Dear Bruce Miles (and everyone else): What Next?

[Sweet Swinging Billy]

I bet you we go to camp with this team.

 

yep

 

--Even if we go to camp with this team, I bet we'll add one or two new players before the start of the season.

[nilodnayr]

Seeing as it looks safe to proclaim the possibilities of acquiring Brian Roberts as being dead, we still have these two "significant moves" on the horizon. What the heck are they going to be?

 

One logical choice would obviously be Marlon Byrd of the Rangers, hopefully spinning one of our veterans (Dempster of Marquis, but thats probably just me dreaming) off for a platoon buddy for Pie. There are also the rumors of Gary Matthews Jr. although this are much more unfounded and probably less desirable.

 

This still leaves us with a second "mystery" move. This would presumably be for pitching although with Lieber, how much actual incentive do the Cubs have to go in this direction? They could also be looking at yet another second baseman although one would hope they're not that crazy. I suppose there's also the pipe dream of them upgrading SS but really, who wants to replace Theriot?

 

So folks (especially you Bruce, whenever you return), what happens next?

 

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/cs-071105rogers,1,60753.column

Thinking back to what Phil Rogers was speculating in November:

 

"If the Cubs signed him [Fukudome], they might be in position to use Felix Pie in a significant trade, possibly with San Diego for shortstop Khalil Greene."

 

I think there already is a Greene thread about he and the Padres not reaching terms on a long term deal. He does have 2 years left before free agency. Maybe San Diego moves him now for Pie and something else. Greene will probably make $11M in the next 2 seasons.

 

The only problem is that Fukudome signed specifically to play RF. The stories claim that is why he picked the Cubs over the White Sox. Unless you convince Soriano to play CF, the Cubs would need a CF. I agree with some of the other posts about Murton, Cedeno, plus Marshall (?). If the Byrd deal doesn't work, it would be nice to expand the deal to get Hairston as a 4th OF.

 

Also an issue would be the lack of a SS on the Padres.

[Bull]

I bet you we go to camp with this team.

 

yep

 

--Even if we go to camp with this team, I bet we'll add one or two new players before the start of the season.

 

Yeah, crappy NRIs if/when someone gets hurt.

[Sweet Swinging Billy]

I bet you we go to camp with this team.

 

yep

 

--Even if we go to camp with this team, I bet we'll add one or two new players before the start of the season.

 

Yeah, crappy NRIs if/when someone gets hurt.

 

--No. Hendry will make a trade. Hopefully, it wont be as bad as the Dontrelle Willis trade.

[SweetZombieJesus]

I bet you we go to camp with this team.

 

yep

 

--Even if we go to camp with this team, I bet we'll add one or two new players before the start of the season.

 

Yeah, crappy NRIs if/when someone gets hurt.

 

--No. Hendry will make a trade. Hopefully, it wont be as bad as the Dontrelle Willis trade.

 

Yeah that trade was horrible. Cueto, Jorgenson, and Taverez were awesome also. Matt Clement sucked ass.

 

If Willis doesn't have his 2005 that's a push trade maybe slightly in the Cubs favor.

[erik316wttn]

I bet you we go to camp with this team.

 

yep

 

--Even if we go to camp with this team, I bet we'll add one or two new players before the start of the season.

 

Yeah, crappy NRIs if/when someone gets hurt.

 

--No. Hendry will make a trade. Hopefully, it wont be as bad as the Dontrelle Willis trade.

 

Yeah that trade was horrible. Cueto, Jorgenson, and Taverez were awesome also. Matt Clement sucked ass.

 

If Willis doesn't have his 2005 that's a push trade maybe slightly in the Cubs favor.

 

Any trade that brings us Antonio Alfonseca and the 50 games he blew for us in his Cubs career is a bad one.

[UMFan83]

I bet you we go to camp with this team.

 

yep

 

--Even if we go to camp with this team, I bet we'll add one or two new players before the start of the season.

 

Yeah, crappy NRIs if/when someone gets hurt.

 

--No. Hendry will make a trade. Hopefully, it wont be as bad as the Dontrelle Willis trade.

 

Yeah that trade was horrible. Cueto, Jorgenson, and Taverez were awesome also. Matt Clement sucked ass.

 

If Willis doesn't have his 2005 that's a push trade maybe slightly in the Cubs favor.

 

Any trade that brings us Antonio Alfonseca and the 50 games he blew for us in his Cubs career is a bad one.

 

Exactly

[Mephistopheles]

The Cubs don't make the 2003 playoffs without that trade.

[Handlebar McSkullet]

The Cubs don't make the 2003 playoffs without that trade.

[CubinNY]

The Cubs don't make the 2003 playoffs without that trade.

Perhaps not making the 2003 would have been the best thing for the Cubs, in retrospect.

[Mephistopheles]

The Cubs don't make the 2003 playoffs without that trade.

Perhaps not making the 2003 would have been the best thing for the Cubs, in retrospect.

 

This is false.

[Tracer Bullet]

The Cubs don't make the 2003 playoffs without that trade.

Perhaps not making the 2003 would have been the best thing for the Cubs, in retrospect.

 

Exactly. I know this wasn't your point, but selfishly, I (and all the other fans) wouldn't have had to suffer through the tragedy of that playoff series.

[Soul]

The Cubs don't make the 2003 playoffs without that trade.

Perhaps not making the 2003 would have been the best thing for the Cubs, in retrospect.

 

Exactly. I know this wasn't your point, but selfishly, I (and all the other fans) wouldn't have had to suffer through the tragedy of that playoff series.

 

What? There were plenty of good times that year, don't let the loss to the Marlins destroy all the other stuff. The Braves series was some of the best times I've ever had as a Cub fan.

[CubinNY]

The Cubs don't make the 2003 playoffs without that trade.

Perhaps not making the 2003 would have been the best thing for the Cubs, in retrospect.

 

This is false.

This is false.

[mdwilla]

The Cubs don't make the 2003 playoffs without that trade.

Perhaps not making the 2003 would have been the best thing for the Cubs, in retrospect.

 

This is false.

This is false.

 

That 2003 playoff push let Hendry get the go ahead to trade for Ramirez. Then after coming so close to that Hendry went out that offseason and traded for DLee, signed Twalker, Maddux and forced the Cubs Brass to take the payroll to where it should be and put pressu on Cubs brass to win now. I wouldn't trade that Divison Clincher and playoff run for anything at this point.

[badnews]

Wait, why couldn't the 2003 Cubs make the playoffs without the Clement trade? Juan Cruz and Shawn Estes were going to keep Dontrelle Willis out of the rotation? Or we wouldn't have been close enough in the standings to trade for Ramirez? I do not believe that.

[Bote McBoteface]

Wasn't the fact that the Marlins had dug themselves into a big early hole and had practically given up the only reason that Dontrelle Willis was even pitching for the major league team originally? I doubt he would have ever cracked the Cub's ML roster in 03.

[Bull]

Wasn't the fact that the Marlins had dug themselves into a big early hole and had practically given up the only reason that Dontrelle Willis was even pitching for the major league team originally? I doubt he would have ever cracked the Cub's ML roster in 03.

 

If ever THink about the circumstance surrounding that team, who was making the decisions and the perceived (by management and us) glut of pitching in the minors. He may have never gotten a shot.

[Derwood]

Willis was completely off the radar for the Cubs. Frankly, I had never heard of him until he debuted with the Marlins (aside from being some minor league arm who was part of the Clement deal)

[Bull]

Willis was completely off the radar for the Cubs. Frankly, I had never heard of him until he debuted with the Marlins (aside from being some minor league arm who was part of the Clement deal)

Exactly. I think that should be taken into account when evaluating that trade.

[Bull]

In response to the thread title...

 

Its never a good idea to shine the Bruce-signal unless gotham is in real trouble. We don't want to be known as "the Board who cried Bruce" now do we?

[Guest]

The main question about 2003 is whether Baker would have ridden Wood + Prior so hard that year if we weren't in the race.

 

And, of course, whether not piling up those innings at that point would have helped prevent them from being destroyed for years afterwards.

[Radar3454]

Willis was completely off the radar for the Cubs. Frankly, I had never heard of him until he debuted with the Marlins (aside from being some minor league arm who was part of the Clement deal)

 

 

I remember a lot of people being upset about trading Willis - The Cubs did not want to trade him but the Marlins would not do the deal w/out him. I agree he would not have made the majors as soon w/ the Cubs as he did with the Marlins.

[CubinNY]

The main question about 2003 is whether Baker would have ridden Wood + Prior so hard that year if we weren't in the race.

 

And, of course, whether not piling up those innings at that point would have helped prevent them from being destroyed for years afterwards.

That's one thing on my mind. The other is of course that had the Cubs not made the run Hendry may have gotten rid of Baker sooner. In addition, he might not have wasted so much money on mediocre relievers and a washed up Greg Maddux. I don't think getting Lee would have been effected one way or the other. He fell into Hendry's lap like manna from heaven. The rest of what was posted is specious logic at best.

 

EDIT: The rest of what was posted was specious logic except for the "this is false" post. That one contained no logic at all and was rather pointless.

Edited January 24, 2008 by CubinNY

[biittner77]

Willis was completely off the radar for the Cubs. Frankly, I had never heard of him until he debuted with the Marlins (aside from being some minor league arm who was part of the Clement deal)

 

 

I remember a lot of people being upset about trading Willis - The Cubs did not want to trade him but the Marlins would not do the deal w/out him. I agree he would not have made the majors as soon w/ the Cubs as he did with the Marlins.

 

One of them started this website.

 

IIRC, Willis was supposed to start the 2003 season at AA. Well within callup range. I don't see how people that never heard of him before his Marlins debut can say he wasn't on the Cubs' radar except maybe in the sense that the Cubs had a lot of promising arms at the time.