5th starter candidates

[rawaction]

Jon Garland or Mike Hampton anyone?

[JeffH]

Jon Garland or Mike Hampton anyone?

 

Garland would be OK on a $8/1 type deal, but I'd prefer someone who can strike some guys out.

 

Hampton is a Houston Astro.

[17 Seconds]

Jon Garland or Mike Hampton anyone?

 

Hampton is a Houston Astro.

 

and sucks

[TruffleShuffle]

Jon Garland or Mike Hampton anyone?

 

Hampton is a Houston Astro.

 

and sucks

 

i'm not sure how you can determine a guy sucks from his pitching 12 games in 3 years. i guess it sucks to get hurt all the time though.

[17 Seconds]

Jon Garland or Mike Hampton anyone?

 

Hampton is a Houston Astro.

 

and sucks

 

i'm not sure how you can determine a guy sucks from his pitching 12 games in 3 years. i guess it sucks to get hurt all the time though.

 

well he sucked last year when he was "healthy", and 36 year old pitchers who have been injured for the majority of the previous 4 seasons (and were never really very good to begin with anyways) don't usually end up being very good

[Keeper]

Ew, Mike Hampton? Why don't we just get Mark Prior again and see how that works out...

[Gingerballs Lives]

Jon Garland or Mike Hampton anyone?

 

Hampton is a Houston Astro.

 

and sucks

 

i'm not sure how you can determine a guy sucks from his pitching 12 games in 3 years. i guess it sucks to get hurt all the time though.

 

well he sucked last year when he was "healthy", and 36 year old pitchers who have been injured for the majority of the previous 4 seasons (and were never really very good to begin with anyways) don't usually end up being very good

 

I'm hoping that was sarcasm in the post that you responded to.

 

I didn't even know Mike Hampton was still alive, let alone pitching in the big leagues.

[rawaction]

FYI, I wasn't advocating Garland or Hampton. I only suggested them because I thought they were the best affordable FAs out there (And I forgot Hampton was not available).

[biittner77]

I wouldn't mind Garland if he came cheap- like $5-6 million per. He could give us what Marquis was supposed to do- innings eater- but for much less money.

[Peoriaman]

B. Looper. He would be my pick.

[RedFlash]

B. Looper. He would be my pick.

 

I much rather sign Joe Biemel and move Sean Marshall to the ortation then sign the "new Jason Marquis."

[Bear Cub]

" Lightning in a bottle type" ...Bartolo Colon as a nonroster invitee would be my choice.

[jersey cubs fan]

FYI, I wasn't advocating Garland or Hampton. I only suggested them because I thought they were the best affordable FAs out there (And I forgot Hampton was not available).

 

Garland was the name that popped into my head earlier when I was wondering about the 5th starter spot after Marquis deal became official.

 

So now that they've traded away their mediocre innings eater and saved $5m, are they going to try and spend that $5m on another mediocre innings eater? Harden is a sure thing to miss time. The best bet for 5th starter, Marshall, has hit own issues with 150 inning seasons. Zambrano still has the cramps and mysterious shoulder issues, and Dempster doesn't have much of a history of prolonged health after heavy workloads. Lilly is about the most reliable guy they have to throw lots of innings. Samardzija had a month or two of success in the minors, and mixed results out of the pen in the majors. Gaudin is not somebody I'd rely on.

 

 

The free agent supply is still very large and more than a few guys are going to be left disappointed with what they get to pitch next year. I'd say it's quite possible you could see somebody like Jon Garland get $5m for one year as they try and wait for the market to rebound by the 1st quarter of 2010.

[rchap24]

FYI, I wasn't advocating Garland or Hampton. I only suggested them because I thought they were the best affordable FAs out there (And I forgot Hampton was not available).

 

Garland was the name that popped into my head earlier when I was wondering about the 5th starter spot after Marquis deal became official.

 

So now that they've traded away their mediocre innings eater and saved $5m, are they going to try and spend that $5m on another mediocre innings eater? Harden is a sure thing to miss time. The best bet for 5th starter, Marshall, has hit own issues with 150 inning seasons. Zambrano still has the cramps and mysterious shoulder issues, and Dempster doesn't have much of a history of prolonged health after heavy workloads. Lilly is about the most reliable guy they have to throw lots of innings. Samardzija had a month or two of success in the minors, and mixed results out of the pen in the majors. Gaudin is not somebody I'd rely on.

 

 

The free agent supply is still very large and more than a few guys are going to be left disappointed with what they get to pitch next year. I'd say it's quite possible you could see somebody like Jon Garland get $5m for one year as they try and wait for the market to rebound by the 1st quarter of 2010.

 

You'd probably have to pay more for Garland than for Lowe I'd doubt he signs one year $5m, but who knows

[TruffleShuffle]

You'd probably have to pay more for Garland than for Lowe I'd doubt he signs one year $5m, but who knows

 

not even close. lowe is much better than garland.

[rchap24]

You'd probably have to pay more for Garland than for Lowe I'd doubt he signs one year $5m, but who knows

 

not even close. lowe is much better than garland.

 

Yes Lowe is a much better pitcher than Garland.....did you mean no even close Lowe is much more expensive than Garland? I said I could be wrong on Garland asking for not so much money....I've been a huge supporter of Lowe there's not question he's much much better than Garland

[jersey cubs fan]

You'd probably have to pay more for Garland than for Lowe I'd doubt he signs one year $5m, but who knows

 

not even close. lowe is much better than garland.

 

Garland's success always seemed like a mirage to me. He didn't strike guys out and was susceptible to the long ball. I don't think he had a fantastic ground ball rate either. He just pitcher 210 innings a year and relied on his defense to make plays. His career ERA+ is just over 100, and he's had one truly good season (only WHIP under 1.3 and only ERA+ over 112). Every other seasons was more or less just below or above average. He's basically Marquis with fewer walks.

[rchap24]

You'd probably have to pay more for Garland than for Lowe I'd doubt he signs one year $5m, but who knows

 

not even close. lowe is much better than garland.

 

Garland's success always seemed like a mirage to me. He didn't strike guys out and was susceptible to the long ball. I don't think he had a fantastic ground ball rate either. He just pitcher 210 innings a year and relied on his defense to make plays. His career ERA+ is just over 100, and he's had one truly good season (only WHIP under 1.3 and only ERA+ over 112). Every other seasons was more or less just below or above average. He's basically Marquis with fewer walks.

 

I never said Garland was better than Lowe! It's not even close I agree Garland was always overrated on a good hitting AL team where he had a little strikeouts and a high ERA

[JeffH]

You'd probably have to pay more for Garland than for Lowe I'd doubt he signs one year $5m, but who knows

 

not even close. lowe is much better than garland.

 

Garland's success always seemed like a mirage to me. He didn't strike guys out and was susceptible to the long ball. I don't think he had a fantastic ground ball rate either. He just pitcher 210 innings a year and relied on his defense to make plays. His career ERA+ is just over 100, and he's had one truly good season (only WHIP under 1.3 and only ERA+ over 112). Every other seasons was more or less just below or above average. He's basically Marquis with fewer walks.

 

I expect that will make a big difference to Piniella. If we acquire a non-Peavy starting pitcher, I imagine that he's going to be a strike-thrower.

[jersey cubs fan]

You'd probably have to pay more for Garland than for Lowe I'd doubt he signs one year $5m, but who knows

 

not even close. lowe is much better than garland.

 

Yes Lowe is a much better pitcher than Garland.....did you mean no even close Lowe is much more expensive than Garland? I said I could be wrong on Garland asking for not so much money....I've been a huge supporter of Lowe there's not question he's much much better than Garland

 

What they are asking for isn't really the issue. Like the housing market, there's still far more supply than demand. That tends to drive down prices. He might get what he wants, but there is no guarantee. He could refuse to pitch for $5m, but unlike with a house, where deciding not to sell is a realistic choice, deciding not to pitch for a year until prices rise is pretty stupid.

 

I don't know what he'll get. I do believe some guys are going to get a lot less than they expected. And those guys aren't going to want to sign longterm at the lower prices, so 1 year $5m is probably out there for some mediocre arms, like Garland.

[rchap24]

You'd probably have to pay more for Garland than for Lowe I'd doubt he signs one year $5m, but who knows

 

not even close. lowe is much better than garland.

 

Yes Lowe is a much better pitcher than Garland.....did you mean no even close Lowe is much more expensive than Garland? I said I could be wrong on Garland asking for not so much money....I've been a huge supporter of Lowe there's not question he's much much better than Garland

 

What they are asking for isn't really the issue. Like the housing market, there's still far more supply than demand. That tends to drive down prices. He might get what he wants, but there is no guarantee. He could refuse to pitch for $5m, but unlike with a house, where deciding not to sell is a realistic choice, deciding not to pitch for a year until prices rise is pretty stupid.

 

I don't know what he'll get. I do believe some guys are going to get a lot less than they expected. And those guys aren't going to want to sign longterm at the lower prices, so 1 year $5m is probably out there for some mediocre arms, like Garland.

 

Yeah and I said I admit I could be wrong on how much money he asks for or gets, but in the past he got way to much money

[Backtobanks]

I still think the Peavy deal is going to happen, but I can't see the Cubs signing any FA pitchers. Most are too expensive or worse than Marquis. My thoughts are that there has to be some kind of deal to correct the roster situation. There are too many players that have some value and some of them are out of options.

[MixmastaMiguel]

I agree, there's no way we sign someone. A trade will happen, and it will mostly likely be Peavy.

[TheDude]

I heard a blurb the other day on ESPN about the Cubs converting Samardzija back to a starter in ST. Can't recall who it was, but I think it was in the Cubs segment of 30 teams in 30 days going on right now.

[jersey cubs fan]

I heard a blurb the other day on ESPN about the Cubs converting Samardzija back to a starter in ST. Can't recall who it was, but I think it was in the Cubs segment of 30 teams in 30 days going on right now.

 

It was Gammons talking and it was a really disappointing hot stove update. But yes, that's been the plan according to most of the beat writers. Samardzija had very limited starting success in the minors and will definitely need some time to develop.