Car Jumping Joey Gathright a Cub?

[laurens]

I like this guy alot. Hes got a sweet li'l swing and has action on the baspaths. Give him a chance to start and we won't regret it.

 

Can you please resize the pic in your sig a but, it' pretty big.

[Banedon]

Seriously, Gathright is a horrendous hitter. Even so, 800K is a drop in the bucket for an above average baserunner/great defender. It's ~400K more than the minimum. I think he's safely 400K better than Sam Fuld. If he's on the team at the expense of Pie going to AAA or traded for scraps, I'm gonna be pretty pissed.

 

How about some wild theorizing? Hendry thinks he'll still get Peavy (and Bradley), and thinks Pie will be in that deal, so he needed Gathright for pinch running, double switches, etc.

[Backtobanks]

Seriously, Gathright is a horrendous hitter. Even so, 800K is a drop in the bucket for an above average baserunner/great defender. It's ~400K more than the minimum. I think he's safely 400K better than Sam Fuld. If he's on the team at the expense of Pie going to AAA or traded for scraps, I'm gonna be pretty pissed.

 

How about some wild theorizing? Hendry thinks he'll still get Peavy (and Bradley), and thinks Pie will be in that deal, so he needed Gathright for pinch running, double switches, etc.

 

Time will tell about getting Peavy, but the acquisition of Gathright certainly means Pie is going somewhere in a trade.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Seriously, Gathright is a horrendous hitter. Even so, 800K is a drop in the bucket for an above average baserunner/great defender. It's ~400K more than the minimum. I think he's safely 400K better than Sam Fuld. If he's on the team at the expense of Pie going to AAA or traded for scraps, I'm gonna be pretty pissed.

 

How about some wild theorizing? Hendry thinks he'll still get Peavy (and Bradley), and thinks Pie will be in that deal, so he needed Gathright for pinch running, double switches, etc.

 

Time will tell about getting Peavy, but the acquisition of Gathright certainly means Pie is going somewhere in a trade.

 

Is Pie out of options? Is there really anything in the Cubs' history to suggest they won't send him to AAA if he's not?

[Jehrico]

Seriously, Gathright is a horrendous hitter. Even so, 800K is a drop in the bucket for an above average baserunner/great defender. It's ~400K more than the minimum. I think he's safely 400K better than Sam Fuld. If he's on the team at the expense of Pie going to AAA or traded for scraps, I'm gonna be pretty pissed.

 

How about some wild theorizing? Hendry thinks he'll still get Peavy (and Bradley), and thinks Pie will be in that deal, so he needed Gathright for pinch running, double switches, etc.

 

Time will tell about getting Peavy, but the acquisition of Gathright certainly means Pie is going somewhere in a trade.

Is this so? I think (hope) he was brought in as a safety net in the event of a trade, and Hendry thinks that is more likely than not. If a trade doesn't work out and Pie remains here, hopefully they'll pay him his one or two months or whatever and let him go. The option to do that I think prevents it from being a guarantee that Pie is a goner.

[Jehrico]

I like this guy alot. Hes got a sweet li'l swing and has action on the baspaths. Give him a chance to start and we won't regret it.

I don't think the staunchest supporter of this move wants Gathright to be given a chance to start. It's pretty much the last spot on the bench or bust.

[Tracer Bullet]

Seriously, Gathright is a horrendous hitter. Even so, 800K is a drop in the bucket for an above average baserunner/great defender. It's ~400K more than the minimum. I think he's safely 400K better than Sam Fuld. If he's on the team at the expense of Pie going to AAA or traded for scraps, I'm gonna be pretty pissed.

 

How about some wild theorizing? Hendry thinks he'll still get Peavy (and Bradley), and thinks Pie will be in that deal, so he needed Gathright for pinch running, double switches, etc.

 

Time will tell about getting Peavy, but the acquisition of Gathright certainly means Pie is going somewhere in a trade.

 

Is Pie out of options? Is there really anything in the Cubs' history to suggest they won't send him to AAA if he's not?

 

I could have sworn that more than one reliable poster on this board said Pie was out of options.

[Tracer Bullet]

I like this guy alot. Hes got a sweet li'l swing and has action on the baspaths. Give him a chance to start and we won't regret it.

 

Welcome to the board. Can you shrink Wake's giant head?

[BigbadB]

I like this guy alot. Hes got a sweet li'l swing and has action on the baspaths. Give him a chance to start and we won't regret it.

I don't think the staunchest supporter of this move wants Gathright to be given a chance to start. It's pretty much the last spot on the bench or bust.

 

Even if the Cubs traded Pie in a mega deal for Peavy, I still don't see the need for Gathright. He'd essentially replace Pie, who didn't have a roster spot to speak of, either. And if the plan is to bring in someone to play RF, the logjam in the OF means one of Micah Hoffpauir or Joey Gathright is the 25th man.

 

In the AL, you can hide a speedy, defensive OF with little bat on the end of your roster, because PH's aren't nearly as needed as in the NL. That you need a productive PH to bat for the pitcher generally two times a game should make the decision quite easy for the manager. Hoffpauir, to me, is way more valuable at the end of the bench than Joey Gathright.

[davearm2]

I like this guy alot. Hes got a sweet li'l swing and has action on the baspaths. Give him a chance to start and we won't regret it.

I don't think the staunchest supporter of this move wants Gathright to be given a chance to start. It's pretty much the last spot on the bench or bust.

 

Even if the Cubs traded Pie in a mega deal for Peavy, I still don't see the need for Gathright. He'd essentially replace Pie, who didn't have a roster spot to speak of, either. And if the plan is to bring in someone to play RF, the logjam in the OF means one of Micah Hoffpauir or Joey Gathright is the 25th man.

 

In the AL, you can hide a speedy, defensive OF with little bat on the end of your roster, because PH's aren't nearly as needed as in the NL. That you need a productive PH to bat for the pitcher generally two times a game should make the decision quite easy for the manager. Hoffpauir, to me, is way more valuable at the end of the bench than Joey Gathright.

If you need to bat for the pitcher in the middle of an inning with a runner on, then Hoffpauir is obviously the choice.

 

But if you're making a pitching change and need to double-switch because the pitcher is due up first in the next half-inning, Gathright is better both because he's the superior (and more versatile) fielder and also because he makes for a better leadoff guy (assuming both can maintain similar OBPs, which is certainly open to debate).

[mdwilla]

Johnson

Fukodome

Soranio

Derosa

Hoff

FA/Trade left bat

 

There's not going to be a ton of at-bats for Gathright or Pie. Why not trade Pie for something of more vaule than using him as pinch runner/DF replacement?

[nilodnayr]

Johnson

Fukodome

Soranio

Derosa

Hoff

FA/Trade left bat

 

There's not going to be a ton of at-bats for Gathright or Pie. Why not trade Pie for something of more vaule than using him as pinch runner/DF replacement?

 

Well, the whole point is that we wouldn't want a ton of ABs for Gathright. Thats not his value, his value is on the bases and playing defense.

 

Johnson

Gathright

Hoff

Cedeno

Font

Backup Catcher

 

If thats the case then we'd have to go with an 11 man pitching staff. I said earlier that that shouldn't be a problem, but looking at our BP, I think it might be unless we make some trades.

 

So, assuming Marshall isn't moved to the rotation, Shark goes to the Iowa rotation, and we didn't want to lose anyone (besides Hill), we'd have to have a 7 man pen. But, I have a feeling Wuertz (~$1.2M) or Gaudin ($2M) might be traded.

 

Marmol

Gregg

Wuertz

Cotts

Gaudin

Marshall--1 option

Guzman--No options

 

Stay in the minors

Samardzija--2 options

Ascanio--1 option

Hart--2 options

Wells--3 options

Hill --No options

Petrick--2 options

Pignatiello--2 options

[cubsfan26]

Seriously, Gathright is a horrendous hitter. Even so, 800K is a drop in the bucket for an above average baserunner/great defender. It's ~400K more than the minimum. I think he's safely 400K better than Sam Fuld. If he's on the team at the expense of Pie going to AAA or traded for scraps, I'm gonna be pretty pissed.

 

How about some wild theorizing? Hendry thinks he'll still get Peavy (and Bradley), and thinks Pie will be in that deal, so he needed Gathright for pinch running, double switches, etc.

 

Time will tell about getting Peavy, but the acquisition of Gathright certainly means Pie is going somewhere in a trade.

 

Is Pie out of options? Is there really anything in the Cubs' history to suggest they won't send him to AAA if he's not?

 

I could have sworn that more than one reliable poster on this board said Pie was out of options.

 

 

Pie is out of options, so he will either be traded, or Gathright will be DFA in spring training.

[AZCub]

2009 Joey Gathright=2003 Tom Goodwin. His value is as a late inning defensive replacement/pinch runner guy, particularly in double switch situations.

 

He will add value to this team, but in that role only. Other than the occasional spot start, that is what he will be for the Cubs, and he’ll be damn good at it. For such a cheap price, it’s not that big of a deal.

 

You need roster versatility, and he offers something our bench really didn’t have last year-smart, quick base runner and great late inning glove for the OF.

[AZCub]

Pie is out of options, so he will either be traded, or Gathright will be DFA in spring training.

 

Bingo. And if he is DFA material, it's not that big of a deal. We snagged him now while we could. No risk.

[mdwilla]

Johnson

Fukodome

Soranio

Derosa

Hoff

FA/Trade left bat

 

There's not going to be a ton of at-bats for Gathright or Pie. Why not trade Pie for something of more vaule than using him as pinch runner/DF replacement?

 

Well, the whole point is that we wouldn't want a ton of ABs for Gathright. Thats not his value, his value is on the bases and playing defense.

 

Johnson

Gathright

Hoff

Cedeno

Font

Backup Catcher

 

If thats the case then we'd have to go with an 11 man pitching staff. I said earlier that that shouldn't be a problem, but looking at our BP, I think it might be unless we make some trades.

 

So, assuming Marshall isn't moved to the rotation, Shark goes to the Iowa rotation, and we didn't want to lose anyone (besides Hill), we'd have to have a 7 man pen. But, I have a feeling Wuertz (~$1.2M) or Gaudin ($2M) might be traded.

 

Marmol

Gregg

Wuertz

Cotts

Gaudin

Marshall--1 option

Guzman--No options

 

Stay in the minors

Samardzija--2 options

Ascanio--1 option

Hart--2 options

Wells--3 options

Hill --No options

Petrick--2 options

Pignatiello--2 options

 

 

Thats what I am saying. He's the 25th man . Nothing else. Pie has more vaule as trade piece rather than filling the 25th man role.

[CubColtPacer]

Johnson

Fukodome

Soranio

Derosa

Hoff

FA/Trade left bat

 

There's not going to be a ton of at-bats for Gathright or Pie. Why not trade Pie for something of more vaule than using him as pinch runner/DF replacement?

 

Well, the whole point is that we wouldn't want a ton of ABs for Gathright. Thats not his value, his value is on the bases and playing defense.

 

Johnson

Gathright

Hoff

Cedeno

Font

Backup Catcher

 

If thats the case then we'd have to go with an 11 man pitching staff. I said earlier that that shouldn't be a problem, but looking at our BP, I think it might be unless we make some trades.

 

So, assuming Marshall isn't moved to the rotation, Shark goes to the Iowa rotation, and we didn't want to lose anyone (besides Hill), we'd have to have a 7 man pen. But, I have a feeling Wuertz (~$1.2M) or Gaudin ($2M) might be traded.

 

Marmol

Gregg

Wuertz

Cotts

Gaudin

Marshall--1 option

Guzman--No options

 

Stay in the minors

Samardzija--2 options

Ascanio--1 option

Hart--2 options

Wells--3 options

Hill --No options

Petrick--2 options

Pignatiello--2 options

 

Between Lou's quotes about the pitching staff and the way the entire league has gone, I can't see the Cubs bucking the trend and going with an 11 man pitching staff. Gathright has to take Hoffpauir's spot to make the squad, and with the fact that we already have at least 2 capable players that could move to the OF in the late innings (Johnson off the bench or DeRosa shifting to RF and Fontenot coming off the bench) I have a hard time seeing how Hoffpauir isn't the better option. I understand the double switching/leading off the next inning argument, but I would say that Fontenot would be the guy to be most often coming into the game in that particular situation.

 

If the Cubs signed Adam Dunn for RF (adding a left-handed slugger that also is more likely to need a defensive replacement) then it makes more sense to choose Gathright over Hoffpauir. I don't see that same appeal if a player like Bradley is signed though.

 

It still doesn't change the fact that Pie will be traded at some point (unless they suddenly decide to go with him as a starter, which would be a shock) but I don't think it would be wise for the Cubs to only have 2 legitimate bats on the entire bench (Fontenot and Johnson).

[SouthSideRyan]

Nilo, Gooz still has an option left thanks to roster shenaningans this year.

 

I agree with CCP though, there's no way we go with a 11 man pen out of spring training.

[nilodnayr]

Johnson

Fukodome

Soranio

Derosa

Hoff

FA/Trade left bat

 

There's not going to be a ton of at-bats for Gathright or Pie. Why not trade Pie for something of more vaule than using him as pinch runner/DF replacement?

 

Well, the whole point is that we wouldn't want a ton of ABs for Gathright. Thats not his value, his value is on the bases and playing defense.

 

Johnson

Gathright

Hoff

Cedeno

Font

Backup Catcher

 

If thats the case then we'd have to go with an 11 man pitching staff. I said earlier that that shouldn't be a problem, but looking at our BP, I think it might be unless we make some trades.

 

So, assuming Marshall isn't moved to the rotation, Shark goes to the Iowa rotation, and we didn't want to lose anyone (besides Hill), we'd have to have a 7 man pen. But, I have a feeling Wuertz (~$1.2M) or Gaudin ($2M) might be traded.

 

Marmol

Gregg

Wuertz

Cotts

Gaudin

Marshall--1 option

Guzman--No options

 

Stay in the minors

Samardzija--2 options

Ascanio--1 option

Hart--2 options

Wells--3 options

Hill --No options

Petrick--2 options

Pignatiello--2 options

 

Between Lou's quotes about the pitching staff and the way the entire league has gone, I can't see the Cubs bucking the trend and going with an 11 man pitching staff. Gathright has to take Hoffpauir's spot to make the squad, and with the fact that we already have at least 2 capable players that could move to the OF in the late innings (Johnson off the bench or DeRosa shifting to RF and Fontenot coming off the bench) I have a hard time seeing how Hoffpauir isn't the better option. I understand the double switching/leading off the next inning argument, but I would say that Fontenot would be the guy to be most often coming into the game in that particular situation.

 

If the Cubs signed Adam Dunn for RF (adding a left-handed slugger that also is more likely to need a defensive replacement) then it makes more sense to choose Gathright over Hoffpauir. I don't see that same appeal if a player like Bradley is signed though.

 

It still doesn't change the fact that Pie will be traded at some point (unless they suddenly decide to go with him as a starter, which would be a shock) but I don't think it would be wise for the Cubs to only have 2 legitimate bats on the entire bench (Fontenot and Johnson).

 

Definitely valid points. I didn't even consider Hoff being sent down, but he has 2 option years. Maybe Lou has a lot of faith in Fontenot to step up and be the main pinch hitter. Afterall, there was that comment about trying to get him more playing time. I agree though, I wouldn't be enamoured by Gathright bumping Hoff off the roster, we'd be gaining some flexibility, while losing other flexibility. I mean after Fontenot, we'd have whoever isn't in the Johnson/Fukudome platoon and the Gathright and Cedeno...fairly slim pickings.

 

Yeah, I think its a foregone conclusion Pie will be traded (or Gathright will be released). Does anyone know if Garrett Olson still has an option left (I believe he does)? I know we talked about acquiring him for Pie in order to get Peavy, but I wouldn't mind getting him and keeping him.

[Jehrico]

Johnson

Fukodome

Soranio

Derosa

Hoff

FA/Trade left bat

 

There's not going to be a ton of at-bats for Gathright or Pie. Why not trade Pie for something of more vaule than using him as pinch runner/DF replacement?

 

Well, the whole point is that we wouldn't want a ton of ABs for Gathright. Thats not his value, his value is on the bases and playing defense.

 

Johnson

Gathright

Hoff

Cedeno

Font

Backup Catcher

 

If thats the case then we'd have to go with an 11 man pitching staff. I said earlier that that shouldn't be a problem, but looking at our BP, I think it might be unless we make some trades.

 

So, assuming Marshall isn't moved to the rotation, Shark goes to the Iowa rotation, and we didn't want to lose anyone (besides Hill), we'd have to have a 7 man pen. But, I have a feeling Wuertz (~$1.2M) or Gaudin ($2M) might be traded.

 

Marmol

Gregg

Wuertz

Cotts

Gaudin

Marshall--1 option

Guzman--No options

 

Stay in the minors

Samardzija--2 options

Ascanio--1 option

Hart--2 options

Wells--3 options

Hill --No options

Petrick--2 options

Pignatiello--2 options

 

Between Lou's quotes about the pitching staff and the way the entire league has gone, I can't see the Cubs bucking the trend and going with an 11 man pitching staff. Gathright has to take Hoffpauir's spot to make the squad, and with the fact that we already have at least 2 capable players that could move to the OF in the late innings (Johnson off the bench or DeRosa shifting to RF and Fontenot coming off the bench) I have a hard time seeing how Hoffpauir isn't the better option. I understand the double switching/leading off the next inning argument, but I would say that Fontenot would be the guy to be most often coming into the game in that particular situation.

 

If the Cubs signed Adam Dunn for RF (adding a left-handed slugger that also is more likely to need a defensive replacement) then it makes more sense to choose Gathright over Hoffpauir. I don't see that same appeal if a player like Bradley is signed though.

 

It still doesn't change the fact that Pie will be traded at some point (unless they suddenly decide to go with him as a starter, which would be a shock) but I don't think it would be wise for the Cubs to only have 2 legitimate bats on the entire bench (Fontenot and Johnson).

Agreed on most points, except the Bradley vs Dunn part. If we sign Bradley, given his injury history, I want him used as a PR or something like that no more than Dunn.

[nilodnayr]

Nilo, Gooz still has an option left thanks to roster shenaningans this year.

 

I agree with CCP though, there's no way we go with a 11 man pen out of spring training.

 

I thought so, but I went to The Cub Reporter and they said he didn't. Boo them.

 

But you are right, I think the only way we could work an 11 man staff is to have that last guy in the pen rotate with a couple guys from Iowa. So, unless we get rid of one of Wuertz or Gaudin then we still don't have that last spot open.

Edited December 17, 2008 by nilodnayr

[SouthSideRyan]

I agree with the idea of going with an 11 man staff and rotating that last spot with guys who have options, there's just nobody that goes with 11 man staffs anymore.

[nilodnayr]

I agree with the idea of going with an 11 man staff and rotating that last spot with guys who have options, there's just nobody that goes with 11 man staffs anymore.

 

Especially if we have a ridiculous starting pitching staff of Harden, Z, Demp, Lilly, Peavy/Lowe. With our offense, there shouldn't be a ton of high leverage situations for the bullpen.