Only Five Roster Changes, Lou?
Carrie Muskat quotes Lou as saying that the team may only need to swap out about five players this Winter. His first three wishes are (1) to stay healthy, particularly Soriano and Soto (2) an RBI guy, and (3) a leadoff man.
If you could only change five players on the Cubs roster, who would they be? I'm not thinking of specific trades, just which positions (defense 2-9) and slots in the rotation and bullpen would change from where the Cubs are right now?
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My suggestion
No changes in the starting rotation. (Lilly, Z, Dempster, Wells, Gorz/Marshall)
Only one new reliever, a 7th-8th inning guy to back up Guzman and Marmol. I’m not counting guys like Caridad, Berg, Stevens, or Samardzija as “new”.
That leaves me four position players: second base, shortstop, centerfield, and right field (I would try to deal Fukudome for a CFer). Bench can be guys like Johnson, Fuld, Blanco, Hill, Hoffpauir, Fox, Baker.
Thinking about it this way, is it possible the Cubs actually add FEWER than five new players before Spring Training?
Fontenot (fon-te-no): Cajun for "scrappy"
Why deal Fukudome for a centerfielder?
Couldn’t the Cubs just move Kosuke back where he belongs – to right field?
Catch my act on Twitter as @dat_cubfan_dave.
Then where do you put your #5 hitter?
Inspector #23 certifies that the above post is sarcasm free, most certainly not what she said, and chock full of intangibles, although regressing to the intangible mean, as you'd expect.
Well, as things stand, I think Alfonso Soriano is your No. 5 hitter.
Catch my act on Twitter as @dat_cubfan_dave.
but hes a righty!
The official slogan of your 2009 Chicago Cubs:
Why?
by jesus christos on Sep 28, 2009 4:54 PM CDT up reply actions
They could, indeed
But I think they might do better dealing Fukudome for CFer, then signing a RFer.
Fontenot (fon-te-no): Cajun for "scrappy"
(1) Adam
(2) Friggin
(3) Dunn
This guy’s like the antithesis of Milton Bradley, folks, com’on.
(1) He’s played AT LEAST 152 games in 7/8 seasons – HEALTHY, CHECK
(2) 100+ RBI in 5/6 seasons – RBI, CHECK
(3) He can leadoff, his OBP is a career .384, a full .013 higher than MB – OBP, CHECK
"The riches of the game are in the thrills, not the money." --Ernie Banks
Barring an impressive offer
he won’t be available. The Nationals seem to love him and he is working on the 1st base move. It appears they are going to try and build around the 3-4-5 of Zimmerman, Dunn and Willingham.
While from an OBP standpoint Dunn at Leadoff might be a good idea
Especially if you have a bat handler in the two hole and DLEE and ARAM in 3/4.
But the mental image of the Big Donkey batting first just seems…odd
"There are no curses here...Games are won and lost on the baseball field" - Lou Piniella
I'd like to know a little bit more about...
…this parallel universe in which Lou Piniella puts Adam Dunn in the leadoff spot.
Catch my act on Twitter as @dat_cubfan_dave.
Cubs fans would hate Dunn. Why don't any of you realize this?
He can’t play defense in the outfield, and he’s famous for doing the kinds of things Cubs fans hate – poor situational hitting, striking out looking when he needs to put a ball in play, walking in RBI situations. You know, the stuff that Bradley did.
It’s a moot point anyway – you know he’s not a free agent this year… right?
I’ll also point this silly thing out:
(3) He can leadoff, his OBP is a career .384, a full .013 higher than MB – OBP, CHECK
.013 in terms of OBP is one walk or hit every 25 games. That’s not really that much of a difference.
by Wreckard on Sep 28, 2009 9:35 AM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
Not that he'd be put in leadoff
But let’s say he was…that OBP will drop dramatically. Pitchers won’t walk him as often because he won’t have many men on base.
Therefore OBP goes down, Strikeouts go up, batting average drops…but he’ll get over 35HR’s easily.
In seriousness...
…here are my non-trade ideas.
1 – Give some no-namer in the minors a chance to get in the pen and set-up/close. Heilman sucks, Gregg sucks. Build something from within here.
2 – Stab Aaron Miles. But not before you ask him how he grew that magnificent goatee.
3 – Announce – very loudly – that the catcher position is wide open for 2010. This gives Koyie Hill (hell, Jake Fox?) the chance to compete for the starting job, and Geovany Soto some incentive to not be fat.
4 – Give Bobby Scales and Andres Blanco an open shot at the middle infield, either as a starter or as a solid backup. Their defense appears to be good.
5 – Let Jeff Baker know that he will be an everyday player in 2010. This man needs more than 200 ABs.
"The riches of the game are in the thrills, not the money." --Ernie Banks
Stab Aaron Miles. But not before you ask him how he grew that magnificent goatee.
I know Aaron Miles sucks and we all want him gone but do you really have to use the word stab considering what he went though with his hostage situation? Very poor choice of words.
I have no idea what you're talking about.
But whatever it is, maybe that was a poor WC.
"The riches of the game are in the thrills, not the money." --Ernie Banks
Scary stuff....
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baseball/cubs/1360470,CST-SPT-cub04.article
Nobody cares about your fantasy baseball team
by carmen_fanzone on Sep 27, 2009 11:17 PM CDT up reply actions
End the Mike Fontenot experience
He isn’t a everyday player, and he can’t fill enough spots to be a good utility guy. Miles doesn’t hit enough, or play enough positions well to justify a return. Blanco or someone as a stop gap at SS. Slide Theriot to 2nd. I’d like to see if Baker can be a super utility if he can be a marginal outfilder.
Get younger. We have to shed some money, and youth and speed are in short supply on this team. For the upcoming year a platoon of Fuld and Johnson may be the answer for cf. Shuffle up the bullpen a little by losing Heilman and Gregg. With Z getting on Weight Watchers and buying a Thigh Master the rotation will be fine.
I think power will be there with returned health from Soriano and Soto. But, to echo another poster, make sure Soto knows he could eat his way back to Des Moines. He isn’t owed any money, make him earn his spot.
It pains me to say, but I'd be curious to see...
…what the trade market is for Mike Fontenot.
Catch my act on Twitter as @dat_cubfan_dave.
The only reason to trade Mike now
is if you plan to sign a full-time 2B like Orlando Hudson or trade for one like Luis Castillo. Otherwise, I’d give him another chance to build up his playing time behind Theriot or Baker as he did in 2008.
Inspector #23 certifies that the above post is sarcasm free, most certainly not what she said, and chock full of intangibles, although regressing to the intangible mean, as you'd expect.
I'm just not sure there's enough room on the roster for him...
…now that Andres Blanco is here. (I really like what Blanco brings to the team.) Do you think the Cubs should stick with the Fontenot/Baker platoon concept for next season?
Catch my act on Twitter as @dat_cubfan_dave.
Platoon
I don’t like the idea of a platoon at your middle infield positions. The Cubs need to decide who they want to play 2B. I’m not for going out to get someone like Hudson. We don’t need another Big name, Big salary guy on this team. I like Fontenot, but he isn’t getting the job done. Bobby Scales is a great story, but he is getting up in years. I love Baker at 2B, but I’m also intrigued by his versatility. I say go with Andy White and Theriot as your everyday middle infielders. Let them work together, consistently, so that they can find a groove for turning double-plays.
Don't let anyone steal your Joy
But Baker's likely a better hitter than Blanco.
So you’d be leaving his bat on the bench most of the time while putting Blanco’s bat in the lineup everyday. I’m not sure that’s a good idea, though I would like to see Blanco get more playing time – particularly to relieve Theriot at shortstop.
Catch my act on Twitter as @dat_cubfan_dave.
I'm all about making Blanco unneeded
by adding someone like Maicer Izturis, Erick Aybar, or Reid Brignac and then cutting Theriot’s PAs to 400-450, mostly at 2B with some SS as well. I’d rather have Fontenot’s LH bat off the bench than Hoffpauir’s, so… see below.
But I’d be ok with giving Fontenot and Baker an even split off 300 PAs each from 2B.
Inspector #23 certifies that the above post is sarcasm free, most certainly not what she said, and chock full of intangibles, although regressing to the intangible mean, as you'd expect.
why isn't Baker a full time second baseman?
he hit .301 against righties this season. why is there a need for a platoon with Baker here?
Just to get an undertalented Fontenot plate appearances?
I guess I'm just a worrier, that's why my friends call me whiskers
by Nunyabidness on Sep 29, 2009 11:52 AM CDT up reply actions
Because Baker can also be the backup third baseman...
…and play some outfield, too (perhaps playing RF for Kosuke vs. LHP). So a platoon may better afford him that flexibility.
Catch my act on Twitter as @dat_cubfan_dave.
I was one of the few to say Baker would be a great pickup for us.
So, take my comments on Baker in the proper context – I’ve been a fan of his for a while. But I think giving him the 2B job full time might risk replaying the Fontenot “mistake” of this year. I’d be glad, though, to throw Fonty, Riot, and Baker into a win-the-job battle during the season.
Inspector #23 certifies that the above post is sarcasm free, most certainly not what she said, and chock full of intangibles, although regressing to the intangible mean, as you'd expect.
More than 5 should go
1. Soriano
2. Bradley
3. Theriot
4. Soto
5. Gregg
Ideally, these 5 would be gone as soon as they can be replaced with better players. If allowed to make more selections, Heilman should go too, Marshall isn’t that good, and Guzman is too fragile. Without Harden back, they should sign another starting pitcher.
Lack of runs this season was the main reason the Cubs will watch the playoffs on TV this year.
From the ST:
Sunday’s 5-1 loss marked the 53rd time this season the Cubs scored two runs or fewer — more than one-third of their games.
It’s hard to put that kind of load on your pitching staff. That they did as well as they have is remarkable.
And when finishing a season “only a little above .500” is a disappointment for the Cubs, then things are moving in the right direction. I expect the Cubs to return to the top of the division next year with a renewed sense of commitment from the players, and far less toxicity in the clubhouse.
When does Spring Training start?
"Pain don't hurt you none" - Sparky Anderson (1987)
Obviously Sparky was never a Cubs fan...
When does Spring Training start?
The easy answer is, too late…
Based on this year, it should be around the end of February.
You see, wire telegraph is a kind of a very, very long cat. You pull his tail in New York and his head is meowing in Los Angeles. Do you understand this? And radio operates exactly the same way: you send signals here, they receive them there. The only difference is that there is no cat. - Albert Einstein
No WBC in 2010
I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT
Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson
by Shanghai Badger on Sep 28, 2009 3:40 PM CDT up reply actions
Thank. God.
"Pain don't hurt you none" - Sparky Anderson (1987)
Obviously Sparky was never a Cubs fan...
Now if only we could take the "2010" off that sentence
the WBC is an effing joke of an attempt at making more money for an exhibition
I guess I'm just a worrier, that's why my friends call me whiskers
by Nunyabidness on Sep 29, 2009 11:54 AM CDT up reply actions
Yep.
The Big Hit that never came. That’s the story of ’09.
Catch my act on Twitter as @dat_cubfan_dave.
Here's the problem.
Last offseason, they fixed problems they didn’t have.
Clearly, they do need a “run producer”, but they also need people who can get on base. A leadoff man? They already have one: Kosuke Fukudome.
Staying healthy, obviously, would fix some of the existing problems withouth making a single move.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Five people who should go
Aaron Miles, Aaron Heilman, Kevin Gregg, Milton Bradley and either Fox or Hoffpauir, who are basically the same player.
I’d try to keep Harden, but I wouldn’t break the bank for him, so he’s probably gone.
There is no such thing as an ugly female breast
Micah Hoffpauir, I am sure, is a swell guy.
But he really can’t play anything but 1B. And he will be 30 before Opening Day 2010. Thank him and say goodbye.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Why say goodbye?
Is he a free agent? If not, why send him away in a trade? I doubt we’d get much in return. Worst case scenario, you send him back to minors and use him in an emergency situation.
"Pounding sand since 1982...."
There has to be a team looking for a cheap 1B
I think we could get a mid level prospect for him.
Would Fox then be our 1B backup?
"There are no curses here...Games are won and lost on the baseball field" - Lou Piniella
Probably. I think Baker could play it in a pinch too
There is no such thing as an ugly female breast
And any team looking for a cheap 1B
has their own version of Micah Hoffpauir at AAA already.
Inspector #23 certifies that the above post is sarcasm free, most certainly not what she said, and chock full of intangibles, although regressing to the intangible mean, as you'd expect.
Hoff and Fox do have some value
Both can play 1b and dh a little for the right AL team. That is a deal waiting to be made. Maybe they play a role in a multi-player/multi-team deal to get rid of Bradley. The one you keep is your leading back-up 1b and a reserve outfielder. Baker has value at 2b, and I think he can play a credible 3b. As I said, I’d like to see if he can play a corner outfield spot in a pinch. I don’t want to just dump a bunch of guys. Well, just Miles, Heilman, and Gregg. The only money you need to eat is Miles. I don’t see how you would get anything of value in return for him in a trade. Not at his salary. Don’t even dare offer Gregg arbitration.
I am still wondering how many runs we score if Soriano gets his knee scoped in June, and Ramirez doesn’t go down. Yeah, “if”. We’ll see in the Spring if Soriano is going to regain any of his previous form.
Baker's versatility
If the Cubs play the Baker card correctly, he could become very valuable to the club. Jeff can play 2B, back-up Ramirez at 3B and I have little doubt he can play 1B. So, why not see what Baker can do in the corner outfield?
Don't let anyone steal your Joy
5 degrees of Lou Piniella
Let’s see… nearly-ideal-but-only-mildly-unrealistic situation here, so I don’t have to explain how I do this – and these aren’t trades I’d offer, they’re the final product in terms of our roster alone:
1. Swap Aaron Miles for Maicer Izturis
2. Swap Milton Bradley for Curtis Granderson
3. Swap Zambrano for Matsuzaka
4. Swap Gregg for Kelvim Escobar
5. Swap Reed Johnson for Mike Cameron, who goes into a platoon-plus role
That should save some money on contracts in case we have to eat some of MB’s.
Lineup v. RHP
Izturis SS
Fukudome RF
Lee 1B
Ramirez 3B
Soriano LF
Granderson CF
Soto C
Theriot/Fontenot 2B
Lineup v. LHP
Theriot SS
Cameron CF
Lee 1B
Ramirez 3B
Soriano LF
Fox RF
C Soto
Baker 2B
Inspector #23 certifies that the above post is sarcasm free, most certainly not what she said, and chock full of intangibles, although regressing to the intangible mean, as you'd expect.
Huh?
Swap Milton Bradley for Curtis Granderson.
The Tigers will NEVER make this deal. Not in a million years.
"Pain don't hurt you none" - Sparky Anderson (1987)
Obviously Sparky was never a Cubs fan...
I guess I should have used bold-face when I wrote:
these aren’t trades I’d offer, they’re the final product in terms of our roster alone
Inspector #23 certifies that the above post is sarcasm free, most certainly not what she said, and chock full of intangibles, although regressing to the intangible mean, as you'd expect.
Yeah, you probably should have.
Because that’s what I thought you meant at first, too, before I read the post more carefully.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
I guess it doesn't help that that Z for Matsu-Z has been talked about as a straight trade.
Although 2 of the guys I’d add are free agents. I’d particularly like to see the Cubs add Mike Cameron who knows the division and can spell our OFs against RHP. We need a 4th OF who is more than a platoon option.
Inspector #23 certifies that the above post is sarcasm free, most certainly not what she said, and chock full of intangibles, although regressing to the intangible mean, as you'd expect.
Ok, I see now. I LOVE the sentiment. Granderson in place of Milt's spot would be a fabulous upgrade
not only in talent, but chemistry and attitude. Curtis is a HUGE outreach player in Detroit. He’s a major face of the franchise. And he embraces that- willingly. He GETS IT.
"Pain don't hurt you none" - Sparky Anderson (1987)
Obviously Sparky was never a Cubs fan...
Not only that, Granderson is a native of Chicago.
I’d love to have him, but it’d cost a lot.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
I'd rather pay what it takes to get Granderson
than to try another imperfect fit.
But I say that under the assumption that the Tigers are willing to shop Granderson. If they’re not I’m not willing to pay what it takes to get them to unload someone they want to keep.
Inspector #23 certifies that the above post is sarcasm free, most certainly not what she said, and chock full of intangibles, although regressing to the intangible mean, as you'd expect.
I have read some rumblings in the local Detroit media that the Tigers may be willing to listen to offers now.
This depends on how the end of the season plays out for the Tigers. Curtis has had a bit of a down year (for him) and the Tigers have other outfield options in the minors.
"Pain don't hurt you none" - Sparky Anderson (1987)
Obviously Sparky was never a Cubs fan...
Cubs don't need 5 roster changes - in fact, I'd be willing to bring the entire team back next year.
Obviously that ain’t gonna happen – especially given what’s happened with Bradley. But off-the-field anger management explosive behavior issues aside, I’d be willing to roll the dice again – talent-wise – with the 2009 Cubs roster as long as these coaching changes were made.
Manager: Work out a graceful exit with Lou, make Trammel your manager, and bring up Ryno as bench coach. If you wanted to go crazy, I guess you could make Ryno manager, and keep Trammel as bench coach but I’m not convinced Ryno’s ready. Two years as bench coach with Trammel would go a long way to figuring that out.
Pitching coach: Here’s where Ricketts can throw some “I’m the new guy and I want to make a splash” mad money around – do what it takes to get Duncan out of St.Louis. Would probably be a better investment than another “LH power” guy and a lot cheaper too.
Hitting coach: Throw some more mad money at Rudy Jarmillo (sp?), Texas’ hitting coach. His contract runs out at the end of this year. I’m confident he could keep this offense from slipping into a coma for weeks at a time.
And finally, on the über-slim chance that somehow Milton Bradley is on the team next year, find a spot on the coaching staff for Glenallen “You WILL respect my authority” Hill. I don’t know if coaches have lockers, but if they do, put his next to Bradley’s and problem solved.
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
Interesting idea re: Duncan as the "splash"
Inspector #23 certifies that the above post is sarcasm free, most certainly not what she said, and chock full of intangibles, although regressing to the intangible mean, as you'd expect.
love the Glenallen point
“Milton, until you hit one on the roof tops, STFU or I will pound you.”
Trammell as manager?
Same old thing. Basically Lou with a calmer demeanor and better English, plus another manager whose name everyone can misspell (Trammell has two L’s in it).
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
pitching coach
Duncan is a nice idea… but what about Leo Mazzone?
by FloridaCubsFan on Sep 28, 2009 3:00 PM CDT up reply actions
sure
as long as he brings Maddux, Glavine, and Smotlz circa early 90’s!
well in that case!
the time machine has already been built!
can he bring John Burkett, Denny Neagle, and Jaret Wright that he worked wonders for too?
by FloridaCubsFan on Sep 28, 2009 3:24 PM CDT up reply actions
for 1 year to get us
to the promised land, I’ll be up for anything.
I have wanted Jarmillo for years
but I don’t think he will leave. FYI guess who the highest paid pitching coach is ? Hint it is not Dave Duncan.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Sep 28, 2009 7:27 PM CDT up reply actions
does he work in texas?
The official slogan of your 2009 Chicago Cubs:
Why?
by jesus christos on Sep 28, 2009 8:41 PM CDT up reply actions
Why yes he does
Spends the off season in Vegas with his unemployed brother. He makes $500,000. most in the majors.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Sep 28, 2009 10:35 PM CDT up reply actions
Unfortunately...
…when you spend off-seasons in Vegas with your unemployed brother, even the highest salary in the majors doesn’t last long.
Catch my act on Twitter as @dat_cubfan_dave.
Well the unemployed brother
does have a little nest egg of 120 million or so and I think his only big expense is greens fees but I hear he is a card shark that has been known to take money from people.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Sep 29, 2009 4:07 PM CDT up reply actions
not too tough
Heilman, Gregg, Miles and Bradley should easily be goners. I’d try to trade Fox to an AL team, so I guess he’d be my No. 5. If the Cubs can’t get anything for him, I’d say trade Micah and keep Jake.
Miles is easily replaced with Blanco. Caridad easily replaces Heilman, and I figure someone from the system can replace Gregg.
Assuming the Cubs don’t do anything with the middle infield — and I’d be OK with Theriot, Baker, Blanco and Fontenot (I guess) — that means the Cubs’ top priorities are replacing Bradley and Fox/Hoffpauir.
berg could replace gregg
The official slogan of your 2009 Chicago Cubs:
Why?
by jesus christos on Sep 28, 2009 7:05 PM CDT up reply actions
agree'd i like Berg
"It doesn't matter what country someone's from, or what they look like, or the color of their skin. It doesn't matter what they smell like, or that they spell words slightly differently some would say more correctly. I'm a person. Bret's a person. You're a person. That person over there is a person. And each person deserves to be treated like a person. "
by Rhymenocerous on Sep 28, 2009 7:45 PM CDT up reply actions
Fourth
I have been impressed with Berg. I just have been wanting to see more of him. Good stuff, big frame. Guy looks like he’ll be durable.
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