The Problem of the Bullpen

[Little Slide Rooter]

Hednry wouldnt give up Vitters for Peavy when we were a legit contender. I doubt he'll move him for Bell now that were not. besides, we didnt give up anything of real value for Nomar, Aramis, Harden, or D Lee. The one thing Hendry seems to be good at is trades.

 

If were going to deal with the Pads, go for Mike Adams. The guys been quietly consitant for years now. Hes cheap and effective, so wed probably have to give up something, but surely none of our top prospects.

Not to mention he isn't a closer and his perceived value will be lower because he doesn't have a high number of career saves.

 

He's very cheap and productive, though, and that combination is very important to a team like the Padres. I actually think we could get Bell for a better deal than Adams, especially if we took all of Bell's contract.

 

That said, I would have no problem trading for Heath Bell as long as we don't overpay. As has been said, Hendry has almost always been very good at making trades work for us. Is Nolasco the best player we've traded away?

 

I doubt that. Bell is an established major league closer, and lot of teams would give up a lot for him. As for Adams, hes a 30 something and arb eligable, and the Pads may not be in the position to give a guy like that a raise. He does the same thing year after year and never genertes much interest from other teams. We could probably get him for what we got Grabow for last year. 1 major league ready player, and 1 low level solid, but not top prospect. Just to throw out names, we could probably get him for say Caridad and Tony Thomas.

[KingCubsFan]

everybody here thinks a whole lot higher of Vitters than i do, that's for sure

 

Even if you think that he's destined for failure, you have to admit that he has more trade equity than Heath Bell.

I think we should definitely look to trade Vitters. But it doesn't make sense to trade him for a guy whose value is tied up with the label of "closer" when Marmol has been lights out.

 

Why do you believe they should definitely look to trade Vitters? Aramis having an opt out clause in his contract sort of makes having Vitters around a bit of a safety net if Aramis leaves.

Vitters won't be ready by Opening Day next year, so we'd need to sign someone anyways if Aramis leaves. I just believe his (lack of) plate discipline will stop him from being a worthwhile regular on a championship-caliber team, so we should look to trade him for someone that is. Obviously, I hope I'm wrong though.

[dew1679666265]

I doubt that. Bell is an established major league closer, and lot of teams would give up a lot for him. As for Adams, hes a 30 something and arb eligable, and the Pads may not be in the position to give a guy like that a raise. He does the same thing year after year and never genertes much interest from other teams. We could probably get him for what we got Grabow for last year. 1 major league ready player, and 1 low level solid, but not top prospect. Just to throw out names, we could probably get him for say Caridad and Tony Thomas.

 

Teams would be willing to give more for Bell because of the closer tag, but the Padres would be much less willing to deal Adams. He's not going to get huge raises in arbitration because he doesn't have saves so he's not likely to become too pricey for the Padres, especially if he stays as effective as he's been. I just don't see the incentive for the Padres to deal Adams unless they get a great deal, they do have incentive to trade Bell.

[Little Slide Rooter]

I doubt that. Bell is an established major league closer, and lot of teams would give up a lot for him. As for Adams, hes a 30 something and arb eligable, and the Pads may not be in the position to give a guy like that a raise. He does the same thing year after year and never genertes much interest from other teams. We could probably get him for what we got Grabow for last year. 1 major league ready player, and 1 low level solid, but not top prospect. Just to throw out names, we could probably get him for say Caridad and Tony Thomas.

 

Teams would be willing to give more for Bell because of the closer tag, but the Padres would be much less willing to deal Adams. He's not going to get huge raises in arbitration because he doesn't have saves so he's not likely to become too pricey for the Padres, especially if he stays as effective as he's been. I just don't see the incentive for the Padres to deal Adams unless they get a great deal, they do have incentive to trade Bell.

 

While unlike Bell, Adams isnt a guy that the Pads would actively shop, however, if approached about him with a decent deal, Im sure theyd be willing to part with him.

[dew1679666265]

I doubt that. Bell is an established major league closer, and lot of teams would give up a lot for him. As for Adams, hes a 30 something and arb eligable, and the Pads may not be in the position to give a guy like that a raise. He does the same thing year after year and never genertes much interest from other teams. We could probably get him for what we got Grabow for last year. 1 major league ready player, and 1 low level solid, but not top prospect. Just to throw out names, we could probably get him for say Caridad and Tony Thomas.

 

Teams would be willing to give more for Bell because of the closer tag, but the Padres would be much less willing to deal Adams. He's not going to get huge raises in arbitration because he doesn't have saves so he's not likely to become too pricey for the Padres, especially if he stays as effective as he's been. I just don't see the incentive for the Padres to deal Adams unless they get a great deal, they do have incentive to trade Bell.

 

While unlike Bell, Adams isnt a guy that the Pads would actively shop, however, if approached about him with a decent deal, Im sure theyd be willing to part with him.

 

If we overpaid, sure. I just don't think see what incentive they have of trading him for anything less than a good to very good deal. He has more value to them than that. If Hendry's going to trade for a reliever, I'd prefer he look at guys with larger contracts who could be had for fewer/lesser prospects - like Juan Cruz or Heath Bell.

[hardcorecubfan]

The Cubs don't even really know what they have in the bullpen at this point.

 

Exactly.

 

Does anybody?

 

Who will go to the pen once Lilly gets back and who goes down?

[chuckywang]

GUYS PROBLEM SOLVED

[Wilson A2000]

GUYS PROBLEM SOLVED

 

The best way to fix a bad pen besides sending down Samardzija...is to not really have to use it

[CubsWin]

GUYS PROBLEM SOLVED

 

The best way to fix a bad pen besides sending down Samardzija...is to not really have to use it

True, but how much longer can we expect the starting pitching to be this good? Someone, likely more than one of them, is going to struggle given their past performance. We can expect Gorzelanny and Silva to keep going as they have. Zambrano may figure it out and be able to return to the rotation. He may not. It's great that it's buying the Cubs time to figure out the pen, but at some point, unless two or more guys like Berg, Russell, Gray, Caridad or minor leaguers like Gaub and Stevens prove themselves, Hendry is very likely going to have to make a deal.

 

I agree completely that Levine made a fool of himself with his comments about Vitters. The Cubs should be able to pick their spot on a trade and get a good veteran reliever without having to give up someone of Vitters ceiling.