How would you fill out the Cubs roster? With the signing of Reed Johnson on Tuesday, Lou Piniella figures to have three spots remaining....two on the bench and one in the bullpen. According to several reports on Tuesday night, the final two back-up spots are between Ronny Cedeno, Alex Cintron, Matt Murton and Mike Fontenot while Carmen Pignatiello or Sean Marshall should fill the vacancy left in the pen by Scott Eyre.
Based on the players performances this spring and how they could help the Cubs win games this season, which of the three players would you take to Chicago on Saturday from Las Vegas....if you were Jim and Lou. Or would you try to make a trade or two?
For the long-time readers of the CCO, this is nothing new. But it is not as easy as it seems. You must think like the GM and a manager of a team trying to post a 90+ win season. Remember a team is only as good as the 25th man on the roster. And with the fact Lou has a tendency to play all of his players on a regular basis, the strength of his bench will have a large impact on how many wins the Cubs put up this season.
So with that being said, there are a couple of things to keep in mind....
- Ronny Cedeno is out of options, so if he is not on your bench, do you trade him or try to pass him through waivers? If you trade him, where and for whom?
- Matt Murton has two options left. Do you send him to Iowa, trade him, or put him on your bench and use him to give Alfonso Soriano regular days off?
- Alex Cintron has outperformed his minor league contract and would give you a solid back up at 2nd, short and 3rd....plus he is a switch hitter.
- Mike Fontenot has been very impressive at the plate this spring, but might limit you defensively....plus he has an option left.
- Carmen Pignatiello has been lights out this spring and is a reliever. Pignatiello has three options left.
- Sean Marshall has been a starter and should remain one. If he is converted to a reliever that could hurt your depth in the starting pitching department. As much as this writer likes Sean Marshall, he has two options left.
And finally, would you step up your efforts and try to pry Brian Roberts from Andy MacPhail? With Jim Hendry signing his right-handed bat that can play all three outfield spots on Tuesday, Roberts should be the only loose end to tie up from the winter.
So fill out your Cubs roster, which of the six players would you keep? Which ones would you trade? Which ones would you send down to Iowa?
And, as always, have fun. Isn't that what baseball is supposed to be in the first place?
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- Demote Theriot to a Chicago little league team, where he belongs.
- Move DeRosa to SS.
- Get Roberts at a high price, Veal, Cedeno, Gally, and Marshall. IMO, way too much, but we are dealing with the Orioles. He goes to 2B.
- The two bench spots should go to Cintron and Murton. Murton has a solid OPS etc. and Cintron has performed well during the spring.
- Again, Fonty, little league.
- Mr. Pingnatiello earned his shit.
That should cover most of it..
I agree move Derosa to SS and pick up BROB to cover 2nd base.
Hubert two things. First, dude, Theriot is a talent. You speak of him, and about him as a kid, a little leaguer, and that is just not necessary Bro. Give the guy some credit. For what it's worth at one point last season he was our go to bat. I can name 100 other Major League players worse than Theriot. Overall he's been better than Cedeno, Murton and Fonty IMO. So get off the guy.......
I agree with you on "Pigs." More than just "he's earned it" I say "we have to have this guy in the pen!"
Lastly, I said it before and I will say it again. Overpay for BR!!!!!!!! We have been one of the best Minor League/Farm club organizations in Baseball in the past and with nothing to show for. NOTHING! You pay now to win now! You get a core group like LEE/Rammy/Sori/"Z" and BR and fill in the gaps as you go. This old BS arguement about how you grow a farm is not the be all that ends all. It is just not historically factual that great teams are built through their Farm systems.
Think back to the great teams of yesteryear. Look at the Cincinnati REDS, NYY, Cardinals, BOSTON... I would be real interested to see one or any of those teams whose major contributors were raised solely in THEIR Farm system. I'm sorry but I just haven't seen that trend in my 42 yrs. Point being, we have to SPEND, in whatever form, to get the best and BR, for us, is the best option for winning now.
So, enough of my ranting this morning. My point is, as Al Davis says; "JUST WIN BABY!!" but I'll say "JUST WIN NOW BABY!!"
Go CUBBIES!!!
A trade changes everything but assuming a trade does not happen before oppening day...
1-Sean Marshall is sent down because there is no way you devaluate him to the bullpen. He is part of the future, young and more seasoning can't hurt. He uses his option and stands by.
2-Carmen Pignatiello-flat out made the team, PERIOD.
3-Alex Cintron gets the nod over Fonty just because he is a switch hitter, more versatile and this is not a personality/looks contest. MFontenot gets sent down to Iowa
4-Murton is on the team on S Eyre spot until he comes back.
**A trade should happen**
4-
I've just got to say that Ryan Theriot is attacked unmercifully on this site by Cub fans and it is completely unfair. Yes, he fell off the last month of 07, but, he hustles and IMO is a much better player overall than many of you are willing to consider.
I agree with Brian.....make the moves now...get Roberts...along the addition of Johnson we will have incredible speed & flexibility on this team.
GO CUBS!!!!
Hey Neil,
Way back when you made a post asking for the date that the BR trade would happen. I believe I'm the only one still in the running... as I predicted it would not happen. Am I correct in this? With Opening Day just around the corner, I can't see any way Spendry doesn't send the farm for BR at this point. As this discussion goes on, it is clear most think of Cedeno as a roster player only because he's out of options. If that's the case, we're sending ALL minor leaguers to the O's. I just can't see where/why Spendry doesn't do this at least by the end of the 1st week of the season... Just my .02
Dave in STL
Barry I am with you, Hubert why all the hate towards Theriot, if I remember correctly when Soriano went down last year, Theriot stepped into the lead off spot and hit three hundred, oh and this year he is only hitting .355, he is very good on the base paths, reliable in the field, doesn't have the greatest arm but makes the plays. But I guess since he didn't have a very good September in his first full year on the Big league club that should be enough to demote him to "little league" for the rest of his career. Just don't understand the hate for The Riot.
I do however agree with you on Piggy, he has done more than earn a spot on the team.
Sean Marshall goes to AAA and continues to start, that way if Dempster or Marquis fail, he can step into there spot in the rotation.
Cedeno, I try to package him in a deal for BR, or trade for some prospects. If no one takes him off our hands, I try to clear him through waivers. But is not on the big league club.
A few thoughts....
* Marshall goes to Iowa and remains a starter there and gets recalled in case of an injury / performance to of one of our starters. Carmen P is Eyre's replacement.
* Cedeno goes to the DL and buys us some time untill he is traded.
* The pride and joy of Humacao, P.R. (Alex Cintron)
makes the club due to his versatility (2B, SS, 3B)
Agustin now can purchase a Geovany Soto jersey AND
Alex Cintron jersey. lol (I actually liked Cintron when he was with AZ)
* Matt Murton goes to Iowa. He probably didn't get a fair shot because we have Soriano and Fukodome at the corners and lets be honest, Murton didn't exactly grasp the little window of a chance that he had. He eventually needs to be traded.
* As it stands, Mike Fontenot is the 26th man.
Finally, I would like to see the Cubs trade for Brian Roberts. Hopefully, Jim Hendry can swing a deal while being able to keep an eye on the future.
It comes down to addressing serious needs, Faithful. And that would be lefty relief. I dropped Fuentes, David, because he makes $5 million which I think is beyond budget.
There is a doable deal that both works and saves a little face for the guy we don't like--A. MacPhail. We trade Cedeno, Hart, Ascaino and Kroeger to the O's for proven lefty reliever George Sherrill ($1 mil. salary), injured good prospect lefty, Troy Patton and my man from February, good prospect, Chorye Spoone, RSP. (We'll find a Fork later.)
We then have a reliable lefty, Sherrill, another good possibility for next year, Patton, plus a future starter in Spoone. Andy has his badly needed shortstop, a starter or closer in Hart, a possible closer in Ascaino and a decent lefty bat in Kroeger. I would keep Murton and Cintron and option Fontenot and Pignatiello.
JimK,
I'd like to think I know most MLB team's top 10 prospects, but you came up with one I've never heard of ... Chorye Spoone. What's his story?
1) it is doubtful the o's will trade sherril, he was a key piece in the bedard deal, and currently the o's closer.
2) is cedeno hurt? if not, jim in TP, how do the cubs place him on the DL?
As long as Cintron is healthy, he's gotta stay on the big league club. And even though they just demoted him, Eric Patterson deserves a spot on the roster, hell I take him starting at second over DeRosa. He's got more speed and it's about time we see what he's really made of. You bat him second and that's not a bad one-two punch as it stand right now with Theriot and Patterson. If it doesn't work, remember we are in the NL Central, we can afford to gamble like that because frankly the division sucks and, despite what people are saying, Milwaukee hasn't gotten any better, and losing Cordero will really hurt them. You can't win the division in April. It's a long season. We'll be fine. Obviously, Carmen has earned the last spot in the bullpen. With the Theriot/Patterson experiement, if it doesn't work you can trade for Roberts then, and maybe for less of a price. It is, in fact, true that you have to have a productive farm system to win. Look at all the last WS champions. Could Boston have won last year without Pedroia, Ellsbury and Papelbon? Could St. Louis have won without Pujols and Wainwright? White Sox without Crede, Rowand, Buerle, Jenks? You can keep going with it, but having a farm system that produces good players in integral to winning a WS, it creates a different environment in the club house, although it can go bad like it did for the Dodgers. There's a reason why the Yankee's haven't won in 7 years. Of course, if they Orioles drop the asking price from insanely ridiculous to just ridiculous (3 prospect instead of 4), then of course we should do it.
David...I hope you are not slacking up. Chorye is Mr. and Mrs. T. Spoone's little boy (right handed, about 6' 2", 215.) Chore always has had a great arm, but had anger management issues until he read the book "Mind Over Matter". The point of the book is, "If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."
Chorye had a break-out year with the Frederick Keys in High A last year. They won their pennant, and he pitched two complete games in their championshp series giving up 2 runs and striking out 17. He has an excellent fast ball and curve and an improving change. His control was better last year. His line last year includes: 152 IP, 108 H, 3.26 ERA, 67 W and 133 SO and a WHIP of 1.15. He'll be at AA this year and ranks #8 on B.A's top 10 list.
What tipped me off was that he won the car wash baseball toss in Frederick. His was the only ball to rocket completely through the operating car wash. It came out dry! (Are we having fun yet, Neil?) P.S. In my "who stays who goes piece earlier", Marshall stays.
David...I hope you are not slacking up. Chorye is Mr. and Mrs. T. Spoone's little boy (right handed, about 6' 2", 215.) Chorye always has had a great arm, but had anger management issues until he read the book "Mind Over Matter". The point of the book is, "If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."
Chorye had a break-out year with the Frederick Keys in High A last year. They won their pennant, and he pitched two complete games in their championshp series giving up 2 runs and striking out 17. He has an excellent fast ball and curve and an improving change. His control was better last year. His line last year includes: 152 IP, 108 H, 3.26 ERA, 67 W and 133 SO and a WHIP of 1.15. He'll be at AA this year and ranks #8 on B.A's top 10 list.
What tipped me off was that he won the car wash baseball toss in Frederick. His was the only ball to rocket completely through the operating car wash. It came out dry! (Are we having fun yet, Neil?) P.S. In my "who stays who goes piece earlier", Marshall stays.
Chicagosports.com is reporting that Cedeno and Fontenot made the club. Cintron will be released and Murton will be sent to the minors.
Rob you beat me to it.
I was hoping Cintron would have made the team.
Barry: -_-; First, relax. Second, Theriot is a substandard MLB player, and here's why.
If you want numbers, here they are. Overall last year, he had an OBP of .326, SLG of .346, and OPS of .672. Soriano's OBP is .337 and he ISN'T a "patient" hitter like Theriot LOL. The OPS of .672 is among the lowest for SS in the major leagues, nuff said. Theriot is like .003 above the NL average for OBP in 2007 and he's supposed to be a "leadoff" hitter. You can justify that with Sori's insane OPS.
Theriot isn't even a good defender, and please don't use fielding percentage to back yourself up because that is a horrible statistic.
Joe: He hustles? Yeah, so do little leaguers. I would still rather have someone that produces. Would you take THeriot over Manny Ramirez even tho Manny doesn't hustle? Point destroyed. Thank you.
nick: So we're basing Theriot's production this year off spring training stats? Ok. D-Lee is hitting .180 something. My point stated.
Andrew: On EPatt for DeRo...no..
Can DeRo play SS? I don't see a problem with Theriot leading off, B. Roberts would of course be better. Why can't Roberts play SS? He seems like more of a shortstop than DeRosa.
Ideally I'd like to forget about Roberts and send Murton, Cedeno, Marquis, and Gallagher to SF for Linecum or Cain, but I know that is not very likely.
Hubert...Comparing Theriot's line to Steven Drew and Furcal, here's why T is more than adequate:
Theriot: BA.266,OBP.326,Runs80,SB28,Errors 14,DP 85
S. Drew: .238, .313, 60, ? 17, 98
Furcal: .270, .333 87 ? 19, 99
T played 148 games, D played 150 and F played 138.
T had as many W's as SO's. D and F had more SO's.
D and F have more power. True, he is not Tulowitzki and a middle order hitter, but he's played at a major league level, maybe excepting fading at the end of the season at the plate.
T is in his second full season this year, and indications are that he will do well. He may not, in which case you would be right to bury him with the rest of your dead. But at this point, you need to give the boy a little more time in the sun.
Hubert, NO I am not basing Theriot's number for the season off of his ST stats, Sorry if you thought I was doing that. I know you can't base some ones season off of that, I was just putting it out there, my bad. My main point was last year when Soriano went down he stepped up and hit very good in the Leadoff spot in August and except for two bad months, had a pretty decent year.
And you say that he isn't a good defender, but you would rahter mover DeRo to SS. I love DeRo, but he will not be able to cover the ground that Theriot does out there. The way I see it is the only thing Theriot doesn't have is an overly strong arm, but still plays a very good SS. I know you think FP is a horrible stat but how does having a.980 FP in 108 games qualify him as being a bad defender?
Theriot is fine, as long as he has protection behind him. Which he will have if he leads off. He did his best when he was in the second spot in the line up. He started to struggle when teymoved him down in the lineup.
Dave...I think you are right. I will go back and check. I kept track of the dates but, if there was not a date....I did not write it down.
If so....you would be the winner. Will check this weekend.