Cubs Roster Basically Set - P & C Report in 12 Days

[Guest]

I'll takes Miles' career .352 OBP against lefties for his half of the platoon. If we stick to a *very* strict platoon, then it should be pretty close.

 

Has Lou ever stuck to a very strict platoon (or even a strict platoon at all)? I really don't remember.

 

And it's a sign of a bad move when you make one and end up hoping that - at best - you can match your production from last year.

 

Didn't he stick pretty close to the platoon in CF last year with Edmonds and Johnson?

[Backtobanks]

The starting lineup and rotation are probably at least as good as last year

 

I disagree about the lineup. We're downgrading at second and center, but upgrading in RF. If Miles doesn't replicate his career season and repeats what he's done most of his career, second could be a significant downgrade.

 

but the bench and the bullpen, not so much. Even though I haven't seen the Cubs linked to him at all, I'd love to see Wigginton occupy that last bench spot. I fear he might be looking for a guaranteed starting spot elsewhere, but he'd really solidify the bench in my opinion.

 

I'd love Wigginton as well at this point, but I haven't heard a thing about him.

 

Wigginton would be a great addition, but he's too expensive and probably would prefer to land a job where he might get more playing time. Whether we like it or not, Aurilia does the same for less.

[Little Slide Rooter]

The starting lineup and rotation are probably at least as good as last year

 

I disagree about the lineup. We're downgrading at second and center, but upgrading in RF. If Miles doesn't replicate his career season and repeats what he's done most of his career, second could be a significant downgrade.

 

but the bench and the bullpen, not so much. Even though I haven't seen the Cubs linked to him at all, I'd love to see Wigginton occupy that last bench spot. I fear he might be looking for a guaranteed starting spot elsewhere, but he'd really solidify the bench in my opinion.

 

I'd love Wigginton as well at this point, but I haven't heard a thing about him.

 

Wigginton would be a great addition, but he's too expensive and probably would prefer to land a job where he might get more playing time. Whether we like it or not, Aurilia does the same for less.

 

 

If anything they'll get a middle infielder, probably one that can play a decent shortstop, and Wiggingtons as much a short stop as Adam Dunn. No joke, if we do sign another player for the middle infield, it will be a Uribe/Neifi/Cedeno type. I still say I would have taken Vizquel on a cheap 1 year. I know his '08 offensive stats were laughable, but hes still one of the best defesnive short stops. Another possibility, if hes out there would be Cintron. Who knows, maybe Orlando Cabrera will be nice and cheap if we wait long enough.

 

And not to sound cliche, but if we can get early 2008 Kosuke, it will be as good as a quality fre agent signing.

[dew1679666265]

The starting lineup and rotation are probably at least as good as last year

 

I disagree about the lineup. We're downgrading at second and center, but upgrading in RF. If Miles doesn't replicate his career season and repeats what he's done most of his career, second could be a significant downgrade.

 

but the bench and the bullpen, not so much. Even though I haven't seen the Cubs linked to him at all, I'd love to see Wigginton occupy that last bench spot. I fear he might be looking for a guaranteed starting spot elsewhere, but he'd really solidify the bench in my opinion.

 

I'd love Wigginton as well at this point, but I haven't heard a thing about him.

 

Wigginton would be a great addition, but he's too expensive and probably would prefer to land a job where he might get more playing time. Whether we like it or not, Aurilia does the same for less.

 

Wigginton may well be too expensive, but I'm hoping Hendry can pull him in.

 

As for the comparison to Aurilia, he's less expensive than Wigginton, but he's also a whole lot worse. Wigginton had an .876 and .792 OPS the past two years. Aurilia had a .745 and .672 OPS the past two years.

[Gingerballs Lives]

Our bench is beyond terrible.

 

For a team with as many injury-prone guys as we have, this is a real problem.

[Bull]

I'll takes Miles' career .352 OBP against lefties for his half of the platoon. If we stick to a *very* strict platoon, then it should be pretty close.

 

Has Lou ever stuck to a very strict platoon (or even a strict platoon at all)? I really don't remember.

 

And it's a sign of a bad move when you make one and end up hoping that - at best - you can match your production from last year.

 

It's kind of inevitable for a team with 97-wins, a lot of top-notch seasons and a ton of backloaded contracts.

 

I didn't expect the overall team to be as good this year as last, but the second base move in particular is still frustrating. DeRosa's likely production is probably the best we can hope for from the Fontenot/Miles platoon. Had we kept DeRo, we'd have a chance, at least, that he'd replicate last year.

 

yes and no. Fontenot/Miles likely won't match DeRosa version 2008, but DeRosa 2009 won't match it either.

[bhogg]

,,,,, Edited February 2, 2009 by bhogg

[bhogg]

Remember that time in early 2008? That time when we prayed we'd be good enough to beat out the Brewers? The time we assumed that the NL East would produce the Wild Card because the NLC was so terrible? The time that we assumed Fukudome was an easy .800 OPS?

 

I certainly understand the disgruntledness on some of the moves, but I really think the roster is better than last year's.

 

If nothing else, we could all probably agree that this cub team is the clear favorite in the central. That's not such a bad thing.

[dew1679666265]

I'll takes Miles' career .352 OBP against lefties for his half of the platoon. If we stick to a *very* strict platoon, then it should be pretty close.

 

Has Lou ever stuck to a very strict platoon (or even a strict platoon at all)? I really don't remember.

 

And it's a sign of a bad move when you make one and end up hoping that - at best - you can match your production from last year.

 

It's kind of inevitable for a team with 97-wins, a lot of top-notch seasons and a ton of backloaded contracts.

 

I didn't expect the overall team to be as good this year as last, but the second base move in particular is still frustrating. DeRosa's likely production is probably the best we can hope for from the Fontenot/Miles platoon. Had we kept DeRo, we'd have a chance, at least, that he'd replicate last year.

 

yes and no. Fontenot/Miles likely won't match DeRosa version 2008, but DeRosa 2009 won't match it either.

 

2009 DeRosa has a much, much better chance at replicating 2008 DeRosa than the Fontenot/Miles platoon however.

[dew1679666265]

Remember that time in early 2008? That time when we prayed we'd be good enough to beat out the Brewers? The time we assumed that the NL East would produce the Wild Card because the NLC was so terrible? The time that we assumed Fukudome was an easy .800 OPS?

 

I certainly understand the disgruntledness on some of the moves, but I really think the roster is better than last year's.

 

If nothing else, we could all probably agree that this cub team is the clear favorite in the central. That's not such a bad thing.

 

I hate being this negative, but I see no way that this roster is better than last year's. I liked last year's going into the season and was proven mostly right (though I never thought we'd approach 97 wins, I thought low 90s or high 80s was far more likely).

 

I just don't see any possible way the downgrades all across the bench, the downgrade in the bullpen, the downgrade at second and the improvement in the outfield could translate to a better team.

[dew1679666265]

I'll takes Miles' career .352 OBP against lefties for his half of the platoon. If we stick to a *very* strict platoon, then it should be pretty close.

 

Has Lou ever stuck to a very strict platoon (or even a strict platoon at all)? I really don't remember.

 

And it's a sign of a bad move when you make one and end up hoping that - at best - you can match your production from last year.

 

Didn't he stick pretty close to the platoon in CF last year with Edmonds and Johnson?

 

So/so, I think. As the season progressed he began playing Reed against a decent number of righties, I'm pretty sure.

[cubsfan26]

I'm sick of reading all this negative stuff, but I guess fans act like this almost every year. Last year at this time fans worried about the offense, and the rotation. Many fans were calling the team mediocre, and all kinds of other stuff. Talking about how much we downgraded is only a matter of opinion, and doesn't make it true. Nobody knows that, until we see how these decisions Hendry made work out, and debating about it right now is pointless.

 

 

 

So be patient and just wait for the season to unfold, because there's no reason at all to be negative at this time of the year. Especially with how talented this team is. So have a little confidence in the GM who has gotten the Cubs to the playoffs in back to back years since they went in Win-now mode. I know people have opinions, but I think they need to consider that there's a good chance their opinions are wrong, like they were the last two seasons on a bunch of Hendry moves.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Remember that time in early 2008? That time when we prayed we'd be good enough to beat out the Brewers? The time we assumed that the NL East would produce the Wild Card because the NLC was so terrible? The time that we assumed Fukudome was an easy .800 OPS?

 

I certainly understand the disgruntledness on some of the moves, but I really think the roster is better than last year's.

 

If nothing else, we could all probably agree that this cub team is the clear favorite in the central. That's not such a bad thing.

 

I hate being this negative, but I see no way that this roster is better than last year's. I liked last year's going into the season and was proven mostly right (though I never thought we'd approach 97 wins, I thought low 90s or high 80s was far more likely).

 

I just don't see any possible way the downgrades all across the bench, the downgrade in the bullpen, the downgrade at second and the improvement in the outfield could translate to a better team.

 

I definitely think we have a better lineup than we did opening day 2008. Better rotation too, especially if Hardens in. Bullpen and Bench are a definite downgrade. That could be a proble, as our bench was such a huge asset last season.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

2009 DeRosa has a much, much better chance at replicating 2008 DeRosa than the Fontenot/Miles platoon however.

 

And that's where we'll just have to disagree. I see them as projecting virtually identically.

[Little Slide Rooter]

I would expect DeRosa to come closer to his 06-07 Numbers than '08, maybe somewhere in between. I think that Fontenot would be able to produce that, and maybe then some if he were given the full time job, but when you have him platooning with career journeyman/utility player Miles, I dont have high expectations for the offensive production from second base.

[David]

I would expect DeRosa to come closer to his 06-07 Numbers than '08, maybe somewhere in between. I think that Fontenot would be able to produce that, and maybe then some if he were given the full time job, but when you have him platooning with career journeyman/utility player Miles, I dont have high expectations for the offensive production from second base.

 

Miles would be getting significantly fewer PAs in such a platoon and would be decently productive facing LHP.

[dew1679666265]

Remember that time in early 2008? That time when we prayed we'd be good enough to beat out the Brewers? The time we assumed that the NL East would produce the Wild Card because the NLC was so terrible? The time that we assumed Fukudome was an easy .800 OPS?

 

I certainly understand the disgruntledness on some of the moves, but I really think the roster is better than last year's.

 

If nothing else, we could all probably agree that this cub team is the clear favorite in the central. That's not such a bad thing.

 

I hate being this negative, but I see no way that this roster is better than last year's. I liked last year's going into the season and was proven mostly right (though I never thought we'd approach 97 wins, I thought low 90s or high 80s was far more likely).

 

I just don't see any possible way the downgrades all across the bench, the downgrade in the bullpen, the downgrade at second and the improvement in the outfield could translate to a better team.

 

I definitely think we have a better lineup than we did opening day 2008. Better rotation too, especially if Hardens in. Bullpen and Bench are a definite downgrade. That could be a proble, as our bench was such a huge asset last season.

 

I just don't understand that. We upgraded in RF and downgraded in CF and second. I think the lineup is definitely worse.

 

The rotation is certainly better than opening day 2008, though. The bench is quite a bit worse and the bullpen is a bit worse (and it could be even more if they dump Wuertz for nothing).

 

Overall, we're still the best team in the Central by a long shot, but I'm not filled with confidence that we'll do any better than a first round whimper again this year. I pray I'm wrong though.

[dew1679666265]

I would expect DeRosa to come closer to his 06-07 Numbers than '08, maybe somewhere in between. I think that Fontenot would be able to produce that, and maybe then some if he were given the full time job, but when you have him platooning with career journeyman/utility player Miles, I dont have high expectations for the offensive production from second base.

 

Miles would be getting significantly fewer PAs in such a platoon and would be decently productive facing LHP.

 

He'll hit singles 28% of the time and get on base a little. He doesn't fill me with excitement.

[dew1679666265]

2009 DeRosa has a much, much better chance at replicating 2008 DeRosa than the Fontenot/Miles platoon however.

 

And that's where we'll just have to disagree. I see them as projecting virtually identically.

 

I just think you have to assume too much about Fontenot continuing the same success as last year over twice the ABs. He may do it, but it's an assumption.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

2009 DeRosa has a much, much better chance at replicating 2008 DeRosa than the Fontenot/Miles platoon however.

 

And that's where we'll just have to disagree. I see them as projecting virtually identically.

 

I just think you have to assume too much about Fontenot continuing the same success as last year over twice the ABs. He may do it, but it's an assumption.

 

I'm a big believer in platoon situations, and I'm very bearish on 34-year-old middle infielders.

[dew1679666265]

I'm sick of reading all this negative stuff, but I guess fans act like this almost every year. Last year at this time fans worried about the offense, and the rotation. Many fans were calling the team mediocre, and all kinds of other stuff. Talking about how much we downgraded is only a matter of opinion, and doesn't make it true. Nobody knows that, until we see how these decisions Hendry made work out, and debating about it right now is pointless.

 

 

 

So be patient and just wait for the season to unfold, because there's no reason at all to be negative at this time of the year. Especially with how talented this team is. So have a little confidence in the GM who has gotten the Cubs to the playoffs in back to back years since they went in Win-now mode. I know people have opinions, but I think they need to consider that there's a good chance their opinions are wrong, like they were the last two seasons on a bunch of Hendry moves.

 

I just hate seeing a good team get worse for no good reason. There was no good reason to dump DeRosa and bring in Aaron Miles. We're still easily the best team in the Central, but we're not as good a team as we were last year. That's not the way to excite a fanbase after a monumental collapse in the playoffs.

[dew1679666265]

2009 DeRosa has a much, much better chance at replicating 2008 DeRosa than the Fontenot/Miles platoon however.

 

And that's where we'll just have to disagree. I see them as projecting virtually identically.

 

I just think you have to assume too much about Fontenot continuing the same success as last year over twice the ABs. He may do it, but it's an assumption.

 

I'm a big believer in platoon situations, and I'm very bearish on 34-year-old middle infielders.

 

The fact that he's been improving the last couple years makes me think he won't completely collapse this year.

 

And what happens if Fontenot gets hurt this year? We have the joy of Aaron Miles starting a whole lot for us. Had we kept DeRosa and one 2B got hurt, we'd still have a productive player left at that position.

[Soul]

I'm sick of reading all this negative stuff, but I guess fans act like this almost every year. Last year at this time fans worried about the offense, and the rotation. Many fans were calling the team mediocre, and all kinds of other stuff. Talking about how much we downgraded is only a matter of opinion, and doesn't make it true. Nobody knows that, until we see how these decisions Hendry made work out, and debating about it right now is pointless.

 

 

 

So be patient and just wait for the season to unfold, because there's no reason at all to be negative at this time of the year. Especially with how talented this team is. So have a little confidence in the GM who has gotten the Cubs to the playoffs in back to back years since they went in Win-now mode. I know people have opinions, but I think they need to consider that there's a good chance their opinions are wrong, like they were the last two seasons on a bunch of Hendry moves.

 

I just hate seeing a good team get worse for no good reason. There was no good reason to dump DeRosa and bring in Aaron Miles. We're still easily the best team in the Central, but we're not as good a team as we were last year. That's not the way to excite a fanbase after a monumental collapse in the playoffs.

 

I don't like the decrease in the margin of error. A couple significant injuries for large portions of the year and we're no longer easily the best team in the Central.

 

I'm looking at players like Bradley -- totally unknown how many games he'll give us. Ramirez -- what if his legs get chippy on us again? Zambrano -- how's that shoulder going to be this year?

 

But, I suppose it could happen any year. I'm not freaking out or anything, just not feeling quite as comfortable as I hoped I would.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

The fact that he's been improving the last couple years makes me think he won't completely collapse this year.

 

The fact that he's been improving the last couple of years makes me think there's even more room to fall.

 

 

And what happens if Fontenot gets hurt this year? We have the joy of Aaron Miles starting a whole lot for us. Had we kept DeRosa and one 2B got hurt, we'd still have a productive player left at that position.

 

That's a completely different issue.

[dew1679666265]

I'm sick of reading all this negative stuff, but I guess fans act like this almost every year. Last year at this time fans worried about the offense, and the rotation. Many fans were calling the team mediocre, and all kinds of other stuff. Talking about how much we downgraded is only a matter of opinion, and doesn't make it true. Nobody knows that, until we see how these decisions Hendry made work out, and debating about it right now is pointless.

 

 

 

So be patient and just wait for the season to unfold, because there's no reason at all to be negative at this time of the year. Especially with how talented this team is. So have a little confidence in the GM who has gotten the Cubs to the playoffs in back to back years since they went in Win-now mode. I know people have opinions, but I think they need to consider that there's a good chance their opinions are wrong, like they were the last two seasons on a bunch of Hendry moves.

 

I just hate seeing a good team get worse for no good reason. There was no good reason to dump DeRosa and bring in Aaron Miles. We're still easily the best team in the Central, but we're not as good a team as we were last year. That's not the way to excite a fanbase after a monumental collapse in the playoffs.

 

I don't like the decrease in the margin of error. A couple significant injuries for large portions of the year and we're no longer easily the best team in the Central.

 

I'm looking at players like Bradley -- totally unknown how many games he'll give us. Ramirez -- what if his legs get chippy on us again? Zambrano -- how's that shoulder going to be this year?

 

But, I suppose it could happen any year. I'm not freaking out or anything, just not feeling quite as comfortable as I hoped I would.

 

Those things could happen any year, but last year we had the depth to survive them. This year, when Bradley misses significant time, we'll have Reed Johnson playing everyday or Joey Gathright getting a lot of ABs - instead of DeRosa playing in right.

 

If Aramis misses significant time - we'll have Aaron Miles in the starting lineup every day.

 

Injuries can always happen, but we've left ourselves in a worse position to handle those injuries. And at the same time, brought in a guy (Bradley) who is very, very likely to suffer a significant injury.