Starting a Fire Sale

[Guest]

Yeah, I hope they don't pass on the opportunity to trade Lilly for prospects especially because they organization has really backed off offering arbitration for picks of late.

[Guest]

Yeah, I hope they don't pass on the opportunity to trade Lilly for prospects especially because they organization has really backed off offering arbitration for picks of late.

I'm pretty sure they'll offer Lilly arbitration, but I don't think they'd offer Lee.

[jiml60]

I have a bad feeling that this team is going to get just hot enough over the next week or two to keep us from dumping any salaries only to tank again right after the deadline.

 

Luckily for us, the Astros and Wandy are coming into town at the right time.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Is it really necessary for the Cubs to be desperately dumping salary? If they move Fukduome and don't have to pay all of his salary to do so, and then with Lee and Lilly coming off the books that's a lot of money they're clearing. Sure, Soriano's got an ugly contract, but it's not like it's something that is crippling the team, nor is there even a very good FA market coming up that the Cubs need a lot of money to spend on. Besides, the teams that can or will choose to afford to take on Soriano's contract without the Cubs picking much or any of it typically aren't teams that make "desperate" moves like that.

 

I really have to say, Im all for getting rid of our expiring contracts, as well as non expiring ones like Fukudome or even Z if possible, but it should be for the right reasons. Whatever money is left on these guys deals, especially Lee and Lilly isnt going to make or break anything, and if they move them, they should be trying to get the best prospects they can, not save a few bucks. Especially after hearing Ricketts talk about his focus on the farm system, this should be a great opportunity to add some pieces.

[erik316wttn]

This may be a stretch, but as long as we're in "sell" mode, should we shop Aram now that he's started hitting again? The Tigers are without Inge now for a while, so I'm sure the Tigers could be potential suitors. Do they have anyone in their farm system that would be a good return for Aram and Theriot?

[Derwood]

I have a bad feeling that this team is going to get just hot enough over the next week or two to keep us from dumping any salaries only to tank again right after the deadline.

 

Luckily for us, the Astros and Wandy are coming into town at the right time.

 

welp

[Guest]

With the way Broxton has struggled, I wonder if you could package Marmol and Lilly and go to town on the Dodgers' farm/young talent.

[erik316wttn]

With the way Broxton has struggled, I wonder if you could package Marmol and Lilly and go to town on the Dodgers' farm/young talent.

 

I'll trade them Lilly, but we should keep Marmol unless presented with an offer we'd be dumb to turn down. Young, inexpensive, talented players like Marmol, Castro, Soto are guys we should be keeping and building around.

[jersey cubs fan]

With the way Broxton has struggled, I wonder if you could package Marmol and Lilly and go to town on the Dodgers' farm/young talent.

 

I'll trade them Lilly, but we should keep Marmol unless presented with an offer we'd be dumb to turn down. Young, inexpensive, talented players like Marmol, Castro, Soto are guys we should be keeping and building around.

The position players, sure. But the relievers with crazy command problems and quickly fading inexpensiveness? Go for it.

[davearm2]

With the way Broxton has struggled, I wonder if you could package Marmol and Lilly and go to town on the Dodgers' farm/young talent.

 

I'll trade them Lilly, but we should keep Marmol unless presented with an offer we'd be dumb to turn down. Young, inexpensive, talented players like Marmol, Castro, Soto are guys we should be keeping and building around.

The position players, sure. But the relievers with crazy command problems and quickly fading inexpensiveness? Go for it.

You forgot ticking timebomb for an elbow.

[Sammy Sofa]

Yeah, a lot of Cubs fans overvalue Marmol WAY too much. He's a ton of fun to watch, but it's just a matter of time until his arm explodes. It would be one thing if there was even a chance of him starting, OK, then he'd probably be worth holding onto, but as it stands the Cubs should be listening to offers for him, too.

[USSoccer]

Marmol=Octavio Dotel v2.

 

Sell high.

[CubsInNC]

This may be a stretch, but as long as we're in "sell" mode, should we shop Aram now that he's started hitting again? The Tigers are without Inge now for a while, so I'm sure the Tigers could be potential suitors. Do they have anyone in their farm system that would be a good return for Aram and Theriot?

 

 

They have some top notch ceiling arms in Turner and Oliver, but Aramis isn't going to net them without some serious cash kicked in. We might be able to get Schlereth for Aramis, but Detroit likes having the bullpen flexibility of rotating guys in/out of AAA. Crosby is over a year post TJ, and struggling mightily. Their position players are not much to be excited about. Most of the ones they had of good value were sent in trades. I don't think they're a good fit for us.

[TruffleShuffle]

Yeah, a lot of Cubs fans overvalue Marmol WAY too much. He's a ton of fun to watch, but it's just a matter of time until his arm explodes. It would be one thing if there was even a chance of him starting, OK, then he'd probably be worth holding onto, but as it stands the Cubs should be listening to offers for him, too.

 

this may be true, but people have been saying that his arm is going to explode soon for three years now, and during that time he's been one of the most valuable relief pitchers in the game.

[Sammy Sofa]

Yeah, a lot of Cubs fans overvalue Marmol WAY too much. He's a ton of fun to watch, but it's just a matter of time until his arm explodes. It would be one thing if there was even a chance of him starting, OK, then he'd probably be worth holding onto, but as it stands the Cubs should be listening to offers for him, too.

 

this may be true, but people have been saying that his arm is going to explode soon for three years now, and during that time he's been one of the most valuable relief pitchers in the game.

 

Which is fantastic, but why gamble on him being one of the very rare exceptions that doesn't fall off of a cliff? It's much smarter and better for the Cubs in the long run to sell high on him.

[TruffleShuffle]

Yeah, a lot of Cubs fans overvalue Marmol WAY too much. He's a ton of fun to watch, but it's just a matter of time until his arm explodes. It would be one thing if there was even a chance of him starting, OK, then he'd probably be worth holding onto, but as it stands the Cubs should be listening to offers for him, too.

 

this may be true, but people have been saying that his arm is going to explode soon for three years now, and during that time he's been one of the most valuable relief pitchers in the game.

 

Which is fantastic, but why gamble on him being one of the very rare exceptions that doesn't fall off of a cliff? It's much smarter and better for the Cubs in the long run to sell high on him.

 

i mostly agree, but our bullpen is already lousy and has very few major league arms, so trading marmol isn't going to improve that situation for next year. i guess my point was that people were saying "sell high" on marmol quite a while ago, and unless we got really fortunate in what prospects we receive, the deal would have been a negative for the cubs.

[Exile on Waveland]

Yeah, a lot of Cubs fans overvalue Marmol WAY too much. He's a ton of fun to watch, but it's just a matter of time until his arm explodes. It would be one thing if there was even a chance of him starting, OK, then he'd probably be worth holding onto, but as it stands the Cubs should be listening to offers for him, too.

 

this may be true, but people have been saying that his arm is going to explode soon for three years now, and during that time he's been one of the most valuable relief pitchers in the game.

 

Which probably/possibly means the arm explosion is drawing nearer and nearer. I'm thinking some team out there is just dying to overpay for a closer. Take advantage.

[Sammy Sofa]

i mostly agree, but our bullpen is already lousy and has very few major league arms, so trading marmol isn't going to improve that situation for next year. i guess my point was that people were saying "sell high" on marmol quite a while ago, and unless we got really fortunate in what prospects we receive, the deal would have been a negative for the cubs.

 

The bullpen really isn't all that "lousy" at all, and rarely should it be any kind of a priority when a team needs this much work since it's relatively easy to construct a serviceable bullpen. The bullpen is not going to make or break the Cubs next year, and it's just going to be another year of extreme wear and tear on the arm. It's pretty incredible that they've gotten this much productive use out of him thus far, so they should definitely be listening to what other teams are offering for him, if they are inquiring. Teams in the hunt are always looking to overpay for bullpen help, and someone like Marmol would net an even better return.

[SouthSideRyan]

My fear (which I believe UK has mentioned in the past) is that trading Marmol now means Cashner is stuck in the closer spot for eternity.

[Sammy Sofa]

My fear (which I believe UK has mentioned in the past) is that trading Marmol now means Cashner is stuck in the closer spot for eternity.

 

Good point. I suppose/hope Lilly being gone next year and if Silva continues being Silva they'd almost have to start him instead.

[Guest]

What's he looking at in terms of salary for next year (i.e., how much of a raise)? He's making $2.125 this year, which he got through arbitration and I'd assume now that he's officially in the closer's role, he's due for a decent jump.

 

He's still cheap now but he's not going to be that way for much longer.

[Tracer Bullet]

Yeah, a lot of Cubs fans overvalue Marmol WAY too much. He's a ton of fun to watch, but it's just a matter of time until his arm explodes. It would be one thing if there was even a chance of him starting, OK, then he'd probably be worth holding onto, but as it stands the Cubs should be listening to offers for him, too.

 

this may be true, but people have been saying that his arm is going to explode soon for three years now, and during that time he's been one of the most valuable relief pitchers in the game.

 

Which is fantastic, but why gamble on him being one of the very rare exceptions that doesn't fall off of a cliff? It's much smarter and better for the Cubs in the long run to sell high on him.

 

i mostly agree, but our bullpen is already lousy and has very few major league arms, so trading marmol isn't going to improve that situation for next year. i guess my point was that people were saying "sell high" on marmol quite a while ago, and unless we got really fortunate in what prospects we receive, the deal would have been a negative for the cubs.

 

I agree about the last couple years, but now he's no longer really, really cheap, he's just really cheap. And if I'm reading Cot's right, he's got 2 more arb years. He quadrupled his salary from 09-10 and will likely get a fat raise again for next year to avoid arbitration. I guess what I'm fearful of is Hendry giving him a 3-4 year deal to "buy" some FA years and then his arm falls off. I think now's a pretty good time to trade the guy b/c he's been dominant, is still under team control for a couple years, and he hasn't had any injuries. It's hard to imagine getting a better return that what you'd get now and the risk of hanging on for another year or two is pretty high, imo.

[Backtobanks]

I got a great idea, let's sell high on Marmol now and then bitch when Hendry gets him back in 2012 when he's making $13 million per year and the Cubs need a closer.

[Tracer Bullet]

I got a great idea, let's sell high on Marmol now and then bitch when Hendry gets him back in 2012 when he's making $13 million per year and the Cubs need a closer.

 

If Hendry pays Marmol $13m in his last year of arbitration, you better believe there will be some bitching.

[Guest]

I got a great idea, let's sell high on Marmol now and then bitch when Hendry gets him back in 2012 when he's making $13 million per year and the Cubs need a closer.

 

If Hendry pays Marmol $13m in his last year of arbitration, you better believe there will be some bitching.

 

Only because Hendry is still making decisions for this organization in 2012.