Rich Hill traded to Baltimore for PTBNL

[cubsfan26]

I wish Hill just had a bad season, and got hit around. In that case the Cubs would have kept him around. But if you can't even throw a strike in the minors or in the winter league. You have issues

[Banedon]

Yet another perplexing move in this bizarre offseason.

 

Is it really perplexing? I mean, he was out of options...and he sucked right now...I think those two things are pretty much fact.

 

Either they trade him for something/anything, or they risk losing him for nothing as he clears waivers. This was clearly the better option. I certainly understand the hand wringing over this, but I think that has more to do with Hill's failures than anything the Cubs failed at. Certainly you wish that the coaching staff could have worked him through his issues, but maybe it's just not meant to be. Better pitchers than Rich Hill (Rick Ankiel) caught a case of the mental yips and couldn't get it back, even with a pitching coach with the midas touch (Duncan), which Rothschild hasn't proven to be.

 

I think this is just one of those moves that people will understandably be unhappy about, but understand.

 

It's not that he was traded that's perplexing...it's the timing of it coupled with the fact that it's yet another trade with the Orioles that doesn't appear to help the team at all currently.

 

Not trying to harp on this...but what part of the timing was perplexing? It had to be done before ST (or is it opening day?) or he had to be put through waivers. And whether you let someone pick him off waivers, or trade him for a minor leaguer, you weren't gonna be helped now either way.

[cubbinalltheway]

It's not that he was traded that's perplexing...it's the timing of it coupled with the fact that it's yet another trade with the Orioles that doesn't appear to help the team at all currently.

typically when you trade a guy who cant throw strikes in single A ball, you don't receive anything back that will help the big league club today.

[Soul]

Yet another perplexing move in this bizarre offseason.

 

Is it really perplexing? I mean, he was out of options...and he sucked right now...I think those two things are pretty much fact.

 

Either they trade him for something/anything, or they risk losing him for nothing as he clears waivers. This was clearly the better option. I certainly understand the hand wringing over this, but I think that has more to do with Hill's failures than anything the Cubs failed at. Certainly you wish that the coaching staff could have worked him through his issues, but maybe it's just not meant to be. Better pitchers than Rich Hill (Rick Ankiel) caught a case of the mental yips and couldn't get it back, even with a pitching coach with the midas touch (Duncan), which Rothschild hasn't proven to be.

 

I think this is just one of those moves that people will understandably be unhappy about, but understand.

 

It's not that he was traded that's perplexing...it's the timing of it coupled with the fact that it's yet another trade with the Orioles that doesn't appear to help the team at all currently.

 

Not trying to harp on this...but what part of the timing was perplexing? It had to be done before ST (or is it opening day?) or he had to be put through waivers. And whether you let someone pick him off waivers, or trade him for a minor leaguer, you weren't gonna be helped now either way.

 

Something had to be done, agreed. I'm more or less just lamenting what happened to the guy. It's kind of hard to fathom some of these players being good one year, then just losing it. I imagine this is how Cards fans felt about Ankiel, at least until he came back as an outfielder.

[The Other 15]

There's a lot of over sensationalized crap in this thread. Hill was never going to crack the (still) crowded rotation this year.

 

Arguing he maybe should of been traded last year is a valid point, but right now, I really don't care anymore.

 

I mean really what's so "perplexing" about this move?

 

The giving him away for nothing now instead of seeing if he can do anything in ST and if he can't releasing him then. I understand that the Cubs have Minor League rosters they need to fill but couldn't they just sign a ML FA. If they bring Hill to ST and he still hasn't figured it out try sending him through waivers. If he doesn't clear then so be it. If he did then they'd have another shot at fixing him. Hill has more of a chance to help the Cubs than whoever they got in this deal.

You're completely overlooking the fact if he would have sucked in ST (actually it's more when than if), then you literally get nothing for him. Now if he does find it with the O's, the Cubs end up getting something. Something is better than nothing.

Hill has more of a chance to help the Cubs than whoever they got in this deal.

This is a fantasy on the level of Prior (who I was guilty of wishing for). When has a pitcher that has lost his control as badly as Hill ever made a comeback? It doesn't happen. It's time to move on.

 

I'm sure there's a great possibility that the ptbnl ends up being nothing but that will have more to do with Hill being nothing at the O's camp.

[17 Seconds]

He better not go trading Sam Fuld on us.

 

I don't get this reference

 

Hendrys Untouchables. Hes the last of his kind.

 

People on the internet overvaluing Fuld = Hendry making him untouchable? I don't get it. Was there ever anything about Hendry not wanting to trade Fuld?

[cubsfan26]

He better not go trading Sam Fuld on us.

 

I don't get this reference

 

Hendrys Untouchables. Hes the last of his kind.

 

People on the internet overvaluing Fuld = Hendry making him untouchable? I don't get it. Was there ever anything about Hendry not wanting to trade Fuld?

 

 

I think he was misquoted, and Bruce Miles came on here and told everyone what he really said.

[17 Seconds]

This a fantasy on the level of Prior (who I was guilty of wishing for). When has a pitcher that has lost his control as badly as Hill ever made a comeback? It doesn't happen.

 

While I agree the odds of Hill finding his control in time for the regular season are extremely slim, it's not THAT unrealistic, considering Hill has already done it once in his career. Hill walked 36 in 29.1 innings in A ball in 2003, then 72 in 109.1 innings in 2004. Then in 2005 he suddenly found his control and carried it through 2007. Now he's lost it again. It's not like he's always had good control and has suddenly fallen apart. He had terrible control for his entire college/pro career until 2005 when he found it, and now it's gone away again. That makes it highly unlikely he siddenly finds it in time to allow us to put him on the opening day roster, but it's not out of the question.

[dew1679666265]

He better not go trading Sam Fuld on us.

 

I don't get this reference

 

Hendrys Untouchables. Hes the last of his kind.

 

People on the internet overvaluing Fuld = Hendry making him untouchable? I don't get it. Was there ever anything about Hendry not wanting to trade Fuld?

 

 

I think he was misquoted, and Bruce Miles came on here and told everyone what he really said.

 

Yeah, Hendry said he was not going to trade Pie or Fuld last offseason and Paul Sullivan used the term untouchable to refer to both.

 

Bruce came on and clarified that Hendry never used the term untouchable.

[Mephistopheles]

Apparently Rich Hill had a lower back injury all of 2008 and that was zapping his command as he over-compensated. If true, then we got ripped off.

[Bruno7481]

Apparently Rich Hill had a lower back injury all of 2008 and that was zapping his command as he over-compensated. If true, then we got ripped off.

 

He has to blame it on something. I wonder what his reasoning was for winterball.

[SouthSideRyan]

I believe the back injury news came out some time during the season didn't it? When he went on the minor league DL?

[UMFan83]

Why didn't Rich Hill just rest the lower back injury for a period of time/the season then? I'm sure a fair share of major league starters suffer lower back injuries in their careers, but I never see any pitchers completely lose their command and start hitting batters and consistently being unable to command any of their pitches. Either the Cubs mishandled him, or he has issues beyond a lower back injury.

[Post Count Padder]

Apparently Rich Hill had a lower back injury all of 2008 and that was zapping his command as he over-compensated. If true, then we got ripped off.

I doubt that's the full story.

[Mephistopheles]

it would be the most-likely explanation given his arm slot mechanics and repertoire.

[Monco]

Whatever the reasons/excuses for his control loss,he was still given away for nothing.

[17 Seconds]

Why didn't Rich Hill just rest the lower back injury for a period of time/the season then? I'm sure a fair share of major league starters suffer lower back injuries in their careers, but I never see any pitchers completely lose their command and start hitting batters and consistently being unable to command any of their pitches. Either the Cubs mishandled him, or he has issues beyond a lower back injury.

 

Well it's possible that the back issues caused the change in mechanics....and once you mess with mechanics it can be game over really quick

 

I don't think that's it though. I think he just went back to his horrible control that he had most of his life

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Whatever the reasons/excuses for his control loss,he was still given away for nothing.

 

Major-league roster rules made that inevitable. It was now or March.

[Mephistopheles]

Whatever the reasons/excuses for his control loss,he was still given away for nothing.

 

Major-league roster rules made that inevitable. It was now or March.

 

This simply isn't true.

[The Other 15]

Yeah, it was the back injury, it has to be, it just has to be because I predicted Rich Hill will be very good, so I have to find a straw that hasn't been grasped. Besides, now that I'm convinced it's the back injury, I can rely on the metrics that say pitchers careers just take off after back surgery.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

I too hate that we gave Rich Hill away for nothing, but I don't fault Hendry on this one.

 

Had Hill shown any control whatsoever in winter league, there might have been hope that he had corrected the problem. The only way we would have held on to him when camp broke when be if he was good in every outing this spring. One bad outing where he couldn't find the zone or hit half the other team's line-up, then there would have been enough questions in Lou and Jim's mind to place him on the outs with this team. If he had options, I think this is an entirely different scenario with an entirely different outcome. As it was, he was too great a risk to hold to much longer.

[biittner77]

There's a lot of over sensationalized crap in this thread. Hill was never going to crack the (still) crowded rotation this year.

 

Arguing he maybe should of been traded last year is a valid point, but right now, I really don't care anymore.

 

I mean really what's so "perplexing" about this move?

 

The giving him away for nothing now instead of seeing if he can do anything in ST and if he can't releasing him then. I understand that the Cubs have Minor League rosters they need to fill but couldn't they just sign a ML FA. If they bring Hill to ST and he still hasn't figured it out try sending him through waivers. If he doesn't clear then so be it. If he did then they'd have another shot at fixing him. Hill has more of a chance to help the Cubs than whoever they got in this deal.

You're completely overlooking the fact if he would have sucked in ST (actually it's more when than if), then you literally get nothing for him. Now if he does find it with the O's, the Cubs end up getting something. Something is better than nothing.

Hill has more of a chance to help the Cubs than whoever they got in this deal.

This is a fantasy on the level of Prior (who I was guilty of wishing for). When has a pitcher that has lost his control as badly as Hill ever made a comeback? It doesn't happen. It's time to move on.

 

I'm sure there's a great possibility that the ptbnl ends up being nothing but that will have more to do with Hill being nothing at the O's camp.

 

Whoever the Cubs get in return for Hill (if or when he flames out) will be someone that the Cubs could just sign off the minor league scrap heap. Roster filler. While that has a small amount of value it is not enough when weighed against what Hill might bring to the table. In other words, the slim chance of Hill being able to contribute is better than the "something" they'll get from the O's.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Whoever the Cubs get in return for Hill (if or when he flames out) will be someone that the Cubs could just sign off the minor league scrap heap. Roster filler. While that has a small amount of value it is not enough when weighed against what Hill might bring to the table. In other words, the slim chance of Hill being able to contribute is better than the "something" they'll get from the O's.

 

You are ignoring the opportunity cost of keeping Hill. The remote chances of him being good are not worth the major-league roster spot he'd take up and the innings he'd need to be given to find out if he's going to be good.

[weis21]

Plus, if he walked four in a row again this year Lou may have literally killed him.

 

 

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj80/daw0521/610x.jpg?t=1234382636

[cubbinalltheway]

surprise, surprise... rich hill still can't throw strikes.

 

Rich Hill was all over the place. He couldn't get the ball down, and often was wide of the strike zone. He was easily hitting 90 mph, the most impressive part of his day, but location remains an issue.

 

http://masnsports.com/2009/02/bullpen-sessions.html