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Cubs Trade Mark DeRosa

Bruce Levine of ESPN1000 is reporting that the Cubs have traded Mark DeRosa and the $5.5M on his contract for 2009 to the Cleveland Indians for three minor-leaguers, RHP Jeff Stevens, LHP John Gaub and RHP Chris Archer.

You have to think a trade, let's say for a certain pitcher from San Diego whom I dare not speak his name, is possibly forthcoming.

I'll try and get some info on the prospects in a bit.


UPDATE #1: Link from espn.com, although I think they have a typo on John "Caub".
UPDATE #2: I poked around a bit and none of the three prospects showed up on Baseball America's recent top 10 Indians' prospect list or John Sickels Top 20. In other words, this deal only makes sense if they're all headed to another city, let's call it San Diego, to give them the quantity of pitchers and players that they wanted in that trade for that certain pitcher, whom we'll refer to as J.P.

Scouting reports and biographies that I could piece together on the prospects after the jump....

Jeff Stevens was drafted in the 6th round by the Cincinnati Reds in 2005 out of Loyola Marymount University. A year later he was traded to the Indians as part of the Brandon Phillips trade. He pitched for Team USA in the 2008 Olympics as well. He features a 92-93 mph fastball that can get up to 95mph, an above-average curve and has been working on a slider. He spent most of the 2008 season closing for the Indians Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo. The 25-year old is certainly the best of the three players the Cubs are getting back.

23-year old John Gaub was a 21st round selection by the Indians in 2006 out of the University of Minnesota and had an incredible 14.06 K/9 rate in A-ball last year, even if he was a bit old for the league. He was considered a flamethrower in college, but had his shoulder scoped after his sophomore year which in turn resulted in a loss in velocity. He seems to be getting it back up to the mid 90's on occasion but usually settles in the low 90's with a decent slider and a change-up as well.

20-year old Chris Archer was a teammate of John Gaub at Lake County last season and although he had a healthy 8.27 K/9 rate last season, he walked an incredible 84 batters in 115.1 IP.  The 5th-round pick out of high school in 2006 throws in the low 90's with a "plus slider" and scouts think he has the frame to build on that velocity.

Comments

Pretty nice K rates on Stevens and the Gobster. The Gobster was probably two years two old for his league, though.

If the Cubs can just find 12 or 13 more prospects maybe they'll actually pick up Peavy.

For all of those who thought that Hendry was doing nothing because you couldn't see or hear anything, all I have to say is that you just have to be patient. Have a good start to the upcoming year everyone!

Yeah, this and Miles only makes sense if we assume there's something bigger coming..... Will miss ya, Mark.

the Indians threw in the entire island of Manhattan ---------------- Hopefully Kerry/Mark will wear the beads they got in this transaction.

A freshly baked cake is on the stove cooling. Now the frosting? Could Ronnie Cedeno be a memory too, moved onto SD?

If they're not moved in a later deal, Jeff Stevens would probably project as the RHP set-up man at Iowa in 2009 with a possible 2009 call-up at some point, John Gaub would project as a lefty set-up man at Daytona, and RHP Chris Archer would project as a rotation starter at Daytona.

As has been mentioned by Rob G, none of the three are anything close to "hot shot" prospects, although Stevens apparently showed enough promise at AAA Buffalo in 2008 to get a slot on the Indians 40-man roster last month.

While the three pitchers aren't total stiffs, the trade does look like it was basically a salary dump to clear some payroll for Bradley and Peavy. Of the three, I would think only Stevens would be of interest to the Padres in a possible Jake Peavy deal.   

This is a gamble and one that I'm not sure I like altogether, but if it allows us to get Bradley and Peavy without giving up, say, Vitters, then it's an improvement to the club, next year and in the future. Of course, Towers could continue to be the incompetent dick that he is and fuck this up, but one would think Hendry knew which players on the Indians and Rockies he liked. We'll see.

Could we get JP for a cheap middle infielder, mid level pitching prospects and Marshall? None of the Cubs top arms would go for this cheap. Best deal JH has never made!

Final update on the post with what I can put together on their scouting reports and repertoire...

you're welcome :)

feel free to add to the post if you have anything on them AZ Phil...

Some old BA scouting reports on the three pitchers the Cubs got frrom Cleveland...

1. Jeff Stevens pitched at Loyola Marymount and was described as having a "deceptive" 90-91 MPH sinking fastball with an "improved" breaking ball and good command and competitiveness at that time. He was drafted in the 6th round of the 2005 draft by the Cincinnati Reds but was the PTBNL in the Brandon Phillips deal, so he's been traded before. He was moved from the starting rotation to the bullpen after he turned pro, and he has really improved his fastball since making the move. He now throws consistently 92-94 MPH with an occasional 96, and he was the closer for Team USA at the World Cup in Taiwan in November 2007.He also throws a slow curve, a cutter, and a slider.

2. John Gaub threw a 96 MPH fastball with a sharp curve and plus change-up as a sophomore at the U. of Minnesota and was one of the top pitching prospects in the Big Ten hoing into the 2005 season, but then he had shoulder surgery (torn labrum)  and had a significant loss of velocity on his fastball and break on his curve when he tried to came back in 2006. He was selected by Cleveland in the 21st round of the 2006 draft, and was signed in August for "5th round money" (he actually got a higher bonus than Chris Archer got as the Indians' 2006 5th round pick). He had additional shoulder surgery post-2006 and so he did not make his pro debut until August 2007, and then he began last season rehabbing at EXST, but he is supposedly finally healthy now. He developed a low release angle to compensate for his shoulder injury.     

3. Chris Archer was a highly regarded HS pitcher in North Carolina (he probably knows Mitch Atkins) who reneged on an oral commitment to homestate NC State before signing an NLI to attend Miami (Florida). But the Indians offered him $155K to forget college and he took it. Archer threw a 90-92 four-seam fastball at that time, but his breaking ball was supposed to be his "out" pitch. He has had command problems throughout his career, but his hammer-curve was rated the best in the Indians system, and his fastball has also shown improvement (he now throws 92-94), although it has only minimal movement.

I'm afraid that this trade isn't getting prospects to trade for Peavy. We are fooling ourselves if we think that. This is the result of an owner's parent in bankruptcy and the team being sold. It's creating budget room for Bradley, end of story. Bradley will be a mistake. He has only played in over 100 games 3 times in a 9 year career. Abreau has played in over 150 games 12 staight years. The answer is simple - Abreau.

If the Cubs go ahead and acquire Peavy ($11 million) for prospects and sign Bradley for an estimated $10 million, then the 25-man team payroll projects to over $146 million. Which strongly suggests that either Vizcaino will be flipped or that other salary will be moved.

AZ Phil updated the payroll sidebar fwiw, although w/o the Marquis deal since it isn't official yet. Projecting the auto-renewals and arbitration he has the payroll at $135M at the moment and if the Marquis deal goes through, it's $130M. Someone said $140M yesterday for the entire 40-man, but earlier it was a 10% boost off of $130M from last year which is $143M. That being said, there's no way to fit both Peavy and Bradley into that, unless Bradley's contract is severely backloaded.

Callis on today's ESPN Chat: PERSON 1: Any idea what the Cubs may or may not be doing with these pitchers they just got from Cleveland for DeRosa? Jim Callis: (2:10 PM ET ) The Cubs just flipped DeRosa for Jeff Stevens, John Gaub and Chris Archer. This looks like the prelude to another deal, possibly for Jake Peavy. They're on the verge of dealing Jason Marquis to the Rockies, clearing his salary, something else they wanted to do before getting Peavy. My guess is some or all of those pitchers go to San Diego with Josh Vitters and others (Kevin Hart?) for Peavy. They're about to sign (it may be official) Aaron Miles to fill in at second base, too. PERSON 2: Mr callis of the 3 guys the cubs got back in return from Cleveland in the Derosa trade not one of them was ranked on HQ's or Sickels list of Indian prospects and on top of that none of them even got honorable mentioned.. so who are they? Jim Callis: (2:39 PM ET ) That's why you need to buy the Prospect Handbook--Jeff Stevens is No. 19 and John Gaub is No. 29 on our Top 30, so you can read all about them there. Stevens is a big-league ready reliever with a plus fastball and deceptive delivery. Gaub is a low-90s lefty who would have been an early pick in the 2006 draft had he not been hurt at Minnesota. Archer was a fifth-round pick in 2006, who has a good arm but is still raw. ------ Not bad value for DeRosa...if this really does turn into Peavy it's a great deal! Go for it all 2009!

not that I buy these quotes, but TJ in comment #28 might be on to something... "We are thrilled to acquire three strong, young arms in Jeff Stevens, John Gaub and Chris Archer," said Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry. "They are significant additions to our system and have received universally high marks from our scouts, notably Stan Zielinski. "It's never easy to say goodbye to a quality player and person like Mark DeRosa," Hendry continued. "He was a major contributor to our success the last two seasons. But today represents a prime opportunity to stock our organization with three pitching prospects, to modify the balance and shape of our major league roster and to give our rising talent a chance to contribute more regularly at the major league level." http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=2…

[ ]

In reply to by The Joe

It's all about Lou's love of Handedness. Miles bats Lefty(switch) and Derosa didn't. Hendry is up against it finacially. So this is clearing space to backload a deal for Bradley or Abreu. I will be shocked if Peavy is a cub before a sale. It reeks of Brian Roberts "smokescreen" that Hendry did all last offseason to distract fans. Especially when we look at the other big market teams shelling out big bucks. I see the quote heading into spring training now. "We think we have really improved ourselves. We obviously looked at some other guys and made really strong efforts to get them. Ultimately we decided that the cost was a little too high."

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In reply to by Dr. aaron b

The lineup does need balance but I don't like it that it comes from dealing away a strength in DeRosa's production & versatility. I would have preferred to keep DeRo and free up money for a RFer by not signing Dempster especially if the Cubs do land Peavy. Pie could have been dealt to the O's for Olson to use in the Peavy trade so Marshall would be a solid cheap #5 SP.

http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports_hardball/2008/12/d… (emphasis added) The Cubs acquired three pitching prospects from the Indians for DeRosa -- left-hander John Stevens, who was added to the 40-man roster, lefty John Gaub and right-hander Chris Archer. Stevens, 25, went 5-4 with a 3.24 ERA in 2008 in Double-A Akron and Triple-A Buffalo, with a .184 batting average against. He averaged 12.5 strikeouts per nine innings, and had a 3:1 strikeouts-to-walks ratio. If the Cubs don’t sent him to San Diego, he’ll get a chance to compete for a middle relief spot this spring as the second lefty behind Neal Cotts. Jeff Stevens...righty.

The way I see this trade, the good: Frees up payroll, allows Fontenot to start at 2b. I might be in the minority, but I think Fontenot will produce around the same as Dero offensively in '09 at a fraction of the cost. the bad: Derosa was traded at probably the height of his value but i'm surprised that Hendry didn't get more, I would think Minnesota would have heavy interest. We will mess derosa's positional flexibility. Long story short, if this allows the cubs to sign only Bradley, I'm just ok with it due to Bradley's fragility. But if this allows the cubs to trade for Peavy too than it's a very good deal.

If the Cubs get Peavy and Bradley, having lost Wood, DeRosa, Marquis and whomever might go in the Peavy deal, are they a better tream? Tough to see that right now, but maybe it's just because I really like DeRosa. Have dealt with him a number of times and was always very approachable and professional. I loved what he brought to the team on the field also.

[ ]

In reply to by Tito

in terms of talent, I think it's a better team...the question is what talent will be on the field.

assuming a healthy rotation of Peavy, Zambrano, Harden, Dempster and Lilly...well that's just fuckin ridiculous. It's also fuckin ridiculous to assume they'll be healthy.

Offensively...

we replace Edmonds/Johnson CF platoon, Fukudome in RF and DeRosa at 2B with most likely Fukudome/Johnson CF platoon, Bradley in RF and Fontenot at 2B.

DeRosa to Fontenot is likely going to be a downgrade from 2008, but essentially replacing Edmonds with Bradley is probably a bit of gain, even though Edmonds had a helluva season. You'll also be limiting Fukudome's at-bats.

if there's no Peavy, it's essentially a lateral move to get more left-handed. If they do get Peavy, it's definitely an upgrade, although the bullpen will be worrisome with just one reliable arm in my opinion.

[ ]

In reply to by Tito

For once - JH traded high on someone. Woot! DeRosa will be missed except in the Playoffs - if the team makes it - where he undoubtedly was a big disappointment to me personally. His DP with the bases loaded in Game 1, while I was sitting there knowing it was wait 'til next year, ranks up there with Cubs chokes in crucial moments. Not as big as A-Gon, but when coupled with his errors in THIS years' playoffs - lets try a new hand. Without Peavy, it may be a lateral move with more LH opportunity, as you say. "We are thrilled to acquire three strong, young arms in Jeff Stevens, John Gaub and Chris Archer," said Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry. "They are significant additions to our system and have received universally high marks from our scouts, notably Stan Zielinski." If we hang on to the above pitchers - we get some nice inventory for other things down the road.

JP and MB for a bag of baseballs, some chalk and a glove, and all done under tight financial constraints. Could we ever knock JH again? GM of the year? He's that genius, I hope.

Sorry, I'm thinking we are maybe getting ready to make a great deal. Wood was gone already, due in part to the market. Marquis is, and will remain, painful to watch. DeRose is a nice piece but you have to give up something to get something. JP for Marshall, Cedeno or Theriot and prospects is cheap and all under $143 million. Cubs advance in the playoffs. My hat will be off to JH, koolaid raised in toast!

[ ]

In reply to by komondor

I think that some of the concern is that many of us expected higher return for DeRosa, -I certainly did. To use your expression, in this case we really did not get much of anything for our something. -and I was certain that draft picks would be forthcoming for losing Wood. With regard to Marquis, as a 4 or 5, I really didnt think he was that painful to watch. (no more than Z in his "ace" role). If we ultimately get Peavy, I agree Hendry is a god; We can all make Marquis jokes, and nobody will worry about the DeRosa return. It may be a different story if we dont.

If the Padres deal Peavey, they will be down to essentially two competent ML starters. That suggests that, at a minimum, someone like Hart has to be part of any Peavy deal, to ensure that they at least have a warm body to pitch every 5th day. They need cheap, ML-ready pitching far more than they need Pie and Cedeno.

also the bench is significantly changing... Assuming 12 pitchers, 8 starters with Fukudome, Edmonds in the OF. 2008: (LH) Fontenot, Ward (RH) Johnson, Cedeno, Blanco ...with 11 pitchers I would have had to include one of Murton, EPat or Pie Assuming 12 pitchers, 8 starters with Fontenot at 2B, Fukudome in CF, Bradley in RF 2009 (so far): (LH) Miles, Hoffpauir, Gathright (RH) Johnson, Miles, Backup Catcher. and of course on days he doesn't pitch: Zambrano (switch) ...and assuming Cedeno is gone

http://blogs.dailyherald.com/node/1168 says the DeRosa deal is more to make room for Bradley's contract then get Peavy. Any Peavy talks will wait until new ownership is decided upon...which someone in the comments had already touched upon. Assuming no Peavy trade is Bradley in RF and Fontenot at 2B 1) > 2) < 3) = to DeRosa in RF/Fontenot at 2b? certainly Bradley in RF/DeRosa at 2b would be best scenario, but it's at worse a lateral move imo...

If this is not the prelude to a trade for Peavy, I'm going to be very annoyed by Hendry's moves this week. I hope I'm wrong, but I have a feeling that these are pure cost cutting moves and freeing up some payroll for Bradley. Replacing Wood with Gregg downgraded the bullpen. Replacing DeRosa with Miles/Fontenot downgrades the infield and makes the team less flexable. (and no, I'm not in the group that thinks Fontenot will be just as good as DeRosa) Getting Bradley to replace Edmunds will be an upgrade, but only if he can get beyond his track record and play every day. If he gets hurt again, and you've lost DeRosa as an option, You're going to be seeing a combination of Fuk/Reed/Pie/Gathright taking up 2 spots in the line-up really frequently. Even dumping Marquis seems a bit shortsighted. As much as everyone seems to be celebrating that he's on his way out, He was a 5th starter who you could trust to throw 200 innings every year with a ERA that was below average, but still servicable for a 5th starter. I think Marshall is a better pitcher for the #5 spot, but going out of your way to get rid of your safety net (especially when you've got Harden and Zambrano who typically miss some time), when you're not going to save much (if any) money just doesn't seem like a great decision either. I know the offseason isn't done yet, but I simply haven't seen any moves so far that make me think that the 09 Cubs will be better than 08.

I'm not pleased with these moves. I understand they are trying to get left-handed hitters, but they are adding a subpar run producer in Miles and an injury prone hitter in Bradley at the expense of a solid, if not spectacular Derosa who was good for plus RBI production at 2b. I also find it comical that Dero had 10 more rbi's last season than Bradley's career high, yet we're dumping Dero's $6 mil to hand out something in the range of 2 years, $20 mil to Bradley. On an unrelated topic, compare these two half season splits from last year: Player 1 second half: .222/.253/.353 18 runs, 4 hr, 18 rbi in 180 plate appearances Player 2 second half: .217/.314/.326 20 runs, 3 hr, 22 rbi in 202 plate appearances Player 1 is our former CF, Corey Patterson Player 2 is our "new" CF, Fukudome That's scary. And Patterson makes $800k next year while Fuku gets $12 mil. If Fuku doesn't recover and contribute much more at the plate, Hendry will be trying to add another outfielder by mid-May.

Also keep in mind. Marquis and DeRosa were the big contract to come off the books after 2009. With all the backloaded deals saddled upon the club. We might see even more cost cutting next year. Assuming that Trib continues to drag it's feet on the sale. Thank God Blogv got arrested before he could screw the cubs in the future. Whoever said that Sam Zell would be an ok franchise Steward, was dead wrong.

Again, #1 goal in off-season was to get more LHH in line-up----now vs. a tough RHP, Lou can start 4 LHH in the line-up, Miles @SS, MikeF.@2B, Fuk in CF, and Bradley in RF------vs a tough LHP Theroit @SS, Miles @ 2B, Johnson in CF and Bradley in RF-----the problems is really during the play-offs when you know you are going to face good RHP, you need LHH---Lou stated that right after the play-offs ended---the down side of losing DeRosa is who plays 3B for 2 weeks if/when ARam goes down?---also, look for a LHH back-up catcher, either K. Hill or Bako---#2 goal in any off-season is starting pitching, so now if we can get Peavy because of these moves get it done---glad JH is working hard to improve the team

Hendry will be on XM 175 program shortly, 4:30 pm Chicago time...Think it's rob dibble and casey stern hosting.

If we get Peavy and one of the following Bradley Dunn Burrell Abreu Then this was a good move. Who would have ever guessed that backloading all these deals would eventually kill Hendry's flexiblity?

Part of the problem with getting Peavy though is that his contract is also backloaded. He gets $11 mil for 2009, then it jumps up... "10:$15M, 11:$16M, 12:$17M, 13:$22M club option or ($4M buyout)" And his agent is rumored to want that option picked up to ok a trade. I like Peavy, I just wonder how much more his contract will cause us to make moves we normally wouldn't down the road because of money. http://mlbcontracts.blogspot.com/2005/01/san-diego-padres.html

[ ]

In reply to by Paul Noce

let's see

Zambrano goes barely up to $17.875M in 2010 (17.75 in 2009) Soriano jumps $2M to $18M and stays there for the rest of his deal Ramirez goes barely up to to $15.75M (15.65M in 2008) Lee stays at $13M Lilly stays at $12M Dempsters stays at $12M (although technically he got $8M and a $4M signing bonus for 2009). Fukudome jumps to $13M from $11.5M

only a $3.75M jump...not too bad, would be if they do add Peavy. Likely to lose $7M off the books with Harden. Soto might be a Super-Two next year but likely to fall short. He should be at 2.096 after next season and if my memory serves me well, Phil says the cutoff usually ends up around 110...technically it's the top 16% of service time.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

And what did those players contracts add up to in 2008? The reason Wood, Derosa, and Marquis are gone is because of all the backloaded contracts. I think most Cubs fans would rather have Woodie than Kevin Gregg, and Dero over any other current 2b on the team. I understand how it works, and I'm not bitching about adding all of the high priced guys, it's refreshing for the Cubs to spend money, but these big deals handcuff teams, especially when they are so heavily backloaded. Most of the recent deals had significantly lower first two season salaries to try and pass the bulk of their contracts off on the new owner. The check has come due.

[ ]

In reply to by Paul Noce

should have clarified my opinion...

Hendry and the Cubs were expecting a new owner to be already named by this point. It was suppose to be done at numerous times over 2008. I don't think it's a coincidence that the big jump in backloaded salaries came after the 2008 season. If you look at it from 2009 and beyond, they stay relatively steady.

Was Hendry expecting to get canned by now? I don't think so, I think he was expecting a new owner.

And isn't backloading contracts pretty common? I don't think this is uniquely a Hendry problem. Someone with an economics degree can explain it better, but I think with inflation, generally rising revenues and payrolls, it usually makes sense. Unfortunately once in awhile, a recession hits or Sam Zell takes over your team and you get screwed. 

I would also venture a guess that Hendry had the full approval and possible advice of one Crane Kenney on most of these deals.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

But here is just one example that illustrates it is common practice among GMs: Cleveland Indians Travis Hafner 07:$6.3M, 08:$8.05M, 09:$11.5M, 10:$11.5M, 11:$13M, 12:$13M, 13:$13M club option ($2.75M buyout) Cliff Lee 06:$0.75M, 07:$2.75M, 08:$3.75M, 09:$5.75M Victor Martinez 05:$0.5M, 06:$0.8M, 07:$3M, 08:$4.25M, 09:$5.7M, 10:$7M club option ($0.25M buyout) Grady Sizemore 06:$0.5M, 07:$0.75M, 08:$3M, 09:$4.6M, 10:$5.6M, 11:$7.5M, 12:$8.5M club option ($0.5M buyout) Jhonny Peralta 06:$0.5M, 07:$0.75M, 08:$2.25M, 09:$3.4M, 10:$4.6M, 11:$7M 2011 club option ($0.25M buyout) Rafael Betancourt 08:$2.05M, 09:$3.35M, 10:$5.4M club option Fausto Carmonoa 08:$0.5M, 09:$2.75M, 10:$4.9M, 11:$6.1M, 12:$7M club option, 13:$9M club option, 14:$12M club option

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

All Free Agent Contracts: Raul Ibanez 09:$6.5M, 10:$11.5M, 11:$11.5M Adam Eaton 07:$6.875M, 08:$7.635M, 09:$8.5M, 10:$9M Geoff Jenkins 08:$5M, 09:$6.75M, 10:$7.5M Vladimir Guerrero 04:$10M, 05:$11.5M, 06:$12.5M, 07:$13.5M, 08:$14.5M, 09:$15M Gary Mathews Jr. 07:$6M, 08:$9M, 09:$10M, 10:$11M, 11:$12M Miguel Tejada 04:$3M, 05:$9M, 06:$10M, 07:$12M, 08:$13M, 09:$13M Carlos Lee 07:$11M, 08:$12M, 09:$18.5M, 10:$18.5M, 11:$18.5M, 12:$18.5M BJ Ryan 06:$2M, 07:$5M, 08:$10M, 09:$10M, 10:$10M Jeff Suppan 07:$6M, 08:$8M, 09:$12.5M, 10:$12.5M, 11:$12.75M club option Troy Glaus 05:$8M, 06:$9M, 07:$10.5M, 08:$12.5M Dan Haren 09:$7.5M, 10:$8.25M, 11:$12.75M, 12:$12.75M, 13:$15.5M Andruw Jones 08:$9M, 09:$15M Hiroki Kuroda 08:$5M, 09:$10M, 10:$13M Rafael Furcal 09:$6.5M, 10:$8.5M, 11:$12M, 12:$12M club option Most major free agent contracts are backloaded, many significantly so, just from my perusing the rosters only about 1 in 5 are contracts in which the annual rate stays about the same throughout the life of the contract - like for instance Jason Schmidt 07:$12.5M, 08:$12M, 09:$12M

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

The same of course can be said of the Cubs. If you add signing bonuses to the first year, Hendry's recent signings look like this: Zambrano 08:$20M, 09:$17.75M, 10:$17.875M, 11:$17.875M, 12:$18M, 13:$19.25M Soriano 07:$17M, 08:$13M, 09:$16M, 10-14:$18M annually Ramirez 07:$13M, 08:$14M, 09:$15.65M, 10:$15.75M, 11:$14.6M player option, 12:$16M club option ($2M buyout) Lee 06-10: $13M annually Dempster 09:$12M, 10:$12.5M, 11:$13.5M, 12:$14M player option Lilly 07:$9M, 08:$7M, 09:$12M, 10:$12M Fukudome 08:$10M, 09:$11.5M, 10:$13M, 11:$13.5M Marquis 07:$4.75M, 08:$6.375M, 09:$9.875M DeRosa 07:$2.75M, 08:$4.75M, 09:$5.5M Marquis and DeRosa are the two extreme backloaded salaries. Lilly's rises a lot too. Soriano has a discounted 2nd year. but otherwise everyone is pretty much within a million or two annually for the duration of their contracts.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Z 2008: $15 mil (2009: 17.75) Sori 2008: $13 mil (2009: 16) ARam 2008: $14 (2009: 15.75) Lee $13 both years Lilly 2008: $7 mil (2009: $12 mil) Dempster 2008: $5.5 mil (2009: $12 mil) Fuku 2008: $6 mil (2009: $11.5 mil) That's increase of $24.5 mil for 2009 on 7 players. Not 3.75.

[ ]

In reply to by Paul Noce

i was responding to your point about adding Peavy's contract down the road...I know that between last season and next was a significant jump.

I'm saying from 2009 and beyond, it's actually not that big a deal. This was the year that they got their provebial balls stuck in the vice.

given the payroll has been rumored lately to be around the 140m area...and given that like 2/3rd of the payroll (as it stood as of yesterday) was already in that area... well, i would look forward to an either/or with the big OF or big SP, but i'm not holding my breath for both.

Dibble said Bradley is a known cancer in the clubhouse...Hear that MB, go after that dumb boob. Stern has a boner for a Roberts deal

Look. Some of you were complaining that DeRo was getting paid too much at the time he was signed. Now you're bitching that he was traded. Which way is it gonna be? Now you're bereft that he's gone for Aaron Miles and three young arms with the last year of his deal? Let's ease out of the amrchair GM chair for a minute and see what happens prior to the convention (and, you can bet something will go down prior to then). And, further, let's see what team we will be fielding come opening day. Stoney was on the SCORE thirty minutes ago and stated that with Bradley, the Cubs should win the Division again by 12-14 games (he said 8 last year - off by two).

on XM, Hendry: plans on picking up another LH outfielder sings DeRosa's praises for versatility, good person, etc. but move (implying adding Miles?) was to get more left handed and DeRosa was RH. Stern asks about Brian Roberts to play 2B. Hendry: No talks with Baltimore at all this offseason. Andy's not interested in dealing him. Cubs will go with Fontenot and Miles at 2B. Hendry: expect a couple of deals in the next 7-10 days including an OF bat. Stern: how about the bullpen? Hendry: Even without Woody, Marmol and Greg can both close. Also mentions Shark, Guzman, Cotts ...says Stevens may help in the pen. Stern: Any concerns about Soriano struggles in the postseason? Hendry: He's a streaky guy, a 270-280 hitter, not the model of consistency but he had 3 bad games in the playoffs but played well in the 2nd half last year. Dibble: what about the economy? Hendry: our ownership situation is unique. What we have/haven't done this winter is more affected by the ownership sale rather than the economy. Stern: Yankee's exorbitant spending, Salary Cap? Where do you stand? Hendry: I've spent alot of money in the last few years. I've no animosity toward the Yankee spending. I try not to be critical of others. Every GM would like more money on the payroll. Dibble: where are you? It sounds like you are hunting? Hendry: I'm in my brother's neighborhood, play a little golf here but I'm not carrying a gun.

Bradley may or may not be a "cancer in the clubhouse," but when you consider the source, that's a laughable assertion. Dibble has always been and always will be a ginormous horse's ass, and his teammates in Cincy didn't care for his act one damn bit. But they won with him anyway, so it didn't matter in the end.

So once the Marquis-Bradley deals are finalized, Hendry is in the position of being able to live with the present roster. And once the sale is complete, he is also has the pieces to get Peavy if the new ownership group agrees to increase the budget to accomodate Peavy's salary. He probably already has some assurances from the different groups that such approval would be given, or we wouldn't be hearing that the Peavy deal is back on the burner.

No question signing Bradley is a gamble. The injury history, the recent lack of reps in the outfield, switching leagues yet again. I'm not as concerned about the "cancer in the clubhouse" issue. Last year's team was painted as a clubhouse chock full of nice character guys without much internal strife. They won a bunch of games and then crapped the bed (again) in the Divisional series. Bottom line: whether it's changing the makeup of the clubhouse, the "handedness" of the lineup, or the pecking order at the top of the rotation (by acquiring "he-who-shall-not-be-named"), Hendry has to roll the dice a bit. Bradley may be tempestuous, but the team could certainly use some fire. And I know it's a weak comparison, but the Rodman thing worked out pretty well for the Bulls. Could it blow up in Hendry's face? Of course. But taking chances (even expensive chances) is part of the job description.

[ ]

In reply to by Tarzan Joe

You summed it all up in your last sentence, Tarz. Cubs won 97 games but ZERO in the post season. Chances need to be taken, changes need to be done. Why is Kenny Williams a genius for being so impatient with what appeared to be good rosters in the past, and now Hendry ships out a veteran utility guy and he's a goof? The clubhouse does seem too nice. Maybe Bradley was a considered a cancer in a losing clubhouse, maybe he wanted to push guys into playing winning baseball. Gerald Perry, his former hitting coach in Oakland and sparring partner, said as much. My only objection is the guy cannot put in a full season to save his soul.

Without the DeRosa deal, the team has been weakened. However, if we can go out and get Peavy, then I am okay with the DeRosa deal. But, if the DeRosa deal was to clear salary for Bradley, then this is not a better 2009 team than the 2008 team. It will be three and out and we are back to square one. Wish there was something that we could do to force Abreu over Bradley in Hendry's mind. Sorry, I am just not a big Bradley fan and I can not get excited about him joining the Cubs.

[ ]

In reply to by Jose

Everyone....there is no question this team is weaker RIGHT NOW, but there is a lot of offseason left. I don't believe for a minute that Hendry is nearly done with the roster. Adding Miles allows more flexibility. Bradley might not even be coming here, MLB reports today that Washington is going all out for him to play center (good luck with that, Jim Bowden). On your Abreu point I think the only way he becomes a Cub is if he's gets cheaper. With reports of three other teams chasing him, that might not pan out.

it seems many of these contracts are backloaded but seeing the above numbers doesn't account for the bonus dollars which often gets some additional deferred treatment, if not exactly as "backloaded" as the actual salary. ie. Andruw Jones ... Jones will receive a $12.2 million signing bonus, of which $5.1 million is payable next year, $2.1 million in 2009 and $5 million in 2010. He will get salaries of $9 million next year and $15 million in 2009, and also will receive a no-trade clause. so Jones got $14.1M in 2008, $17.1M in 2009 and a final "bonus" of $5M in 2010 after the "employment" component of the contract is over. Now that's a bad contract (unless your name is Andruw). Ol' 3/44 aka Ned Coletti needs to roll a peanut down the street with his nose for offering that one.

Speaking of pitchers and catchers reporting in 6 weeks, why are we about to sign Bako when Greg Zaun is available? Sure Zaun is 37 but is still effective.

How does adding Miles add flexibility?? DeRosa hit LHP and RHP, and played 2B, 3b, SS, and OF. Miles can switch hit, hitting for average with zero power from both sides of the plate. Someone mentioned Miles at SS?? Aaron Miles career at SS: 107 games, .958 pct, 3.88 RFg, league RFg3.99 Oh..and his .317 ba last yeaar was a career high at age 31 (now 32) .289/.329/.364 So he's Neifi Perez if Neifi could hit for average a bit. Of course even Neifi hit 9 HR and 33 doubles for the Cubs in 2005. Miles will never sniff those marks.

[ ]

In reply to by Dusty Baylor

fwiw, aaron miles's D has improved since his earlier days. hell, in STL he improved a lot. it was kinda shocking how much better his footwork got. his arm is decent. that said...yeah, for batting he'll take an occasional walk, swing at almost everything, and hit singles. he can play 2nd/3rd/SS, though. don't think anyone would want him playing 162 games there, though. he's much better suited for 2nd.

The Joe: If that was a joke, I did not get it. Regarding the cancer issue, Bradley will not fire up this team. He will probably point to other players who do not deliver and then go out and either K, make an error, or get injured. We need someone who is capable of delivering a key hit during critical times, like the playoffs. Bradley is not that player. Even if Abreu is more expensive, he has a better history and more upside than Bradley.

Recent comments

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    That’s a fantastic deal for SF

  • crunch (view)

    SF snags b.snell...2/62m

  • Cubster (view)

    AZ Phil: THAT is an awesome report worth multiple thanks. I’m sure it will be worth reposting in an “I told you so” in about 2-3 years.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    The actual deadline to select a post-2023 Article XX-B MLB free agent signed to 2024 minor league contract (Cooper, Edwards, and Peralta) to the MLB 40-man roster is not MLB Opening Day, it is 12 PM (Eastern) this coming Sunday (3/24). 

    However, the Cubs could notify the player prior to the deadline that the player is not going to get added to the 40 on Sunday, which would allow the player to opt out early. Otherwise the player can opt out anytime after the Sunday deadline (if he was not added to the 40 by that time). 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Today is an off day for both the Cubs MLB players and the Cubs minor league players.  

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    For those of you keeping track, so far nine players have been called up to Mesa from the Cubs Dominican Academy for Minor League Camp and they will be playing in the ACL in 2024: 

    * bats or throws left 

    Angel Cepeda, INF 
    * Miguel Cruz, P
    Yidel Diaz, C 
    * Albert Gutierrez, 1B
    Fraiman Marte, P  
    Francis Reynoso, P (ex-1B) 
    Derniche Valdez, INF 
    Edward Vargas, OF 
    Jeral Vizcaino, P 

    And once again, despite what you might read at Baseball Reference and at milb.com, Albert Gutierrez is absolutely positively a left-handed hitter (only), NOT a right-handed hitter.

    Probably not too surprisingly, D. Valdez was the Cubs #1 prospect in the DSL last season, Cepeda was the DSL Cubs best all-around SS prospect not named Derniche Valdez, Gutierrez was the DSL Cubs top power hitting prospect not named Derniche Valdez, E. Vargas was the DSL Cubs top outfield prospect (and Cepeda and E. Vargas were also the DSL Cubs top two hitting prospects), Y. Diaz was the DSL Cubs top catching prospect, and M. Cruz was the DSL Cubs top pitching prospect. 

    F. Marte (ex-STL) and J. Vizcaino (ex-MIL) are older pitchers (both are 22) who were signed by the Cubs after being released by other organizations and then had really good years working out of the bullpen for the Cubs in the DSL last season. 

    The elephant in the room is 21-year old Francis Reynoso, a big dude (6'5) who was a position player (1B) at the Cardinals Dominican Academy for a couple of years, then was released by STL in 2022, and then signed by the Cubs and converted to a RHP at the Cubs Dominican Academy (and he projects as a high-velo "high-leverage" RP in the states). He had a monster year for the DSL Cubs last season (his first year as a pitcher). 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    DJL: The only players who definitely have opt outs are Cooper, Edwards, and Peralta (Opening Day, 5/1, and 6/1), and that's because they are post-2023 Article XX-B MLB free agents who signed 2024 minor league contracts and (by rule) they get those opt outs automatically. 

    Otherwise, any player signed to a 2024 minor league contract - MIGHT or - MIGHT NOT - have an opt out in their contract, but it is an individual thing, and if there are contractual opt outs the opt out(s) might not necessarily be Opening Day. It could be 5/1, or 6/1, or 7/1 (TBD).

    Because of their extensive pro experience, the players who most-likely have contractual opt outs are Alfaro, Escobar, and D. Smith, but (again), not necessarily Opening Day. 

    Also, just because a player has the right to opt out doesn't mean he will. 

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    I love the idea that Madrigal heads to Iowa in case Morel can’t handle third.

    The one point that intrigues me here is Cooper over Smith. I feel like the Cubs really like Smith and don’t want to lose him. Could be wrong. He def seems like an opt out if he misses the opening day roster

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Childersb3: Both Madrigal and Wisdom can be optioned without any restriction. Their consent is not required. 

    They both can be outrighted without restriction, too (presuming the player is not claimed off waivers), but if outrighted they can choose to elect free agency (immediately, or deferred until after the end of the MLB season).

    If the player is outrighted and elects free-agency immediately he forfeits what remains of his salary.

    If he accepts the assignment and defers free agency until after the conclusion of the season, he continues to get his salary, and he could be added back to the 40 anytime prior to becoming a free-agent (club option). 

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Phil, 
    Madrigal and Wisdom can or cannot refuse being optioned to the Minors?
    If they can refuse it, wouldn't they elect to leave the Cubs org?