Demote Grabow, not Russell

by ExNorthsider on May 29, 2010 5:31 PM CDT

Why not demote Grabow? Is it possible to demote him?

Own up, Hendry.

(Gordon W. in the Suntimes writes:

"The Cubs almost certainly will have a need for a right-hander in the bullpen if left-hander Tom Gorzelanny is bumped to the pen, as expected, with Zambrano's move back to the rotation. That would overload the bullpen with four lefties. Barring an injury, that raises the likelihood one has to go, making rookie James Russell a candidate to be optioned despite a 2.93 ERA.")

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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Why not demote Grabow? Is it possible to demote him?

Self-Proclaimed President of the Castro Boobird Face Kicking Club

by jesus christos on May 29, 2010 6:06 PM CDT reply actions

Exactly.

The DL would be a better location.

"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra

by Al Yellon on May 29, 2010 6:22 PM CDT up reply actions

Let's "David Patton" John Grabow.

"It's hard to win 97 games, it's hard to win the division. Our attitude is if you get in every year, you get in most of the time, sooner or later you are going to knock that door down." -- Jim Hendry

by EJThunder on May 29, 2010 6:29 PM CDT up reply actions

Are you going to pay the rest of this contract?

Because he’s signed through next year.

The DL is the perfect place.

"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra

by Al Yellon on May 29, 2010 6:53 PM CDT up reply actions

The DL is the perfect place.

thats what david patton-itis is

Self-Proclaimed President of the Castro Boobird Face Kicking Club

by jesus christos on May 29, 2010 7:04 PM CDT up reply actions

Oh.

I thought you meant what just happened to Patton: DFA.

"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra

by Al Yellon on May 29, 2010 8:28 PM CDT up reply actions

Whether he's on the DL, or at home eating Funyuns, he's getting paid the rest of his contract.

So that really doesn’t factor into the discussion, does it?

MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown

by D98 on May 30, 2010 12:06 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs

Sure it does.

They’re not going to want to pay him while some other team rehabs him on the DL, then gets decent performance.

Put him on the DL.

"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra

by Al Yellon on May 30, 2010 6:27 AM CDT up reply actions

Who says

anyone will ever get decent performance from Grabow? Frankly I don’t care if they DL or trade him for a sack of puppies. Just get him off the roster so Lou doesn’t forget how terrible he is and use him in a game.

If a quality pitching start is 3 runs and 6 innings, then a quality hitting day is 1 for 4.

by tharr on May 30, 2010 6:52 AM CDT up reply actions

Tell me about it.

I was just waiting for Grabow to be warming up in the bullpen in the 7th inning (when Marshall was). It’s like Piniella has amnesia or something. I was floored when he didn’t try to get him into that game somehow.

by TheGrinch13 on May 30, 2010 9:08 AM CDT up reply actions

You've been spinning yourself

into something of a tizzy the last few days with this “Grabow must be injured” scenario, Al. Any basis in fact that you’d be willing to share? Statements, comments, rumors? Anything other than the fact that he’s having an especially bad year?

by Damen Jackson on May 30, 2010 10:18 AM CDT up reply actions

Yes.

I don’t have the link handy, but I do recall some knee problem regarding Grabow mentioned earlier this month. He was held out of a few games, then had cortisone and actually had a couple of decent appearances after that.

Looking at his game logs, he did not pitch between May 7 and 14 and had two scoreless outings after that. I believe that is the time frame for this knee issue to have been revealed.

It would seem to me that this issue may have recurred.

"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra

by Al Yellon on May 30, 2010 7:25 PM CDT up reply actions

you are correct

from May 8

“It’s been bothering him for a while,” Piniella said. “He told me he had trouble shoving off his back knee. It’s been a detriment to him.”

but the MRI came back negative

Unofficial Self Appointed President of the Player Formerly Known as Castro Blocker Fan Club
Bleed Castro Blue

by Cubbie-Tim on May 30, 2010 7:54 PM CDT up reply actions

Thanks for tracking down that link.

Negative MRI or not, it appears clear to me that this may still be bothering him. There doesn’t seem to be any other explanation.

We already suffered through four months of Soriano trying to play through a knee injury last year. Enough already. Get Grabow to the DL.

"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra

by Al Yellon on May 30, 2010 9:37 PM CDT up reply actions

no-one is more likely to get decent performance out of grabow than any other replacement-level lefty reliever out there

i.e. one who could be signed for the league minimum.

Still bitching to contact.

by Felonius_Monk on May 30, 2010 5:58 PM CDT up reply actions

Hmm

Why do you think he’s a replacement level lefty? He’s been much, much better than that the last couple of years. Take a look at his underlying numbers and you’ll see some extreme examples of bad luck. I think that it’s his injury and not a decrease in his skills that account for most, if not all, his horrible numbers.

I reject your reality and substitute my own.

by WayneCampbell08 on May 31, 2010 12:18 PM CDT up reply actions

Yeah, I meant on the DL.

IIRC, Patton ineffectiveness last year landed him on the DL even though it could be argued that he was fine physically.

"It's hard to win 97 games, it's hard to win the division. Our attitude is if you get in every year, you get in most of the time, sooner or later you are going to knock that door down." -- Jim Hendry

by EJThunder on May 30, 2010 1:23 AM CDT up reply actions

own up?

what does that even mean?

Forget all that other stuff. I gotta believe.

by drewishdrewid on May 29, 2010 6:16 PM CDT reply actions

Own up means

Admit that you made a mistake and get rid of the problem.

by TheGrinch13 on May 30, 2010 9:09 AM CDT up reply actions

Sure.

And you’re going to pay the rest of Grabow’s contract? Because if you are, the Cubs would surely accept.

"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra

by Al Yellon on May 30, 2010 7:26 PM CDT up reply actions

I don't want Grabow on this roster any more.

I think what he’s meaning is that Hendry should “own up to his mistake” of signing Grabow to an extension.

I dont really feel Hendry needs to own up.. Grabow did a solid job after we acquired him last season. He just hasn’t been effective and he isn’t even a lefty specialist type.

Put him on the DL citing his knee and keep Russell.

On a side note, I think Russell and Stevens have bright futures in the bullpen. I’d like to see Cashner up too.

"It's hard to win 97 games, it's hard to win the division. Our attitude is if you get in every year, you get in most of the time, sooner or later you are going to knock that door down." -- Jim Hendry

by EJThunder on May 29, 2010 6:33 PM CDT reply actions

This. All of it..Except that the jury is still out on whether Hendry was very wrong to sign Grablow.

Yes he pitched decently at the end of the year…but he’s sucked so far this year and unless he mounts a miraculous recovery, it could very well end up being a horrible acquistion for the money.

"Everything has an end, except a sausage, which has two."

by Sandberg's evil twin on May 29, 2010 11:38 PM CDT up reply actions

Grablow?

"That pitch wasn’t down and in, that pitch was down and up." Tim McCarver

by wrigleyrocker12 on May 30, 2010 12:57 PM CDT up reply actions

did I miss the part where Russell got demoted?

"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim

by Doggie Stalker on May 29, 2010 7:14 PM CDT reply actions

He is most likely to go despite Grabow not pitching well at all.

That would require the Cubs to admit that they made a mistake on Grabow and the Cubs do not make mistakes!

by TJ11 on May 29, 2010 8:31 PM CDT up reply actions

Come on now

We all know Lou, and he will continue to trot Grabow out there all the time in all the meaningful games.

"That pitch wasn’t down and in, that pitch was down and up." Tim McCarver

by wrigleyrocker12 on May 29, 2010 10:09 PM CDT reply actions

I Love the idea of sending him to the DL

I love the idea of sending him to triple- A, just get Grabow off the team somehow he has been awful…But im all for keeping Russell he has been decent.

"God watches over drunks and third baseman."- Leo Durocher

by BelieveinBlue2314 on May 30, 2010 9:08 AM CDT reply actions

Let's look at the stats

Russell ($420,000 salary) who has been a pleasant surprise this season:

17 games, 19 innings, 17 hits, 5 ER, 3 BB, 14 K, an excellent 1.03 WHIP, and a sparking 2.33 ERA. Plus he has a 1.50 ERA during the past week.

Grabow ($2,700,000 salary):

22 games (that means he’s been used more!), 18 IP, 28 (yes, 28 hits!), 11 BB (in 18 innings!), 14 K’s, and a horrendous 2.17 WHIP (that means he allows an average of two people on base every inning!) and 9.00ERA. He also has an 0-3 record and a 13.50 ERA during the past week.

Who would you rather have on your active roster? Either DL him or DFA him. If you send down a guy with a 2.33 ERA while you keep sending out a guy like Grabow, what kind of message does that send out to your team?

Just the fact that this is even having to be discussed is comical. It’d be an easy choice for a team with good management.

by TheGrinch13 on May 30, 2010 9:20 AM CDT reply actions

agreed

"God watches over drunks and third baseman."- Leo Durocher

by BelieveinBlue2314 on May 30, 2010 10:14 AM CDT up reply actions

Those numbers speak for themselves

Grabow won’t be released, however the DL is where he needs to go.

by Grockcubs on May 30, 2010 11:05 AM CDT up reply actions

And those were before today's embarrassment from Grabow.

But I’m sad to say, that things will probably never change. The owners are all smiles, the team plays like it’s asleep (like the coaching staff), the same people play every day without producing while guys like Colvin and Fontenot sit, Zambrano will go back to the rotation and be, well, Zambrano, and we’ll continue to watch guys like Howry and Grabow put on their usual performances. I forgot, Gorzellany will be banished to the bullpen and Russell to the minors, neither of which is deserved. More great decisions.

I have to add, that the pitching change decisions (and timing) were especially bad today. Doesn’t anyone in management care anymore about this mess? Are the owners even watching?

by TheGrinch13 on May 30, 2010 5:03 PM CDT up reply actions

Oh, here we go with the "DFA" yells again.

I have found that most people who say that have no idea what the DFA process even means.

As I posted above: you going to pay the (approximately) $5.5 million left on Grabow’s deal if you do that? Because if you will, then I’m sure the Cubs would be willing to release (not “DFA”) him.

Barring that, I think we’re stuck with him. However, being stuck with him on the DL would be preferable to what he’s doing now.

"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra

by Al Yellon on May 30, 2010 7:27 PM CDT up reply actions

grabow not good. only person surprised is hendry

grabow is the pitching equivalent of aaron miles.

by PattyP on May 30, 2010 5:23 PM CDT reply actions

Aaron Miles' hitting that is

Because I’m sure he is a MUCH better pitcher.

"That pitch wasn’t down and in, that pitch was down and up." Tim McCarver

by wrigleyrocker12 on May 30, 2010 5:33 PM CDT up reply actions

Aaron Miles career ERA is 6.00

so, right now, I’d say he’s probably better than Grabow, yeah…

Still bitching to contact.

by Felonius_Monk on May 30, 2010 6:01 PM CDT up reply actions

LOL!

He’s actually pitched? G ETIT DO NEJ IM

"That pitch wasn’t down and in, that pitch was down and up." Tim McCarver

by wrigleyrocker12 on May 30, 2010 6:30 PM CDT up reply actions

Is it possible

That today was his “last shot” to prove himself in a game that the Cubs weren’t going to win, or is Lou really THAT dumb?

"That pitch wasn’t down and in, that pitch was down and up." Tim McCarver

by wrigleyrocker12 on May 30, 2010 7:32 PM CDT reply actions

I'll think they'll use it to say "his knee is still bothering him" and put him on the DL

Fontenot (fon-te-no): Cajun for "scrappy"

by cubzfan on May 30, 2010 9:31 PM CDT up reply actions

Works for me

As long as he’s not pitching and Russell is still here.

"That pitch wasn’t down and in, that pitch was down and up." Tim McCarver

by wrigleyrocker12 on May 31, 2010 8:00 AM CDT up reply actions

It's safe to say

Nobody even had to read the text in your post.

We all agree with you based on the subject!

Maybe they can pull off a trade for some low-ball prospect. Cubs eat most of the salary and just get him out of Chicago. I know, the losing money thing will get people complaining but my opinion is: I’d rather lose money than games!

by ak123 on May 30, 2010 9:47 PM CDT reply actions