The 2009 Winter Meetings Thread

[Cubswin11]

Levine had some tidbits on the Cubs

 

- Hendry apparently talked to Ben Sheets agent

- Also had conversation with Cameron's agent

- Putz has already worked out for the Cubs and the Cubs will watch him again on Friday

 

 

 

http://espn.go.com/chicago/columns/blog/_/post/4730140/name/levine

[A-Cal]

Levine had some tidbits on the Cubs

 

- Hendry apparently talked to Ben Sheets agent

- Also had conversation with Cameron's agent

- Putz has already worked out for the Cubs and the Cubs will watch him again on Friday

 

 

 

http://espn.go.com/chicago/columns/blog/_/post/4730140/name/levine

 

Ben Sheets!!!!!!!!!!

 

Oh please oh please oh please oh please!!!

[Backtobanks]

Lowell traded to Texas for Max Ramirez

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4730311

 

Red Sox picking up 9M of the 12M owed to him.

 

This doesn't help Hendry in the slightest, either. A guy who can play a corner infield position, doesn't cause a media circus on a daily basis and only has 1 year on his contract still has 75% it picked up by his former employer without taking back an equally bad contract in return. Actually, a pretty highly respected prospect at one time, although I think he's fallen below the radar a little bit of late.

 

Well even though Lowell can play both corner IF positions, doesn't cause a media circus on a daily basis, and only has 1 year on his contract, he is still a serious health risk and is probably at the end of his career.

[Sever82]

Levine had some tidbits on the Cubs

 

- Hendry apparently talked to Ben Sheets agent

- Also had conversation with Cameron's agent

- Putz has already worked out for the Cubs and the Cubs will watch him again on Friday

 

 

 

http://espn.go.com/chicago/columns/blog/_/post/4730140/name/levine

 

Ben Sheets!!!!!!!!!!

 

Oh please oh please oh please oh please!!!

 

Sheets would definitely be a nice pick up, i'd rather have sheets than Harden. Both are injury prone and can go on the DL at any given moment but at least when healthy, sheets isn't a 5 inning pitcher.

[A-Cal]

Levine had some tidbits on the Cubs

 

- Hendry apparently talked to Ben Sheets agent

- Also had conversation with Cameron's agent

- Putz has already worked out for the Cubs and the Cubs will watch him again on Friday

 

 

 

http://espn.go.com/chicago/columns/blog/_/post/4730140/name/levine

 

Ben Sheets!!!!!!!!!!

 

Oh please oh please oh please oh please!!!

 

Sheets would definitely be a nice pick up, i'd rather have sheets than Harden. Both are injury prone and can go on the DL at any given moment but at least when healthy, sheets isn't a 5 inning pitcher.

 

Exactly! Plus, Sheets has had the surgery. Harden has not had the surgery.

 

Sheets

Zambrano

Lilly

Dempster

Warm Body

 

There is a lot of promise there. I need to calm down though. There is no point in getting excited for next season just yet.

[kujay]

That's what we need, another sim game superstar.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Lowell traded to Texas for Max Ramirez

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4730311

 

Red Sox picking up 9M of the 12M owed to him.

 

This doesn't help Hendry in the slightest, either. A guy who can play a corner infield position, doesn't cause a media circus on a daily basis and only has 1 year on his contract still has 75% it picked up by his former employer without taking back an equally bad contract in return. Actually, a pretty highly respected prospect at one time, although I think he's fallen below the radar a little bit of late.

 

Max Ramirez is a top shelf catching prospect. They took on the money so they could get a good player in return. Also, like was mentioned, Lowell may not have the baggage of Bradley, but as a guy who is rapidly becoming a 1B/DH, he's not nearly as usable a talent as Bradley is.

[Sever82]

Levine had some tidbits on the Cubs

 

- Hendry apparently talked to Ben Sheets agent

- Also had conversation with Cameron's agent

- Putz has already worked out for the Cubs and the Cubs will watch him again on Friday

 

 

 

http://espn.go.com/chicago/columns/blog/_/post/4730140/name/levine

 

Ben Sheets!!!!!!!!!!

 

Oh please oh please oh please oh please!!!

 

 

Sheets would definitely be a nice pick up, i'd rather have sheets than Harden. Both are injury prone and can go on the DL at any given moment but at least when healthy, sheets isn't a 5 inning pitcher.

 

Exactly! Plus, Sheets has had the surgery. Harden has not had the surgery.

 

Sheets

Zambrano

Lilly

Dempster

Warm Body

 

There is a lot of promise there. I need to calm down though. There is no point in getting excited for next season just yet.

 

 

I dont think Sheets signs with the cubs unless he takes a low salary with huge incentives, no way the cubs commit to a 9+ million plus salary for sheets. I agree with you on the surgery part though but its still a big "if" about him pitching well again or pitching healthy again. Harden signing with the Rangers definitely does increase the chance of the cubs signing sheets but its up to the FO to make the money work.

[17 Seconds]

Levine had some tidbits on the Cubs

 

- Hendry apparently talked to Ben Sheets agent

- Also had conversation with Cameron's agent

- Putz has already worked out for the Cubs and the Cubs will watch him again on Friday

 

 

 

http://espn.go.com/chicago/columns/blog/_/post/4730140/name/levine

 

Ben Sheets!!!!!!!!!!

 

Oh please oh please oh please oh please!!!

 

Sheets would definitely be a nice pick up, i'd rather have sheets than Harden. Both are injury prone and can go on the DL at any given moment but at least when healthy, sheets isn't a 5 inning pitcher.

 

Exactly! Plus, Sheets has had the surgery. Harden has not had the surgery.

 

 

Wait, so coming off surgery is better than not coming off surgery?

[kujay]

Levine had some tidbits on the Cubs

 

- Hendry apparently talked to Ben Sheets agent

- Also had conversation with Cameron's agent

- Putz has already worked out for the Cubs and the Cubs will watch him again on Friday

 

 

 

http://espn.go.com/chicago/columns/blog/_/post/4730140/name/levine

 

Ben Sheets!!!!!!!!!!

 

Oh please oh please oh please oh please!!!

 

Sheets would definitely be a nice pick up, i'd rather have sheets than Harden. Both are injury prone and can go on the DL at any given moment but at least when healthy, sheets isn't a 5 inning pitcher.

 

Exactly! Plus, Sheets has had the surgery. Harden has not had the surgery.

 

 

Wait, so coming off surgery is better than not coming off surgery?

 

If you assume Harden needs surgery. Why is that assumed?

[A-Cal]

 

If you assume Harden needs surgery. Why is that assumed?

 

He has shoulder issues that haven't been resolved. Sadly, I think it will come back to bite the Rangers in the butt.

[Sever82]

If you assume Harden needs surgery. Why is that assumed?

 

Because his velocity isn't what it once was. There were too many starts last in which he was strong at one point and then dropped off the next start. Harden definitely has something wrong either on his shoulder or elbow, he's become a two pitch pitcher and he's not affective if his fastball is hitting 89 because his changed up is at 85 so there isn't much drop off.

[kujay]

If you assume Harden needs surgery. Why is that assumed?

 

Because his velocity isn't what it once was. There were too many starts last in which he was strong at one point and then dropped off the next start. Harden definitely has something wrong either on his shoulder or elbow, he's become a two pitch pitcher and he's not affective if his fastball is hitting 89 because his changed up is at 85 so there isn't much drop off.

 

Fair enough. But there isn't any diagnosis.

[mul21]

 

If you assume Harden needs surgery. Why is that assumed?

 

He has shoulder issues that haven't been resolved. Sadly, I think it will come back to bite the Rangers in the butt.

 

Do we have any idea what part of the shoulder is the problem for Harden? I know we have no idea the severity to which it may or may not be damaged, but I'm curious to know what the supposed injury actually is.

[David]

Wasn't Sheets supposed to be ready midseason 2009? How bad was he set-back? It sucks that he doesn't at least have some post-surgery innings under his belt yet.

[inari]

If you assume Harden needs surgery. Why is that assumed?

 

Because his velocity isn't what it once was. There were too many starts last in which he was strong at one point and then dropped off the next start. Harden definitely has something wrong either on his shoulder or elbow, he's become a two pitch pitcher and he's not affective if his fastball is hitting 89 because his changed up is at 85 so there isn't much drop off.

 

He has become a two pitch pitcher? He's always been a two pitch pitcher.

[Sever82]

If you assume Harden needs surgery. Why is that assumed?

 

Because his velocity isn't what it once was. There were too many starts last in which he was strong at one point and then dropped off the next start. Harden definitely has something wrong either on his shoulder or elbow, he's become a two pitch pitcher and he's not affective if his fastball is hitting 89 because his changed up is at 85 so there isn't much drop off.

 

He has become a two pitch pitcher? He's always been a two pitch pitcher.

 

No he wasn't, Harden use to use a slider at one point and a splitfinger when he was with the As. It was talked about a lot when we first picked him up from the As. . His changeup has become a combination of a split and change.

[inari]

To my knowledge, Harden has always used a fastball and a variety of changeup grips. I'm pretty much positive on this one.

[Sever82]

To my knowledge, Harden has always used a fastball and a variety of changeup grips. I'm pretty much positive on this one.

 

I dont have anything to prove my statement other than what i heard during broadcasts and analysis. Do you?

[CubColtPacer]

To my knowledge, Harden has always used a fastball and a variety of changeup grips. I'm pretty much positive on this one.

 

No, he has definitely dropped a couple pitches. In fact, early in his career his changeup was his 4th most used pitch. He was a fastball/slider/splitfinger/changeup pitcher at the beginning of his career (a couple years he used the slider more, a couple he used the splitfinger more..the first year fangraphs actually has him throwing a few curveballs as well).

 

In 07 he stopped throwing the slider as much, and then in 08 he mostly cut out the splitfinger. This year he threw the changeup much more often than he ever has before and is the first year he is listed as only throwing two pitches.

[SouthSideRyan]

Levine had some tidbits on the Cubs

 

- Hendry apparently talked to Ben Sheets agent

- Also had conversation with Cameron's agent

- Putz has already worked out for the Cubs and the Cubs will watch him again on Friday

 

 

 

http://espn.go.com/chicago/columns/blog/_/post/4730140/name/levine

 

Ben Sheets!!!!!!!!!!

 

Oh please oh please oh please oh please!!!

 

Sheets would definitely be a nice pick up, i'd rather have sheets than Harden. Both are injury prone and can go on the DL at any given moment but at least when healthy, sheets isn't a 5 inning pitcher.

 

Exactly! Plus, Sheets has had the surgery. Harden has not had the surgery.

 

 

Wait, so coming off surgery is better than not coming off surgery?

 

5 innings robble robble

[Transmogrified Tiger]

http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=1772&position=P#pitchtype

 

While it's not able to segment between the A's and Cubs from 2008, it shows he definitely threw a slider for several years, and that it looks likely that he scrapped it(and the splitter for that matter) around the time he became a Cub.

[17 Seconds]

Rich Harden's last 12 starts of 2009-

 

67 IP

44 H

31 BB

88 K

.593 OPS against

2.55 ERA

1.12 WHIP

 

And yet somehow a guy who is coming off major shoulder and missed all of last season is a safer option?

[David]

To my knowledge, Harden has always used a fastball and a variety of changeup grips. I'm pretty much positive on this one.

 

No, he has definitely dropped a couple pitches. In fact, early in his career his changeup was his 4th most used pitch. He was a fastball/slider/splitfinger/changeup pitcher at the beginning of his career (a couple years he used the slider more, a couple he used the splitfinger more..the first year fangraphs actually has him throwing a few curveballs as well).

 

In 07 he stopped throwing the slider as much, and then in 08 he mostly cut out the splitfinger. This year he threw the changeup much more often than he ever has before and is the first year he is listed as only throwing two pitches.

 

 

This.

[17 Seconds]

ESPN says Soriano was traded to the Rays