Right Field

by JJDiesel21 on Dec 13, 2008 5:21 PM CST Comment 35 comments

Since last year ended it has been made clear that a formidable, left-handed hitting, right fielder was the Cubs number one priority (for the second year in a row btw). Seeing Joe Torre not make a pitching change for Fukudome was pretty much embarassing.

That said, and Raul Ibanez being signed, it appears that the Cubs are left with the following options (in alphabetical order):

Bobby Abreu http://www.baseball-reference.com/a/abreubo01.shtml

Milton Bradley http://www.baseball-reference.com/b/bradlmi01.shtml

Adam Dunn http://www.baseball-reference.com/d/dunnad01.shtml

Jeremy Hermida http://www.baseball-reference.com/h/hermije01.shtml

I have been bouncing between the four baseball reference pages for a while. All have pros and cons. And I know that people may be outraged to hear this because we have seen him play poor defense his whole career, but it seems evident to me that Adam Dunn would clearly be the best choice. Milton Bradley was a DH a lot and his D isnt much better. Abreu is a one time gold glover but is getting up there in age. Hermida seems to be good defensively but his offensive numbers don't come anywhere close to the other three (Especially Dunn). I feel the Cubs are still in a win now state of mind and that, to me, takes Hermida out of consideration.

Abreu had good offensive numbers last year and has for a while but we cannot forget that he is playing half his games in Yankee Stadium with a short right field porch and playing all his games with A-Rod behind him. He will be looking for a rather large multiyear deal despite the fact he will be turning 35 next season. No thank you.

Bradley had the best year of his career last year. Signing people coming off their best year is usually asking for disappointment (I don't see Soriano going 40-40 anytime soon). He also has a very tough time staying healthy. He's played 125 games or more twice in his 9 seasons. He also seems to be somewhat of a behavioral wild card. God forbid he game in and slumped in the first month. If we thought Jacque Jones reacted poorly to heckling just wait.

Then there is Dunn. Poor defense aside he is one of the best power hitters in the game the last 5 years. He has average more than 40 HR and 100 RBI in that span. "But he strikes out ll the time!" you say. Yes but, and I almost couldn't believe it either, he led the NL in walks last year. Despite BA consistently around .240 he still has OBP around .380 every year. Also, he is only 29. With pitching as good as we have I would sacrifice the D for a 40 HR and 100 RBI. Also, the way he hits in wrigley it could be 50 and 120.

I know this is a long post but this is undoubtedly the most important spot to fill for the Cubs this offseason. Tell me what you think. Where I'm wrong. Candidates I'm missing. Anything. Now that Peavy isn't coming, and a leadoff hitter doesn't seem to be either, I think this is the splash the Cubs need to make. Thoughts?

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of SB Nation or Al Yellon, managing editor (unless it's a FanPost posted by Al). FanPost opinions are valued expressions of opinion by passionate and knowledgeable baseball fans.

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Given the Cubs' needs,..........

………..I think Abreu is the guy. On top of being the best glove and base runner of the group, he’ll likely reach base 4 of 10 plate appearances. Dunn will reach that often as well, but he’s a true base clogger. Abreu is no such player.

He’s not young and is likely to decline, but I suspect Abreu has another 2-3 years of quality ball in him. And if the Cubs are indeed looking to win now, they don’t need to worry about his output in 2013.

"Happiness? A good cigar, a good meal, a good cigar and a good woman - or a bad woman; it depends on how much happiness you can handle." ~ George Burns

by tville on Dec 13, 2008 5:44 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

If the choice is Bradley or Abreu...

… I’ll take Abreu.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Dec 13, 2008 6:10 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I'd rather have Josh Kroeger or Sam Fuld in the outfield than Bobby Abreu at this point.

Even if you have to pay them Abreu’s salary!

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by cwyers on Dec 13, 2008 8:37 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

You've been drinking because............

………..your posts are always far more cogent than this.

On what basisis Kroeger and Fuld COMBINED better than Abreu? Take the “mad scientist’s” kit and go into the laboratory. No way you can create something from those two that competes with the pre-existing Bobby Abreu.

"Happiness? A good cigar, a good meal, a good cigar and a good woman - or a bad woman; it depends on how much happiness you can handle." ~ George Burns

by tville on Dec 13, 2008 10:17 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

...the best glove of the group?

Maybe 5 years ago. He’s hopeless in the field right now.

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by cwyers on Dec 13, 2008 8:39 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Dunn is better?

Uhm………no.

Bradley is better?

Again, no.

Hermida is better? No indication of that, but his youth is on his side.

So, of the four players mentioned, who’s better than Abreu in RF?

"Happiness? A good cigar, a good meal, a good cigar and a good woman - or a bad woman; it depends on how much happiness you can handle." ~ George Burns

by tville on Dec 13, 2008 10:14 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Bradley is a better fielder.

You could put him out in CF for a game or two and not completely embarass the sport of baseball.

He’s too old to run down baseballs like he used to. He’s also declining as a hitter.

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by cwyers on Dec 13, 2008 10:43 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Milton Bradley...........

…………had 43 put outs last season.

43.

Bobby Abreu had 270 put outs in 2008.

270.

I’ll concede Bradley might (emphasis MIGHT) be the better fielder in general, but I believe Abreu to be the best right fielder of the bunch. His arm is better than Bradley’s and he has far more games played at the position.

And since the Cubs are in need of a right fielder – not a center fielder – your reference to placing Bradley in CF has little merit.

"Happiness? A good cigar, a good meal, a good cigar and a good woman - or a bad woman; it depends on how much happiness you can handle." ~ George Burns

by tville on Dec 13, 2008 11:05 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

1310 vs 165.3

Those are the innings that Abreu played in the field vs. those played by Bradley in 2008. Now that does little to diminish the concerns re. the durability of Milton Bradley, but comparing putouts between one fielder who was on the diamond 8 times more than the other makes little sense. And if one were to make a simple (though faulty) extrapolation of Bradley’s output in 165.3 innings in 2008, he would have had 333 putouts in the same time frame as Abreu.

by teleologue on Dec 13, 2008 11:28 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks for proving the point.

From the 2005 season through this season past, Bradley played 244 games in the outfield.

That’s roughly 30 games per year.

Milton Bradley is no longer an outfielder. It’s an insult to Abreu to make the comparison, especially when discussing RF.

"Happiness? A good cigar, a good meal, a good cigar and a good woman - or a bad woman; it depends on how much happiness you can handle." ~ George Burns

by tville on Dec 13, 2008 11:44 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Let's say I have a son.

But I always wanted a daughter, so I keep dressing my son up in dresses and buying him Barbie dolls for Christmas. Do I have a daughter?

No.

The Yankees wanted a few outfielders, a catcher and a first baseman. They had five designated hitters. They put 3-4 DHes in the field every game. Does that make any of them outfielders/catchers/first basemen?

No.

The fact that the Yankees had three players last season even LESS defensively useful than Abreu (Matsui, Giambi and Posada after he blew out his arm) does not mean that Abreu is a better fielder than Bradley.

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by cwyers on Dec 14, 2008 1:50 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

These stories are great...........

………..and all of this “supposing” is neat, but the Cubs need a right fielder.

Nothing you’ve proffered indicates Bradley is better than Abreu at this position.

"Happiness? A good cigar, a good meal, a good cigar and a good woman - or a bad woman; it depends on how much happiness you can handle." ~ George Burns

by tville on Dec 14, 2008 8:59 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

How about being the second-worst outfielder in baseball? (Qualified starters only.)

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by cwyers on Dec 14, 2008 10:05 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

So according to this site......

……..Abreu does not get to many balls. That might explain his lack of errors, but it doesn’t account for his 10 assists.

I’m not sure how they draw their conclusions because in games I watched (+40) last year, I saw no indication of Abreu’s poor coverage in the field.

"Happiness? A good cigar, a good meal, a good cigar and a good woman - or a bad woman; it depends on how much happiness you can handle." ~ George Burns

by tville on Dec 14, 2008 10:34 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Leaving the metrics aside for a moment

What is it exactly you like about Abreu’s defense? I watched a ton of Yankee games last year (maybe 80-100). Is it

a) His poor routes?
b) His lack of range?
c) His average arm?
d) His fear of walls?
e) His lack of hustle?

I mean this in all honesty. After watching him enough, I believe in all five things I’ve stated. Is Abreu the worst OF ever? No, but he’s below average in RF and he’s better suited for LF at this stage in his career (now, when he was in Philly, solid, and maybe above-average).

by toonsterwu on Dec 14, 2008 11:05 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Time out.

This was not meant to be a “love fest” for Abreu’s defense, but rather his being better when compared to the alternatives listed in this post.

And considering his defense is only a part of the total package, it strikes me he is the best option of the players outlined.

"Happiness? A good cigar, a good meal, a good cigar and a good woman - or a bad woman; it depends on how much happiness you can handle." ~ George Burns

by tville on Dec 14, 2008 11:19 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

he's not the best defensive player of the group

Hermida, imo, is, without looking at metrics. And if Bradley’s medical passes, I’d take him over Abreu, which isn’t meant to be a positive for Bradley, but just how awful I think Abreu’s glove is.

by toonsterwu on Dec 14, 2008 11:24 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Why? Of him, Bradley, and Dunn he’s clearly the worst hitter and the oldest of the group. If he isn’t the best defensive player of that bunch then it’s hard to see how he’s not the worst choice.

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by cwyers on Dec 14, 2008 11:29 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

No Disrespect to the poster whatsoever

but I cant wait til hendry does something so we will have something new to talk about around here. we have hashed rehashed and hashed again on every single grain of cubs news twice and some maybe 100000 times.

Dear Santa:: All I want for X-mas this year is an official 2009 Jake Peavy Cubs Jersey. Oh and a Beimel one too. I've been a real good guy for the most part!!!

by cubsluver22 on Dec 13, 2008 6:29 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

A B C... easy as 1 2 3...

[Yes, I’m channeling a Jackson 5 tune here… Deal with it.]

…only in this case, it’s more like A B D. Who we should sign depends on how long you think our window of winning it all is.

One year? Abreu
Two years? Bradley
Three or more years? Dunn

“a buh-buh buh buh-buh…. a buh-buh buh buh-buh…”

Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."

by ballhawk on Dec 13, 2008 6:30 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

C could be

Cliff Floyd :D

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by Chanman25 on Dec 13, 2008 7:18 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I wouldn't mind having Dunn...

But he’s going to want too many years. After our current window of winning is over with Ramirez, Lee, etc., I don’t want to have to deal with his defense in right long term. I know many people don’t like Bradley’s anger issues, but I think this team needs a bit of an edge. Besides, we can’t possibly just roll the same (almost) team out there 3 years in a row and expect a different result.

Someday we'll go all the way...

by CubsBullsBears on Dec 13, 2008 7:39 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

that's why

we can move dunn to 1st base when lee’s contract is up.

does it strike anyone else that it seems like every year we are looking for a power hitting, left handed bat, right fielder? see: jones, burnitz, fukudome….

I really don’t think the handedness of our bats will increase post-season success.

just get the best available talent that’s in our price range, or stand pat with what we have. A win is a win. .whether it comes from exceptional pitching, a dominant right fielder, or whatever. There is no formula to winning other than fielding a good team, which we have for the past two years. Our handedness did not make the cubs go 3 and out two years in a row. Nor did choking, nor did lack of “post season experience”. As a team and individually, we were above average, not one player excelled to the superstar level.

If there is one player who I think would help the Cubs win in 09’ it would be adam dunn. A 3, or even 4 year contract with incentives would be perfect.

Keep in mind, dero, harden, marquis, johnson, wuertz and cotts are FA after this season. Expect mid-season trades.

by scarymonsters85 on Dec 13, 2008 10:56 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

One option not mentioned

would be Hideki Matsui. He could probably be had for nothing other than some salary relief. I’m not sure of his health, but I believe he’s on the last year of his contract.

"Enough foreplay- let's get crackin'"- Fred Garvin

by davidalanu on Dec 14, 2008 9:42 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

not sold on that

First off, I haven’t checked the metrics in awhile, but Matsui’s a pretty bad fielder. cwyers indicates he was worse than Abreu, which is pretty fricking awful as Abreu is a poor defensive outfielder who takes bad routes, shies away from the wall, lacks any semblance of range, and overall, just plain sucks these days defensively (at one time, he was good).

I’m not sold that Matsui is definitely available, and if he is, if he’s available for just salary relief. The Yankees need a healthy Matsui to anchor the middle of that lineup. Because while I buy Swisher bouncing back, they aren’t going to go into the year depending on Swisher. They don’t have middle of the order hitters in LF (Damon), SS (Jeter), C (Posada), CF (if it’s Cameron, he’s more a bottom of the order hitter), and it’s debatable if 2nd (Cano), RF (Nady), 1st (Swisher) are middle of the order guys. That leaves Matsui and ARod.

Now, if they can sign a bat (say, Adam Dunn?), then maybe they make Matsui available

by toonsterwu on Dec 14, 2008 10:01 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

The Yanks are planning on DHing Matsui

because they don’t think his knee will hold up in the OF.

"I've never complained about it. I'm thankful to have a jersey." Mark DeRosa, 22 Aug 2007

by DeRoMyHero on Dec 14, 2008 1:22 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Okay, not going to start a thread

So … assuming the speculation on Bradley is correct, what’s next? First, pre-Bradley, we had anywhere from 133 million (Wittenmeyer) to 138 million (that’s my guess) available.

I think most expectations are that Bradley will get around Ibanez, if not slightly less. That takes us near the border of our available space, with maybe a few million extra, as the 145 was an estimate.

Do we

a) Pursue a lefty starter to give Lou two lefties? Randy Johnson may get around 8 million or so, so that means chopping off Marquis’ contract could be enough, but that’s not certain as it didn’t seem like we gained much traction in trying to move Marquis without eating a significant chunk of the deal.

b) Try to find a leadoff hitter? I still think that would be nice … but I’m not sure how we get that done. Much as I would like Furcal, it seems unlikely in terms of what may happen. After Furcal, who else, outside of he who will not be named particularly since there’s still mixed signals if he who will not be named gets shopped.

c) Find some pen help? With Marshall in the pen, and with Cotts all but set to come back, I have a sinking suspicion they’ll be our middle relief guys to get lefties out … which worries me to no end. That said, that won’t make or break our season.

d) Shop DeRosa? My guess is no … but what if DeRosa can net us help in other areas? Is a lineup with Bradley added as a lefty bat the difference maker from last year? I’m hardpressed to say yes, Milton Bradley alone will be the difference, though I think he’ll be an upgrade.

My guess is that Hendry would pursue a lefty starter like Randy Johnson and deal Marquis. My preference, assuming limited leeway? I’m not sure … I think I’d lean towards trying to land Joe Beimel, dealing Marquis and making Marshall a starter … but that ain’t happening.

by toonsterwu on Dec 14, 2008 10:18 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

my guess

is that Lou won’t stand for shopping DeRosa. He has been our MVP in many ways the past 2 seasons.

…and Marshall might end up starting. Merde happens, as we all know.

by leothelip on Dec 14, 2008 10:56 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Lou might not have a choice...

If the LHB RF costs $10M per season, they may need to trade him for salary relief — depending on how much of Marquis’ salary they can unload.

If the can’t afford a FA RF, DeRo is the best trade chip they have to get one.

"I've never complained about it. I'm thankful to have a jersey." Mark DeRosa, 22 Aug 2007

by DeRoMyHero on Dec 14, 2008 1:25 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

ABREAU,,,,,,,,,,,

Watched alot of Yankee games the last 2 years on Yes Network…Of the group mentioned it’s BOBBY ABREAU….

by cubs north on Dec 14, 2008 4:55 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

or...

maybe its abreu???

Dear Santa:: All I want for X-mas this year is an official 2009 Jake Peavy Cubs Jersey. Oh and a Beimel one too. I've been a real good guy for the most part!!!

by cubsluver22 on Dec 14, 2008 5:44 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

What about Jason Kubel?

Could he be had cheaper than Hermida?

"This is an environment of welcoming, and you should just get the hell outta here." --Michael Scott

by Reddevil on Dec 14, 2008 4:58 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Supposedly, the Twins have not made him available -- yet.

Perhaps they would for DeRo, but is that a good trade for the Cubs?

"I've never complained about it. I'm thankful to have a jersey." Mark DeRosa, 22 Aug 2007

by DeRoMyHero on Dec 15, 2008 12:59 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

rightfield

right field is turning into our new 3rd base.now that aramis is going on almost 7 years with the team how long will it take to replace sammy???

by NOMAR on Dec 15, 2008 8:06 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Milton Bradley looks to be the object of Hendry's attention

I have mixed feelings on this one. Hard to ignore the troubling and violent major league past of Bradley in Montreal, Cleveland and Los Angeles. On the other hand it is also hard to ignore that Bradley can flat out rake and get on base. He was also a good outfielder up until he tore up his knee in 2007.

by BLou on Dec 15, 2008 1:26 PM CST reply actions 0 recs