He didn't seem like a bad guy. Stubborn? yes. That being said, it had turned into a bad situation for him here. Hopefully things turn out better for him elsewhere.

weren't the two names i heard mentioned. they are, however, pretty uninspiring. the shortstop seems to strike out about as much as corey.
blah.

I honestly mean that.  For as long as I can remember (which is at least since he was drafted coming out of high school), we've heard about his five tools and how he was such a great prospect.  Unfortunately, it didn't quite work out, but hopefully for him Baltimore will be a better situation.  At least he didn't get traded within the division if he turns out to be Lou Brock Part II (that's a long shot, I know).

At least we'll always have his 17th inning homer in Milwaukee to sweep the Brewers in May 2003.

Perez is a LOOGY down the road at best. Spears was in high A at age 20 and did well. He doesnt have great tools and could be a David Eckstein player down the road, at best.

beause if we paid for pattersons cool, but if we had to pay for those two then I am against this trade.  Too costly.

...from Baseball America, but in the O's Top 10 chat, this is what Will Lingo had to say about Spears.

Q: Joe from Long Beach, CA asks:
Happy New Year, Will! How does Nate Spears project? His numbers look a bit better than Brian Roberts' early minor league totals...any chance he develops the same power that Roberts did in 2005?

A:
Will Lingo: Happy New Year to you too, Joe. That's an interesting comparison between Spears and Roberts. I went back and looked at our report on Roberts when he was No. 10 on the Orioles list before the 2001 season, and here's what it says: "His tools aren't overwhelming, but the package is greater than the sum of its parts." That's a lot like what we say about Nate Spears now, though Roberts' tools back then probably graded a shade ahead of Spears' across the board. The Orioles prospect list is also stouter now than it was then. But if you're asking me to guess, then no, I don't think Spears will develop power and I think he'll be a utility guy.

If I am not allowed to post it, Al simply delete it.

I always had a soft spot for Corey mostly from  being
at his AMAZING Opening Day in New  York in 2003
and his tragic injury in June of that year incured while
DESPERATELY trying to beat out an infield hit in a game
in which the Cubs had I think 2 baserunners through
7. However what finally tore it for me was when
he refused to see a sports psychologist or play
in Winter League. If he had done either than I would
have given him credit for trying and realizing there
was a problem. I still think he has a lot of talent
and wish him well

The only person who should be considered a bum in this trade is Patterson.  He's proven that he doesn't have the heart or discipline to play at the MLB level.  Any notion of using him at a platoon OF or as the last bench spot doesn't make sense.  He can't hit, he's never taken good angles in the outfield, and despite his speed, he's suprisingly ineffective on the bases.  In the end, us Cubs fans tend to look through blue colored glasses when evaluating a player like him, seeing more talent/potential than is really there.  Frankly, I'm suprised we were got so much.  A 20-year old SS who almost hit .300 sounds pretty solid to me.  That pitcher seems like dead weight, but as long as we were able to dump CP and his contract, I'm a happy camper.

This move simply opens a spot on the 40 man roster.  Anything that the minor leaguers obtained in this trade do is gravy.

There is no way the cubs could allow him to get verbally trashed for another season. Good luck to Corey. I hope he has a good career, not a great one.

when he got bood real bad but I can truly say that his performance usually warranted some sort of chastizing. I also wish him well but I have to remember my newly discovered despise of the O's so I can't really wish him too well. So long Corey, see ya in another life.  

I remember the game against the Dodgers on August 13, 2004, when Corey made two phenomenal catches and proceeded to throw out an advancing runner after each one (one at home, and one at third). It was about the one highlight of that day, when Farns gave up about 6 runs in the 8th to put the final nail in the coffin. I wish him well, but I'm damn glad he's not going to be wearing Cubbie blue anymore.

and I wish him well.  I still think he will end up being a pretty good player.  I don't think he will reach the stardom that was once predicted for him but I do think he has several pretty good years ahead of him.  I really think the Cubs handling of him and the fans (me included) high expectations were too much for him.  A fresh start and clear role will be good for him.    

While I agree that he needed to be traded I don't like our return.  I would like to think we could have done better than this.  What would the harm have been in letting him go through spring training to see if his value goes up.  I'm sure this type of trade would have still been available even if he had a bad spring.  Heck, for what we got we could have simply released him before the season.  

Now that he is gone I would like the Cubs to acquire another outfielder to serve as the # 4 as insurance in case Murton or Jones don't pan out.  I would rather Mabry be a pinch hitter and Grissom play in Iowa.  Even though Hairston can play the outfield I would rather consider him our starting second baseman.  I say this because I am assuming Walker will be the next to go and I do not want Neifi starting.    

And it's sad, really: that someone with the athletic gifts -- the "tools" we always heard about, but rarely saw -- of Corey Patterson, simply didn't have the head, or the heart, to make it as a major league player.

Personally, I predict a breakout in Baltimore.

Did something fall on my head and knock me out, but wasn't this the same site that was filled with posts about how bad Korey was playing? Did everyone forget about all the times he was picked off? Did we forget about all the times he struck out on 3 pitches a mile outside the strike zone? I specifically remember the series out here in Denver where they walked the bases loaded about 5 times JUST to pitch to him. How about all the times he took unbelievable routes to fly balls? You can look at the potential wasted and cry all you want, but facts are facts. He was a below average, overrated, player that never lived up to his potential.

it through work tonight knowing that Korey was gone.

My heart was so broken I had to give a co-worker a hug.

is with hendry's terrible timing with a lot of his signings/trades the last two years.  It's as though he's completely waived away the whole "but low, sell high" principle.

Starting with giving Kerry Wood an enormous extension about ten minutes after his first solid season/playoffs. The with the trades of some of our scapegoats, such as Sosa/Latroy/Corey, he trades them when their value is at the lowest in their entire career. And if that wasn't enough, they make it publically known that they want to trade tehm and that they can't live with them anymore. He did manage to get a useful part for Latroy, in fairness.

But I think just about everyone here knew that Sosa wasn't going to work for us BEFORE the 2004 season, and same with Corey BEFORE the 2005 season. They still had trade value at that point. He waited until the player had completely ruined themselves under the Dusty regime to dump them. Especially when its our player, you should have enough insight into them to get rid of them while they have some value. its basic business philosophy.

I like the bullpen signings of this year, but its the same thing. we now have one of the most expensive bullpens in baseball, and nobody has really had more than a season of success.

Hendry has made some good moves since 2003 (i still think the nomar signing was good, especially since murton came with it), but his moves seem like they are made more by a high school-aged fantasy baseball manager than a professional GM.

But he can win me back. If he went and got Lugo without giving up anyone i like i'd be excited again.

...on the Score this morning. How will you feel if Corey turns his career around in Baltimore? Here's my answer to that question. If Corey turns his career around and starts to produce, it will be a complete indictment of the Cubs inability to develope talent. An assesment should be made of the organizations coaches, scouts and instructors and then a decision should be made on who gets fired. I thought that was supposed to be Gary Hughes job.

...so negative here. Since this deal with Patterson, it got me thinking about what notable position players the cubs farm system has produced. In the last twenty years I can only think of one. The only thing that gives me hope about Murton is that he wasn't scouted and developed by the cubs. I also have hope for Cedeno who is a product of the Cubs farm system. I don't know why I have hope for him. I guess it's because I'm a Cubs fan.