Murton = best 3rd string RF ever

[frostwyrm]

Best #3 RF Cubs have ever had. So we got that going for us.

[moorecg]

Best #3 RF Cubs have ever had. So we got that going for us.

 

It's amazing to me how much the Cubs profess to "love" the guy...but still refuse to play him...sometime soon I expect Hendry/Lou to come out and say that "well, we like Matt, but just not in that way, we think of him as a friend"

[frostwyrm]

Is he ahead of Jones on the LF depth chart, or is he #4 there? Maybe 3.5?

[soapy]

I'm still waiting for that magical game number 35 when I was told it would be acceptable to start worrying/complaining about Murton not getting enough playing time.

 

It won't last, I was told. Can't wait for May 11!

[Tracer Bullet]

Best #3 RF Cubs have ever had. So we got that going for us.

 

It's amazing to me how much the Cubs profess to "love" the guy...but still refuse to play him...sometime soon I expect Hendry/Lou to come out and say that "well, we like Matt, but just not in that way, we think of him as a friend"

 

Lou has said a lot of the right things, but his actions haven't always matched up with his words.

[Have a seat, Neifi]

Best #3 RF Cubs have ever had. So we got that going for us.

Which is nice.

[Soul]

Sadly, it appears that even though Lou promised Murton he would get him more playing time, he's going back on it.

 

I wouldn't care if Jones never played another game as a Cub. I see little reason to play him over Murton. I guess it's because he's a lefty.

 

I thought Floyd would see the bench more, and it seems he has a little bit more. No one's grabbed more bench than Murton though. Christ, it seems like Cedeno is playing more.

 

This team was put together like a bad erector set project gone terribly wrong. Now Lou isn't able to get players the play time they need to develop, and crusty vets with no purpose are out there sucking.

 

This is wonderful. Your 2007 Cubs, ladies and gentlemen.

[CubColtPacer]

Well, when I thought Murton would get at-bats, I didn't expect this Soriano moving to LF so quickly and Pie staying up with Jones here as well. That is really, really bad for Murton's PT-and with Lou settled on a consistent lineup for now that doesn't include Murton confirms that.

My guess is that Murton will still get the starts against left-handers, and it looks like Floyd has almost been completely shut out from starting right now. Until either Pie goes down or Jones is traded, that unfortunately for both of those players is likely to continue.

[frostwyrm]

If Pie sticks with the big team then Murton is the clearest example I've ever seen of the opportunity cost of not making a trade outweighing what the player could contribute if kept. If made available Murton would be considered a viable everyday player for a lot of teams and his trade value would reflect that, so we could get a decent return for him. There's not a chance in hell he could contribute enough as a 3rd string RF to make it worthwhile not to cash in on his trade value.

[CubinNY]

I predicted this a long time ago and took lots of heat. The worst thing for me is that Murton has the ability to at least get on base. LIke I said in another thread, he doesn't hit for enough power for traditionalists like Lou and Hendry.

[frostwyrm]

Best #3 RF Cubs have ever had. So we got that going for us.

Which is nice.

 

Not as nice as total consciousness though.

[Warren Brusstar]

The amount of bandwidth expended here pertaining to the plight of Matt Murton is significantly disproportionate to any supposed negative effect its having on their performance.

[CubColtPacer]

If Pie sticks with the big team then Murton is the clearest example I've ever seen of the opportunity cost of not making a trade outweighing what the player could contribute if kept. If made available Murton would be considered a viable everyday player for a lot of teams and his trade value would reflect that, so we could get a decent return for him. There's not a chance in hell he could contribute enough as a 3rd string RF to make it worthwhile not to cash in on his trade value.

 

I think you're over-estimating Murton's trade value. There simply aren't all that many teams that can afford his lack of power at a corner OF spot, and especially if he is going to play LF. I'm not sure of too many teams who would give up a decent return for him at all.

 

Now, the sad thing is that Murton definitely does have quite a bit of value to a team, and the way the Cubs are constructed with power at scarce spots they don't really need a huge power bat in LF. So Murton with his high OBP would have quite a bit of value to a team like the Cubs (and any team built like them) but apparently not right now with this team.

[Soul]

If Pie sticks with the big team then Murton is the clearest example I've ever seen of the opportunity cost of not making a trade outweighing what the player could contribute if kept. If made available Murton would be considered a viable everyday player for a lot of teams and his trade value would reflect that, so we could get a decent return for him. There's not a chance in hell he could contribute enough as a 3rd string RF to make it worthwhile not to cash in on his trade value.

 

I hate to bug out in April, but I'm inclined to agree. With the glut in the outfield, it's starting to look like a case where no matter what Lou wants, the facts outweigh it and Murton's just not going to find the starting lineup most days.

 

Murton: play him or get something for him. Either way, it needs to happen sooner rather than later because we're dropping like wet noodle.

[Warren Brusstar]

If Pie sticks with the big team then Murton is the clearest example I've ever seen of the opportunity cost of not making a trade outweighing what the player could contribute if kept. If made available Murton would be considered a viable everyday player for a lot of teams and his trade value would reflect that, so we could get a decent return for him. There's not a chance in hell he could contribute enough as a 3rd string RF to make it worthwhile not to cash in on his trade value.

 

I think you're over-estimating Murton's trade value. There simply aren't all that many teams that can afford his lack of power at a corner OF spot, and especially if he is going to play LF. I'm not sure of too many teams who would give up a decent return for him at all.

 

Now, the sad thing is that Murton definitely does have quite a bit of value to a team, and the way the Cubs are constructed with power at scarce spots they don't really need a huge power bat in LF. So Murton with his high OBP would have quite a bit of value to a team like the Cubs (and any team built like them) but apparently not right now with this team.

 

Cosign.

 

Corner outfielders that post .800 OPSes aren't exactly in short supply.

[frostwyrm]

If Pie sticks with the big team then Murton is the clearest example I've ever seen of the opportunity cost of not making a trade outweighing what the player could contribute if kept. If made available Murton would be considered a viable everyday player for a lot of teams and his trade value would reflect that, so we could get a decent return for him. There's not a chance in hell he could contribute enough as a 3rd string RF to make it worthwhile not to cash in on his trade value.

 

I hate to bug out in April, but I'm inclined to agree. With the glut in the outfield, it's starting to look like a case where no matter what Lou wants, the facts outweigh it and Murton's just not going to find the starting lineup most days.

 

Murton: play him or get something for him. Either way, it needs to happen sooner rather than later because we're dropping like wet noodle.

 

His trade value is just going to wither away if he keeps sitting and if kept he's not going to contribute much as a 3rd stringer. I think he has to be put on the trading block now so as to get some decent value out of him while we still can.

[Backtobanks]

Maybe one of the reasons they continue to play Jones is that they're showcasing him to other teams. A "perceived" starter should be worth more than a bench warmer.

[Soul]

That could be, but a big problem is Jacque was shopped all offseason with no luck, and after the season last year his numbers were pretty good. His value should have been high (for him).

 

Now, he's just sucking again in April.

 

But you could be right, they might be showcasing him.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

If Pie sticks with the big team then Murton is the clearest example I've ever seen of the opportunity cost of not making a trade outweighing what the player could contribute if kept. If made available Murton would be considered a viable everyday player for a lot of teams and his trade value would reflect that, so we could get a decent return for him. There's not a chance in hell he could contribute enough as a 3rd string RF to make it worthwhile not to cash in on his trade value.

 

I think you're over-estimating Murton's trade value. There simply aren't all that many teams that can afford his lack of power at a corner OF spot, and especially if he is going to play LF. I'm not sure of too many teams who would give up a decent return for him at all.

 

Now, the sad thing is that Murton definitely does have quite a bit of value to a team, and the way the Cubs are constructed with power at scarce spots they don't really need a huge power bat in LF. So Murton with his high OBP would have quite a bit of value to a team like the Cubs (and any team built like them) but apparently not right now with this team.

 

Cosign.

 

Corner outfielders that post .800 OPSes aren't exactly in short supply.

 

If you believe he reached his ceiling in his first full year. I think he'll be much closer to 875 in the coming years.

[frostwyrm]

That could be, but a big problem is Jacque was shopped all offseason with no luck, and after the season last year his numbers were pretty good. His value should have been high (for him).

 

Yeah, if Jones was unmarketable in the offseason it's hard to see why he would be marketable now. The Cubs could easily showcase him for the rest of the season and still get no takers. That would suck. It would be a lot simpler and quicker to trade Murton. Maybe we could get a LH reliever to replace Eyre.

[soapy]

I predicted this a long time ago and took lots of heat. The worst thing for me is that Murton has the ability to at least get on base. LIke I said in another thread, he doesn't hit for enough power for traditionalists like Lou and Hendry.

Yep. The writing was on the wall when Floyd signed. Shame.

[soapy]

That could be, but a big problem is Jacque was shopped all offseason with no luck, and after the season last year his numbers were pretty good. His value should have been high (for him).

 

Yeah, if Jones was unmarketable in the offseason it's hard to see why he would be marketable now. The Cubs could easily showcase him for the rest of the season and still get no takers. That would suck. It would be a lot simpler and quicker to trade Murton. Maybe we could get a LH reliever to replace Eyre.

It might be simpler and quicker, but it wouldn't necessarily be right. The Cubs are going to need some cheap production somewhere in their lineup with the contracts they've lined up over the next few years. Signing Zambrano to an extension if/when that happens will only make it worse.

 

Murton can provide cheap production now and in the future. He shouldn't be on the trading block, IMO.

[Tracer Bullet]

If Pie sticks with the big team then Murton is the clearest example I've ever seen of the opportunity cost of not making a trade outweighing what the player could contribute if kept. If made available Murton would be considered a viable everyday player for a lot of teams and his trade value would reflect that, so we could get a decent return for him. There's not a chance in hell he could contribute enough as a 3rd string RF to make it worthwhile not to cash in on his trade value.

 

I think you're over-estimating Murton's trade value. There simply aren't all that many teams that can afford his lack of power at a corner OF spot, and especially if he is going to play LF. I'm not sure of too many teams who would give up a decent return for him at all.

 

Now, the sad thing is that Murton definitely does have quite a bit of value to a team, and the way the Cubs are constructed with power at scarce spots they don't really need a huge power bat in LF. So Murton with his high OBP would have quite a bit of value to a team like the Cubs (and any team built like them) but apparently not right now with this team.

 

Cosign.

 

Corner outfielders that post .800 OPSes aren't exactly in short supply.

 

Really? Right now, there are 22 ML corner OF's with an OBP higher than Murton's career OBP. And there are currently 24 ML corner OFs with an OPS of .800 or higher. Last year 14 corner OFs had an OBP higher than Murton's and 21 corner OFs had an OPS higher than Murton's.

 

Since there are 60 corner OFs in MLB, that leaves a lot of guys who would be worse than Murton's career numbers (and he's just entering his prime, so it wouldn't surprise anyone if those numbers got better). Come to think of it, the Cubs could use an OF with a .370 OBP and .800 OPS. Currently, we don't have any of those.

[CubinNY]

If Pie sticks with the big team then Murton is the clearest example I've ever seen of the opportunity cost of not making a trade outweighing what the player could contribute if kept. If made available Murton would be considered a viable everyday player for a lot of teams and his trade value would reflect that, so we could get a decent return for him. There's not a chance in hell he could contribute enough as a 3rd string RF to make it worthwhile not to cash in on his trade value.

 

I think you're over-estimating Murton's trade value. There simply aren't all that many teams that can afford his lack of power at a corner OF spot, and especially if he is going to play LF. I'm not sure of too many teams who would give up a decent return for him at all.

 

Now, the sad thing is that Murton definitely does have quite a bit of value to a team, and the way the Cubs are constructed with power at scarce spots they don't really need a huge power bat in LF. So Murton with his high OBP would have quite a bit of value to a team like the Cubs (and any team built like them) but apparently not right now with this team.

 

Cosign.

 

Corner outfielders that post .800 OPSes aren't exactly in short supply.

 

Really? Right now, there are 22 ML corner OF's with an OBP higher than Murton's career OBP. And there are currently 24 ML corner OFs with an OPS of .800 or higher. Last year 14 corner OFs had an OBP higher than Murton's and 21 corner OFs had an OPS higher than Murton's.

 

Since there are 60 corner OFs in MLB, that leaves a lot of guys who would be worse than Murton's career numbers (and he's just entering his prime, so it wouldn't surprise anyone if those numbers got better). Come to think of it, the Cubs could use an OF with a .370 OBP and .800 OPS. Currently, we don't have any of those.

 

Murton would have value to any organization that had a competent management system in place. The question is what would he fetch in a trade?

 

The Cubs are currently killing whatever trade value he might potentially have.

[soapy]

Remember when Lou was excused for "playing the hot hand" with Floyd? Good times...

 

Floyd and Murton now have the same OPS, while Murton has the superior OBP. In the last 7 days, Floyd is sporting a mind-boggling .301 OPS.

 

Better find a new "excuse", Lou.

 

Further, 2006:

 

Murton: 297/365/444

Floyd: 244/324/407

Jones: 285/334/499

 

Tell me again why Jones and/or Floyd are better options?

Edited April 25, 2007 by soapy