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 
Minor League Free-Agents

Winter Meetings ‘06: Day Four Rumor Roundup

The updates will be scarce today as most the GM"s have left Florida and our own GM is recovering from getting fifty years of donuts and trans fats blown out of his arteries. 2:03 PM Another Score update from George Offman and he cites "one report" that the Cubs are talking to Jeff Suppan and mentions that Rocco Baldelli is on the Cubs wish list along with the White Sox. Both sounded like much ado about nothing at this point, so don't go nuts over it. 1:36 PM I'm listening to the Score at the moment and they did mention the Cubs are talking to Jeff Suppan, but no real details. 1:33 PM - Word is that Levine on ESPN 1000 is reporting the Cubs are "close" to signing Jason Marquis, take it for what it's worth. Thursday Morning/Afternoon Roundup - Gil Meche's deal with the Royals is in the 5/55-60 range. Bullet, Dodged. - Daryle Ward looks to have signed with the Cubs on a one year, $1.05 million deal. - I can't find a link, but I believe ESPN 1000 is reporting that the Cubs have turned their attention towards Jason Marquis after losing out on Meche. - A very random rumor of Mark Hendrickson being dealt to the Cubs.

Comments

Daryle Ward looks to have signed with the Cubs on a one year, $1.05 million deal. What are the thoughts on this? Is this really Jone's replacement? Is this guy any good for the bench even? This has me concerned.

nah, Ward's going to be our prime left-handed pinch-hitter... 3 yr splits: vs righties: .277/.340/.492 vs. lefties: .216/.262/.301 as PH: .292/.375/.494 I believe he can stand at 1b/lf or RF and pray the ball is hit right at him as well. He's John Mabry but he can, you know, actually hit.

#1 of 2: By Ryno (December 7, 2006 02:02 PM) Daryle Ward looks to have signed with the Cubs on a one year, $1.05 million deal. What are the thoughts on this? Is this really Jone's replacement? Is this guy any good for the bench even? This has me concerned. =================================== RYNO: Daryle Ward was the best LHPH in MLB last year. I don't have much faith in him in the field however (MAYBE 1B every now and then), although at least it should mean Murton's job is safe (for now).

I like it, Randall Simon Part II, you need a guy like Ward to come off the bench. Dude can mash RHP. Ward >>> Mabry, for the same money. A modest move, but over the course of a season could help the team win a few extra games, I like it.

anyone listenting to the Score? if so, let me know if anything is mentioned about Baldelli or Suppan. Thanks.

last year Ward only had 17 AB's against Lefty pitching...I'm sure those were just to give him a rare start or a double switch that went into extra innings. So aside that he's good vs Righty pitching, it's better than Mabry as it's known not to put him in against Lefty pitching. (although I'm sure that kind of info wouldn't keep Ol' Toothpick from using him vs Left Handers) but I agree, he's taking the roster spot that Mabry had last year ...and there is still room for Cliff Floyd (to take Bynum's spot...fortunately Floyd will never be used at second base although he's probably as surehanded as fast freddie was, oops bounced off Bynum's mitt again).

and if you're listening to ESPN 1000, anymore mentions of Marquis?

SUPPAN or MARQUIS? Any new rumors guys? link us up!

Ward might be more useful than Lilly. ... In seriousness, a nice solid signing. My friend and I drove to Pittsburgh for the doubleheader debacle in 2004 (the Mackowiac games) and spent the whole game heckling Ward a la Bart and Lisa, "Dar-yle! Dar-yle!" Didn't work. =)

"a la Bart and Lisa, "Dar-yle! Dar-yle!" Didn't work. =)" Please tell me that this is not the only reason you know about the Daryl, Daryl chant. Please!??!?!?! You do know where that really comes from, right?

cubster: fortunately Floyd will never be used at second base although he's probably as surehanded as fast freddie was, oops bounced off Bynum's mitt again). You reminded me of some of the highlights of '06. * Bynum dropping a routine fly-ball in LF. * Bynum bobbling a game winning double-play ball, the Cub's ended up losing the game. * Aramis getting thumped in the head by a routine infield fly-ball. * Bynum's 3-error inning.

Levine was just on a Chicago sportscenter update about 15-20 minutes ago saying the Cubs were close to terms with Marquis...no details, just that they were close. No more than that though, Rob.

RobG - excellent coverage of the winter meetings.rumors etc. Aside from AZPhil you are the man on TCR. Congratulations! That aside, I am curious to know why the Cubs do not have any interest in Jon Lieber - if Meche is truly a Royal, thank goodness - and given the dearth of pitching why not give some AAA bodies or JJ to the Phils for a groundball pitcher with control.

I like the Ward signing, it will keep Neifi from replacing Lee in the lineup... oh yeah, Neifi is gone and Baker is gone. But he can still help keep Lee fresh and pinch hit for pitchers not named Zambrano and urgh, Marquis. Why would the Cubs be in on Baldelli?

Well, at the very least, Marquis is an innings eater by 2007 standards. But - 1st in HR's (35!) 1st in Losses! High ERA! This will give us our third #3/4 pitcher... Scary, man. SCARY!

I don't even know if they are, just read something on another board that I don't particularly trust, wanted to know if anyone else heard it. Listening to Score myself now and they mentioned Suppan, but nothing on Baldelli.

Are we allowed to use the word, "Dude" anymore here?

Absolutely, kudos are in order for you, Rob. Thanks for saving all of us the hassle of clicking through a bunch of other sites and giving the people what they deserve. And what's up with Cliff Floyd? Yesterday a deal was all but done. Anything new? JW

A deal on Floyd was never close, all they've done so far is request medical reports. Bruce Miles just speculated that it's only a matter of time before Floyd signs here, but he was talking about weeks, not days.

Why would the Cubs be in on Baldelli? Umm...because the Cubs do not currently have a center fielder.

About Jason Marquis: I have been opposed to the Cubs signing Jason Marquis, but I am going to try and be Jack Brickhouse about this. Let's see... He's only 28. Still young and probably quite capable of improvement. He had decent years in 2004 & 2005, so 2006 was probably just an aberration. Larry Rothschild will be available in Spring Training to help him fix his mechanics. At least his '06 road numbers weren't as bad as his home numbers. And he had an ERA under 5.00 in May. And, uh, I hear he is very nice to his mother. OK! Let's sign the freaker!

I don't think that Marquis would signed with the expectation of him filling a spot in the rotation. I would hope that he would be signed as a project. Rob...have you heard anything about Baldelli and the Cubs? Your mention of it was the first I had heard of it.

'Umm...because the Cubs do not currently have a center fielder.' Someone better tell Jim Hendry that Felix Pie has gone missing.

i just dont like the idea of signing a "placeholder" tallent in this market. its gonna be for 3+ years and for 1-3m too much in this market based on speculation of how things are going now. it might be needed for 07, or prefered, but taking it into 08/09+ isnt something i look forward to. that's the problem when there's only 2 sure things backing up 10 zillion dollars worth of bats, though...Z/lilly.

Someone better tell Jim Hendry that Felix Pie has gone missing. Most people don't think that Pie is ready. It appears that the Cubs are not going to go into spring training with Pie as the only CF option.

Dave, Read comment #17. It was probably just some jerkoff making up rumors on another board. I know other people listen to the Score so I asked if anyone else heard it. Pretend like it didn't happen...

if anyone cares at this point, the St. Louis writer I linked to yesterday says the Cards offered 3/39 on Schmidt and were willing to go to 3/42 but no higher.

Read comment #17. Got it...I guess I missed the first part of your comment on that one.

"Cards offered 3/39 on Schmidt and were willing to go to 3/42 but no higher." What an old-Hendry move that was. Give him a competitive offer that you know he'll never take, yet still be able to look everyone in the eye and say, "Hey, we gave it our best effort".

one more thought on the Darryle Ward signing...if they do sign Cliff Floyd in addition to Ward, I think it will nearly end the speculation about Kenny Lofton coming here. Too many bench lefty's given that Angel Pagan is the 4th OF and a switch hitter plus speculation about Theriot (a righty) also seeing some CF time (5th CF until the Pie era starts)...and then the side OF depth in DeRosa, Floyd, Pagan and Ward. I wouldn't have minded Lofton for the bench but I just don't see it happening (especially at $6M x 1) with both Ward and Floyd (unless the medical records on Floyd leave Hendry with more chest pain) If/When JJones is traded would be the only chance I'd see them go after Lofton (he's be the midwife on duty) to give birth to the Pie man era. Pie also is a lefty.

listened to another Score update and they did mention Baldelli, no details though. I'll throw it out there.

What an old-Hendry move that was. Give him a competitive offer that you know he'll never take, yet still be able to look everyone in the eye and say, "Hey, we gave it our best effort". Re-read what I wrote Chad, that's what the CARDINALS offered. We've never heard what the Cubs were offering, at least nothing reliable.

I think Chad was just comparing this Cardinal effort to what Hendry had done in previous years without an unlimited budget. As for Pie's readiness, Bruce Miles has the scoop from Lou at this link: http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/story.asp?id=257304 Basically says they're not sure he's ready, but he could prove them wrong in the spring.

you might be right about that Ranch, if so, my apologies Chad. yeah Meche signing was mentioned in the post, you have to hit the "continue reading" link though...

Ah! It was in the thread below, posted a few hours ago. Disregard #37.

My point being that Baldelli is: 1. A center fielder signed to a long deal 2. A right handed batter 3. Not a leadoff hitter due to his Dunstonesque patience 4. Would only be available for Hill, and probably not even up at that It makes no sense whatsoever to pursue a trade for him.

everybody seems to love Baldelli and for the life of me I can't figure out one good reason why.

1. A center fielder signed to a long deal This is what makes him attractive. If Pie works out, you can trade Baldelli or Murton. 2. A right handed batter Sure...but there are not a lot of great lefty CFs available. 3. Not a leadoff hitter due to his Dunstonesque patience The Cubs already have a leadoff hitter that they are paying 17 million a year to. Not all center fielders need to be leadoff hitters. 4. Would only be available for Hill, and probably not even up at that You never know...i would have never thought that Garcia would be available for two decent, but not great, prospects.

any thoughts on who gets bumped from the 40 man to make room for Ward (given that Lilly takes Bynum's spot) I vote for Jose Reyes or Adam Harbin (or both if they sign Floyd). Is Glendon Rusch still on the 60 day DL? If he is they probably don't need a roster spot for Ward.

everybody seems to love Baldelli and for the life of me I can't figure out one good reason why. He is young and affordable. he is more of a potential guy than anything else. He has plus speed, plus power, plus defense, hits for decent average. His main weakness is his OBP. He is a guy who should have many 20 HR, 20 SB seasons while hitting around .300 and playing quality defense. To get that at 6 million a year for the next five years is a steal, even with his .325 OBP.

problem with Baldelli is your going to have to pay even more "in potential" than Baldelli brings. He's been injured, his numbers aren't good at all in my opinion besides the power surge last year in half a season and he hasn't stayed healthy at all.

as for the 40-man, I have no idea to be honest. Dopirak, Reyes and Soto are dead weight in my opinion. Bullpen trade certainly is possible as well...

http://preview.tinyurl.com/y3psgf Elia claims Cubs wouldn't hire him because of his rant. He was supposed to come to Cubs in a uniformed capacity (likely hitting coach) and then was going to get a scouting job with help from Piniella. Hendry called him and said nothing was open and he now works with the Drays as a scout.

Not too big on Baldelli myself. Rays are probably asking the world for him and he's not worth it. Ward is a nice pickup for our bench. Isn't he the only player to hit a homer in PNC that hit the river on the fly?

He's been injured He only had one injury, and has bounced back nicely. These were his numbers last year, in 92 games: .302/.339/.533, 16 HR, 57 RBI, 59 R, 10 SB Over 162 you have this: .302/.339/.533, 28 HR, 100 RBI, 104 R, 18 SB Those are very good numbers, especially for 6 million a year. And even more so considering he just turned 25 in September.

Thank you Ranch. Jeez Rob, who peed in your Post Toasties today?

steve: Not too big on Baldelli myself. Rays are probably asking the world for him and he's not worth it. Wow, this is a tough crowd.

I apologized Chad, I misread it obviously. Was it just the one knee injury that made him miss part of 2004, all of 2005 and half of 2006? hell of an injury if that is the case...

I've heard rumor of the Cubs going after Ryan Church. He would make more sense as a stop-gap CFer who also hits lefty. He might not cost too much in trade.

"Thank you Ranch. Jeez Rob, who peed in your Post Toasties today?" I guess updating a blog 24/7, three days in a row, for the benefit of us, must be pretty tiring. Give the man a break.

No, I was wrong...He tore his ACL in 2004, as he was rehabbing his knee he tore a ligament in his elbow and had Tommy John surgery. you can read more here.

despite the fireworks this offseason, this team still hasn't addressed it's woeful OBP problems very well. Baldelli is another high K/low walk guy and he's just not worth the pricetag that is being rumored. If the power surge he discovered last season continues, well I'll dislike him a little more, but I don't think he's worth more than Marmol and Rapada to be honest. (or pick any 2 pitchers simiar to those guys from our system)

#44 of 55: By cubster (December 7, 2006 03:32 PM) any thoughts on who gets bumped from the 40 man to make room for Ward (given that Lilly takes Bynum's spot) I vote for Jose Reyes or Adam Harbin (or both if they sign Floyd). Is Glendon Rusch still on the 60 day DL? If he is they probably don't need a roster spot for Ward. ========================================== CUBSTER: All players must be off the 60-day DL by November 20th (at the latest), and it is not available again until March 1st. As for who goes when Ward gets added to the 40, I'd say either Buck Coats or Jose Reyes.

"Was it just the one knee injury that made him miss part of 2004, all of 2005 and half of 2006? hell of an injury if that is the case..." He had Tommy John surgery in 2004, followed by its mandatory rehab, in which he tore his hammy.

Sounds like the Cub's should try to get him for their starting rotation.

Guys any more news on Suppan,Baldelli?

PHIL: Given the current structure of our roster, was there a chance in hell Josh Hamilton could have stuck on the 25 man for the whole 2007 season?

Hmmm...I didn't know about the torn hammy. But I should that he also had 24 doubles this last year, converting to 40+ over 162 games.

"Hmmm...I didn't know about the torn hammy." Yeah, he had a career's worth of injuries over a three year period. Torn ACL, Tommy John Surgery and torn hammy.

No more info on Suppan, Baldelli or Marquis. in yesterday's roundup, I pointed to a link that Cubs had a 3/30 offer on the table for Suppan.

from BP.com Forty-seven million for Jason Schmidt, or $40 million for Ted Lilly? It's in comparison to contracts like the other big one handed out yesterday that you start to see the value in the newest Dodger. Lilly has never thrown 200 innings in a season, and has one ERA below 4.00--that in a shortened campaign--in his life. He's not improving significantly as he crosses 30 years old, and it's not like he has hidden value when you go into his peripherals. The going rate for a mid-rotation free-agent starter without much upside is eight figures a year, and the Cubs paid it. I just don't see where this pushes a team that much closer to a title. also.. but now that the Dodgers have brought in Luis Gonzalez to join Juan Pierre and Andre Ethier in their outfield, this meansÖ well, possibly the worst collection of outfield throwing arms since any unit that had Rudy Law in center.

#64 of 65: By Carlos (December 7, 2006 03:58 PM) PHIL: Given the current structure of our roster, was there a chance in hell Josh Hamilton could have stuck on the 25 man for the whole 2007 season? ================================ CARLOS: No way. Just having anybody with Rule 5 restrictions on a team for an entire season puts a crimp into roster flexibility, but carrying a guy on the bench who has spent most of the past four seasons on the Resricted List and who has only played 23 games above Class "A" (and that was in 2001) would really be a problem. I know Hamilton is only 25 and no doubt he has outstanding natural talent, but he cannot spend an entire season on an MLB regular-season roster at this point in his career (such as it is). Perhaps the Reds want to take a look at Hamilton in Spring Training, and if they like what they see, maybe they will try and work out a trade with TB so they can send Hamilton to AA for a year. That would be the only way it would make sense.

BP.com: "I just don't see where this (signing Lilly) pushes a team that much closer to a title." I can't agree more...

CUBSNLINUX: Please do a search here before posting old news on this blog. You can simply hold the Ctrl & F key and type a keyword. "Old" here is from 10 minutes to an hour after the first source lets it fly, in any medium, print or broadcast. It got pretty crazy here the last couple days, and the extra and double postings does put a drag on the server. Thanks!

As I said, not a good fit for the Cubs, of neither was Izturis and Hendry is still tickled about getting him. But, I think the Rays are going to ask for Hill and Marshall for him, and as Rob pointed out, he's an out machine. Check the 2005 Cubs for what Homeruns and batting average do for you. A .370 OBP guy for CF is what the lineup needs, not another .320 OBP 20 HR hitter.

Forty-seven million for Jason Schmidt, or $40 million for Ted Lilly? Come one...big difference. Once guy will make ten million a year. One guy will make 16 million a year. You cannot compare total values of contracts when they are of different lengths.

"Forty-seven million for Jason Schmidt, or $40 million for Ted Lilly? It's in comparison to contracts like the other big one handed out yesterday that you start to see the value in the newest Dodger." wow. now that's slanting the view. why not ask "10m a year for lilly or 15m for schmidt?" geez. yeah, some at BP still cant get over the soriano signing, but that's a bit sophomoric to print a comparison like that just acting like how long you get to keep the tallent means nothing. that 40m furcal deal looks good when you see that the yanks gave 190m...wow...40 is less than 190! the kicker is those are educated people who know better than that.

I have no idea what the Nats are asking for Church, I assume young pitching, but I think he's a better option at a more reasonable price.

it also assumes Schmidt was just going to go to the highest bidder. We still don't know what or if the Cubs offered anything...

MANNY: While I do agree about the Lilly quote to a point, the writer also did not mention that the team did not even have a Lilly-type arm at all, and that compared to last year, with his addition, the staff's net wins should be improved - we had TWO bona fide starters and Schmidt did not want to come here. So, yes we didn't get a top-shelf starter, but we got what was available. If you read the Toronto bloggers that I mentioned earlier, the guy gets thumbs up from the Jays loyalists. If we do not get another arm that is better than he by opening day, I'l be more worried. But I will say he will keep us in enough games to win 14-16 games in his first year in the NL, as a lefty. Provided the wind isn't blowing out.

he's an out machine. I can handle an out machine that brings an 850+ OPS with plus defense and plus speed. And what realistic CF options are out there that have a .370 OBP? You brought up Pie, yet Pie's OBP in the minors has rarely been anywhere close to .370. The last two years he has been at .341 and .349.

Haven't really thought about Baldelli much since if we planned on dealing with Tampa I wanted Crawford. But I certainly will not turn my nose up at him. He can do more in 90 games than Lofton can do in 150. Plus his contract has built in safe guards if he does get injured. It is a contract he negotiated himself that is very shrewed in its construction. It is a 6 year contract... he receives salaries of 2M in 2006, 750K in 2007 and 2.25M in 2008- + with 600PA in 2006, his 2007 salary can increase to 2.5M and 2008 salary can increase to 4.5M- + the deal includes a Team Option for 2009 worth 6M or a 4M buyout- + if 2009 option is exercised, then a dual 2010 Team Option worth 8M and 2011 Team Option worth 9M are added- + the 2010 and 2011 options must be exercised together- + if the dual option is declined, then he receives a 2M buyout- + if does not reach 600PA in 2006, then he can earn 1.75M in performance bonuses in 2007 (mostly based on PA) and 2.25M in performance bonuses in 2008 (mostly based on PA)- + 2008 salary can become guaranteed at 5M (w/out performance bonuses) if he reaches 600PA in 2007- + as part of deal, if he remains with Rays thru 2011, he will have donated 400K to Rays' charitable foundation That is a sweet contract with very little risk. He gets some money in case he never plays again, while at the same time not making himself a financial burden on the team. I will take Rocco Baldelli any day of the week as my CFer.

E-Man- AS I posted earlier, I think we did have Lilly on the team last year, and his name was Greg Maddux. About the same money and about the same results we can expect. So again, I don't see an upgrade just a wash with what Maddux has done the past 3 years of his career.

"And what realistic CF options are out there that have a .370 OBP?" What was Lofton's OBP last year? Does he cost us Rich Hill to sign, or can we get him for Marmol and Marshall?

Hendry needs to worry about trading for a pitcher rather than trading for OF'er.

Lofton's OBP was .360. Lofton's OBP in his last four seasons: .333, .346, .392, .360. He also brings a lot less power and defense. You also can't count on him for 160 games. Don't get me wrong - I don't think Baldelli is the "answer" but I do like him and love the fact that he is only 26 and has a very affordable salary. But I wouldn't give up Pie or Hill for him. But anyone else would probably be tradeable in my book for him.

Manny: It is a good point to be sure. But Mad-Dog was only with us the first half, and he had no help from the guys around us. So - let's see what fills in around him. It was really, as someone put yesterday, kind of a "no-choice" signing recognizing the holes in the starting rotation.

"But I wouldn't give up Pie or Hill for him" But you'll block Pie, who is cheaper, has better plate discipline and similar tool set in other regards, probably a little better defensively. Again, there is no point in trading for him. And projecting half a season of stats and calling them a full season, is nice but it's not really a true representation of what he is going to do. If you just look at Pie's 2nd half stats, his AAA numbers suggest that he could be ready to play in '07.

I hope there is no validity to the Jason Marquis offer rumor. He has been with the two best pitching coaches in baseball with poor to mixed results. What chance would he have with our guy?

"a la Bart and Lisa, "Dar-yle! Dar-yle!" Didn't work. =)" Please tell me that this is not the only reason you know about the Daryl, Daryl chant. Please!??!?!?! You do know where that really comes from, right? _____________________________________________________ No one answered this one? Dar-yl as in Daryl Strawberry @ the SHEA...witnessed it many a time myself.

If we get Baldelli, it means that Pie is going no longer in the Cubs plans. Are we willing to give up Pie's potential for the production of Baldelli? I'm not.

But you'll block Pie, who is cheaper, has better plate discipline and similar tool set in other regards, probably a little better defensively. Did you read anything that I wrote? I already said you either move Baldelli to left or trade him once Pie is ready. I would not let Baldelli block Pie, and neither would the Cubs.

And projecting half a season of stats and calling them a full season, is nice but it's not really a true representation of what he is going to do. for example... Baldelli in 2003 1st half .304/.329/.446, (89 Games) 2nd half .270/.322/.378, (67 Games)

in that particular episode mr. burns hires d.strawberry to play on the company softball team. episode features many pro players. strawberry plays a brownnoser to the manager...kinda funny. griffey jr. gets an "enlarged head" from drinking too much nerve tonic. etc. etc.

There is no reason that Baldelli and Pie could not play in the same outfield. I would love to see a Pie (RF), Baldelli (CF), and Soriano (LF) outfield. Look...if Hendry can get Baldelli without trading Pie or Hill, I would be excited about that. The Cubs are clearly committed to Pie, and a Baldelli signing would not mean that they are giving up on Pie. It would just mean that they see a talented young player that could be under Cubs control for several years at a very affordable cost. I have no idea what it would take to get him, and I am sure he would be demand multiple high quality prospects. But it could be worth it.

well if we're banking on potential, I'd just roll with Murton and not give up the pitching prospects.

Murton will probably put up similar, if not better, numbers than Baldelli by the time Pie is ready.

looks like the well has dried up and everyone has gone home. i'm officially clocking out. Look for TCR Friday Notes tomorrow...

Dave, Sorry I am having trouble keeping up with your logic. We are going to trade players we don't have, for 6 months of a player who is best suited to bat 7th in the lineup. Or maybe we'll put him in left, diminishing his value to the team and pushing a better hitter out of the lineup as we do it. I think I got it now. Great idea! Nice job on the updates Rob G, and others who helped.

But that doesn't solve our CF problem that we have this coming season, especially if Jones is traded. I go back to the original problem - no center fielder. And options are limited.

I would love to see a Pie (RF), Baldelli (CF), and Soriano (LF) outfield. That's a lot of K's in the outfield. The wind would perpetually be blowing out.

Your not possibly comparing Pie's minor league numbers to Baldelli's pro numbers are you? That is just full of pit falls. The fact is we need a CFer if Jones is on the outs with this organization. If we do get Baldelli he doesn't block a damn thing. Pie has proved nothing, and who knows if he ever will. If you start depending on him to be good while finding subpar pieces to fill in in the meantime you are running a risky gauntlet. A gauntlet this organization has a very poor track record on. The best situation to be in is that you have Baldelli and Pie comes up in September in the the next couple years and dominates. Then you are in the very enviable situation of dealing from a position of strength. Murton, Baldelli, and Soriano would all bring something very worthwhile in return. Or Pie could bring something very good in return. Because why would you want to break up Murton, Baldelli, Soriano if they are all producing very well? Best to dump Pie for an upgrade somewhere else and not take the risk that he might be a bust. It is the old trading an unknown for a known trick. At the very worst, if an injury happens anywhere in the OF, Pie would/should get first crack and the starting gig. It is that very situation that made Thome expendable to Ryan Howard. If Thome was never injured, you probably would have seen Howard on another team. Yeah Howard was good, but there were no guarantees he could hit as good as Thome. It is a hell of a leap of faith to take a known and go with an unknown unless you have no choice and have financial limitations.

Umm...as far as projecting a half season's worth of stats out to a whole year, I have just one thing to say to you: Corey Patterson, 2003. I rest my case.

Just for shits and giggles because I know it's not necessarily fair to compare Korey and Baldelli but: Korey 2003: 83 Games: .298/.329/.511, 13 HR, 55 RBI, 49 R, 16 SB, 15 BB, 77 SO Baldelli 92 Games: .302/.339/.533, 16 HR, 57 RBI, 59 R, 10 SB, 14 BB, 70 SO Eerily similar, no?

well personally I don't care about blocking Pie or not, he can play any of the OF positions as is. I personally care about giving up anything worthwhile for Baldelli who has demonstrated severe problems in his game so far, most notably... - Injury history - poor plate discpline - not a lot of power He doesn't hit for a high average, he doesn't get on base on a good clip and he's had half a season worth a damn of power. If the power continues to develop, you have something albeit nothing fantastic.

Oh, I should clarify, that is Baldelli in 2006.

"Your not possibly comparing Pie's minor league numbers to Baldelli's pro numbers are you? That is just full of pit falls." Is it as full of pitfalls as looking at half a season of stats which are out of line with his career and deciding he is now an .872 OPS (slugging heavy) hitter? "It is that very situation that made Thome expendable to Ryan Howard." It's not the same situation. Because the Phillies didn' have Howard when they signed Thome (yes they had him, but he was in A ball, and had hit 18 HR's that season as I recall). Also the Indians didn't get Brett Myers, either.

Hellfrozeover, I know that's not a fair comparison for various reasons, but that is spooky.

Baldelli has hit every season he has been in the majors. Patterson didn't. That is the major difference. Look at Baldelli's numbers in 2004 and 2003 if you want an idea of what he can do over a full-season. He is going to hit about .280 with a .326 OBP with maybe 14 HR's, 75 RBI, and score 85 runs. And there is no reason to believe he can't improve upon those numbers since he is only age 25. His power stroke looks to be coming along as he not only hit 16 HR's in 364 AB's but stroked 24 doubles as well. In his rookie and sophomore seasons where he got over 500 AB's in each he had 32 and 27 doubles. Unlike Patterson Baldelli hits for average against both RHP and LHP. Though his hitting against LHP is much better. Plus he can hit with RISP, posting a .296/.356. That is in stark contrast to Corey Patterson's .242/.315 with RISP. It is really laughable to compare Patterson to Baldelli. Patterson isn't 1/4 the player Baldelli.

Why isn't that a fair comparision? toolsy guys with little plate discpline both around the same age at those times (Baldelli 25 last year, Korey was 24 in 2003).

you have low standards Mike C because his 2003 and 2004 numbers look bad to me...

Why isn't that a fair comparision? because Korey only has one half of a season where he put up comparable numbers to Baldelli. Baldelli has put up solid/good numbers over 2.5 seasons, and has improved each season.

"It is really laughable to compare Patterson to Baldelli. Patterson isn't 1/4 the player Baldelli." "Look at Baldelli's numbers in 2004 and 2003 if you want an idea of what he can do over a full-season." Ok, let's look at what Baldelli did in 2004. .280 .326 .436 .762 Now lets look at what Corey did in 2004. .266 .320 .452 .772 Yeah MikeC, you're right on the money. Baldelli is 4 times as good as Patterson.

Well show me all the seasons Patterson had respectable numbers? The fact is the only season anyone would consider worthwhile for Patterson was the 2003 season and that was the half-season. Baldelli on the other hand has in each year he has played put up decent numbers. He can already hit for average in the majors so he wont struggle with that as Patterson did. Usually a guy that can hit for average can bring his K's down and his walks up as he gets older. Guys that are undisciplined hack machines like Patterson continue to hit for poor average and never take walks. The fact is Patterson never but up 1 single half way decent full season in his major league career to date. Baldelli already has 2, that is why the comparison is silly.

I ask, again, what were good about Baldelli's 2003 and 2004? they're very similar to Korey's 2004 and 2006

Damn MikeC, you just owned yourself. Well done!

you have low standards Mike C because his 2003 and 2004 numbers look bad to me... really? 2003- .289/.326/.416 - 11 HR, 32 2b, 89 R, 78 RBI, 27 SB, all at the age of 22 2004- .280/.326/.436 - 16 HR, 27 2b, 79 R, 74 RBI, 17 SB, at the age of 23 and in only 136 games. By no means are those hall of fame numbers, or even all-star numbers, but at his age they are quite decent. Add to that an even better 2006, and it looks like he has a very promising future.

what numbers are people looking at with Baldelli that I'm missing?

well yeah, at his age they were quite decent, so were Korey's in 2003 and 2004... and I'm not even saying they're the same player, Korey is a headcase, from what I know Baldelli is not. And improvement is certainly possible and even expected. It was also expected in Korey and it's expected in Murton and Pie. But people act like this guy is an All-Star just waiting to get out of Tampa, when it's far more likely he's another run of the mill league average player. And he's certainly not worth what the Drays seem to be asking right now.

I guess you don't give a shit about young players who are capable of hitting for average consistently. It is probably why Murton isn't liked by most people on this board. He doesn't put up the sexy power numbers.

As I said: "Just for shits and giggles because I know it's not necessarily fair to compare Korey and Baldelli" I just thought it was a damn scary resemblance between seasons. That said, I do think there is something to the fact that in the given half-seasons of comparisons, they were both young, toolsy players as Rob said. Also Dave, that is patently untrue. Actually, during the 2004 season, Corey put up numbers arguably superior (going by runs created) or at least on par with Baldelli in either 2003 or 2004. The difference is that Korey had a terrible year in 2005 and then proceeded to rebound to a normal expected production in 2006 and also that he is older than Baldelli in those seasons. Corey 2004 and 2006: 157 Games: .266/.320/.452, 24 HR, 72 RBI, 33 2B, 6 3B, 45 BB, 168 SO, and 32 SB 135 Games: .276/.314/.443, 16 HR, 53 RBI, 19 2B, 5 3B, 21 BB, 94 SO and 45 SB Baldelli 2003/2004: 156 Games: .289/.326/.416, 11 HR, 78 RBI, 32 2B, 8 3B, 30 BB, 128 SO and 27 SB 136 Games: .280/.326/.436, 16 HR, 74 RBI, 27, 3 3B, 30 BB, 88 SO So what does this mean? Nothing really because the argument for getting Baldelli is that 2006 was his breakout year. But for those with short memories, a lot of people were saying the same thing about Korey after 2003 and even after 2004. "He's finding his power stroke". I'm not advocating one way or the other on Baldelli because while I'm not a fan of his skill set, he will at least put the ball in play a hell of a lot more than Korey and as a result would likely consistently put up a decent batting average even if his peripheral numbers aren't any better than what Todd Walker would provide. But frankly I think the Cubs would be better off to tell Jaque Jones to give all those assholes making threats to him a big "fu-- you!" and come back and play CF anyway.

Uh, Murton is pretty well liked around here from what I've read. And he looks a whole helluva lot more promising than Baldelli -- more power, more patience, and healthy.

Baldelli is clearly superior to Korey in one area. He has a great name. Anyway, not sure why people don't like Murton either. He's a young Brian Giles. A healthy one, too, for now at least.

"He is going to hit about .280 with a .326 OBP with maybe 14 HR's, 75 RBI, and score 85 runs. So basically, we're trading for another Mark DeRosa?

No, I don't. Batting average is fluky and very difficult to maintain. A high batting average (which Baldelli does not have) is even harder when you strike out a lot (like Baldelli does). fun with numbers... Patterson in the minors: 282/338/499 Baldelli in the minors 282/329/434 And yeah, i can't stand Murton, what a bum.

The Pie business is getting silly. People like to pretend he's a good prospect simply because he's the Cub's best prospect (that's not saying a whole lot). I'm not too enamored with him. He appears to be hacky and has a very long swing. His redeeming quality is his defense & speed. Whoopedy doo. My guess is in ST '07 we'll see him taking some very strange hacks at big league sliders.

I love Murton, and I think he'll turn out to be better than Korey and Rocco combined, mostly because he actually has plate discipline. He probably doesn't come across as sexy at first because they both are excellent with the glove and have great wheels, but I think that in 2 years neither of those guys will hold a candle to Orange Man.

hellfrozeover: He probably doesn't come across as sexy at first My wife disagrees.

People like to pretend he's a good prospect simply because he's the Cub's best prospect Yea...except for the fact that most baseball people think quite highly of Pie. His biggest downfall is his plate discipline, but his defense is gold glove caliber, with great range and a great arm. He has plus power and is slowly learning how to steal bases. He has hit for average, and just needs to increase his OBP. And he is still really young. There is little not to like.

Rob check out Baldelli's 3 year splits on ESPN.com. Baldelli's situational hitting is better than Patterson's across the board. Baldelli hits RHP and LHP, Patterson not so much especially lefties. Look at the monthly splits where Patterson is all over the board with nothing really that good, and Baldelli is much more consistent. (Bah just noticed it doesn't include Baldelli's 2003 splits on ESPN, I don't feel like going back to adding them up to include them)

just go to Baseball reference.com, they have splits now Mike C, year by year or career

comparison test: the cubs are screwed. the blue jays are screwed. one has hendry. the other has ricciardi. with what one paid for soriano the other will have to exceed for the even better vernon wells. with what one paid for a ted freakin' lilly will have to pay double for the vastly better carlos zambrano. the other may have to settle for victor zambrano to fill out the rotation. re ted lilly: he'll have some good games. but prepare those gloves out on waveland.

More fun with numbers: Patterson in the minors: 282/338/499 Baldelli in the minors 282/329/434 Pie .294 .353 .459 Pie has higher BA and ISO OBP than both of them. Baldelli, however was 'rushed'.

Vorare - I don't get that impression at all regarding Murton. I see a lot of posts about how he can platoon with this guy or that guy. The one most often throw around he is can platoon with Jones. Murton is already a better over-all hitter than Jones, why he would platoon with a lesser player and stop his development I have no clue. Anyone been reading the rumors about Cliff Floyd over the last week or so? You see a good number of people in the blogsphere who say he would make a fine platoon partner with Murton. That crap make my brain bleed.

I agree with you, any mention of putting Murton in a platoon makes me want to break things.

I wouldn't worry much about Cliff Floyd, when's he's healthy he's usually good (exclusing last season). When he's not healthy than Murton will be playing anyway.

Those are interesting numbers Real Neal. Patterson hasn't consistently come anywhere near to his minor league numbers. Baldelli has pretty much made the transition from the minors to the majors with no major hiccups as his numbers haven't declined at all. That is a very important and a good sign. It is the same thing Murton is doing.

I think it depends on what you mean by 'platoon'. If the idea is, an I think that this will be the case, to limit the starters to 140-145 starts, then you have Floyd start 17 in left, maybe a few in right and at first if he promises not to break his wrist horrifically, he is going to make his 17 starts against right handers, and provide insurance in case Murton goes down.

I guess I wouldn't have a problem with that Neal. When I see platoon I am always thinking of Floyd/Jones getting all the RHP and Murton getting all the lefties. Which means Murton riding the bench for weeks on end. You don't ever do that to a young player with his kind of batting ability. It is a sure fire way to destroy him.

well I'm guessing Murton will be the insurance if Floyd goes down assuming he signs here. 3 yr splits on Floyd: 261/347/466 vs righty: 274/351/500 vs lefty: 245/343/423 I certainly feel it's excessive and unnecessary to bring Floyd in to share time with Murton but it's not sharing time with Angel Pagan or some other sort of crap. Floyd can still hit the righties and he gets on-base. It also makes your bench that much better. And Floyd gets injured so often that Murton will still end up with the bulk of the Ab's I'm guessing, even on the short side of a platoon.

rob G, do you really not like murton?.. i see a lot of potential in him

ESPN has Floyd's 3 year splits against lefties at .218 BA/.285 OBP. Besides Floyd has no business ever being a starter again. Murton is where we should be focusing on, not a washed up veteran on his last legs.

doesnt the d.ward signing kinda kill the floyd thing? i get the impression that hendry and pinhead are kinda happy with murton. i guess it ultimately comes down to who's playing CF and if they add or subtract power jones provides.

I was kidding, murton is one of my favorite young players on the team and I wish the Cubs would leave him alone in LF. It doesn't mean I can't recognize that Floyd hits righties fine and at the very least is more consistent with his power.

I don't think so crunch, Ward I think is a strict bench guy. Floyd would come here to play more regularly, but who knows. It really depends on how Piniella plans to use these guys.

yeah, i see ward as the bench guy. i dont buy into this whole "murton gonna get platooned" thing. he may get occasionally platooned, but that's what a guy like ward is for. if youre gonna sign a guy for a straight platoon, that's pretty much saying "murton, youre gonna get 200-300ab at most...and 150-200 will be the lefties." i just dont think they wanna use murton like that and i dont think floyd wants to sit around hoping for 300-ish ab's himself.

Oh I agree with that Rob regarding Floyd. I am just scarred by years of the Cubs going with the broken down aging veteran without giving a younger player a shot. We haven't had anyone with Murton's skills recently come up through our minors. But in the back of my mind I always fear something or someone is going to fuck it all up. It would be very Cub like for them to sign Floyd and then instill him as our LFer. If Dusty was still around, it would almost be a certainty. But like Crunch said, Piniella and Hendry seem to be high on him and expect him to be even better as the years go on. So that makes me feel comfy about his future with the franchise. Ward also makes me feel better. But every time I see Floyd's name mentioned that is what I fear, so I don't want him. It is my paranoia, I can't help it, lol.

of course, who knows about Floyd is looking for these days, he's sure to get offers to be the LH side of a DH platoon somewhere (pair him with Sosa and some team would have a nice pair). My guess is that Piniella wouldn't make it all that strict. Murton plays against all lefties, but he'd spell Floyd/Soriano 2-3 times a week if we faced a string of righties in a row. I did read they were talking about letting Murton play some right (which he did do in the minors). Just a guess on my part though...

Kevin Hart played for the Frederick Keys, in Hi A ball. He went 6-11 4.61 ERA 7K/9 .258BA (Orioles system) not all that great numbers.

before anyone asks about d.ward's arm...the word "weak" sums it up...not exactly a great glove, either...but hey, neither is murton and floyd is just a piss poor defender. crap vs. crap vs. crap... i'll take the 1.4m murton/ward package of defensive liability, though. ya know, early in the year murton looked VERY comfortable in LF but as the year dragged on he became a little more clumbsy out there. weird stuff. still, while his arm might not let him escape LF but for a few games, his evolving approach to hitting as the pitchers adjust to him shows a lot. kid is not only coachable, but can take what he's told and translate it. seems to not get confused when he has to adapt many times in a season...or complain about it.

Stats scouting report on Ward: Ward's lack of agility also hurts him in the field. He has little range at first base and his footwork is subpar, though he shows decent hands. Ward is strictly a corner man in the outfield, where he gets to few balls and has a below-average arm. probably before 2005..

ward's weight has been his downfall. we can all hope he shows up in good shape, but houston gave up on it, LA paid the price for their gamble, and now its the cubs turn. for a guy with his power, its not really a bad gamble cuz he's never been hugely overpaid, but if he's showing up fat you can count on a fatass 1st baseman who will see limited LF time.

all rumors at this point, no way Billingsley goes and I don't see the Braves giving up any arms right now, not to mention they have a CF. (I suppose they could be preparing for next year) O's are just dumb so I don't put anything past them.

if Floyd does sign with the Cubs isn't someone left out? Jones, Pagan? I can't see the Cubs carrying 3 reserve outfielders (including D.Ward as a OF/1B). I can't see Hendry/Piniella only carrying 1 reserve IFer despite both Cedeno and Theriot being capable 2B/SS. It's possible, but I don't see it, and with that rotation no way is Hendry only carrying 11 pitchers. At least after April. Bench Blanco Theriot Cedeno Pagan D.Ward

My (realistic) wish list for the Cubs the rest of the way... SP - Suppan or Jennings CF - Talk Jones into staying, get Ryan Church or Kenny Lofton BENCH - Sign Nevin or Craig Wilson 25 man roster C - Barrett 1b - Lee 2b - Derosa SS - Izturis 3b - Ramirez LF - Murton CF - Jones/Church/Lofton RF - Soriano BENCH - Nevin/C. Wilson, Blanco, Theriot, Ward, Floyd/Pagan SP - Z, Hill, Lilly, Suppan/Jennings, Prior/Miller RP - Cotts, Ohman, Eyre, Howry, Dempster, Wood, Miller/Wuertz the slashed guys count as one player.

I think with Derosa and Izturis who both can play 2b, 3b and SS along with Theriot who can SS/2B, you'll have enough flexibility for late in games. I feel another middle infielder is completely unnecessary. Put power on the bench. If some injuries hit, just call up from the minors guys like Scott Moore or whatever.

Does it bother anyone else... That Murton only makes outfield catches with one hand exclusively? What's up with that? I see him as pretty mediocre in the outfield. Sometimes decent. Sometimes, bad. Bad angles to the ball. Misjudging distances, etc. But I think he'll really develop into a professional hitter.

If Cotts isn't going to be used as a starter, then we need to deal Ohman. The dude made arbitration hellish last year for the Cubs, and we don't need three left-handed relievers. Rob, where does Rusch fit into your 25-man?

r u baiting me for a joke? let's say that if he's cleared to play, which no one knows when that will be or if it will be, he's goes on a very long rehab assignment and we pray that someone will offer us a good steak and a bottle of wine for him. Otherwise cut his ass.... And yeah, I assume some trades will happen and Wuertz finds his way into the pen with no problem, but for now I'm fine with that. Cotts career numbers show him being just as good versus lefties and righties. I believe his out pitch is a change anyway, so he doesn't really qualify as a LOOGY in my book. Ohman has that nasty slurve which is far more effective versus lefties. I think Cotts will actually be the swing man and I have no idea what they'll do with Miller if Prior is healthy.

Rusch =DL followed by DFA Cedeno = AAA or trade bait Ohman did stretch the arbitration process last yr but settled...but that was mostly an issue which would piss off Andy McFail. So it's not the current issue with Andy the Clown gone. I suspect Ohman is LOOGY trade bait since they don't need 3 lefty's in the pen when Eyre is a workhorse and can get righty's out too and Cotts is probably 2nd in line to get innings. Some solid starting pitcher must be out there if you dangle JJones/Cedeno/Ohman. Especially to a team that wants a salary dump. That trade might not happen until the spring though unless some groundwork was done for such a deal this week.

Q: where does Rusch fit into your 25-man? A: 3 in front, 3 in back Is this a variant of: How many elephants fit in a volkswagen?

ROB G: FYI - The blog-master of "Kauffman Confidentials" the blog link on TCR home page for the KC Royals, decided yesterday to call it quits and shut it down! He said basically, he was so disgusted by the team then rather than just spew negative stuff endlessly, he would just shut it down! Maybe the Meche signing drove him over the edge?

Not baiting you. I haven't kept up much with his rehab. I honestly didn't know his status.

he wrote that before the Meche signing, I mentioned it under the comments yesterday or the day before. Poor fella....

if I recall correctly, the earliest Rusch could be taken off blood thinners was in 6 months which put it around the beginning of spring training and he could very likely have to wait the entire (or most of) the season. He cannot pitch while he's on the medication.

Batting practice pitchers don't need to be on the 25-man roster. He'd make a great left-handed batting practice pitcher.

#167 of 168: By Ryno (December 7, 2006 08:21 PM) Batting practice pitchers don't need to be on the 25-man roster. He'd make a great left-handed batting practice pitcher. ---- That was something we needed last year... literally. How ridiculous was that situation? Not even talking about whether it truly would have made a difference or not, but just the simple fact that Dusty said we couldn't even find a Left-handed BP pitcher. Most good little league All-Star teams can come up with one of those. Only the Cubs.

After signing Ward I'm not sure they can afford to have another PH/non-defensive player like Nevin take up a spot unless there were an injury at 1b again.

doesn't seem like a priority for the Cubs, but I do wonder if they plans to have a right-handed bat available for late in the games with power. Blanco, Theriot, Pagan don't really count in my book. I particularly like Nevin or Wilson because both can be emergency catchers meaning you can pinch hit for Blanco or Barrett if desired.

Career: Nevin vs lefties: 292/379/540 Wilson vs lefties: 296/395/543 3 yrs Nevin vs lefties: 258/359/465 Wilson vs lefties: 272/378/497 Nevin will be 36 next year, Wilson 30 Yeah I'd like Wilson more too, but I'm sure someone will give him the chance as a DH/1b type before the offseason is out. Yanks are still talking to him for their 1b job.

via rotoworld... it was the Braves who killed the Laroche/Gonzalez deal asking for a 2nd player

I agree with Rob in regards to getting Wilson. Maybe he'd get a DH/1B offer from one of the small-market teams in the AL, but I think he'd ultimately go where the money is. The possible problem would be the Yanks, who can and will outspend the Cubs and who could use his right-handed presence in their lineup. He'd be a great RH PH and occasional spot-starter, though. No chance on the Cubs getting Baldelli. They have the young pitchers the D-Rays crave, but it'd make little-to-no-sense for the Cubs to trade valuable young arms for an injury-prone outfielder when they are supposedly keeping Murton, have Soriano for the outfield, still have Jones, and supposedly are unwilling to trade Pie. That's one clogged outfield (not the same as clogging the bases, though). Offman is not exactly the most reliable source, either. Now, I could see the Cubs offering some young arms to try to get Crawford, who is healthier and is a left-handed stick, but that would only make sense if they plan on trading Pie in addition to either platooning Jones and Murton or trading Jones or Murton. The Cubs' outfield picture is looking sketchier and sketchier. It'd make the most sense to move Soriano to CF, keep Jones, and then get a guy like Wilson to platoon in RF against LHP (or put DeRosa there and have Theriot start at 2B). Of course, that pales in comparison to the thought of Marquis being in our rotation. That would piss me off even more than signing Meche. Note to Hendry: You have to TRADE to get a #2 starter. Not sign a bargain-bin pitcher with a bloated ERA.

Guys, Appears Jason Marquis is set to sign and 3 year 27-30 million contact. the source mlb4u.com

What do you want to bet that Bonds magically hits #'s 755 and 756 in San Fran? Is it really too much to ask for all the ligaments in his knees to snap during Spring Training.

I'm going to hold out hope the Cubs don't get Marquis. mlb4u.com is a pretty unreliable site...I mean, when one of your most common sources is a certain traderumors site, you'll have a lot of bogus info. Signing Marquis is dumb enough...signing him for a multi-year deal is asinine...signing him for $27-$30 million is criminally stupid. C'mon Jim, do the right thing. Get Jennings or Westbrook or Penny...hell, I'd take Hendrickson over Marquis at that price.

#171 of 176: By Rob G. (December 7, 2006 08:38 PM) doesn't seem like a priority for the Cubs, but I do wonder if they plans to have a right-handed bat available for late in the games with power. Blanco, Theriot, Pagan don't really count in my book. I particularly like Nevin or Wilson because both can be emergency catchers meaning you can pinch hit for Blanco or Barrett if desired. ================================= ROB G: Two words - Casey McGehee. Not the power of Nevin or Wilson, but a consistent line drive stroke. And he can play 1B, 3B, and be the 3rd catcher. McGehee is currently the leading candidate to win the MVP in the Mexican Pacific League, so expect him to be one of the in-house guys (along with E. Patterson, Pignatiello, Wells, Fox, Fontenot, and Hoffpauir) who gets an NRI to ST, and watch him impress the hell out of Uncle Lou.

Maybe it's the eternal optimist in me, but it doesn't make sense for the Cubs to NOT make a trade at this point. For starters, they have 3 lefties in the pen...even if Cotts is going to be an all-purpose set-up/swing-man, there's no need to have Ohman, with Rapada apparently ready. Adding him to the 40-man roster seems to indicate that the Cubs know he's a valuable LHRP, and that he is capable of being on an MLB 25-man roster (hence protecting him today). They also still have another RHRP that is expendable...either Dempster, Novoa, or Wuertz (I hope not him, though) would be expendable in trade, assuming that Woody is healthy and that the Cubs feel confident in Howry's ability to close (I tend to think that Dempster will bounce back this year, but that still leaves Novoa and Wuertz). The Cubs also have a few young SP prospects and relief prospects that were called up last year that have to be running out of options. Then there's the fact that Jones apparently asked to be dealt, and the Cubs are looking for a left-handed outfielder--preferably a CF. Signing another starter--especially a guy like Marquis, would make no sense, unless the Cubs plan on trading for yet another starter and then dealing towards the middle of the year from a position of surplus/strength, or unless the Cubs plan on trading for a starting CF who hits left-handed. Of course, it's possible that the Cubs are inept, but I tend to hope that's not the case.

The Cubs aren't in on the Zito sweepstakes, are they? I hadn't heard anything about it if they were until I read Susan Kelley's article on all-baseball.com. The article was posted today at 4:12 pm and says: "Thus far, the Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs have both shown some interest, and both are thought to be willing to accede to the six year request." Is this real news or is it just wrong?

write her a comment and ask where she got it from. so far all I've heard is that they asked about him to see what it takes. I just can't imagine they'll enter into another 5-6 yr mega-deal with our own Z up for a contract extension. As far as I know, the serious suitor for Zito (so far) are Giants, Mets, Rangers and Angels.

Q: where does Rusch fit into your 25-man? A: right in front of me in the drive thru at Wendy's

The Trib reports the O's might be willing to offer utility man David Newhan in return for Jacque Jones. Woo hoo.

Andrew: The Trib reports the O's might be willing to offer utility man David Newhan in return for Jacque Jones. Woo hoo. hahahaha... Good one, O's. "Throw in" Erik Bedard and you got a deal.

so far all I've heard is that they asked about him to see what it takes. I just can't imagine they'll enter into another 5-6 yr mega-deal with our own Z up for a contract extension. Not to mention we've already got Lilly and Hill already. That would be three very similar lefties in the rotation. I'll pass on that, thanks, unless we then trade Hill for a right-hander.

I have to read that one for myself, do you have a link?

c'mon...david f***in' newhan? someone writing that one was smoking some tainted crack? .256 .315 .386 enuf said. I'd rather have Jose Macia$, with throw ins Nate Spears, Carlos Perez AND David Crouthers... and I never want to see Macias again. EVER.

jones for newhan would be straight up pathetic. hope that one stays in rumor stage.

O's supposedly offered 3/48 for Schmidt, but not enough to get him to the East Coast

O's wanted Garland as well but Wsox were asking for Daniel Cabrera and Garrett Olson

cubster: .256 .315 .386 Stats aside... he just plain sucks. I'm sure there are some missing details in that rumor. When you look at the value of a player in a trade, you have to figure: 1. What kind of production will you get with the guy? Jacque Jones -- 25 HR 2. What are similar players getting? JD Drew -- 14 Mil/year 3. What is his current salary? Jacque Jones -- 5 Mil That is a huge trading chip. The Cub's have the leverage, too, because Jones can only ask to be traded. If Hendry wants to keep him, Jones has to stay. So essentially Hendry could say, the price for Jones is ________, anything less is unacceptable. Newhan? Come on, get real.

The Orioles are interested in the Cubs' Jacque Jones and could offer utility man David Newhan that's the actual rumor... http://preview.tinyurl.com/yfkz3v Hendry needs to wait on Jones for a month or so and teams will start realizing what they don't have. that being said, I really don't think he'll get us that much. I'm still holding onto Rodrigo Lopez coming our way... off the top of my head, some teams that may pursue him... O's, WSox, Angels, maybe Rangers if they never get their CF and think he can play there I imagine the Cards and Pirates wouldn't mind having him either depending on how the rest of their offseasons shake out. Hendry would probably never deal him to the Cards, but he might consider the Pirates.

I'd deal him to the Cards if it meant we could get Colby Rasmus. Of course, that would never happen.

Marquis = project Wood = project Prior = project Lilly = project ZAMBRANO = STEADY SUPPAN = STEADY Meche = project Weaver = project Mulder = project Hill = project Marshall = project Cotts/Ryu/Marmol = projects ____________________________ Cubs sign Marquis.

...and Zambrano still not signed longterm. Cubs seem to avoid reliability.

Sorry if this is a repost. According to the Washington Post, the O's almost had a three-way with Detroit and Washington, with the keys being Thames to Baltimore and Lopez to Washington, but the O's and Nats couldn't get Lopez's salary worked out. It should be about $5 million after arbitration. If the Cubs wanted to get involve, maybe they could do something like Jacque and Thames to Baltimore, Lopez and a prospect to the Cubs and prospects from both teams to Detroit.

#200 Knowing Hendry's style he'll probably try to sign Z during ST.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/07/AR20061… speaking of the Washington Post The Cubs and Nationals discussed Church as recently as Thursday morning, and it's possible Chicago would be willing to send 24-year-old left-hander Sean Marshall -- who went 6-9 with a 5.59 ERA as a rookie last year -- to Washington. Philadelphia also is believed to have continued interest. sound like the writer is making up names there, but at least they're talking. I'd still trade Marmol for Church in a heartbeat.

Rob, just wanted to say you've done an especially excellent job this week, and this blog has become one of my favorite stops on the Web. I wish the other 29 teams had blogs as good as this one - I doubt it's half that. And one more thing - MVN kind of sucks. That's all. Keep up the good work, you and the rest of TCR.

Bench constructors, bear in mind that now that Dusty's gone we will probably have 6- or maybe even 7- man bench.

http://preview.tinyurl.com/ydn793 Sullivan had nothing better to write about other than to try and make people worry about Z's extension. it did mention Z was planning to work with a personal trainer this offseason and get his back in better shape... http://preview.tinyurl.com/ymsv5y Cubs have definitely talked to Marquis, Rothschild has even watched him workout. Cliff Floyd, according to Gary Hughes, "will probably never be off our radar."

Rob- Been very grateful for the updates while I toiled with school and work this week. Thanks for the effort and I hope you're getting some solid sleep right now. Everybody- As long as stats are being flung around with Baldelli, Floyd, and Pie (I know the conversation has kind of moved on but...) June AVG:.212 OBP:.257 SLG:.227 OPS:.484 Those are Murton's dismal June numbers after the major league pitchers had made adjustments to him. But, as has been pointed out around here before on a number of occasions, he adjusted back and put up numbers the last three months of the season that looked like this: July AVG:.360 OBP:.421 SLG:.440 OPS:.861 Aug AVG:.317 OBP:.364 SLG:.561 OPS:.925 Sept/Oct AVG:.326 OBP:.415 SLG:.554 OPS:.969 When a kid like Murton is hitting the ball like that, you do not talk about making him your fourth outfielder and you don't talk about putting him in a platoon. You talk about trying to figure out a way he can bat twice in the order, I don't care if he's trying to play left field on a pogo stick.

I have to say I REALLY enjoy the humor (including the funny nicknames) on this site; e.g., K-K-K-Korey, McFail, Andy the Clown, The Riot, Where does Rusch fit in the 25 man roster? Right in front of me in the drive thru at Wendy's, etc., etc. You guys kill!

"1. What kind of production will you get with the guy? Jacque Jones -- 25 HR 2. What are similar players getting? JD Drew -- 14 Mil/year " JD Drew is not a similar player. He doesn't need to be platooned, he can throw, he's a good baserunner, he will take a walk, and he's injury prone. I wonder what Johan Santanna would fetch in a trade for the Twins. John Garland (18 Wins) got Tavares and Buckholz(?) Santana (19) wins should be able to get Gathright and Gobble.

When a kid like Murton is hitting the ball like that, you do not talk about making him your fourth outfielder and you don't talk about putting him in a platoon. You talk about trying to figure out a way he can bat twice in the order, I don't care if he's trying to play left field on a pogo stick. I love you Borowski.

re: the Jones for some dipshit from Baltimore rumor-- Do you still doubt me that Jim Hendry needs to hang up the fucking phone when Baltimore calls and never deal with those pricks again? WTF, another absolute nobody for Jock? C'mon.....

Trading for Church or another good, young, cheap CF/RF option would be a great move for Hendry. Not only would we be improving our team, but we'd also be increasing JJ's value on the trade market. I'm not the biggest fan of trading him, unless we can get a #2 starter for him (and young pitching prospects, as needed), but if he did ask for a trade, I'm sure he's going to be accomodated. His value is only going to get higher if the Cubs take away another team's options...Marshall for Church? Hell, I'd do it. I'd try to expand the deal to include Cordero, but I doubt we could get him without giving up way too much. If Guzman, Ryu, and Marshall could land us Church and either Cordero or Patterson, I'd do it. I'd also be willing to throw in Marmol, if need be.

Eric the Great: Maybe the O's feel the Cub's owe them for dumping Corey Patterson & Freddie Bynum on them.

Hendry will sign Z. Unless he knows something we dont, like Z is a cross dressing heroin addict who eats paste in his nightgown. Or something. Hendry likes to do those contracts in ST. He signed Aramis, he signed Lee. He will sign Z. Z knows he has a good thing going in Chicago. He is the ace. And the Cubs are a good team. Maybe not great, with healthy Prior and Miller perhaps, but good nonetheless. Why take more money to pitch in a lousy town? Better food and nightlife in Chicago. Good standard of living. And its not Manhattan.

DaKrone: "Bench constructors, bear in mind that now that Dusty's gone we will probably have 6- or maybe even 7- man bench." I hate to burst your bubble, but like 90% of teams carry 12 pitchers nowadays, especially early in the season when they limit the innings of starting pitchers. And there is no way EVER, EVER, EVER that the Cubs will carry a 10 man pitching staff (what is needed if you want a 7 man bench).

1. What kind of production will you get with the guy? Jacque Jones -- 25 HR 2. What are similar players getting? JD Drew -- 14 Mil/year Are you serious? You can't just look at homeruns. Jock will never come close to the OBP that Drew brings to a team. Drew is a far better player (though not 9 million a year more).

ROB G: YOU SUCK! :-> Actually - Thanks so much for your ongoing efforts in and around your daily life, to keep such a tremendous outpost of connectivity for all of us truly obsessive Cubs fans. I takes much time and effort to update and keep it going, so I as well want to AGAIN applaud you for taking your valuable time to give us a forum for all of us to debate, argue, scold, encourage and connect every one of us passionate (and much suffering) Cubs fans.

#175 No chance on the Cubs getting Baldelli. They have the young pitchers the D-Rays crave, but it'd make little-to-no-sense for the Cubs to trade valuable young arms for an injury-prone outfielder i agree completely. a better scenario for all would be a 3-way swap with the white sox getting baldelli, the cubs getting garland (since freddie has landed in philly), and the d-rays getting marshall/guzman/mateo/ohman pick 2. #188 of 216: By Ryno (December 7, 2006 11:32 PM) Andrew: The Trib reports the O's might be willing to offer utility man David Newhan in return for Jacque Jones. Woo hoo. hahahaha... Good one, O's. "Throw in" Erik Bedard and you got a deal. amen brother ryno.

SF Giants farm system posts top winning percentage in 2006. http://www.ctdefenders.com/news/?id=5759 They might not have many good prospects, but they play well as a team I guess. As for the Cubs, they finished 10th with a 362-329 (.524) record. As to why this is relevant, for those of you who don't know, I now work for the Connecticut Defenders (SF Giants AA Affiliate).

The Real Neal: JD Drew is not a similar player. He doesn't need to be platooned, he can throw, he's a good baserunner, he will take a walk, and he's injury prone. dave: Are you serious? You can't just look at homeruns. Jock will never come close to the OBP that Drew brings to a team. Drew is a far better player (though not 9 million a year more). Fine, what is the free agent equivalent to Jacque Jones?

mannytrillo: I now work for the Connecticut Defenders (SF Giants AA Affiliate). That's awesome. Can you talk about what you do there?

They might not have many good prospects, but they play well as a team I guess. Or they've got a lot of over-age, non-prospects filling out their rosters. Or they have a lot of good players down in the low levels, but they're too far away to project well to the majors. W-L of a farm system just doesn't tell you much about it. Whacha doing for the Defenders, Manny? From what I know about minor league baseball salary, its got to be a pretty big change from your job in Chicago.

Bleeding Blue: "Or they've got a lot of over-age, non-prospects filling out their rosters. Or they have a lot of good players down in the low levels, but they're too far away to project well to the majors. W-L of a farm system just doesn't tell you much about it." Very true... Just from what I have heard, it seems they do have better young talent that might be a few years away.

Interesting stuff from The Ny Post: The general feeling at the Winter Meetings was that the Red Sox would sign Daisuke Matsuzaka because both sides badly need to complete a deal. However, The Boston Globe reported yesterday that the Red Sox are coming to believe that a contract might not get done. It could be posturing. But keep in mind that there is a real clock and it is not midnight Dec. 14. That is when a whole deal, including a physical, must be complete, according to Pat Courtney, a spokesman for the commissioner's office. So, in reality, contract terms probably need to be finalized no later than Tuesday to give a 48-hour window to complete all the examinations and blood work . . . Cubs GM Jim Hendry was taken to a local hospital for an angioplasty on Wednesday. Nevertheless, he completed a four-year deal for Ted Lilly and continued working on Gil Meche, who instead signed for five years with the Royals. Cubs special assistant to the GM Gary Hughes said Hendry called six times before 10 a.m. yesterday from the hospital to monitor events. Even failing on Meche, the Cubs have guaranteed nearly $300 million this offseason to secure manager Lou Piniella and seven free agents, notably Alfonso Soriano. Hughes said, "we're not done." They still want to add a starter and outfielder, and they ultimately will have to invest over $100 million to retain ace Carlos Zambrano, who is entering his walk year. Click here for the full story.

Ryno: "Can you talk about what you do there?" Bleeding Blue: "Whacha doing for the Defenders, Manny? From what I know about minor league baseball salary, its got to be a pretty big change from your job in Chicago." I am the Box Office Manager for the CT Defenders. It is a good first step to getting into baseball operations/administration. But yes, it is a paycut from what I was doing in Chicago. But we moved back to CT because of my wife's job and let's just say I am not bashful about her being the "sugar momma". The job has been fine so far, and I think when the season rolls around it will be pretty cool. We are hosting the Eastern League All-Star Game this year, so that should be exciting. If anyone is interested in coming for a game, shoot me a line and I will take care of you. The stadium is like 5 miles from Mohegan Sun Casino.

Fine, what is the free agent equivalent to Jacque Jones? Maybe Louis Gonzalez? I am not sure...there are not many players in the Free Agent pool that are similar to Jones in terms of production. Gonzo: .271/.352/.444 15 HR, 73 RBI, 93 R Jones: .285/.334/.499 27 HR, 81 RBI, 73 R They are fairly similar - though Jones is slightly better (and obviously younger). I would say that Gonzo is a better comp for Jones than Drew. Here are Drew's numbers: .283/.393/.498 20 HR, 100 RBI, 84 R These numbers are also somewhat below his three year splits, meaning that he had more of a down year, while Jones had more of an up year. While Drew is not a superstar, I would take him over Jones any time I had the opportunity.

When Jones is traded, we better not just give him to another team. Especially if Jones is packaged with a prospect, shouldn't we expect and demand that we get a starting position player in return or a # 4 or # 5 starter? Are we really only going to be able to get a bench player in return for this guy? If so, that sounds like a step backward to me.

Cubs sign Marquis. - YES! The final piece of the puzzle to win the World Series! YES!

If these names (true or not) have been mentioned as available through trade: Jason Jennings; Jake Westbrook; Rodrigo Lopez, Brad Penny, Jon Lieber, Carl Pavano, Jaret Wright. then who else may realistically be available who could be counted on to pitch about 180+ innings and win about 12 games? I think Jeff Suppan is looking better all the time. And shouldn't St. Louis and Houston be fretting about filling 2 rotation spots?

HAVE you guys noticed that the certain Chicago-based baseball "rumor" site, is merely now just a "Reprinter" blog...? Hmmm.

"Better food and nightlife in Chicago. Good standard of living. And its not Manhattan." If money were no object and food and nightlife were involved in my decision, then I would live in Manhattan every time. I've lived in NY, LA and Chicago and there is no place like NY. LA is just a car choked suburb with great sushi and Chicago is a nice compromise between LA and NY but if it's a real world class city you're looking for, the US has only one and it's NY. If all you've done is gone to NY as a tourist or for work and stayed in midtown, then I can see being turned off by it. But once you know the place, it can only be compared to places like London, Paris and Rome, not Chicago and LA. By the way, for most money IS an object. That's why I live in the best alternative to NY; Chicago.

dave: Maybe Louis Gonzalez? I am not sure...there are not many players in the Free Agent pool that are similar to Jones in terms of production. So... when it comes to contracts and projecting next year's performance Luis Gonzalez is more like Jones than J.D. Drew? Okie dokie.

when it comes to contracts and projecting next year's performance Luis Gonzalez is more like Jones than J.D. Drew? Okie dokie.

Got to admit, my mind is still a little blown away by that comparison. But for the sake of arguement, and getting back to my original point, let's say Jones falls somewhere in between the two, Gonzalez and Drew. We'll take the average salary of the two and compare it to what Jones will get next year. My guess is Jones' salary will be bargain basement. We'll have to wait until 39 year-old Gonzalez get's a contract.

Oops...forgot to close a tag... Let me put it this way - no baseball person would say that Jones is comparable to Drew. There is a reason that Jones got a 5 year, 50+ million dollar contract from the Dodgers two years ago while Jones only received a 3 year deal for 18 million.

Gonzalez already got a contract - 1 yr, 7 million from the Dodgers.

And don't get me wrong - I think Jones is a great value for his production at his salary. I just don't think he is anywhere near to the player that Drew is.

Super, so Gonzalez will make 7 mil next year. Not knowing the details of Drew's contract, I have to assume he'll make about 13 mil next year. Average of the two players, and let's assume it's "market" value" for Jones: $10 mil for '07. My original point: 1. What kind of production will you get with the guy? Jacque Jones -- 25 HR 2. What are similar players getting? JD Gonzalez -- 10 Mil/year 3. What is his current salary? Jacque Jones -- 5 Mil

dave: And don't get me wrong - I think Jones is a great value for his production at his salary. I understand, you just wanted to correct me. It's all good.

I already said that Jones was a value, just not as good as Drew. BTW... Winshares: Jones: 17 Drew: 21 Gonzo: 14 Like I said, closer to Gonzo than Drew (ha...like I use a on point difference to justify my point), where Drew had a lightly down year and Jones had a career year. And oh yea...Drew can hit lefties and righties. Jones cannot. All I am saying is that Jones is nowhere near Drew, but he is still a bargain.

Got to admit, my mind is still a little blown away by that comparison. I've got to admit, I'm still a little blown away that anyone attempted to compare Jones to Drew. Thats like comparing Zito to Lilly, because they are both Left Handed Free Agent Starters. If you look beyond HR totals in 2006, there's very little in common with Jones and Drew. Gonzo's not a great comparison either, but he's a lot closer to Jones than Drew is, espcially when you consider that Jones 2006 was much better than his previous 2 seasons. The best FA comparison with Jones I can think of would actually be Sarge Jr. And even there Sarge Jr. is a fair bit better than Jones, especially when you consider his defense and that he's signed as a CF and not a corner outfielder. Considering that, I'd expect Jones to fetch somewhere around 7-8 million in this market. So yes, he's now somewhat underpriced, but its not like he's a huge value.

Trot Nixon would probably be this years closes comparision to Jones. Formerly he looked like an potential all-star but he has since declined.

Make this rumor die.... "The St. Louis Post-Dispatch says that free agent Jason Marquis is believed to be close to signing with the Cubs. The Cubs are seemingly the only team that's displayed any real interest in him since the conclusion of the season, though that probably would have changed now that the better pitchers are disappearing from the market. If Marquis joins the Cubs, he'd likely be the fourth starter behind Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly and Rich Hill. Mark Prior and Wade Miller would be the leading candidates for the final spot in the rotation."

scariest thing about the marquis rumor is the #s being thrown around surrounding it... 3/27 is a popular one. no idea who's ass that figure was pulled from, though.

That sounds like the start of a horror movie trailer... In a world...where Jason Marquis is worth 9 million dollars a year.... Seriously, would Marquis be a better option than the mish-mash of underdeveloped arms from AA that we had last year?

Why do I feel that Sorianio and Lilly are doing to hit the DL this year.

#246 of 246: By Mike (December 8, 2006 01:18 PM) Why do I feel that Sorianio and Lilly are doing to hit the DL this year. Because they are now on the Cubs.

RotoWorld and St Louis Post Dispatch report Cubs are close to signing Marquis. He is also said to have had the worst starting pitcher ERA in the national leage last year. Jimbo ... why?

Borowski: Seriously, would Marquis be a better option than the mish-mash of underdeveloped arms from AA that we had last year? Marquis sucks, big time, but the answer to this question is yes, simply because it's one less question mark. Say you start out the season: Zambrano, _____, Lilly, Hill, Marshall/Miller/Prior/Guzman Okay so starting out the season you have Marshall starting because Prior isn't ready. Then, say Lilly goes down with an injury, then you have to bring Miller in to start those. Say Marshall isn't cutting it, all of a sudden 2/5 of your rotation is Miller & Guzman. Ouch. I'm pretty much sick of the rookie experiments, arm projects, and otherwise unknown quantities. Marquis would at least be out there every 5 days keeping your offense within reach of a victory. The alternative is you can keep the mish mash in the minors or something, then if one of those blossom into a solid pitcher, you can trade one of your existing mediocre arms for some other need later in the season. Maybe you don't have any needs and you can trade him for some single-A might-turn-into-something-type prospect.

its stemming from 1 sentence in the st. louis dispatch...take it for what you wanna take it for... --- Jocketty alluded to a dwindling number of options that include Cardinals free agents Mark Mulder, Jeff Suppan and Jeff Weaver. A fourth, Jason Marquis, is believed close to signing with the Chicago Cubs.

I wonder if Jones & Prior would be able to snag Penny. Probably not.

Does anyone know why the Garland trade fell through? And, I am interested in him at all being in a Cubs uniform.

Manny--Sox were concerned about Buchholz's health.

cuz taylor buckhold didnt pass his physical. and i dont even wanna know why you'd want a lefty who gets hit like does in a cubs uniform. i'd rather see a guy give up walks before a highly hittable lefty rolled up in wrigley, myself. at least he can show up for work every 5 days.

highly hittable righty... he had some rough games last year and teams with "real" hitters took a lot of advantage of his stuff.

Siging Marquis for 3/27 is f'in nuts, wasn't his era over 6 last year? Jim must be all jacked up on meds still. I'd rather keep Rusch in the rotation.

How did the Cubs miss out on Garcia? Would have liked him for the day games. I was thinking if Jones and Marshall for Penny. Worth a try. My head is spinning from all this activity, I'm usually contemplating which Keebler elf would be picked up to play second and emergency third for next year.

Marquis was awful last year, but was pretty good in 2005 (4.13 ERA) and 2004 (3.71). If he can put up an ERA around 4.00, he would be a good addition. The game has changed so much that an ERA of 4.50 is now considered "quality", since that is the minimum for a quality start (6IP, 3ER). It wasn't that long ago that a 4.50 ERA meant you were a joke and headed for long relief. By the way T-Bone -- having lived in both NY (a long while ago)and Chicago, Chicago wins for me, hands down. Food, theatre, sports, people of all sorts, universities, a more modern city (having the occasional major fire helps) -- and I think the lakefront tips the scales. NY can't compete with Chicago on a nice summer day. The national media seem to agree -- even Madden and Michaels were waxing about Chicago on their last visit. But, let's keep the New Yorkers in NY -- I think we can all agree on that.

"Siging Marquis for 3/27 is f'in nuts" just a rumor on that #...hell, i wouldnt mind marquis, but i wouldnt wanna see him here for more than 5-6 and no more than 2 years. but, there's already talk of guys like miggy batista getting 8m a year for 3+...ow. kc/stl being main suitors.

Gosh, no, please anyone but Rusch. Marquis has to have more upside than Rusch. I got so tired of seeing Rusch, very glum look on face, and looking very overweight, trudge out to the mound last year looking as though he would rather be anywhere but on a baseball field. If he never throws another pitch for the Cubs, I will be overjoyed.

that marquis 3/27 is a bogus rumor on mlb4u.com where anyone can put rumors up. Buchholz NEVER took a physical....

Sorry, I missed a key work above: "And, I am NOT interested in him at all being in a Cubs uniform." Forgot the word NOT, duh.......

I pray to all that is holy that Marquis does NOT become a Cub. I'm hoping that it's just a bad/bogus rumor. As a Cub fan living in St. Louis, I've witnessed many a dog-mess this guy has served up. More than that - he's just generally a "head-case". Atlanta's Mazzoni couldn't do anything with him and STL's Dave Duncan wasn't been able to level him out either. If those 2 can't solve him...I REALLY don't think Rothschild will! Suppan, in my humble opinion, would be a (much) better (smarter) pick up. He's pretty consistent start-to-start. Generally gives goes deep into his starts and get's you close to 200 innings.

I was wondering about that Manny. You a one of the biggest ANTI-Garland guys on this board (me too). *I was going to make a Christmas tree decoration joke here about not having any garland but I'm too tired.

I'm pretty much sick of the rookie experiments, arm projects, and otherwise unknown quantities. Marquis would at least be out there every 5 days keeping your offense within reach of a victory. The alternative is you can keep the mish mash in the minors or something, then if one of those blossom into a solid pitcher, you can trade one of your existing mediocre arms for some otherneed later in the season. Maybe you don't have any needs and you can trade him for some single-A might-turn-into-something-type prospect. For 3 million a year, I'm with you. But we're talking three times that much, for a guy whose big league tuteledge has been Mazzone and Duncan, the two best in the game, and still doesn't seem capable of figuring it out. I shudder to think what happens under Rothchild. Worsy case scenerio, I'd feel a lot better with Marshall and Marmol holding up the back end of the rotation, then pating Marquis 9 million to put up the same numbers.

Billybucks, I love Chicago but better than NY in food? Theater? No. I'll give you the lakefront but NYU, Columbia, Hunter, Fordham, Pace etc. are at least as impressive as U of C, NU, UIC, Loyola and DePaul. The transportation system in NY, while not as clean as Chicago's, makes up for that by actually being able to take you north, south, east and west without leaving massive unserved areas like in Chicago. The arts are not even comparable. There's five in NY of every great thing Chicago offers. Dance, Jazz, Classical - not in the same league. And when you leave NY you can get somewhere beautiful rather quickly. Not exactly the case here surrounded by flat farm land as we are.

TBONE: While not having ever lived in NY, I have been a frequent visitor there for many, many years. I have family there and last year went to Staten Island for the first time as I've an actor friend who lives right by the Minor League park there (I think they are Yankees, too?). There is an electricity there that I can't describe, and if one is open to it, it is so easy to get swept up by it. Its TRULY 24x7. Chi-Town is 24x2. And indeed, I believe also it is the center for the arts in the U.S. There are many experiences I have had there that I'd never want to give up. Over the last several years, I took my teen-artsy-fartsy daughters there. One now of course wants to go to NYU (ONLY on a full ride, her dad says)! I'd agree with much of what you say - I still now want to visit Harlem and see the new shit that's taken place - BUT - a couple things I can't stand - one, is the entitlement that the fans feel for their teams. This is why I was so happy when the Bulls kicked their asses for so many years during the Jordan era. two, because of the intensity, people really are not too friendly. They are in self-survival mode in their daily lives. It is much different here. three - it is REALLY expensive to live there. Yeah, I go to the "non-tourist" places from the LE side, Village, Queens, etc. $20 is gone before you know it...One has to make A LOT of money to live an equal life here.

E-Man, I agree. That's why I said if money were no object it would be my choice. Since money is an object, we live in Chicago. I also love nothing more than beating the NY teams because of the fans. The baseball stadiums are both dumps too. But once you get used it, there's no place like NY. And when you live there and meet people at your kids' schools, in your building etc. there really are a lot of great people there. There's a feeling that you're in something together that you don't get in suburbs or most of the other car-dependent cities in the country.

assuming Tampa would do it Trade Murton and Marshall, and a prospect or reliever for Rocco. Move Sori to left. Solves all fronts. aside from being hurt, rocco is a star or very solid player in the making. we may have to include a 3rd team, but Rocco would be a great fit for the cubs outfield for the next 10 years. imagine for the next five years an outfield of Pie, Rocco, & Sori --- all are fast and have good to great arms. do what it takes

has any one else noticed, we have about 15 pitchers on our squad with solid credentials. start dealing!

Recent comments

  • Arizona Phil (view)

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  • Arizona Phil (view)

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  • Arizona Phil (view)

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  • Arizona Phil (view)

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  • Arizona Phil (view)

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  • crunch (view)

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  • crunch (view)

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  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Here are the Cubs pitchers reports from Tuesday afternoon's Cardinals - Cubs game art Sloan Park in Mesa:

    SHOTA IMANAGA
    FB: 90-92 
    CUT: 87-89 
    SL: 82-83 
    SPLIT: 81-84
    CV: 73-74 
    COMMENT: Worked three innings plus two batters in the fourth... allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits (six singles and two doubles) walked one, and struck out six (four swinging), with a 1/2 GO/AO... he threw 73 pitches (52 strikes - 10 swing & miss - 19 foul balls)... surrendered one run in the top of the 1st on a one-out double off Cody Bellinger's glove in deep straight-away CF followed one out later by two consecutive two-out bloop singles, allowed two runs (one earned) in the 2nd after retiring the first two hitters (first batter had a nine-pitch AB with four consecutive two-strike foul balls before being retired 3 -U) on a two-out infield single (weak throw on the run by Nico Hoerner), a hard-contact line drive RBI double down the RF line, and an E-1 (missed catch) by Imanaga on what should been an inning-ending 3-1 GO, gave up another run in the 3rd on a two-out walk on a 3-2 pitch and an RBI double to LF, and two consecutive singles leading off the top of the 4th before being relieved (runners were ultimately left stranded)... threw 18 pitches in the 1st inning (14 strikes - two swing & miss, one on FB and the other on a SL - four foul balls), 24 pitches in the 2nd inning (17 strikes - three swing & miss, one on FB, two SPLIT - six foul balls), 19 pitches in the 3rd inning (13 strikes - seven swing & miss, three on SL, two on SPLIT, one on FB - three foul balls), and 12 pitches without retiring a batter in the top of the 4th (8 strikes - no swing & miss - four foul balls)... Imanaga throws a lot of pitches per inning, but it's not because he doesn't throw strikes...  if anything, he throws too many strikes (he threw 70% strikes on Tuesday)... while he gets a ton of swing & miss (and strikeouts), he also induces a lot of foul balls because he doesn't try to make hitters chase his pitches by throwing them out of the strike zone... rather, he uses his very diverse pitch mix to get swing & miss (and lots of foul balls as well)... he also is a fly ball pitcher who will give up more than his share of HR during the course of the season...   
     
    JOE NAHAS
    FB: 90-92 
    SL: 83-85 
    CV: 80-81 
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day... relieved Imanaga with runners at first and second and no outs in the top of the 4th, and after an E-2 catcher's interference committed by Miguel Amaya loaded he bases, Nahas struck out the side (one swinging & two looking)... threw 16 pitches (11 strikes - two swinging)...   

    YENCY ALMONTE
    FB: 89-92 
    CH: 86 
    SL: 79 
    COMMENT: Threw an eight-pitch 5th (five strikes - no swing & miss), with a 5-3 GO for the first out and an inning-ending 4-6-3 DP after a one-out single... command was a bit off but he worked through it...   

    FRANKIE SCALZO JR
    FB: 94-95
    CH: 88 
    SL: 83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 6th inning... got the first outs easily (a P-5 and a 4-3 GO) on just three pitches, before allowing three consecutive two-out hard-contact hits (a double and two singles), with the third hit on pitch # 9 resulting in a runner being thrown out at the plate by RF Christian Franklin for the third out of the inning... 

    MICHAEL ARIAS
    FB: 94-96
    CH: 87-89
    SL: 82-83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and allowed a hard-contact double on the third pitch of the 7th inning (a 96 MPH FB), and the runner came around to score on a 4-3 GO and a WP... gave up two other loud contact outs (an L-7 and an F-9)... threw 18 pitches (only 10 strikes - only one swing & miss)... stuff is electric but still very raw and he continues to have difficulty commanding it, and while he has the repertoire of a SP, he throws too many pitches-per-inning to be a SP and not enough strikes to be a closer... he is most definitely still a work-in-progress...   

    ZAC LEIGH: 
    FB: 93-94 
    CH: 89 
    SL: 81-83 
    CV: 78
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and tossed a 1-2-3 8th (4-3 GO, K-swinging on a sweeper, K-looking on another sweeper)... threw 14 pitches (11 strikes - one swing & miss - eight foul balls)... kept pumping pitches into the strike zone but had difficulty putting hitters away (ergo a ton of foul balls)... FB velo is nowhere near the 96-98 MPH it was a couple of years ago when he was a Top 30 prospect, but his secondaries are better...   

    JOSE ROMERO:  
    FB: 93-95
    SL: 82-84
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 9th (14 pitches - only six strikes- no swing & miss) and allowed a solo HR after two near-HR fly outs to the warning track, before getting a 3-1 GO to end the inning... it was like batting practice when he wasn't throwing pitches out of the strike zone...

  • crunch (view)

    pablo sandoval played 3rd and got a couple ABs (strikeout, single!) in the OAK@SF "exhibition"

    mlb officially authenticated the ball of the single he hit.  nice.

    he's in surprisingly good shape considering his poor body condition in his last playing seasons.  he's not lean, but he looks healthier.  good for him.