’s loss] was a great teaching moment for some of the young outfielders and what I’m thinking. We’ve got infielders at double-play depth when we’re up four. I would like you to back up and just get an out. Different things about winning where we can give up three, we can’t give up four. Little things like that, I try to just continue to teach.”
• The Associated Press released details of Kris Bryant’s grievance outcome on Tuesday. Here’s what Epstein had to say: “I’ve never dug too deep in the weeds on it. It wasn’t our grievance. We gave full cooperation that included some testimony and giving full access to our phones and e-mails and everything else. I feel the same way about it now as I did then, that I respect Kris for asserting his rights. I want our players to stand up for themselves when it’s appropriate.”
• In light of Christian Yelich’s reported extension with the Brewers, Epstein was asked Wednesday if that could influence any of his own players: “I’m not making any predictions or really talking about it. You guys know, we’ve tried really hard to sign a lot of our guys. With a few exceptions, we haven’t been able to get it done. It’s not worth talking about. If we can get it done, we will. If we can’t, then we’ll move forward. But, players don’t have an obligation to sign.”
• Asked if there are any ongoing extension talks, Epstein said, “Yes and no,” without offering any more insight into what that response may have meant.
• Epstein on Ian Happ and Almora’s performance to date this spring: “You want to see guys work to get in a good place, so that they're feeling good about themselves and they have confidence in their swing, confidence in their approach and they're moving around well defensively. Both guys have gotten to that point early in spring, which is a good sign. I think both guys at their best bring a ton to the table and can complement each other really well.”
• Chatwood struck out five and allowed one run on one hit (solo homer by Josh VanMeter) in three innings against the Reds. Chatwood: “Awesome. I felt good. Today, my big thing was making sure I pitch. I think last outing, I got in fastball-happy mode. So, today I wanted to go throw everything and I was able to do that, able to get good swing and misses and I felt really good.”
• Chatwood was asked how much it helped to get feedback via swings from some of the Reds’ “A” hitters: “Yeah, it's good, especially I feel like my fastball was carrying really well today. Some of those takes in the first inning, those guys normally like the ball right there and they were taking it like they thought it was low. So, it looked like it had good carry through the zone.”
• Kimbrel made his Cactus League debut with one inning, in which he struck out two and allowed one run on a homer by Derek Dietrich. Kimbrel: “I felt good. Yeah, I felt good. It feel like it was productive. … I was able to throw the ball for the most part where I wanted to. Direction felt good. The ball was coming out good. Overall, I felt like it was a good day.”
• Kimbrel sat 95–96 mph with his fastball, which he said was a great sign for his first Spring Training game. As for that fastball that was launched out for the homer, he said: “It didn’t have the action I wanted at the end of the pitch. It was more moving back across the plate instead of that ride effect. Other than that, everything was good.”
• Kimbrel is scheduled to pitch again on Sunday vs. the D-backs. He will not be on the Cubs’ trip to Las Vegas for two games against the Reds (Saturday/Sunday).
• Epstein said the team plans on meeting with the players soon about “smart practices,” given the spread of coronavirus. Epstein said the Cubs have a committee of sorts in place to plan how to be prepared for various scenarios.
• Epstein also said that “as of now” the Cubs-Cardinals games in London in June are still on. He said Major League Baseball is “definitely on top of” this situation.

Stay tuned for more…

— JB