as awful as our offseason has been.....

[CardsFanInChiTown]

I wouldn't mind Rueter on the cheap. Dave Duncan (our pitching coach) is great at reviving veteran's pitchers.

[UK1679666180]

I wouldn't mind Rueter on the cheap. Dave Duncan (our pitching coach) is great at reviving veteran's pitchers.

 

There usually has to be something to work with there to revive. Woody has nothing, his FB has gone from avg. to bad and he doesn't have enough deception between his FB and his best pitch (change-up). He's Doug Davis w/out talent. There has to be better NRIs out there, but the glamour of playing for your hometown might just be enough to sway Rueter and his "numerous" options to give it a shot w/STL.

[CardsFanInChiTown]

I wouldn't mind Rueter on the cheap. Dave Duncan (our pitching coach) is great at reviving veteran's pitchers.

 

There usually has to be something to work with there to revive. Woody has nothing, his FB has gone from avg. to bad and he doesn't have enough deception between his FB and his best pitch (change-up). He's Doug Davis w/out talent. There has to be better NRIs out there, but the glamour of playing for your hometown might just be enough to sway Rueter and his "numerous" options to give it a shot w/STL.

 

I just looked up his stats. Excuse me...

 

:pukel:

[UK1679666180]

If it's between Reyes and Rueter, I can't believe it would actually be a competition.

[anemic offense]

The Cards are better than us and are still a good team. This doesn't change the fact that their offseason has been awful to date.

 

Not to take anything away from the Cardinals, but they have been one of the luckiest (although much has been created out of Jocketty's intelligence) teams in all of baseball. Aside from the Rolen injury, what hasn't gone their way? Sanders stayed healthy and produced at an old age. Carpenter became a stud. Marquis has been tremendous. Edmonds has remained productive. Their pithing has stayed healthy. Tavares has been solid out of the pen. Womack had one of the flukiest seasons in MLB history. Eckstein recovered nicely. What I'm trying to say is (without a constant infusion of farm talent like the Braves) this team is bound to abide from the law of averages. They're due for more injuries. Some players are bound to decline. Others are bound to have off years. This luck simply can't conitune. At least I hope and don't think so.

 

The exact opposite of which can be said about the Cubs. Aside from Derek Lee, virtually everything that could have gone wrong has. Every bullpen acquisition has been a complete disaster (even the ones that were, at the time, good sigining - LT). Prior and Wood have been slowed by injuries. Rookies haven't produced. Corey's regression was stunning even to this lifelong detractor. Our closers have been injured and inconsistent. Although some of this can be chalked up to shoddy coaching, and/or shoddy talent evaluation by our GM, a lot of it was simply bad luck. Could this bad luck continue on into next year? Sure it could. But based on the amount of misfortune the Cubs had last year I'd expect '06 to bring significantly less.

 

In saying this I am by no means trying to diminish what the Cardinals have done, or excuse the self created poor play the Cubs have perpetrated. What I am saying, though is that the gap between the Cardinals and the Cubs isn't as wide as people think it is. Just think what would happen if both teams fortunes reversed themselves next year. Carpenter goes down. Mulder misses significant time. The Cards bullpen (which may be the BIGGEST reason for their succes the last few years) goes up in flames. Molina regresses. Edmonds (in Madduxesque fashion) declines. The second base option is a disaster. Reyes torches his shoulder (in Guzman fashion. Definately a lot of ifs, but it COULD happen (as it did to us). You can't tell me a team with this amount of attrition would finish with anything more than 84-85 wins (which would be EXTREMELY lucky).

 

On the flip side look at what our team would have. Wood and Prior healthy. One of our rookies blossoms while the other is serviceable. At least one of our ? (RF and 2B) are solid. Our bullpen, for the first time since 01 (and the single BIGGEST reason for this teams failure) isn't a complete disaster. Corey (if still here) plays to even half his potential. Again a lot of ifs, but you couldn't tell me this team (under this scenario) wouldn't easily attain 92+ wins. With the improved pen we'd have at LEAST 3 15 game winners. Our 1 + 2 hitters would score a lot of runs. Lee's production numbers (RBI and runs) would surge because of it. This would be a very good baseball team. Now I definately wouldn't bank on this to happen (whit this team I don't count on anything), but I wouldn't be shocked (or even surprised) if it did.

[CubfaninCA]

Howry, Eyre and Pierre are awful??

 

The list of players who could be on the move or are free agents is: Manny, Abreu, Tejada, Green, Burrell, Wilkerson, Milwood, Damon, Floyd, Washburn and Weaver for starters....

 

A lot could still happen

Did somebody say they were awful?

 

They're role players, secondary moves, nice additions to a good team, but hardly anything to hang your hat on if you're coming off a losing season and have the holes the Cubs have. Hendry has time to salvage this mess, but it is a mess, it's been a mess for a while, and it will

 

 

A title w/ as awful as our offseason... Tells me yes.

 

It's a mess if you have little faith in Prior. I can't see a 3rd down year for him though.

 

Where did you see anything about Prior in Goony's post? Also, what does it matter if Prior has a good year? If we don't score runs more consistently, he can put up a sub 2 ERA and still lose games. That goes for all of our good pitchers.

 

The "One Big Problem" that the Cubs have had for the past 3 seasons is offensive consistency. With offensive consistency, they run away with the Central in 2003 and don't have to completely nuke Wood and Prior down the stretch. With offensive consistency, they make the playoffs in 2004 despite injuries, and with offensive consistency they could have competed for at least the WC in 2005.

 

Erye, Howry and Pierre are really nice moves IF we get a legit run producer in RF. If we don't do that, and settle for the best available like Jones or Wilson, we will have to count on luck, regression from the Cards and Astros and health to win in 2006. I'd rather not leave all of that to chance.

 

What does it matter if Prior has a good year?? You have to be kidding. He was one of the top players in a game a couple years ago. Guys like Prior make a huge difference.

[CubfaninCA]

Correct me if I'm wrong.... So far the Cards have Pu @ 1b, ?? @ 2b, Eckstein @ SS, Rolen @ 3b, ?? in LF, Edmonds in CF, ?? in RF, and Molina @ C. Considering Eckstein played WAY over his head last year, that lineup doesn't look too ferocious. Of course, they'll find some scrapheap players for 2b, LF and RF who will all hit .300 next year. :x

 

What's their rotation? Carpenter, Mulder, Suppan, Marquis and ????

[anemic offense]

With offensive consistency, they run away with the Central in 2003 and don't have to completely nuke Wood and Prior down the stretch.

 

The Cubs really did nuke those guys down the stretch. They finished #1 and #2 in the major leagues in pitches per game for the season, and the pitch counts down the stretch were especially brutal. They haven't been the same since then. Coincidence? You have to wonder.

 

I used to think the whole pitch count thing was overrated. But when Prior, Wood, Jason Schmidt, and Livan Hernandezall expereinced arm problems in the last year, its more than enough for me to reconsider my earlier thinking. The workload probably played a factor in everyone of those pithcers demise.

 

Exactly how much can be attributed to this is still a big question mark. Both Wood and Schmidt have poor mechanics (both fall wildly off the mound). Livan had been fairly healthy for much of his career. Prior was maybe a case of too much too early. In the end, its nothing more than guesswork when considering which factors are the contributors or the cause.

 

In Wood's case I've never liked the way he's pitched. Aside from the 7-8 game stretch at the end of the '03 season, I thought his best (pitching wise) years were under Acosta's tutelage. His walks were extremely alarming after the surgery, but the one thing Acosta made Wood do was maintain consistent mechanics. I always thought it was obvious how annoyed Wood was by this (and a major reason Oscar was run out of town). Once Oscar got booted, in comes Rothschild. But instead of maintain the rigourous mechanics Oscar emplored, Larry let him rever back to his free wheeling style of sloppiness. With his horrendous follow through, Wood's been an injury to happen virtually his whole career. This (I think) is an example of the workload exacerbating the injury, while the poor mechanics was the cause. IMO, when you've got a pitcher such as Wood you have to be extra cognizant of the workload and the stress. While the big, burly, effortless throwing pitchers (like Z and Clemens) tend to be able to take more. Then again this is just my observation. No facts or first hand knowledge to back it up.

[anemic offense]

Correct me if I'm wrong.... So far the Cards have Pu @ 1b, ?? @ 2b, Eckstein @ SS, Rolen @ 3b, ?? in LF, Edmonds in CF, ?? in RF, and Molina @ C. Considering Eckstein played WAY over his head last year, that lineup doesn't look too ferocious. Of course, they'll find some scrapheap players for 2b, LF and RF who will all hit .300 next year. :x

 

What's their rotation? Carpenter, Mulder, Suppan, Marquis and ????

 

And probably one of Wainright and Reyes. If they don't get injured and/or traded first.

[BigbadB]

Correct me if I'm wrong.... So far the Cards have Pu @ 1b, ?? @ 2b, Eckstein @ SS, Rolen @ 3b, ?? in LF, Edmonds in CF, ?? in RF, and Molina @ C. Considering Eckstein played WAY over his head last year, that lineup doesn't look too ferocious. Of course, they'll find some scrapheap players for 2b, LF and RF who will all hit .300 next year. :x

 

What's their rotation? Carpenter, Mulder, Suppan, Marquis and ????

 

Anthony Reyes in the rotation. He's supposed to be really good.

 

2b, LF, RF- They could probably go with Luna, Rodriguez and Nunez respectively at those positions, and they would still have a better offense than the Cubs.

 

All three had a .285 AVG or better, and all three had .343 OBP's or better. A healthy Rolen would make up for any lost power from Sanders.

 

Of course, they could still make a trade or two, or could even pick up a free agent here or there, which could be an upgrade(s) over 1, 2 or even all 3 of those guys.

 

They aren't nearly as challenged as we are. They are coming off of back to back division championships. We are barely over .500 combined over the last 2 seasons. Who needs to make something happen this year?

[Andy]

The Cards are better than us and are still a good team. This doesn't change the fact that their offseason has been awful to date.

 

Not to take anything away from the Cardinals, but they have been one of the luckiest (although much has been created out of Jocketty's intelligence) teams in all of baseball. Aside from the Rolen injury, what hasn't gone their way? Sanders stayed healthy and produced at an old age. Carpenter became a stud. Marquis has been tremendous. Edmonds has remained productive. Their pithing has stayed healthy. Tavares has been solid out of the pen. Womack had one of the flukiest seasons in MLB history. Eckstein recovered nicely. What I'm trying to say is (without a constant infusion of farm talent like the Braves) this team is bound to abide from the law of averages. They're due for more injuries. Some players are bound to decline. Others are bound to have off years. This luck simply can't conitune. At least I hope and don't think so.

 

The exact opposite of which can be said about the Cubs. Aside from Derek Lee, virtually everything that could have gone wrong has. Every bullpen acquisition has been a complete disaster (even the ones that were, at the time, good sigining - LT). Prior and Wood have been slowed by injuries. Rookies haven't produced. Corey's regression was stunning even to this lifelong detractor. Our closers have been injured and inconsistent. Although some of this can be chalked up to shoddy coaching, and/or shoddy talent evaluation by our GM, a lot of it was simply bad luck. Could this bad luck continue on into next year? Sure it could. But based on the amount of misfortune the Cubs had last year I'd expect '06 to bring significantly less.

 

In saying this I am by no means trying to diminish what the Cardinals have done, or excuse the self created poor play the Cubs have perpetrated. What I am saying, though is that the gap between the Cardinals and the Cubs isn't as wide as people think it is. Just think what would happen if both teams fortunes reversed themselves next year. Carpenter goes down. Mulder misses significant time. The Cards bullpen (which may be the BIGGEST reason for their succes the last few years) goes up in flames. Molina regresses. Edmonds (in Madduxesque fashion) declines. The second base option is a disaster. Reyes torches his shoulder (in Guzman fashion. Definately a lot of ifs, but it COULD happen (as it did to us). You can't tell me a team with this amount of attrition would finish with anything more than 84-85 wins (which would be EXTREMELY lucky).

 

On the flip side look at what our team would have. Wood and Prior healthy. One of our rookies blossoms while the other is serviceable. At least one of our ? (RF and 2B) are solid. Our bullpen, for the first time since 01 (and the single BIGGEST reason for this teams failure) isn't a complete disaster. Corey (if still here) plays to even half his potential. Again a lot of ifs, but you couldn't tell me this team (under this scenario) wouldn't easily attain 92+ wins. With the improved pen we'd have at LEAST 3 15 game winners. Our 1 + 2 hitters would score a lot of runs. Lee's production numbers (RBI and runs) would surge because of it. This would be a very good baseball team. Now I definately wouldn't bank on this to happen (whit this team I don't count on anything), but I wouldn't be shocked (or even surprised) if it did.

Great post. And surprisingly un-bitter sounding. I agree completely.

[Guancous]

Correct me if I'm wrong.... So far the Cards have Pu @ 1b, ?? @ 2b, Eckstein @ SS, Rolen @ 3b, ?? in LF, Edmonds in CF, ?? in RF, and Molina @ C. Considering Eckstein played WAY over his head last year, that lineup doesn't look too ferocious. Of course, they'll find some scrapheap players for 2b, LF and RF who will all hit .300 next year. Mad

 

What's their rotation? Carpenter, Mulder, Suppan, Marquis and ????

 

The Cardinals got Aaron Miles for 2nd. He put up a .281/.306/.355 line last year. In Coors Field.

[BigbadB]

Correct me if I'm wrong.... So far the Cards have Pu @ 1b, ?? @ 2b, Eckstein @ SS, Rolen @ 3b, ?? in LF, Edmonds in CF, ?? in RF, and Molina @ C. Considering Eckstein played WAY over his head last year, that lineup doesn't look too ferocious. Of course, they'll find some scrapheap players for 2b, LF and RF who will all hit .300 next year. Mad

 

What's their rotation? Carpenter, Mulder, Suppan, Marquis and ????

 

The Cardinals got Aaron Miles for 2nd. He put up a .281/.306/.355 line last year. In Coors Field.

 

Good call. However, his .208/.247/.292 numbers outside of Coors probably doesn't guarantee him a back up role, let alone a starting job.