Barret Makes Pitch for C Lee

[Sammy Sofa]

I don't think it's writing him off if that's the kind of playing he's displaying. Yeah, I agree he's getting a crappy "education" from the coaches and raw deals getting benched for players like Nevin, but he still needs to prove himself longterm. Maybe he will, but it's just as likely he won't. IMO, you go with the proven big players over the unproven rookies every single time, and yes, I think C-Lee is one of those players. Is he one of the all time greats? Heck no, but he's a serious OF power bat that mashes at Wrigley, and the Cubs need one of those like crazy. Bottom line, there's not a lot of options out there that would allow the Cubs to upgrade from a player like Murton to a player like Lee. This team isn't hurting for money, and with Wood and Maddux likely gone next year, they've got even more to spend. Lee is making like he wants to play here and at the end of the day if I'm picking between Carlos Lee and Matt Murton for my LF slot, I'd be a fool not to sign Lee. Murton simply doesn't have the power at this point to be a corner starting corner OFer at this point. Will he? I hope so. Will he get a shot to develop on this team? Again, I'd hope so, but at the same time, I want some serious upgrades. I'd love to see Murton platooned against lefties with a decent split hitter in RF because at this point, he's nowhere near being the bat needed to be a starting OFer for the Cubs.