On year ago right now, the working day immediately after Christmas, we obtained our initially severe whiff of Cubs-Padres trade talks on Yu Darvish. Of training course, the Padres soon thereafter traded for Blake Snell, and folks understandably thought that was that. But it was not. That was a very ridiculous couple of days immediately after Xmas past yr. Probbbbbbably won’t be as crazy this yr.

•   Something unusual about the way Wade Miley pitches. We already understood that he’d grow to be extreeeeeemely reliant on his remarkable cutter in opposition to both of those lefties and righties – that, on your own, is a little strange for a setting up pitcher – but how about this:

What leaderboard is this? (MLB pitchers in 2021, min 250 batters confronted)

1. Wade Miley, +23.3 pct pts
2. Bryan Shaw, 19.%
3. Brad Boxberger, 16.7%
4. Nestor Cortes, 13.2%
5. Nick Wittgren, 13.1%
—
269. Germán Márquez, -33.5%
270. Miguel Castro, -34.1%
271. Andrew Chafin, -34.8%

— Lucas (@DBITLefty) December 21, 2021

I am in fact not, and it kinda blew my thoughts when I saw how otherwise Miley employs his fastball in two-strike counts as opposed to other counts.https://t.co/D8N8Kkx2SU pic.twitter.com/QAJT8oECbc

— Lucas (@DBITLefty) December 21, 2021

•   There’s some superficial feeling in it for Miley, and it looks a little something like this: it is not essentially that he is striving to massively ramp up the fastball in two-strike counts so much as he’s likely not as keen to use the cutter – a get in touch with-generating pitch – in two-strike counts. If you have received a guy at two strikes, you’d like to at minimum give oneself a shot at having strike a few without a ball remaining put in enjoy. Traditionally, Miley acquired a load much more whiffs on his four-seamer than his cutter, even though the whiffs on the 4-seamer dropped appreciably this past year (he employed to toss it about 92mph, now it’s more like 90mph). All in all, the combine does make some perception.

•   I marvel if we’ll see a minor altering in the sequencing from the Cubs. You will almost undoubtedly even now see cutters early – it is one particular of the very best early-crappy-get hold of pitches in the sport – but I ponder if the slider will get even a lot more participate in late from lefties, and the changeup receives additional…