According to a report from Yahoo Sports, the Cubs have acquired Jeff Baker from the Colorado Rockies.
Updated - 11:14am C.T. - Bruce Levine confirms the deal with the Cubs sending Class-A pitcher Alberto Alburquerque to the Rockies for Jeff Baker. Baker is expected to be in uniform for the Cubs on Thursday night. Another roster move will have to be made before game time.
Updated - 12:20pm C.T. - Ryan Freel Designated for Assignment
According to an official release from the team, the Cubs DFA'd Ryan Freel on Thursday in order to make room for Jeff Baker on the active roster. The Cubs have ten days to trade Freel or outright release him.
Jeff Baker, an infielder, went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April 27 and was transferred to the 60-day DL on May 24. He began a minor league rehab assignment June 19.
Yahoo Sports is the only mainstream source reporting the trade at this point and no word on what the Cubs will have to give up ...
Stay Tuned ... Will update when more information becomes available.
Maybe a player to be named later.
I wonder if it is Aaron Miles.....
They'd have to make it a PTBNL deal, since Miles just went on the DL. But God I hope so.
God bless Jim Hendry...but this guy has absolutely no clue when it comes to trades...or free agent signings....Jeff Baker is a Hendry guy. You know, the one with "promise" but hasn't shown anything at the MLB level to warrant that tag. So, Hendry will overpay, and it'll probably cost us someone like Mitch Atkins...or even Jake Fox...LOL..but seriously, that's the type of deal Hendry gets suckered into when his back is against the wall.
The best we can hope for in this trade is either spelling the end of Miles or Freel on our roster (doubtful).
I was actually quite fond of Baker in the past, given his minor league numbers, and his 2006 season in the big leagues, but outside of that, he's really bad. Last year he had 26 walks vs 85 K's in only 299 AB's...that's very Soriano-esque. he did have 12 hr, 48 RBI, which if projected as a full-time player would come out to a very respectable 24 hr, 96 RBI, and he's a very versatile player, having seen time at all positions but catcher, shortstop, and CF, so essentially he becomes a poor man's DeRosa.....a very poor man's DeRosa
But you just watch, we will dramatically overpay, and if we don't, then I love me some crow, but just wait and see.
Aaron,
I could not agree more.
typical hendry move.
At this point, Fox seems to be doing a decent job at 3B, so why go out get a slug like this ?
Instead of being proactive, he's always in reactive mode.
Remember all those years when we would be short strting pitching b/c h ewas relying on Prior / Wood ?
Then we had no leadoff man forever, so he goes out and gets juan Pierre who leaves after 1 year, and was not very good.
Now he's trying to cover his Dero error.
ugh.
on a side note (every non-Bulls fan can ignore)...but Matt, if you're around, did you see the Pistons are going to sign Gordon? What do you think of that one? And if the Bulls were going to let him walk (which it seemed like they were), then why would they draft 2 forwards and not Wayne Ellington? That puzzled me big time
It does make sense to see what the deal is before judging it. If it were to be Baker ($400K) and no cash for Miles, that would be a nice bit of tweaking. Baker is likely looked to more for next year's bench--especially with Aram's health issue.
In the equivalent of one year of AB's (561), Baker's line in the bigs is .257-22-88. He also has 25 dbls and 6 trpls and about 10 SB's.
yeah, I saw that, but it definitely will be interesting...perhaps even frightening to learn what we'll have to give up for him. Under normal GM circumstances, it'd cost no more than a Nate Samson or Doug Deeds type of player. But in Hendry's world, it'll most likely end up costing us a Jay Jackson or Mitch Atkins type...you just watch....like I said, if I'm wrong, I'll gladly eat my words, but I haven't been wrong very much this year.
I, like you, happened to like Baker in the past, and if memory serves me correctly, I think you and I had conversations in the spring about acquiring him to be a back-up. The 3 things that worry me most about him are:
1)his recent hand injury (we all know how important that is to a player's swing...Lee and Soto are recent examples of bad hands=poor results)
2) his stats at the MLB level are quite underwhelming
3) my fear of what we'll have to give up
If, it means that we will DFA/trade Miles or Freel, then I'm all for it (especially if they're included in the deal). But if it means optioning Fox, Hoffpauir, or Fuld, then it makes no sense for us. Additionally, I'm for the trade if it means trading Fontenot as part of a bigger package for a difference maker on this team.
Guys that are pretty worthless offensively IMO are: Miles, Freel, Fontenot, and Blanco. Fuld, Fox, and Hoffpauir have been bright spots offensively in an otherwise very dull season. If we can have an OF of Fox in LF, Fuld in CF, and Hoffpauir in RF, we just might have the recipe for offensive success.
JimK....did you look again at my reasoning for that Blue Jays trade? I didn't see if you responded. You said it'd be a Cubbie win....but with salary relief for them to sign Halladay to an extension, and ridding themselves of the albatross deals of Wells, Rios, and Ryan (compared with their underwhelming production), I think it's a win-win on both sides. Like I said, I practically jumped out of my seat when I realized all of their contracts matched up pretty well.
I was all for the Hundley trade in the past, and could've cared less what we got in return, so long as we just got rid of him. That's how I feel about Soriano, Fukudome, and Bradley...and how I thought I felt about Marquis (though, at the time I was livid that we got back Vizcaino, who was worthless to begin with). Anyway....can you please work your connections Jim, and get in the ear of Hendry about this deal?!? LOL
The Chicago Cubs acquired infielder Jeff Baker from the Colorado Rockies for minor-league pitcher Alberto Alburquerque on Thursday.
I know it was only 1 game, but it was sooooooooo nice to watch someone in the OF really GO AFTER the ball and make the plays, the way Fuld did, unlike "you know who". LOL
I'd love to see more Fuld, whether he plays CF or LF or wherever. Speed in the OF is a lot more important than most people realize, and our regular OF, when its Fuk, Sori, and pyscho has to one of the slowest ever.
I'm with you on this.
In xchange for Alberto Albequeque
According to espn .com...it's Baker
for Daytona (A) Cub pitcher
Alberto Alburquerque (Sp)?
Baker hit 4 doubles in that crazy 10-9 come from behind game last year.
Why are you guys complaining? We just traded a body in our system (and thats about it, the player we gave up is just a body)to add depth to our roster. Baker costs the same as a regular 40-man roster player (415,000).
I gotta praise Hendry for this move, because Baker is the type of player that can get 15 bombs in limited playing time, but yes he'll strike out a bit.
The cubs gave up a guy who struck out 40 batters in 35 innings, but also allowed 40 base runners.
I hope the other roster move is Ryan Freel being released or optioned to AAA. I don't want Fuld, Blanco, or Fox being sent down at this point.
Sorry if this is a little off topic guys but i just started this blog and i talk mostly about the Cubs and Chicago sports in general. I just published a post today about Soriano that I thought some of you might be interested in. Since I respect a lot of what you all say on here, I would like to get your comments on my postings.
http://gear-grindings.blogspot.com/
Jeremy, I appreciated your comments on Soriano. I, for one, would absolutely not vote for someone on the Cubs (or any other team) for the All-Star Game unless I thought and could justify their deserving such an honor, THAT year particularly. Keep up the your interesting point of view and pay particualr attention to this year's Cubs who have been one major disappointment!
it's official, Ryan Freel has been designated for assignment
where did you see that?
It only took Hendry till july 2nd to get a back-up 3rd baseman. Now Fox is settling in where does Baker go? Hopefully to the bench and the end of Aaron Miles. Would rather have gotton some bullpen help.
What happened to the rumor of Heath Bell?
Heath Bell was an unfounded rumor that someone made up, then it spread on the internet like wildfire. It actually started in May or something with the blogger saying, "this is complete opinion and not based on actual fact"...and it somehow wound up as "...deal is currently being completed"
If you think about it, what possible motivation would the Padres have to give up an effective, and inexpensive closer (I think he's at $1.5 million) under team control until 2011? I mean, it makes absolutely no sense, considering they let Hoffman walk, rather than meet his salary demands. He would probably cost no less than Marmol or Guzman for us, and how would that make any sense at all for us?
If the Padres would take Jeff Stevens or Jon Gaub, and Mitch Atkins, then I'd do it in a heartbeat, but that ain't going to fly...not to mention this was an unfounded rumor to begin with.
this is a GREAT deal for the Cubs then...because while I'm skeptical of Baker's ability to hit MLB pitching, there's no question he's like a Jake Fox or Hoffpauir clone, where he hammered minor league pitching, and has had some success hitting MLB pitching, as he did last year with 12 hr...but he does K an awful lot as I pointed out....but for Al Albuquerque? I gotta give Jimbo props for that one. Albuquerque, at 23 years old, still playing in single-A ball was never going to make it with us, so it's a great trade for us. I just hope he's not like Freel, constantly hurt.
12:07pm: In a corresponding move, the Cubs designated Ryan Freel for assignment, according to a team press release. Freel, 33, put up an OPS of .369 in 14 games for the Cubs.
So, Felix Pie was turned into Joey Gathright who turned into Ryan Freel who turned into Jeff Baker.
Pie for Baker....not a bad deal, but at 24 yrs old, Pie's line of: .234 avg, .299 OBP, 3 doubles, 2 triples, 2 hr, 8 RBI, and 10 walks vs 27 K's is actually an improvement, and he's done it in limited action this year as the O's try to work on his swing in the cages before games. He's shown steady improvement this year, so the anti-Pie fans out there might want to reserve judgement just yet. I still think Pie wasn't given a fair shot, and at 24 years old, he's still got a LOT of time left to make improvement.
Keep in mind, this is a guy that actually had better minor league stats than Corey Patterson...I wouldn't be so quick to judge....just sayin'
I have an interesting thought for you all....I don't know if Hendry can pull it off with the sale of the team, but what if the Cubs dealt Ted Lilly now, who is considered an All-Star and has pitched extremely well for us this year with consistency. The Phillies need is so acute right now, we might be able to acquire Michael Taylor AND another prospect for him.
So, you might ask then. Who replaces Lilly? Well, we could go a number of logical routes like Ascanio, Samardzija, or Marshall....or....here's a new development.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/?p=5271
Aroldis Chapman, a hard-throwing lefty starter just defected from Cuba. He's 21 years old (who knows), and in the WBC was clocked at 100 mph, averaging 93 mph. He's one of the most polished international pitchers ever for his age (again, who knows), and would likely command the same deal Jose Contreras got from the Yankees a number of years ago to the tune of 4 yrs, $32 million. If that's the case, then you save $2 million this year and next year of Lilly's contract.
I'd negotiate with this kid immediately, then package Lilly while his value is probably at an all-time high. Wouldn't you?
In a heartbeat...BUT if the guy is from Cuba...the Yankees or White Sox probably have the inside track on this one.
Check my approval of the trade.
Michael Taylor appears to be a stud outfielder in the making...BUT....
1)This type of trade...puts Hendry in a forward looking move...proactive...not reactive. Because of Lilly's salary slot...he still would need ownership approval.
2)The Phillies were at their outer edges
of their budget at the start of the season...I don't see them taking on all of Lilly's additional salary without us
giving them some sort of salary exchange/relief....In Lilly's case...we shouldn't have to eat a dime or take any crap back.
3)Acquiring Taylor puts additional pressure on JH to move Soriano...JH
likes to get his ducks in a row before making a move...Taylor would be a great asset going forward...but JH would have to settle Soriano first before acquiring
another LF.
4)This one falls in the category of the next Owner/GM type deal...the qualifyer would also be who's the other prospect?
Other than Wells...Lilly has been our most consistant pitcher.
As you know, I am a proponent of trading
Lilly and Z...under the right circumstance...for next year...but the big trades like this...will directly impact the new ownership...and logic says
Jh will wait on this type of deal...until ownership is in place...
To the impatient chagrin of us all.
Taylor looks like one exciting player though...maybe we can target him for a later blockbuster....Actually...the Phillies might be more inclined to bite
on a lesser salary...olike Wells/Marshall/Shark/Ascanio.
Cotts is doing pretty well in AAA.
Package Ascanio/Cotts for Taylor might
do it.
Aaron....You asked if I had responded to your rebuttal to my comments that getting Soriano, Bradley and Dome for Wells, Rios and Ryan wouldn't be acceptable to the Jays. (I also didn't like it for the Cubs). I didn't respond because I know that the last time you took no for an answer was in 2002 when the cop said no to your speeding the wrong way on a one-way street. LOL
OK, Here are my views. The money actually works better than you said for the Jays because you did not note the backloaded deals on Wells and Rios. Wells totals nearly $100 mil for '10 forward--with $22 mil or more owed in '10-14. That's $4 mil per more than Sori, and I don't want that hamstringing the Cubs in the outyears. Rios jumps to $12 mil in '11-14, and the chance of trading him to the Braves (as you suggest) is not very good. Ryan has been a little better in June, but his injury has seriously degraded his stuff and he is 34--so we likely get a no-helper for next year.
The Jays have lowered their payroll $17 mil to $90 mil; and, still do have problems following the death of their owner. I noted that in spring training when I said Downs might be gotten to save payroll. At the time Ryan was O.K. and too expensive to move. Then the Jays played above epectations and contended, Ryan crashed and Downs became their closer.
Yes, the Jays would like to move 3 bad contracts--and so would we. But the money is not enough to have the Jays take on 3 older guys, including two prima donnas. The attendance hit could cost more than the contracts next year. Halliday is signed through '10 (I think) so his extension is not pressing. Rolen's big money goes away next year.
For the Cubs, I would rather try to move Soriano's bad deal for ONE other bad deal like the Zito deal I proposed. The younger, cheaper young talents included on both sides could be a plus for both teams. If Zito craps out, you only have to look at him once every 5 days. The chances are that he will be a decent lefty, albeit grossly overpaid.
Jim K:
Wasn't Jeff Baker one of your guys?
In the past you have brought up:
Seth Smith, Scott Downs, Jonathan Sanchez as well. So you should be kind of happy.
a must-read for you all:
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/deluca/1649094,CST-SPT-deluca02.article
Aaron...great read.
mlbtraderumors.com is reporting the Cubs might have signed Venezuelan catcher
Wilson Contreras to an 850K contract.
(All I know about this).
Aaron are you a Cubs fan???????
I mean you bring up some great points, and discuss things perfectly.
BUT you cant change the team or the way they play, none of us can.
Phil:
There are 3 things that I know about Aaron:
* The Dude KNOWS Baseball.
* He loves the Cubs.
* He loves Adam Dunn
JimC...on point #3....multiply that by 1000.
actually more than that...LOL...I have a man crush...what can I say? I mean, I wish I could convert all of you guys to Dunn fans. I'll keep working hard on it...j/k. I'll let it rest---at least for one day.
As for a response to Phil, Jim (TP) was absolutely right. I love the Cubs. At the same time, it's kind of like a love-hate relationship. (sorry to use this analogy for you women out there, but it's the only one I can think of). It's like you're with a hot girl, and you have the most amazing time with her, and you think it's going somewhere, then the next thing you know, she's hanging out with another dude, so you mutter some obscenities, and try to forget her...but then you bump into her the next day, and remember all the feelings you had for her, and you start hanging out with her again. Then, after a "winning streak" of about 10 days (yeah, I know it's not long, but had to illustrate), you see her yet again with another guy. You say to yourself, "never again," but then you see her at the pool with scantily clad in a knock out bikini, and you get side-tracked and can't remember why you were mad at her in the first place. This time, the streak lasts longer, and nothing happens for 20 days. Anyway, get the picture? It's like the hot girl that toys around with you, and all the while you know the end result, but you keep coming back for more, because she's just too enticing. That's EXACTLY how I feel about my relationship with the Cubs.
I know that non of Hendry's moves will put us over the top. I know that this year in particular, every time we get RISP, no outs, it'll be at least one strikeout, a week ground out or double play and either a ground out or weak fly out to end the inning. I know that the back end of our pen will blow 75-80% of the leads they've been given. I know that Marmol will put on at least one runner every inning. I know that with RISP, Bradley will fail to drive the runners in, or move them along for that matter 99% of the time. Soriano is almost guaranteed to strike out on sliders in the dirt and the game on the line.
And lastly, I know that our starting pitching will continue to produce, while the rest of the team fails them. Yet, though I know the end result, I still watch them for some bizarre reason. I equated it the other day to a car wreck or train wreck that you pass on the road. You know that it's ugly, and you shouldn't watch, but for some reason, you can't keep your eyes off of it...and that's the way most of us Cubs fans are
Jim C.....You are right that I liked Baker around spring training time. I'm not quite sure what DL's him but if he's healthy, he's likely a plus off the bench.
Baker was placed on the disabled list for a sprained left hand:
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090702&content_id=5658572&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb
Not sure how he did it but if I had a guess, it'd probably be from diving head first and jamming his hand on the bag, or he could've done it by checking a swing (though that most likely results in a sprained wrist, not hand)
Aaron...while many of your assumptions are right on...we never know in a particular game. Case in point...you signed off and the Cubs played one of their best of the season last night...and Fuld was great....maddening isn't it.
Hope against hope...I want us to do well against the Brew crew.
Aaron....To continue your possibly offensive commentary on women, be very careful of scantily clads known to get around. One of those once told me she could give me something I'd never had before. She did. It was leprosy.
whoooooooooooooooooooooooooooa buddy
But was she fun?...Jim lol
Aaron the only reason i view the comments are because of your comment posts. In which i really enjoy. (i come to CCO 2 dozen times a day.)
Aaron dont stop posting!
This type of trade wont get that much media attention, nor high praises. But these types of trades can build serious winners! I WOULD still like the cubs to get a power lefty arm for the bullpen, or at least an effective bullpen arm acquisition. thoughts?
well, the unfounded Heath Bell rumor would be nice, and I think it's a little premature to be talking John Gaub, but he has a power lefty arm that sits in the 92-96 mph range (in college, he touched 100 mph before shoulder surgery his sophomore year...and they say that every year since, he's added velocity back, when he started at 88-92 post operation, then in 2007, he was at 92-94 mph, and this year has been up to 96 mph supposedly). One thing Gaub struggles with tremendously though is his secondary pitches, along with his control, so I doubt he'll get the call this year. Gaub actually looks a lot like Cliff Lee when he pitches:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LQw_vYb4sk
Jeremy Papelbon doesn't seem to far off though at AA, though he lacks a true "out" pitch. Others that could receive consideration internally would be Jeff Stevens, Marcos Mateo, Marco Carillo, Blake Parker, Vince Perkins, Greg Reihard, and Andrew Cashner (depending on how he does at AA)
I just don't see us going outside the organization unless the White Sox have a firesale and we can get Matt Thornton
The more I think about it, the more I think Aaron's creative analogy on why many of us stay Cubs fans applies especially to me. I have been so frustrated with this Cub season that it's really not been good for the health of an old guy like myself! Yet I do keep watching that car wreck even though I probably should avert my eyes and move on. One big reason is that Micah Hoffpauir, a resident of this area and an acquaintance, finally made this year's team. I do think he would be performing better if he played more regularly, but I'm proud of how he's contributed and how hard he's worked to improve his defensive skills to play several positions. By the way, this young man is an A+ quality person who has paid his dues and deserves his chance. He became a father for the first time this past winter so he and his lovely wife have certainly needed that big league salary this year. My Cub roots go back to the 1950's with their appearance on Mutual Radio's Game of the Day at least once or twice a week in the summertime. I can't keep my eyes off them, wreck or no wreck!
Charles:
My dad went to Texas A & M are you from around there?
Jim, I live now in Tyler, TX, just down the highway from Jacksonville where Micah and his family live. Tyler is about 100 miles east of Dallas...lots and lots of Aggies around here!! I grew up in Greenville, TX, northeast of Dallas, where I could tune in summer nights and listen to Harry broadcasting Cardinal games on KMOX St. Louis. Boy did I ever love to listen to him describe those games. Much of my great love for baseball was nurtured by ole Harry as he made them come alive for me. Just where is Tinley Park, Jim? How did you become a Cub fan?
Charles in Texas:
Fell in love with the Cubs as a young boy,running home from school hoping to catch Jack Brickhouse say "Any old run will win it." Tinley Park is around 25 miles south of Chicago's Midaway airport which is where I grew up. My Dad was actually friends with Kyle Rote.
It is also nice that you call in the show. The CCO Board of Directors appreciate it.
Thanks for the kind words, Jim. I really do enjoy the CCO show and look forward to each week's episode. Don't mean to call in EVERY week but Brian, Shawn, and of course Neil get me stirred up so just have to put in my two cents worth! They are so much fun to visit with, plus they offer lots of insight into the world of the Chicago Cubs.
Good for you, Charles. It would be a great pleasure to know Micah Money. I don't know if Jake Fox can sustain, but I would like to see Sori gone and Fox as the Mayor of Wrigley Field. As you know, that was Hank Sauer's name when he was our basher in LF during the 50's. Fox is a couple of inches shorter, but they have a lot of similarities.
P.S. Suzy....Thanks for bailing me out.
my Grandpa said Jake Fox reminds him of Hack Wilson...I assume you were around when Hack was playing, JimK...Does he remind you of him. My Grandpa said Wilson's nickname was "beer keg" or "keg" or something to that effect.
Jim, Hank Sauer was one of my very favoite players as I listened to the Cubs on radio. I particulary liked that infield once upon a time of Fondy, Baker, Banks, and Jackson. I still have some old baseball magazines from the 50's and early 60's with pictures of those Cubs of the past. By the way, I once read that when the Cubs had Sauer and Kiner in the same outfield (with Baumholtz in center), one writer referred to them as the QUICKSAND KIDS!! Now were they really that slow? I would dearly love to see Jake Fox become the new "Mayor of Wrigley Field" and I also do see many similarities. I have no use whatsoever for Soriano. Good to see your post. How did you get to be a Cub fan and where do you live? Take care.
Charles....So you remember Handsome Randsome. Kiner and Sauer were that slow, and the story I remember is that everyone thought Frankie Baumholtz would have a heart attack trying to cover everything from left center to right center.
Aaron....Hack Wilson was a "plug" but I missed him. My first recollections are the pennant year of 1945 and WIND radio--when I was 8 year's old. My heros were Andy Pafko (OF) and Phil Caveretta (1B).
Charles....To answer your questions, I grew up about 70 miles from Wrigley in La Porte, IN--11 miles from Lake Michigan. As has been mentioned here a year or so ago, I had a tryout with the Cubs in H.S. (a very lucky happening). And I was a banker at First Chicago assigned as #2 on the Wrigley companies and the Cubs. I had a role in bringing Leo Durocher to Chicago to manage the Cubs. I was also something of a buddy of Jackie Robinson and know/knew Bob Gibson. As the guy said with a dialect on Saturday Night Live a few years ago, Baseball has been very, very good to me.
Everybody is going overboard with these crazy trade suggestions..Its like we all forgot how many wins this team had..And we blame Hendry because everyone thinks derosa is the reason we suck... Derosa was a good player but the team as a whole had terrific years, everytime he came up to bat their were men on base.. so derosa's effect seemed greater then it really was... I have a few points to make...While i agree to trade Soriano because i never really liked the signing...As soon as we do this he will do something crazy like hit 20 homeruns in a month (little extreame i know)let him be productive for us before we give him up for nothing at this point... As much as i dont like him, Milton will hit and his OBP isnt bad...we as cubs fans are very dramatic D Lee sucked to start the year and last year everyone wanted him traded in the off season, now look at him...lets see what milton does after the all star break then start judging...We are only 2.5 games back and we want Hendry to make very significant moves that he can't even make if he wanted to because of the ownership situation...Give hendry a break I thought we were to right-handed also after the playoffs...Things will turn around just wait and see..