Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full) 

28 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, and twelve players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors. 

Last updated 3-26-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 15
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Caleb Kilian
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
Jameson Taillon
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

INFIELDERS: 7
* Michael Busch 
Nico Hoerner
Nick Madrigal
* Miles Mastrobuoni
Christopher Morel
Dansby Swanson
Patrick Wisdom

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Cody Bellinger 
Alexander Canario
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

OPTIONED: 12 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Ben Brown, P 
Alexander Canario, OF 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Keegan Thompson, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 
Hayden Wesneski, P 

 



 

Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
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Game 114 Recap: Cubs 10, Rockies 2

Half-life

GameCenter, Box Score, Play by Play, Photos, Recap

W -Lilly (13-5), The Role-players Guild, Curveballs

L -Jimenez (1-2), Drama, late-night plans

Things to Take from This Game 1. Winning without the Big Three No Soriano, No Ramirez, and no hits from Lee. Ten runs later, and the Cubs offense showed that it could pick up some slack when it is needed the most. Everyone in the lineup, save Lee, could call it a good night. Jones in particular led the early offensive attack, with 4 hits and RBI, total. 2. Lilly goes Six It might not sound like much, but Lilly really labored through four innings. Completing even the fifth inning seemed like an accomplishment, and then Lilly also made it through the six with just two runs allowed on 127 pitches. Definitely earned his paycheck, tonight. 3. That Power Pen Wood, Marmol and Howry went three IP with no hits, not runs, five K's, and two Wood-walks. Could this be the sort of pen that works its way deep into the playoffs? 4. The better defensive team won. The usually sure-handed Rockies struggled a bit on D - in particular an error by Atkins, but also a fly ball just beyond Holliday's reach, and a throwing error on a pickoff attempt to start the game. All of the first four Cubs runs were unearned. The Cubs, by contrast, had a couple of stellar plays by Fontenot and Murton, and generally were solid all night. The half-game-out-of-first details, below.
  • Off to a good start with a Theriot single, a botched pickoff play at first leading Theriot to second base, and a Jones RBI single.
  • God Bless Bob Brenley - he's making fun of people who wear camoflage when they're neither hunting nor serving in uniform.
  • After walking Tulowitzki, Lilly goes 3-0 on Holliday in the first. He swings away, hits a foul pop up towards the LF stands. Fontenot must have sprinted 180 feet to make a sliding catch just in front of the stands.
  • and now a walk to Atkins. Not a good first inning, but gets out of it with a 6-4.
  • After looking like he could never hit a Jimenez fastball, Lilly winds up walking with two outs. Theriot up with runners on first and second, two outs, in the second inning.
  • Well, we'll take it. Atkins totally whifs on a ground ball, scoring Kendall. 2-0 Cubs in the second, with runners on second and third, still two outs and Jones up, after the matador performance by Atkins.
  • Jones comes through, again, with a double to left, just beyond the reach of Holliday. Holliday didn't take the best angle to it, and even though the ball really carried on him, another outfielder might have had it. 4-0 Cubs in the second, and Jones has 3 rbi in two innings.
  • Lots of Cubs fans in attendance, it seems.
  • Terrific play by Murton in the bottom of the second. Runs hard for a popup down the LF line, dives headfirst for it, and the impact knocks it out of his glove. Picks it up, throws from his knees, and gets Torrealba trying to stretch it into a double.
  • and it saves us a run, as Baker hits a solo HR.
  • Murton having a fine first third of the game, now with a solo HR to respond to Baker's.
  • Derosa then fights off a pitch for a single, and Fontenot triples him in! Fun to see Fontenot Run the bases.
  • and Kendall punches one just past a drawn in Atkins, to score Fontenot. 7-1 Cubs.
  • we now have hit for the cycle in the third inning alone, as Pie gets a broken bat double down the RF line. Might have stretched it to a triple, but Kendal could only get to third.
  • Taylor Buchholz in for Ubaldo Jimenez. If I didn't hate scrabble with the white-hot passion of a thousand burning suns, I might find this amusing.
  • Theriot scores Kendall on a deep sac fly to center. Pie advances to third.
  • Bob Brenley going bezerk about players missing signs.
  • and Jones with a third RBI hit in his third at bat. A sharp single up the middle. 9-1 Cubs.
  • Kendall triples to right in the fourth, bringing in Derosa. Kendall didn't look pretty trying to get to third, but we'll take it.
  • Murton lays out for another fly ball, racing into shallow center on a Cory Sullivan popup. Overruns it a bit, ball hits him in the wrist. Rather impressed by the amount of ground he is covering in the OF, tonight.
  • Lilly hasn't looked too good tonight, but gets Carroll with a nice slow curve, swinging, to end the fourth. 1 run through 4 laborious innings for Lilly.
  • Theriot hobbling after fouling a ball off of his legs (plural) in the fifth. Singles, but doesn't look so hot running to first.
  • Good Lord, this game is taking forever.
  • Some sac fly in the fifth scored some guy. I don't know. It happened, but I was busy watching the paint try or something. God, what a slow game. 10-2 Cubs.
  • Lilly with 113 pitches through 5 IP. 5 walks.
  • Brenley observes that a LOT of the Cubs hits have been right back up the middle. These aren't bloopers, Cubs really are right on the ball tonight.
  • Wow, Lilly back out for the sixth. Brenley claims he's been in a "really nice rhythm" all night. I'm not convinced.
  • And now hitting for Ted Lilly in the seventh, with Pie on second (now third, after a wild pitch).... it's Carlos Zambrano?!?!? Why, exactly? Strikes out swinging. It got a rise out of all the Cubs fans, at least.
  • wow, it's Kerry Wood. I'm gone three weeks, and Wood is in the majors? Freaky.
  • Some things never change. A four pitch walk to the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the seventh. Gets out of it.
  • Jones with a 4 hit night. Should also be noted that Buchholz really saved the Colorado bullpen. In a way, so did Lilly, by being able to come out for the sixth inning with 113 pitches already thrown.
  • Latroy Hawkins with a 1-2-3 ninth inning. Don't get to type that everyday....
  • In a 10-2 game, the last two Cubs pitchers to pitch are Marmol and Howry? Like Zambrano, this too is odd...
Parachat Recap Inning 1 Holy shit, I'm back. Where have I been? What're all of these gay witchcraft references? Injuries and roster moves. Nazis by other names are still nazis. The TLFCSC. Trademarked parachat terms. Wow, that outfield's big. Simpsons movie. Inning 2 Is Ryan Seacrest secretly leading a double life as a parachatter? Is Len Kasper? If what worked in baseball movies worked in MLB... Going below the belt. Super-human Fontenot scenarios. Bruised tailbones and ass slings. Gross Leinenkugle flavors. Worst alcoholic drinks you've had. Inning 3 Nasty puke stories. Celebrating the offensive explosion. More nasty puke stories. Drinking Games. Ugly pitcher/catcher combos. Big Ted Kluszewski. Why does Paul Sullivan fear The Cub Reporter? (Could it be due to this?) Blogger/Writer Cage Matches. Inning 4 Effective writing. Blogs and writers we like/dislike. Plotting our rebellion against the cruel MVN overlords. Moral Bankruptcy. Do we have faith we can hold a 10-1 lead? Jacos' butt still aches. But for what? Inning 5 Redheads. Cop/Perp chases. Axl Rose and Weinermobiles. My Rock 'n' Roll fandom is bigger than yours. Why my rock band kicks your rock band's ass. Strident Dramatism, whatever that might be. Timmy the ass-grabber. Inning 6 Still discussing esoteric Rock. Inning 7 Good lord, are we still talking about music? Mercifully, the Zambrano AB returns us to some other topic. Inning 8 Why music Back Then was better than Music Now. Inning 9 Possible headlines for this recap (like Cubs Try to Keep Up with the Jones). Places where that headline might be more welcome. Hawkins pitching the ninth. Long-lived commercials.

Comments

Great to see you back, Trans. Nice that the Cubs bothered to provide you with a game actually worth recapping. Just to repeat what I noted in the last thread, Comcast Chicago is reporting that Ramirez has "fluid in his wrist" and that he will kept out of the lineup until next Tuesday, but NOT placed on the DL.

Glad to be back, Nut. Not as glad as I was to be on vacation, but still... And yeah, thanks for getting that note in here at the top, too. Here's to next Tuesday.

Just a question from the parachat Trans, I read the last few entries when I got back to my puter: You don't have a problem with the fact that The Stooges have a myspace page?

My problem with the Stooges is their last album. Ugh. I can't believe you all talked about music without me. (I was at the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club show.)

I caught the Stooges at Lolla this past weekend. I was expecting the worst, that album is so fucking bad. But they were really ten pounds of awesome in a five pound bag. Iggy plus Mike Watt equals hells yeah.

In case my fellow True Parachatters were wondering, I just came back home and I didn't get lucky. Bah. Cubs win, though!

Grady Little has had it with JUAN PIERRE's "what's a walk?" performance at the top of the order and dropped Mr. .314 OBP to 7th. Apparently this has been bothering Little for quite some time as he went on to lecture reporters about the wisdom of placing high OBP hitters in the first two slots. Says he hopes this will inspire Pierre and others or they'll soon be playing somewhere else. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070809&content_id=2139041&vke…

#5: I can’t believe you all talked about music without me Me too! Woulda been a perfect game for my "hey guys wanna hear about the time I hung out with Vomit Launch" routine.

I'm highly inclined to go to Vegas for the Vegoose Fest ... Fun House in its entirety. Saw them in Dee-twah in 03 when they first got back together (the power outage show) and it was spectacular. WIthout all the new stuff being peppered in. And oh yeah, winning baseball games is good too.

Derrek Lee batting .087 in his last 6 games. Any theories? I'm going to say he's upset over the Harry Potter book.

ARam had a MRI that didn't show any structural problems and got a cortisone shot on the little finger side of his wrist. Out until Tuesday but no DL. Here's the latest Ramirez update from the Tribune: http://tinyurl.com/36gp8c

ESPN Radio (Bruce Levine) reporting this morning that the Cubs have put a waiver claim in on Scott Podsednik.

"The ball's starting to fall, starting to fall in some holes," Jones said. "Holes are good." Well said, Jacque. Couldn't have said it better myself.

Rynox, I agree..........how he's better than Murton or even Pie as an OF option is beyond me.

He is saying we won it and the deadline is Monday at noon. By getting the claim on Thursday, Hendry got himself another 48 hours to make a deal. I am honestly surprised that KW hasnt dumped him on us. He has little under a million dollars left on his deal and I doubt the Cubs would tender him so he will be a free agent if they wanted him in 08. Also it give them a chance to evaluate Ryan Sweeney.

The weird thing is, if you just keep playing Murton, it's just like trading for a high OPS guy without giving up anything. I just watch this guy and he looks like a hitter. My only complaint about him is he takes too many third strikes. But that's hardly a reason to keep a guy taped to the bench.

God Bless Bob Brenley - he’s making fun of people who wear camoflage when they’re neither hunting nor serving in uniform. Aren't hunters supposed to wear flourescent orange? Terrific play by Murton in the bottom of the second. You must have been gone a long time, because that, of course, is impossible. Derrek Lee batting .087 in his last 6 games. Any theories? No Soriano. No AramRam. Me swing real hard! Cubs have put a waiver claim in on Scott Podsednik Sounds like desperation. Sounds like crank mixed with acid. Maybe that's what he was doing when he traded for Izturis as well. A sort of once-a-summer ritual.

The Cubs already have a leadoff man. His name is Ryan Theriot. He has a .353 OBP, compared to Pudsuckness's ..328

Yes but Pods is really fast and he likes to bunt. Therefore he looks more like a leadoff hitter.

Two Lou complaints- Pinch hitting Z in a meaningless at bat... very dumb. Using Marmol and Howry to protect an 8 run lead...very dumb. Stick Eyre and what other crap that has not pitched in awhile. The bullpen will be shot by September.

Cubs have put a waiver claim in on Scott Podsednik. Ugh, ugh, ugh. Podsednik is simply not a good baseball player. He will make Matt Murton look good defensively. Pods and Pagan would make a great outfield together. It would be a comedy of errors (or at least bad routes). And he is incredibly overrated offensively. His OPS+ for each of the last 4 years: 79, 86, 76, 84. And his SB% is lousy. I would take Murton and/or Jones over Pods.

Jacos, After watching the Jon Lydon/Tom Snyder interview I've decided I don't like the first PIL album anymore. What an unbelievable jerk! Trans, You missed out on a perfect opportunity to use the word coccyx in your parachat summary. For shame. Parachat was a lot of fun last night. Only thing missing was Carlos. A date was no excuse for missing it!

Would surprise me to see a deal here. Seem to anybody else that Hendry's putting claims in on everybody under the sun? Seems like he's just claiming guys for the sake of claiming them to me.

I am not sure I even believe the rumors of the claims. Maybe they're leaking info just to mess with other clubs. I would find it hard to believe that either Podsednik or Stewart would get pulled back, nor do I believe (though this is the same man who traded for Pierre) that Hendry thinks either of those two are upgrades over the Floyd/Jones/Murton/Pie/Patterson hydra.

Haha, Grady Little talking about OBP. I bet Joe Morgan is taking out a hit on him as we speak.

I haven't heard anyone call a PC a "puter" since my daughter was in 4th grade...eight years ago.

dave: Podsednik is simply not a good baseball player. He will make Matt Murton look good defensively. Harsh. Pods isn't crap, but let's face it: With a healthy roster they have no need for Pods and have better options in-house. I think this move, if there is any merit to it, means the Cub's have 0 faith in Pie's abilities this year.

Wes — August 10, 2007 @ 8:11 am Would surprise me to see a deal here. Seem to anybody else that Hendry’s putting claims in on everybody under the sun? Seems like he’s just claiming guys for the sake of claiming them to me. ======================== WES: Making lots of waiver claims to fill a hole can be a dangerous approach. It's like making bids for duplicates of something you want on eBay hoping one will win. There's always the chance several of the sellers (GMs) will say "OK. You can have him." And then all of a sudden you're stuck with three or four of the same thing. And you can't change your mind. You're stuck with 'em.

Why does putting a claim in on a player suddenly mean that you want him? Why does putting a claim on Podsednik mean anything at all?

I can sort of understand claiming a right-handed hitting OF who can play CF (because that player would be useful even after Soriano comes back), but why a left-handed hitting LF?

Why does putting a claim in on a player suddenly mean that you want him? Why does putting a claim on Podsednik mean anything at all? If you claim someone, you are required to take them if the team does not pull them back. So if Hendry is putting in a bunch if claims, he could theoretically be stuck with several players.

That may be true, AZ Phil, but I don't think that many GM's would just give players like Podsednik away. Kenny wouldn't just dump him for zero.

dave, I get the process. But GM's pull good players back. They don't give them away for nothing. That's why almost nobody worth anything to anybody clears waivers.

Rynox, Dave is right Podsednik is about a 1/2 tool player and that is he has put up some solid BA's in 03 and 05. Yes he is fast, but he doesnt know how to translate it to the baseball field. He has no power and the strap could beat him in a throwing contest.

Wow. We just woke up and all these comments. Welcome back Trans. Not joking here, but our laziness failed to get us to publish the TLFCSC prediction of 6 IP 5 H 2 ER 7 K 3 BB, last night. Not terribly far off. If you had told us Ted give up that many walks and still win, we would have asked if you had taken your crazy pills today.

I don’t think that many GM’s would just give players like Podsednik away. But Pods really is not that good. And he is a free agent at the end of the year. The Sox could save a few hundred thousand dollars if they just give him away. And they have little reason to keep him - they are not going to win anything this year.

I believe he's arb eligible this year and a free agent next year. That's what rotoworld tells me, anyway.

I believe he’s arb eligible this year and a free agent next year. Oops... yea, I think you may be right.

Where does Podsednik fit on this Cubs team anyway? Bakup left fielder - don't we have way too many of those guys - Murton - Floyd - Epat. Why don't we get another catcher who hits .220 has no power and can't throw out a runner to save his life!

So anyway, his numbers may not be great, but Kenny would never hear the end of it from White Sox fans if he traded away Pods AND Iguchi and has exactly one A-ball pitcher to show for it. I personally think this particular claim is one to prevent Milwaukee or any of the WC contenders from doing anything with him, like actually trying to hammer out a deal.

I personally think this particular claim is one to prevent Milwaukee or any of the WC contenders from doing anything with him Hmm... I would kinda' prefer that Milwaukee DID go get Pods.

hey does anybody know the top 5 leadoffs hitters (say with 200 AB in 2007 in the #1 spot)? i'm curious to know where Pierre ranks with his abysmal OBP which we have always known. theriot's .350 OBP isnt too bad. near Soriano's last year, right?

He is arbiration eligible, but I doubt either team would tender him a contract because the lowest amount they could offer him is 2.32 million (80% of his 07 salary of 2.9 million.

Lots of complaining by the Rockies fans last night about the Cubs fans in attendance over at Purple Row. if you'd sellout your stadium, it wouldn't be more than half full of Cubs fans.

A couple of roster issues to keep in mind: If the Cubs intend to eventually replace Eric Patterson on the 25-man roster with another player (even if it's just Daryle Ward), the Cubs should wait to option E-Pat to the minors until at least next Monday (8/13), and then recall him on September 1st (when the rosters expand). If the do that, they will not burn one of Patterson's three minor league options, because he will have spent less than 20 days on optional assignment in 2007 (the time he spent at Iowa prior to being brought up last week preceeded him being added to the 40-man roster, so it doesn't count toward time spent on optional assignment). Preserving a player's minor league options throughout his first five years of MLB service is important. Just look at Will Ohman. Of course, if burning an option year is unavoidable, then that's fine. But it shouldn't be necessary to burn one of E-Pat's options this year. Also, this might not be an in issue, but if it gets to the point where the Cubs decide to replace Cliff Floyd with somebody else, they have to be careful not release Floyd. They can trade him, but they should NOT release him. If Floyd is released prior to filing for free-agency and is then signed by another MLB club, the new club would only be responsible for the prorated portion of the MLB minimum salary for the balance of 2007 AND the MLB minimum salary next year. The Cubs would be on the hook for the rest, including Floyd's salary next year (which if he reaches all of his incentives, could be as much as $10M). It is now clear that Floyd will not reach his vesting option this season, which would have turned the mutual option for 2008 into a player option (only). The Cubs are almost for sure going to decline their "club option:" part of the mutual option, and Floyd will be a FA after this season. HOWEVER... If Floyd is released prior to the end of this season (any time prior to filing for free-agency), Floyd could be signed by a new club that will exercise the club option portion of Floyd's 2008 mutual option, sticking the Cubs with all of Floyd's 2008 salary (including performance incentive bonuses) minus the MLB minimum salary. Trade Floyd? Fine. Release Floyd? Absolutely NOT! Can't trade him? Then the Cubs have to keep him.

Just wondering with all this conjecture about the Cubs making frivolous waiver claims--can a team who has claimed a player, pull the claim back later (just as the team who put a guy on waivers can pull him back)?

I enjoyed the fact that Len and Bob admitted that Floyd and Ward were basically the same player last night. It only took 4 months for that particular admission. If they read TCR. They would have know this in ST.

Sheffield/Cornelia — August 10, 2007 @ 9:15 am Just wondering with all this conjecture about the Cubs making frivolous waiver claims–can a team who has claimed a player, pull the claim back later (just as the team who put a guy on waivers can pull him back)? .......................................................................... No, the cubs pulled this on the Giants a few years ago with Terry Mulholland. The Giants claimed him, in a trade blocking attempt. So McFail let Mulholland go. Saved 700K. Then resigned Terry Mulholland during the offseason.

Sheffield/Cornelia — August 10, 2007 @ 9:15 am Just wondering with all this conjecture about the Cubs making frivolous waiver claims–can a team who has claimed a player, pull the claim back later (just as the team who put a guy on waivers can pull him back)? =========================== SHEFF: No. A waiver claim is a promise that a club will acquire the player if the club is awarded the claim and the player's original club chooses not to withdraw the waivers. Waivers can be withdrawn, but a waiver claim cannot be withdrawn. That's why Hendry and all other MLB GMs have to be careful when making waiver claims.

Floyd and Ward were basically the same player last night. Except Ward is possibly (probably?) a better hitter right now. This year: Ward: .333/.456/.444 OPS+: 135 Floyd: .290/.366/.382 OPS+: 94 Last year: Ward: .308/.380/.546 OPS+: 137 Floyd: .244/.324/.407 OPS+: 91

AZ: Does that only apply if the Sox don't pull the waiver and also don't make a trade offer? In other words, if the Cubs/Sox can't work out a trade, does that make it a null claim?

as bad as floyd is in the OF ward makes floyd look like a GG...ward the batter might be similar to floyd the batter, but that's about where that ends. if ward could actually field the corner OF he'd probably be making more than piece work for 1m a year.

Old and Blue — August 10, 2007 @ 9:36 am AZ: Does that only apply if the Sox don’t pull the waiver and also don’t make a trade offer? In other words, if the Cubs/Sox can’t work out a trade, does that make it a null claim? ======================== O+B: Podsednik's club (SOX) has three options, and have 48 hours to decide to pick one: 1. Withdraw the waivers and pull the player back. If they do this, they can't put Podsednik on Trade Waivers again during this waiver period. 2. Work out a trade with the claiming club. 3. Allow the claim to stand. If the Sox do nothing (like if Kenny Wiliams goes fishing for the weekend and forgets to take his cell phone with him), the claim stands and the Cubs get the player and assume 100% of whatever remains of Podsednik's contract.

Does that only apply if the Sox don’t pull the waiver and also don’t make a trade offer? In other words, if the Cubs/Sox can’t work out a trade, does that make it a null claim? If the Sox pull the waiver, Pods stays with the Sox. If the Sox try to read a deal with the Cubs, but it falls through, Pods stays with the Sox. If the Sox just say screw it, you can have him, then Pods go to the Cub without the Cubs having to send the Sox any players (but would have to pay a small waiver fee).

twins signed jerome williams to a minor league deal. can ya believe he's still only 25? dude had a really bright future until his 10000 roadbumps.

Dave mentioned the waiver fee, and the MLB waiver price is $20,000 for any player claimed off Trade Waivers, Outright Waivers, or Optional Waivers, and it's $1 for players claimed off Release Waivers. Clubs claiming players off Trade Waivers, Optional Waivers, and Release Waivers assume 100% of the player's remaining contract (including performance bonuses), but clubs claiming players off Outright Waivers assume only the MLB minimum salary for the length of the contract, and the player's original club is reponsible for the rest (including performance bonuses). When a club signs a player who has been released by another club before the player's contract had expired, the new club is only responsible for the MLB minimum salary for the length of the released player's contract, and the player's original club is responsible for the rest (including any performance bonuses). Release Waivers and Outright Waivers are always irrevocable. Trade Waivers are revocable, but if a Trade Waiver request is withdrawn the player cannot be placed on Trade Waivers again during that waiver period. Once a player clears Trade Waivers without being claimed, the waivers are good for the balance of the waiver period so that the player can be traded at any time during that waiver period and waivers do not need to be requested again for that player. Optional Waivers (required for a club to option a player to the minors whose MLB anniversary debut date was at least three years previous) are revocable the first time they are requested in a given waiver period, and irrevocable if requested a second time in a given warrant period. Once a player clears Optional Waivers without being claimed, the waivers are good for the balance of that waiver period.

There was a third claim made, other than former Playboy Pet, Stewart, and Pods - whom I heard is "servicable" (using a popular TCR word here), but I forgot his name. Anyone catch it on ESPN 1000 this am?

hey does anybody know the top 5 leadoffs hitters (say with 200 AB in 2007 in the #1 spot)? i’m curious to know where Pierre ranks with his abysmal OBP CHIP416, Pierre has been used as a #2 hitter behind Rafael Furcal so JP fails your 200 AB requirement. He only has 78 AB batting #1 for LAD with a line of .244 .268 .321 .589 The National League average for all hitters batting leadoff is .278 .340 .421 .761

CHIP416, Pierre has been used as a #2 hitter behind Rafael Furcal so JP fails your 200 AB requirement. He only has 78 AB batting #1 for LAD with a line of .244 .268 .321 .589 The National League average for all hitters batting leadoff is .278 .340 .421 .761 But the gist of it is that Pierre sucks, no matter where he is in the lineup.

E-Man, your thinking of Casey Blake. I'm beginning to find some unconfirmed rumors (from a guy at ACB who knows a guy) that a Podsednik deal for a PTBNL is in place. For what's its worth, the same gentlemen is reporting a corresponding roster move of Gallagher down (11 pitchers..) and also a Koyie DFA and a Soto recall. That said, I believe the accompanying grain of salt cannot possibly large enough in both stature and grandeur for that information.

"Lots of complaining by the Rockies fans last night about the Cubs fans in attendance over at Purple Row." I've been to a few Rockies games in Denver, and some of the fans are too young to remember when the baseball team in town was the Denver Bears, the former AAA - affiliate of the Cubs. Also - KGN carried most of the Cubs games for years out there, and residents still remember Brickhouse and Carey doing the calls.

DFAing K. Hill and bringing up Soto makes complete sense and should have been done 2 weeks ago. Why would we send Gallagher down though? Option-burning reasons? We still have a need for him on the big-league club because, as someone mentioned above, the way Lou is using the bullpen they're all going to have dead arms by September.

WES: "E-Man, your thinking of Casey Blake." YES! Thanks, man! I am going to look him up. I wonder if this is a "block" as well?

Thanks, AZ. If Pods was having a career year, I'd be okay with it, but he's not and not likely to have a career 1/3rd year with the cubs.

The thing with Ward is he's probably more valuable to the cubs then Floyd because of his pinch hitting ability and ability to relieve Lee occasionally. Floyd is down right atrocious as a PH (.411 OPS). While Ward hasn't been great this year (pretty low AVG and SLG), he does have a .406 OBP and was spectacular last year.

They're essentially the same player the plate. 270avg/340obp. Blake will hit you more home runs, but he's not nearly as fast as Podsednik.

E-Man-- Given Aramis' injury problems this year and the Cubs publicly stating they are looking for another third baseman, maybe this is them investigating their 3B options?

SORIANO's SCORECARD as a LEADOFF MAN (based on a minimum of 200 PA's in the NL) Rank (out of 16 qualified NL leadoff hitters) (the good) BA 2 Slugging 2 OBP 6 OPS 2 2B 1 3B 6 HR 2 RBI 3 R 3 AB 4 SB 5 ======= (the bad) BB 11 ======= (the ugly) Striking out 1

Theriot looks excellent in the leadoff spot when comparing #s to other guys in the NL.

What the hell is wrong with Scott Moore playing 3rd for a week or so? Blake would be learning a new league if he came over. Moore has probably seen more of these guys than Blake has as is.

Dmac — August 10, 2007 @ 10:25 am I’ve been to a few Rockies games in Denver, and some of the fans are too young to remember when the baseball team in town was the Denver Bears, the former AAA - affiliate of the Cubs. Also - KGN carried most of the Cubs games for years out there, and residents still remember Brickhouse and Carey doing the calls. ======================== DMAC: The Denver Bears were never a AAA affiliate of the Cubs. CUBS AAA affiliates since 1921: Los Angeles Angels 1921-57 NOTE: Angels played in L. A.'s Wrigley Field 1925-57 Ft. Worth 1958-59 Houston 1960-61 Salt Lake City 1962-65 Tacoma 1966-71 Wichita 1972-80 Iowa 1981-PRESENT

Because Scott Moore is hitting 265/374/516 in AAA while Blake is hitting 265/341/449 against MAJOR LEAGUE pitching?

aaronb — August 10, 2007 @ 10:52 am What the hell is wrong with Scott Moore playing 3rd for a week or so? Blake would be learning a new league if he came over. Moore has probably seen more of these guys than Blake has as is. ============================= AARON B: Scott Moore has been on the Iowa DL with a sprained ankle for a couple of weeks. I believe he was injured in the same game as Josh Kroeger (who is on the I-Cubs DL with a strained oblique).

Didnt realize he was injured. I just don't see how Casey Blake pushes the cubs over the top. If it doesnt cost anything of value. Fine. If we are parting with something legit. Use the farm.

The Denver Bears were an affiliate of the Chicago White Sox I believe at one point.

though he's not really good...average at best...at either position, blake is a right handed 3rd/RF. it'd be ideal...also seems like its a deal that would have been done weeks ago if hendry really wanted it. the aram thing changes things a bit, but blake's worth would diminish as the process dragged on time-wise if aram's status is pushing the issue.

Having a guy who can steal a game or two, like Podesneck can be very valuable. The Red Sox made the move for Dave Roberts, and often, in close playoff games, speed produces the sqeaky runs to get over the top. In addition, this move would allow the cubs to have options in center field ---

Why would the Indians trade Casey Blake? He's their #1 3B, and they're in the middle of the A. L. playoff chase. CLE did sign 3B Russell Branyan to a minor league contract, but then they almost immediately traded him to the Phillies. Like most MLB clubs, the Indians probably placed their entire 40-man roster on waivers over the first seven days of the new waiver period, and if they did, I can understand Hendry claiming Blake, but that doesn't mean the Indians are looking to trade him, unless they can maybe get Rich Hill back in the deal.

Casey Blake has averaged an OPS+ of about 110 over the last four years. Pods has averaged an OPS+ of 81 or so. Not only that, but as Crunch mentioned, Blake can play 3b. Blake seems like the obviously better choice. With that said... why would Cleveland be willing to trade Blake at this point?

and some of the fans are too young to remember when the baseball team in town was the Denver Bears, the former AAA - affiliate of the Cubs. ------- the Denver Bears were at some point definitely an affiliate of the Expos. I remember listening to the radio while vacationing in Estes Park (late 70's) with them having Tim Raines and Andre Dawson in their lineup (not necessarily the same seasons). Raines was first brought up with the Expos in 79-80, Dawson in 1976...so that matches.

Having a guy who can steal a game or two, like Podesneck can be very valuable. ... In addition, this move would allow the cubs to have options in center field They already have that in Theriot, Pie, or E-Pat. And I am not convinced that Pods would be much better than Pie or Epat. And we KNOW that Pie plays a much better defense than Pods. Further... Pods should never play center field, as he is a lousy fielder.

blake probably wouldnt come cheap. best case...cleveland takes on a recently surging (but still not hitting for power) j.jones and some cash along with a lower/mid prospect... one of the worse cases...they want top youth...they start with murton or marshall and go from there. believe blake has another year left of club control, but i think its his last and high-arb paying year. blake's also the type of guy you'd pick up to play almost every day, not a 10ab a week type.

Brandon Webb slugging .061!?!? cubfanbudman: In addition, this move would allow the cubs to have options in center field — Yeah it sounds like more of a replacement for Pagan than Murton or Soriano.

Pods throwing arm is worse than JJones'. Of course, his baserunning is mucho better.

I have no problem with Pods on our bench, but I just don't see an improvement over what we already have.

JJones batting average is up to .260 (after his 4-5 night). Interesting to watch aberations revert to their averages

Chad... then why would you not have a problem with it? Bringing in Pods would probably cost something... a prospect, cash, whatever. Yet he will probably be unable to outproduce anyone that the Cubs currently have to play left. It seems just a bit pointless to bring in an oft-injured, left handed, mediocre (at best) fielding, mediocre (at best) hitting left fielder.

JASON KENDALL not bad at all recently, in August: .360 .467 .560 over last 12 games: .366 15/41, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 6 BB, 6 RBI, 7 Runs

"It seems just a bit pointless to bring in an oft-injured, left handed, mediocre (at best) fielding, mediocre (at best) hitting left fielder." Exactly. And we are cornering the market on these guys. I'm saying he's not an upgrade but a lateral move. He doesn't improve us or make us worse. As far as money or prospects, I don't care about the money as it is not mine and i doubt we'll trade a prospect that is worth anything. That's why I don't care.

cubswinthepennant — August 10, 2007 @ 12:07 pm JASON KENDALL not bad at all recently, in August: .360 .467 .560 over last 12 games: .366 15/41, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 6 BB, 6 RBI, 7 Runs ======================== CWtP: And combine Kendall with Geovany Soto as the Cubs catching corps (with a hopefully near-100% Henry Blanco as a late-inning defensive replacement after September 1st), and maybe the Cubs could actually be OK behind the plate.

Interesting to watch aberations revert to their averages Indeed, cubster. Has anyone else noted Ryan Theriots "reversion" in July and August? July: .348 .437 .483 .920 Aug: .343 .368 .400 .768 What team wouldn't want that at the top of the order?

And according to Bob & Len on the WGN broadcast last night, Piniella is thinking about possibly hitting Jason Kendall #2 in the order against LHP while Soriano is out.

I had inquired on a scouting rept. on Blake to the "sister" MVN Tribe blog - the following is the response: "blake is a horrible “clutch” hitter. for the purposes of this discussion, clutch means runners in scoring position. (i realize that is a broad definition, but the stats are hard to come by for more precision.) check out his career stats with RISP: http://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/bsplit.cgi?n1=blakeca01 . he’s terrible with guys on in general, worse when they’re on second and third. oddly, though, he’s better than his career average when the bases are loaded. that said, he’s a good guy to have on your team because he plays so many positions. he is not, however, an everyday player. i hope shapiro is reading this …" "Jackson Andrews — August 10, 2007 @ 11:07 am i’m not sure i follow … or at least I’m clueless as to where you’ve gotten your information. Casey Blake is the Indians’ everyday third baseman and has not been claimed off waivers by anyone. Maybe the news just hasn’t reached Cleveland yet, but Casey Blake isn’t going anywhere."

Kendall in the "2 hole" isn't a bad idea against lhp. The Riot - SS Kendall - C Lee - 1b Floyd - RF Murton - LF DeRosa - 3b Fontenot - 2b Jones - CF It would have to look something that, right? Maybe you substitute E-Pat for Jones in CF. But Floyd, Jones, and Fontenot in a lineup against lhp isn't too appealing. And why not hit DeRosa in the "2 hole?"

CWtP: And combine Kendall with Geovany Soto as the Cubs catching corps (with a hopefully near-100% Henry Blanco as a late-inning defensive replacement after September 1st), and maybe the Cubs could actually be OK behind the plate. HERE! HERE! AZ PHIL Did you happen to read Geo.'s explanation about where his new power came from? Seems that hitting instruction in the Cubs minor league system used to be hamstringing hitters with too much to think about (golfers will identify) during plate appearances instead of just swinging naturally. So now he confines work on his swing mechanics to batting practice and let's 'er rip when he's playing.

interesting point cwtp. this has been said before but the Cubs minor league eval team has WAY underestimated Theriot. First they forced switch hitting on him which he ended (because he sucked at it). Then they labeled him as a 2nd base only player (unable to play every day as SS)...the only one who seems to have judged him correctly in LouPa when he guaranteed him a roster spot in early spring training...and even he had to put up with the deadwood Izturis until it was painfully obvious Izzy brought little to the party. It will be interesting to see what the ceiling and norm for Theriot really is.

he is not, however, an everyday player. How so? He hits both lhp and rph (though he is slightly better against lhp). He has played every day for the Indians for a few years now. He is not a superstar, but he seems to be a pretty decent every day player to me.

the only one who seems to have judged him correctly in LouPa Not quite... don't overvalue LouPa's role. LouPa guarantees him a roster sport, bu over who? He didn't really have competition. Further, LouPa made a decision in ST that Theriot was not a SS, and Theriot started the season as a bench player. Theriot forced his way into an everyday role by outperforming expectations by everyone, including LouPa.

"The Denver Bears were never a AAA affiliate of the Cubs." Sorry for the mistake - my bad. I was confusing KGN broadcasts of the Cubs games with the Denver Bears.

The E-Man — August 10, 2007 @ 12:19 pm I had inquired on a scouting rept. on Blake to the “sister” MVN Tribe blog ================================= Thanks E-MAN. And speaking of MVN sites, TCR (that would be us) is the #1 ranked MLB blog in terms of popularity (hits) at MVN, second only to the NFL New York Giants blog "Giants 101" overall (which is the #1 blog at MVN) So thanks for your support and keep the comments coming! TOP MVN MLB BLOGS (June/July): 1. Cubs (The Cub Reporter) 2. Yankees (The Bronx Block) 3. Red Sox (Fire Brand of the American League) 4. Braves (Chop-n-Change) 5. Royals (Royals Authority) 6. Indians (Tribe Report) 7. Pirates (Pittsburgh Lumber Co.) 8. Tigers (Roar of the Tigers) 9. Orioles (Oriole Magic) 10. Rangers (Baseball Time in Arlington) And Road to Wrigley (the MVN Cubs minor league blog) is the # 3 ranked milb blog, second only to the milb Yankees ("Pending Pinstripes") and the milb Mariners ("Mariners Minors"). Nice going JP and Mike W.!

Further, LouPa made a decision in ST that Theriot was not a SS That's not the way I remember it. It was the Cubs minor league brain trust that insisted to Lou that Theriot wasn't good enough to be a major league SS. More, there were already two SS ahead of him on the depth chart and both had good spring training stats Izturis .311 .436 .356 Cedeno .328 .427 .516 Theriot made the team as an inf/of sub with .347 .405 .520 and when Cedeno imploded at the plate he replaced him as Izzy's competition at short. We all know what happened then.

DAVE: Well - I guess we'll see about these "waiver claims" after the weekend. The Blake thing is a head scratcher b/c even if the rumor were true, how could the Cubs afford an everyday player who has been a starter for two Years? I mean, this would be something the Red Sox, Yankees, Dodgers could afford to do - but the Cubs in the sale year? I have my doubts.

how could the Cubs afford an everyday player who has been a starter for two Years? Because he is not on a free agent contract. He is only making 3.75 million this year, which would mean that he is still owed a little over a million dollars. That is more than affordable, and it isn't adding salary for next year.

"That’s not the way I remember it. It was the Cubs minor league brain trust that insisted to Lou that Theriot wasn’t good enough to be a major league SS." huh? theriot played most of his 06 games in AAA at SS. the "brain trust" wasnt keeping theriot out of SS until Lou-God free'd him from his oppressive overseers. =p theriot's not exactly a slick SS anyway...he's good enough, though. not a liability out there, but then again no one was claiming he was...just ordinary...and has fluid footwork at 2nd which makes him useful there.

The Cubs minor league braintrust has a lot of trouble evaluating position players. Maybe because in the past the system was concerned primarily with developing pitchers. It badly misjudged SAM FULD as well. Pat Listach said he arrived in Tennessee with zero expectations. The braintrust had so talked him down that Baseball America didn't even list him in their Top 30 Cubs Prospects list in 2006. Maybe they wrote him off because he had injuries, but there never was any good buzz about Fuld from the organization.. Now he's on a fastrack after Listach labelled him a "can't miss major league sure thing." As Listach said, Fuld has always hit for average and high OBP. He hit .330/.400 for Stanford and .300/.380 in three minor league seasons. Recently promoted to AAA Iowa, he's one of the toughest players in the minors to strike out.

btw...theriot also played a little OF and appeared at 3rd in AAA last year, too. if anything they were grooming him to be a mini-freel...a good superutility guy...he got most of his major league (all i think) at 2nd, but you can put that on the guy who fills out the lineup card most of the time.

sam fuld? a singles hitting OF'r... he's a hard guy to K...he's also a hard guy to get to take a walk. he's gonna swing and has low power. be nice if he played 2nd/SS or something. still, he's not junk and has shown an ability to make his contact pay off for him every level he's touched from highschool until this day.

huh? WTF are you huhing about, crunch? We're not talking about where Theriot played in the minors. And you didn't even know where he played til I told you he was going to make the team in 2006.

DAVE: "Because he is not on a free agent contract. He is only making 3.75 million this year, which would mean that he is still owed a little over a million dollars." Ohhhhhh. Now that makes some sense. So, we'll see by Mon. perhaps...

a singles hitting OF’r… he’s a hard guy to K…he’s also a hard guy to get to take a walk. he’s gonna swing and has low power. Sounds like Pierre. But seriously, his walk rate has hovered right around 10% each year in the minors. He has 32 walks in 282 at-bats, so in a full major league season would be 65+ walks. That isn't terrible by any means.

"WTF are you huhing about, crunch? We’re not talking about where Theriot played in the minors. And you didn’t even know where he played til I told you he was going to make the team in 2006." that's gonna get a "huh?" too. you educated me on theriot in 2006? astonishing since i knew who he was before 2006. theriot didnt pop up outta nowhere....he's been a shuffled 2nd/SS his whole career. he's been displaced by other prospects at SS both by his own play and value of other prospects playing along side him. and yes, we are talking about where he played in the minors if youre talking about an organization who's focus is to put theriot at 2nd...AAA is part of the organization and 1- he played most of his games at SS there in 06 and 2- he played some OF/3rd, too...along with 2nd the second most games played amount. this leads me to believe the organization...the brain trust...sees him as a super utility guy.

WTF are you huhing about, crunch? He is saying this (I think). If the "the Cubs minor league brain trust" decided that Theriot couldn't play SS at the major league level, why did they keep playing him there in the minors?

he’s a hard guy to K…he’s also a hard guy to get to take a walk. he’s gonna swing and has low power. be nice if he played 2nd/SS or something. Tell me, oh great one, how Sam Fuld manages a .380 OBP on a .300 batting average without taking walks?? He plays center field (as well as the corners) which, along with catcher, 2B and SS, are not recognized as power positions. He's a leadoff hitter.

crunch — August 10, 2007 @ 1:08 pm sam fuld? a singles hitting OF’r… he’s a hard guy to K…he’s also a hard guy to get to take a walk. he’s gonna swing and has low power. be nice if he played 2nd/SS or something. still, he’s not junk and has shown an ability to make his contact pay off for him every level he’s touched from highschool until this day. ========================= CRUNCH: Along with Felix Pie, Sam Fuld is one of the top two defensive outfielders in the Cubs organization,.. excellent range and instincts in CF, and a plus-arm. Offensively. Fuld is a very good hitter who is tough to strike out. He has very little power, but until this season, he has been an excellent base-stealer. He might still be feeling the after-effects of his hernia surgery from last season when running the bases. He is a very intense and competitive player. I remember this past April when Fuld was at Fitch Park rehabbing from an oblique strain, the EXST Cubs (Boise./Mesa cadre) were shuffling to the vans for a road game, and Fuld told every player as they were leaving "Good luck. Play hard." And I've never heard anybody say something like that at EXST (which is basically a concentration camp where they play baseball). Except Sam Fuld did.

re:122 well who says the minor league brain trust said he couldnt play SS? i cant argue for/against that point if we're gonna assume truth in something im not taking as truth. it looks, to me, like the organization saw him as a multi-position bench player. a ryan freel-like guy. i believe one of the coaches or a GM at some point this offseason actually refered to him as such, too...or maybe it was just a sportswriter, i cant say for sure. with izturis failing and eventually leaving...and cedeno given his chance to fail in april...lou took the guy the club pegged as a super-utility guy and promoted him to full time SS (occasionally playing elsewhere). a natural progression occurred...its not radical.

BTW, having seen them all, I would rank the OF arms in the Cubs minor leagues this way: 1. Nelson Perez 2. Ryan Harvey 3. Felix Pie 4. Sam Fuld 5. Leon Johnson However, neither N. Perez or Harvey can cover ground like Pie and Fuld.

It's not great but Fuld is ranked 27th in the Cubs org, according to Baseball America handbook.

"Tell me, oh great one, how Sam Fuld manages a .380 OBP on a .300 batting average without taking walks??" 1- the "great one" comment...you're making it about me and you...how about making it about sam fuld. 2- the guy dont walk much, period. we're talking about taking a guy who's playing near-top or over the age of the peers in his minor league career who's looking to even out at 60-80 walks a year in a full year's worth of ab's. that's not a lot. 3- the guy has very little power. the guy looks to be more of a bench OF'r type who could end up a "little cat" everyday player if he can manage to develop even some gap power. i dont get why i cant say a guy is good, but if i even have a shred of criticism about the guy it turns into some power play thing. hell, i didnt even bring up he's 5'10"...well, now i have. i honestly dont think you're gonna find too many people picking fuld to end up being a starting OF'r unless he can show he can at least hit doubles power.

we’re talking about taking a guy who’s playing near-top or over the age of the peers in his minor league career who’s looking to even out at 60-80 walks a year in a full year’s worth of ab’s. 60-80 walks is pretty decent. Few guys who lack power will draw more than 80 walks in a season. 80 walks would have placed him 19th in the NL in that category.

I doubt that Sam Fuld will ever be a starting OF if he remains with the Cubs, but he probably could be if he were to be traded to another MLB club (like maybe PIT, WAS, FLA, HOU, or CIN). If I were the Cubs, I'd take Fuld over Angel Pagan as my "4th OF," though. And I mean right now.

okay...its not a lot of walks for a guy with his skill set. im trying to get a comparison that's familiar but all i can think of is a someone who's ceiling and batting style resembles the early 00's kendall. that's not bad at all...but as and OF'r....he's gonna have a hell of a time catching with a team as a starter with his skills unless he can cover CF well. if he can develop some power and show it he might end up a frank cattalano type. this is all based on what he's showing. he's never shown power...he's always been a pesky contact guy who gets results.

okay…its not a lot of walks for a guy with his skill set. I disagree again. There are not a lot of fairly high average, high speed guy who walk more. And the player you keep describing, over and over again, is Pierre. He is a contact guy who doesnt walk much (at all) and doesn't strike out. Except from what it sounds like, Fuld is better defensively.

fuld doesnt have anywhere near the neighborhood of speed as pierre, though. he's more of a "20sb" area type. theriot of the OF type...or fonenot of the OF type...etc etc...whatever makes you feel more comfortable. thing is, there's not much room for his type as a starter in the OF...if he was a 2nd/SS/C...much better chance.

the guy dont walk much, period. And yet, crunch the incredulous, Fuld magically maintains an OBP 80 points above his batting average. .297 .376 .419 (3 minor league seasons)

I am not kidding but Sam Fuld sounds a lot like Scott Podsednik. Little less speed. Little more field.

If I were the Cubs, I’d take Fuld over Angel Pagan as my “4th OF,” though. And I mean right now. HEAR! HEAR! AZ PHI I could not agree more. Fuld was born to be a 4th OF in the major leagues. He just a terrific player and like you say, could be a starter some day depending on how the stars align for him.

CRUNCH: If I were to pick an historical player who most closely matches Sam Fuld's skill sets, I would say Rick Manning (ex-CLE) or maybe Lenny Dyksta (pre-Muscle Beach Party), or if you limit it to the Cubs, I would say maybe Dave Martinez.

I think Angel is still living off those 2 hr's he hit from the right side when he first got called back up this year. The reasons he's here are cause he can play CF/RF and bat from the right side so he could give Felix and now JJ a rest against lefties. But wasn't Fuld hurt for part of the year? At least he's up to AAA now.

Rob G. — August 10, 2007 @ 2:12 pm I think Angel is still living off those 2 hr’s he hit from the right side when he first got called back up this year. The reasons he’s here are cause he can play CF/RF and bat from the right side so he could give Felix and now JJ a rest against lefties. But wasn’t Fuld hurt for part of the year? At least he’s up to AAA now. ========================== ROB G: Fuld suffered a strained oblique the last week of ST and so he stayed at EXST for most of April, before eventually getting his Letter of Transit out of Fitch Park sometime in late April.

AZ Phil-- As long as Angel Pagan is a late-inning defensive-replacement outfielder, there will be room on the Cubs for Sam Fuld. Quick waiver question: you said if the Sox let Podsednik go to the Cubs on waivers, the Cubs would owe his contract money. So why isn't the same true of Floyd? Couldn't the Cubs put Floyd on waivers and let any claimant pay his full salary from now on? Or is the distinction between waivers and DFA'ing a guy? What would happen if they put Jacque Jones on waivers? If the other team has to pay his contract, nothing.

Or is the distinction between waivers and DFA’ing a guy? What would happen if they put Jacque Jones on waivers? If the other team has to pay his contract, nothing. Putting a player on waivers is not the same as DFA'ing. When you place a player on waivers, they can be claimed by another team, and then you have the three possibilities AZ Phil gave above (trade, give him away for free, revoke the waivers). But if no team claims the player, they remain with the original team. If Jock was placed on waivers, and no team claimed him, then he would stay with the Cubs. If a team claims him, and the Cubs decided they didn't want Jones, the team winning the claim would be responsible for the rest of Jock Jones' contract.

What ever happened to Buck Coats? I thought earlier in the season, someone posted that he was hitting as well as anyone at AAA?

Virginia Phil — August 10, 2007 @ 2:43 pm AZ Phil– Quick waiver question: you said if the Sox let Podsednik go to the Cubs on waivers, the Cubs would owe his contract money. So why isn’t the same true of Floyd? Couldn’t the Cubs put Floyd on waivers and let any claimant pay his full salary from now on? ========================== VA PHIL: As Dave said, placing Cliff Floyd on waivers won't guarantee a waiver claim. But if the Cubs did place Floyd on waivers (and they almost certainly did) and another MLB made a claim and the Cubs did not choose the revoke the waivers, the claiming club would assume Floyd's contract 100%. Unlike losing a player on a waiver claim (where the player's new club gets stuck with the player's contract), if Floyd were to be traded, the Cubs would probably have to pay some of Floyd's remaining 2007 salary. That still would be good for the Cubs, though, because at least it would remove the incentive for Floyd's new club to exercise the 2008 club option and stick the Cubs with Floyd's 2008 saalary minus the MLB minimum (which is what would happen if the Cubs were to release Floyd and then a new club were to sign him). To DFA a player means literally that you are removing from him from the 40-man roster immediately and that you are deferring disposition for up to ten days, After that ten day DFA period has ended, one of five things MUST have happened: 1. The player has been traded. 2. They player was placed on Release Waivers, didn't get claimed, and has been released. 3. The player was placed on Release Waivers and was claimed by another MLB club for the $1 Release Waivers price. 4. The player was placed on Outright Waivers, didn't get claimed, and has been sent outright to the minors (and if the player has been previously outrighted in his career, he can become a FA immediately or defer the option until after the season). 5. The player was placed on Outright Waivers and was claimed by another MLB club for the $20,000 waiver price. And in the case of options #4 and #5, a player with at least three years of MLB service time can refuse an outright assignment to the minors (it's five years MLB service time to refuse an optional assignment, BTW), so a player with at least three years of MLB service time must give his permission before being placed on Outright Waivers. As far as a DFA is concerned, there are no other choices, options, or possible outcomes. If the player is released or if the player is claimed off Outright Waivers, the player's original club is responsible for 100% of the player's contract minus the MLB minmimum salary (and if it's a multi-year contract, any new team the player may play for during the length of the contract is responsible only for the MLB minimum salary). If the player is claimed off $1 Release Waivers, the player's new team is responsible for 100% of the player's contract (which is why nobody ever claims a player off Release Waivers--they just wait for the Release Waivers to expire and then sign the player as a FA and pay the MLB minimum salary).

mdog — August 10, 2007 @ 3:52 pm What ever happened to Buck Coats? I thought earlier in the season, someone posted that he was hitting as well as anyone at AAA? =========================== MDOG: Buck Coats is having a fine year at Iowa. He is hitting 308/364/453 (817 OPS), has played all three OF positions, has committed only one error, and leads all outfielders in the Cubs organization with 14 outfield assists. And even though he is a left-handed hitter, he has a higher BA, OBP, and SLG vs LHP.

Recent comments

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  • crunch (view)

    madrigal at 3rd...morel at DH.

    making room for madrigal or/and masterboney to get a significant amount of ABs is a misuse of the roster.  if it needed to get taken care of this offseason, they had tons of time to figure that out.

    morel played almost exclusively at 3rd in winter ball and they had him almost exclusively there all spring when he wasn't DH'ing.

    madrigal doing a good job with the glove for a bit over 2 chances per game...is that worth more than what he brings with the bat 4-5 PA a game?  it's 2024 and we got glenn beckert 2.0 manning 3rd base.

    this is a tauchman or cooper DH situation based on bat, alone.  cooper is 3/7 with a double off eovaldi if you want to play the most successful matchup.

    anyway, i hope this is a temporary thing, not business as usual for the rest of the season.  it will be telling if morel is not used at 3rd when an extreme fly ball pitcher like imanaga is on the mound.

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  • crunch (view)

    cards put j.young on waivers.

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  • Childersb3 (view)

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