Several of the articles reporting the Dempster signing also reported the Cubs supposed interest in Furcal. It’s quite obvious that after signing Dempster, it’s not likely they’ll have the money to sign Abreu/Dunn/Ibanez AND Furcal. So perhaps Hendry is trying to get creative with an affordable LH RF and then use the money on Furcal? I’m not neccessarily endorsing that plan of action or opposing it, just speculating that it may be what the Cubs are doing

wait…..this is serious?? oh SHIT!

This is a joke, right? Pie could easily do that

That is essentially what Kosuke did last year, though he had 5 less HRs and his OBP was 40 points higher

and we all know the baseball deity Beane is never wrong….so this is clearly a good move.

Jeromey Burntiz Reduex

Everyone who’s quoted Teahen’s stats from last year only. How many of you also quoted Ryan Dempster’s stats from SIX YEARS ago to say we shouldn’t sign him?

I hope you see my point. While Dempster isn’t the player he was six years ago, perhaps Teahen is a bit better than he was in 2008? Two years earlier, he hit .290/.357/.517. He just turned 27 in September, so it’s possible his best offensive seasons are ahead of him.

I agree that I wouldn’t necessarily make a deal for him if it’s possible you could get him as a non-tender. I also wouldn’t give up much to get him.

Calling him Jeromy Burnitz redux is just silly. Burnitz was ten years older than Teahen when the Cubs got him. Teahen’s better than Dave Magadan.

Final word from me: Teahen wouldn’t be my first choice, but I do think he’s not as bad as everyone else here thinks.

Teahen has played 144 and 149 games last two years, I wonder what Pie’s numbers would be if had the same amount of AB’s and games?
 My guess probably pretty damn close, and a glove that Teahen does not have.

But I’d be kind of disappointed if that’s the lefty bat we end up with. And it would kind of signal we’re going after Furcal hard, wouldn’t it? Because while the Cub lineup is still pretty good, Teahen doesn’t improve it much, unless he pulls a DeRosa. I also wouldn’t want the Cubs sending too much over to get him, in spite of the fact that I’m also a Royals fan.

I think that if we really can’t afford to sign a veteran hitter like Dunn or Ibanez, we should just tough it out with Fukudome in RF, and if he continues his spiral, make a deal. I think Teahen improves the offense a little, but weakens other trade package possibilities. And if we’re going to downgrade on defense for the tough right field in Wrigley, we should really only do so for a stud hitter. It’s bad enough with Soriano in left.

The Royals have never really let him settle in. He’s played three positions in three years. DeRo has us so spoiled that we think that a guy moving around is no big deal. For most guys, moving all the time IS a big deal.

I would not be in favor of this trade if we gave up something significant (e.g., Vitters). However, Pie is not going to get a chance under Piniella and he is out of options, so he has to be traded. Straight up might favor the Royals over the long haul (depending on how Pie pans out), but in 2009 this might favor us — if only because it will put a LHB in the middle of the order to make pitchers throw to both lanes. At best, Teahan — with a fresh start and surrounded by better hitters — will reach his potential. At worst, we traded a guy for whom Lou had no use and non-tender him next year.

If the Royals would take Cedeño or Fontenot instead, I would do that deal in a heartbeat even if Teahan never reaches .800 OPS.

n/t

Move him out of the cavernous Kauffman Stadium and into Wrigley, let him hit against NL pitching for a while, and I think 20 HR is doable for a guy like Teahen. He’s shy of his power peak by a few years, and he’s not defensively useless. I think Teahen at $3 mil a year is a much better idea than Abreu/Ibanez at $15 mil.

There’s a question as to whether you’re buying low or getting a failed prospect in return, sure. But he should be pretty easy to acquire in trade.

Probably about a league-average hitter (not position-adjusted), .5 on defense, 1.75 rep-level bonus for 2.25 Wins Above Replacement overall, so probably a (modestly) above-average player in the NL overall (below average in the AL – you want to get as many undervalued AL players as you can if you’re an NL team).

Probably not my first choice as a right fielder, but it’s not the worst idea I’ve heard, especially if it gives you the salary flexibility to do something else as well (like sign Furcal).

Kubel is about a year younger, but has knee problems that could limit his time in the field. Teahen can play all four corners. It sounds like the trade price for either will be similar.

Kubel ’08 463 ABs 20 HRs .272/.335/.471
Teahen ’08 572 ABs 15 HRs .255/.313/.402

Kubel Career 1161 ABs 43 HRs .268/.326/.445
Teahen Career 1956 ABs 47 HRs .268/332/.421

Is Teahen really a guy the Cubs would consider batting 5th?

The Royals just traded for Coco Crisp. That pretty much makes trading Pie to them pointless. link

He does struggle at the plate. But on the plus side, he is a very very good baserunner with good speed and his defense is very good. He has a great arm and is very accurate.

He can play multiple places. he is kind of like a left handed version of Dero but with more K’s. he has power but has been inconsistant with it. Part of the issue in KC is they would never leave him in one place so I am guessing that kind of gets on you after a while.

If you are interested in this rumor, Rany Jazayerli has a great blog piece on it. It helps Cub fans get some perspective on how their bench players might be appreciated by other teams.

Very interesting is Rany’s take on why Fukudome might be a good pickup for the Royals:

The wild card here is Fukudome, who the Cubs would love to pawn off on someone else. I actually think Fukudome would be a worthwhile gamble for the Royals.