Nevin to the Cubs

[cubs121]

For the record, Nevin has played 1 inning at 3rd base since 2002, and 25 games in the outfield since 1999.

 

Do you think he'll be content to just pinch hit when Lee comes back?

he'd better be! :x

[Bobson Dugnutt]

When does Pagan return? Has it been discussed what will happen to the roster when he and Lee do return? 2 spots would need to be cleared. Bynum would probably be one, but would that mean Aardsma goes back down too? Of course, there is always the possibility of another trade.

[CubfaninCA]

My man Dusty said in the pre game that he was going to try Nevin in the OF and see how that goes. Great minds think alike.

 

c'ya Matty.

 

:shock:

 

nevin most likely plays in place of the two starters who can't hit lefties.

[Brian]

I think we may have Joe Buck to thank for Phil Nevin.

 

During the national Fox broadcast on Saturday Buck and Carver were talking about the Cubs struggles and Buck kind of took a dig at Hendry about not picking up a bat at first when Lee went down and the possibility that that showed his players that he didn't care or something to that nature. And then out of the blue in the next inning or soon thereafter Hendry showed up in the booth, was Jimmy listening and he didn't like what Joe had to say about him on national tv, he did address the situation by saying that he would have had to give up the farm to get a 1B bat and nobody trades that early etc. and now a couple of days later, hendry picks up 1B bat. :shock:

[SouthSideRyan]

When does Pagan return? Has it been discussed what will happen to the roster when he and Lee do return? 2 spots would need to be cleared. Bynum would probably be one, but would that mean Aardsma goes back down too? Of course, there is always the possibility of another trade.

 

Not to mention what happens when Prior and Miller come off the 60 day DL. That's 2 40 man spots that need to be cleared. AND WHY IS MIGUEL NEGRON ON THE ROSTER?

[CubsWin]

My man Dusty said in the pre game that he was going to try Nevin in the OF and see how that goes. Great minds think alike.

 

c'ya Matty.

 

:shock:

 

nevin most likely plays in place of the two starters who can't hit lefties.

I know. When I heard what Dusty had said about trying Nevin in the OF, I automatically assumed that that would mean sitting Jones against lefties. I can't see how anyone would think that he meant sitting Murton who hits lefties really well (.395/.477/.684).

 

I can't speak for CubinNY, but I think some people may have just lost faith in Dusty's ability to think clearly enough to make that obvious choice. I'm sure that Nevin will see some playing time in LF just as Hairston did on May 11th and Bynum did on May 5th, but I can't find any reason besides the manager's brain not working properly to sit Murton in favor of Nevin so I don't think anyone should actually be worried about that.

 

Now replacing Jones against lefties is another matter entirely...

[Brian]

AND WHY IS MIGUEL NEGRON ON THE ROSTER?

 

HE'S FAST AND HE CAN CATCH

[CubfaninCA]

My man Dusty said in the pre game that he was going to try Nevin in the OF and see how that goes. Great minds think alike.

 

c'ya Matty.

 

:shock:

 

nevin most likely plays in place of the two starters who can't hit lefties.

I know. When I heard what Dusty had said about trying Nevin in the OF, I automatically assumed that that would mean sitting Jones against lefties. I can't see how anyone would think that he meant sitting Murton who hits lefties really well (.395/.477/.684).

 

I can't speak for CubinNY, but I think some people may have just lost faith in Dusty's ability to think clearly enough to make that obvious choice. I'm sure that Nevin will see some playing time in LF just as Hairston did on May 11th and Bynum did on May 5th, but I can't find any reason besides the manager's brain not working properly to sit Murton in favor of Nevin so I don't think anyone should actually be worried about that.

 

Now replacing Jones against lefties is another matter entirely...

 

i'd like to see dusty put jones in cf and go w/ murton in right and nevin in lf versus lefties. sit pierre.

[mhuber92211]

How is the end of May Too Late to make a deal?

[CubsWin]

i'd like to see dusty put jones in cf and go w/ murton in right and nevin in lf versus lefties. sit pierre.

If you compare Pierre's splits against lefties over the last 3 full seasons to Jones's, I doubt that you would still be saying the same thing.

 

Pierre against lefties from '03-'05 - .305/.349/.354/.703

Jones against lefties from '03-'05 - .238/.295/.363/.658

 

Jones is hot right now against lefties but he had better be because his numbers were absolutely terrible (I mean like .050/.050/.050) against lefties prior to the last couple of days. Heck, they still are well below his career averages. So don't let his recent performance against southpaws lead you to believe that he is likely to keep this up. Replacing him with Nevin will, according to the averages, be a solid improvement and a better move than sitting Pierre.

 

Unless, of course, you believe that Pierre is not likely to improve over his current level of production...

[Careless]

[

I can't speak for CubinNY, but I think some people may have just lost faith in Dusty's ability to think clearly enough to make that obvious choice.

Dusty fails to make the obvious choice on a daily basis. He is, however, both stupid and irrational, so it is difficult to predict how he will behave.

[CubsWin]

[

I can't speak for CubinNY, but I think some people may have just lost faith in Dusty's ability to think clearly enough to make that obvious choice.

Dusty fails to make the obvious choice on a daily basis. He is, however, both stupid and irrational, so it is difficult to predict how he will behave.

Stupid, irrational and obvious.

 

Wow, well I guess you should know since you have access to all the inside workings of the Cubs clubhouse and know everything there is to know about baseball. Because, to me, thats what it would take to make such a bold statement. Certain aspects of baseball may seem simple to us, but I bet if you talk to a lot of major league managers today, they will say that there are very few "obvious" choices in baseball except for the ones the fans tell us about.

 

Of course, I could very well be wrong and baseball actually is a simple game with obvious choices that truly boils down to numbers and doesn't really involve human beings, but I'm certainly not smart enough or exposed to enough inside information to know this for sure. If you are, more power to ya.

 

As far as this thread is concerned, I guess we'll see who is right when Dusty either starts Nevin in place of Murton on a regular basis or doesn't and uses him as a fill in for Lee and a platoon with Jones.

[Schwarber Fan]

Someone remove the "?" mark on this thread title

[Larry Horse]

[

I can't speak for CubinNY, but I think some people may have just lost faith in Dusty's ability to think clearly enough to make that obvious choice.

Dusty fails to make the obvious choice on a daily basis. He is, however, both stupid and irrational, so it is difficult to predict how he will behave.

Stupid, irrational and obvious.

 

Wow, well I guess you should know since you have access to all the inside workings of the Cubs clubhouse and know everything there is to know about baseball. Because, to me, thats what it would take to make such a bold statement. Certain aspects of baseball may seem simple to us, but I bet if you talk to a lot of major league managers today, they will say that there are very few "obvious" choices in baseball except for the ones the fans tell us about.

 

Of course, I could very well be wrong and baseball actually is a simple game with obvious choices that truly boils down to numbers and doesn't really involve human beings, but I'm certainly not smart enough or exposed to enough inside information to know this for sure. If you are, more power to ya.

 

As far as this thread is concerned, I guess we'll see who is right when Dusty either starts Nevin in place of Murton on a regular basis or doesn't and uses him as a fill in for Lee and a platoon with Jones.

 

CubsWin, based on Dusty's time in Chicago, would you categorize him as an intelligent, rational manager?

 

I'm still trying to figure out why Womack, he of the .343 average, was benched in favor of Neifi of the .206 land of suck.

 

I don't believe someone has to "have access to all the inside workings of the Cubs clubhouse and know everything there is to know about baseball." to give an opinion on Dusty's ability.

[Blueheart05]

That doesn't mean that swapping Hairston for Nevin is a bad move in any way.

 

1) It eats away at whatever financial resources could be made available for other moves.

2) It makes the team older.

3) It hands Dusty another crutch, and opens up the practically inevitable situation in which the Cubs fall in love with their marginal veteran and inexplicably resign him at years end.

1) I don't think the extra $1-2M this is taking up is going to seriously hinder future moves and something needed to be done if we're going to be close enough to be in a position to take on salary later in the year.

 

2) As long as the old guy isn't blocking a young guy ready for the bigs and with a bright future ahead of him, who cares?

 

3) If and when he's re-signed, then I'll scream bloody murder. But that doesn't make the move to acquire him mid-year a bad one. It makes the re-signing a bad one.

 

 

It's better than expected, the Cubs will only take on $375,000.

[wastra]

This is a move that doesn't b other me in the least. He's going to be a right-handed John Mabry...something we need. he won't hit for average, but he's got very good power. And even when Lee returns, we have no idea if he'll be able to play everyday or not, so we'll need a better backup than Mabry anyway.

 

The problem is that I think he'll be grossly misused.

 

I envision lineups without Todd Walker, and with Neifi at second. I envision him starting instead of Murton, rather than platooning with Jones.

 

If used correctly, this is not an awful deal. I just have little faith he will be.

[Wild_Cubs04]

This is a move that doesn't b other me in the least. He's going to be a right-handed John Mabry...something we need. he won't hit for average, but he's got very good power. And even when Lee returns, we have no idea if he'll be able to play everyday or not, so we'll need a better backup than Mabry anyway.

 

The problem is that I think he'll be grossly misused.

 

I envision lineups without Todd Walker, and with Neifi at second. I envision him starting instead of Murton, rather than platooning with Jones.

 

If used correctly, this is not an awful deal. I just have little faith he will be.

 

We don't need another "Mabry", the one we have now can't hit.

[RynoRules]

This is a move that doesn't b other me in the least. He's going to be a right-handed John Mabry...something we need. he won't hit for average, but he's got very good power. And even when Lee returns, we have no idea if he'll be able to play everyday or not, so we'll need a better backup than Mabry anyway.

 

The problem is that I think he'll be grossly misused.

 

I envision lineups without Todd Walker, and with Neifi at second. I envision him starting instead of Murton, rather than platooning with Jones.

 

If used correctly, this is not an awful deal. I just have little faith he will be.

 

We don't need another "Mabry", the one we have now can't hit.

 

That was a poor analogy. He's been a lot more productive in his career than Mabry has. We are paying $375,000 for the guy, which means we have plenty of room to go out and make another deal. All in all, the upside is pretty good (if he is utilized correctly).

[CubinNY]

What I'm saying is that trading for Neivin to improve the bench is not a very big deal.

Is anyone in this thread saying that it is?

 

Yes. And more than once.

 

I never said this was a terrible move or one that shouldn't be done. To me it is a so what trade at best, and a what were they thinking trade at worst.

 

But he comes cheap and if he helps the bench great, but the Cubs could have used the help about 8 weeks ago.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

It's better than expected, the Cubs will only take on $375,000.

 

Wow, that makes the deal look a whole lot better.

[Danny82]

What I'm saying is that trading for Neivin to improve the bench is not a very big deal.

Is anyone in this thread saying that it is?

 

Yes. And more than once.

 

I never said this was a terrible move or one that shouldn't be done. To me it is a so what trade at best, and a what were they thinking trade at worst.

 

But he comes cheap and if he helps the bench great, but the Cubs could have used the help about 8 weeks ago.

 

It makes the team better. Isn't that the bottom line? And if so, why complain???

 

It's obviously not some sort of blockbuster deal, but it gives them a better chance to win from here on out.

 

Sometimes the nitpicking gets old.

[Hacking Out Machine]

What I'm saying is that trading for Neivin to improve the bench is not a very big deal.

Is anyone in this thread saying that it is?

 

Yes. And more than once.

 

I never said this was a terrible move or one that shouldn't be done. To me it is a so what trade at best, and a what were they thinking trade at worst.

 

But he comes cheap and if he helps the bench great, but the Cubs could have used the help about 8 weeks ago.

 

I think this is better than a so what trade. Haiston(like everyone else on our bench) is among the worst players in baseball. No power, no on base skills, bad baserunner, mediocre at best fielder. The only thing he provides is the flexibility for Dusty to have an out machine at several different spots in the field.

 

Although Nevin is by no means great (.160 .244 .197 from 4/26-5/22), he does provide something in the way of power and some on base skills. I have a feeling he might actually be used correctly, (1b now, RH off the bench when Lee comes back) since the organization is currently obsessed with defense. It's unlikely they would send Nevin out there at any position other than 1b. I think this is somewhat of a breath of fresh air. It seemed like any person with half a brain could figure out that their bench was an embarrassment. It's nice to see that the GM has acknowledged that as well. Now if we can just get the manager to understand that this idea of putting your lowest OBP guys at the top of the order might not be a stroke of genius.

[goonys evil twin]

What I'm saying is that trading for Neivin to improve the bench is not a very big deal.

Is anyone in this thread saying that it is?

 

Yes. And more than once.

 

I never said this was a terrible move or one that shouldn't be done. To me it is a so what trade at best, and a what were they thinking trade at worst.

 

But he comes cheap and if he helps the bench great, but the Cubs could have used the help about 8 weeks ago.

 

It makes the team better. Isn't that the bottom line? And if so, why complain???

 

It's obviously not some sort of blockbuster deal, but it gives them a better chance to win from here on out.

 

Sometimes the nitpicking gets old.

 

Sometimes the losing gets old.

 

It could make the team better, but not appreciably better. And it could serve as an excuse not to make a deal that would actually make a difference. Hendry's first excuse was nobody else wanted to deal. When that was proved wrong, he made a move for a guy who can only help in minimal ways. So when people beg him to get the bat, he can say he already did, and his apologists will tell us not to be greedy.

[goonys evil twin]

It seemed like any person with half a brain could figure out that their bench was an embarrassment. It's nice to see that the GM has acknowledged that as well.

 

It's just disappointing he didn't notice that in the offseason, when everybody was screaming about the lack of pop. Why does he have to wait for 2 months of baseball to be played to figure out you might want a guy on your bench who is a reasonable threat to hit for power?

[RynoRules]

What I'm saying is that trading for Neivin to improve the bench is not a very big deal.

Is anyone in this thread saying that it is?

 

Yes. And more than once.

 

I never said this was a terrible move or one that shouldn't be done. To me it is a so what trade at best, and a what were they thinking trade at worst.

 

But he comes cheap and if he helps the bench great, but the Cubs could have used the help about 8 weeks ago.

 

It makes the team better. Isn't that the bottom line? And if so, why complain???

 

It's obviously not some sort of blockbuster deal, but it gives them a better chance to win from here on out.

 

Sometimes the nitpicking gets old.

 

Sometimes the losing gets old.

 

It could make the team better, but not appreciably better. And it could serve as an excuse not to make a deal that would actually make a difference. Hendry's first excuse was nobody else wanted to deal. When that was proved wrong, he made a move for a guy who can only help in minimal ways. So when people beg him to get the bat, he can say he already did, and his apologists will tell us not to be greedy.

 

To be fair, Levine reported this morning that Hendry continues to work the phones with other GMs. I think your comment is a bit speculative.