Z didn't get a win in April becasue he had no run support. If I recall correctly all the games he lost were either lost after he left the game or he was given 0 run support. Hopefully that is a thing of the past for all our pitchers.

Jim,

Right on man....it's what I've been saying all along. I think that lack of run support caused a lot of our pitchers games later on because they were trying to be too perfect--Marshall, Hill (early on), Guzman, etc. After a decent start, I think Maddux too felt the pressure of being too perfect. Let's face it, the offense was so terrible last year that not even Cy Young himself could've won...ditto a Nolan Ryan.

The horrendous offense last year was precisely why I stated the Cubs should've gone after Julio Lugo and traded Izzy. It's why I didn't want them to sign DeRosa, who I felt had just a career year, and why I felt they'd be better off trading for a 2B---maybe even bring Walker back.

We haven't even signed Zambrano for crying out loud!!!

Here's essentially what we have:

LF-
Murton--perhaps our best young OF talent that we have, high OBP, good character guy

Floyd--bad signing, injury plagued, unfulfilled promise, one great year, but does have high OBP. His signing only makes sense if Jones is traded

CF-
Soriano--great signing, speed, power, arm, but unknown in CF

Pagan--5 tool potential, but unknown, probably best used as a reserve

Pie--5 tool potential, no experience, but best OF prospect in our system

RF-
Jones--power, no arm whatsoever, decent range, can't hit lefties, unhappy in Chicago, supposedly requested trade

Ward--bench player, good signing, power, OBP, and good off the bench

3B-
ARAM--enough said, however, if leg problems persist, we could be in trouble

Moore--will be called upon if ARAM has leg problems, impressed in debut, and showed he can handle big league pitching

SS-
Izzy--great glove, terrible OBP, almost a clone of Neifi. Unless he can return to offensive success from a few years ago, he's a liability (I'll explain later)

Cedeno--good glove, range, but squandered his chance last year, and didn't impress in winter ball this year. The only way he gets a chance is if Perry can get him hitting again

2B-
DeRosa--bad signing, career year was probably just that, but good character guy

Theriot--should be starting after his impressive rookie campaign, speed, OBP, avg., seems more like an Eckstein type--a winning attitude

Patterson--impressive minor league stats, probably our best IF prospect, and should be given a shot at CF if Jones is traded, or at 2B, has great speed, and has moved up the system steadily.

1B-
Lee--enough said, but can he return to form pre-wrist injury?

Ward--available to back up

Floyd--available to back up

Dopirak--okay, let's not go there

C-
Barrett--enough said, great offense, but again, is his injury healed?

Blanco--Hank White can throw anybody out, but last year was a banner year for him at the plate, and that's not saying much

Jake Fox--said to be great offensively but terrible defensively...probably not a good option

SP-
Z--enough said, we better sign him

Hill--was the second half for real?

Marquis--terrible signing for a below average pitcher who got a lot of run support, the Cards recognized this, and that's why he didn't play...surprise, surprise, he found a home with us

Lilly--decent signing for an average pitcher, but he's a fly ball pitcher, which is exactly what we don't need. This is why Zambrano has been so effective, because he's a ground ball pitcher. Why can't the Cubs figure this out?

Miller--injury concerns, but could be great again

Prior--injury WARNING label, but again, could be great once again

BP-
I'm not going to list them all, because there aren't too many question marks outside of Wood, Dempster, Cotts, and Novoa, so I'll address those.
Wood--showed definite closing ability pre-surgery, and is probably the best in the pen in terms of potential

Dempster--on HIGH alert, if he struggles, Wood will close if he's healthy

Novoa--someone get this "Dusty boy" off the team. I can't remember how many inherited runners he allowed to score, but it was a lot. The only reason his ERA wasn't 10.00, was because he'd be brought in by Dusty to give up the inherited runners, get an out, then he'd be subbed for a pinch hitter the next inning. He's like a clone of Alfon-sucka

Cotts--swing man in Gloo Roo's role, but doesn't make much sense to have 3 lefties. My guess is one of Ohman or Cotts will be partnered in a Jones trade at the end of ST, once teams have their needs figured out, but if Cotts stays, I think he'd definitely be a great asset to have, provided he can come up with another pitch

Man Aaron I think you have the record for longest posts.

I agree with you on most of what you said. I am not to worried about Dempster. He had a rough patch last season but right before that he went something like 26/26 in save situations. Dusty messed him up and the lack of offense messed him up. He would get an inning here then wouldn't be in another game for about a week. But you are right if he struggles we have 2 or 3 guys who could jump in that role.

I like the Floyd signing. If he is fully healed he is better than Jones in every department. I think the Floyd signing means Jones is on his way out.

I don't think that Patterson is ready YET but I do like what I have seen and read. I think that Pagan could turn out to be better than Pie should be. Maybe a Beltran type player with less power. I also think that Theriot should be starting at 2B and he could leadoff as well. I live down in St. Louis (hopefully for only another couple of months) and have seen Marquis and do not like what I have seen. I have said it before. If Leo MAzzoni and Dave Duncan can't help this guy how can Rothchild, but if Maddux thinks he has fixed his problem I am willing to give him a chance. I was happy with the Lilly signing. I wanted him from the start. Yes he is a flyball pitcher but the wind is usually blowing in.

I haven't given up on Ronny yet. He showed flashes of brillance with the glove and would have a good game with the bat here and there. Not sure if Dusty's crew messed him up at the plate or it was him showing he couldn't cut it.

If Izzy wins a gold glove at SS he can have a .295 OBS. We need defence.

Like you I am not to sure about the Derosa signing.

Zambrano needs to be signed ASAP. Although I can see why the Trib Co. is hesitating. Look at the Wood deal.

I think that this is the year of Murton. I think that he will have a breakout year and I also think that Barrett will have a little more power this year. He was on his way to have about 20 HR's and if he can keep that avg. and OBP up he will be signed to an extension by years end.

This is my longest post. Aaron you inspired me.

Jim,
Thanks, as long as I inspired someone....I guess I just keep going on a tangent and don't stop...usually, until I get interrupted at work....it's so boring.

Anyway, believe it or not, I actually forgot something in my post, that I said I'd explain....Izzy

I think Izzy is great defensively, which is great, but when we need offense so terribly bad, you don't fix it with Izzy, but actually compound the problem. Here's why...we've essentially added Soriano to the lineup, and that's about it. Barrett, ARAM, Izzy, Cedeno/Theriot, Murton, and Jones remain from last year's team in the everyday lineup. True, we signed Ward, Floyd, and DeRosa, but those guys a slated for bench roles, except for maybe DeRosa. Ward and Floyd have good bats, but all you've essentially added is Soriano to the mix, and of course, we hope a healthy and an effective Lee. Yes, Lee was sorely missed last year, and Soriano is a major boost, but the point that I was making is I'm not optimistic at all. Our rotation isn't better at all really. Does anyone realize that essentially what we did was trade Maddux for Lilly (who happens to be the only guarantee out of him and Marquis for the rotation)? Miller and Prior are still question marks, and Hill was a rookie last year. True, Zambrano anchors the rotation, and the rookies should be a lot better with their experience, but this staff doesn't scare anybody. There are many other teams with stocked rotations, like the Dodgers, Red Sox, White Sox, Brewers, etc. But look what the Red Sox have....essentially 4 aces in D-Mat, Schilling, Beckett, and Papelbon, to go along with Lester and Wakefield, among others to challenge. The only one of those with significant health concerns is Lester with lymphoma. The Dodgers rotation also looks impressive with Penny, Tomko, Billingsley, Lowe, Kuo, Hendrickson, Schmidt, Wolf.

The point that Hendry has missed, and MacFAIL did as well, is that you don't stock your team with question marks, and average talent, but stock your team with real talent. Look at Boston and LA...they get the idea. In fact, they've stocked their entire rosters with talent. Now that's good management. The fact is, you don't win championships with guys like Ward and Floyd on your roster, but guys like Luis Gonzalez, Lieberthal, Wolf, Hendrickson, Lugo, Wily Mo Pena, Drew, etc. Drew and Floyd are both injury prone. Which one would you rather have? I'd rather have Drew, the younger of the two, and one with a higher OBP and longer run of consistency. If you need proof, look at this:
http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/stats/individual_stats_player.jsp?playerID=136770&statType=1

It's a ridiculous signing. If the Cubs had any faith in Floyd's health, they would've traded Jones by now for anything that could breathe. If they had confidence in Pie's ability to handle major league pitching, they also wouldn't have signed him, so for 5 years for a proven talent, and a WIN NOW philosophy, the signing of Floyd makes no sense, and neither does their decision to stick with Izzy (another injury liability) at SS when Lugo was available and the Cubs have no SS prospects in the minors.

Yeah, yeah, I know I'll get heat for the Drew comment, but if you are skeptical, don't believe what you hear in papers and everything, just go to that link that I gave....and compare to Floyd's
http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/stats/individual_stats_player.jsp?playerID=114260&statType=1

All I'm saying is don't be bought into the idea that the Cubs have drastically improved by their Marketing Machine that McDonough's genius helped create. It's false hope. I'll believe it when I see results. Until then, I think Hendry and management did a piss poor job of evaluating talent on the market.

**5 years of proven talent, I was speaking of the Drew contract

Hey Aaron yes you have the guiness record for the longests posts, but to me you are like a Michael Barret…there's a lot of heart in your posts! Edit a little but I enjoy reading what you say. Jim you totally rock and know your stuff. I'll follow with a long one also.

Cedeno was somewhat offensively inconsistent at the beginning of winter ball, however he finished strong and did an outstanding job in the playoffs plus helped carry his team to the Caribbean Series. In the Caribbean series had a respectable performance including a 3-4 night against Puerto Rico. His defense was superb all the way.

He lost his shot last year, but I think time [which we don't have] will prove he is the real thing. Lou has a lot to think about.

Theriot should be starting in 2nd base and I also think Pagan deserves the shot if Jones is traded. Jones is a valuable player but with a healthy Floyd he is on the bench. Floyd could turn out to be the best acquisition for the money the cubs had and the "surprise" player teams need to win a world series.

As for Brian McCabe great post:
True, without the Z the alphabet doesn't work! And if Z is not in the alphabet next year…we will have to post in Japanese because neither will the J and the H. So please J. Hendry understand this is a chain; you have to preserve the language by protecting the alphabet to keep your job!

sorry 4 the long post

Aaron-

I think you are right on mostly. Lets just hope Marquis turns out like other former cub killers and has a productive year (Alou, Lee).

Also, I think that Izzy's glove will mean a lot more to our lineup than Lugo's bat would. Obviously we'll have to wait and see. If he can learn to take more pitches it may just work out great. (hopefully).

As far as Patterson goes, we need to get rid of him while he's got some value. (see C. Patterson) He can be the best prospect in the world, but if he's not a team guy we should get rid of him. I know, I shouldn't judge a book by his brother, but I've read this before and don't like how it ends.

Go Cubs!

I read on Boston.com the other day that Rich Hill has spent the off-season working on his change. He said he has a lot of confidence in it and thinks that it will help him a lot.

Go Cubs!!!

Guys...sorry about the long posts, Brandon, Agustin, Jim, thanks for the kind words, and being patient with the long posts...
Brandon, I do disagree with you about Eric Patterson though. Are you going to hold Craig Griffey's stats against Ken early on...ditto Ozzie and Jose Canseco....ditto Aaron and Brett Boone? Therefore, just because Corey didn't work out so well....which btw, if given the right staff, as we saw in Baltimore, he can be effective...Eric is a completely different hitter also---more compact swing and discipline, and still has the speed that Corey possesses. Completely different guys too...Eric is more outgoing than Corey, which his introverted personality rubbed a lot of people wrong as there are a lot of talkers in baseball.

Brian,

I TOTALLY agree that the Cubs need to dig deep into their pocket books and get Z signed. The sad thing is, if we wait until after the season, the contract will undoubtably need to be even larger than if we signed him right now, which is more than what it would have been had we signed him 3 months ago, which is more than what it would have been had we signed him 9 months ago (see a trend?).

While I think Z has been amazing in every sense of the word the past few years, you can't say what Prior's numbers would have been without his injuries. Who is to say that in the next 3 years, Prior's numbers aren't similar to that of Z's the past 3 years ? This is very unlikely, but it is possible.

In regards to the other posts, I've stated too many times about my thoughts on Cedeno and Theriot. I like these kids too, but please look at their minor league career stats, not 100 major league at bats, and you will see that neither will most likely ever be a very good hitter in the bigs.

I can't believe pitchers and catchers report in a couple days. I believe the offense will be as good as advertised this year and the pitching will be better than most expect. Either way, I CAN'T WAIT !!!!!

I was going to comment, but was too tired from reading all the long posts. lol lol

Go Cubs!

Aaron-

You are right. Apples and Oranges.

If this team can waste $21 on Marquis ad $13 on DeRosa and possibly up $17 (incentives my friends) on (all terms in mil)...how in God's name cannot they not sign Carlos? Surely the budget has got to be stretched more. He said it clearly on WGN, he's gone. And, I have no doubt, he will be. Leave it to the Cubs to spend over $300 and ignore their best player. THey always manage to mess up. Idiots. 7 years could back fire, but will Jason Marquis be our new ace? Prior and Wood might win 5 this year. After this year, the Pirates will be better. Morons I tell you, morons/

agustin rexach, thanks for the good words. After being on the PSD forum it is nice to hear praise instead of insults for my opinions. Although Aaron may not like the Floyd signing, I think this one will pan out for us. I am sure Hendry has been trying to get rid of Jones so he could sign Floyd but ran out of time and said I will do it anyway.

Yes we have a lot of question marks concerning our rotation. If only a couple of those ??? pan out we are in real good shape. I hope Hendry is not waiting to see if Prior returns to form to sign Z. Anyways, I have a good feeling about Miller. Everyone who has had the type of surgury that he went through needed 2 years to come back from it. Miller should be ready to go. I see him making about 24-27 starts with about 15 wins. I not sure about Marquis. For some reason I see him as the long releif swing man. Hell Neil Cotts could surprise us all and make the rotation. 3 lefties you never know. I am hoping for a rotation of

BIG Z 20 wins
Lily 14 wins
Hill 14 wins
Prior 15 wins
Miller 15 wins

Yes that is alot of wins from the rotation but I can dream. To much MVP 05 on PS2.

Aaron,

dude, whats with the posts?

"Murton (and DeRosa) is a good character guy", what, do you go out and have drinks with the guy?

We all know everything you said about the cubs man, but thanks for the info on Dempster, I thought he was a nail down closer

And Prior, didnt he pitch like 35 or 40 starts last year?? Man, I, like ever other cubs fan, would not have known he was injured without you, man, thanks!!

dude, just put up your own website, im not even going to waste my time reading your stuff anymore, ill just assume you statw the obvious.

Aaron, right on dude!!!