Between the Lines

By Neil on December 11, 2006 23 Vote 0 Votes

The apparent announcement of the signing of Jason Marquis on Saturday divided the Faithful more than any other off-season move to this point. While the signing appears it will happen, several reports on Sunday stated that Marquis had not agreed to terms with the Cubs as reported here as well as countless other sites of the like. But the biggest part of the soon-to-be-acquisition was that Greg Maddux recommended to his friend, Jason Marquis, that he talk to Larry Rothschild about his pitching mechanics. An endorsement from Maddux about both Rothschild and Marquis has to give a little more credibility to both of their abilities....granted Maddux is not the end all be all of pitching but after all he is Greg Maddux.

Here is the latest from around the league, an updated off-season calendar and of course the daily dose of rumors....

More on Marquis and the Projected Payroll for 2007.... While Marquis may or may not be the answer for the 4th or 5th spot in the rotation, no one will know for sure until the season starts, but the fact remains the Cubs still have room to add players under their rumored payroll for next season of $120 to $130 million dollars. The Cubs, to the best of this writer's knowledge, have not announced what the payroll will be for next season but suffice it to say with the contracts Jim Hendry has given out there is room to add pieces to the puzzle. Until the details on Lilly's contract and the apparent contract of Marquis are released, there is not a way to know for sure where they stand for 2007. Granted it looks as they have spent a lot of money, around $300 million, but the numbers per year cannot be figured as of yet and that number is the most important....don't worry about 2008 or beyond until next off-season.

The Center of Attention.... Who will be in center for the Cubs in 2007? Several reports have indicated Alfonso Soriano will likely play right field for the Cubs next season, which would leave Matt Murton and a possible platoon partner for left. Cliff Floyd is on the radar and some feel Murton's upside might be a better option in left next year which would put a player like Floyd on the bench and make him one of the role players that Piniella has stated the Cubs must sign. Jacque Jones' future with the Cubs is still in question as he as requested a trade; Felix Pie needs time in Iowa as well as Eric Patterson. The Cubs need a lefty to fill the void in center and a return to the Northside for Kenny Lofton is a possibility. Ryan Church entered the rumor mill last week in Orlando but according to a report in the Chicago Sun-Times those talks have cooled. Kenny Lofton has been rumored to be looking for a $6 million dollar salary and with the fact most teams would want pitching in return (the Nationals were rumored to be asking for Sean Marshall for Church) giving Lofton a 1-year deal and Pie time might be the best answer. A report by Ken Rosenthal late on Sunday night stated that Kenny Lofton and the Rangers were close to signing a 1-year deal. If the Rangers do sign Lofton, Brad Wilkerson could be non-tendered by the Rangers and could be an option for the Cubs if his shoulder is fully recovered. Wilkerson's career OBP (.358/.306 in 2006) would be a good addition but his career batting average would not be (.252/.222 in 2006). A report in the Chicago Tribune mentioned Brady Clark and Aaron Rowand could become available and Darin Erstad, Bernie Williams and Steve Finley are the remaining centerfielders on the free-agent list.

Daryle Ward.... The contract that Ward reportedly agreed to last week is believed to be for 1-year with a club option for the second. This could be one of those signings that makes little noise but pays big dividends. Ward's numbers were impressive as a role player last season with the Nationals and Braves.

.308/7/26/.380/.546 in 98 games, 130 at bats, 10 doubles vs. RHP - .345/7/26/.412/.619 in 113 at bats

Against left handed pitching he obviously struggles, but how many times last season did the Cubs need a big bat off of the bench and John Mabry was the only option and he could not deliver. If the Cubs are going to have a predominately right handed starting lineup, role players like Ward is a necessity.

Glendon Rusch.... The first mention of Rusch this off-season was on Sunday. Rusch's health has put the future of the much-maligned pitcher in question. Rusch is recovering from a pulmonary embolism and is on blood thinners and according to a report from Paul Sullivan he is not expected back until the middle of next year....and to quote Sullivan "at best."

The Wild Card.... Remember the name of Clay Rapada

Kerry Wood.... Wood was on WGN TV on Sunday night and spoke about his off-season training and becoming a reliever in 2007. He said he will be ready, the shoulder feels good and according to the report he has lost 30 pounds. Wood will be on WGN News Tuesday night at 9:00pm C.T. to finish the interview.

The Central is Scrabbling.... The Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals have more holes in their staff right now than the Cubs. Andy Pettitte's decision to return to the Yankees and the possibility of Roger Clemens following him back to the Bronx has left the Astros scrambling for starters. The Astros are still talking to the Rockies about Jason Jennings but the Rockies are asking for either Willy Taveras or Dan Wheeler and Jason Hirsch in return. The Astros are rumored to have had a deal for Jon Garland in place last week but that fell through but the Houston Chronicle has stated the deal is still a possibility. Jennings is apparently reluctant to sign an extension with just a year left before he hits the market and with the contracts pitchers have received to this point Jennings is looking to test the market next off-season. A move that involved Jennings to the Cubs might prove to be more costly than the Juan Pierre deal last year....the Rockies are wanting top prospects and Major League talent for Jennings....not low level prospects.

The Astros are left without Pettitte for a difference of $4 million dollars after just paying Carlos Lee an average salary $16.6 million dollars a year. For the last three seasons the Astros have had arguably the best rotation in the National League but could not score enough runs, now they have a run producer but after Roy Oswalt and Woody Williams a bunch of pitchers with promise and talent....just ask Richard Justice. Justice thinks the Astros will now have to overpay for Jeff Suppan, a move that would have multiple effects on the Cubs.

The Cardinals on the other hand have the same problem as the Astros, plenty of offense but not any proven starters in the rotation behind Chris Carpenter and newly signed Kip Wells. The Cardinals are pursuing Miguel Batista but lost out to Jason Schmidt and have had thoughts of putting Braden Looper in their rotation....something he has never done at the big league level. The Cardinals have even requested medical records on Carl Pavano because they are not willing to pay the $10 million dollar annual contract that Jeff Suppan is seeking.

Jason Schmidt.... According to a report in the L.A. Times, Schmidt chose the Dodgers because of his relationship with Ned Colletti.

Gil Meche.... Ken Rosenthal tried to justify the signing of Meche, a million dollars per career victory.

The Cubs spending spree is on everyone's mind this off-season....here is the latest from Phily.

Matsuzaka and Boras.... The Red Sox have until December 14th to sign Daisuke Matsuzaka and according to a report on FoxSports.com it is not looking like the two sides will be able to agree to a deal by then. The Red Sox paid $51.1 million to negotiate with him and have offered him a contract worth between $7 and $8 million annually for 4 to 6 years and Boras is asking for $15 million a year. This could get very ugly for the relationship between MLB and Japanese Baseball.

Updated Off-Season Calendar.... Tuesday is another big day for Major League Baseball, it is the last day to tender contracts to players, maybe Jim Hendry can find a jewel in the bunch. The Angels, a couple of years back, decided not to tender a contract to David Eckstein, the Cardinals stepped in and signed him....here are the rest of the important dates for this off-season.

2006

December 12 - Last Day to Tender Contracts to Players

2007

January 4 - Spring Training Single Game Ticket Go on Sale
January 5 - 15 - Salary Arbitration Filing Period
January 18 - Salary Arbitration Figures Exchanged
January 19 - 21 - 22nd Annual Cubs Convention
February 1 - 21 - Salary Arbitration Hearings
February 15 - Pitchers and Catchers Report to Spring Training
February 23 - Regular Season Single Game Tickets Go on Sale
February 27 - Hall of Fame Veterans Committee Results Announced
February 27 - Mandatory Spring Training reporting date for all players
March 1 - Spring Training Opening Day in Mesa against the Giants
April 1 - MLB Opening Day
April 2 - Opening Day for Chicago Cubs in Cincinnati

Well, that's the latest from around the league and I'm sticking to it!!!!

jason wright

i prefer rowand myself in center... better bat and still arbitration eligable.. he's also a gold glove caliber cf and could be a great hitter in the two hole between soriano and d-lee. i also feel like he's worth giving up guzman or marshall or even pie if that's what it takes. i mean pie has got talent but corey patterson and bobby hill did also. potential just means you've done nothing yet. rowand is a major league player now...

Chad

Jim,

Thanks for the info on DaVanon. I did not know that.

jerljr

My lineup would be(assuming they keep jones and sign lofton.

Lofton CF

Jones RF

Soriano LF

Lee 1B

Ramirez 3B

Barrett C

Derosa 2B

Isturez SS

Pitcher

really strong. but the lead off hitter has to get on.

Reason for Jones batting second is in front of those three and Lofton getting on base in front of him, they will have to pitch to him and then he could have a season like he should of had last year. The guy has a bat. Dont forget that. I think hitting in the back of the lineup hurt him last year.

Plus if Lofton, Jones, dont get on. Soriano can, Steal 2nd and have him in scoring position for Lee and Ramirez

Mike

I say tray and trade for Aaaron Rowand, and if that falls through then go for Finley. If not, see how Jones works out, then throw Pagan in there if he cant handle it. Then, we could trade Jones mid-season.

jerljr

Lofton, Lofton, Lofton!!!! He's my only real choice. Know how to situational hit. Will take a walk, maybe even slow Soriano down on his strickouts. Leader, good attitude. If your going to spend 10 mil on a third rate pitcher, might as well spend 6-8 for a dependable centerfielder and lead-off man that knows how to get on in front of Soriano, Lee, and Ramirez. WOW, I still like seeing that for the heart of the lineup. Soriano will have a big season in front of those two.

Jim

Jeff Devanon won't be ready until after the season starts. "DaVanon (split tendon in ankle) is not expected to be ready when spring training starts, Arizona manager Bob Melvin told the East Valley Tribune."

What about Pagan. He has the tools to play center an I am pretty sure he played that before he came to the Cubs. He was the "next Beltran type" in the mets organization. I think I would rather have Pagan in Center than Jones.

Chad

Bernie's shoulder is shot...he throws much worse than JJ now. He needs a shot in the AL.

Chad

I wonder if Jeff DaVanon of the D-Backs is available with their phenom Chris Young supposedly ready? If available, I would like him as much as Church or Wilkinson, and I would think it wouldn't cost a Marshall to get him.

Jim

Bernie is 38, younger than Lofton and Finley and had the best #'s last year compared to all other options. He played 131 games. Perfect fit, if he wants to play here.

Jim

Nathanael I read that too but don't know if I beleive it. They might be doing some PR work so he looks better in the eyes of the fans. I read an interview he did and he pretty much said that he wanted out. He wanted Baker to stay and wasn't happy when he was let go.

Nathanael

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think that I think that Jones is now our best option in center field. I read on cubs.com today that he did not request a trade.

Jim

I looked it up, Jones has played center 159 games out of 1060. His carrer started at center but was moved because???? Don't know. His #'s in Center arn't that bad. Still want another option in center.

Gary J. from WA

Any other off season we'd be throwing around names like Andrew Jones and Vernon Wells as trade targets... funny how far a failed one year rental (Pierre) and $300 million dollars in contracts can go to modify attitudes :-)

Jim

JJ had good #'s last season but I don't want him in center. Soriano will play right and murton left. Between Steve Finley and Bernie Williams tough call, but I don't see another option. The idea of JJ in center scares me after watching him in right. He made 7 errors with a .976 fielding percentage. Thats not awful but is the most errors he has made in his career, how does that transfer to playing center. Has he ever played there? If right at Wrigley was so hard to grasp, how hard will center be? If his injured shoulder was the result of poor throwing has it been fixed? If not, do we want another "Pierre" type arm in center. At least Pieere got to every ball that was hit to him and he was always in position. There are too many questions to put him in center. Ryan Church is not an option, and Rowand would kill himself the first home series. Would like Rowand but don't know what it would cost. I have heard of all the other names and don't like any of the options. Thought Lofton was the best fit.

Maybe Jimbo has another huge trade up his sleeve???????????????

baron

Bernie Williams???

Hes about 64 years old!

Austin

Jim,

Just read the Lofton siging could be announced tomorrow, pending the results of a physical. Years and money are still unknown, however.

Jim

Still haven't seen anything about Lofton actually signing. Hope is still there. Get Lofton Jimbo. There aren't any other viable options. Unless we can get Bernie Williams for a year.

Ryan R

It will be nice to see Pie when he gets to the bigs. However, if were talking about winning this year then I would rather see them get an established CF. While Pie is definitelly a fabulous talent, playing him every day in the majors at a huge position like CF will ultimately lead to some unforced errors that a less talented but more established CF will get you. The offense has enough pop right now to settle for a primarily defensive CF. I know what your saying about doing a deal for a CF if it dosen't work out, but I would rather a problem like that be a result of the season ups and downs than something we create ourselves.

Gary J. from WA

Maybe the Lofton non-signing could be an indication of....

a) Kenny just doesn't want to play here

b) They've reevaluated things and are willing to give Pie or Patterson (who they've been training in CF) the shot in the spring

c) they've got trade options in the works (Church, Rowand)

Personally I'd love for them to give a youngster a shot in the spring and into May and if they flop then Hendry can always pull off a deal at that point - probably to a team with a starting pitching problem due to injury or underperformance.

...and for the record I love the bench signing of Ward for a million and incentives. When Lee got hurt last year we had zero options at first. While Ward ain't Lee... he's a legitimate MLB bat with some pop that can back him up. For insurance, he's a decent pickup for the price (plus a good lefty off the bench)

Nathanael

You're probably right. For some reason I thought Derosa played center too, but I looked it up, and he doesn't. I still like the idea of Giles, and I don't like the idea of Soriano in center. So I still don't know. Maybe a young guy. Maybe Wilkerson. I still have hopes for Lofton, but it doesn't look like it's going to happen (how can we sign Marquis for 3 years, 21 million, and not sign Lofton for one year, 6-8 million? Does he just not want to come here? I don't get it.)

Aaron

not to burst your bubble guys, but DeRosa would NOT be the answer in center. He is a corner outfielder at best, but better suited for either 2B or 3B, because he doesn't have the speed. Usually, you put your best speed guy out there because of the ground you have to cover....No offense, but that move would be terrible, and I'd rather have Patterson out there with zero ML service than DeRosa.......

Also, on a side note, I've been hearing talk that DeRosa was signed for bench help, not as a starter....In that case, who knows....maybe they put Soriano in CF and DeRosa in right...who knows?

daverj

I like the M. Giles deal ... has DeRosa ever played center though?

Neil, I had that same idea about Wilkerson being a possibility for center last night. JH has always liked him as I remember various trade rumors that we were trying to acquire Wilkerson when he was in Montreal. If he's healthly, I like the idea of him in center. Line-up would look like this after we dumped Jones for scraps and sign Floyd (good chance both those moves happen):

Soriano RF

DeRosa 2B

Lee 1B

ARam 3B

Wilkerson CF/Floyd LF (against RH)

Murton LF (against LF)/Wilkerson CF

Barrett

Izturis

Nathanael

Here's my idea for CF. Since the Braves seem to want to move Marcus Giles, make a trade for him (give up maybe Guzman...I've heard they're thinking about non-tendering him, so I would think they'd take anything). Then play Derosa in center this year until Pie comes up. That's assuming we can't sign Lofton.