Proposed Brian Roberts trade that fell through???

[17 Seconds]

If there is one thing Milton Bradley and Latroy Hawkins have taught me is that not all players can perform up to their average stats when playing for the Cubs...Some players just cannot respond to the pressure...

 

LaTroy was awesome before Dusty had him close.

 

And then continued to have him close.

 

And then continued some more.

 

And some more.

[Tyrant]

ASL?

 

29/m/WA. u?

[daske17]

If there is one thing Milton Bradley and Latroy Hawkins have taught me is that not all players can perform up to their average stats when playing for the Cubs...Some players just cannot respond to the pressure...

 

Imagine if they played in NY.

 

Latroy did... poorly.

[JonJayCutler]

Am I the only one that wouldn't have made this deal? Sure Roberts is a big upgrade at 2nd, but I'm not sure his .786 OPS is worth giving up a huge bat like Fox, a middle infielder with some power who would make a good backup (Fontenot), and then three other prospects on top of that. After these last couple days, its going to take a whole lot for me to be willing to part with Fox.

[SouthSideRyan]

I wouldn't have done it, I like Lee and Fontenot more than most.

[Keener98]

If there is one thing Milton Bradley and Latroy Hawkins have taught me is that not all players can perform up to their average stats when playing for the Cubs...Some players just cannot respond to the pressure...

 

This is ridiculous. If Bradley couldnt handle the pressure, why in the hell is he OPS'ing almost 950 at home, and only 590 on the road? Shouldnt that be the other way around if his performance was because of too much pressure?

 

I love how we have so many psychologists around here. From Latroy, to Hill, to Bradley, they just keep evaluating their mental make up having never met the person. Give me a break.

[Wrigley Rat]

Am I the only one that wouldn't have made this deal? Sure Roberts is a big upgrade at 2nd, but I'm not sure his .786 OPS is worth giving up a huge bat like Fox, a middle infielder with some power who would make a good backup (Fontenot), and then three other prospects on top of that. After these last couple days, its going to take a whole lot for me to be willing to part with Fox.

I would have done the deal because I feel that when you can trade spare parts for proven, needed starters (at $5 million per year for 3 more years), you do those trades.

 

- Hak-Ju Lee has the most potential, but he is unproven.

- Jake Fox does not have a position where he excels defensively, so he will not be a starter on this team. Full-time DH & backup CIF/COF is a perfect gig for him.

- Mike Fontenot is a nice 2B, but Brian Roberts makes him unnecessary.

- Jeff Samardzija might turn out to be a good pitcher, but he is not one today and he is being paid like he is proven.

- Alex Maestri is a minor league relief pitcher who had some arm issues last year. We are deep in this area.

 

- Brian Roberts gives us a solid defensive 2B, one of the best leadoff hitters in baseball, a history of success, gets along well with his teammates, and a left-handed bat.

- The minor leaguer coming back is probably someone in the mold of a John Gaub-type pitcher (someone under the radar that the Cubs have scouted and see potential in).

- Roberts makes this Cubs team significantly better this year and for the next three years.

 

IMHO, I make that trade.

[chasinf5s]

The cubs would get a ton better with roberts. Fontenot is crap, along with shark. i would miss fox but roberts wouldve really helped the cubs a lot

[Little Slide Rooter]

I think Id do the deal. Fox and Lee are the only guys Id miss, and Baltimore would be a much better place for Fox, where he could get a lot more PT as a DH or at 1B. As for Lee, I like him, but we also have 2 more nice SS prospects in Castro and LaMehieu. Maybe its expolred again at the waiver deadline, maybe not. I cant see too many teams with worse records than the Cubs risking claiming him due to his salary. The 1 that might would be the Mets.

[toonsterwu]

Am I the only one that wouldn't have made this deal? Sure Roberts is a big upgrade at 2nd, but I'm not sure his .786 OPS is worth giving up a huge bat like Fox, a middle infielder with some power who would make a good backup (Fontenot), and then three other prospects on top of that. After these last couple days, its going to take a whole lot for me to be willing to part with Fox.

 

Your not alone. I wouldn't do that hypothetical deal ... and to be honest, I don't really believe that "rumor". Read through some of the stuff on that site ... and it seems like a fan's take couched in "sources told me" terms.

 

But speaking from a purely hypothetical perspective, I wouldn't do that deal. Fukudome has been much better than I thought at the top of the order. To be honest, I had no expectations for Kosuke, as I sort of expected him to fall apart, but maybe he simply needed to be at the top of the order for some reason (more likely, that visit from his swing coach probably helped). Baker has been steady in limited AB's, and I'm still fine with a Baker/Fontenot platoon.

 

It isn't an issue of what we give up that bothers me, in this hypothetical, although I wouldn't be enthused about that. It's an issue of ... is what we are giving up worth what doesn't appear to be a big upgrade to the squad? Sure, it's an upgrade, and in a win-all climate, a lot can be accepted, but I wouldn't do it, primarily because of Lee. He's the type of guy that, in a year or two, you might be able to build an elite package for, or hopefully, become a key part of our future.

 

There's also some long range factors to ponder over - Samardzija/Maestri does slightly weaken our pitching depth, Roberts is near/at the age of decline, and so forth.

 

*Just to be clear, not sure the Orioles would do this deal either, in a hypothetical perspective. The money thing makes it very unlikely, but let's pretend that they aren't eating money. Money is a factor, but another is finding assets that mesh with the current timeline of their young pieces. I'm not sure how enthused they would be about Samardzija/Maestri, two guys that definitely project to the pen for them as of now. Add in Shark's contract (assuming he was willing to waive his NTC) and the clock having started already. Fox is a good asset, but not an asset that is so unique for them to build a trade around. Essentially, they'd be building a deal around Lee, and that might be a tough swallow for them. They need pieces now, with the OF clocks having started, with Wieters and the top young arms up. It's an intriguing package, and it would probably get their attention, but I'm inclined to think that they could probably find something more suitable for their needs in the offseason if they decide to deal Roberts (personally, I think they'll explore it, his value has come down a bit, but it's probably still solid enough to perhaps net them a ready middle infielder due to him being signed down).

[DiamondMind]

i wish i never would have read this

[Guest]

The cubs would get a ton better with roberts. Fontenot is crap, along with shark. i would miss fox but roberts wouldve really helped the cubs a lot

That's 2,000 pounds better.