Bako is Backo
UPDATE: ESPN AM 1000 reports the deal as a $750K non-guaranteed contract that becomes guaranteed if Bako survives (on the roster) to the end of March. Bako gets $150K if he is released before the contract becomes guaranteed, and he can earn an additional $300K in incentive bonuses, based on At Bats (or more likely Plate Appearances?)... -- AZ Phil
===========================================
As expected, the Cubs have signed veteran catcher Paul Bako to a 2009 contract. ESPN's Bruce Levine reported yesterday on XM radio that Bako will get $725,000, but that has not yet been confirmed. Bako replaces Henry Blanco as the Cubs back-up catcher.
The 36-year old left-handed hitting Bako has spent all or parts of the past 11 seasons in the big leagues, playing for ten different MLB clubs in that period. If you're at a Super Bowl Party on Sunday and the game isn't too interesting, see if anybody can name the ten MLB teams Bako has played for.
This will be Bako's second tour of duty with the Cubs. He was previously with the Cubs for two seasons (2003-04).
Bako hit 217/299/328 last year as the back-up catcher for the Cincinnati Reds, and has gone 196/239/346 versus LHP and 216/293/271 versus RHP over the past three seasons. He has hit 231/305/317 over the course of his career (745 games). Obviously, he isn't much of a hitter, but he makes up for it by having virtually zero power. But at least he hits left-handed.
Defensively, Bako threw out 29% of opposing base-sealers in 2008 (Henry Blanco threw out 46%).
Bako is so old, he attended Louisiana - Lafayette back when it was still called Southwestern Louisiana.
As an Article XX MLB free-agent, Bako will have "no trade" rights through June 15th.
Somewhere, Koyie Hill is warming up the circular saw.
Twitter RSS for TCR
#1 Re: Bako is Backo ...
...taking getting more lefthanded to the point of absurdity.
"I have to admit when we left Vegas at the winter meetings, we were a little worried.” - Jim Hendry
2 articles up about what Jim Hendry had to say at the Fort Wayne Sports Corp. Banquet
http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article...
http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/articl...
#2 Re: Bako is Backo
here is another Cub press release on Bake-0
http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/press_releases/pr...
#3 Re: Bako is Backo
It's all been said for weeks, but seriously, if we save a half-mil here and a million there, that's the cost of keeping someone like DeRo on the team this year.
#6 Re: Bako is Backo
assuming major league minimum salaries
the difference between Koyie and Bako was 325K fwiw...
the difference between Pie and Gathright would be 400K
assuming we didn't grab Miles, there's $2.2M
keeping Cedeno instead of getting Heilman, would be 803K
I get 3.72M there... DeRosa will make $5.5M plus potential incentives...
#8 Re: Bako is Backo
1 mil for Marquis in Colorado
2 million for Gaudin
1.1 for Wuertz
1-3 million we probably could have gotten by waiting Milton Bradley out
1-3 million by waiting Dempster out
Make no mistake, Money has been left on the table in plenty of places.
#12 Re: Bako is Backo
the Cubs saved about $5M moving Marquis for Vizcaino, how is that relevant?
we'll see what happens with the arbitration pitchers, I am worried that some of them just ended up getting cut.
can't say I agree at all about Dempster, he wanted to stay in Chicago, I just don't think there were any other offers that were reasonably better, but I don't think he would have made less.
Bradley maybe, $7M for this year is a helluva deal though...
and why is everyone in love with DeRosa now, the guy had a career year last year...I can't imagine he'll ever hit 20 HR's ever again. Bitch about selling high, bitch about selling low...
#18 Re: Bako is Backo
also on Bradley, the report was the Cubs and him had an understanding by the Winter Meetings and the Cubs just needed to move salary to complete it. I don't think it's unreasonable to guess that he could have been signed a lot sooner by another team.
#14 Re: Bako is Backo
1-3 million we probably could have gotten by waiting Milton Bradley out ... 1-3 million by waiting Dempster out
And you know either of those how?
By the way... when did you become the new Hendry hater around here? Just because manny isn't around much doesn't mean we need a new manny.
#17 Re: Bako is Backo
I'm hating because he has had an awful offseason.
Take away the 2006 offseason and he has sucked alot more than he hasn't.
I'm guessing that Hendry could have gotten guys for less, because there is a huge surpluss of guys STILL on the market heading into spring training.
I think this team is worse than it was last year, and I don't particularly like that it is.
If we had to get more "Lefthanded", Why not Orlando Hudson? Why thin out the bench and go into the season relying on Mark Prior in RF and KW Harden figuring promenently?
I think this has been a lackluster showing from the front office. If I can't bitch about it here,then where do I?
I hope I am wrong about all of this in 2009. However I imagine there will be more people echoing my sentiments if Doug Deeds is playing RF and Mitch Adkins is taking a rotation turn come June?
#20 Re: Bako is Backo
feel free to keep bitchin here, we really don't mind...
that being said, there's not many who liked the 2006 offseason either... DeRosa off a career year, Soriano for way too much, Lilly was a 4th starter at best, etc, etc....
#21 Re: Bako is Backo
Bradley's contract is not out of line with anyones - and he was the best hitting RF available.
Dempster's contract in hindsight maybe we could have saved a little, but he was the first pitcher to sign and did so before the economic collapse. It's a better deal than the two contracts the Yankees gave out and arguably better than Lowe's deal. How you expect Hendry to know things that nobody on Wall Street or the nations top economists knew is beyond me, though.
Not offering Wood arbitration was probably a bad idea, but look at what has happend to Cruz.
Miles seems a little overpaid.
Blanco into Bako probably the dumbest thing he's done, but Pinhead may have forced his hand on that one.
Pie into Gahtright = making manager happy again
Pie and Cedeno into Heilman = seems like a reasonable trade, and adds the depth he likes.
I do have to agree that I wish Hendry would take the same attitude towards Piniella, that Pinhead takes with his players "Shut up and play".
#22 Re: Bako is Backo
I hope that's how it plays out Neal,
I just didn't see the harm in waiting things out a little bit. In hindsight it would have been a better way to go. I still feel that, given Bradley's injury history. We might have been better served with
A) Abreu,Hudson,Cedeno,Pie,Koyie Hill
Than
B) Bradley,Miles,?(Aurilia) ,Gathright,Bako
It will be interesting to see how it plays out.
Anyhow, have a good weekend kids.
#24 Re: Bako is Backo
Although I can understand why people are keen on Abreu, if you look a little deeper, I think, you'll change your mind. He's likely to be the worst of the 'name' FA outfielders in 2009. The Bradley signing makes a little less sense now that the Gathright and Pie transactions have been made.
Lets see him, Aurilia and Hudson sign before we assume how much salary they're going to get.
All of these bench moves though are Pinhead's deal. I guess it's good that they're on the same page, but Gathright and Bako aren't good ballplayers.
#4 Re: Bako is Backo
http://stations.espn.go.com/stations/espnradio1000...
Levine says it's 750K in his blog, either he misspoke yesterday or I misheard...
$300K in potential incentives, non-guaranteed contract that becomes guaranteed at the end of March. He'll get 20% though if he's cut.
#5 Re: Bako is Backo
It's sign of a good team when the backup catcher is a major concern....but, still.
#7 Re: Bako is Backo
that's the problem. This team has major concerns and they are wasting time worrying about backup catchers.
This team is looking worse and worse every way we turn.
With the exception of MAYBE right field (i am afraid that any gains Bradley will make will at best be a draw by what we are losing in center), we are the same or weaker at every spot.
#15 Re: Bako is Backo
Vizcaino and Heilmann figure to be better setup guys than Eyre and Howry were last year.
#23 Re: Bako is Backo
if heilmann isn't given a shot at #5 starter i'd be shocked.
#25 Re: Bako is Backo
Alright.
Vizcaino and Smardijzia figure to be better setup men than Howry and Eyre were last year.
#37 Re: Bako is Backo
I don't think the team has regressed on the whole, but the problem is that all of these chips (such as they were) have been tossed away in order to remain relatively static outside of the bullpen (and RF was a FA move). And then stuff like swapping out Hank for Gabor, brought about by a ridiculous desire to get more lefthanded when the individual pieces which were exchanged almost completely negate each other (if you want to be kind to Bako).
I mean, is Gathright better than Pie? Both guys can't hit or get on base, and both guys can run really fast, but the difference is that Pie's younger and there's still a CHANCE he puts it together. Would we not have been able to pick up Heilman without dumping him off on the O's?
Perhaps most importantly, why in the blue hell did our answer at second base have to involve Aaron Miles?
#9 Re: Bako is Backo
Wow.
That last line made me laugh.
Then I cringed at how dark it was.
Then I laughed again.
#10 Re: Bako is Backo
That last line made me laugh.
------
it worked for mordecai brown...maybe they should be looking at converting Koyie to a pitcher?
#11 Re: Bako is Backo
Heilman's pitch breakdown
http://blog.stats.com/2009/01/whiff_profile_aaron_...
#13 Re: Bako is Backo
3/44 loser :)
#29 Re: Bako is Backo
what
#31 Re: Bako is Backo
it was in the comments in the previous thread...just messin' around..
it's also in the new post that is up...
#16 Re: Bako is Backo
Maybe I'm a bit behind, but what is Hendry's motivation for letting Hank White walk and bringing in Bako? Bako is an embarrassment to the game of baseball. Seriously, how does he stay at catcher (or in baseball) after throwing out runners only 29% of the time, and hitting for a stellar sub-mendoza average?
#19 Re: Bako is Backo
Re: Chad, comment 7
With the exception of MAYBE right field (i am afraid that any gains Bradley will make will at best be a draw by what we are losing in center), we are the same or weaker at every spot.
---------------------------------------------------
My thesis is that the Cubs have traded regular season depth and versatility (DeRosa and Marquis) for post season balance and LH power (Bradley).
Cubs will have the same pesonnel at 5.5 of 8 offensive positions (C, 1B, SS, 3B, LF, RHCF). I believe that group won't produce as well in 2009 as they did in 2008 since I think the only hopeful places for improvement are 1B and LF (if Soriano produces the same rate in more games by staying healthy).
Considering Fukudome as the full-time RF and DeRosa the full time- 2B last year, the Cubs are replacing Edmonds (in a platoon), Fukudome, and DeRosa with Fukudome (in a platoon), Bradley, and FontyMiles.
The Cubs mgmt believes they will make the playoffs with the current team even if they don't win as many regular season games in 2009 as in 2008.
So to me the whole essence of the offseason, from the offensive perspective, has been to replace the 2008 playoff ABs that went to the group Edmonds/Fukudome/DeRosa with the 2009 playoff ABs of Fukudome (in a platoon rather than full time)/Bradley/FontyMiles.
I happen to think it's an upgrade, and I think the Cubs brass thinks it, too.
#26 Re: Bako is Backo
AramRam and Soto both can do better than they did last year. If he's healthy, I would expect Ramirez to.
Reed Johnson's not going to hit .333 playing in center again.
#27 Re: Bako is Backo
Aram will not do better. If he does the difference will be negligible. I mean he hit 27 homers, maybe he'll get 7 more? That's good but his numbers were in line (if not better) than his career numbers.
With Soto, we'll be lucky if he repeats last year's numbers. I just don't see a catcher improving from what he's done. I think it's very realistic that he'll be about the same.
I think in both cases there is a better chance they will do worse than there is better. Soto because it's damned hard to be a catcher and Aramis as he's getting a bit older now.
Return to Homepage