As the Winter Meetings approach most of baseball, with the exception of Will Carroll, is following the latest from the rumor mill. Some of the experts think next week in Las Vegas will be full of trades and signings while others feel the meetings could be an extension of what the off-season has already been to this point....a lot of talk with very little action.
The Cubs figure to be front and center with the ongoing discussions with the Padres and Orioles that could net them Jake Peavy. But after Monday's arbitration deadline, a familiar name from the mill was made a little more prominent on Tuesday....Bobby Abreu. The former Yankee has reportedly been on the Cubs radar for quite some time; after all Abreu fits the description of the left-handed bat Lou Piniella would like to add to the Cubs lineup....but are there other options that the Cubs are exploring? Here's the latest....
Gordon Wittenmyer on the Baseball Beat with Charley Steiner
The Cubs' beat writer for the Sun-Times joined Charley Steiner on Tuesday. Gordon Wittenmyer told Steiner that the Cubs priority now is to add a left-handed bat that could hit in the fifth spot in the lineup and break up all of the right-handed bats. If the Cubs cannot add that type of hitter they will turn their attention to adding a bat to the top of the lineup. The Cubs would like to add speed to the top and Wittenmyer mentioned Rafael Furcal and Orlando Hudson as possibilities.
Charley Steiner asked him about Raul Ibanez. Wittenmyer said they like Ibanez and mentioned the fact they tried to trade for him at the deadline last year. Bobby Abreu was briefly discussed and Wittenmyer said he might cost too much...while Ibanez might be a little more affordable.
There are not too many trade possibilities that the Cubs can explore for a middle-of-the-order-left-handed-bat and Steiner joked about the fact that all of the good ones are not available. Wittenmyer said that the rumors of the Cubs being interested in Mark Teahen was nothing but hollow speculation because he is not the middle of the order bat they are looking to add. Jeremy Hermida is a little closer than Teahen....but not really the answer.
Brian Roberts is on the Cubs' radar according to Wittenmyer. But if the Cubs engage those talks again they would not let them drag out for more than a day or two. Wittenmyer added that after the Diamondbacks offered Orlando Hudson arbitration that could eventually rule him out.
With Sunday's deadline for players that were offered arbitration last Monday to accept, Wittenmyer expects the 'log jam' to burst on Monday with the start of the Winter Meetings.
Jake Peavy
Ken Rosenthal checked in with XM Radio on Tuesday night after the announcement of the Javier Vazquez trade to the Braves. Rosenthal was asked about the Cubs' pursuit of Jake Peavy and he said the talks are ongoing. The Cubs and Padres are trying to work on the third team to get the Padres more in return for Peavy. Rosenthal said the Cubs will have to talk to the prospective buyers in order to get the go ahead to add the second big contract of the off-season....Ryan Dempster being the first.
Rosenthal explained Peavy's remaining contract and said he could end up costing the Cubs a little more than the guaranteed $63 million for the next four years. Peavy could ask for something extra in order to waive his no-trade clause.
Rosenthal said the Cubs and Padres are "seemingly making progress but there is still a ways to go."
Phil Rogers joined Jim Memolo during Sports Central on Tuesday night. He said the talks between the Cubs and Padres remain fluid, despite Lou's comments. Piniella wants a left-handed bat added and that is his priority. Rogers feels the Peavy 'thing' plays out to the Cubs.
The Orioles are the third team according to Rogers. Andy MacPhail really likes Felix Pie and there are a lot of teams that would like to give Pie a chance. Jim Memolo said Pie has the makings of another Lou Brock. Rogers added the Cubs have not helped the trade value of their younger players, especially Sean Marshall.
Cubs.com reported, "the Cubs have said they can't afford Peavy, too" after the signing of Ryan Dempster a few weeks back.
Bobby Abreu
According to a report from the New York Daily News, the Cubs "have reached out to Bobby Abreu's agents" and "things could move rather quickly" with either the Cubs or the Mets.
Phil Rogers mentioned on Sports Central that Bobby Abreu is probably closer to becoming the Cubs' right fielder than Raul Ibanez. He brought up the fact the Yankees did not offer him arbitration and called Abreu a much better fit than Ibanez. Ibanez was a shaky left fielder last season and questioned how he would be in right field. Rogers said at least Abreu is a right fielder....
A Quote from Jim Hendry on Cubs.com:
"As far as we're concerned, we're coming off a season when our club won a lot of games, and it's not an old club, which is good. The general nucleus is solid. We'll shuffle the deck in two or three areas and try to get better before we get to camp, but it's not like we need an overhaul."
Well, that's the latest....and I'm sticking to it!
YOU GUYS DO VERY GOOD WORK. yOU SAVE
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Check this out. Its breaks down how the Cubs have built up over the past decade.
http://diamond-theory.com/teamreports/cubs.html
So some others view Pie as "potentially" another Lou Brock type player. May not be so, but yet another example of our organization "giving up" on can't miss players, and shuttling them off.
With Pie and Hoffpauer platooning with Johnson and Fdome you can have lots of flexibility with power, speed and defense. But when players go in Lou's doghouse, "they're gone".
I can see us going after Ibanez. Sure, let's give up a couple more draft picks.
Bryan I absolutely agree. My biggest dislike for Lou is his "doghouse". Yes, Pie has not stepped in and been a phenom. BUT he's only what 23 years old? Too soon to say he can't hack it. Not when he was a 5-tool phenom prospect.
Same with Hoffpauir. He deserves a chance to make or break.
I think Lou ruined Rich Hill's confidence. He proved he can pitch at this level the year before last.
The problem I see with the majority of Cub fans is their love for minor league talent. Don't get me wrong I love a good farm system, but if they are not can't miss prospects move him for pieces you can move. I have loved Hendry's moves and think that when he trades an unproven minor league for a guy that can contribute to the ball club right away I applaud him (Olsen for Ceda comes to mind). How many prospects really make a team or make a difference. Very few.
Keep up the good work Hendry. You have made the Cubs a team that contends for division titles which gives us a chance to play in October. That's not something many past Cub GMs have been able to do.
Joe S....
I agree with your assessment of Hill. Rich was progressing nicely in 2007, then Lou/Rothschild starting tinkering with shortening his stride to keep runners at-bay. From there we know the story.
You'd wish Lou would just tell these youngsters to just go out and play, and that they have his full support. This "walking on eggshells" business ruins a young persons confidence.
Regarding Ceda for Olsen, no organization has too many guys that can throw 97-100. We just tossed one aside (at age 23) for another Howry.
If Gregg (I assume that is who you guys mean and not Olsen ... who is the subject of the Pie rumors) is another 2006/2007 Howry, then dealing Ceda for him was a good deal. I don't think Gregg is at that level though.
If it is true that we have a two year window to win, we can not wait for these prospects to pan out. If we can get a championship here within the next two years at the expense of these youngsters, so be it. We are not in a rebuilding project, we deserve to win now. Abreu would be a nice addition in right field. (I will take his 20 hrs and 100 rbi's from the left side.)
"...the Cubs priority now is to add a left-handed bat that could hit in the fifth spot in the lineup and break up all of the right-handed bats. If the Cubs cannot add that type of hitter they will turn their attention to adding a bat to the top of the lineup."
How is this different from the team's needs in any other off-season in the past five years? Yep, they still need left-handed power and a lead-off man, and they've been barking up that tree for a while now. Abreu would be a good pick-up.
As for the whole, "the nucleus is solid" routine...yikes. The nucleus has folded like a house of cards in two straight playoff series. You know who has a solid nucleus? Philadelphia. Every other team in baseball should be asking, "How do we get better?"
"...the Cubs priority now is to add a left-handed bat that could hit in the fifth spot in the lineup and break up all of the right-handed bats. If the Cubs cannot add that type of hitter they will turn their attention to adding a bat to the top of the lineup."
How is this different from the team's needs in any other off-season in the past five years? Yep, they still need left-handed power and a lead-off man, and they've been barking up that tree for a while now. Abreu would be a good pick-up.
As for the whole, "the nucleus is solid" routine...yikes. The nucleus has folded like a house of cards in two straight playoff series. You know who has a solid nucleus? Philadelphia. Every other team in baseball should be asking, "How do we get better?"
I agree with BA. Thanks much Neil for your constant, well written, well informed posts.
Steve and BA...thank you guys.
I want Peavy, you can never have too much good pitching, speed, or defense. I hate that we're giving-up on Pie,I love his speed and defense. but Abreu is a vet with a good bat and decent defense. I think he's a better fit than Ibanez. (questions) what are we going to do with Soriano "still let him lead-of?" Is there any possiblilty of the Cubs adding the Tex sweepstake? He's a great fit and IS lefthanded, has power and great defense..and is young.
Bring in Peavy, Roberts and Dunn.
Roberts 2B
Fukudome CF
Lee 1B
Ramirez 3B
Dunn RF
Soriano LF
Soto C
Theriot SS
Think about it...2 strike out kings in Soriano and Dunn next to each other in the line up...while the power is nice...the Cubs don't need another guy
that is in the top ten leaders in KO's
every year. Possibly Abreau would be a fit...But Definitely Not Dunn.