Hoarding Cardboard With Kin and Santo Claus

'Tis the season to be jolly and spread joy and goodwill towards your fellow man.  One particular blogger who has taken that message to heart this Christmas season has been Jason from Hoarding Cardboard - easily one of my favorite new blogs of the year.  Since debuting in March, the Matt Mantei-super collector has added a unique voice to the baseball card community and has proven to be a kind soul.  If blogging awards were still a thing, Jason would easily be my nominee for Rookie of the Year.

These qualities are quite evident in his new, ongoing series, "A Season of Giving."   In these daily posts, Jason gives away at least one trading card per day - if interested, all one has to do is comment on the corresponding post by the end of the day.  The next morning, Jason then uses Random.org to raffle off the card(s) to a lucky commenter or two, no strings attached whatsoever.  What a cool idea, right?  It's a perfect way to combine our hobby and blogging community with the spirit of the holidays!

Plus, it's not like he's just dumping off junk wax either - every day has offered up quality cardboard with star power.  For example:

This 2009 Upper Deck Goudey single, featuring Cubs deity, Ron Santo, is a beautiful card and would instantly make any pack-rip a success.  I mean, "This Old Cub" is a bonafide Hall of Famer, after all.

As far as aesthetics go, the minimalist design, which pays tribute to the legendary 1933 Goudey originals, and bright, primary colors really make the sketch-filtered picture pop.  But, it's not just the look of the card that makes this raffle-prize a true boon to any Cubs fan's collection... the distribution is also of note.  By that, I mean that Ronnie's card #206 is also a dreaded base short print, making it a tough item to track down.  Like I said, Jason's giveaways ain't no junk wax dump - as a decidedly low-budget collector, I'm thrilled to be able to add this "chase card" to my collection.

There was only one problem.... I definitely didn't enter the raffle for this card.  Thus, when it showed up in my mailbox on Saturday, I was extremely confused.  As I sat at my kitchen table, torn envelope in hand, I was left asking myself, did Jason accidentally cross his wires?  Is my memory already starting to slip in my 20's?  What is the true definition of a catch in professional football?  Luckily, I had the answer to two of those questions, courtesy of a the note that Jason included in his PWE:

Ah-ha, so I have an assist from Kin (of I Feel Like a Collector Again and Bean's Ballcard Blog fame) to thank for this surprise prize - the spirit of Christmas is truly living within both of these kind souls!

To address your concerns, Jason and Kin, while I do happen to have an autographed 1973 Topps Santo single, which was gifted to me by my high school health teacher, residing in my CATRC binder, that does not mean I don't appreciate this card or the generosity of both of you.  The CATRC is the part of my collection which I blog about most frequently, but Ron Santo is my all-time favorite player and is thus the subject of a side PC - this will slot nicely into that collection.  That's not to mention the fact that any Cubs baseball card is a worthy acquisition in my eye.  In short, this gesture was greatly appreciated and this Santo has definitely found itself a comfortable home! Thanks, guys!

As you can plainly see, both Jason and Kin are kind souls and are truly feeling the spirit of the season.  I highly encourage you to bookmark their blogs, if you haven't already.  Furthermore, definitely check to see what Jason's "Season of Giving" post will revolve around today - it's certain to be a gem!

In the meantime, "Santo Claus" wishes a merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Hits on the Diamond, Hits on the Charts

This is going to be a heavily music-oriented post, but I promise that there is a baseball connection.  Stick with me here.

I have seen a lot of excellent shows courtesy of one of my favorite radio stations in the Chicagoland area, 101 WKQX.  On many occasions, I have been fortunate enough to win tickets to see acts such as Fall Out Boy, Courtney Love, Rise Against, J Roddy Walston and the Business, Alkaline Trio and more courtesy of their apparently overly generous contests.  Furthermore, every month or so, the alternative station hosts what they call a "No Dough Show"- essentially, a free show with severely discounted beer prices in smaller, local venues featuring upcoming alt-rock artists on the rise.  Pretty damn cool, right?  Unfortunately, I've never made it to one of these showcases myself - being an adult with responsibilities and such means there's always something to stand in the way.

That is, until Thursday night:

With the wife at her office Christmas party, to which no "plus ones" were given (boo!), I found myself with a free night and nothing on the agenda.  Thus, I finally took the chance to head over to one of these "No Dough" concerts, which happened to be just down the road from my apartment, at a popular watering hole known as 115 Bourbon Street in Merrionette Park (if you're from the area and were curious).  I'd heard from a spot earlier in the week that the billing featured an act by the name of Judah and the Lion.  Now, if you've listened to any alternative radio in the last year or so, you have to be familiar with their folksy, hip hop-influenced, number one single, "Take it All Back."

If not, here you go:

Seeing as that ear-worm with a unique blend of influences has been on rotation in my household for a while now, I figured I should get up off of my butt and see what else they had in their set.  After all, with the show being free, draft beers costing just a buck, and the venue being just a few blocks down the road, there really wasn't a reason not to go.

Let me just say, I'm truly happy with that decision.

First of all, there aren't many rock shows that feature mandolins, banjos, hip hop covers, Tom Petty tributes, and acapella sing-a-longs.  I'm usually a pretty reserved, wallflower type of concert-goer, content to stand in a corner and sipping on an adult beverage; however, I couldn't help but find myself in the middle of the crowd, bouncing along to each and every song in their arsenal.  All in all, if the band ever rolls through your area, I highly encourage you to circle the date on your calendar.

Image courtesy of Joe Lang - I was too engrossed to whip out my phone!

I was especially impressed with the group's energetic stage presence, especially that of their frontman, Judah Akers.  As I conveyed my thoughts about Mr. Akers to the person standing next to me (who had apparently seen them a few times), they imparted an awesome bit of trivia upon me:  Judah Akers had been an NCAA Division I baseball player for Belmont University in Nashville, TN.

Saaaaaaay what?  The lead singer of a rockin' band AND a high-level participant in my favorite sport?  Color me intrigued!

After the show, I made sure to verify this information and it turns out that it wasn't just the cheap spirits talking - Aker was a top-ranked high school prospect (showcasing with Perfect Game USA) who played four years of varsity baseball for the Belmont Bruins.  He was no slouch either, posting a career .296/.363/.444 slash line with 21 homers as a starter in both the infield and outfield, all while juggling his schooling and his burgeoning career as a musician.  How about that?

Having learned that tidbit and discovered a few crisp images of him tearing it up on the diamond during the verification process, I couldn't help but whip up a custom card featuring these dual interests.  I chose the 1983 Topps Super Veterans template for my tribute, although I made a few alterations to fit my aesthetic tastes and the altered theme.  I must admit, seeing baseball and rock 'n' roll on the same card brings a beaming smile to my face and I'm quite content with how this puppy turned out.  What say you?

I only wish that I knew about his baseball career before the show... then I could have printed this bad boy out and tried to get it signed by the crowd-friendly Aker himself.  Oh well, I guess I'll just have to see them again!

Then, I began to think to myself, "if I were to do that, would the rest of the band feel jealous?" - it's probably a bad idea to upset a Lion, right?  So, with Photoshop still being open on my desktop, I pulled together a second custom trading card, this one featuring the entire band:

Of course I was going to use the most iconic, music-centric trading card set for my full-band piece - doesn't that publicity shot just scream MusiCards?

After having finished this exhibits, I knew I had to share them on my humble, little blog, as well.  What fun is it making them if I can't show them off?  Plus, I know there has to be a few other people out there who would A) find Judah and the Lion to be a good listen and B) be intrigued by their frontman's dual career.  I know for a fact that there are a few other music connoisseurs on the baseball card blogosphere!

All in all, the decision to finally take the leap and make it out to one of WKQX's "No Dough" shows was a phenomenal one.  I discovered a new band, broke out of my shell a little bit, learned some fun facts, drank for cheap, and - heck - I even got  blog post out of the experience!  What more can a guy ask for from a free concert?

I can't wait until WKQX announces their next such show.  Will that band also have a tie-in to our nation's pastime?  Stay tuned.

Pitchers Come and Pitchers Go

The annual free-for-all that is the MLB Winter Meetings has officially come to a close. 

While the event is usually marked by wheeling and dealing, the 2017 edition was a relatively quiet affair.  Sure, the Cardinals swung a couple of big trades (Ozuna, Piscotty); but, most of the marquee free-agents remain on the open market, names like Arrieta, Hosmer, Darvish, Martinez, etc.  In fact, so far, the biggest contract signed by a free agent player is the three-year, $38 million pact inked by the Cubs' Tyler Chatwood.  At the outset of the off-season, who would have guessed that, as Christmas approached, the richest contract of the winter would belong to Chatwood?  Anyone?  Bueller?

Speaking of Chatwood, the Cubs have been among the more active clubs at the meetings, quietly retooling their pitching staff, which failed miserably in last year's playoff run.  In addition to Chatwood, Theo and Jed also got Brandon Morrow and Drew Smyly to sign on the dotted line.  After making those additions, Epstein publicly expressed doubt about consummating any more deals before heading back north, but he qualified that by adding "that can change with one phone call."

Well, I guess he made that phone call.

Yesterday afternoon, amidst the ongoing Rule 5 Draft (more on that later), the North Siders signed side-arming reliever, Steve Cishek, to a two-year deal worth somewhere in the range of $12MM to $14MM.  With relievers coming off of the board at a rapid pace, it's nice to see the Cubs lock down a late-inning option with closing experience for a modest price.  After all, it seemed like the only market that was truly booming in "the Sunshine State" was the bullpen bazaar; almost all of the big targets came off the board.

Coming off of a hip issue in '16, Cishek posted a 2.01 ERA over 44.2 innings last season and induced groundballs at an astonishing 56.1% clip last year.  With the wind blowing out of Wrigley Field in the summer and the Gold Glove-level defense played by the Chicago middle infield, those numbers should play nicely in the Windy City.  Plus, his side-arm delivery will provide a different look against opposing hitters.  All in all, Steve looks like another solid option for the back end of the pen.

 A pair of Cishek cards (that I do not posses) from products I regularly buy.

Luckily, I just so happened to have a Cishek card handy, the 2015 Topps Update single that you see at the top of this post.    The irony is that he's played the majority of his career with the Marlins, a team which seems to have no card-collecting fan base with which we bloggers can trade, and yet the only Cishek card I had stashed away features him on the dreaded Cards.  I truly thought that I would have a few more.  That's okay though - 2015 Topps is probably my favorite Flagship product of the 20th century anyway!  It works out.

While the Cubs added another pitcher to their ranks on the final day of the festivities, they also did loose one, at almost the same time.  Remember how I mentioned that the Rule 5 Draft was in process as the Cubbies finalized their pact with the former Marlin, Cardinal, Mariner, and Ray?  Well, one of their upper-level minor league hurlers was taken by Baltimore in the second round:  Pedro Araujo.

Araujo led all Cubs minor leaguers with an 11.6 K/9 in over 64 innings of relief at High A Myrtle Beach in 2017 and was ticketed to begin next season at AA after striking out 15 hitters (against just 2 walks) in 10.1 innings in the Arizona Fall League.  However, now the 2011 international signee will endeavor to make it all the way to the Majors out of camp with the Orioles - as you might recall, Rule 5 selections must stay on the MLB roster for the entire season or be returned to their original club.

As it stands, it doesn't look like this team-set single that I purchased from the Pelicans team shop in October will be sliding into my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection.  The Orioles seem poised to begin a rebuild, making a prospect like Araujo all the more intriguing.  Plus, it's a lot easier to stash a relief arm on the bottom of the Major League roster than at any other position.  In short, I wouldn't anticipate this Pelican flying back to the Cubs organization.

Good luck in your new digs, Pedro; seize this Big League opportunity!

Perhaps Pedro's name will be added to this wall of Pelican alumni to make the show?

As Pete the Cat might say, "pitchers come and pitchers go... do we cry?  Heavens no!"

With that, I believe I have covered all of the moves made by the Cubs during this year's Winter Meetings.  There's bound to be a few more before the snow melts, however, as they could still use another starter, back up catcher, and spare outfielder for next campaign.  Hopefully, the impassably congested free agent market starts to clear up as Christmas inches ever closer - players tend to want to know where they will be in the coming year by the holidays... and to have some of that big money to spend on gifts!  

Will Rene Rivera return to the Second City?  Will Curtis Granderson spend the swan song of his career in his hometown?  Does Alex Cobb think he's actually going to get $20 million per year?  Only time will tell. 

At any rate, welcome to Chicago, Steve Cishek - here's hoping that your sidearm delivery can help straighten up the Cubs bullpen in 2018!

Smyly Face

I love the Winter Meetings.

As someone who has always been fascinated by player movement and who collects baseball cards based around roster construction, there are few more exciting times of the year for those like me.  The wheeling and dealing has been going full-steam now, since the much ballyhooed- trade of Giancarlo Stanton and signing of Shohei Ohtani (who's apparently injured? Yikes).  So far, as part of the winter festivities in Florida, Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer have given Cubs fans the gifts of Tyler Chatwood and Brandon Morrow.  These two exciting additions fortify the starting rotation and the decimated bullpen, which brings a smile to my face as I add their cards to my CATRC binder.

Speaking of which, Theo and Jed still weren't quite done bringing "smiles" to Chicago just yet.

Last night, while I was holed up in a movie theater, finally viewing Thor: Ragnarok as prep for the upcoming Avengers: Civil War (great film & surprisingly funny!), the Cubs front office brass made their third big move of the winter season.  As I watched the God of Thunder ascend to the throne of Asgard, Drew Smyly reportedly inked a two-year deal with the North Siders, worth $10 million guaranteed.  Luckily, I had this 2017 Bunt single in my trade stacks, along with a handful of other cards featuring the Cubs newest hurler.

While Smyly is an accomplished starter and the Cubs are still looking to fill a slot in the rotation, this move appears to be more about 2019 than 2018.  After all, Smyly underwent Tommy John surgery last June, which ultimately lead to his being non-tendered by the Mariners without having pitched a single frame for the club.  Thus, the earliest that we can expect Smyly back on the mound and in a Cubs uniform is after the All Star break (and probably later than that).  Accordingly, his contract is structured so that he'll receive a $3MM salary in '18, then $7MM in '19.

So, with a club that's become World Series or bust, why bother with a rehab project like Guy Smyly here?  Does this big market contender really need to go "dumpster diving?"  Yes - absolutely.

The longtime top prospect in the Tigers system has proven to be an effective mound presence, when healthy.  He holds a career 3.74 ERA and is just a year removed from a 30-start, 175.1 IP, 2.0-WAR season in 2016 - with pitching being such a desired and expensive commodity, locking down another rotation option is never a bad idea.  Not to mention, after having spent several years with the Rays, he is quite familiar with the Joe Maddon and his new, old pitching coach Jim Hickey.  Lastly, though this move is definitely more about next year than this one, perhaps Smyly can come back by September and provide some relief for what is sure to be a beleaguered bullpen, one of the downfalls of last year's Cubs team.

All in all, the Cubs secured themselves a potential bargain.  Of course, the deal is still fraught with risk, but that's what the market is like right now.  Here's hoping Smyly is feeling smiley come next fall.

While the move to sign Smyly was pretty much out of left field (I can't recall any reports linking the two together), we Cubs fans knew that another addition to the pitching staff was likely to be made before the general managers packed their backs and departed Florida.  In fact, GM Jed Hoyer told us so himself:

Cubs GM Jed Hoyer thinks they'll add at least one more pitcher before the end of the winter meetings. https://t.co/fLcaOz4dbp

— Jesse Rogers (@ESPNChiCubs) December 12, 2017

However, that being acknowledged, I don't think that the Smyly signing will be the final move.  I mean, the Cubs still have a rotation gap to fill and have been linked to Alex Cobb, Danny Salazar, Danny Duffy, and (as per yearly tradition) Chris Archer in the last 48 hours.  Furthermore, they have also previously stated a desire to add one or two more late-inning options (besides Morrow), with names like Addison Reed, Alex Colome, and Jake McGee being connected to the club.  The way I see it, Smyly is like that scratch off lottery ticket that you pick up on your way to the register at the grocery store, just because.  

Hmmmm... might as well.

That said, I could also be way off base - I'm no insider, I'm just a rabid Cubs fan with a blog about baseball cards.  I guess we'll just have to see how the last two days of the Winter Meetings play out, huh?

At any rate, welcome to Chicago, Drew Smyly.  Fingers crossed that you rehab goes as planned and you give Windy City sportswriters plenty of opportunities to make terrible puns based on your last name.

😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

The Windy City Flyer

Today, a Chicago sports legend has taken to Twitter to officially announced his retirement from the game of football:

CURTAINS ✌🏾 Appreciate all of the love for all these years!!! Y’all made the ride incredible!!! pic.twitter.com/jkcVrRLcNI

— Devin  Hester (@D_Hest23) December 12, 2017

Although he hadn't suited up at all during the 2017 season and hadn't inked a contract since splitting the previous campaign between the Baltimore Ravens and Seattle Seahawks organizations, the door had at least been left cracked open.  No more.  After 156 games over the course of 11 seasons, Devin Hester has decided to close the book on one of the most distinguished and unique careers in professional football history.

Hester was drafted by the Chicago Bears in 2006 out of the University of Miami to serves as a cornerback and was later switched to wide receiver.  However, it was as a punt/kick returner that Devin made his household name in the Windy City.  During his eight years in Chicago, Hester returned 19 kicks and punts for touchdowns, including the opening kickoff in Super Bowl XLI - one of the most iconic moments in the history of the franchise.  Adding one more during his brief stint in Atlanta, Hester brought his career total returns for TD's up to an eye-popping 20, which was and is an NFL record.

Specialists have typically had an incredibly steep, uphill climb to make it to Canton; however, I truly believe that Hester deserves enshrinement in the Hall of Fame for his career as a returner.  The m,an turned one of the most boring plays in sports into absolutely must-see TV.  You just never knew when "The Windy City Flyer" was going to take one all the way.

I must admit, I wasn't always a Bears fan.  In fact, through most of my childhood and into early adolescence, I didn't even understand how football was played; I was all about baseball and NASCAR racing.  It wasn't until Devin Hester burst through special teams coverages onto the national scene in 2006 that I truly started to pay attention.  As a track athlete, his incredible speed on the gridiron drew my fascination and by the team he racked up a single season record of six returns in his rookie season, I was hooked.  When he returned that Super Bowl kickoff into the endzone, I recall jumping up and down in my living room so violently that I thought I might break through the hardwood floors and end up in the basement!

In short, much like the 2003 Cubs pulled me back into baseball after several years in the wilderness, Devin Hester and the 2006 Bears finally inspired me to learn the ins and outs of football.  Maybe I should actually be mad at him though; if he hadn't drawn me in 11 years ago, I wouldn't have to suffer through the never-ending dumpster fires that have been the John Fox/Marc Trestman eras!

To this day, the only Bears jersey that I've ever purchased has been in honor of good ol' number 23 (a number with an astonishingly rich history in Chicago sports), seen above during my annual high school, cross country alumni Turkey Bowl)... I don't think that's going to change anytime soon either.  
"The Flyer" signed off his announcement by saying, “hopefully the next time I see y’all it’ll be in Canton.”  Whether or not Hester ultimately gets his bust in Canton is going to an interesting matter of great debate.  He absolutely revolutionized and under-appreciated position on the field and quickly became the all-time best in his craft.  Will that alone be enough to earn enshrinement in a Hall of Fame which has only admitted two full-time placekickers and one punter in it's long history?  After all, his career elsewhere on the field was mediocre, at best.

In my extremely biased opinion, I give an emphatic yes.  What say you?  Please feel free to make your thoughts known in the comments section below.

Ironically, even though he is - by far - my favorite football player to ever suit up in the NFL, I don't have much in the way of Hester cardboard.  In all honesty, the three cards which appear in this post are the only pasteboards I have which feature his likeness.  Clearly I am slacking.  That being said, as modest as my PC is, I felt like I still had to show it off today.


In the end, it's sad to see another player from my teen years hang up their cleats.  I guess this is why the sports-consuming public loves ageless wonders like George Blanda, Bartolo Colon, and Jaromir Jagr - they serve as a last, fleeting connection to our youth.

Anyway, good luck to you, Mr. Hester, in whatever and wherever your life takes you next.  Thank you for making kick-offs the most exciting part of any Chicago Bears game and for introducing me to the game of football.  He may have revolutionized the kick return specialist; but, he also cemented my "Monsters of the Midway" fandom (for better or worse).

Here's hoping that "the Windy City Flyer" lands in Canton sometime soon.

Target Acquired in Target

The Cubs enter this week's winter GM meetings having already filled two holes on their Major League roster.  Last Friday, Theo and Jed inked Tyler Chatwood to a three-year deal, plugging him into a starting rotation which has lost Jake Arrieta and John Lackey to free agency.  But, we've already covered that on Wrigley Roster Jenga.  Yesterday afternoon, the Cubbies again added to their pitching staff, this time filling a gap in their bullpen.  This guy had been a rumored as a key target for the North Siders since before the playoffs had even concluded.

And appropriately enough, I was standing in a Target when word trickled out that the club had acquired their target.

In a store jam-packed with crazed holiday shoppers, I was huddled off in a corner somewhere near the women's clothing section (trying desperately to avoid being run over by a soccer mom with a shopping cart), when the news of Morrow's deal with the Cubs started to show up my Twitter feed.  The news of his two-year, $21 million contract (plus a $3MM buyout or a $12MM vesting option for the 2020 season) with my favorite baseball team was a welcome respite from the chaos surrounding me.

Luckily for me, I remembered that I had this wonderfully shiny 2013 Archives Orange Day-Glo parallel (which were exclusive to hobby shops) sitting in my trade stacks.  This beauty will slot nicely into my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection binder, at least until his first card as a Cub hits the market.

Welp. So much for getting a Brandon Morrow card in a Dodger uniform to remember the 2017 postseason. Topps will make damn sure he's a Cub.

— NightOwlCards (@nightowlcards) December 10, 2017

Sorry, Night Owl!

It's even numbered /199, which, coincidentally, I believe is exactly how many other shoppers were packed into that section of Target with me.  Can you tell I don't like Christmas shopping?

Anyway, back to the target rather than the Target, Brandon Morrow looks likely to slide into the closer's role for 2018.  With this front office hesitant to shell out big-time bucks to relievers, Wade Davis has probably priced himself out of the Cubs' comfortable range.  While Morrow's contract isn't exactly a small commitment, it's sure to be dwarfed by what Wade's eventual deal.  Therefore, the club will now have their fifth different closer in five consecutive seasons.  After the season Brandon had with the Dodgers last year -  6-0, 2.06 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and 50 K's in 43.2 innings without allowing a single home run - he seems like a good candidate to replace the dominant Davis.

Based on last year's statistics, the two-year contract with an option looks awesome, much like the photo on this 2012 Opening Day single.  However, I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the inherent risks and flaws that come with the deal... much like the Photoshop/airbrushing job that serves as a distraction on the same card.

Morrow and the disabled list are no strangers - he's dealt with lingering shoulder issues since his days with the Blue Jays, Padres, and Mariners, including season-ending surgery to correct a shoulder impingement in 2015.  Compounding this issue is the fact that Morrow appeared in 14 of the Dodgers' 15 postseason games, seemingly running out steam by the time the World Series rolled around.  That being said, I'm quite happy about this acquisition.  After all, all free-agent pitchers come with inherent risks; that's the game you have to play to acquire top-tier pitching (and you aren't going to find better than Morrow) on the free-agent market.

 ...much like the calculated risk I took by stepping into a big-box retailer within two weeks of Christmas.

Eventually, I was able to navigate my way out of that cramped Target with our gift-wrapping and my wife's new shirts.  When I finally arrived back at out apartment, I felt like a castaway reaching land for the first time in months.  In order to bring my heart rate back down to an acceptable level, I began to flip through my trade boxes and found the three Morrows you see in this post.  One of that trio was the above single from Tristar's 2006 edition of Prospects Plus, from when Brandon was a zygote of a prospect with the rookie-level Arizona League Mariners.  This one will look perfect in my minor league Cubs binder.

So, to sum things up, the Cubbies were able to plug two of their major holes on the roster before the Winter Meetings even officially began.  This week should prove to be an exciting one, with perhaps the signing of Alex Cobb and another late-inning reliever being major objectives of Theo and Jed while they are in Florida.  Plus, the trade winds are gusting, with the much-ballyhooed Ohtani and Stanton deals finally happening, which had been constipating the market.  All in all, this is going to be an interesting week of Hot Stove happenings!

Oh and welcome to Chicago, Brandon... I hope you already completed your holiday shopping because our Targets are nuts right now!

Feeling Pretty Chatty

IT'S HAPPENING!!! I REPEAT - IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING!!!!!!  Someone finally turned on the hot stove and it's starting to simmer!

Yesterday afternoon, while I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off at work, the Cubbies mad their first major transaction of the off-season.  I've been furiously monitoring Twitter and MLB Trade Rumors for the past several weeks, in anticipation of Theo Epstein and crew making a move, with the biggest nuggets being a minor Dario Alvarez signing and selling a prospect to Japan.  Then it finally happened... when I was busy hopping from classroom to classroom, trying to figure out why printers are jammed or holiday music won't play through Chromecast.  Such is the life of an IT guy at a middle school - oh well.

No matter, I'm still thrilled the Cubs signed a starting pitcher, to an actual Major League deal:

He's not Shohei Ohtani, but he'll do... for now...

Chatwood was inked to a three-year, $38 million deal to slot into the regular starting rotation, as well as my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection binder.  Luckily, I just so happened to have the above 2017 Topps Series One single in my Rockies stash, ready to jump in place.  This move basically guarantees that Jake Arrieta is gone; we might have figured that would be the case, but this money takes any sort of reunion off of the table.  With now two spots in the starting five vacant (John Lackey is also a free agent), the Cubs needed to acquire a couple of starters this off-season.  Chatwood isn't the sexiest option; however, if you dig into the statistics, there's plenty to like about the signing.

On the surface, as the back of this card indicates in the write-up, Chatwood has twice ended up under the knife for Tommy John surgery.  Obviously, injury and durability is a serious worry about Tyler.  Additionally, his ERA of 4.69 in 2017 isn't exactly impressive and he also happened to lead the league in losses (15), if you're into that sort of thing.  In summation, there are some warts on this frog.

On the other hand, Chatwood is an extreme ground ball pitcher, which fits in well with the Cubs outstanding middle infield defense; plus, it's not like Wrigley is a cavernous park and the less balls hit in the air, the better.  Furthermore, Chatty (spoiler alert) looks sharper on the road than in the band box that is Coors Field, with a much more eye-catching 2.57 ERA since the start of 2016.  Lastly, the hurler has also seen a slight velocity uptick in the last year, which isn't too uncommon for a player on the mend from TJ.  Oh... and he's only 28.

When you consider that the Cubs are still in the market for the likes of Ohtani, Alex Cobb, and maybe even Chris Archer or Yu Darvish, it looks as though Chatty is lining up in the fifth spot of the rotation, replacing John Lackey.  That's an awful lot of positive potential for a number five.

Here's Chatty making the Cubs look foolish last summer

Of course, any money spent on pitching is a gamble, so only time will tell if investing in Tyler Chatwood is worthwhile.  Nevertheless, as Theo himself put it in the media session after the signing, "starting pitching was an area where we thought there was more demand than supply."  In short, to acquire anyone worthwhile, you were going to have to open up the wallet.

With this signing, the Chicago rotation is, so far, made up of Lester/Hendricks/Quintana/Chatwood and a big question mark - not bad, not bad at all.  You know who else would look really nice in that list?  That Japanese, free agent prospect... I believe his name is O-tawny, or something... heard of him?  In all seriousness, the Cubs are one of his seven finalists and word is that the two-way star may make his decision by Monday.  Not to mention the fact that the annual winter GM meetings are set to begin next week, which will surely keep the hot stove on and break off the switch. 

It's happening!

In the meantime, I'm not going to get too greedy - I'm very happy with what the Cubs have gifted us, thus far, with Chatwood.  Welcome to the Windy City, Tyler!

via GIPHY