The Cubs' organizational meetings are in full swing in Mesa. Tom Ricketts reportedly addressed his baseball staff for the first time and will meet with Mesa officials on Wednesday to discuss possible sites for the Cubs new facilities.
A majority of the news (and rumors) around the Cubs is focused on Milton Bradley. The Cubs were rumored to be interested in a move that would have sent Bradley to the Rays for Pat Burrell and Akinori Iwamura ... but the Rays traded Iwamura on Tuesday to the Pirates for Jesse Chavez.
Here is the latest from the mill, including a tidbit from Bruce Levine that the Cubs have discussed centerfielder Rick Ankiel ...
Rumors from Bruce Levine
Mr. Talkin' Baseball is in Arizona this week covering the Cubs and White Sox and catching a few Arizona Fall League games. Bruce Levine dropped some "news" during his Tuesday chat ...
- Reed Johnson - The Cubs are having trouble deciding if they want Johnson back. They "love his heart and the way he plays the game, but they hate the fact he has a degenerative back problem that continues to haunt him."
- Levine is sticking by his story that Bradley for Pat Burrell is still the most likely trade to happen that would end the Milton Bradley era in Chicago ... it just depends on how much of Bradley's $21 million the Cubs want to send with him to Tampa. Levine thinks the Cubs will try to move Pat Burrell soon after they acquire him to an AL team who could use a 30-homer potential bat in their lineup.
- Orlando Cabrera could be a one-year fix at short for the Cubs, which would move Ryan Theriot to second ... or the Cubs could sign Orlando Hudson to solve their need for speed an improved defense. Theriot would remain at short for another year.
- Derrek Lee is a free agent after 2010 and Bruce Levine feels the Cubs will approach Lee about an extension before the beginning of the 2010 season.
- Ted Lilly has one more year left on his deal and Levine thinks the Cubs will try to extend his deal but will wait until later in the 2010 campaign.
- This is not the first time Levine has reported possible extensions for Derrek Lee and Ted Lilly.
- Micah Hoffpauir - According to Levine, his future role "is probably limited to a part-time pinch-hitter for another team next season."
- Kosuke Fukudome and his no-trade clause will be with the Cubs next season.
- Mike Cameron might be a back-up plan for the Cubs if their other plans do not work out.
Rick Ankiel
The former Cardinal is a free agent and with the emergence of Colby Rasmus no one is expecting St. Louis to re-sign the centerfielder. According to Bruce Levine, the Cubs have discussed Rick Ankiel.
"His defense is pretty good. Durability is a question mark. It has been discussed."
Ankiel hit .231/.285/.387 in 122 games for the Cardinals last season with 21 doubles, two triples and 11 home runs.
Ankiel dealt with injuries after crashing into a wall early in the year. He started the season on a positive note (.264/.341/.431 in April) and it went downhill from there ... 99 strikeouts and just 26 walks in 372 at bats.
Vernon Wells
Bruce Levine thinks any team willing to take on that contract "would have to be out of its mind, unless Toronto eats more than half".
Multiple reports on Tuesday indicated Wells will soon have surgery on his left wrist. The Cubs should run, not walk, if they have been talking to the Blue Jays about a Bradley-Wells swap.
Milton Bradley
Speaking of Milton Bradley, most of the focus on Bradley centered on the report out of Texas that indicated the Rangers would consider bringing him back.
Bob Brenly joined Joe Castellano and Jim Bowden on MLB Late Night (XM Radio) Tuesday night to discuss the World Series. The conversation switched to the Cubs just before the end of the segment.
Brenly said Milton Bradley does not have to be traded ... but he thinks the Cubs will deal Milton. Chicago was not a fit for Bradley and he was not a fit for the Cubs. Brenly finished by saying, "The worst nightmare Cubs' fans and the Cubs' organization could imagine would be Milton still with the Cubs on Opening Day."
Jon Heyman on Sports Central
Jon Heyman from Sports Illustrated spent time with Dave Kaplan on Tuesday night. Kaplan and Heyman discussed the World Series for a short time and what Heyman thought about Joe Girardi coming back to the North Side after 2010 ... if the Yankees let him leave. Girardi is a free agent following next year.
Heyman thinks Girardi makes sense for the Cubs but pointed out that Jim Hendry did not want Girardi three years ago ... Hendry wanted Lou Piniella.
Heyman agreed with Kaplan that Piniella looked spent last year and he wondered if Lou really wanted to return to the Cubs in 2010. Heyman said from everything he has heard Piniella does want to return ... and has not heard he wants out of Chicago.
Heyman believes the Cubs have enough to be a good team next year, with a couple of moves. Heyman thought the Cubs had enough in 2009 (on paper) to make it to the series.
Heyman did not endorse getting rid of Mark DeRosa for Milton Bradley. He feels it was an overreaction to three bad games against the Dodgers in the 2008 NLDS.
Heyman really thinks the Cubs still have a good team, at least on paper, for next season. He explained there was incredible underachievement from several areas and Derrek Lee was the only player to have a good year.
Starlin Castro
A quick reminder that Starlin Castro, Andrew Cashner, Blake Parker and Josh Vitters will participate in the Rising Stars Game on Saturday night. The MLB Network will carry the game live from Arizona. For those that have not seen the Cubs top two position prospects, here's your chance ... Blake Parker was added to the roster on Tuesday.
Starlin Castro is really turning heads in the AFL. He is leading the league in hitting and knocked his first home run on Tuesday. Bruce Levine was impressed with what he saw from Castro ... and many of the scouts he spoke with feel Castro will be ready for the big leagues as early as the midway point of the 2010 season.
"If you talk to the scouts I talked to here, some of them feel he might be ready at some point in 2010. But having only played a short period in Double-A, he definitely needs a little more seasoning. The projections are he can be a .300 hitter and an All-Star type player. There's nobody who doesn't like his ability who has seen him in Arizona."
Random Cub of the Day
With the Cubs' organizational meetings underway, it seemed fitting that Carmelo Martinez would be the CCO's Random Cub of the Day. Martinez is currently the Cubs Latin American Field Coordinator.
The Cubs signed Carmelo Martinez as an undrafted free agent in 1978. He made his big league debut on August 22, 1983 and played just 29 games for the Cubs in 1983. Martinez was dealt to the San Diego Padres along with Fritzie Connally and Craig Lefferts for Scott Sanderson on December 7, 1983.
Carmelo Martinez's Page from the Baseball Cube
Follow the CCO on Twitter ...
A quick reminder to check the CCO's Community Blog ... excellent posts and different opinions from the Faithful.
Well, that's the latest ... and I'm sticking to it!
I used to be a fan of Hoffpauir, but I think the more I see of him there is a reason he has been in the minors as long as he was. I know a lot of people will say it's because he didn't get regular playing time and that could be, but I just don't see him as an everyday player at all. If we can get something for him, let's do it. Just my opinion.
I'm not too crazy about either of the Center Field choices; Ankiel or Cameron. Cameron's at the end of his career, and Ankiel had one good offensive year, then was rumored for taking Peds and hasn't done anything offensively since.
I don't know what it would take prospect or money wise, but for CF I would like to see us go after Curtis Granderson, still realatively young, fast, good power. Maybe trade Bradley to Tampa for Burrell and then flip Burrel in a package deal to Detroit for Granderson.
I really like seeing Hudson's name brought up. I would rather go after him than Cabrera and leave Theriot at SS.
I think having Granderson and O-Dog up the middle would really add a lot to this team.
My ideal lineup would be:
Lee - 1st
Hudson - 2nd
Theriot - SS
Ramirez - 3rd
Soriano - LF
Granderson - CF
Fukudome - RF
Soto - C
This is obviously not the batting order I would go with.
I have nothing to base this off of, I just have a gut feeling Soriano is going to rebound this year and have a year similar to the first two he had here, maybe even a better than those. I am thinking a .280 average and 30+ HR's.
Go Cubs!
Nick,
I was initially a fan of Hudson...especially for last year, but like DeRosa, I don't know if I go after him even though he would've been a great fit last year (both would've been). Fact is, DeRosa turns 35 next season and Hudson turns 32. Hudson was replaced by Belliard late in the season and we rarely saw Hudson in the playoffs. I'm not sure if this was due to injury or not, but if it is...it's yet another red flag.
Hudson had the following line:
.283 avg, .357 OBP, .417 SLG, 74 runs, 156 hits, 35 doubles, 6 triples, 9 hr, 62 RBI, 8 stolen bases and 62 walks vs 99 K's.
In nearly 1/3 of the plate appearances that Hudson had, Jeff Baker had the following line:
.305 avg, .362 OBP, .448 SLG, 27 runs, 62 hits, 15 doubles, 1 triple, 4 hr, 21 RBI and 17 walks to 46 K's
Now, I know that it might seem like Fontenot all over again, because a lot of people (myself included) mentioned Fontenot's numbers over the course of a full season, and we thought he could handle 2B by himself and have DeRosa as the utility role (mainly RF). Fontenot, just FYI, had VERY similar offensive production (aside from avg, OBP, SLG) to Hudson's stats last year. Fontenot had about 200 less plate appearances with 38 runs, 89 hits, 22 doubles, 2 triples, 9 hr, 43 RBI, 4 stolen bases and 35 walks to 83 K's.
I think if we really wanted to make a difference, we'd have to sacrifice defense for offense, and we'd HAVE to go with Uggla at 2B, because there's no other 2B on the market (FA/trade) that could match his offensive numbers.
Uggla had the following line:
.243 avg, .354 OBP, .459 SLG, 84 runs, 137 hits, 27 doubles, 1 triple, 31 hr, 90 RBI and 92 walks to 150 K's. He also had 16 errors just FYI.
As for Ankiel and Granderson...I'd probably rather have Ankiel, as he'd cost less, plays great defense, has an excellent arm, and has power to boot. He also would be way cheaper than Granderson, so for a stopgap sort of player, he makes a TON of sense. I also had mixed feelings about Granderson. His k's, low OBP, and peripheral offensive numbers are not that great. He did, however, hit 30 hr, and also stole 20 bases, so it wouldn't be the end of the world if we got him...it'd just mean that we're stuck with yet another large contract (4 yrs, $37 million remaining).
So, given just these players talked about...and a few in our system, if it were me, I'd go with the following lineup:
Castro-SS
Uggla-2B
Lee-1B
ARAM-3B
Ankiel-CF
Soriano-LF
Fukudome-RF
Soto-C
Obviously, this is NOT my ideal lineup, because I've wanted BJ Upton, Dunn, EY Jr., etc. even more, but it wouldn't be all that bad.
Uggla would supply the power lost with Fukudome as your RF, and Ankiel would more than make up for what we lost with Edmonds last year. Castro would supply more bat and more range at SS than Theriot ever could, so all in all, we're back to 2008 levels of performance barring catastrophe (ie.-everyone having a down year again)
Aaron, If we can land Uggla I will get off my Dunn Like EY obsession. Although I would still rather have him.
I share your feelings on Hudson, Aaron. Would have really liked him last year, but for a lot factors, I would really rather see a stop-gap 1 year guy come in at SS rather than 2B. If the grand plan is to move Theriot over (it seems to be here) and make room for Castro (2011) then I'd rather see the upgrade at defense at SS and get Theriot over to his "new" position now. Cabrera still has game and would fill the void at SS for one year.
Otherwise, thanks for the updates Neil, even though all them make me a little nauseous. Extensions to the aging Lee before they even see if he makes it through the season - this can wait! If he has another great year, fine - but he isn't going anywhere. You know he wants to stay and would give the Cubs first option at the end of 2010. Mike Cameron? Puh-leeze! That's what they need and all 34+ year old OF!
And I have to disagree Aaron on Ankiel. I would really love to Granderson's energy, speed, athleticism in the Cubs lineup and OF. He is not slouch in CF, has good power, good speed. I imagine him coming home to Chicago and playing in the NL Central could do wonders for him. I would love that move. Youth, speed, energy, CF!!
i tto think sori is in for a rebound year. i think the bad year he had this year will make him work as hard as he ever has. i do not think his defense is ever going to improve but if he has a sori like 2010, than we will live with his defense. i would love to see o dog at second but i do not want to overpay to get him. if we have to overpay, than i say we go with cabrera for one year and go on and move theriot to 2nd. this will give castro a full year to season in the minors. if he is tearing it up at the half, than we can bring him up and deal cabrera. as for cf, i say we go with cameron. it would be a relative inexpensive move. yes he is older but that is the point. we do not need a long termer there. that is our problem now. we sign these guys with no thought down the road. having cameron for a year would allow colvin to get ready. in a few years we could have a big supply of homegrown talent on the field. vitters, colvin, castro, soto, theriot(T). if we are going to be a consistant playoff contender, than we cant rely on free agency to build our team year after year. this would sure up the base of our team, and allow us to go get a big name free agent that we will need without worrying about payroll constraints
I also think Soriano will be better this season. As long as he can stay reasonably healthy, 25-30 hrs shouldn't be out of the question, especially with the addition of our new magical hitting coach. Now, if only there was a Rudy Jaramillo equivalent to help Sori's defense!
Ankiel vs. Granderson? I would take Granderson in a heartbeat. Not an Ankiel fan. It was a great comeback story and I know he has a terrific arm, but the guy just doesn't hit enough. If we throw him out there, that's two defensive outfielders contributing less than mediocre numbers. I would much rather sacrifice defense and bring in Granderson. (Trade Bradley for Burrell....then flip Burrell and Jake Fox/Hoffpauir to the Tigers for Granderson....or some sort of 3-way trade) Not sure what happened last year, but this guy was the real deal in 2007....awesome stat line even with the 141 strikeouts. My guess is he got into some bad habits last year that hopefully Rudy can fix.
I sure hope Soriano has a rebound year.
But I'm really doubtful about him.
That he went up there time after time
whiffing at air...and couldn't seem to make adjustments does not bode well.
Being that we're stuck with him...we have to root for him to get better.
I still believe the Cubs will have to eat a lot of his contract at some point
before it is up.
He was JH's cornerstone to a better team...and the cornerstone has crumbled.
Soriano's knee was hurting most of the season and that played a huge role in his poor performance. He's also not at the age yet where a significant sustained decline should be expected. The steals may not come back, but the average and power should bounce back significantly. Soriano seems to be the whipping boy this winter like Derrek Lee was last winter. Remember all the cries to trade Lee (or even bench him) and start Hoffpauir in his place???
Nick, Hoffpauir has very little trade value. He is generally considered a bench player. He may get dealt, but we wouldn't get anything more than a fringe low level prospect for him.
David, the problem is that Soriano has had leg/knee issues in each of the 3 seasons we've had him....and as a player gets older...issues like this tend to get worse...not better.
For that reason, I'm just saying we can not count on a rebound...Although I hope
for one.
A few thoughts...
* If possible, I would deal Bradley to Texas for Milwood or to Atlanta for Derek Lowe. That way, we would have 4 starters (Z, Dempster, Lilly Millwood or Lowe)set. The 5th spot would be a battle between Wells and Gorzelany. The 5th spot should not be a given away. I do like Wells but he has to earn it.
* Out of all the rumored CF's to be had in a deal or free agency I like Curtis Granderson. He does struggle vs lefty's but I'd take him in a heartbeat.
* Since 2006, we have had over 15 different players cover second base. Hendry's fixation with this needs to be addresed. Oh, and some of these "mainstays" like, Bobby Scales, Eric Patterson, Tony Womack,and Freddy Bynum got to play in the outfield becasue they were fast, Yet, all of them had little or no MLB experience to begin with. (Maybe they should justdraft speedy outfielders) Anyway, Both Uggla and Hudson would be an upgrade over what we have. Uggla, has power and seems like a perfect fit with Wrigleys short power alleys. Hudson, is by far the better fielder and contact hitter with good speed. I would Hudson, but wouldn't be upset with Uggla.
Jim C...re your comment on all the 2nd
baseman...that's why I think it would be so key to land EYJr...and would be willing to overpay in terms of talent.
2nd could be settled for years to come
...and with a bonafide basestealer (like Soriano was supposed to be). The Rockies have also used EY in center...our other problem spot.
In reality...we are all just spinning our wheels until we see how the Milton thing comes down.
I don't see where the Cubs can afford to sacrifice defense anywhere....as long as we have a liability in Left...(Soriano).
RISP has to be addressed...but not at a total disregard for defense.
I'm a firm believer that championship
teams are strong defensively up the middle. (If Gonzo didn't miff that ball in 2003...we might have won).
He will be traded. It's just a matter who we can in return.
What would it take to land EY jr?
EYJr is considered a top prospect by the Rockies...last year in AAA he hit .299 with 58 stolen bases...and 7HRs...43 RBIs
with around 440 abs (not exact).
In 30 games with the parent club...his average dropped to .246 and other #'s dropped correspondingly with his first call-up.
He did make the playoff roster.
Currently he is listed as the back-up to Barnes at 2nd...and has also been used in CF...with some success.
The Rockies need pitching...and it has to be quality.
My guess...and I'm no expert...is it would take a package like:
Marshall/Cashner/Jackson and maybe Fontenot (to give them another back-up
option at 2nd.)
Young's father, Eric Sr. is an icon with the Rockies dans...being one of the originals on the team.
So it would really have to be an impressive package to land him...even though he is currently blocked by Barnes.
Aaron or one of our other cohorts might have a better idea of the package...
but IMO EY Jr. is a superstar waiting to happen...and it would be worth whatever we had to do to get him.
Derek Lowe would be amazing at Wrigley for a 3-4 starter...
People need to remember that Fuld is no MLB starter...
Carlos Zambrano
Ted Lilly
Ryan Dempster
Derek Lowe
Randy Wells
(BEST ROTATION IN NL...possibly MLB)
Kosuke Fukudome
Ryan Theriot
Derrek Lee
Aramis Ramirez
(New RF/CF)
Alfonso Soriano
Geovany Soto
Orlando Cabrera/O-Hud
Pretty damn good lineup (assuming Sori/Soto bounce back)
CUBS NL CENTRAL CHAMPS 2010!
OK Let's go down the line...
Ugh
Ugh
Ugh
UGH Just kidding :)
Rejo-Thank you for your heart, effort and some of the most amazing defensive plays I have ever seen. You have been a rare Hendry Gem. But, me thinks we can improve at your position (Scott Podsednik for a 1 year deal). Good luck with the rest of your career, you are a WINNER!
I'll say it again. Trade Bradley for Burrell and we get saddled with Burrell. I do not trust Hendry's ability to "flip" players.
The Orlando's are older, but a stop gap either way, as long as JH does not over pay we will be OK there. I am getting more and more intrigued by the JJ Hardy thought. Just seems to me, much like Benedict Favre, he would love to stick it to Milwaukee.
An Extension to already aging players???? Somebody PLEASE Tackle Jim Hendry before he digs a bigger hole with the likes of heavier backloaded contracts Grabow, Lilly, Lee. Now I love what Lilly has done, and I love the resurgent year that Lee had, but COME ON???!!!???
Just say no to Mike Cameron. I would love a young JJ Hardy type Brewer re-tread, but another aging declining player NO... Just say NO...
Ankiel... A few years back maybe.... not now. Declining again.
Please end the Vernon Wells rumors yesterday.
Agree with Brenly whole heartedly on Bradley's return. Why is he not in conversations about managing somewhere???
And finally Girardi... I love the guy, but if we turn around and bring in Girardi for 2011, we will lose Ryno. He will go elsewhere. And that will truly suck.
I would really like to start hearing rumors that say, although blank player is young and lacks in MLB experience his skill set could prove to be a most valuable addition to the Cubs.
I'm with you all the way, CloyCub, until you got to Giardi that is. As a manager, I'd take Giardi's experience and new credentials over Ryno everyday. You have to. Two years and a AA championship is nice, but come on. Look at what Giardi has done with this Yankee's squad that the hollowed Torre couldn't seem to do year after year.
Cameron, Ankiel, extensions...NO NO NO. Whoever tackles Hendry, make it stick!
jc 3-6-3...1rst, in a competition for Girardi's services against the Yankees...
who wins? That ship sailed and we missed it....He'll be there a long time.
2nd...Girardi has better horses right now
on the mound...he couldn't do it last year.
Between Girardi and Sandberg for manager?
Tough decision...you're probably right
on experience....But this is Sandberg we're talking about...The HOF that is putting in his dues...and a strong member od Cubs lore.
I'm for Sandberg in 2011. Regardless
od Resume...there's no better candidate...we have to give him a shot.
Hey Suzy,
I'm not saying it is possibility, you're right, that shipped sailed. The Yankees wanted Pinella and got Giardi. Poor us?
Yes, having CC is huge this year, but I give Joe credit for taking the team all the way this year, we've just seen so many Yankee teams that are so dominant on paper not get it done year after year. It took him 1 year, but he's comfortable and so is his team of billionare prima donnas. Don't you think ARod's performance is telling? And his smiles and even friendliness with Jeter!
And yes, it is Ryno we're talking about. The only Cubbie HOFer of my generation (Maddux too, but his Braves tenure changes the argument). I would like see Ryno rise to the position, but I do not agree "there's no better candidate". Don't forget Joe put in a fair amount of time playing day games on the NSide, plus he's coached from the bench alongside great managers and in a great organization that demands winning.
Not that Giardi is a possibility, the Yanks won't let him go now...though the Steinbrenner's do have a love for Lou!...I'm just making an argument, which is what we do here.
I have no disputes on this argument.
Girardi's done the job.
I wish we had him now.
I can't remember ever going into a season with a manager that stated it would be his last...that, by itself
will make 2010 different...and I can imagine many posts coming up arguing for
this guy or that as the next Cubs manager.
Uggla, Ankiel,O Cabrera ...?
Wow, lots and lots of bad
ideas.
O.K. then you throw out some plausible scenerios. For example, I doubt that Chase Utley, Ian Kinsler,or Derek Jeter would be available.
I would much rather have Orlando Hudson at 2B than Uggla or signing Cabrera for SS. Or Polanco from Detroit would be a great pickup too. And I still like Dero.
Yes, Uggla has power, but to me he's very similar to Soriano. Low BA, good power, tons of strikeouts, bad defense. I'm sorry, but I just don't care for that type of hitter. It's why I despise Adam Dunn so much. Those type of hitters tend to make their living against weak middle relievers. Average to above average pitchers eat these guys alive. Just look at Soriano.
When the game is on the line in the 9th against other team's closer, it will be "grab some bench" for these kind of hitters.
As for the OF, I don't like much of anything on the FA list. Carl Crawford would be great, but he will cost you.
To be honest, I would rather see Reed Johnson in CF, instead of spending big money on some aging player for 3 or 4 years.
I don't care for the high K low AVG guys either, cc002600, but after I looked at other 2Bman last night (after your challange to name 5 with better #s than DeRo - which btw you never told me how your hat tasted? :) jk) I got to thinking about the Ugglas and Dunns of the world. Ultimately runs win ballgames, on the offense side, right? So really a guy that hits, let's say .280/20/80, really has less impact than a guy that hits .250/30/100 with 100Ks, right? That is 30 more runs produced, which is quite a lot. Hitting for a higher AVG doesn't really mean sh*t if he doesn't drive in runs. I don't know, something to think about, though I do not Uggla at all, but Dunn is a completely different story, he also walks 100+ times can hit .270+, you can say he makes his living on middle relievers, he gets on base at .400 clip too.
JC,
One other little tidbit you are forgetting, and what most people ALWAYS seem to forget with guys like Dunn - Defense. Which I will never understand. I guess people get caught up in highlights on ESPN too much, but sorry, defense wins games. And bad defense loses games.
Let me ask you a question: If a guy hits a 2 run HR in one inning and then makes a bad play or doesn't catch a flyball that most OF's would catch, because you are slower than my dead grandmother,(See Adam Dunn) and the other team scores 2 runs off of it, how has he helped your team ?
Have you watched Soriano play LF at all in the last 3 years ? How many runs has he given up in the last 3 years ? Forget about the errors, that's obvious. Think about all the balls in the gaps or down the lines that he turns into extra bases, or flys that drop in that should have been caught ?
And your point abouts more runs produced no matter what is better. I don't agree.
Another question for you: What would be more important to your team as far as winning - 1.) A guy who drives in a run in the 9th inning with a single to put your team ahead or 2.) A guy who hits a 3 run HR in the 6th inning of a blowout game ?
Sorry, but I'll take #1. Clutch hitters. Guys who deliver when the game is on the line against good pitching.
Example: How has Soriano done in the playoffs last 2 years against quality pitching ? We all know that sorry answer. So what good is he ? How does he help you win a championship if he can't hit quality pitching, which is what you'll see in playoffs ?
Even though Aram has not done particulary well in playoffs, he's still very clutch for the most part. To me, he is a 1000 times more valuable than a guy like Soriano or Dunn, but at the end of the day, the other 2 guys may have more HR or RBI's.
I'm with you on defense, believe me, I am not a big fan of the all or nothing style of play...and btw I rarely watch ESPN so I'm not skewed by highlight reels either.
You keep using Soriano as an example and I agree that he is terrible. We were talking about Dunn. Yeah, he doesn't move to well in RF and bad defense may lose some games, but answer me this: would you rather have spinning top Dome with his good reads, routes and arm, and his .260/12/50 production or Dunn's less than good range and 40+HR/100R/100RBI? That kind of run production out weighs the difference in the field. It just does.
The other thing I like about Dunn is that he would be a good reason to not sign Lee to a long extension.
A few thoughts....
* I think Reed Johnson's back may be too risky for the team. (Take it from a guy with a bad back)
* Yes, I agree the FA market is thin. But, the non tenders may be worth it.
* You certainly brought up legit concerns about Uggla. But, he is still way better than what we have.
* Hudson, would be my first choice at 2b.
Check out www.TheCubReporter.com
interesting reading today.
Sounds like Snyder might be gone.
Per MLB TradeRumors..."Ted Lilly had arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder today, and the Cubs expect to have him back in their rotation "within the month of April," according to MLB.com's Carrie".
Now here's a "stupid question". Why did the team wait until early November to have this performed. Wouldn't a September procedure more likely ensured his readiness for opening day? What is with this team?
Bryan, evidently he did not deel pain until recently.
Bryan, thank you for posting. I did have it as a headline above this post.
Bruce Levine said 4 months before Lilly can start throwing.
Neil....thanks, and sorry. I did not "refresh" my browser to see your Lilly headline. As usual, you're ahead of the game.
Not a problem ...