Rapada called up, Murton sent down

[jersey cubs fan]

This move makes me sick. Yes, Murton needs to play every day...but he needs to do it at the major league level. Sending him down while Jones and his .295 OBP get almost 2 times the playing time is almost criminal.

 

I mean seriously...in 1/2 the games Pie has almost as many at bats as Murton did...yet Jones and his OPS which is barely better than Isturiz is still here....there is no emoticon to express this anger...

 

I share your feelings, but think this is the best, for now. The key is making sure Floyd is the one playing everyday, and not Jones. Building up his trade value is not working. Trying to get him to regain his form is not working. Jacque stinks, Floyd at least stands a chance of putting up some numbers.

 

I'm fine with letting Murton play everyday in AAA for a few weeks, get his stroke back working with Joshua, and then call him up once Hendry straightens out the Jones problem.

[sunnydoo]

Or, Lou could have used Gallagher in the role that's probably best for him considering he's still stretched out for starting, which is long relief. Ohman didn't need to go 3 innings or whatever it was.

.

 

Think the problem is the Cubs were concerned b/c Gallagher threw 54 pitches on Sat. nite.

 

As you say he is a starter and the Cubs were probably erring on the side of caution with a young arm hoping they could give him one more game off.

 

As i have said many times, this is the reason i hate loogys b/c they cant simply eat innings when the bullpen is trashed and needs help. Its a luxury that only a few teams can afford, and the Cubs simply arent one of those teams. We need the roster spot.

 

Interestingly enough, it appears the Cubs have been working on Rapada and have been using him lately against right handers. He was closing in Iowa which i was not aware of going 9 for 9. Hopefully he can step up and be the lefty setup man we desperately need late.

Edited June 13, 2007 by sunnydoo

[TruffleShuffle]

I'm not saying that he should have been in a platoon situation to begin with. All I'm saying that he has shown that he can be a good player in a platoon situation because he had success in that role for parts of the last two years. He should have been given the chance to start more than he has.

 

Right, but what he'd been in the last two years was a position where he played most of the games but took about 15% of the games off, probably against tougher RHP. This year he's played very infrequently, and for a young guy who's always played on a pretty regular basis, that can be very tough to get used to. He can take BP until his arms fall off, but it's not the same as facing real MLB pitching.

[jersey cubs fan]

This is actually Murton's first trip to Iowa right? Wasn't he recalled straight from AA when we came up?

 

[hope][joy]More playing time for Floyd[/joy]Less time for Jacque[/hope]

 

.353 .421 .500 in 9 games at AAA in 2005.

[TruffleShuffle]

The key is making sure Floyd is the one playing everyday, and not Jones.

 

The problem here is that it brings a much larger chance of Floyd's option vesting. Do you really want an overpriced, declining Cliff Floyd on this team in '08? I sure as hell don't.

[Schwarber Fan]

This is actually Murton's first trip to Iowa right? Wasn't he recalled straight from AA when we came up?

 

[hope][joy]More playing time for Floyd[/joy]Less time for Jacque[/hope]

 

.353 .421 .500 in 9 games at AAA in 2005.

 

Oh ok, hopefully he puts up those kinda numbers again :wink:

[coreyMVP]

This is the right move. I am a Murton fan, but he looks completely lost at the plate, not to mention his keystone cops routine in RF.

[CubColtPacer]

The key is making sure Floyd is the one playing everyday, and not Jones.

 

The problem here is that it brings a much larger chance of Floyd's option vesting. Do you really want an overpriced, declining Cliff Floyd on this team in '08? I sure as hell don't.

 

Floyd would have to average 3.17 AB's a game the rest of the year for even his first option to vest. I'm sure they won't play him against all the left-handers (when Aramis comes back, DeRosa will probably play some RF against LHP) and then when Murton comes back later in the year, there isn't that big of a chance that Floyd could have that many AB's to have the option kick in.

[Tracer Bullet]

Hopefully Murton can get it back on track in AAA. He just hasn't come around so far this year. I don't think it's all the splitting time thing, because he didn't have a good grasp of his job in either 2005 or parts of 2006. Playing everyday though might let him figure out what's causing his slump and correct it. The Cubs could use his 2005/2006 numbers in the second half, and I still think he could be a valuable component to this year's team.

 

Hopefully this means that Floyd gets most of the at-bats in right field for now.

 

I don't see how anybody could possibly think it's not about the lack of consistent time.

 

No kidding. Good track record in the minors. Good player in basically a full year in MLB. Suddenly can't find it when he's put in a platoon of sorts (a very random one, at that). Seems to me, if you're looking for a culprit, you have to at least start w/ the lack of consistent playing time, don't you?

 

He was playing well in a platoon in July/August of last year. He played well in a platoon in July of 05. That's 3 of the best 5 months of his career in the major leagues. Murton showed consistently before this year that he could play well when he wasn't getting every at-bat. I don't see why that would suddenly change this year.

 

His 2 best months last year were August and Sept. He had 82 ABs in August and 92 in Sept. We didn't face nearly enough LH starters in August to get him 82 ABs. He was certainly getting days off, but he was seeing a heck of a lot more playing time than he is now.

[Lockes Eye Scar]

Thanks Jimbo

[TruffleShuffle]

This is the right move. I am a Murton fan, but he looks completely lost at the plate, not to mention his keystone cops routine in RF.

 

Soriano should have been put in RF and Murton in LF. Soriano has the skill set for RF much more than Murton or Floyd does.

[jersey cubs fan]

The key is making sure Floyd is the one playing everyday, and not Jones.

 

The problem here is that it brings a much larger chance of Floyd's option vesting. Do you really want an overpriced, declining Cliff Floyd on this team in '08? I sure as hell don't.

 

No, definitely not. It's a balancing act. Floyd has to play more than Jones though, especially now that Ramirez is down. Hopefully in a month we're in a position where we either have a brand new real RF, or Murton gets called up to get most of the time with Jones gone.

 

Floyd's pace has slown down of late, as far as building up service time. 3 games and 7 ABs in June. He's not going to get 100 starts this year, and I don't see him getting to 425 PA unless he starts everyday. He's got 99 more games to 303 PA or about 72 starts. I think they can prevent that while still maximizing his worth to the team for the rest of June, at least while Ramirez is down.

[USSoccer]

The key is making sure Floyd is the one playing everyday, and not Jones.

 

The problem here is that it brings a much larger chance of Floyd's option vesting. Do you really want an overpriced, declining Cliff Floyd on this team in '08? I sure as hell don't.

 

Floyd would have to average 3.17 AB's a game the rest of the year for even his first option to vest. I'm sure they won't play him against all the left-handers (when Aramis comes back, DeRosa will probably play some RF against LHP) and then when Murton comes back later in the year, there isn't that big of a chance that Floyd could have that many AB's to have the option kick in.

 

I'm too tired to remember-is his vesting option PA's or AB's?

[Shilzzz]

does oakland need an outfielder or anything?

 

it is absolutely ridiculous that it had to come to this.

[jersey cubs fan]

The key is making sure Floyd is the one playing everyday, and not Jones.

 

The problem here is that it brings a much larger chance of Floyd's option vesting. Do you really want an overpriced, declining Cliff Floyd on this team in '08? I sure as hell don't.

 

Floyd would have to average 3.17 AB's a game the rest of the year for even his first option to vest. I'm sure they won't play him against all the left-handers (when Aramis comes back, DeRosa will probably play some RF against LHP) and then when Murton comes back later in the year, there isn't that big of a chance that Floyd could have that many AB's to have the option kick in.

 

I'm too tired to remember-is his vesting option PA's or AB's?

 

Cliff Floyd of

1 year/$3M (2007), plus 2008 mutual option

 

signed as a free agent 1/07

2008 option guaranteed with 425 PAs or 100 games started in 2007

performance bonuses:

2007: $4.5M for PAs & time on active 25-man roster

2008: for PAs, bringing 2-year total to as much as $17.5M

 

Would anybody ever do one tied to ABs? Talk about incentives to be impatient at the plate.

[CubColtPacer]

The key is making sure Floyd is the one playing everyday, and not Jones.

 

The problem here is that it brings a much larger chance of Floyd's option vesting. Do you really want an overpriced, declining Cliff Floyd on this team in '08? I sure as hell don't.

 

Floyd would have to average 3.17 AB's a game the rest of the year for even his first option to vest. I'm sure they won't play him against all the left-handers (when Aramis comes back, DeRosa will probably play some RF against LHP) and then when Murton comes back later in the year, there isn't that big of a chance that Floyd could have that many AB's to have the option kick in.

 

I'm too tired to remember-is his vesting option PA's or AB's?

 

You're right-I thought it was AB's for some reason, but it's PA's (425 of them or 100 starts). That still puts the average he would need at over 3 PA's a game, and remember also that Lou is going to double switch him out of a lot of games like he did earlier in the season for defensive purposes if the Cubs are winning.

[TruffleShuffle]

The key is making sure Floyd is the one playing everyday, and not Jones.

 

The problem here is that it brings a much larger chance of Floyd's option vesting. Do you really want an overpriced, declining Cliff Floyd on this team in '08? I sure as hell don't.

 

Floyd would have to average 3.17 AB's a game the rest of the year for even his first option to vest. I'm sure they won't play him against all the left-handers (when Aramis comes back, DeRosa will probably play some RF against LHP) and then when Murton comes back later in the year, there isn't that big of a chance that Floyd could have that many AB's to have the option kick in.

 

I'm too tired to remember-is his vesting option PA's or AB's?

 

425 PAs, meaning he needs just over three per game. If he's playing just about every day against RHP and pinch hitting in other games, he might get there. I have to root for him to get hurt or for Jones to play some, since I already think this season is in the toilet.

[Tracer Bullet]

This move makes me sick. Yes, Murton needs to play every day...but he needs to do it at the major league level. Sending him down while Jones and his .295 OBP get almost 2 times the playing time is almost criminal.

 

I mean seriously...in 1/2 the games Pie has almost as many at bats as Murton did...yet Jones and his OPS which is barely better than Isturiz is still here....there is no emoticon to express this anger...

 

I share your feelings, but think this is the best, for now. The key is making sure Floyd is the one playing everyday, and not Jones. Building up his trade value is not working. Trying to get him to regain his form is not working. Jacque stinks, Floyd at least stands a chance of putting up some numbers.

 

I'm fine with letting Murton play everyday in AAA for a few weeks, get his stroke back working with Joshua, and then call him up once Hendry straightens out the Jones problem.

 

My problem with this is - what happens if Murton kills the ball in AAA and JJ is gone in 2/3 weeks? You bring him up and platoon him with Floyd so he gets 1 or 2 starts a week?

 

What needs to happen is give JJ to anyone that will take him, let Murton start every day and make Floyd a reserve (spot starting). Sending Murton down to AAA doesn't fix our problem b/c you still have to get rid of JJ and Floyd (or convince Floyd to be a bench player) in order to bring Murton back up.

[USSoccer]

Would anybody ever do one tied to ABs? Talk about incentives to be impatient at the plate.

 

I can think of one GM who might.

[jersey cubs fan]

This move makes me sick. Yes, Murton needs to play every day...but he needs to do it at the major league level. Sending him down while Jones and his .295 OBP get almost 2 times the playing time is almost criminal.

 

I mean seriously...in 1/2 the games Pie has almost as many at bats as Murton did...yet Jones and his OPS which is barely better than Isturiz is still here....there is no emoticon to express this anger...

 

I share your feelings, but think this is the best, for now. The key is making sure Floyd is the one playing everyday, and not Jones. Building up his trade value is not working. Trying to get him to regain his form is not working. Jacque stinks, Floyd at least stands a chance of putting up some numbers.

 

I'm fine with letting Murton play everyday in AAA for a few weeks, get his stroke back working with Joshua, and then call him up once Hendry straightens out the Jones problem.

 

My problem with this is - what happens if Murton kills the ball in AAA and JJ is gone in 2/3 weeks? You bring him up and platoon him with Floyd so he gets 1 or 2 starts a week?

 

What needs to happen is give JJ to anyone that will take him, let Murton start every day and make Floyd a reserve (spot starting). Sending Murton down to AAA doesn't fix our problem b/c you still have to get rid of JJ and Floyd (or convince Floyd to be a bench player) in order to bring Murton back up.

 

Once Murton returns he's got to play 2 out of 3 games at least. If Floyd plays everyday for the next month, he's going to be hurting big time by then, and it will be easy to sit him for Murton.

[Tracer Bullet]

This move makes me sick. Yes, Murton needs to play every day...but he needs to do it at the major league level. Sending him down while Jones and his .295 OBP get almost 2 times the playing time is almost criminal.

 

I mean seriously...in 1/2 the games Pie has almost as many at bats as Murton did...yet Jones and his OPS which is barely better than Isturiz is still here....there is no emoticon to express this anger...

 

I share your feelings, but think this is the best, for now. The key is making sure Floyd is the one playing everyday, and not Jones. Building up his trade value is not working. Trying to get him to regain his form is not working. Jacque stinks, Floyd at least stands a chance of putting up some numbers.

 

I'm fine with letting Murton play everyday in AAA for a few weeks, get his stroke back working with Joshua, and then call him up once Hendry straightens out the Jones problem.

 

My problem with this is - what happens if Murton kills the ball in AAA and JJ is gone in 2/3 weeks? You bring him up and platoon him with Floyd so he gets 1 or 2 starts a week?

 

What needs to happen is give JJ to anyone that will take him, let Murton start every day and make Floyd a reserve (spot starting). Sending Murton down to AAA doesn't fix our problem b/c you still have to get rid of JJ and Floyd (or convince Floyd to be a bench player) in order to bring Murton back up.

 

Once Murton returns he's got to play 2 out of 3 games at least. If Floyd plays everyday for the next month, he's going to be hurting big time by then, and it will be easy to sit him for Murton.

 

I hope you're right, but there's no guarantee. Floyd could run off 2/3 good weeks himself and then Hendry going to think his long sought-after love is producing just as he thought and he'll do anything to keep him in the lineup (including keeping Murton in AAA).

 

I know that's probably worst case scenario, but w/ Hendry, I've come to expect that kind of thing. I've known this was the likely result of Hendry's mess all season and it still pisses me off.

[jersey cubs fan]

I hope you're right, but there's no guarantee. Floyd could run off 2/3 good weeks himself and then Hendry going to think his long sought-after love is producing just as he thought and he'll do anything to keep him in the lineup (including keeping Murton in AAA).

 

I know that's probably worst case scenario, but w/ Hendry, I've come to expect that kind of thing. I've known this was the likely result of Hendry's mess all season and it still pisses me off.

 

I wouldn't call that worst case scenario. Worst case is Murton doesn't regain his stroke, Floyd scuffles but racks up just enough service time to guarantee his option, and Jones stays.

 

Even if Floyd is great for 2-3 weeks, his chances of reaching those goals are not great.

[moorecg]

I hope you're right, but there's no guarantee. Floyd could run off 2/3 good weeks himself and then Hendry going to think his long sought-after love is producing just as he thought and he'll do anything to keep him in the lineup (including keeping Murton in AAA).

 

I know that's probably worst case scenario, but w/ Hendry, I've come to expect that kind of thing. I've known this was the likely result of Hendry's mess all season and it still pisses me off.

 

I wouldn't call that worst case scenario. Worst case is Murton doesn't regain his stroke, Floyd scuffles but racks up just enough service time to guarantee his option, and Jones stays.

 

Even if Floyd is great for 2-3 weeks, his chances of reaching those goals are not great.

 

No...worst case scenario is Murton does well, Hendry trades him for a crap ball middle reliever and we Jones plays out his contract with the Cubs next year b/c no other GM is dumb enough to take him...

 

Heck...if he'd just given his outright release you KNOW someone will pick him up...and pay him the league minimum...that would have to be deducted from what we owe....saving us 450K over the life of the contract...it'd be well worth it.

[Tracer Bullet]

I hope you're right, but there's no guarantee. Floyd could run off 2/3 good weeks himself and then Hendry going to think his long sought-after love is producing just as he thought and he'll do anything to keep him in the lineup (including keeping Murton in AAA).

 

I know that's probably worst case scenario, but w/ Hendry, I've come to expect that kind of thing. I've known this was the likely result of Hendry's mess all season and it still pisses me off.

 

I wouldn't call that worst case scenario. Worst case is Murton doesn't regain his stroke, Floyd scuffles but racks up just enough service time to guarantee his option, and Jones stays.

 

Even if Floyd is great for 2-3 weeks, his chances of reaching those goals are not great.

 

Right, but that's not really the point. The point is this move hasn't solved anything for us, long term. And, in my opinion, makes us worse.

[NewUserName]

Ok I have waited an hour and now I am a little calmed down.

 

What the heck does a young player have to do to get a chance with the Cubs. The only reason Theriot is playing is because Izturis is terrible. The Cubs should have never even considered bringing in a LFer this offseason, But no, not the Dumb havent won a WS in 100 years Cubs. We have a guy with Rookie of the Year numbers if he is eligble and we need to bring in 2 GROSSLY overpaid veterans to block his playing time. While we have terrible players in Right, Center and Short and do nothing.

 

Secondly, THE CUBS ARE NOT WORLD SERIES CONTENDERS. If someone mentions St Louis last year I am going to puke. IT WAS A FLUKE. The reason it is called a fluke is because it rarely happens. Dont build your team to win in a fluke, Build it to win CHAMPIONSHIPS.

 

Lastly, Murton is still the best option against LH pitchers, even with his struggles. He has done well in Starts against LH pitchers and should be batting 2nd. Floyd and Jones will be much worse against LHers. So even with the Cubs stupid mentality of win flukely, Murton is the best option.

 

All of this and I beat Derwood, Man this is a rotten day.