The first full week of baseball's off-season is in the books and to say the Hot Stove is in full swing would be an understatement. Players that have filed for free agency have until Thursday at midnight eastern to resign with their current organization, so at 12:01am on Friday they are free to negotiate and sign with other teams...and an already busy rumor mill should kick into overdrive.
Jim Hendry spent his week on the West Coast in discussion with the Padres over Jake Peavy as well as gauging what dollar figure it will take to resign both Ryan Dempster and Kerry Wood....but was that all?
Here is the rest on Jake Peavy along with other rumors, plus....a possible, realistic number for the Cubs' payroll in 2009, Wood doubled his 2008 base salary, Nate McLouth, Jeremy Hermida and Scott Olsen and is Derrek Lee staying put?
Jake Peavy
The main topic of conversation this week surrounding the Cubs has involved Jake Peavy. While Jim Hendry has dealt with possibly losing both Ryan Dempster and Kerry Wood to free agency, whenever a team actively pursues a pitcher the caliber of Jake Peavy, it makes headlines. Hendry and the Cubs want Ryan Dempster and Kerry Wood back but regardless of what the mainstream media may be saying, Jake Peavy is the priority right now for the Chicago Cubs.
Jake Peavy's time on the disabled list was discussed on Saturday morning. Levine said he was told that when Peavy came up tender last year there was no reason to risk it for a losing team. Kevin Towers and Bud Black shut him down to make sure the injury did not linger and Levine added if the Padres were winning he probably would not have missed any time.
According to Bruce Levine, Jake Peavy wants this trade to happen quickly and it is down to the Braves and the Cubs. The Dodgers are likely out of the running because Kevin Towers does not want to see Jake Peavy four to five times a season for the next four years. It would be a lot more expensive for the Dodgers in terms of prospects or young players to acquire Peavy than the Braves and Cubs. Levine used the term 'long shot' to describe the Dodgers chance of landing Peavy at this time.
A report from Bruce Miles on Friday gave Jim Hendry "a 50-50 shot at landing Peavy" and Miles said Jeff Samardzija is "NOT on the table" in the Peavy talks. Miles added in another report that the following names have been discussed in the Peavy talks with the Padres:
- Sean Marshall
- Felix Pie
- Ronny Cedeno
- Jose Ceda
- Welington Castillo
- Josh Vitters
- Mitch Atkins
Not all of those players would be involved in the deal but each have been bantered about and the Padres have asked about Castillo, Vitters and Atkins....each of those players have stepped to the top of the Cubs' prospect list, with Vitters being the Cubs top minor league prospect last season according to Baseball America.
Buster Olney reported in his blog on Saturday that there is "a growing feeling" the Peavy trade "will happen sometime before Thanksgiving."
Ken Rosenthal reported on Saturday that the Braves are "growing impatient" after weeks of discussions "and soon might push for a resolution." Rosenthal stated the Cubs and Braves are still the front-runners with the Dodgers and Yankees "on the backburner".
Many on XM Radio think (and the CCO shares the same feeling) that the deal with the Braves hinges on Yunel Escobar . According to a report in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the Braves have added Gorkys Hernandez to the deal for Peavy. Hernandez is a very good outfield prospect (Braves 5th best according to Baseball America) and was acquired in the Edgar Renteria deal last winter with the Tigers. The AJC stated the latest offer from the Braves is believed to be Hernandez, Charlie Morton, Escobar and a lesser prospect.
Tim Kurkjian on Peavy Discussions from ESPN
Kevin Towers on Talking Baseball
The Padres GM joined Bruce Levine and Carmen DeFalco on Saturday morning. Towers was extremely candid as well as complimentary about Jim Hendry. In bullet point format here are a few notes and quotes from the interview on ESPN 1000:
- Towers wants the Peavy deal done sooner rather than later. He needs to see what he has for next season and the longer it goes it becomes harder for him to see what his needs are for next season.
- If the GM Meetings would have lasted a couple of more nights, a deal for Peavy could have possible been done. Levine and Towers joked about the late nights (2:00 and 3:00am). Towers likes the GM Meetings. Way to look at other GM in the eye and figure out if there is wiggle room to do more. Likes the face-to-face meetings compared to the emails and cell phone calls.
- Called Jim Hendry a good friend
- Trying to orchestrate the trade with Peavy and Barry Axelrod
- There is a hand full of clubs they think they match-up well with but Jake Peavy will make the ultimate decision. Once a deal is in the works that the Padres like, they will present to Peavy and go from there.
- Towers said this is an important trade for the Padres. The trade not only needs to benefit the Padres but the other team involved. Towers added he always tries to put himself in the other GM's shoes.
- Quote from Towers: "I do not think there is any deal that will be viewed as a good one in San Diego because of the popularity of Jake Peavy."
- Quote from Towers: "Jimmy is the easiest to deal with of the three."
- Towers said he trusts Jim Hendry and he knows Hendry realizes acquiring Jake Peavy will be 'expensive.'
- Towers said it is not easy finding the optimal deal. If the Cubs end up with Peavy, great. If it is the Braves, great. If the Dodgers, great....or "we will just keep him."
- Peavy sees Chicago as an attractive landing spot. He has always liked pitching at Wrigley. Rick Sutcliffe and Mark Grace are former clients of Barry Axelrod and they have told Peavy how great it is to play at Wrigley.
- Towers said he could not say which team is the front-runner is to land Peavy.
Bruce Levine finished the segment by saying if Hendry can get it done, he will trade whatever is in the system, within reason, to bring Peavy to the Cubs.
Ryan Dempster
Bruce Levine reported he spoke with Ryan Dempster's agent, Craig Landis, and Dempster has decided to go to free agency. Landis told Levine he is "not likely" to resign with the Cubs before Thursday's midnight (Eastern) deadline. Landis added Dempster would likely be on the market until mid December.
Derrek Lee
According to Levine, the Cubs talked to Derrek Lee after the season about possibly waiving his no trade clause. Lee told them he does not want to leave the Cubs....he likes it in Chicago and wants to stay. Levine said Lee is not going anywhere this off-season.
Kerry Wood and the Bullpen
The subject of Kerry Wood's future with the Cubs was discussed on Saturday morning. Levine thinks the Cubs want Wood back but only on a one or two year deal. Levine said if Wood gets an offer on a 3-year contract from another team he is likely gone. A four- year deal for Wood is more than pushing it for a pitcher with a tear in his right shoulder.
The Cubs will address the needs in the pen after the Peavy deal is done. If the season started tomorrow (thankfully it is November), Piniella would have only one reliable option....Carlos Marmol. The other arms in the pen right now: Jeff Samardzija (who could be converted back to a starter), Michael Wuertz, Neal Cotts, Kevin Hart (who could be in the Peavy deal) and Chad Gaudin.
Nate McLouth
The Cubs asked the Pirates last season about Nate McLouth at the trading deadline according to Bruce Levine. The Pirates wanted a 'power arm' then for McLouth and apparently are still looking for the same in return for the Gold Glove, All-Star centerfielder. The Pirates would trade McLouth for the right young, power arm. Levine mentioned Jeff Samardzija could get it done but his no-trade clause would prevent it. Levine added the possibility of Mitch Atkins but added the Cubs probably do not have the type of power arm the Pirates would want in return.
Raul Ibanez and Milton Bradley
Both Raul Ibanez and Milton Bradley are on the Cubs' radar according to Bruce Levine. Levine talked to their agent (Bradley and Ibanez share the same agent) during the GM Meetings. Levine added the Cubs will be looking further at Milton Bradley as a possible fit to fill their needs for a left-handed right fielder.
Jeremy Hermida and Scott Olsen
The Cubs have discussed a possible trade with the Marlins for both Jeremy Hermida and Scott Olsen according to Bruce Levine. Levine broke the story earlier during the GM Meetings but once the Cubs got deeper in the Peavy discussions, the Hermida-Olsen deal took a backseat. Levine reported the if the Peavy trade falls through then the Cubs would reengage the talks with the Marlins on dealing both Hermida and Olsen.
The Cubs view Hermida has being a good young player but not a starter. They would throw him into the mix and see what happens. Hermida has good power but strikes out a lot. The Cubs are looking for a way to become more athletic and balance out their roster like the Phillies and Rays....remember MLB and the NFL are very much copycat leagues.
Brian Roberts
Bruce Levine used the term 'pie in the sky' to describe the White Sox or Cubs' chances of acquiring Brian Roberts this off-season. The Orioles are working on a contract extension for Roberts that would lock him up for the next 4 years. If Andy MacPhail cannot sign him to an extension in the next three to four weeks then by mid to late December Roberts could be back on the trading block. But until then.....
Rumors have suggested MacPhail is still looking for a ton in return for Roberts.
Cubs Payroll for 2009
The final numbers for the 2008 have varied from report to report. Some have claimed the Cubs spent a little over $118 million to field the 2008 squad and others have placed that number closer to the $130 million dollar mark. Bruce Levine revealed on Saturday morning that Kerry Wood hit a lot of his incentives and turned his $4.2 million dollar base salary into an $8.5 million dollar paycheck in 2008.
Levine thinks the Cubs payroll in 2009 will be in the $150 million dollar range.
More Tidbits from Levine
The Cubs do not have any interest in trading for Brian Giles this winter. However, the Cubs had a deal in place at last year's trading deadline that Giles rejected. It was reported that Giles stopped the possible deal involving the Red Sox, but it was not mentioned at the time he rejected a trade to the Cubs as well.
Cubs are very interested in Rafael Furcal.
Ferguson Jenkins, Ryne Sandberg and Billy Williams are campaigning for Ron Santo to be elected into the Hall of Fame this year by the Veterans Committee. The results will be announced on December 8th.
From the Soapbox
Whether the Cubs may 'overpay' to land Jake Peavy or not, the bottom line is Peavy would give the Cubs a true ace....something they do not have. As long as Peavy is healthy he would give Lou Piniella a pitcher at the top of his rotation that teams will not want to face....and would breathe a sigh of relief when they miss his spot in the rotation.
While Carlos Zambrano has number one stuff, because of his emotional state, no one ever knows what they will get from him. Not only from start to start, but from inning to inning...and in some cases, from pitch to pitch. If Zambrano could grow up and become the pitcher that his talent says he could be, Jim Hendry might not feel the need to go out and trade for a pitcher of the caliber of Jake Peavy.
Rich Harden on the other hand has number one stuff but not the stamina or the history that would indicate he could be depended on for anything more than a fifth spot in a rotation. If Hendry and Lou Piniella can build a rotation with Harden able to be skipped as often as possible, the 2009 Chicago Cubs will win a lot of games. A rotation of Peavy, Zambrano, Ted Lilly, insert number four here and Rich Harden would be one of the best in the league....on paper.
And remember....only 98 days before pitchers and catchers report.
Well, that's the latest and I'm sticking to it!
Just to clarify the opening statement "Players that have filed for free agency have until Thursday at midnight eastern to resign with their current organization, so at 12:01am on Friday"....this means that the current organization has exclusive negotiating rights with that player until 12:01 am on Friday when all teams can begin to negotiate with that player.
I think the Peavy matter will work itself out in the next week. I have a feeling the Cubs actually might pull it off.
Glad to hear Derek Lee rejected being traded.
The Rangers have indicated they do not want Milton Bradley back....they are moving Blalock to DH this year. All things considered, I might take a flier on Bradley above all other names I've heard (Ibanez, Dunn).
Joe...good catch. I edited the article. Should have explained a little better.
Rumors are like food men! good stuff Neil, very nice work.
If the cubs do land Peavy, I wonder if they would consider moving Soriano back to 2B. The positions would be:
LF (A lefty hitting FA)
CF Reed Johnson/Fukudome platoon)
RF A possble FA, or Derosa/Hoffpauir
1b D Lee
2b Soriano
ss Theriot, unless they sign Furcal
3b Ramirez
c Soto
Might point would be, that we don't have much left to trade and Outfielders are easier to find then middle infielders.
I was hoping that the thought of returning home to California would have enticed DLee to waive his NTC and let us work something with a CA team. I am somewhat disappointed he has rejected that idea.
CCO, I don't dislike the man but for the money we could bring in Furcal and another arm in the bullpen giving a needed youthful injection at 1st with Hoffpauir. He will do better with his opportunity than did Pie.
Jake Peavy as our #1 would make our rotation the most filthy in Baseball, BAR NONE!! I really like this effort on the part of JH and hope he can work it out. I smiled when I read that Kevin Towers called JH a "good friend." I am not saying that makes us the frontrunners for JP but it is important nonetheless.
Milton Bradley might be a very nice experiment in RF.....
GO CUBBIES!!
Jim(Tinley Park)
I hate to admit this but I hadn't even thought about moving Soriano back to 2B. What great insight and makes us immediately better up the middle but his arm in left protected wins last season. His arm is incredibley strong and accurate.
Definitely something to ponder....
I like Soriano in the outfield with that cannon arm of his. He's not THAT much of a liability out there....I mean he won't make many spectacular catches....and he looks silly with that damn hop....but he catches most of the balls....He'd be less valuable at 2B than at LF. Besides we have DeRosa at 2B..or even Fontenot.....
Plus...it would be a battle and not really fair to switch him. He was willing to try CF for us and Lou scrapped that idea early on. Plus, we need to move him out of the leadoff spot....so best to focus on that move than a positional move as well.
The deal I hope we make (besides Peavy)is for McLouth. I would then unload Soriano, even if you have to eat a good portion of that contract. Then the lineup would produce:
McLouth CF
Johnson LF
Hoffpauer RF
Ramirez 3B
Soto C
Lee 1B
DeRosa 2B
Theriot SS
You'd then have lot's of versatility with Fontenot and Fukodome on the bench, and DeRosa able to maneuver as needed.
Wow, I dislike Lee even more after reading that. I mean, I understand LOT of players want to stick around with the Cubs until they wi it all, but geeze, I know if my boss came to me, and was like, "so, how do you feel about moving to another office in New York, we're thinking about bringing in another guy." To me, there's no way I could say no. At the very least, I would be looking for another job with another company in state if I didn't want to move, but I'd probably accept the offer. Could you imagine the awkwardness? This is precisely what Giles is dealing with right now. It's what Fred McGriff dealt with. Remember, folks, McGriff balked at coming to the Cubs, saying he was comfortable where he was at. However if a team wants to move you, they WILL find a way.
If they approached Lee about it at the end of the year, I would have to think something is going to happen, unless, in the unlikely event that he actually produces at a high level to start the year---they might keep him.
Jim TP, Soriano to 2B...?!?!?!?Normally I agree with what you say, but that's just far out, man.
Soriano=Steve Sax at 2B, which is why the Nats moved him to the OF. I do, however, see the point in why you want to do it. You figure we could get more production in a corner OF spot, and I'd have to agree. With us, he's been good for about 31 HR 72 RBI combined average.Doesn't that bring back memories of Mark Bellhorn-type numbers?
Aaron - I'm 100% on the other side of the Lee thing.
If you want to keep it to an office example, when Lee was out selling himself to employers, he was offered better compensation elsewhere, but when he considered location, co-workers, company prestige, and the fact that his bosses loved him - he thought it was OK to stay for less money because of all the other factors. The only thing he asked was a guarantee that they don't transfer him - this is where he wanted to be and he was willing to do it for less so there was more money to fill the office with even better coworkers for the strength of the company as a whole.
So two years later, the company has a new eager youngster that is willing to work for peanuts (Hoffpauir). his experience was lacking and his performance, although limited, has been adequate - so the company figures they'll give the youngster the job to save a few bucks.
But the company is stuck.
In order to keep the employee at the lower rate int he first place, they gave him the assurance he woudn't be transferred. Even wrote it into his employment agreement that he couldn't be transferred without his consent.
Because the salary that the employee accepted was contingent on his location - he wanted to be here - not in the New York office. If he waived the requirement to be at the location he wants.... his salary is going to remain the same.
So I don't hold anything against Lee for wanting to stay.
I know that Soriano is going back to LF next year, I just hope Lou makes it his mandate to practice going back on flyballs with authority. He has to be the softest outfielder in MLB in that regards. It is such a shame because the guy has a really acurate and strong arm.
I say they play hoffpauir in right and left field and 1st base at the same time. Have him leadoff, hit third and cleanup every inning.
I really don't understand the love affair with him. He is horrible in the field and can't play anything but 1B. The guy isn't young and hasn't made it in the league for a reason. If you ask me, I think he has Hee Seop written all over him. Unless a spot opens up at first base, he will not be starting so you all could stop installing him in your lineup.
The Cubs should trade three or four players for Peavy, probably two field players and two pitchers. Here are some players I think the Cubs could trade --Ronny Cedeno, Felix Pie, Jake Fox, Koyie Hill, Sean Marshall, Jason Marquis, Rich Hill (if he gets his control back this winter), and Michael Wuertz.
Marshall, Pie, and Cedeno would be the players that the Padres would be the most interested in. There may also be some minor league players that I am not aware of that the Padres might be interested in.
Young players that should not be traded by the Cubs -- Mike Fontenot, Micah Hoffpauir, Geovany Soto, Angel Guzman, and Carlos Marmol. (Jeff Samardzija has a no trade clause)
http://ideasandquestions.blogspot.com/
hey i love the idea of jp but wh dont we just keep the team the way it is and just sign free agent aj burnett? i mean they have similar numbers given jp has better numbers but think burnett played for a bad blue jays team think what he could do with a good team, and wed be able to keep our farm system intact for the futeure
Why would you hold the fact Lee wants to stay in Chicago against him? Isn't that the point of having a no-trade clause? To decide what team you will go to if any team at all? So it's his fault for exercising a clause he was given. If the team doesnt want to be in that situation...simple...don't give that clause out. Also, as Gary said, Lee accepted less money to stay with the Cubs so giving him this clause was what he earned for that.
Of course it's not certain he will continue to hit over .300, but Hoffpauir is solid at first defensively and likely average in LF. He has hit very well in the bigs in very limited opportunities--which happens when you are behind Lee and Ward for a few years.
I took a look at Baseball America's listing of the 561 minor league free agents (that can be signed to minor league contracts by anyone) for no compensatiion. The Cubs have 15 and the Indians have 22 for example. Ours include pitchers Mike Burns, Billy Petrick, Carman Pignatiello; infielders Bobby Scales, Andres Blanco and Luis Figuroa; and outfielders Jason Dubois, Josh Kroeger and Andres Torres. My guess is that a couple of those guys are good enough for the bigs.
The list also reminds me that it's a competitive world in pro sports--at least until you get the long-term contract. I'm a little sad that the careers of probably more than 400 of those players are over.
Knowing that like most CCO-ers, I'm only occasionally wrong, I now tout 2 new, minor league free agents and urge JH to sign them. Both are left-handed pitchers and both are in the pitching-rich Giants system.
Jesse Enlish (24) was 13-7 with a 3.19 ERA at San Jose (Hi A) givng up 131 H in 135 IP with 51 W and 135 SO's. He is 6'3" and 220 lbs and had a WHIP of 1.27. Erick Threets (27) was a reliever at Fresno (AAA) with a 4-5 record, an ERA of 3.39 and a WHIP of 1.34. He gave up 53 H in 66 IP and 36 W against 46 SO's. Threets, 6'3", 240 lbs. blew his chance at SF with complacency and too many walks in 07-08, but he was the top lefty reliever in the PCL in 2006. Both are worth a year in our system IMO.
if we are in such desperate need for a good quality RF then why are we not in the trade talks for matt holiday?
holliday is a good proven hr hitter and has shown some nice speed with 34 sb last season, and has improved w/ his glove over the past few seasons,
hey Matt, because we do not have the chips to trade for Holiday and he would require a contract bigger than the one Soriano has. If we could find a taker for Soriano[cero chance] then we could dream there. But yeah I would take him over anybody in the league right now.
Refusing to be traded is exactly what I expected from Lee. He is more interested in doing what's best for him and not the team. Just like his game. He pulls the ball to short no matter what the situation calls for. If the Cubs can't flip some of their lineup, why would a 3rd season with the same bunch, turn out any differently than the last 2? This is what happens when patients run the asylum.
I know the consensus is to resign Dempster, but am I the only one bothered by the fact that he had only two "big stage" outings last year and he bombed horribly in both?
I am of course referring to the Sunday night Sux game and his playoff start.
If the Cubs land Peavy, I would take a flyer on Dempster and use the money to land Furcal and Fuentes.
Sorry, I said take a flier on Dempster when I meant take a pass.
So if the Cubs upgrade their pitching next year and don't do anything about their offense, it just means they'll lose their playoff games 2-1 instead of 4-1.
I like D Lee, but his propensity for the DP is a killer. I like Sorry-OH-NO but his clutch hitting is lacking. Edmonds is probably gone and Fukodome has a HUGE queston mark after his name right now.
Frankly, I am not optimistic about next year.
Enough with the D. Lee and double plays already....he had an unlucky year with 27 double plays. But in the previous 4 years, he hit into 14-12-11-15. Hardly that big of a deal.
Miguel Tejada hit into a record 32 double plays this year. Those 32 were not too far off his norm. The previous 4 years for Tejada were 24-26-28-22.
Do you think Astro fans are screaming about Tejada's double plays??
Give it a rest. And frankly, the mark of true Cub fans is our optimisim.
I was being optimistic. The fact that they would lose again in the playoffs is optimistic that they will even get there.
Maybe if Lou was a little more aggressive with running Theriot and Soriano in front of Lee, we wouldn't be discussing the double plays. If you know somebody is trying to hit gaps in LC and RC, you have to put the hit and run on or just flat out steal a base.