Sun-Times Article on Cubs OF and Pies' Opening Day Chances

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Link.

 

Ask manager Lou Piniella about his plans and be prepared for a long pause from a man who always has something to say.

''The organization will probably help make that decision,'' Piniella finally said. ''Everywhere I have been, usually the organization steps in and says, 'Look, I would rather have this particular player playing every day as opposed to sitting on the bench.' I will assume that at that time, [general manager] Jim Hendry will have a big say in what happens.''

 

And what does Hendry think?

 

''Too early to tell,'' he said. ''There are a lot of different ways to go. I'm very comfortable with where we are at on the 12th of March. But you have questions you couldn't possibly answer now. Who's going to be the fifth starter? Who are the last guys going to be in the pen? Going with 12 pitchers. ... There are a lot of things that would be foolish to project now.

 

''I'm very happy with the potential competition we are going to have the next three weeks, which is good.''

 

 

It appears there may be a match to trade Jones to San Diego.

 

Seems the San Diego Padres are now among the teams searching for some outfield help. Seeing as how Jones lives in San Diego, seems like the perfect fit for him and the Cubs.

 

And Soriano will get some looks in RF this week as Jones gets some looks in CF.

 

Pie keeps getting playing time and Piniella said Soriano will get some looks in right field this week, with Jones getting some starts in center. Even with a little shuffling, this deck has too many cards.

 

''We have a good problem to have,'' Hendry said. ''I come from the school that you can't have too many good players. So it will take care of itself. Playing time always does.''

[moorecg]

Am I the only one who really wants to keep Jones for this year? I like the "idea" of Pie...but we know Jones is going to bring a solid bat with some solid power numbers which really rounds out the line up...Pie could be good...but he could also take some time adjusting to the bigs...if he does we're stuck with a much weaker lineup.

[DesMoinesCub]

Trading Jones to me, right now, is a bad idea. I am starting to like the OF of Murton, Soriano, and Jones.

 

I guess if by trading Jones, you keep Murton in the line up, but who do you play when Floyd gets hurt. I guess Pie, or does Pie start over Floyd? I think the more "rest" you give Floyd, the better he is going to be.

 

It also depends on what SD is willing to give up for Jones. Having a Pie/Izzy/Blanco 6-7-8 scares me a little.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

I'm wanting to keep Jones unless he's involved in a deal that brings something useful back. Since I don't see that happening, I'd rather see if Soriano or Jones can handle CF and wait a bit longer on Pie.

[Soul]

I'm wanting to keep Jones unless he's involved in a deal that brings something useful back. Since I don't see that happening, I'd rather see if Soriano or Jones can handle CF and wait a bit longer on Pie.

 

Yeah, I'm not quite comfortable that Pie can handle the load.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

I'm wanting to keep Jones unless he's involved in a deal that brings something useful back. Since I don't see that happening, I'd rather see if Soriano or Jones can handle CF and wait a bit longer on Pie.

 

Yeah, I'm not quite comfortable that Pie can handle the load.

 

Pie would be a great deal better defensively than what we have. I'm fairly certain of that. But, I'm not sure his bat is ready. If I felt Pie could match what Jones would bring with the bat, I'd be more than happy with an OF of Murton/Floyd in LF, Pie in CF, and Soriano in RF.

 

But regardless of his decent spring, I still think Pie has a lot to learn.

 

How much would sitting the bench stunt his growth? He would be a great defensive replacement and I'd rather have him than Pagan if I knew his growth wouldn't be stunted. I also think Lou prefers keeping Pie to Pagan, but knows that he likely won't be allowed to make that decision. Hence, the quotes about some of those calls being out of his hands.

[TheDude]

I've been one of the few that wanted to hold on to Jones, and I'm still in that mindset, unless it were to come to light that Jones is pressing management to get out. I wouldn't want an unhappy player on the team bringing down what appears to be a very positive early season. In the current market, Jones should have respectable value.

[abuck1220]

i don't think there's any way pie matches jones' production in '07. and i can't see how a trade of jones fills any of the cubs' holes.

 

i'm underwhelmed by the rotation of z, lilly, marquis, and hill, so i think the cubs could use a #2-3 type starter, but jones isn't going to get you that, and i think hendry's happy w/ the starting pitching. they could use an upgrade at ss, but hendry doesn't see it that way.

 

i wouldn't trade jones, though i could see the cubs being so concerned with soriano's defense in cf that they want to get pie in there.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

I'm wanting to keep Jones unless he's involved in a deal that brings something useful back. Since I don't see that happening, I'd rather see if Soriano or Jones can handle CF and wait a bit longer on Pie.

 

Agreed. Give me a big upgrade at SS, and I'm more comfortable with Pie.

[craig]

The outfield scene is challenging to resolve. Floyd is still limping and hasn't played right field in many years. Soriano has never played right. Murton has never played right in the majors, not so much in the minors, and doesn't have the arm for it. Soriano may have problems in center. But will he have any fewer if you move him to right?

 

We know we've got a defense-first-low-hit guy at SS. We may have a low-hit guy at 2nd, not sure yet. If you pop Pie into center, the offense doesn't look so strong as it does with Jones in left, Soriano center, and Murton/Floyd in left. The current configuration could be a really good-hitting team, with a good-hitting lineup and a good-hitting bench besides. And, it could be extremely bad defensively, with perhaps only Izturis and Lee as the only guys average-or-better relative to their respective position.

 

I don't know how to balance those factors.

 

I do think that Pie might play himself out of the picture by the time spring ends. It's early, lots of fastballs. When he starts facing more major-league pitchers with more breaking balls, the hits might be harder to find for him.

 

Certainly my hope is that he rocks, but that Soriano shows himself to be pretty decent in center, and you've got a win-win choice. I'd certainly like to see Pie put up some asset numbers at Iowa for a while, and perhaps defer free agency for an extra year besides.

 

Last factor is jones. So, I can understand the interest in trading him. But, the whole premise of the outfield thing is that maybe it's already too crowded. Are you going to trade Jones to relieve outfield glut, only to acquire an outfielder to replace him? The pitching staff is pretty cluttered. Do we really want to trade Jones for the fringey-caliber rotation pitcher that he could at best return, and have some fringey starter bump talented Guzman out of the running? And, what if Prior did progress enough so that managment ended up wanting to roster him? Outfielder doesn't make sense; a Jones-available rotation pitcher doesn't either. Reliever? With Eyre, Ohman, and Cotts, and Rapada at Iowa, I don't know that trading for another lefty reliever makes lots of sense. And with Dempster, Wood, Howry, Cherry, and hopefully Wuertz on the RH side, and possibly Prior or Guzman or Miller besides, I'm not sure trading Jones for a reliever makes all that much sense. Izturis is a lock at SS, and you aren't going to get a good starting middle infielder, 2B or SS, for Jones anyway. So just to get some bench infielder to bump Theriot to Iowa, I don't see much point there either.

 

When it comes to cases, barring an ever less likely more complex multi-player deal, I think that if you did decide to trade Jones, the only realistic return I could see would be getting either some scrub big-league help that's no better than people we have now, and/or minor league prospects, probably AA or lower.

 

Given the priority on winning now, I'm not sure Hendry is really in the mindset to trade Jones for prospect(s) whose contribution if any will be in the far rather than near future.

[Rob]

The question of Jones versus Pie is a "this year" or "next year" argument.

 

There's no doubt this is a flawed team still. And it would take everything going right to take this team from last to first. The rest of the NL Central must falter, and our own team has to overcome a myriad of issues to allow us to win the division crown this season.

 

Is it possible? Certainly. The NL Central is undeniably weak, and early returns on some of our more pressing issues have been promising. The team, and perhaps most notably Cesar Izturis, have been walking at a much improved rate from previous seasons. Our bullpen looks solid, and the starting pitchers have almost all been doing well.

 

Personally, I lean towards keeping Jones and making a run at it this season. He can most likely be more useful this season than Pie. However, we are not historically lucky as Cubs fans. I understand the desire to go ahead and trade off Jones and give Pie a year to adjust to MLB pitching. If we are not in the position we think we are, and are more like the 2005 Mets, in being much improved after a big spending spree but still a year away, it would be folly to not hand the job over to Pie.

 

If Jones and the team falter, we could always bring up Pie and play him in right through the rest of the season.

[Backtobanks]

As some others have posted, I've resigned myself to keeping Jones. I don't see any deals out there to strengthen the SS or OF situation. All things considered (salary, production with some platooning, and hopefully improved defense) actually makes him a pretty decent OF.

[Jerry Mumphrey]

Personally, I'm not a big fan of Jones. His career stats don't impress me, he looks atrocious in the field, doesn't run the bases, falters against lefties, often looks overmatched at the plate...

 

That being said...the man did seem to get some seriously clutch hits for the team last year, like several go-ahead bombs in close&late situations. I don't believe in the notion of "clutch players" but I don't think I imagined that trend. I guess it could have been luck, or not. Further complicating matters is what I've been hearing about Right field being tougher to play in Wrigley than Center. Any truth to that?

 

If it were up to me I guess I'd dump him simply because watching him throw was too much to stomach, and he's already too much like Floyd and some of our other guys who don't walk. Heck he might even be worth something in return after a decent spring.

[cheapseats]

If I felt Pie could match what Jones would bring with the bat, I'd be more than happy with an OF of Murton/Floyd in LF, Pie in CF, and Soriano in RF.

 

I'm afraid that Pie would almost exactly match what Jones brings with the bat - neither one of them hits lefties well at all.

[oldstyle81]

If I felt Pie could match what Jones would bring with the bat, I'd be more than happy with an OF of Murton/Floyd in LF, Pie in CF, and Soriano in RF.

 

I'm afraid that Pie would almost exactly match what Jones brings with the bat - neither one of them hits lefties well at all.

 

hopfully pie dosent throw the ball into the ground one time and the next over everyone.

 

i wouldnt trade jones now, wait a bit, we could get something a lot more valuable in return

[Handlebar McSkullet]

In two weeks we will know. If Pie keeps improving and hitting with more understanding of the strike zone, I dont think you can hold him back. With that said, I am completely satisfied with Jones. The way he has been hitting this spring only reinforces my opinion that this team is better with Jones on it.

[Backtobanks]

If I felt Pie could match what Jones would bring with the bat, I'd be more than happy with an OF of Murton/Floyd in LF, Pie in CF, and Soriano in RF.

 

I'm afraid that Pie would almost exactly match what Jones brings with the bat - neither one of them hits lefties well at all.

 

hopfully pie dosent throw the ball into the ground one time and the next over everyone.

i wouldnt trade jones now, wait a bit, we could get something a lot more valuable in return

 

Well, supposedly Jones had arm (or shoulder) problems last year. I guess we'll see if that was true. As for getting something valuable in return for him, I really can't see that happening unless he's packaged with a few other players (a possibility). I think the best we could hope for is a prospect that is "under the radar" (i.e. someone like Murton)

[UK1679666180]

Pie has a better arm than Soriano, Jones, Murton, Floyd, Coats, and Pagan.

[Guest]

Pie has a better arm than Soriano, Jones, Murton, Floyd, Coats, and Pagan.

combined :D

[Fro]

Considering we have a logjam everywhere, unless we can get someone who's a BIG improve at a position, we need to keep Jones. I doubt San Diego will trade away a closer or a #3 starter for Jones.

 

I'm glad to see Pie's playing well in ST, but he needs at-bats in AAA and to play every day. He might start out hot and then crash to earth like Choi, Cedeno, Patterson, etc etc.

[NewUserName]

The question of Jones versus Pie is a "this year" or "next year" argument.

 

There's no doubt this is a flawed team still. And it would take everything going right to take this team from last to first. The rest of the NL Central must falter, and our own team has to overcome a myriad of issues to allow us to win the division crown this season.

 

Is it possible? Certainly. The NL Central is undeniably weak, and early returns on some of our more pressing issues have been promising. The team, and perhaps most notably Cesar Izturis, have been walking at a much improved rate from previous seasons. Our bullpen looks solid, and the starting pitchers have almost all been doing well.

 

Personally, I lean towards keeping Jones and making a run at it this season. He can most likely be more useful this season than Pie. However, we are not historically lucky as Cubs fans. I understand the desire to go ahead and trade off Jones and give Pie a year to adjust to MLB pitching. If we are not in the position we think we are, and are more like the 2005 Mets, in being much improved after a big spending spree but still a year away, it would be folly to not hand the job over to Pie.

 

If Jones and the team falter, we could always bring up Pie and play him in right through the rest of the season.

 

 

I think this is the most sensable solution. My first thought is that the Cubs will not win the WS this year so go with Pie, But this solution is better yet. I do believe however that Angel Guzman should be the 5th starter. He probably is the best option now and certainly not so much behind that it is worth going with Miller

[Sammy Sofa]

The question of Jones versus Pie is a "this year" or "next year" argument.

 

There's no doubt this is a flawed team still. And it would take everything going right to take this team from last to first. The rest of the NL Central must falter, and our own team has to overcome a myriad of issues to allow us to win the division crown this season.

 

Is it possible? Certainly. The NL Central is undeniably weak, and early returns on some of our more pressing issues have been promising. The team, and perhaps most notably Cesar Izturis, have been walking at a much improved rate from previous seasons. Our bullpen looks solid, and the starting pitchers have almost all been doing well.

 

Personally, I lean towards keeping Jones and making a run at it this season. He can most likely be more useful this season than Pie. However, we are not historically lucky as Cubs fans. I understand the desire to go ahead and trade off Jones and give Pie a year to adjust to MLB pitching. If we are not in the position we think we are, and are more like the 2005 Mets, in being much improved after a big spending spree but still a year away, it would be folly to not hand the job over to Pie.

 

If Jones and the team falter, we could always bring up Pie and play him in right through the rest of the season.

 

 

I think this is the most sensable solution. My first thought is that the Cubs will not win the WS this year so go with Pie, But this solution is better yet. I do believe however that Angel Guzman should be the 5th starter. He probably is the best option now and certainly not so much behind that it is worth going with Miller

 

Gizman is obviously the btter option in the long run, but he's also not going anywhere. I still think it's better to get Miller out there and hopefully he does well enough to net us a decent trade.

[Bull]

Pie sure is trying to play his way onto this team