2-year plan

[Northsider]

Out of curiosity, what would everyone do right now if they were GM? I doubt the Cubs could win in 2007 without spending the farm, but I think our four big prospects could be playing by 2008, given their current learning rates. I personally won't mention anyone I don't think can help us by 2008.

 

I'd:

 

Convince the Bear's trainers to make a Spring Training visit, and get recommendations for a permanent training staff.

 

Sign 2 of Schmidt/Lilly/Meche/Weaver to 4-year deals, no or limited NTC.

 

Sign Phil Nevin if at all possible. Also try for Hollandsworth and Wilson.

 

Trade Dempster for hitting prospects.

 

Trade either Ohman or Eyre for something.

 

Put Prior in the BP, for at least a year. I want to pre-empt having him need to go there like Wood. Can't enter rotation until 2008, and then only if healthy all 2007. If healthy, we have 6 SPs, with one to trade

 

Wood himself stays the whole year, and at least til ASB 2008 if resigned. If resigned, he gets the 2008 long man role to start, can end up in rotation if he's been healthy for a year and a half, in which case we have the six SPs problem again, with another one to trade.

 

Trade Jones for mlb-proven pitching. We'll say Jennings.

 

Pagan gets the stopgap CF position - he's somewhat talented, but needs discipline. Perry should help that.

 

Trade Rusch for his own rookie baseball card.

 

Miller to bullpen, at least for half a year, as long man. If we get two FA pitchers and one in the JJ trade, then we should have 6 healthy SP to choose from by ASB 2007. We can trade one then, move Prior to long man. If not, then we just use rookies again to fill the remaining 1-2 slots. With Prior ready, same problem. Extend Miller if he makes the rotation. Rapada comes up.

 

Marmol at AAA as a starter. Have him work on location, that's his big problem. Could be ready anytime, but probably no room for him til 2008.

 

Pie at AAA. Works on Pitch Recognition, Strike Zone Recognition. Should be ready to start by 2008. If not ready, sign a CF and trade Pie.

 

EPatt at AAA. Continue work on Pitch Recognition and Strike Zone Recognition, extra defensive drills for 2B daily. Should be ready to start by Opening Day 2008.

 

Cedeno to AAA. Work, work, work on plate patience. Has the potential, but won't reach it unless he stops following Dusty's advice. Needs to improve the D badly, too, so he gets drilled with EPatt. Hopefully he's ready by 2008. Stops by the majors only when Izzy is Injured.

 

Veal at AA. Essentially more because he only has half a year there. If he's dominating after two months, move him up. Probably up by ASB 2008, maybe earlier.

 

Gallagher at AA. Hasn't mastered the level, but could still move up around the ASB. Probably up by/after ASB 2008. Entrance to majors creates a trade situation, similar to Prior and Miller's entrance to the majors.

 

This should give us a full OF (Murton, Pie, Soriano), a solid IF(Ramirez, Izturis/Cedeno, EPatt, Lee, Barrett).

 

At the Start of 2008, our Starting Rotation should have a choice of: Zambrano, Hill, Schmidt, Meche, Lilly, Weaver, Jennings, healthy Miller, healthy Prior.

 

By ASB 2008, we should be able to add Veal and Gallagher to the SP mix; that's worth a pair of trades for prospects again.

 

Our bullpen should have, at the beginning of 2008: Wood, Howry, Wuertz, Rapada, Cotts, Ohman, Eyre/Ohman. We have room for one more in the BP if we go with 12 pitchers.

 

Options for Bench of 2008: Nevin, Hollandsworth, Wilson, Theriot, Pagan, Blanco, Moore, DeRosa, Izturis

 

We probably won't have a shot in 2007 with this plan, although a solid DeRosa or Pagan performance or both, with the rotation we'll have, might put us at .500 provided Lee remembers how to be his 2005 self sometime in 2007.

 

By 2008, however, we could very well have an all-aces rotation, like we were supposed to in 2004, and some very solid hitting to go along with it. The Rot. could have all 20-game winners, with maybe a couple of half-season 10-game winners, and a starting lineup with 195 homers or so. Best case:

 

Soriano

EPatt

Ramirez

Lee

Pie

Murton

Barrett

Cedeno

 

Zambrano

Hill

Prior

Wood

Veal

 

Sorry if I was a bit short with my treatment of the organization/plan, but I wanted to get this done sometime today.

[Fro]

Sounds like the right plan... remember how awesome the Cubs were when we had Corey Patterson, Hee Siop Choi and David Kelton? Those guys turned out to be studs just like they were projected to be by the gurus!

[Lefty]

Unfortunately Hendry is on a one-year plan. He could care less that the Cubs will lose 100 games in 2010.