Would You Make Any Moves Before the Season Starts?
With less than a month before pitchers and catchers report on February 15th, many of the Cubs Faithful still feel the Cubs are a few moves away from being a contender in 2006. Dayn Perry from FoxSports.com released a report on Tuesday saying how bad the Cubs Off-Season moves have been. I asked the question in December, ‘If You Were the Cubs GM….What Would You Do?’ Well, I am asking again…. There are several questions to be answered by Jim Hendry before February 15th. The last 2 seasons the Cubs have made significant moves between the Cubs Convention and the beginning of Spring Training. In 2004, the Cubs inked Greg Maddux and last year they traded Sammy Sosa to Baltimore. What should the Cubs do this year? You are the now the Cubs GM….What Would You Do?
But hold on, like before there are a few catches….
You have to remember to think like a GM, no outlandish trade scenarios. You must keep in mind how a trade might affect both teams. In other words, you cannot trade Barry Zito for AA prospects. Billy Beane would not go for that. You have to keep in mind the Cubs payroll and the other team’s payroll.
Dusty Baker is your Opening Day Manager and you have already set your 40-man roster. You cannot trade Neifi Perez or Jacque Jones. You have already traded Corey Patterson and invited Marquis Grissom to Spring Training. While some of the roster is set, there are several questions and moves that can be made.
What do you do with Todd Walker? There have been rumors for months the Cubs are shopping Walker, do you keep him or trade him? In Tuesday’s St. Petersburg Times, there was a report the Cubs are still interested in trading for Julio Lugo. The report says the Cubs would give up pitching prospects for Lugo. Would you trade for Lugo or keep Todd Walker?
Would you start Ronny Cedeno at Shortstop? Here is another big question mark. Cedeno gives the possibility of success. He had a very good season at Winter Ball and showed a lot of possibility last year at Iowa and with the Cubbies, but is he your Opening Day shortstop? Or would you go with Neifi Perez?
Do you add another starting pitcher? The Cubs have said they will go to Mesa with 8 starters in camp: Maddux, Prior, Zambrano, Rusch, Williams, Hill, Guzman and Wood. There have been rumors the Cubs are interested in Barry Zito. Would you give up prospects and possibly Jerome Williams or Glendon Rusch with the risk that Zito could only be in Chicago for one year?
What do you do with Matt Murton? Do you play Murton everyday or do you platoon him? If you platoon Murton, Jones could be your left fielder and give you another hole to fill in right field, if so then who?
Are you happy with the revamped bullpen? A lot of comparisons have been made between Eyre and Howry and Hawkins and Remlinger, what do you think? Do you find one more arm for the bullpen and invite him to Spring Training like the Cardinals did with Jeff Nelson on Tuesday? The Cubs did add another ‘surgically repaired arm’ on Monday by signing Matt Skrmetta. What could help the bullpen improve from last season, or are the changes good enough?
What else could the Cubs do to improve from last season?
So put your GM cap on and let the CCO know what you are thinking. You never know who is reading….