O' Samardzija, Where Art Thou? Updated: Called Up.

[mikeyt34]

In Iowa...I know.

 

Does anyone think it's time to scrap the whole "let's make Samardzija a starter" thing? I know the kid is going to be a starter some day, and probably a pretty damn good one, but this year we need him in the bullpen once again. How long will Jim, Lou, and Larry wait?

 

Sorry if this is posted somewhere else, but I didn't see anything so I put it up.

Edited April 23, 2009 by mikeyt34

[javy knows my name]

In Iowa...I know.

 

Does anyone think it's time to scrap the whole "let's make Samardzija a starter" thing? I know the kid is going to be a starter some day, and probably a pretty damn good one, but this year we need him in the bullpen once again. How long will Jim, Lou, and Larry wait?

 

Sorry if this is posted somewhere else, but I didn't see anything so I put it up.

 

It would be nice, but it really doesn't make sense to sacrifice his upside as a starter to put another slightly-above-replacement-level arm in the bullpen for one year. The only real gas can in there right now is Cotts, it's not time to blow up the 'pen just yet.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Id just assume give Chad Fox, whose been dominant in Iowa as he was during ST one last chance before all else.

[CubColtPacer]

I just have a few questions.

 

1. Who are you going to release to make this happen? It isn't as easy as just calling somebody up with the Cubs option situation. Cotts is really the only one that hasn't shown anything so far, but I know the Cubs would be reluctant to let him go. I have no idea who else should be jettisoned at this point. And once that's done, it's pretty irreversible, so you have to be absolutely sure you're releasing the right person.

 

2. Is the situation really bad enough to make a move? Remember, the Cubs are still 9th in baseball in bullpen ERA, 10th in opponent OPS, and 13th in WHIP (in the NL, they are 6th, 5th, and 7th respectively). Lou's still having issues figuring out who is going to be the best out of the Patton/Guzman/Vizcaino trio after the top 3 of Marmol/Gregg/Heilman. I don't see why the Cubs should panic because they only have an above average bullpen in the first two weeks of the year.

 

3. Is Samardzija the right choice? If the Cubs decided to make a bullpen move, there are other options at Iowa besides Samardzija. Jeff Stevens could be called up from the right side or Jason Wadell from the left side. If they wanted to pull somebody from being a starter at Iowa to being a reliever in the big leagues, Caridad or Ascanio might be a more obvious choice than Samardzija right now. Samardzija needs the time right now to be able to work on his secondary pitches, and the Cubs have the time to let him become a better pitcher overall.

 

4. Who are you going to use as your 6th starter if Samardzija is gone? The way the bullpen is being used shows that there is no long man. So if there's a start or two to be made, does Atkins take them? This is probably the least important concern as there are options at Iowa but it is still a concern.

 

This is still a feeling out time for the bullpen. Everybody is still trying to figure out what the Cubs have down there. Until the picture clears showing obvious weak links, it's hard to start thinking upgrade this early. And the Cubs have the time because the bullpen is not dragging them down majorly right now.

[Guest]

The same bullpen that sucks this week can look awesome next week. Now is not the time to freak out.

[Cynosure]

Our bullpen has a 2.79 ERA in 29 innings.

 

Why don't we focus on our STARTING pitching which has an ERA of 4.70... or a couple players on our offense like Soto/Bradley who can't hit worth a damn (yet).

 

The only REAL problem in the bullpen is Kevin Gregg.

[Sammy Sofa]

The only REAL problem in the bullpen is Kevin Gregg.

 

Nope.

[Cynosure]

The only REAL problem in the bullpen is Kevin Gregg.

 

Nope.

 

And we could obviously use another lefty.

[UMFan83]

lol How can you say that the bullpen as a whole needs more time to prove itself and then in the same breath say that the only real problem is Gregg, the arm that has the most experince at being a somewhat decent reliever besides Mamol?

[Andy]

The only REAL problem in the bullpen is Kevin Gregg.

 

Nope.

 

And we could obviously use another lefty.

I'd rather have no lefties at all than keep Neal Cotts on this team one more day.

[Mephistopheles]

The same bullpen that sucks this week can look awesome next week. Now is not the time to freak out.

 

we all knew our bullpen would suck before the season. should die hard nat fans not worry about their rotation after one week?

[Proven Veteran]

The same bullpen that sucks this week can look awesome next week. Now is not the time to freak out.

 

die hard nat fans

 

lol

[Guest]

The same bullpen that sucks this week can look awesome next week. Now is not the time to freak out.

 

we all knew our bullpen would suck before the season. should die hard nat fans not worry about their rotation after one week?

 

Yeah, real comparable. The Cubs probably spend more on the bullpen than the Nats spend on their rotation.

[NCCubFan]

The only REAL problem in the bullpen is Kevin Gregg.

Yeah, let's keep having that "problem." :D

[Cynosure]

The only REAL problem in the bullpen is Kevin Gregg.

Yeah, let's keep having that "problem." :D

 

Quoted like a true Cubs fan after he bails us out :-D

 

I'll eat crow if he does it again in the next 7 days.

[Machina]

I guess it comes down to the classic question, for the future of the organization or for the here and now. While the starting pitching has not been great this year, the Cubs still have 4 good starters with Z, Ted, Rich and Ryan. And if the Cubs end up making a play for Jake Peavy, then what could would Samardzija do for us this year?

 

While I agree that the best thing long term might be to have Samardzija as a starter, I am worried the window (with the current team) might be closing in the new few years, so I would like to see the Cubs do what it takes to get it done this season. Samardzija in the pen would be a bonus, but if the Cubs can get some bullpen help by the trade deadline, then things should be okay.

[biittner77]

I guess it comes down to the classic question, for the future of the organization or for the here and now. While the starting pitching has not been great this year, the Cubs still have 4 good starters with Z, Ted, Rich and Ryan. And if the Cubs end up making a play for Jake Peavy, then what could would Samardzija do for us this year?

 

While I agree that the best thing long term might be to have Samardzija as a starter, I am worried the window (with the current team) might be closing in the new few years, so I would like to see the Cubs do what it takes to get it done this season. Samardzija in the pen would be a bonus, but if the Cubs can get some bullpen help by the trade deadline, then things should be okay.

 

Samardzija's secondary pitches were erratic last year. He got by because teams didn't see him that much. He needs to improve those pitches and the best way to do that is in Iowa's rotation. The Cubs need to show the discipline to keep him there.

[jersey cubs fan]

It's not like Samardzija was an unstoppable force out of the bullpen last year.

[Machina]

It's not like Samardzija was an unstoppable force out of the bullpen last year.

 

I agree, I am not trying to say he was. I was just saying that in my opinion, Jeff as Reliever would be the most beneficial this season for the big league club. For the organization as a whole for the future, he is best where he is at right now.

 

Marmol is great and has explosive stuff, but I worry about him mentally at times. Gregg has struggled, this season. Guzman has great stuff as well, but is inexperienced and hasn't found his control yet. I am not saying we need to sell the farm to get bullpen help today, but I am certain that the cubs need to get at least one more dependable arm down there for the stretch run and hopefully playoffs. Samardzija is not that player, but he would help for the stretch run in the pen this season.

[Old Style]

Just a thought. Would the Cubs be better off with Samardzija in the rotation and Marshall in the bullpen? Lou needs a lefty in the pen that doesn't suck complete donkey nuts and we don't have anyone right now that matches that description.

[biittner77]

Just a thought. Would the Cubs be better off with Samardzija in the rotation and Marshall in the bullpen? Lou needs a lefty in the pen that doesn't suck complete donkey nuts and we don't have anyone right now that matches that description.

 

Maybe, but that brings us back to who are you willing to release to make that happen? Lou seems to like Cotts for some reason.

 

It seems like they are going to give Marshall a few starts before they relegate him to the pen.

[hardcorecubfan]

The same bullpen that sucks this week can look awesome next week. Now is not the time to freak out.

 

die hard nat fans

 

lol

 

That is singular "fan"

[jersey cubs fan]

Just a thought. Would the Cubs be better off with Samardzija in the rotation and Marshall in the bullpen? Lou needs a lefty in the pen that doesn't suck complete donkey nuts and we don't have anyone right now that matches that description.

 

Maybe, but that brings us back to who are you willing to release to make that happen? Lou seems to like Cotts for some reason.

 

It seems like they are going to give Marshall a few starts before they relegate him to the pen.

 

It's probably a matter of waiting out the first DL stint moreso than preparing to release somebody. One of those guys is bound to go down sooner or later.

[Machina]

I know the season is extremely young, but Jeff's numbers thus far are not horrible, but not great in Iowa.

 

http://iowa.cubs.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=t_ibp&cid=451&stn=true&sid=t451

 

His strike outs and his WHIP are very positive. His ERA is not good but not bad either. The thing that scares me is that he has given up 3 HRs in AAA in 12 Innings to AAA batters.

 

Without injury, its too early to bring him up. I want to see him work on making good pitches to not give up the long ball.

 

I think that if he tears in up, or if there is a bullpen injury in June or July, then bring him up as the 5th starter and moving marshall to the pen might be a good idea, like a few others have mentioned.

[Rob]

The same bullpen that sucks this week can look awesome next week. Now is not the time to freak out.

 

we all knew our bullpen would suck before the season. should die hard nat fans not worry about their rotation after one week?

 

I'm actually not that concerned about our pen. Marmol and Gregg are obviously darn good. I'm a huge Heilman fan. If Gooz keeps his arm intact, I have no doubt that his performance will be fine... hell, even Vizcaino aint half bad, provided he never faces a lefty.

 

Patton is a gamble, and Cotts sucks. That's still a good deal better than most teams.