This team is just not very good

[dew1679666265]

The first thing that comes to mind is that we needed good to great production. Historically, both Bradley and Dunn have been highly productive players. Bradley had health issues and Dunn had defensive issues, so neither was a sure thing player, but both were good options.

 

Historically Bradley has about 2 years of great production and Dunn was always the clear winner on the "likelihood to keep being productive" scale. You don't really want to talk "historically" if you are trying to pimp Bradley over Dunn. It was all about hoping 2007/2008 were real and he was capable of maintaining those numbers. Bradley had the upside hopes, Dunn had the better track record.

 

I'm not trying to pimp Bradley over Dunn. I wanted Dunn in the offseason and made that fairly clear.

 

What I am saying is that it's perfectly rational to support signing Bradley over Dunn. Plenty of very rational people on this board made the argument that Bradley, when healthy, could outproduce Dunn when you factor in Dunn's abysmal defense. I didn't agree with them, but that doesn't mean the argument was "laughable" as Arnold Layne stated.

[MarthaT]

I just need this team to start playing better because otherwise my 3 trips to Wrigley are going to be unhappy. That is all.

 

 

I hear ya, I can only get back there once this season, sure hope they win that game

[illiniguy]

What sucks is Dunn is younger. We could have lowered the team age quite a bit by taking him and created felixability by moving him to first when Lee's contract runs out. Hendry just chose the wrong guy, again.

[David]

http://www.sawauto.com/uploader/up2/Donkey%20Show.gif

 

 

lol

[illiniguy]

http://www.sawauto.com/uploader/up2/Donkey%20Show.gif

 

 

lol

Yeah he sucks in the outfield, but in a year he could be your first baseman.

[David]

That's not the most comforting thought, either.

 

I'm still not sure why no AL team picked him up. The Red Sox could sure use him right about now.

[Soul]

Plus when the team sucks Dunn provides comedy.

 

Bradley just pulls up lame when running out from the dugout.

Edited June 3, 2009 by Soul

[jersey cubs fan]

That's not the most comforting thought, either.

 

Eh, it's not that hard. People rave about Lee but he doesn't seem to to anything impressive defensively. I doubt very much the numbers people have shown for defensive ability at 1st.

[Soul]

That's not the most comforting thought, either.

 

Eh, it's not that hard. People rave about Lee but he doesn't seem to to anything impressive defensively. I doubt very much the numbers people have shown for defensive ability at 1st.

 

It seems to me that his biggest value defensively is his size -- getting to throws that would be errant otherwise. Although last night kind of blows that hypothesis...

[CubColtPacer]

That's not the most comforting thought, either.

 

Eh, it's not that hard. People rave about Lee but he doesn't seem to to anything impressive defensively. I doubt very much the numbers people have shown for defensive ability at 1st.

 

The best two things that Lee does that makes him very impressive defensively IMO

 

1) His range on balls down the line is very good. He can stop a ball that normally goes for a double into the corner. Sometimes he doesn't actually get the runner on it, but it's still a whole lot better than other first basemen who would watch it sail past them.

2) Picking throws. He has had a small problem with this the last week or so, but he is normally one of the best at it. Also, he doesn't swipe at the ball like most first basemen do, so when he does have a problem it's not because he completely missed it which allows the baserunner to also move up a base in addition to being safe.

[davearm2]

St. Louis Cardinals on May 25, 2004: 23-22, .511, 5th place, 3.5 games behind

St. Louis Cardinals on Oct 3, 2004: 105-57, .648, 1st place, 13.0 games ahead

 

Chicago Cubs on June 3, 2007: 23-31, .426, 4th place, 7.5 games behind

Chicago Cubs on October 3, 2007: 85-77, .525, 1st place, 2.0 games ahead

 

Lots of baseball left, fellas. If the Cubs can get back to playing .600 ball like they did in 2008, they'd finish 92-70. That'll get you into the NL postseason.

[17 Seconds]

St. Louis Cardinals on May 25, 2004: 23-22, .511, 5th place, 3.5 games behind

St. Louis Cardinals on Oct 3, 2004: 105-57, .648, 1st place, 13.0 games ahead

 

Chicago Cubs on June 3, 2007: 23-31, .426, 4th place, 7.5 games behind

Chicago Cubs on October 3, 2007: 85-77, .525, 1st place, 2.0 games ahead

 

Lots of baseball left, fellas. If the Cubs can get back to playing .600 ball like they did in 2008, they'd finish 92-70. That'll get you into the NL postseason.

 

What makes you think this team is capable of playing .600 ball like they did last year? Is Dempster going to have an ERA under 3 the rest of the way like last season? Are we going to trade for DeRosa and get an .857 OPS from him again? Is Fontenot going to OPS over .900 again? Is Wood going to come back and be the closer again? Is Edmonds going to sign and give us like a .950 OPS again? Is Soto going to put up an .870 OPS again? Is Ramirez going to come back tomorrow and start mashing again?

 

This is not 2008. It's 2009. This is a completely different team. Also stop comparing them to the 2004 Cardinals. It's pointless. That team was way better.

[davearm2]

St. Louis Cardinals on May 25, 2004: 23-22, .511, 5th place, 3.5 games behind

St. Louis Cardinals on Oct 3, 2004: 105-57, .648, 1st place, 13.0 games ahead

 

Chicago Cubs on June 3, 2007: 23-31, .426, 4th place, 7.5 games behind

Chicago Cubs on October 3, 2007: 85-77, .525, 1st place, 2.0 games ahead

 

Lots of baseball left, fellas. If the Cubs can get back to playing .600 ball like they did in 2008, they'd finish 92-70. That'll get you into the NL postseason.

 

What makes you think this team is capable of playing .600 ball like they did last year? Is Dempster going to have an ERA under 3 the rest of the way like last season? Are we going to trade for DeRosa and get an .857 OPS from him again? Is Fontenot going to OPS over .900 again? Is Wood going to come back and be the closer again? Is Edmonds going to sign and give us like a .950 OPS again? Is Soto going to put up an .870 OPS again? Is Ramirez going to come back tomorrow and start mashing again?

 

This is not 2008. It's 2009. This is a completely different team. Also stop comparing them to the 2004 Cardinals. It's pointless. That team was way better.

Way to miss the point. What a team is in the first two months doesn't set in stone what they'll be the whole season.

 

I could've cited several recent Astros teams to illustrate this same point.

[dew1679666265]

St. Louis Cardinals on May 25, 2004: 23-22, .511, 5th place, 3.5 games behind

St. Louis Cardinals on Oct 3, 2004: 105-57, .648, 1st place, 13.0 games ahead

 

Chicago Cubs on June 3, 2007: 23-31, .426, 4th place, 7.5 games behind

Chicago Cubs on October 3, 2007: 85-77, .525, 1st place, 2.0 games ahead

 

Lots of baseball left, fellas. If the Cubs can get back to playing .600 ball like they did in 2008, they'd finish 92-70. That'll get you into the NL postseason.

 

What makes you think this team is capable of playing .600 ball like they did last year? Is Dempster going to have an ERA under 3 the rest of the way like last season? Are we going to trade for DeRosa and get an .857 OPS from him again? Is Fontenot going to OPS over .900 again? Is Wood going to come back and be the closer again? Is Edmonds going to sign and give us like a .950 OPS again? Is Soto going to put up an .870 OPS again? Is Ramirez going to come back tomorrow and start mashing again?

 

This is not 2008. It's 2009. This is a completely different team. Also stop comparing them to the 2004 Cardinals. It's pointless. That team was way better.

 

A team can improve a number of ways after two months of a season. Edmonds may not sign with us and OPS .900, but who's to say Bradley cannot? If he can stay healthy, he's shown he can OPS .900+ over a period of a time.

 

Wood may not return to close, but Gregg may become adequate or Hendry may pull a trade for a good closer. DeRosa may not return and OPS .857 again, but Fontenot may OPS that and we may acquire Branyan who gives us similar production to last year's Fontenot.

 

And again, we may not win 97 games this year (I'm not going out on a limb, I realize). But we may end up winning 89-92 and barely squeaking past St. Louis/Milwaukee/whoever. But the fact is, it's possible that this team - and whatever additions may come - can win at a rate necessary to reach the playoffs and if they do that, they are capable of winning there.

[Little Slide Rooter]

We really do need offensive help, no question. Right now, Fuku and Lee are our anchors, which isnt horrible, but back when it was Soso and Alou, they were a lot better, and their supporting cast wasnt much worse than this. Aside from '03, they never went anywhere. We need help in some form.

[17 Seconds]

but back when it was Soso and Alou, they were a lot better, and their supporting cast wasnt much worse than this..

 

in 2004 they had a good supporting cast. there is no reason that team shouldn't have made the playoffs. if we had a bullpen that year we probably would have won like 95 games

[Little Slide Rooter]

I give up, you win. This team is not good, and its going to take a lot more than some stop gap third baseman to right the ship. This is a disaster, and aside from the rotation, they are not fun to watch. Right now, were a middle of the pack team in a middle of the pack division.

[loukycub]

on another forum i am a known cubs fan and there is also another member who is a known brewer fan. we had fun going back and forth last season. but i told him at the start of this year, we weren't winning anything because we got that much worse and no other team got that much better. when you trade away depth for a kneejerk reaction to a bad matchup in the postseason compounded by making deals to make one big trade and not pulling off the big trade, bad things are going to happen. and right now that's playing out. milwaukee and st. louis are 1-2 and it looks like the loss of wood, derosa, wuertz, eyre, and marquis are the equal of about 5-6 games as to this point last year.

 

i really would love to hear hendry's reasoning for trying to get more lefthanded when being a predominantly righthanded team got us the best record in the national league, and an explanation for not dfa cotts after the tampa bay series last year, or why he hasn't been dfa right now.

[Soonernation]

At least Gregg seems to have stabilized the last few games