Cubs sign OF Marlon Byrd (3/$15M)

[Rob]

Are we addressing the 2B issue by any chance? Fontenot is awful IMO, and I seriously doubt Jeff Baker is the answer.

 

I don't expect us to address it, no. It would seem the Cubs are leaving the door open a crack and hoping that Starlin Castro force his way into the SS job in spring training, so we're leaving 2B open in case that happens.

 

Fontenot isn't as bad as he was last year and he isn't as good as he was in 2008, though it seems we all have underrated his defense a bit. Baker isn't the answer, either. But he's a solid backup and can hit lefties fairly well. Given the available options at the moment, I'm happy enough with what can be assumed to be a decent platoon.

 

And hey, if Castro isn't our starting SS and the platoon isn't working, there's always the trade market once teams start falling out of it.

[carolinacubbie]

Are we addressing the 2B issue by any chance? Fontenot is awful IMO, and I seriously doubt Jeff Baker is the answer.

 

I don't expect us to address it, no. It would seem the Cubs are leaving the door open a crack and hoping that Starlin Castro force his way into the SS job in spring training, so we're leaving 2B open in case that happens.

 

Fontenot isn't as bad as he was last year and he isn't as good as he was in 2008, though it seems we all have underrated his defense a bit. Baker isn't the answer, either. But he's a solid backup and can hit lefties fairly well. Given the available options at the moment, I'm happy enough with what can be assumed to be a decent platoon.

 

And hey, if Castro isn't our starting SS and the platoon isn't working, there's always the trade market once teams start falling out of it.

 

Yeah, but what worries me is we might be the team falling out of it.

[Rob]

Are we addressing the 2B issue by any chance? Fontenot is awful IMO, and I seriously doubt Jeff Baker is the answer.

 

I don't expect us to address it, no. It would seem the Cubs are leaving the door open a crack and hoping that Starlin Castro force his way into the SS job in spring training, so we're leaving 2B open in case that happens.

 

Fontenot isn't as bad as he was last year and he isn't as good as he was in 2008, though it seems we all have underrated his defense a bit. Baker isn't the answer, either. But he's a solid backup and can hit lefties fairly well. Given the available options at the moment, I'm happy enough with what can be assumed to be a decent platoon.

 

And hey, if Castro isn't our starting SS and the platoon isn't working, there's always the trade market once teams start falling out of it.

 

Yeah, but what worries me is we might be the team falling out of it.

 

If we're going to fall out of it, I'd rather we did it in advance of the trade deadline than after. Lee and Lilly are in the last years of their contract and Aramis has an opt-out he may or may not take. Theriot may be expendable by the deadline as well, should we find ourselves out of it.

 

What worries me is that we're 5-6 games back at the deadline, Hendry burns prospects acquiring a marginal upgrade somewhere, but it's not enough and we never sniff first place the rest of the season while missing the opportunity to see what we could have gotten for our guys. Then he signs them to extensions that are 2 years too long.