Juan Pierre extension watch

[fromthestretch]

Forgive me if this has been discussed elsewhere, but with all the talk of moving Jones to CF, is anyone concerned about his defense? He hasn't played more than 10 games in CF since the start of his career and for someone on the downside, that's a risky proposition.

 

I can't see him being any worse than Pierre.

 

I'm agreeing with you a lot lately, goony. But that statement is true. Jones might not have the range of Pierre, but I think he gets better jumps. His arm even when spiking the ball in the grass on a third of his throws is better than Pierre.

 

That being said, wouldn't we want someone better than both on defense, all things being equal?

 

More importantly, I guess my question is would it benefit the Cubs to move Jones to CF and find a RF bat (in that case who?) or keep Jones in RF and go with a Pie/Lofton (or someone comparable) platoon?

 

A Lofton/Pie platoon isn't likely with both of them being left-handed. You could platoon Pie with Murton in LF, if you move Jones to CF and sign a big bat for RF.

 

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought someone had posted that Pie is actually hitting lefties pretty well this season. If he can continue to do that, and you go with the outfield that I just listed, you could start Murton in LF, Pie in CF, and in RF, with Jones on the bench against some lefties. So in essence, you'd be looking at more of a Murton/Jones platoon.

[KaiserCesar]

Forgive me if this has been discussed elsewhere, but with all the talk of moving Jones to CF, is anyone concerned about his defense? He hasn't played more than 10 games in CF since the start of his career and for someone on the downside, that's a risky proposition.

 

I can't see him being any worse than Pierre.

 

I'm agreeing with you a lot lately, goony. But that statement is true. Jones might not have the range of Pierre, but I think he gets better jumps. His arm even when spiking the ball in the grass on a third of his throws is better than Pierre.

 

That being said, wouldn't we want someone better than both on defense, all things being equal?

 

More importantly, I guess my question is would it benefit the Cubs to move Jones to CF and find a RF bat (in that case who?) or keep Jones in RF and go with a Pie/Lofton (or someone comparable) platoon?

 

A Lofton/Pie platoon isn't likely with both of them being left-handed. You could platoon Pie with Murton in LF, if you move Jones to CF and sign a big bat for RF.

 

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought someone had posted that Pie is actually hitting lefties pretty well this season. If he can continue to do that, and you go with the outfield that I just listed, you could start Murton in LF, Pie in CF, and in RF, with Jones on the bench against some lefties. So in essence, you'd be looking at more of a Murton/Jones platoon.

 

Yeah, I think I've seen that Pie is hitting lefties better than righties this year. I also don't think it would be smart to platoon a 21-22 year old with a pretty big ceiling. The next year and a half could be pretty vital to his development and he needs to play as much as possible.

[fromthestretch]

Forgive me if this has been discussed elsewhere, but with all the talk of moving Jones to CF, is anyone concerned about his defense? He hasn't played more than 10 games in CF since the start of his career and for someone on the downside, that's a risky proposition.

 

I can't see him being any worse than Pierre.

 

I'm agreeing with you a lot lately, goony. But that statement is true. Jones might not have the range of Pierre, but I think he gets better jumps. His arm even when spiking the ball in the grass on a third of his throws is better than Pierre.

 

That being said, wouldn't we want someone better than both on defense, all things being equal?

 

More importantly, I guess my question is would it benefit the Cubs to move Jones to CF and find a RF bat (in that case who?) or keep Jones in RF and go with a Pie/Lofton (or someone comparable) platoon?

 

A Lofton/Pie platoon isn't likely with both of them being left-handed. You could platoon Pie with Murton in LF, if you move Jones to CF and sign a big bat for RF.

 

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought someone had posted that Pie is actually hitting lefties pretty well this season. If he can continue to do that, and you go with the outfield that I just listed, you could start Murton in LF, Pie in CF, and in RF, with Jones on the bench against some lefties. So in essence, you'd be looking at more of a Murton/Jones platoon.

 

Yeah, I think I've seen that Pie is hitting lefties better than righties this year. I also don't think it would be smart to platoon a 21-22 year old with a pretty big ceiling. The next year and a half could be pretty vital to his development and he needs to play as much as possible.

 

Exactly. He's going to need regular at-bats. So you either give him a regular starting role, do some sort of creative platoon like I posted (where he'd start in LF in place of Murton against righties and in CF in place of Jones against lefties), or you leave him in Iowa a bit longer to get his at-bats. The last option isn't necessarily a bad one, considering a) he's not exactly tearing it up at AAA now, and b) he's still very young.

[Bruno7481]

It sure would have been nice to have Patterson's .284/.325/.436 in center over Pierre. He's outhitting Pierre in every single category.

 

I bet that Pierre will be ahead of Patterson in 2 of those 3 categories by the end of the season. He is catching up-very fast.

 

Your on.

 

I think I would have to put my money on JP in this wager as well.

[Sarcastic]

It sure would have been nice to have Patterson's .284/.325/.436 in center over Pierre. He's outhitting Pierre in every single category.

 

I bet that Pierre will be ahead of Patterson in 2 of those 3 categories by the end of the season. He is catching up-very fast.

 

Your on.

 

I think I would have to put my money on JP in this wager as well.

 

Pierre is already ahead of Patterson in average and OBP as of right now, unless Pierre or Patterson changed that with their performances today.

[CubColtPacer]

It sure would have been nice to have Patterson's .284/.325/.436 in center over Pierre. He's outhitting Pierre in every single category.

 

I bet that Pierre will be ahead of Patterson in 2 of those 3 categories by the end of the season. He is catching up-very fast.

 

Your on.

 

I think I would have to put my money on JP in this wager as well.

 

Pierre is already ahead of Patterson in average and OBP as of right now, unless Pierre or Patterson changed that with their performances today.

 

Yup, I wasn't sure when I bet that a couple weeks ago that Pierre would catch him this quickly, but he definitely has. In fact, in OBP, Pierre is starting to pull away.

[soccer10k]

Through Saturday:

 

Pierre: .283/.327/.382

Patterson: .286/.317/.422

[ChiCubsFan]

Forgive me if this has been discussed elsewhere, but with all the talk of moving Jones to CF, is anyone concerned about his defense? He hasn't played more than 10 games in CF since the start of his career and for someone on the downside, that's a risky proposition.

 

I can't see him being any worse than Pierre.

 

I'm agreeing with you a lot lately, goony. But that statement is true. Jones might not have the range of Pierre, but I think he gets better jumps. His arm even when spiking the ball in the grass on a third of his throws is better than Pierre.

 

That being said, wouldn't we want someone better than both on defense, all things being equal?

 

More importantly, I guess my question is would it benefit the Cubs to move Jones to CF and find a RF bat (in that case who?) or keep Jones in RF and go with a Pie/Lofton (or someone comparable) platoon?

 

A Lofton/Pie platoon isn't likely with both of them being left-handed. You could platoon Pie with Murton in LF, if you move Jones to CF and sign a big bat for RF.

 

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought someone had posted that Pie is actually hitting lefties pretty well this season. If he can continue to do that, and you go with the outfield that I just listed, you could start Murton in LF, Pie in CF, and in RF, with Jones on the bench against some lefties. So in essence, you'd be looking at more of a Murton/Jones platoon.

 

Yeah, I think I've seen that Pie is hitting lefties better than righties this year. I also don't think it would be smart to platoon a 21-22 year old with a pretty big ceiling. The next year and a half could be pretty vital to his development and he needs to play as much as possible.

 

Exactly. He's going to need regular at-bats. So you either give him a regular starting role, do some sort of creative platoon like I posted (where he'd start in LF in place of Murton against righties and in CF in place of Jones against lefties), or you leave him in Iowa a bit longer to get his at-bats. The last option isn't necessarily a bad one, considering a) he's not exactly tearing it up at AAA now, and b) he's still very young.

 

Why would you play Pie in LF and Jones in CF when Murton sits? I'd much, much, much rather have Pie's defense in CF and Jones's defense in LF when Murton sits. I think a platoon with Murton and Jones in LF and a BIG bat in RF would be best. If Pie continues to hit like he has been lately, I'd like to see a september callup and a chance for him to be our everyday CF in 07. However, I have a bad feeling that Pierre will get a ridiculous extension and Pie will be brought up in 07 to platoon with Murton/sit on the bench. I could also see Carlos Lee being signed to an outrageous and disastrous 6/65.

[CuseCubFan69]

Forgive me if this has been discussed elsewhere, but with all the talk of moving Jones to CF, is anyone concerned about his defense? He hasn't played more than 10 games in CF since the start of his career and for someone on the downside, that's a risky proposition.

 

I can't see him being any worse than Pierre.

 

I'm agreeing with you a lot lately, goony. But that statement is true. Jones might not have the range of Pierre, but I think he gets better jumps. His arm even when spiking the ball in the grass on a third of his throws is better than Pierre.

 

That being said, wouldn't we want someone better than both on defense, all things being equal?

 

More importantly, I guess my question is would it benefit the Cubs to move Jones to CF and find a RF bat (in that case who?) or keep Jones in RF and go with a Pie/Lofton (or someone comparable) platoon?

 

A Lofton/Pie platoon isn't likely with both of them being left-handed. You could platoon Pie with Murton in LF, if you move Jones to CF and sign a big bat for RF.

 

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought someone had posted that Pie is actually hitting lefties pretty well this season. If he can continue to do that, and you go with the outfield that I just listed, you could start Murton in LF, Pie in CF, and in RF, with Jones on the bench against some lefties. So in essence, you'd be looking at more of a Murton/Jones platoon.

 

Hendry is a day late and a dollar short because if he singed Lofton this past off season and kept those pitchers he sent to Florida I would have felt a lot better about this teams chances in 2006. This team will never win with Hendry as the GM.

[ToupeeOnFire]

From Tracy Ringolsby:

 

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/sports_columnists/article/0,1299,DRMN_83_4909894,00.html

 

Center fielder Juan Pierre has turned his season around, and now there's talk the Chicago Cubs will attempt to re-sign him instead of losing him to free agency. Speculation on what it will take to sign Pierre, however, ranges from the belief Pierre will take a cut from this year's $5.75 million salary to the idea the three-year, $39 million overpayment the Dodgers gave shortstop Rafael Furcal last winter will be a basis for talks.

 

Boy, wouldn't it be a kick in the teeth if the Cubs gave Pierre a Furcal-like contract? I wouldn't put it past Hendry to throw that type of money in Pierre's direction. I think the whole impetus behind Hendry's desire to re-sign Pierre is to justify the trade in the first place. I get the feeling that Hendry will do anything to "prove" that the Pierre acquisition was a good one, even if it means compounding the original mistake by making an even bigger mistake.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

This team will never win with Hendry as the GM.

 

QFT

[minnesotacubsfan]

From Tracy Ringolsby:

 

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/sports_columnists/article/0,1299,DRMN_83_4909894,00.html

 

Center fielder Juan Pierre has turned his season around, and now there's talk the Chicago Cubs will attempt to re-sign him instead of losing him to free agency. Speculation on what it will take to sign Pierre, however, ranges from the belief Pierre will take a cut from this year's $5.75 million salary to the idea the three-year, $39 million overpayment the Dodgers gave shortstop Rafael Furcal last winter will be a basis for talks.

 

Boy, wouldn't it be a kick in the teeth if the Cubs gave Pierre a Furcal-like contract? I wouldn't put it past Hendry to throw that type of money in Pierre's direction. I think the whole impetus behind Hendry's desire to re-sign Pierre is to justify the trade in the first place. I get the feeling that Hendry will do anything to "prove" that the Pierre acquisition was a good one, even if it means compounding the original mistake by making an even bigger mistake.

 

 

good GOD...why us?

[soccer10k]

From Tracy Ringolsby:

 

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/sports_columnists/article/0,1299,DRMN_83_4909894,00.html

 

Center fielder Juan Pierre has turned his season around, and now there's talk the Chicago Cubs will attempt to re-sign him instead of losing him to free agency. Speculation on what it will take to sign Pierre, however, ranges from the belief Pierre will take a cut from this year's $5.75 million salary to the idea the three-year, $39 million overpayment the Dodgers gave shortstop Rafael Furcal last winter will be a basis for talks.

 

Boy, wouldn't it be a kick in the teeth if the Cubs gave Pierre a Furcal-like contract? I wouldn't put it past Hendry to throw that type of money in Pierre's direction. I think the whole impetus behind Hendry's desire to re-sign Pierre is to justify the trade in the first place. I get the feeling that Hendry will do anything to "prove" that the Pierre acquisition was a good one, even if it means compounding the original mistake by making an even bigger mistake.

 

Somehow I don't think Pierre will be taking a pay cut for next season considering he has been hitting much better recently.

[goonys evil twin]

Somehow I don't think Pierre will be taking a pay cut for next season considering he has been hitting much better recently.

 

How he's hitting recently should not matter. But for what it's worth, he's hitting .261/.320/.304 over the past 7 days.

[soccer10k]

Somehow I don't think Pierre will be taking a pay cut for next season considering he has been hitting much better recently.

 

How he's hitting recently should not matter. But for what it's worth, he's hitting .261/.320/.304 over the past 7 days.

 

Sorry, I should have clarified. I meant he has recovered from his horrendous April and May. He has put up decent numbers (but not great) since then and I believe teams (this will likely include Hendry) will look at his, as of now, decent 2.5 months more than his poor two months and will think he had trouble adjusting to Chicago or some other BS like that. If he continues his line of .300/.350/.400 (averages) all the way through August and September, he'll easily garner $7-8 mil per year in free agency.

[RonnieWooWooSanto]

From Tracy Ringolsby:

 

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/sports_columnists/article/0,1299,DRMN_83_4909894,00.html

 

Center fielder Juan Pierre has turned his season around, and now there's talk the Chicago Cubs will attempt to re-sign him instead of losing him to free agency. Speculation on what it will take to sign Pierre, however, ranges from the belief Pierre will take a cut from this year's $5.75 million salary to the idea the three-year, $39 million overpayment the Dodgers gave shortstop Rafael Furcal last winter will be a basis for talks.

 

Boy, wouldn't it be a kick in the teeth if the Cubs gave Pierre a Furcal-like contract? I wouldn't put it past Hendry to throw that type of money in Pierre's direction. I think the whole impetus behind Hendry's desire to re-sign Pierre is to justify the trade in the first place. I get the feeling that Hendry will do anything to "prove" that the Pierre acquisition was a good one, even if it means compounding the original mistake by making an even bigger mistake.

 

Beyond re signing him to justify the trade, I really think that Hendry likes Pierre and believes that he is a great leadoff hitter. Plus, I would also think that Hendry fawns all over Juan Pierre's work ethic. My gut says that Hendry will give Pierre a lucrative three year contract.

[SAMMYWHO]

I'm sorry if this has been mentioned already but is it possible Hendry could have encouraged a Pierre trade with Colorado. I think he was a scout with Florida during that time.