It's official: Today is the last Friday without baseball for almost eight months. It just feels great to write that down. With pitchers and catchers reporting next week and Z already in Mesa working hard, it is time to start rambling on down the road.
Here it goes:
- Okay, seriously, I keep making jokes about Zambrano and Soto doing a Jenny Craig commercial, and what to my wandering eyes did appear, but a GEORGE COSTANZA! Come on. This could be gold, folks. Zambrano and Costanza! Make it happen. Now.
- I keep forgetting Randy Wells is in the Cubs starting rotation. Why is that? Oh, because I am scared about him and think a lot of his success was smoke and mirrors. I'm just saying ...
- Before I forget ... how many Expos fans will be in Cooperstown next summer?
- That is what I thought. The Hawk is just as disappointed as Cubs fans. Mr. Hall of Fame Dictator: there is something wrong with this. Just because Wade Boggs threatened to go in as a "Devil Ray" doesn't mean you have to decide for every player.
- I expect a big year from Dempster. I think he has head back in the game now that his daughter seems to be doing better. With improved focus, I think he can regain his '08 form.
- Do you believe in Starlin Castro? And if not, why? Let me know below. I know he was just rated a top-15 prospect by Keith Law, but I don't have hope. Why ... well, basically because of Corey Patterson, Felix Pie, etc. I could go on for hours.
- I sure as heck hope Starlin Castro is awesome.
- Last week I wrote about how the Cubs would be an average team. I think I have had some blue kool-aid in the past seven days because I am really starting to get excited.
- Fukudome, Theriot, Lee, Ramirez, Byrd, Soriano, Soto, Castro ........................
- That has the CHANCE to be one heck of a starting 8. Key word: CHANCE ... HAS A CHANCE
- Another question to the readers: Whether it is Center or Right, barring injuries, how long until the X-Man is a starter? I say it happens before the All-Star break.
- I expect big things out of Theriot this year, especially if he moves to 2B. He will be out to prove a lot after going through the arbitration process with the Cubs. He will definitely have the "proverbial" chip on his shoulder.
- Why does everyone seem more comfortable about Jeff Baker being a back-up option at 3B when everyone ripped Hendry for Fontenot being there last year? Aren't those two splitting time at 2B? Is Baker that much better than Fontenot?
- Yes, I know we have Chad Tracy, but he isn't guaranteed a spot on the 25-man roster at this point.
- If his magic works in Chicago, Rudy Jaramillo is going to be one heck of a popular man on the North Side. And I would also wager a bet that he would become even better known nationally.
- Oh, Mark Prior. Where are you? I think I have said this before, but remember when the Twins drafted Joe Mauer because they didn't think they would be able to sign Prior. SON OF A .........
- Hindsight is, indeed, 20/20.
- Fans will be able to watch games under the rightfield bleachers on Flat Screens. Yea, that should help the traffic mess on Sheffield. WOW.
- I am excited to get into the stadium and see the changes. This would be a great time to take your first tour of Wrigley Field or take another one.
- Owners taking action. Refreshing, isn't it?
- Hopefully this is the start of a beautiful friendship.
Baseball starts again on Wednesday. I am thrilled.
Until next time ...
Stay Classy Cubs Fans!
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Good stuff! Keep drinking the blue kool-aid, it helps get through the season.
I hope Dempster has a better year, closer to 08. It's hard not to root for the truly good guys in this world.
Don't pin past failures on new prospects. They had nothing to do with Patterson, Pie, etc. Prospects fail!! That is why you call them prospects, until they make it.
Nady will be a regular starter (as soon as he can throw from the corner), hopefully by June 15th. Who he replaces? I hope it is based on production and not contracts. I really envision 4 guys rotating starts, playing the hot hand, using matchups etc.
I think Theriot is going to have a good year. I believe he is the kind of guy that after losing (he might win, but I doubt it) arbitration, will spend the year determined to have more amunition next year, when he takes his case before the arbitrator, again!
Baker is not a great backup at 3B, that is why Tracy has been brought in to a minor league contract. If healthy, he will make the team.
I remember the draft with Prior and Mauer. It was probably the first time, I had ever given the draft any attention, prior to seeing the results. I wanted Prior! I was hoping the Twins would take the hometown boy and give us the Golden Arm. Boy, do I wish Prior would have been thought to be easy to sign. Mauer is one of the best, a game changer that you do everything you can to have on your team. I wouldn't overpay to much for a catcher, but any long term deal the Twins, give him, will see him at another Position at some point.
Brian:
Great job, Lovin those Mccabe Fridays!
Brian, Hope Springs Eternal...so don't worry about Blue Kool Aid.
(Just had a vision of a bunch of guys
at a bar talking about the prospects for
the Cubs for the upcoming 1910 season)
How eternal is that in the baseball
world?)...maybe this is the year.
Because when it happens...we won't expect it....The baseball god's will just smile and say....It's time.
Re Castro...conventional wisdom to which I usually subscribe...says Castro should stay in the minor leagues for seasoning.
But my inner voice wants to see this guy now.
No matter what happens re Castro...the verdict will not be in this year...we'll be talking about him in September...
whether he's a major leaguer or still in the minors....I just hope it's still in glowing terms.
Nady's a huge gamble...But even the worst
gambler has good days...It's time for one of JH's gambles to pay off.
Nady will be playing in a regular
platoon by June....Beyond that I won't commit.
Really, I'm tired of talking about it...
now I just want to SEE what they do....
I'm ready for Robins,green growing things, longer days, barbecues...
and an exciting season.
Go Cubs!
SuzyS,
This is one time I agree with you.
It will probably happen sometime when we are not expecting it to happen. Hopefully that is this year.
Its hard to "build" a WS champion. A lot of it is luck. Got to put the best team you can but the chips still have to fall the right way. Got to roll double 5's when you got the big bet on the hardway 10.(craps)
Sorry came back from Tunica were I lost by the way.
jerljr...always nice to agree now and then. :)
Sorry about your Tunica trip...it's never a good feeling when you lose.
Can't wait the players just need to play to potential, and stay healthy. I think we can make a splash at the break if we are in it. Go Cubs GO!!
Enjoy your articles. My opinion is that the new owners are refurbishing the stadium, lining up the marketing $$’s and setting the foundation for the future. I think if the players they have under contract perform Ricketts may consider adding in mid season but basically he is going to play the hand he was dealt and try to catch lightening in a bottle with a couple of old/injured one year contracts. This team has it on paper if everyone has a better than average year but it’s a long shot. Three starting pitchers + Wells, a questionable catcher, right fielder, unsettled mid infield and an injury prone 3B doesn’t sound too promising. Time will tell….
Hendry was on the SCORE this am. I got the sense he has no intentions of moving Fontenot...He's hoping Jaramillo
can right his ship...actually sounded like he expected it.
Suzy - For Fontenot's sake, I hope Jaramillo can turn him around.
Either way he will not be around very long as Castro (or in my lineup - Blanco) will move Theriot to 2B at some point, causing Fontenot to not have a spot. This team has enough 2B, and utility guys on the bench need to be able to play SS and 2B, and OF in an ideal situation.
Tony...If indeed Fontenot "turns around"
and hits like "Little Babe Ruth"...he will be keptas a back-up....mainly because he is on of the few LH hitters
on the forty man roster...at least for this season.
Blanco's a switch hitter.
But if he doesn't produce like last year...he's history.
It's also interesting to note that Fuld/
Adduci/Colvin/Snyder are also LH hitters...with only Snyder not on the forty man roster.
Lou will want left-handed options if he can insert them...he's always managed that way.
It's probably the only reason Fontenot has not been traded yet.
I agree. I just don't think you should keep a player just because they are LH, RH, Switch hitter.
If Castro goes to AAA (I think he should for many reasons - more minor league AB's, age, you start his baseball clock once he is on the 40 man and 25 man rosters) then I would go with Theriot/Blanco/Baker to start up the middle and wouldn't have a spot for Fontenot. If Fontenot comes to camp and starts hitting in ST, I keep him. Hitting solves a lot of problems. Theriot at SS, with Baker/Fontenot platooning at 2B, with Blanco as the backup SS/2B and can OF, would be good.
Blanco is ideal for my 25th person I keep talking about that can play SS/2B and all 3 OF spots (ST will tell if he can play OF), Switch Hitter and all.
I keep going to the Blanco at SS if Castro is not ready, because we don't have an everyday 2B and this would give the opportunity to concentrate on 2B most of the time. I don't think they will actually do it though.
I see Castro being on the team this year at some point. If they are smart, they make sure that he won't be a Super Two Arbitration eligible and wait until that is clear. If that is the case, then I go with Blanco at SS, with Theriot at 2B. Baker as Super-Sub and trade Fontenot for a LH or S hitter that can play SS and 2B.
I've been a huge Blanco proponent since last season when I first saw him....
and Lou has already stated he'spenciled him on to the roster...so you'll get no arguments from me re Blanco...for the short term...with Castro and Lee on the
horizon...not to mention Barnes...he probably won't be with us long...but he is a great defensive talent...and defense up the middle wins championships.
I know you like Blanco, too. We seem to be on the same page alot more than we disagree.
Why do I have this terrible fear they will turn in to a bunch of hackers who strike out too much? Not working the count, taking a walk or hitting behind the runner, just swinging for the fences. Back to the Dusty days!!!
I too think Rudy can help Fontenot. He seems to me to be trying to hit HR's and for his size most of them end up being flyouts. Hopefully Rudy can get him to level the swing out and drive the ball. The HR's will still come.
SuzyS, did JH drop any hints on who the RH RP they are still wanting might be?
Hendry did not discuss the bullpen this morning. He did on Thursday.
Paul S...Neil answered for me.
Neil, I'm curious about Dolis...if he shows better control...do you think we might see him this season?
I anticipate a AA start...but with his kind of heat...it would be interesting.
Suzy ... sorry for the delay in responding, limited time again today.
How Dolis performs in camp will determine where he starts the year. I would think Daytona at the beginning and hopefully Tennessee soon after.
He would have to have a great start in order for him to pitch for the Cubs this year ...
I keep going back to what Fleita said, it is easier to promote than demote.
For those curious, here's his numbers
http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=dolis-001raf
Baker versus Fontenot:
Fontenot had never really played third last year -- in fact, Miles was seen as the backup to Aramis. That was the problem.
And, yeah -- I sure as hell think Baker's better than Fontenot.
Neither player is a starting 2B in the majors. The Cubs only major league starting 2B on the roster is Theriot.
I like Baker, how could any Cub fan not. He had his best stretch of baseball in the majors last year in a Cubs uniform. I hope that with Jaramillo help he can continue to get better. But I like him as more of Super-Sub, that will play all over (ala Derosa).
Here are some stats - he played very briefly in a few previous years.
07 - 144 AB .222 Avg .296 OBP
08 - 299 AB .268 Avg .322 OBP
09 - 226 AB .288 Avg .343 OBP
If he can play like 09 that would be great. But it's unlikely he will maintain those numbers if he gets more than 400 AB's.
Muskat made an interesting point on Cubs.com
She said that Fukodome was probably the best RF (defensively) the Cubs have had
since Dawson....and racking my brains...I think she's right.
Now, if only Fuko could simulate some of Dawsons offensive output.
I more than agree about Fukudome's defense. I have said that here and on the radio show for a long time.
First of all...Brian, EXCELLENT post as usual...very funny as well.
I share your same feelings on just about everything you said but the "one heck of a starting 8". I agree it has a chance to be good, but that's assuming Soto's 2008 wasn't smoke and mirrors. It's also assuming father time hasn't caught up to Lilly, Lee, ARAM, and Soriano, and it's also assuming Byrd's career year at 31 years old, will become his norm at 32 years old and beyond, and that simply ain't going to happen.
The funny thing is, other than Felipe Lopez, there really wasn't/isn't any options on the free agent market that would've made this team greater in 2010. Ankiel was an injury risk. Hudson was a flop risk. Dye was also a flop risk. Blalock and others wouldn't have figured as starters anyhow, so it's really a moot point. This is probably the first time I agree with Hendry in hoping and praying all of the aforementioned players have healthy and/or bounce back seasons in order to have any hope of making the playoffs.
As for Prior...it would've been easy to second guess that decision if Mauer was still on the board, especially considering our lack of depth at catcher at the time of the draft, but the fact is, the Twins made it really easy on us, and you simply cannot second guess Hendry and the Cubs brass at the time, because Prior and Mauer were widely regarded as 1-2 anyway. I haven't lost any sleep over it since, because I realized our player development staff would've ruined Mauer anyway, and had Prior not been up-ended by Marcus freaking Giles, we might not be having this discussion right now.
At the same time...I'm thinking, "was Prior a fraud all along?" I mean, he did train with Tom House, a notorious steroid user and proponent of PED's back in the day.
As I've mentioned before, I am far more optimistic about our minor league system, and I hope we get to see some of them this year. I still think one of the best rosters we could have might be:
Z
Dempster
Wells
Gorzelanny (takes Lilly's spot for a month)
Diamond (I want Samardzija here, but I just think Diamond is far more polished)
pen-Gaub (because Marshall's camp wants a trade if he doesn't make the rotation supposedly), Grabow, Caridad, Dolis (high 90's heat...can't beat that), Parker, Guzman, Marmol
C-Soto
1B-Lee
2B-Lopez
SS-Castro
3B-ARAM
LF-Soriano
CF-Byrd
RF-Nady
Bench-Hill, Fukudome, Baker, Snyder, Blalock
traded/released: Marshall, Theriot, Fontenot, Hoffpauir, Tracy, Blanco, Adduci, Patton, Silva, and Parisi
*frees up a net of 4 spots with additions of Diamond, Lopez, Snyder, Castro and Blalock
Instantly, our team gets younger, and we have more power arms, etc.
Our lineup becomes:
Lopez-2B
Castro-SS
Lee-1B
ARAM-3B
Nady-RF
Soriano-LF
Byrd-CF
Soto-C
Blalock spells Lee and ARAM when/if they get injured. Snyder spells Nady when/if he gets injured. Baker spells Lopez at 2B, and since Lopez also plays SS, it would allow Castro to spend some time on the bench, working with Jaramillo if he falls into a funk. So, you have 2 shortstops on the roster, and both can play 2B too. It's not taking away from our defense either, considering Castro has about the same range as Blanco would, and he certainly has a better bat.
Basically, all this would require is trades of Theriot, Fontenot, and Marshall to accomplish this, as they will likely combine to make roughly $5.4 million.
Blalock is expected to sign for under $1 million on a minor league invite with similar incentives that Tracy signed for. Lopez is expected to sign for under $3 million, so you'd have a little over $1 million to spend on the pen if you wanted to.
In addition, Theriot, Fontenot, Blanco and Marshall would surely bring a decent haul of prospects, and there would be no shortage of suitors for Theriot.
What totally blows my mind is that Hendry has held onto Theriot this entire offseason, knowing he has the likes of Castro, Tony Thomas, Hak Ju Lee, Flaherty, LeMahieu, Watkins, Barney, Camp, and even Lake waiting in the wings. That's 9 guys for 2 spots. Theriot and Fontenot are both 30 years old next year, so the time to capitalize on their value is NOW.
Additionally, Marshall is clearly not going to be given the chance to start. I think that was blatantly obvious last year when we acquired Gorzelanny. The Cubs see Marshall as more valuable out of the pen, and frankly, I cannot disagree with that assessment, as he's proven to have better stats out of the pen. However, if the player and his agents are going to make a stink about it, and you have the likes of Gaub, Maine, Russell, and Papelbon waiting in the wings, all of whom are very similar to Marshall, then why in the hell would you not try to capitalize on his value now, before he tanks, or pouts his way to poor productivity. If he wants to be a starter, then let him be a starter somewhere else.
But I'm positive that for each of Theriot and Marshall, you could get 1 top prospect at the very least for each of them.
Some might say, "but what if Gaub tanks." Well, with the freed up roster space, you'd still have Russell, Maine, and Papelbon to add to the roster and give a shot to them.
Some might say, "but what if Castro tanks."
Well, again, as stated above, you have additional roster flexibility to give to our other middle infielders. Barney is widely regarded as essentially the same player right this minute offensively as Theriot is, but with better range, and a better arm. Why the hell would you not entertain that idea? Barney, Camp, Castro, and possibly even Tony Thomas are MLB ready. The first 3 have experience at SS. PLUS, at this point, you wouldn't get rid of Blanco just yet, so he'd be your back-up plan as well if necessary.
Fontenot has absolutely no use to this team. They're trying to fit a square peg into a round hole with him. They're attempting to make him a starter, when he's merely a great bench player (notice, I said "great"...and I truly believe that). They want Baker to be DeRosa-like, so the only logical explanation that I can think of is that Bruce Levine (or was it Miles?) was correct when he said that Castro would open up with the Cubs, and Theriot would move to 2B.
My question to the Cubs would be this...is Theriot, at $3.4 million (likely) worth more at SS than 2B at that price tag? I'm sure you would get an almost unanimous opinion that he is more valuable as a SS at that price. Why? Because Lopez will sign for less than that, and he's more valuable than Theriot, and Hudson, who historically has better stats than Theriot, and better range than Theriot signed for $5 million, just slightly over $1 million more than Theriot will likely make. Theriot, at best is a .280-.300 hitter, 3 hr, and around 45 RBI. Nowadays, that would be perfect production out of a shortstop, but NOT out of a second baseman. My opinion might be wrong, but that's what I'm seeing nowadays.
Does anyone else feel that way?...that we probably should look into trading relatively affordable players like Theriot, Fontenot, and Marshall, before their stock completely falls, especially when we have all these more highly touted players coming up through the system AND, MLB ready players that could already equal or best their stats?
Aaron...I certainly like your proposed lineup in your post. For as much as I like Theriot (and the intangibles he brings), I just can't see a starting lineup with Fukodome and him in the 1-2 hole. We've already experienced that, with limited success.
We need to have more speed and athleticism at the top of the order. Guys that can bunt, hit and run, steal a base when needed, and bottomline create some havoc for the opposition. Some I'm sure would comment that Fukodome has some of those attributes, but we just haven't seen any consistency from him (as yet).
I get worried about the current roster playing a lot of station to station baseball. I can only hope that we see a fair amount of youth injected to this team during ST.
I completely agree. We simply do NOT have the personnel for station-to-station ball this year (or even last year)
If you don't have power in your lineup, then you must player station-to-station. As it stands now, Theriot is the only player on our lineup that you could say is a base stealing threat, and he gets caught stealing about half the time, so that completely negates anything he brings to the table.
Right now, the only "power" we can rely on (and I'm saying consistently above 20+hr) is Lee, ARAM, and Soriano, and the fact that all 3 of them have injury issues, is VERY concerning to me. Last year, when ARAM went down, it took the Cubs over a month to bring up a power bat in Jake Fox. So if any of the 3 of them go down, we're pretty much screwed, unless Nady is health, or Snyder breaks camp with the club, which is highly unlikely, and if that happens, the likelihood of him signing on with another team is extremely high, provided he has a good ST.
That's why I suggested Blalock and Lopez. Lopez, while he doesn't have the outstanding speed he had in the past, is still very versatile, and can hit at the top of the lineup, and Blalock, as I'm sure most everyone on here knows, is a perennial 20+hr player. Right now, we're counting on Nady to be our power threat in the event of injury, something that is completely ridiculous to expect, considering he's coming off injury himself. And the Cubs are hoping and praying that Tracy resembles the 2005 and 2006 versions of himself when he hit 27 and 20 home runs respectively, rather than the past 3 when he had 7, 8, and 8 hr respectively while battling an assortment of injuries, including the dreaded microfracture knee surgery that usually spells the end of careers in the sports world.
If the Cubs want to play station-to-station, they should've just traded for BJ Upton and EY Jr. no matter what it took.
If the Cubs want to play power ball, then they should've signed Blalock vs Tracy and Gomes/Dye vs Nady. (preferably Gomes in my opinion).
I just don't like all this garbage about:
"I hope..."
-everyone has bounceback years
-Lee, ARAM, and Soriano stay healthy
-Byrd hits the same as 2009
-Nady is healthy
-Tracy is healthy
etc.
I believe hearing Ricketts personally say that the business of "hope" will not be in their vocabulary.
Well, it sure as hell looks like to me that we have an awful lot of "hope" sprinkled in with no true solutions in sight. Either you go for the sure bet, or you go home. This gambling on malcontents (Bradley), players coming off career years (Soriano, Bradley, Miles, Byrd) and injured players (Nady, Tracy) is really starting to wear thin on me.
How different would this roster look like if we'd just gone with the sure bets:
Hudson-2B
Theriot-SS
Lee-1B
ARAM-3B
Dunn-RF
Carlos Lee-LF
Fukudome-CF (I had to put him somewhere, and since every other team went after him, you can't argue this one)
Soto-C
Now that looks a hell of a lot better to you, doesn't it? Sure, the OF defense might be pretty bad with Lee and Dunn at the corners, but their 30 hr, 100+RBI and 40 hr, 100+RBI averages more than make up for what we have now.
Consider this...Soriano had 20 hr, 55 RBI last year, and 11 hr, 54 RBI last year.
Lee had 26 hr, 102 RBI, or a difference of 6 hr, 47 RBI. He also had 2 errors in LF, while Soriano had an unbelievably bad 11 errors.
Dunn had 38 hr, 105 RBI, or a difference of 27 hr, 51 RBI. Dunn had 8 errors in RF and LF last year, while Fukudome had 2 errors last year
So, with Lee, it ends up being 9 less errors than Soriano, and with Dunn, it ends up being 6 more errors than Fukudome, or a net gain of 3 less errors than we would've had.
I find it very hard to believe that the combined 10 errors of Dunn and Lee would've amounted to more than 20 total runs. It's possible, but not very likely.
Between the two of them, we would've had a difference of 33 hr, 98 RBI, or roughly an entire All-Star caliber player.
I'm not trying to rehash all the bad moves Hendry has made, but simply point out that had he gone with the more consistent player, we would've been an awful lot better off, and let's just say that Lee and Dunn's errors or bad routes to balls amounted to 40 runs from the opposing team (which is terrible, I realize), but consider the fact that combined, they'd still net 58 runs of production, and you'll see just how valuable offense can be.
I think defense, at times, can be overrated. If you have a poor pitching staff, then it becomes more magnified, but in general, with the staff we have, I'd pick offense over defense anyday, and that's precisely what we should've done.
I get it. Blalock is your guy. But the talk about hoping a player rebounds. Blalock is on the decline. That is why he doesn't have a job and is looking at a minor league contract.
Last 4 years
2006 - 591 AB - 16 HRs - 266 avg
2007 - 208 AB - 10 HRs - 293 avg
2008 - 258 AB - 12 HRs - 287 avg
2009 - 462 AB - 25 HRs - 234 avg
He has an injury history.
Last year he finally got back on the field more, had good power but 234 avg and wait for it... .277 OBP is awful.
For being a perennial 20+ HR guy he has only broke 20 HRs 4 out of 8 years, with 3 of them 2003, 2004, 2005.
I would give him a minor league contract and invite to camp, but I'm not sure he would make the team.
The other part about Blalock is Rudy is very familiar with him so he could supply the Cubs with the scouting report. Rudy went to bat for Byrd defending both his hitting and fielding. I suspect he could have done the same for Blalock if there was any interest in the spot Tracy ended up taking.
I have read in multiple spots that the Cubs have concerns about Lopez in the clubhouse, so that explains the lack of interest for him. Maybe they are gun shy or they learned their lesson last year.
Numbers don't always tell the story for players and the teams certainly know more about players than the casual fan would ever know.
Plus both of these guys have Boras as their agent, so who knows what he has been seeking for them in regards to a contract amount or length. Damon should have been a slam dunk to the Yanks and you can see how that ended.
It is funny how signing Bradley and Byrd is bad since they are coming off of career years and coming from that ballpark, but with Blalock it would be better...at least he isn't coming off of a career year.
I never thought about the Rudy affect. I'm sure if he thought he was still useful, he would be on the Cubs team at this point.
hmmmmm...........chubby carlos lee in LF, fukunuts in CF, and slooooooooow adam dunn in RF........
congrats! the worst cubs OF ever and one of the ten worst ever in the history of baseball>
no thanks!
(but thanks for putting the lineup as U did so it's much easier to see it and avoid reading the rest of your post as non-sensical).
Are you sure about how you describe station to station baseball? I always thought it was advancing one base at a time, e.g. station to station. That would be a team that takes no chances on the bases and advances from station to station (base to base). They don't take chances on either stealing or on going from 1st to 3rd or scoring on a double from 1st because you have power hitters coming up who can homer them in. I think you have the meaning mixed up.
The way the Cubs are now (and last year) is a station to station team because they don't have much speed.
I would be looking to trade most of the same players as well. The Cubs have always waited to trade players, after they lose there value. One player they bought low and traded high was Derosa and look at the reaction to that one. Teams get better when trade the Marshalls, Theriots, Fontenot's for good prospects (not great) and already have in house options that can replace them.
I don't believe either Blalock or Lopez would sign with the Cubs. Blalock will try to find a team that is weak at the corners so that he can have a chance to start. Lopez is going to hold out for a 2 or 3 year deal, that the Cubs have no need to offer (not that we don't throw those around like they are nothing)
Spring Training is going to fun.
Am I missing something or where is all this talk of Lopez being a bad clubhouse guy coming from? I mean he may not be a Dempster or Byrd type guy but since when does he have the rep as clubhouse cancer like Bradley? I don't remember huge controversies occuring with Lopez's time in AZ, St. Louis, or Milwaukee. Can someone please fill me in on this supposed fatal flaw?
Otherwise, I still say sign him now. He is not a long term solution but he can fill the gap more than adequately offensively and defensively, all while playing multiple positions, which I think will be very necessary this year. I don't believe he is asking for ridiculous amounts of cash either. When St. Louis finally signs this guy again and he is a thorn in our side all year, this will look even more dubious.
Trevor...I also saw reports tothat effect...notably Bruce Levine...but no hardcore evidence...or incidents cited.
Lopez would be great...but indications are that JH is done for the moment.
Trevor, first off good to hear from you.
As for Lopez, I do not have a link but I have "heard" in the past about him not being a good clubhouse guy. I have "heard" he has turned the page ... so take it for what it is worth.
As for adding position players, not going to happen.
I will have more later (sorry a little later than I planned) but Hendry said on Waddle and Silvy on Thursday, "We are not going to sign anymore position guys."
That is a direct quote from Hendry.
I tweeted that quote yesterday and I would like to take this as an opportunity to remind everyone to check the CCO's twitter feed for little notes and tidbits like this one.
Right now, there is a twitter feed on both sides of the main page.
Hendry was pretty open again this morning ... I will post both later tonight. Again, sorry for the delays.
Thank you both Neil and Suzy. Perhaps there is a reason why Lopez remains unsigned in general and not just unsigned with the Cubs.
Just a thought, but for the amount of money the Cubs are willing to spend on this "relief help", I wonder how much better could it really be than an in house option. Relievers, even decent ones, seem horribly inconsistent from year to year, so much so that I really think I would rather buy a good bench player rather than another relief pitcher that may be marginally (at best) better than other prospects we could throw into that role. I don't want to lose Guzman. I have a soft spot for him and watching him rehab at Des Moines last year on the 4th sold it for me completely. When healthy, (I know a big IF), I really think this guy can be as good of a reliever as anyone we may sign currently.
Quick question to all, does anyone know of a subscription service that lets me actually watch live games on my blackberry? I can't find anything but maybe I'm missing the obvious?? One reason why I can't post during the day is due to my employer blocking everything so my phone will be my lifeline during the season. Any help would be much appreciated.
Aaron, First off...I agree with most of your post...wth a few major exceptions.
As always, I like a mix of good defense
with offense. So I'll agree to disagree with you re Dunn...and now CLee. (I originally wanted CLee over Soriano at the time)...and while that outfield might squeak you into the playoffs with
their bats...it would never, ever get you anywhere in the playoffs if you can't catch the ball.
St. Louis made an early exit last year because of Holliday's error...orat least would have won that single game...and he's considered good defensively.
The other fallacy in yourpoet is the combined 10 errors ofLee and Dunn....wht about allthe other balls that fell for hits that a good defensive player would have gotten to?
I'm with you on Felipe Lopez...but it doesn't appear tobe in the cards...so Blanco...or Barnes have to stay...until Castro is ready.
Iagree with your list of tradeable/released players depending upon how it shakes out.
One other note...Levine said Castro
SHOULD start...not WOULD. Big difference...one is a subjective opinion...the other a fact.
As Always,love your posts...always something to think about...even if
we disagree on different points from time to time.
btw From USA TODAY's list of 100 names we should know.
Weighing in at 75 is Sam Fuld.
Hitting .417 w a .533 OBP when leading off...Fuld hit .355 in 24 September games.
His overall OBP in 65 games was .409
Major difference between Paterson, Pie and Castro are the strikeout totals. Castro makes good, consistent contact---that will lead to alot of good things when batting. The other two had trouble making consistent contact.
Do you all remember who was taken third after Mauer and Prior?? I guy I wouldn't have minded on this team long term by the name of Mark Texieria!!!
2001 MLB Draft Notables
1 - Joe Mauer
2 - Mark Prior
4 - Gavin Floyd
5 - Mark Teixeira
18 - Aaron Heilman
19 - Mike Fontenot
25 - Bobby Crosby
26 - Jeremy Bonderman
30 - Noah Lowry
Just to show how few even 1st Round players make it to be a known player.
http://www.mymlbdraft.com/2001/
At least they all stayed at the big league level... Wait, Noah Lowry, who? Bonderman is a downer. He might never fix his late problems, but I really liked him back in 2006 with Detroit and their late surge that brought them to the World Series.
I think Hendry had like 4 failed, out of 7 of his career draft years? The club released many top rounders in the past two years; it looked bad.
Brian asked, "Aren't those two splitting time at 2B? Is Baker that much better than Fontenot?"
Take that as a rhetorical question or not, this is a good chance to check up the two's "split:"
Baker, career against left
.285/ .346/ .543* in 256 at-bats,
25 walks and 58 Ks, 15 HR, 50 RBI
*batting average/ OBP/ slugging average (SLG)
vs. right
.262/ .316/ .411 in 508 AB,
38/146 BB/K, 11 HR, 59 RBI
"Little Babe Ruth (2008 and limited)" Fontenot career
vs. left
.232/ .286/ .344 in 125 AB,
9/33 BB/K, one HR, 13 RBI
vs. right
.272/ .348/ .435 in 731 AB,
84/144, 20 HR, 99 RBI
... Baker clearly wins at the plate. Despite his lack of discipline (bad sight?) from the left side of the plate, Baker can still handle a lot better than Fontenot when it comes to the opposite side.
Defensively, Baker seems a lot more versatile: played a lot more positions, and did OK in most of them. Advanced stats like UZR does not see him good at third base, though. Fontenot wins here (2B and 3B combined, ONLY).
It might be a good idea to play Baker at second against lefties. Since we have more options from the bench to go against righties, if Fuld, Colvin, and Hoffpauir stay, then I would say option or trade Fonte in a package for a better relief pitcher, just to fill the gap while the young arms learn the stairs.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for our "local farm" production. But GM Hendry had the track record of keeping young talents in the system longer, for his advisors and scouts like Billy Williams and Gary Hughes to have a watchful eye on these youth, careful, before fully conceived to be ready for the Big.
Circumstance considered, while Gaub, Guzman, and Caridad, or even Maine, Russell, and Papelbon could work, consistent reliever is much more scarce than an average platoon batter (Fontenot). The team might want to add insurance for 2010.
Sorry, I meant Baker's "lack of discipline against the same side of the plate."
For some reason, I thought he's a switch hitter. Nope, rightie all the way... Wow, my subconsciousness REALLY wanted 2009 to be away from any recollection of sanity.
Hello to all. Its been a long time since I've posted. But I have been faithfully reading.
Re: Castro. Keith Law has been pretty negative of the Cubs' farm system in the past. The fact that he ranked Castro 15th (to me) substantiates this claim of his ability.
Re: Wells. Stuff aside, I like his mental make up. Here's a guy who started off last year with several quality starts (or at least left with his team in the game) but did not get a win. I'm not predicting he'll have a better season. I'm saying you should not fear having him, he's the type of guy you want on your team.
Re: Baker. His natural position is 3rd base. Wasn't Fontenot's hitting "funk" at least partially blamed on his transitioning to 3rd. I think this has to do with why people are more comfortable with Baker behind ARAM.
I expect better years from Dempster and Zambrano and BELIEVE that the tutelage of Maddux will improve the entire staff.
And after having said that, I'm hopeful that the offense will rebound under Rudy Jaramillo. Soriano WILL be more productive. As will Soto.
Don't forget to stay positive about this team. Its way to early to be full of hate.
Lew ... good to hear from you.
On Maddux, I think he will have an influence on Zambrano. He has in the past and I do not see why that would stop now.
Also, on Castro and I hope people read this. I have not seen him play yet ... just in the AFL All Star game, that was it. He is one of the players I am looking forward to seeing in a couple of weeks.
According to my contact with the Smokies, Castro is very good in the field ... both with his range and arm. As for his offense, I was told he could use a little more time.
That time could come in spring training, but numbers in Arizona are not a good indication of how a player can produce at the plate. Another thing, it is different for a player when another deck is added to the stadium and the bright lights come on.
Again, take the info for what it is worth ...
I beleiev that the reason why Paterson, and Pie along with many other prospect did not make it is do to the cubs managers. For an ensample the last good one was Ryno he made because no madder how bad he played at the plate he was in the line up the next. The secound half of his rookie seson he final started to hit. Hence if you jurk a young kid around you will destory him or give up to soon. If you bring him up he had better stay last but not least in the NL you do not need eight hitters you do needall eight to play defense (somebody point that out to our lrft fielder). When he plays ok defense and use that arm of his we win. When take the game of in the outfield we loose.
If by some remote chance Boras was the reason the Cubs didn't sign Felipe Lopez, then hopefully they are now interested since Jayson Stark is reporting he fired Boras as his agent.
Unfortunately, like Neil has stated, JH has said he is not adding anymore position players. Come on Jim you should be able to squeeze him in on the budget somehow. He would look great leading off.
Neil...I'm not much on mobile technology...but thanks for the twitter
updates on the side of the page.
btw...it's kind of interesting that someone of Felipe Lopez obvious talent
at age 29 is not signed yet.
Paul S noted he just fired Boras...and most of us felt he would be a good fit
on this team....It mighrt be worth doing a small bit of a piece on him...and the reasons why.
The rumblings of non clubhouse vs clubhouse type personality is worth exploring as well.
Suzy, you are welcome.
I will be doing more with camp just around the corner ... especially from Arizona.
Twitter is a great way to pass along info, that is how I keep up with all of the mainstream guys during the day.
You can have a twitter account without sending it to a cell phone. I think you would really like it.