Neal Cotts for David Aardsma

[Yestheydo]

I'm not a psychic, but I doubt the mods approve of board members calling Hendry or anyone else "Fatass".

I don't know; I kinda like it. It makes it easier to wade through all these posts when the least original thinkers identify themselves like that.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

I've always liked Cotts...wonder if Fatass will give Cotts a chance to start again?

 

Aardsma lost his breaking ball at some point in his MiLB career, and he's never had great control.

 

I like this move by Fatass actually.

 

Cotts is actually the same age (or younger?) than Rich Hill. He's got similar stuff, and he was once a starter. Think the Cubs would try him again there? He never had great control as a starter, but he's a young strikeout lefty with good stuff....which probably means he's best suited for the pen where he was.

 

Anyways...Jones + Eyre for Westbrook please...

I'm not a psychic, but I doubt the mods approve of board members calling Hendry or anyone else "Fatass".

 

Plus you refer to 2 different people as Fatass in the same post. Quite confusing. It's like having 2 brothers named Darryl.

is that a newheart reference?

 

Maybe.

http://media.bladezone.com/contents/film/interviews/bill-sanderson/larry_newhart.jpg

[The Voice of Reason]

I agree with the spin from Rotoworld.

 

Cubs acquired LHP Neal Cotts from the White Sox for RHP David Aardsma and LHP Carlos Vasquez.

 

So not only did the crosstown rivals pull of a trade, but Jim Hendry appears to have gotten the better of it? Cotts' ERA jumped from 1.94 to 5.17 last season, but he didn't lose any stuff. It'd be great if the Cubs got him with the idea of putting him in the rotation along with Carlos Zambrano and Rich Hill. If it turns out he can't handle it, he can always be shifted back to the pen later. However, the talent is there for him to be a third or fourth starter. Nov. 16 - 12:46 pm et

[Guest]

I've always liked Cotts...wonder if Fatass will give Cotts a chance to start again?

 

Aardsma lost his breaking ball at some point in his MiLB career, and he's never had great control.

 

I like this move by Fatass actually.

 

Cotts is actually the same age (or younger?) than Rich Hill. He's got similar stuff, and he was once a starter. Think the Cubs would try him again there? He never had great control as a starter, but he's a young strikeout lefty with good stuff....which probably means he's best suited for the pen where he was.

 

Anyways...Jones + Eyre for Westbrook please...

I'm not a psychic, but I doubt the mods approve of board members calling Hendry or anyone else "Fatass".

You may indeed be psychic...

[RationalSoxFan]

I remember Cotts losing 2-3 mph on his fastball from 2005 to 2006.

 

Good deal Hendry for buying low and *maybe* getting a starter. Good deal Kenny for getting Aardsma (filthy) for a guy coming off a horrid year.

[Magnetic Curses]

i doubt that hendry made this move with the intention of then sending jones, demspter, and marmol to the sox for freddy. :(

 

well, westbrook would be fine, and it will happen soon if it happens at all.

[Magnetic Curses]

I remember Cotts losing 2-3 mph on his fastball from 2005 to 2006.

 

Good deal Hendry for buying low and *maybe* getting a starter. Good deal Kenny for getting Aardsma (filthy) for a guy coming off a horrid year.

 

iirc, cotts started the 2004 futures game.

[Butterscup1679666578]

I like this trade, especially if it lands us Westbrook, and if Cotts can regain his 05 form. Nice job Hendry.

[RationalSoxFan]

I remember Cotts losing 2-3 mph on his fastball from 2005 to 2006.

 

Good deal Hendry for buying low and *maybe* getting a starter. Good deal Kenny for getting Aardsma (filthy) for a guy coming off a horrid year.

 

iirc, cotts started the 2004 futures game.

IIRC, he also made his first career start at Yankee Stadium and got hammered. It was a pretty questionable decision.

[USSoccer]

I remember Cotts losing 2-3 mph on his fastball from 2005 to 2006.

 

Good deal Hendry for buying low and *maybe* getting a starter. Good deal Kenny for getting Aardsma (filthy) for a guy coming off a horrid year.

 

iirc, cotts started the 2004 futures game.

IIRC, he also made his first career start at Yankee Stadium and got hammered. It was a pretty questionable decision.

 

RSF, do you know if he has options left?

[Magnetic Curses]

I remember Cotts losing 2-3 mph on his fastball from 2005 to 2006.

 

Good deal Hendry for buying low and *maybe* getting a starter. Good deal Kenny for getting Aardsma (filthy) for a guy coming off a horrid year.

 

iirc, cotts started the 2004 futures game.

IIRC, he also made his first career start at Yankee Stadium and got hammered. It was a pretty questionable decision.

 

wasn't saying that he was invulnerable as a starter, just that he was regarded as a starter clear up until he made the major leagues.

[RationalSoxFan]

I remember Cotts losing 2-3 mph on his fastball from 2005 to 2006.

 

Good deal Hendry for buying low and *maybe* getting a starter. Good deal Kenny for getting Aardsma (filthy) for a guy coming off a horrid year.

 

iirc, cotts started the 2004 futures game.

IIRC, he also made his first career start at Yankee Stadium and got hammered. It was a pretty questionable decision.

 

RSF, do you know if he has options left?

I think he does. He made a pretty quick rise through the system iirc.

[RationalSoxFan]

I remember Cotts losing 2-3 mph on his fastball from 2005 to 2006.

 

Good deal Hendry for buying low and *maybe* getting a starter. Good deal Kenny for getting Aardsma (filthy) for a guy coming off a horrid year.

 

iirc, cotts started the 2004 futures game.

IIRC, he also made his first career start at Yankee Stadium and got hammered. It was a pretty questionable decision.

 

wasn't saying that he was invulnerable as a starter, just that he was regarded as a starter clear up until he made the major leagues.

Yeah, that one bad start kind of relegated him to LOOGY. He's kind of a two pitch pitcher. I'd compare him to everything I've heard about Kei Igawa.

[Iceblink]

So for all the talk about making him a starter, I find the ESPN insider stats interesting.

 

According to their splits, Cotts threw 80% fastballs, 14% sliders, 4% changeups, and 3% curves (something must be rounded to get 101%). His numbers go 76/19/2 (fastball/slider/changeup) against lefties.

 

By way of comparison, Rich Hill is listed as 70% fastballs, 25% curves, 1% sliders, 4% changes. That sounds pretty reasonable. Ohman is 50% fastballs, 47% sliders.

 

There's probably a pretty good margin of error, especially with curves & sliders. I'd expect that it would be pretty decent with fastballs & changeups - and maybe some sliders get marked as changeups depending on the speed difference.

 

If those stats are to be believed, Cotts is barely a two pitch pitcher when he's coming out of the pen, and his best pitch (the changeup, according to the earlier posts) was a total afterthought.

 

Zambrano throws 70% fastballs, but his fastball is a different animal. If Cotts is really this much of a fastball pitcher, the prospects for the rotation would seem dim.

[Magnetic Curses]

I remember Cotts losing 2-3 mph on his fastball from 2005 to 2006.

 

Good deal Hendry for buying low and *maybe* getting a starter. Good deal Kenny for getting Aardsma (filthy) for a guy coming off a horrid year.

 

iirc, cotts started the 2004 futures game.

IIRC, he also made his first career start at Yankee Stadium and got hammered. It was a pretty questionable decision.

 

wasn't saying that he was invulnerable as a starter, just that he was regarded as a starter clear up until he made the major leagues.

Yeah, that one bad start kind of relegated him to LOOGY. He's kind of a two pitch pitcher. I'd compare him to everything I've heard about Kei Igawa.

 

i listen to the score all the time when it comes in clearly--i'd imagine that hendry will keep him in the pen and deal eyre, who has a lot of value right now.

[KingKongvs.Godzilla]

From what I remember Cotts threw 88-89 consistently touching 91. His curveball/slider was considered an out pitch in the minors, and he had/has a very good changeup.

 

I haven't really seen him since '05 though, and his stuff was sick that year.

 

If he can regain his '05 form, maybe trying him in the rotation isn't a bad idea.

 

And sorry I called Rusch and Hendry fatass. Especially Rusch, somehow I forgot what the guy just went through...

Edited November 16, 2006 by KingKongvs.Godzilla

[Flames24Rulz]

Good move IMO. If Hendry thinks Cotts is going to be a starter though, he's dead wrong. He's a guy that seems to get figured out pretty easily. If we can move Eyre in a deal that would include a starter, this deal will look a lot better.

[RyCubsFan]

He had a simply amazing year in AA, then jumped directly to the majors. I think he has very good stuff yet.

 

I was never confident with Aardsma and I don't think he would have made the bullpen this year.

 

I like this trade. Cotts could be a candidate to start. But more likely I think this opens up the chance to trade Eyre (or Ohman).

[Vinestal]

Bleh, this is no huge deal. A swap of backend bulpen guys. Cotts has some great potiental, probably more so than Ardsma and he's left handed. If he regains his former glory we may have a real find, if not Ardsma is no great loss.

[goonys evil twin]

I remember Cotts losing 2-3 mph on his fastball from 2005 to 2006.

 

Good deal Hendry for buying low and *maybe* getting a starter. Good deal Kenny for getting Aardsma (filthy) for a guy coming off a horrid year.

 

iirc, cotts started the 2004 futures game.

 

Didn't he spend all of 2004 in the majors?

 

 

looks like he started the 2003 FG.

Edited November 16, 2006 by goony's evil twin

[FergieJ31]

Not sure if this has been mentioned already but I think Cotts found himself in Ozzie's doghouse quite a bit. And I wouldn't even put a dog in Ozzie's doghouse. This trade might have been Ozzie saying to Kenny "I want this punk off my team this winter."

 

Would be curious to hear from RationalSoxFan on this.

[goonys evil twin]

Not sure if this has been mentioned already but I think Cotts found himself in Ozzie's doghouse quite a bit. And I wouldn't even put a dog in Ozzie's doghouse.

 

That was my first thought when I heard about this. Don't remember where I heard it, but I thought I hear of some significant venom from Guillen toward Cotts.

[TheDude]

Not sure if this has been mentioned already but I think Cotts found himself in Ozzie's doghouse quite a bit. And I wouldn't even put a dog in Ozzie's doghouse.

 

That was my first thought when I heard about this. Don't remember where I heard it, but I thought I hear of some significant venom from Guillen toward Cotts.

 

Given Ozzie's reputation and attitude, I'm very willing to give the kid a break.

[entbird79]

Not sure if this has been mentioned already but I think Cotts found himself in Ozzie's doghouse quite a bit. And I wouldn't even put a dog in Ozzie's doghouse.

 

That was my first thought when I heard about this. Don't remember where I heard it, but I thought I hear of some significant venom from Guillen toward Cotts.

 

Was Cotts the one that didn't bean someone and Ozzie flipped on or was that someone else? Now that I think about it, it may have been a rookie.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Not sure if this has been mentioned already but I think Cotts found himself in Ozzie's doghouse quite a bit. And I wouldn't even put a dog in Ozzie's doghouse.

 

That was my first thought when I heard about this. Don't remember where I heard it, but I thought I hear of some significant venom from Guillen toward Cotts.

 

Was Cotts the one that didn't bean someone and Ozzie flipped on or was that someone else? Now that I think about it, it may have been a rookie.

 

That was Sean Tracey.