For starters, pitching was one of many topics covered by Jim Hendry with the media on Wednesday. Hendry is looking for another arm to take the place of Jason Marquis. Internal options are Sean Marshall, Jeff Samardzija, Chad Gaudin and Angel Guzman. If the Cubs go outside of the organization and cannot land Jake Peavy, Randy Wolf could be an option.
The Cubs could be close to adding another potential back-up catcher to the mix. The Daily Herald said a deal could be made within a week and mentioned the name Paul Bako once again.
Lou Piniella missed the stop of the Cubs' Caravan at Harry Caray's on Wednesday with a viral infection. He is expected to attend the convention this weekend.
Ernie Banks delivered his annual preseason slogan on Wednesday.... "The Cubs will be divine in 2009!"
Here's the latest with updates on Rich Aurilia, Rich Hill, Felix Pie, Ronny Cedeno, Jake Peavy, Henry Blanco, Koyie Hill and Paul Bako.....
Rich Aurilia
The Tribune reported the Cubs rumored interest in Rich Aurilia on Wednesday. The Cubs have spoken with Aurilia's agent about a one-year deal to back up Aramis Ramirez and Derrek Lee.
Aurilia has been in the Cubs' rumor mill for the last month.
Ronny Cedeno, Rich Hill and Felix Pie
What do Cedeno, Hill and Pie all have in common? All three were put on notice Wednesday and their days with the Cubs' organization appear to be numbered. Cubs.com, the Tribune, the Sun-Times and the Daily Herald each stated.... "All three figure to be with different teams by the end of Spring Training, if they are not dealt beforehand."
Randy Wolf
Bruce Levine reported the Cubs' interest in Randy Wolf on Saturday....and the rest of the mainstream media mentioned Wolf as one of the outside possibilities to take Jason Marquis' spot in the rotation.
The Cubs, in this writer's opinion, should look for a fourth starter, not a fifth. Rich Harden should be slotted in the fifth spot in order to give him the rest he requires to try to keep him off of the DL.
Henry Blanco, Koyie Hill and Paul Bako
According to a report in the Tribune the Cubs are not planning on bringing back Henry Blanco. Jim Hendry is "looking for a left-handed-hitting, defense-oriented catcher" that will compete for the Cubs back-up catcher spot with Koyie Hill.
According to Bruce Miles, "Hendry feels he'll add another potential backup catcher to compete with Koyie Hill, maybe within a week." All signs point to the return of Paul Bako.
If the Cubs sign Paul Bako to a Major League deal they will have to make another roster move. The Cubs' 40-man roster currently stands at 40 players.
Odds and Ends
The Cubs are counting on Carlos Zambrano to bounce back from last season according to the Chicago Tribune.
Jeff Samardzija wants to be the Cubs' fifth starter when camp breaks at the end of March according to Fred Mitchell.
According to the Daily Herald, Jim Hendry mentioned Milton Bradley could hit fourth in the Cubs lineup next season between Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez.
Jake Peavy
According to the Tribune, "Jim Hendry will meet with the new owner of the Cubs as soon as the Tribune Company completes the sale. He'll then find out whether he can find a way to fit Jake Peavy's $63 million contract into the Cubs' budget."
Well, that's the latest....and I'm sticking to it!
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At this point it is not looking like Peavy will be a cub before opening day. That being the case I would be comfortable with the Shark or Marshall in that role, but a cheaper version of Marquis will need to be added. The Randy Wolk move makes the most sense at this point.
I like that we are more left-handed and as usual we will be holding our breath on a bunch of "ifs":
If Bradley can stay healthy both mentally and physically.
If Fukodome can hit like he did the first month of last year.
If the Shark can perform as a solid 5th starter
If Fontenot can pick-up where he left off after the allstar break last year.
If Soriano stays healthy he can reallistically be a 40 hr 40 double guy again.
If Z can return to form
If Harden can stay healthy enough to make a long-term contribution.
Good Lord, if, if, if.
Gotta love Jim Hendry!
Even the Yankees have an IFs list. That's just baseball. And it makes for a fun off-season for us fans. My only major beef thus far is the DeRosa trade. Gotta flip those prospects for something to turn that one around.
One more thing, 4 years for a 36 year old derik lowe? Not a good move for the braves.
I'm not so sure the Lowe signing was so bad. Yes, typically I wouldn't give a 36 year old pitcher a 4 year deal, but Lowe may be the exception to the rule.
He is not a power pitcher, so you don't worry much about him losing speed off his pitches. Plus, since converting from a closer in 2002 he has pitched between 32-35 starts per season while pitching in about 200 innings per season. He has shown to be durable.
In this case, I think giving him that extra year might not be so bad of a deal.
Time will tell.....
As for the other notes above:
I feel as soon as a new owner is approved, Peavy comes to Chicago. This will happen before the season. In fact I think it will happen before spring training.
Rich Aurilia?? Looks like Michah Hoffpauir is going to get screwed in the process. Assuming Lou carries his usual 12 pitchers that leaves 13 position spots. 2 will be catchers (Soto and backup). Looking at OF spots it figures to be 5. (Soriano, Johnson, Bradley, Fukudome and either Gathright or Pie. That leaves 6 infielders. (Lee, Ramirez, Theriot, Fontenot, Miles and Hoffpauir).
The problem with the infield and why Aurilia is being considered is that while Hoffy can back up Lee at 1B, without DeRosa nobody can back up Ramirez at 3B. Miles has only played 15 games at 3B. Theriot has only played 8 games at 3B and even if we kept Cedeno he has only played 3B 8 times as well. So, Aurilia (or another player) will wind up taking Hoffpauir's spot.
The only chance Hoffpauir would have is if he took an OF spot and that is not likely. He would take the spot that would go to Pie/Gathright and it's not likely since one of them would be counted on as speed and late inning defense, neither of which Hoffy can bring.
What could happen is that Miles was signed to be the full time player at 2B. Leaving Fontenot to be traded. That would possibly open a spot for Hoffpauir in his spot and still allow for Aurilia or another player able to back up at 3B to be on the roster.
As for Cedeno, Pie and Hill. I hate the way the Cubs handled the situation. Cedeno is expendable. Decent to have, but can be replaced.
They gave up on Pie WAY to soon. There have been discussions on here that he was given chances. He simply has not. With as strong as the Cubs have been I disagree with Hendry that they couldnt have just given Pie the CF spot and said it's all yours kid. They set him up for failure. He's too young to give up on. What REALLY gets me is that he is equal to if not better then Joey Gathright.
Pie has had two short chances with the Cubs. First year he hit just .215. Last year he improved to .241. But he has only had 260 at bats in the big leagues. How can you tell anything? That was split between two seasons...not even in one year. Gathright has had 1145 at bats over 5 years. He has only managed 30 doubles 7 triples ONE homerun 96 RBI's and 78 stolen bases. Comparing by at bats, Gathright has about 4.5 times more than Pie. So if you project Pie's limited stats by 4.5 times he actually compares alright to Gathright. Pie would have 50 doubles, 5 triples, 14 homeruns, 135 RBI's and 50 stolen bases. I believe Pie at 24 years old has more upside than Gathright at 28.
As for Rich Hill...he pitched to good in 2007 to have been dumped that quick into the 2008 season. As I posted before, it's not like he was getting lit up. Heck, Lilly started off worse than Hill did and look how Lilly bounced back. Lou handled Hill horribly. I know he has struggled in the minors and in winter ball. But, confidence can be half the battle. Yes he is going to be 29, but I still believe in him. I think the Cubs should put him as the #4 pitcher. I agree with Neil that Harden should definitely be the #5 so he can be skipped a few times. If we get Peavy, then I can see Hill being let go. Other than that, I would give him the shot.
As for back up catcher, Bako? Please. Hell if you dont care about batting (Bako .231 average with 21 homeruns in 2086 AB's) you might as well bring Blanco back. Otherwise, go for Johnny Estrada. Switch hitter, and in almost the same AB's as Bako (2079) he hit .277 with 42 homeruns.
Aurilia might be the only option as for free agents so we have a back up 3B. Or one other ex-cub who is a free agentm but he might not be willing to take a reserve role.....Nomar Garciapara.
Last week we got to see a Cubs game from 1991 against the Pirates. This week the MLB network has Don Larsen's perfect game from the 1956 World Series against the Dodgers.
If you haven't seen the broadcast, not only is it something to see Larsen's incredible day...but the broadcast is obviously nothing like todays broadcast.
The standard center field camera shot does not exist--the main shot is from behind home plate. The game is in black and white.
Graphics are very minimal. In fact, when batters come to the plate, there are no stats shown. Instead a split screen with the batter on one side and a bobblehead looking portrait of them with their name on the other side. When ending the inning there is no score graphic. Instead the camera focuses on the outfield scoreboard.
There are no color analysts on the game. But two of the all time greatest announcers split time during this game---Mel Allen and Vin Scully.
Obviously no instant replays of any close play or pitches. No close up shots of action on the field. Few crowd or dugout shots. No shots of the bullpen.
This broadcast even includes commercials from 1956.....
Definitely worth taking the time to peek at....
First off, Joe you are up WAY too late. Get some sleep brother!
I was really confused and shocked when I read about the possibility of Rich Aurilia. You guys know I'm not the most knowledgeable baseball wonk here, but what about Vitters? Does this news mean that the Cubs have decided to use him as trade bait rather than bring him up here due to Rammy and Lee? I think that would be a STUPID mistake.
It seems to me that it would be a fantastic way to bring Vitters along by allowing him to back up the corner positions without the stress of being the starter. Let him develop his defense a little better, and yet show the power that we've all read about. Then, if you still want to trade him at least he's been seasoned a bit and his value might even be higher.
Or at that point you might decide he's our future and do something with Rammy or Lee.
Just my opinion...would love to hear what the real analysts here think.
While we wait for the real analysts to report for duty, I would remind Scott that Vitters is 19 years old, is trying to learn to shave and has yet to graduate from Low A Peoria. He'll be ready for the bigs in two or three years. I do hope we keep him.
Re Hoffpauir and Bako, Joe S, I'm guessing that Hoffpauir gets traded and Bako gets hired because his cost at $500,000 means he is very cheap and he is good defensively. I like Javier Valentin, the switch hitter, who can occasionally mash a ball into the ivy or over it. He made $1.5 mil last year, but anything over minimum seems to be off limits to JH.
It could be that Hoffpauir still has an option and that he gets a chance early when we can get along with one less pitcher. He then could return to Iowa and be a possible injury replacement. Some of our once promising or currently promising guys like Pie, Cedeno and Hill (in the once promising group) and Fontenot, Hoffpauir and Hart (in the still promising group) will likely be named in JH's tweaking deals. I think Fontenot would only go in a Peavy deal.
I like Aurelia as a right side pinch hitter, and he is adequate at all infield positions in a back up role. He has a big reputation as a step up--take command guy too--which could inspire a couple of our unemotional types. But it probably takes $3 or $4 mil to get him.
Yes, I think Aurilia is too expensive for what you get. I'm sorry to see Blanco go. He had a knack for clutch hits, and a great arm. I think he'd be well worth keeping, as I remember Paul Bako as just an older version of Koyie Hill (i.e. no bat whatsoever).
I don't think Rich HIll will ever bounce back. I don't blame the Cubs for giving up on Pie (how many CF prospects have they had that never exceeded the mysterious AAAA status?). While its sad to see Cedeno go (he plays baseball about 11 months out of the year and tears up winter ball), I think Fontenot is a better back-up / platoon option up the middle. Let's use these guys now to get something worthwhile. Everyone loves home-grown talent but you have to be a smart evaluator and right now there are better options via trades.
Hey let's see what Fuld can do at camp!
p.s. you know where I can find salary information for players that are free agents? They no longer list them on ESPN.com if they're not on the 40-man roster.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Fuld
joe d....Cots Contracts has free agent prior contracts by position on its main page. Neil has a link to that site in the lower left margin.
ahhh....great link. $3 mil option for Blanco. i would have done it. I guess there's lots of options out there for cheaper, but Bako?
joe d....My guess is that Blanco would be happy to sign for $1.2 to $1.5, but the rationale seems to be to splurge if you have to for Big People but don't bend on the Little People--apparently because there are a lot of them and one may not be much better than another.
I disagree with the thinking--especially for the number two catcher. Number one catchers get dinged up all the time and need some days off just because of the toughness of the job. So spending $1.5 (or $2.5) mil for the upgrade that the extra bucks bring is well worth it to me.
About the same agrument can be made for seasoned, productive back up infielder. Aurelia is a proven leader-type guy--yes an old guy-- who can play first and third well and SS--2B marginally. But he hit .320 + against lefies with a .903 OPS last year.
You don't have to worry about a guy like Aurelia (or a complete number 2 catcher) needing back up underwear in clutch situations. In fact they often step up very well in those situations. I would rather have a combo like Valentin--Aurelia on the bench for a combined $4 or 5 mil than spend the $5 mil on another fifth starter. Marshall or one of our other candidates will do well enough in the 5 spot.
I really wish the Cubs wouldn't give up on Rich Hill. He is only 28 with around 3 years of experience. He is a nice lefty for the Cubs rotation. I think Larry Rothschild should keep working on Rich Hill. He has the nice breaking ball with his pitching. If he could bounce back into the 5th spot in the rotation instead of bringing in lets say Peavy or Wolf, then that will save the Cubs good money. But I am not really sure what the status really is for Rich Hill because from what I keep hearing about him, its not good at all for him. Too bad, I really liked watching him pitch...a lot.
Peavy is not coming!!!!!! Wolf is a by far better choice. We can't sell the farm to get peavy. Are minor league system is bad enough. Wolf is going to be real cheap by the end of this month, because alot of teams don't have the money.
Rich Hill is a head case ppl he will never be a major league pitcher again. Every picthing coaches on the cubs has worked this guy alot. He couldnt even make though winter ball. Pie has show nothing in the majors. Why start someone in CF they can't hit. Reed and Fukudome will be fine in center. Joey won't make the roster Lou won't carry 5 of's. Cedeno sucks he doesnt play hard and makes stupid mistakes. If DeRosa was the best player we had we were going to win it anyway. He is just a role player and now Mike will have his chance and have one hell of season. We need to find that left hander in the pen are its going to be a long season. I like Bako he is good with pitchers. and please no one say the Fat a$$ jones should be a cubs.