Its Scary Quiet

[soapy]

I guess it's no longer scary quiet.

 

Yeah, we fixed that problem. :D

 

Okay, back on topic. Going back to my post where I quoted all the Rotoworld excepts on Ryan Church since December, what would be a fair offer for Ryan Church, and is he worth what it would cost?

 

And finally, will Washington continue playing hardball, or will their demands come down the longer he isn't traded. (Using what Bruce Miles has heard through the grapevine as gospel that they are asking for the moon).

I think Bruce had the right idea when he said there's a much better chance something will happen in Spring Training once the rosters for teams start to shake out. I'd guess demands would start lowering at that point, unless the Nats decide they really like Church.

[CubinNY]

I guess it's no longer scary quiet.

 

Yeah, we fixed that problem. :D

 

Okay, back on topic. Going back to my post where I quoted all the Rotoworld excepts on Ryan Church since December, what would be a fair offer for Ryan Church, and is he worth what it would cost?

 

And finally, will Washington continue playing hardball, or will their demands come down the longer he isn't traded. (Using what Bruce Miles has heard through the grapevine as gospel that they are asking for the moon).

 

I don't blame the Nats GM for asking for the "moon", you never know what you might get. The question is: is he willing to deal? My guess is yes, but after all the FAs have signed.

 

At this point if I'm Hendry, I'd try to make nice with JJ. He's the best option.

[b_wiggy_66]

I guess it's no longer scary quiet.

 

Yeah, we fixed that problem. :D

 

Okay, back on topic. Going back to my post where I quoted all the Rotoworld excepts on Ryan Church since December, what would be a fair offer for Ryan Church, and is he worth what it would cost?

 

And finally, will Washington continue playing hardball, or will their demands come down the longer he isn't traded. (Using what Bruce Miles has heard through the grapevine as gospel that they are asking for the moon).

 

I don't blame the Nats GM for asking for the "moon", you never know what you might get. The question is: is he willing to deal? My guess is yes, but after all the FAs have signed.

 

At this point if I'm Hendry, I'd try to make nice with JJ. He's the best option.

 

It still seems like their serious about Pie this spring.

[BigbadB]

Sounds like he's speculating based on the Nats' past. Bruce obviously has more insight than any of us on the issue, but it's certainly not gospel.

 

Maybe not gospel, but there is this quote:

 

These points are all true, well made and well argued. But Ryan Church is not a free agent. The fact is, the Cubs have talked with Washington about him (as have other teams). Perhaps the Nationals are asking way too much (this is what I hear) for Church from the Cubs and other teams. This goes back to my point about taking two sides to make a deal. The Cubs aren't alone in not being able to pull off a trade, either major or minor. I was at the winter meetings, and there was virtually NO trade activity. All these GMs face to face, and the most that was going to happen was that somebody was going to catch a cold. Getting a trade done assumes that the team wants to move the player and is asking for a reasonable amount in return. I don't know if the Nats want to move Church. I do know they've fielded calls and have asked for a lot from everybody who has called.

 

It's possible they are using Pie to lower the demands on Church and maybe a few other choice CFers that might be available if the price comes down. I hope so, and I'm actually a big fan of Pie's.

[Bruce Miles]

Hey, guys, what's up?

[BigbadB]

Hey, guys, what's up?

 

Cubs payroll. :D

[Rob]

Hey, guys, what's up?

 

I find myself wondering the same thing when I look at this thread.

 

Any interesting news to leak to us today?

[goonys evil twin]

Just watching the game, having a Bud.

[BigbadB]

Off topic, thought this was pretty hilarious from Rotoworld:

 

Free agent Toby Hall isn't interested in returning to the Devil Rays on a minor league contract.

 

"That was funny," Hall said. "I guess it would be a minor league contract because they're a minor league team." Way to burn those bridges, Toby. The club gave you more than 2,000 at-bats even though you never once managed a 700 OPS. Your OBP for the club was under .300, and you never came close to matching the 19 homers you hit at Triple-A Durham in 2001. If the Rays weren't much more than a minor league team during your tenure, well, it's in part because you weren't much more than a minor league player.

Source: St. Petersburg Times

 

:D

[USSoccer]

I guess it's no longer scary quiet.

 

Yeah, we fixed that problem. :D

 

Okay, back on topic. Going back to my post where I quoted all the Rotoworld excepts on Ryan Church since December, what would be a fair offer for Ryan Church, and is he worth what it would cost?

 

And finally, will Washington continue playing hardball, or will their demands come down the longer he isn't traded. (Using what Bruce Miles has heard through the grapevine as gospel that they are asking for the moon).

 

Fair for Ryan Church would be something like Mateo or Marmol + one other player. He's clearly talented, but he's also 28 and never had a full time job. The Nats have no business asking for Hill for a player like Church.

 

Mateo or Marshall plus a mid prospect.

[jtownie]

I'm trying to find the article but with the Wells extension in Toronto there is speculation that Alex Rios could become available. Although it's speculated that his cost would START with a team's top pitching prospect.

[BigbadB]

Fair for Ryan Church would be something like Mateo or Marmol + one other player. He's clearly talented, but he's also 28 and never had a full time job. The Nats have no business asking for Hill for a player like Church.

 

Mateo or Marshall plus a mid prospect.

 

That's my opinion, too. Washington basically slashed his trade value by not playing him last year and basically telling the world they want him gone.

[USSoccer]

Fair for Ryan Church would be something like Mateo or Marmol + one other player. He's clearly talented, but he's also 28 and never had a full time job. The Nats have no business asking for Hill for a player like Church.

 

Mateo or Marshall plus a mid prospect.

 

That's my opinion, too. Washington basically slashed his trade value by not playing him last year and basically telling the world they want him gone.

 

That's something that mid market teams need to understand. Washington holding onto Church serves no purpose, as does Tampa holding onto their 9 OF's.. They overvalue their own players to the long term detriment of their roster and organization.

 

Marmol or Marshall would mean much more to Washington than Church ever would. They're not going to get a top 50 prospect for Ryan Church. Why mess around?

[RichHillIsABeast]

Hey, guys, what's up?

 

NSBB posters' blood pressure?

[C.C.]

Hey, guys, what's up?

 

Not my Brain Cell count after last nights bender. Whew!

[Balsa]

Hey, guys, what's up?

Tank Johnson's legal fees.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Hey, guys, what's up?

 

Bruuuucccce!

 

(doing my very best impersonation of "Nooooorrrrrmmmm!" by the cast of Cheers)

[Lefty]

SI.com: Let's say Pie isn't ready for Opening Day. Would you really put Soriano in center, a place he's never played?

 

Hendry: I think in a perfect world, we'd prefer him to play on the corners. But, as we discussed with him, he's not worried about where he's playing. He just wants to play one spot. In a couple of weeks, I might have a more definite answer for you. But right now, it's still kind of up in the air. You have Jacque Jones, you have [Matt] Murton, you have Soriano, you have Pie on the come, and you have Angel Pagan, who's a switch hitter, who really can play all three spots. It doesn't look bad on paper. But we still feel like we need to tweak it.

 

 

Bolding is mine.

[goonys evil twin]

SI.com: Let's say Pie isn't ready for Opening Day. Would you really put Soriano in center, a place he's never played?

 

Hendry: I think in a perfect world, we'd prefer him to play on the corners. But, as we discussed with him, he's not worried about where he's playing. He just wants to play one spot. In a couple of weeks, I might have a more definite answer for you. But right now, it's still kind of up in the air. You have Jacque Jones, you have [Matt] Murton, you have Soriano, you have Pie on the come, and you have Angel Pagan, who's a switch hitter, who really can play all three spots. It doesn't look bad on paper. But we still feel like we need to tweak it.

 

 

Bolding is mine.

 

I just read that. He's really pimping Pie there:

 

And then we just have to just kind of evaluate with Felix Pie, who's a left-handed hitting center fielder who already can play terrific defense in the big leagues. And he's 21 years old. It'll be up to our staff and Lou in spring training to see how ready he is. That would be a breath of fresh air for us, if he could play either by Opening Day or sometime this year. We think he's our center fielder for a long time. We won't be looking to do anything long-term in center field -- we think he's the guy -- but we would like to have some complementary help in the outfield, left-handed, before we're done.

[abuck1220]

i'm not going to be happy if the cubs sign floyd and start pie in cf. because if they do that, there's going to be a lot of days where murton sits while pie plays, and that just doesn't make sense.

[goonys evil twin]

i'm not going to be happy if the cubs sign floyd and start pie in cf. because if they do that, there's going to be a lot of days where murton sits while pie plays, and that just doesn't make sense.

 

It's the Cubs, nothing makes sense.

[sethuel1]

"you have Pie on the come" is my new favorite phrase.

[E.J.]

SI.com: Let's say Pie isn't ready for Opening Day. Would you really put Soriano in center, a place he's never played?

 

Hendry: I think in a perfect world, we'd prefer him to play on the corners. But, as we discussed with him, he's not worried about where he's playing. He just wants to play one spot. In a couple of weeks, I might have a more definite answer for you. But right now, it's still kind of up in the air. You have Jacque Jones, you have [Matt] Murton, you have Soriano, you have Pie on the come, and you have Angel Pagan, who's a switch hitter, who really can play all three spots. It doesn't look bad on paper. But we still feel like we need to tweak it.

 

 

Bolding is mine.

 

I hate that Hendry even mentions Pagan while talking about the starting outfield. He's not serious, is he? And who cares if Pagan is a switch hitter. It's not like he's an outstanding hitter from either side of the plate.

[cheapseats]

SI.com: Let's say Pie isn't ready for Opening Day. Would you really put Soriano in center, a place he's never played?

 

Hendry: I think in a perfect world, we'd prefer him to play on the corners. But, as we discussed with him, he's not worried about where he's playing. He just wants to play one spot. In a couple of weeks, I might have a more definite answer for you. But right now, it's still kind of up in the air. You have Jacque Jones, you have [Matt] Murton, you have Soriano, you have Pie on the come, and you have Angel Pagan, who's a switch hitter, who really can play all three spots. It doesn't look bad on paper. But we still feel like we need to tweak it.

 

 

Bolding is mine.

 

I hate that Hendry even mentions Pagan while talking about the starting outfield. He's not serious, is he? And who cares if Pagan is a switch hitter. It's not like he's an outstanding hitter from either side of the plate.

 

Pagan is terrible.