No, I'm not into facial hair, Bridgeport or their low life fans.

That's your perogative Jim...if you want...me? ...I'd pass on the sideburns.

Then I guess everyone should go out and purchase a Mark Buhrle Jersey and grow hideous sideburns.

Hey there's nothing wrong with admiring excellence. I've always been a Cubs' fan, but I go all the way back to Luis, Chico, Nellie, Minnie and Billy. What's not to like about those Sox greats?

And this just in: Zito pitched a 3 hit, 7 inning 5-1 victory today against the Braves. Chipper and McLouth were 0 for 8. And there are comments in San Fran that some there would like a Sori--Zito deal. Yes, he might hit .280 with 20 HR's the rest of the way for us, but I think he is just too big a stress factor and too unpredictable to build our future on.

Do the Zito deal and bring in Bowker, Henry Sosa (RHP) and Ben Snyder (LHP). Give them Barney, Flaherty and Dae-Eun Rhee. Make Fox the Mayor of Wrigley Field in LF--like the beloved Hank Sauer of the 1950's.

I love that trade...but I'm not too familiar with all the other guys. I've heard of them, but not about their scouting reports. About all I know is Snyder's brother is Brad (of Iowa Cubs), and Henry Sosa supposedly has a good fastball...but that's about it.

I also love your trade ideas from above. I agree that Smith would fit in VERY nicely with the Cubs. Montero, however, is supposedly untouchable, but you're right in that the only way to get him most likely is to include Soto, and I'd be all for that, especially with our catching depth in the minors. As for Zambrano....I worry that you WAYYYYYYYY under-value Zambrano. He might be a head case sometimes, and he might make far too much money for our liking....but the dude is almost automatic to give you a sub-4 ERA, eat up a lot of innings, AND he also has a good bat to boot. He would most certainly bring us a huge haul, but if I were the Cubs, I would be expecting a king's ransom for him...better than a Dan Haren trade....better than even Roy Halladay. Why? Because he's still young, he's VERY energetic, and he just flat out enjoys the game like a little kid, and it's fun to watch. Sure, he has meltdown moments, but so does every pitcher in the game. He's the best pitcher we've had since Greg Maddux. You could count on Maddux to give you 15 wins, and a sub-4 ERA, along with eating a bunch of innings (his first time with the Cubs). Zambrano's given us 14 or more wins in 5 out of the last 6 years since he's been a full-time starter. In fact, he's never had an ERA higher than 3.95 since he's been a starter, and only once in his entire career (the 7 2/3 IP in his first call-up) did he have an ERA above that at all. I'd say that's pretty consistent, wouldn't you? He's also never given up more hits than innings pitched, which tells you he's not getting knocked around much, and can limit damage caused by walks with his strikeouts.

Anyway, that's just my take. I also love the Brandon Wood deal.

Just a quick question. Suppose the Cubs were to convince the Giants to swap Zito for Soriano straight up. Do you then insert Fox in LF, or do you go out and try to get an Adam Dunn, or someone else?

Reality is Zito's contract replaces

Soriano's...and the Cubs will still need

salary relief...so I think Fox with a Fuld call-up would be more likely...this season.

I don't want a straight-up trade of Zito for Sori because the Cubs and Giants have players to include that will help both teams. I would give Fox a full shot in LF--partly because he is cheap and partly because having Zito likely means that Dunn is unaffordable.

If the cubs didn't have Soriano, I would have no issue with getting Dunn, and Aaron, I will buy you an Adam Dunn Cub Jersey if that were to happen. If that were to Happen I would also fly to were ever you live and present it to you in person.

awwwww...how cute....LOL

Wow !!! The site explodes lol...

When all is said and done today...I still salute a White Sox...a dreaded WS

for an incredible feat.

Buerle's the man...all the angst and drama of our Cubs pale in comparison.

It's July, we're alive...and a rare monent of baseball history happened today.

We must take a moment away from the angst

and hope of our own team to tip our caps

and enjoy the moment.

News Flash: JHendry just signed Juan Pizzaro to an 8 year, $200 million dollar contract.

Aaron, re. what to do for 2010. (And beyond, possibly.) This will be part rehash and part new--and all off the top of my head, because I can't "work on it" right now. Of course, getting my adopted son, Seth Smith, the lefty outfielder from the Rockies, goes without saying. LOL. A few days ago he was the number 1 pinch hitter in the majors with an unheard of average above .450. He earned six starts in a row while compiling a 7 game hitting streak.

Re. 2010, I would look to move one big contract or one big player/prospect trying to improve two positions and/or get younger. For example, if we could get the top AAA prospect, Brandon Wood from the Angels to play SS, I would. The Angels might do a deal that includes Lilly since they are likely to win the AL West and need pitching. That might mean Lilly and Castro for Wood and LHP AA prospect Trevor Reckling +. As you know, Wood could be a 25 HR guy at SS and Theriot could move to 2nd.

I've mentioned a Z--Red Sox deal. Bucholz pitched a 4 H winning game for the Red Sox last week so maybe Z's bucks are too great to work. But Lilly or maybe Dempster + might get us a top-ranked prospect pitcher, Michael Bowden along with AA OF, Reddick and or AA, lefty Doubront. Bowden is ready now, and Reddick and Doubront are 2011 guys. We have some depth in pitching--it appears.

I've mentioned a Soto + deal to the Yanks, although I like Soto's chances of being a standout catcher. (Someone please confirm his alleged, serious weight problem.) I had Dome in the deal too since a couple of the Yankees outfielders (Hidecki and Damon) are on the off ramp. Dome would have to waive. That could get us C/1B top prospect, Montero, another top prospect, pitcher Zach McAlister and Melky Cabrera, an established outfielder.

Of course, I would still do the Soriano--Zito (bad similar contracts) deal with the thinking being that the other players in the deal make it a plus for both teams. And, in 2110, I would be willing to make Bradley a part time player. That would be part of giving Hoffpauir and Fox more time to rise to the occasion or not. It's possible that 2008 was our last best chance with the current cast--and that we just have to live with Dome, Bradley and Soriano. That could mean 2012 is our next best chance, and I like the blend of new prospects mentioned and our own for 2012.

well put gramps.. most level-headed fans would wait until the end of the season before giving up on their team.. there's still a few of them left

GO CUBS!

I wish everyone would quit confusing mediocre and sucky.

The Nationals suck. The Pirates and Royals suck.

We're mediocre and one game out.

Stop it god dammit. There is a difference.

We suck when compared to our expectations and that's it. You don't blow up a team that is one game out...

Hell, the 2007 squad was worse off than this at this point of the season.

Geesh.

Agreed Matt!!

1 game out of first place...and you'd think by reading this site that we are 11 games out.

We have multiple players having horrible seasons...if one or more get it going and as Gramps mentioned play to what their career stats dictate--we could see some firepower the next couple months.

With all the gloom and doom in today's comments, how is it the fact that the Cubs are only 1 game out of first?

Something must be working.

The first place team has the best hitter in baseball and their closer has been lights out. But we are only 1 game behind them. Really hard to figure out.

We are tied or ahead by 1 game with 2 other teams. One of them to the north (Brewers) has 2 really great hitters in their lineup and a closer who is doing a great job. The other (Astros_ have 2 of their pitchers pitching lights out and a lineup of very good hitters.

And we suck? Really?

I prefer to see the season play out and then make judgment on this team. And, being a life long fan I will be cheering them on for the remainder of the season.

GO CUBS!

Gramps....said PERFECTLY....

I swear with all the doom and gloom I had to double check the standings to make sure we were just 1 game out of first place and not 11.

Earlier Aaron posted some stats about all the great Carinal hitters aside from Pujols...and the first thing I thought of was well those great hitters have them ONE freaking game better than the Cubs...lol

Do some of our contracts suck...yep...sure do. Did alot of the moves of the off season go bad...yup.

But crap man....we are headed to the end of July and only one game out of first place....

Can the hitting funk of the season continue on all year? Sure. And if it does, they'll have to find ways to overcome it. We've done pretty good so far of overcoming our horrible offense...we are only ONE game out of first place. And maybe...just maybe one or more of the slumps ends. MAYBE Bradley will hit something like he is capable of from the left side....MAYBE Soto comes back and hits his stride...MAYBE Soriano has one of his hot streaks that carries the team....

The only addition we really need to make is giving Lou a second lefty in the pen so he has more flexibility. Other than that--we just need to go play with the horses we have and see where it gets us.

ONE GAME OUT OF FIRST PLACE GUYS......

Gramps,

nobody is not cheering them on right now on this site....absolutely nobody. You can be upset about the way things are going, and still be a true Cubs fan. It's just people are more realistic about our chances. From what I see, most don't think we have a playoff run in us....HOWEVER, that does NOT mean they (myself included) don't WANT the Cubs to make the playoffs...much less a World Series.

Lou said it best, "if you don't hit, you don't win". We haven't hit all year, and now we're entering the 5th month of the season. Why do you think the light switch will all of a sudden come on? The reason they even keep track of statistics in baseball is to show how well players are doing at any given time. A lineup littered with .230 and .240+ averages (Soriano, Bradley, Soto, Fontenot) just isn't going to get it done. PERIOD! And Lou knows this. Every time the Cubs go on a winning streak of 2 or more games, everyone seems to get excited, and they say the struggles are over with (media included). Why then does Lou always preach patience with the proclamations? It's because he sees them on a daily basis. Even games we've won this year have been pretty ugly offensively. I can't tell you how many times we've had RISP and less than 2 outs in games we've actually won, and still not be able to get runs across. If you're a winning team, those occurrences should rarely happen. With us, it's day-in day-out whether we win or lose.

Lou might not always be "with it" on the field, but if there's one thing he knows, it's his teams chances of winning, and when he stated around the All-Star break that he had no clue what the offense would do in the second half...that was pretty telling, wasn't it?

Aaron,

It seems you are a big fan of stats. They show what a player can and can not do. Don't you think lifetime stats count? Most of these Cubs are playing way below their lifetime averages. If stats hold true to form, most of these guys should have a great last few months of this season.

Look at how Lee started this year and where he is now. If Bradley, Soriano, Soto, Fontenot, et al start playing like they should it would make for a very interesting last few months. These guys have stunk up the place and yet we are still only 1 game out of the lead in the division. Like I said before, let's wait until the end of the season to see where we are. It makes no sense to me to beat up this team when there are so many games left and they are close to the division lead. We all know what can happen in the playoffs. It is a crap shoot every year. And I hope we can average out those last 2 playoff busts with a good post-season if we get there. And I like you and everyone else on this site want them to be there. GO CUBS!

yes and no...Bill James (and myself) would argue that historical stats after age 32 are pretty much thrown out the window. Why? Because that's the age he's identified as when a player regresses exponentially from his previous peak. Both Lee and Soriano (Soriano supposedly) are age 33. James has detailed accounts of Hall of Fame players, and others that were consistent performers up until age 32. At age 33, they regressed considerably. Some either retired at 33, or came back later, and bounced back, but most were never even close to the players they were before. He cited reasons such as bat speed, vision deteriorating, and injuries as reasons for regression. The injuries are especially key. When you get to that age, your body doesn't heal as fast, and post steroid era, you can't be pill popping, and expect to be the same hitter you used to be.

Just look at Soriano and Lee this year. (I would actually argue that Soriano is more like 36 years old, as evidenced by his nagging injuries and regression since he joined the Cubs), but they both have dealt with a myriad of problems this year. They both have been injured, and they both can't catch up to fastballs that they used to obliterate....Soriano especially. How many times did we see him blast 95+mph fastballs out of the park before? Ditto Lee. Now, you look at both of them, and they can barely even catch up to a 93 mph fastball. Because their bat speed is slower, they also cannot make adjustments on the fly when they see a changeup, hence the ugly looking swings at breaking pitches.

When hitters know they have to speed up their swings just to catch up to the fastball, they often start their swings well before the pitch is even thrown. This completely leaves them vulnerable to pitches outside the zone, in the dirt, or high in the zone. Again, how many times have we seen Lee and Soriano swing at pitches above the letters this year? A LOT.

Historical stats for our older hitters don't seem to hold water this year. So what are we left with? Fukudome doesn't have historicals, as he came from Japan, and the games are ENTIRELY different, which is why guys like Tuffy Rhodes stink up the joint over here, and become a Hall of Famer over there. Bradley? 75 games/year average doesn't give you ANYTHING to go off of with him, and even then, his best season was 22 hr, 77 RBI. Theriot, Fontenot, Hoffpauir, Fox, Koyie Hill, Soto? Sorry, only Theriot could really be considered for having historicals, and he's right on pace with his averages (except for the home runs). ARAM? Normally our most consistent hitter, he's also struggling to catch up with the fastball due to his injured shoulder, which he states is at 80%.

I've thought all year our better options in LF, CF, and RF were Fox, Fuld, and Hoffpauir. I thought we should've disabled Soriano months ago, and he might've been fresh by now with a healed knee. I thought Bradley should've been taken out of the lineup long ago as well, once it was proven he couldn't handle right-handed pitching, and he'd just platoon when lefties were pitching. I thought once Fukudome hit his annual tailspin after the month of April, he should've been benched for Reed Johnson, or Fuld (assuming Soriano was on the DL). All of these moves would've DRAMATICALLY improved our offense. Hoffpauir and Fox were absolutely on fire early on in the season. Look what happened when they sat Hoffpauir....he's now cooled down....but even being cooled down, he's still got more hr and RBI than Bradley in mostly a pinch hitting role, and 2 starts per week sort of player.

I hope we make it...I really do, but there's nothing about this team that inspires confidence. NOTHING. Our starting pitching might be the only thing, and as Piniella said...you can pitch the game of your life, but you still have to score runs.

Oh this team sucks pretty bad, no denying. But the rest of the division sucks, too. The Cardinals, for all of their having Pujols, and now DeRosa and Lugo, still don't have a lot of guys who constantly produce runs. The Brewers are way too sporadic. The Astros were pretty horrible from the beginning of Spring Training until about mid-June before they decided to start being, you know, GOOD. And the Reds and Pirates are not even close to being contender-caliber teams.

So yeah, we do suck, but the other teams in the NL suck about as much as we do. Well, except Houston, but they DID suck for a while. Like I mentioned in another post, whoever wins the Central won't actually WIN the Central until the last week of play, and I fully expect that team to run hot through the playoffs and, potentially, win it all. So here's hoping the Astros cool way down and get back to the rest of the Central's level of suck.

Thanks Mike D and a couple others here today for having a realistic grip on the Cubs' situation and the very little that can be done about it in the next few weeks. We won't be trading Vitters, and we will be letting our power prospects (Hoffpauir and Fox) play more once (and if) we drop from having a realistic mathematical shot at the Central.

I'd say the Cubs being 2 or 3 under .500 and someone else being 7 or 8 over is the turning point for Lou. Until then, Lou's "Old Style" baseball (play the veterans more often than not) will prevail with the lineups.

Lou hasn't been terribly inconsistent with this veteran's approach. On the two or three occasions where he was frustrated to the point of announcing that changes were in the offing, the team showed signs of life (including a 4 game winning streak in one instance).

It's clear to everyone (barring a rare miracle) that JH made some contract bets that turned out terribly. I don't see the benefit of continuing to beat that long-dead horse, because none of us needs any additional education on that topic. It doesn't help either to point out the good moves made.

I will continue to try envisioning changes large or small that could be productive--most likely for 2010 and beyond. The large ones will be very hard to execute.

I am still of the view that the Cards are enough better positioned than the other contenders to win the Central--whether or not they get Halladay or Holliday. Positioning is, in part cyclical, as was our case last year. We picked up Edmonds and they lost Edmonds--which was one factor (along with injuries) in both teams success.

JimK,

Can you give some examples of what you'd do to improve in 2010?

Somehow, if you can factor Seth Smith, and Sean Rodriguez (or Brandon Wood) into the equation, that would be much appreciated...LOL...but seriously, where would you start.

Assuming you couldn't move ARAM, Soriano, Z, and Dempster...Though Lee and Fukudome still have no-trades, their deals aren't as long, and for as much $$ as the other 4, and might be more attractive to other teams (again, assuming you can get them to waive the no-trades)

So, here's what you're left with:

Z-not going

Dempster-not going

Lilly-only next year left

*(Harden FA)

*(Wells auto-renewal)

C-Soto (auto-renewal); K Hill (arbitration I believe)

1B-Lee-only next year left

2B-Fontenot, Blanco, Baker (auto-renewals)

SS-Theriot (arbitration)

3B-ARAM-not going

LF-Soriano-not going

CF-Fukudome-2 yrs left; Johnson (FA)

RF-Bradley-2 yrs left; Hoffpauir and Fox (auto-renewals)

Pen:

Gregg- (FA)

Marmol- (auto-renewal?)

Guzman- (auto-renewal)

Marshall- (auto-renewal?)

Heilman- (FA)

Stevens- (auto-renewal)

Samardzija- (2 yrs left on MLB deal I believe + no trade)

Just my opinion (and you might have a difference of opinion), but to me, here would be my targets:

1B-Chris Davis, and Mitchell Moreland of the Rangers minor leagues

2B-Eric Young Jr. of the Rockies minors or Chris Getz of the White Sox

SS-Yunel Escobar of the Braves or Sean Rodriguez and Brandon Wood of the Angels and Alexei Ramirez of the White Sox

CF-Michael Taylor of Phillies minors or Desmond Jennings Rays minors

RF-Brad Hawpe or Seth Smith of the Rockies, and Mark Teahen of the Royals

We don't have much to give up, other than veterans, and I could see teams being interested in Lee, Lilly, Harden (this year), Theriot, and possibly even Fontenot.

I would think that if we were building for the future, we probably wouldn't think of dealing Welington Castillo (even though he's having a bad year...I heard reports he's injured, and playing through it), Starlin Castro, Josh Vitters, or Andrew Cashner.

I would think that if you were to deal any of those guys, it'd have to be for a big bat, and we're going for broke this year, which as you already mentioned, JimK, is probably NOT in the cards, and Hendry knows it. We just don't have the personnel to get it done this year, so why mortgage the future? But if you're going to make a trade, I think you'd have to trade your veterans away, and I think the best time to do that is at the trade deadline, or in August if you can pass them through waivers (likely this year), because in the winter, teams won't be near as desperate to take on your veteran players. The problem I see with this scenario, is with all the back-loaded deals and no-trades, we won't even have flexibility this offseason to make a trade. Am I right?

Is Buehrle a Hall of Famer?

5 15+ win seasons.

No-hitter

Perfect Game

Should end up around 230 wins at his current pace.

I think a 20 win season down the road would cement it. He's only 30.

I am just as frustrated with this season as anyone out there, but why trade our best prospect (Vitters) for a power hitter that is simply going to make our pathetic offense slightly less terrible (still not playoff worthy)? Even if JH is suppose to entertain the idea of trading for a power hitter, who do we expect him to get? Fox and Hoffpauir are a free in house upgrade that we aren't using as it is.

The way this roster was constructed out of spring training we could afford to have one of our big bats slump (Bradley, Lee, Ramirez, Soto, Soriano), but when four of your five top run producers are injured (Soto, Ramirez) or asleep out there (Soriano, Bradley) how do you expect to recover from that? It has been stated by Cubs management ad nauseum that WE DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY TO ADD CONTRACTS UNTIL THE SALE IS COMPLETED. So for those that condone trading Vitters for a bat for this year A)Who do you propose we trade him for? B)How do you expect to keep said player past this year? and C)Do you actually think adding one bat is going to make this pathetic excuse for an offense playoff worthy? Is another power bat gonna help Ramirez shoulder heal (he admits he won't be healthy until next year)? Will it make Soto's shoulder and oblique problems just go away (he won't be healthy until next year whether he admits it or not)? Will it make Soriano stop swinging at pitches in the left-handed batters box (he may as well wear a blindfold to the plate)? Will it make Bradley less of a head case (LMAO)? The answer to all of those questions is a resounding NO.

I think we should all be a bit more realistic about the possibilities this season and stop begging for desperation moves from JH when it is more than obvious we aren't winning a World Series this year unless the players we have turn things around and no trade is going to change that.

I am looking forward to the off-season when MAYBE this sale will be completed and MAYBE a change at GM will bring in someone who can clean up this mess. In the interim I would have no problem being sellers at the deadline, trying to rid ourselves of some of these contracts (Soriano, Bradley, Fuk, Aram, DLee, Demp, Lilly) for prospects that can help us in the next few years. I am by no means a Sox fan but I am envious of the young talent on their team. I would take a Beckham, Alexi, Getz, Viciedo over the above mentioned players any day.

Mike D,

This is one of the most well thought out rebuttals I've seen on here...good job, and I agree with you about Vitters when you state it like that.

Unfortunately, Kenny Williams is way too smart to take on our garbage. The only trade he will make is to upgrade in CF. Unless he's willing to take on Fukudome (HIGHLY unlikely), even though they pursued him when we did (supposedly making a larger offer even)...Williams isn't blind though. He knows of FUNKODOME's helicopter swing. He knows of Bradley's temper. The only other place they might entertain upgrading is their rotation at the back-end. They might take Lilly, especially since Reinsdorf absolutely loathes giving pitchers longer than 3 year contracts, and Lilly only has 1 1/2 years left on his contract. But there's no way they're trading Beckham for Lilly. They might do that for Zambrano, but certainly not Lilly. Alexei Ramirez and Chris Getz might be what we could get for Lilly, and I would absolutely do that in a heartbeat if I could. Ramirez has far more range at SS than Theriot, and certainly more power, while Getz is an intriguing, high energy player that would fit well at 2B in a platoon with Theriot, or as a role player. I'd ask for Brian Anderson as a throw in with the deal, and next year, he'd replace Reed Johnson as our all everything type of outfielder. If you think about it, that deal would be a win-win for both teams, as the White Sox were tired of Ramirez's play earlier this season, want to get rid of Anderson, and Beckham could move to his natural position of shortstop, while Fields moves back to 3B, Konerko goes back to 1B, and Thome is the DH. As it stands now, they have Thome, Konerko, and Fields splitting time between DH and 1B, so it'd allow them to get all 3 in the lineup at the same time.

For the Cubs, we sell high on Lilly while he still has excellent value, and we get younger all around in key areas. This move would allow Kevin Hart to take Lilly's spot in the rotation, and Hart really has impressed me with his stuff as a starter. In the long-term, he's the better option.

Rotation becomes:

Z, Dempster, Hart, Harden, Wells

By the way, I'd also like to sell high on Wells, as I believe the league has figured him out (just as I predicted earlier this season).

Awesome!

just

amazing

wow

Correction, Buerhle pitched a perfect gamee!

The 17th in the history of baseball ...

Buerhle is 18, Neil.

not to nit-pick. Just the most amazing feat in sports, imo. Perfect. And a great guy for it to happen to. not that that even matter.

Mark Buhrle is a stroke.

He is nothing but a cub hater

who bitches about Wrigley Field and the Cubs. F*cK Him I will never cheer for him or bridgeport. That whole team could crash on the runway for all I care.

I will defend cubnation buy all means possible.

No worries and thank you for doing so. I must have heard wrong.

Yeah, did you see the catch Wise made. That's unbelievable. Being from Chicago, the White Sox make me proud. The Bulls have made me proud. The Chicago Fire have made me proud winning it all. The Bears in '85. The Cubs? Not so much...but I'm still hoping. They're like the red-headed step child (no offense to red heads out there) in Chicago.

I don't like the White Sox as much as the Cubs...I dislike them even more after how they treated a friend of mine...but they're still exciting to watch. I still think the White Sox will crap out though for the same reason we'll crap out. Konerko and Thome are old. Dye is old. And Quentin has been hurt a lot. But at least they have some offense, right?

The White Sox have 5 guys in double figures with home runs. They have 4 guys with 45+ RBI (2 with 60+ and 1 with 57 RBI). They also have 5 regulars with a .296+ avg (we have 2 regulars-Theriot and ARAM) even close to that.

I know I'm bitching excessively about our offense. if you take issue with that, then please tell me what you like about our offense...

but take the Buerhle perfect game for example....If you think for a second that we'd even win that game for him if he was pitching for us, you'd be out of your mind. Hell, he might still be pitching in the 11th inning by now with a perfect game, and we'd still have no runs to show for it.

We have the worst offense in the league, and we need to do something about it...NOW!!!

Aaron, isn't it frustrating to read day after day how most posters on this blog clearly recognize the urgent need to do something NOW about the anemic Cub offense BUT then know the Cub brass will almost assuredly not do a damn thing of any significance? Guess they can cite all sorts of reasons why their hands are tied but successful clubs can find ways to get things done if they have the intelligence and commitment....whoops, therein may lie the problem.

isn't it also frustrating to read comments by fans like 09shine where they say nothing of substance, yet bitch about people's observations about this anemic offense....LOL...that poster never ceases to amaze me with the drunken "kool aid" postings he puts on here.

At any rate...you're absolutely right, and I've said it before, "successful clubs can find ways to get things done if they have the intelligence and commitment." If I were to venture a guess, it'd be that Hendry knows he's a goner after the season, and doesn't want to make any further ridiculous moves that would jeopardize him landing a job in the future...at least that's my take. My take also is that it's probably NOT his fault that he signed Soriano to his ridiculous contract, but as Jim (TP) posted above, Hendry was probably forced by Zell to go all-out, trying to win a championship so the team would be worth more, and back-load all of the contracts he dished out. If you look at the FA contracts, that's precisely what's gone on from Soriano to Marquis, to Bradley...even Dempster's deal is backloaded I believe. They really thought they should've won in 2008, and now they're screwed, and that's probably why the sale to the Rickett's has taken so damn long. It's because the Rickett's know they're inheriting an old, under-achieving team with a crumbling stadium in need of MAJOR repairs, and a complicated transaction fueled by the greed of Sam Zell.

So, on one hand, I believe his hands are completely tied with contracts, but on the other hand, I think you almost have to make a deal, and that it tremendously foolish of the Cubs to play an underachieving Milton Bradley for his 75th game, thus locking us in for another $12 million. It never should have come to that. As soon as he wore out his welcome with his teammates AND manager AND the rest of the coaching staff and fans, that should've been it. There absolutely has to have been a clause in the contract about conduct detrimental to the team, and how it could void the deal. If there isn't, then Hendry really is an idiot. But that's beside the point. If we would've DFA'd Bradley, you absorb the $8 million hit this year. They absorbed $6 million with Vizcaino and Gaudin being released, they certainly could do so with Bradley. What that would've done is freed up RF for either Hoffpauir or Fox, and we could've pursued a legitimate middle of the order type of outfielder near the deadline. It was quite clear that Bradley wouldn't even come close to producing what you'd normally expect out of your right fielder, which is 20+ hr, 90+ RBI even before he signed the deal...and certainly earlier this season it was abundantly clear. So why even hang onto him.

Because he draws walks? If you're to use that logic, then Adam Dunn would've been the better choice, because at least he hits 40 hr, and drives in 100 runs every year (oops, sorry I mentioned my man crush again).

Fact is, Bradley has NEVER hit that well left-handed, and is nothing more than a .266 hitter with a .363 OBP. He's the VERY definition of a career year type of guy. It's like Hendry threw out his historicals completely and was like, "well, it says right here he batted .312 with a .417 OBP left-handed last year"....I guess what Hendry forgot is there are far fewer left-handed starters out there than righties, and he'd be batting from his weak side more often than not....LOL...So much for his "lefty power bat". Unbelievable.

Anyway...we're NOT going to eat Soriano's salary. We're NOT going to eat Fukudome's salary. Therefore, the only one that's even remotely plausible to eat is Bradley's....and that probably isn't even going to happen, even though it's logical.

So, as Kaplan said, the only place we might even entertain improving is 2B, and how much of a difference will that really make when you have Soriano and Bradley hanging around the .240 avg mark, Soto around .230 (and hurt...and fat), ARAM with a bum shoulder, and hitting something like .200 since he's been back, and FUNKODOME rearing his ugly second half head again? Hell, even Pujols might not be able to make a difference in our lineup, because it's so badly broken.

I play the game of "what if" a lot with this team, and what that tells me, is that Hendry RARELY makes the right move...if any at all. I often wonder "what if he would've gotten Carlos Pena after he was DFA'd in 2006 right around the time Lee was hurt...with Walker playing his more natural position of 2B. Theriot might've been brought up sooner, and Cedeno wouldn't have been in t here, etc." "what if Zell didn't have control of the team, and didn't likely force Hendry's hand to sign Soriano---the biggest name free agent in the 2006 offseason, and instead went after the more logical Carlos Lee, who absolutely obliterated the ball at Wrigley Field" "what if Hendry had the smarts to go after Dunn instead of Bradley" "what if Piniella had started Reed Johnson instead of FUNKODOME in the playoffs" "what if the Cubs had brought up Jake Fox to play 3B early on when ARAM went down...Fontenot wouldn't have been in there, and Fox might just have 20 hr, 50 RBI by now"

It's like every time you expect them to make a logical signing, or logical trade, they don't...and every time you expect them to do a minor tweaking, they completely destroy the team (ie-Hendry getting rid of half the team from last year). I just don't get the management of this team, and they really need to go.

aaron.. why don't you like me?? i like you..

Buerhle and the White Sox just no-hit the Rays.

Ken Rosenthal at Fox Sports reports that the Card's interest in Halliday is "mild".

He quotes a source close to the Cards saying "there is nothing going on." re Halliday.

The Cards are just doing due diligence...

(my take).

May just be a typo on your part but I just wanted to clarify for the masses that the Cards are interested in Matt Holliday (the OF), not Roy Halladay (the SP).

I'm glad you finally got to a solution, or idea, at the end of that tirade, Aaron. I agree with you, whole-heartedly, on you general overview and taste for this team. I don't give a sh?t what they are on paper, on the field they suck. But i agree, if Vitters is your only chip, and teams like him, please, by all means...

But really, they are cooked. This is 2007 all over again. I'll watch and listen for enjoyment, but I am removing my emotional investment in this year. This team is not worth a heart break.

If and when the Cards get Holliday, it is over. I believe the struggling season he's shown so far will be over. Back in the NL, back in a hitter's environment and slotted behind the best hitter on the planet and in front of Ludwick. Nice place to be for a guy who had 130+ RBI not too long ago. Try pitching around Pujols then. Over.

The Cubs SHOULDN'T need any offensive help. The names in their line-up are pretty good. Some just need to live up to their potential.

several reports today claim that the Rockies will trade for a reliever today (I hope Hendry calls O'Dowd).

Additionally, reports indicate a Matt Holliday trade to the Cardinals is imminent, and supposedly a straight up swap of Holliday for Brett Wallace.

Keep in mind folks, this is an OF that already includes DeRosa, Ankiel, Rasmus, and Ludwick. It's amazing, isn't it...that Hendry still sits around, doing nothing while other teams that are playoff bound make themselves exponentially better before the deadline.

What part of a .240+avg, .260+avg, and .240+avg with a combined 29 hr, and 90 RBI does Hendry think will be enough to get us into the playoffs?

If the Cards get Holliday...and they probably will, then they move DeRosa to 2B, and have the following:

Holliday-.287 avg, .379 OBP, 11 hr, 54 RBI

Rasmus-.265 avg, .315 OBP, 11 hr, 34 RBI

Ludwick-.271 avg, .337 OBP, 16 hr 61 RBI

a combined total of 38 hr, 149 RBI

LMAO....UNBELIEVABLE...then, couple that with Pujols at .328 avg, .450 OBP, 34 hr, 90 RBI, and you can basically kiss any chance you might've had making the playoffs goodbye.

Their middle order would be:

Pujols

Holliday

Ludwick

DeRosa

Do you realize that only Derrek Lee comes close to their numbers...any of them?!?!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!DeRosa even has 16 hr, 53 RBI on the season. Lee is the only regular we have with over 50 RBI. The Cards entire middle of the order would have 50+ RBI, with one dude (Pujols) nearly doubling Lee's output.

I love it when the eternal optimists side with Hendry over this garbage, and are like, "our hands are tied," or "if everyone hits the way they're capable of playing, we'll be just fine", or "we're only 1 game back"

Folks, we just swept the worst team in baseball, then lost 2 of 3 to a winning team. We are coming up on a VERY hot Astros team, and a much improved Reds team from a year ago where they have Cueto, Harang, and Arroyo, who have DOMINATED us in the past, coupled with a young first baseman, Votto, who has absolutely owned the Cubs in his short career.

I can understand optimism...but this blind optimism stuff is just unbelievable to me. I've even seen some on here that were ALWAYS optimistic come out and say, "this year, we just don't have 'IT' to even make the playoffs".

Does that make them any less of a fan? No, of course not...what it makes them is extremely observant. Just look around at the league. The Brewers have a very scary lineup. The Cardinals will too. The Astros' Tejada, Pence, and Carlos Lee have absolutely owned us in the past. And we still have a lot of games left against formidable opponents like the Phillies, Dodgers, Astros, and crucial series' in September against the Brewers and Cardinals.

You might say, "well, you're just be negative, and pessimistic."

No, I'm being realistic. If the Cardinals get Holliday, that's it for the Cubs, and Hendry should start planning for waiver deals in August to offload veterans. With that improved lineup, and the fact they would have Carpenter, Wainwright, and Piniero in their rotation....I just don't see how we can win.

We have Lee in our lineup...and he's a lot like Soriano (a little less streaky), but ever since his wrist injury, he's been streaky nevertheless. ARAM's shoulder is CLEARLY not healed even close to where he can help us out down the stretch. Bradley is a basket case, FUNKODOME has reared his ugly 2nd half again (don't be fooled by his recent production...same thing happened last year), and Soriano is playing with a bum knee, and is nowhere near the player he was in April...not to mention, his ugly swings are back, and he can't get around on fastballs, which were his trademark before....Remember, everyone saying he was a fastball hitter---especially low, or out and over the plate. Now, he hits grounders on low pitches, because he can't get loft with his bum knee, or he flips changeups or breaking pitches out and over the plate just into the outfield for bloop hits.

So, let's just say Lee will continue this success...at 18 hr, 60 RBI. Who else will help him out. If you'll recall, most of our hits yesterday were singles, and most were of the bloop variety. If you're down by more than 3 runs, singling teams to death just isn't going to work. Sooner or later, those "seeing eye" singles will end up being fielded, and your rally will be snuffed. You absolutely HAVE to have a power threat in your lineup....Look around. Do we even have one? Nearly every team in the majors has a player with 20 home runs. Hell, most teams in AA and AAA even have players with 20 or more home runs. We have NONE. What does that tell you?

Do you guys even realize that Lee has almost doubled the closest RBI producer on our team (Soriano with 39). Wanna take a stab at who is next? None other than "mighty Ryan" Theriot at 36 RBI. That just ain't going to get it done. With only 2 damn players in double figures with home runs (Lee-18, Soriano-16), it's also very pitiful.

If Hendry's really going all out as stated before, then trade Vitters...trade any top prospect we have for a proven power threat. Either do that, or sit your horrible mistakes (Soriano and Bradley) on the bench in favor of Fox and Hoffpauir.

And even with all of those great stats for the Cardinal hitters....even with the great Pujols....arent they sitting just ONE simple game ahead of us in the standings at this point?????? So all the numbers look great on paper buddy, but in the end the results are almost identical to the Cubs.....

aaron, you're like a angry old man that never stops yelling at the wall.. his kids want to put him into a nursing home, but they can't afford it.. please, won't you just go to the nursing home?? it really is nice

so I guess you're in the nursing home already? you said it was nice, right? So, I guess you would classify yourself as an angry old man....LOL...get off your high horse buddy.

This is a site for every type of fan. If you don't like other opinions, then you obviously can't handle the real world, and would be better off in an institution.

are you sure?? they have a pool and everything

Vitters would be the ONLY prospect I consider untouchable (or at least, should be). The kid is improving at every stop he makes and is probably the only prospect we have that has the potential to be an MLB ready STAR in about two-three years. Other than him, anyone tradeable for a good BAT, not an ARM, should be traded.

Just read on ESPN, Cards & A's considering trading Holliday for a prospect.That and the surging Astros, I really believe we need to find a bat. I remember last yr. Brewers got C.C. then we got Harden..I know the money isnt there, but bullpen wont put us over the top..Any other "affordable" bats available that anyones heard, hopefully 2nd baseball of the pirates??? Take care all

IMO, paul k is more realistic than others on "no trade" signings--unless you don't want to compete for "top" free agents. Coming in, the Astos have Berkman, Oswalt and Lee with "no trades" of 6, 5 an 6 years respectively. Most higher budget teams have players with "no trade" clauses.

I think Neil is about right--saying he would offer limit "no trades" to 4 years for hitters and 3-4 years for pitchers. I would up that to 5 years for hitters and 4 years for pitchers aged 30 or less. That means, of course, that we would have no chance for guys like Teixeira and Sabathia. It also means that we would not have Soriano.

I suspect the chatter about lefty relievers is as much wanting fans to think "we are always seeking improvement" as anything else. That is except for a tweak deal like a Viscaino or Hart for a Grabow. I don't think we pay the price in talent for Sherrill.

Question...Can the Cubs go to Soriano and renegotiate is contract...as long as the $$$ stay the same...or a little more?

My thought...The guy will not be able to productively play the length of his contract....If we could spread out the $$$ owed over either his lifetime or say 20 years...it would be more palatable

to the Cubs operating budget...we are going to be on the hook for most of his $$$ anyway...and to extend his playing life...he needs to be a DH in the AL.

Given that we would have to eat the bulk of his contract anyway in a trade...wouldn't this make more sense for both him and the Cubs?

Good question. The problem with that is most of that money is back-loaded. He didn't really get paid bank the first two years. (Hendry saw to it that the future owners would be paying most of it, not the Tribune)This year thru the end is win Soriano gets a ton of cash.

I don't see the big hang-up about the no trade clauses and how they will handcuff the Cubs to the extent some of you make it seem. Isn't there a 10-5 rule that automatically kicks in no-trade anyway? How exactly does that work and when would that kick in for the players currently on the roster?

Trade clause or not, if the player isn't performing, there is no market for him. If he is performing and the team is doing well, why trade him? If he is performing well and the team is doing poorly, then better teams in the playoff chase will eventually pay market price for him. Most players will waive their rights to veto a trade in this case.

Smart post

Out of those four, the only one who I would like to have is Qualls!

This isn't really the place to ask, but I don't know where I can ask this. ATDHE.net wasn't working yesterday and apparently they're not showing baseball games anymore. Does anybody know what's happening, why games aren't posted anymore? This is kind of a stupid question but I had to ask.

Heath...I've found them to be sporatic...

but they still carry games...2 days ago they had the Cubs...TVANTS is more reliable in carrying games...though poorer quality.

thanks suzy

Sherrill would be a wasted trade if he wasn't being moved to closer. Right now, he's about as good as it gets: he started off the season a bit worse than Gregg, but has been absolutely lights out since mid-April. In fact, if the Orioles weren't so horrible, I'd go out and say he got snubbed in the All-Star voting.

Also, the one situation Sherrill does suck at is non-save situations. Out of all four times they've put him in one, he's only surrendered no runs ONCE.

You know, the more I think about it, getting Sherrill and putting him in the pen as a regular reliever sounds exactly like something Hendry would do.

And this, my friends, is why you do NOT hand out no trade clauses. The fact is, we CAN get better in LF, CF, RF, 2B, and even SS (range-wise). Only Theriot and Fontenot are exempt from no-trades. Bradley apparently doesn't, but for some reason, when they signed him, I thought he was given one...problem is, no team will take on his 2 1/2 years remaining on his ridiculous contract. Soriano and Fukudome both have no-trade clauses, and we could certainly find upgrades for both, including Dunn, Holliday, etc.

Hendry really is the worst GM in the world if he can't pull off a trade for significant offense before the deadline. We're not the only team with bad contracts, and other teams find ways to make moves. Why can't he do the same?

Aaron:

Couldn't agree more with you about those no trade clauses. Hell, he even gave one to Smardzia! It is probably to late in the season but I would love to see the Cubs get a SS with range and a cannon arm and move Theriot to 2b. We are stuck with that OF for the next two to five years before those contracts come off the books. This team better win now or else it is going to be awhile before they contend again unless the new owners want to swallow Hendry's mess.

Agree, I would love Jack Wilson and he seems to be a leader also. Moving Theriot to 2nd would solidify our middle infield defense and our corners are pretty much solid. That would be a formidable infield...now lets pray the ball gets hit directly to Fuku in the outfield.

**I'm not ready to say Fuku rules but can't say enough of how good he has been the last couple of weeks. He has saved some important runs out there and he deserves that credit. He is 9 out of his last 22 AB with 3 walks and his OBP is over .420

He has done good since inserted in the lead off spot.

We definitely could use another lefty arm out of the pen, and Sherrill isn't a terrible choice. Beimel and Grabow have very similar numbers:

Grabow: 43IP 38K 24BB 3.14ERA 1.49WHIP

Beimel: 37.1IP 23K 15BB 3.38ERA 1.34WHIP

Sherrill: 38.1IP 35K 12BB 2.35ERA 1.10WHIP

Qualls: 39.2IP 33SO 5BB 3.63ERA 1.16WHIP

Unless we can get Grabow or Beimel for next to nothing I don't think we need another arm in our pen that walks that many batters, we surely have enough already. Sherrill is the exception as he is putting together a very good year after struggling with his control a bit last season. He is 31 and a half season rental at best so for that reason I wouldn't part with too much to bring him over either.

Chad Qualls on the other hand has the highest ERA out of the four but has only walked 5 batters in almost 40 innings! I can't count how many times I have found myself yelling at my TV, "Serve up a homer if you have to! Just don't walk him!" while watching our bullpen this season.

I understand as well as anyone how important late inning match-ups can be for a manager, especially in the playoffs. But I don't want to overpay for a player just because he is left handed (Milton Bradley). If we are going to add a bullpen arm it should be a control pitcher that isn't going to give the opponents free passes, whether that man is right or left handed makes no difference to me.