Dunn placed on waivers

[Sammy Sofa]

Gonzalez is going to cost you a ton in young players and prospects, especially after the Padres got a taste of winning.

 

If we're going to trade for one of the two, I'd much rather trade for Gonzalez, especially if the Nats' demands are as high as they sound.

 

I think Gonzalez is going to cost more (in prospects) than Dunn.

 

Of course he is. He's a much better player and he's almost 3 years younger. I'd much rather see the Cubs trade for him instead off Dunn.

[dew1679666265]

I think Gonzalez is going to cost more (in prospects) than Dunn.

 

Gonzalez is younger and better. If I'm going to make a trade for one of the two, I'd rather give more for the franchise player than less for the very good, but old player.

[Rob]

Am I missing the point of this comparison?

 

Dunn is a FA this offseason, and it makes no sense to give up prospects just to have a chance to resign him.

 

Gonzalez will be on the trade block after this season. The rationale behind trading him was always that they were not going to be able to resign him. That underlying principle has not changed with their surprising season. They simply cannot afford to keep him.

 

But of course Gonzalez would cost more in prospects. He's younger, cheaper, and under contract for longer. The "taste of winning" has nothing to do with it.

[davell]

I don't know about that. If San Diego either makes the playoffs or comes extremely close(which is almost a certainty) I could see them keeping him off the market until the 2011 deadline, IF they are out of the race. I think it would totally kill anything they've done positive to go ahead and trade him after this season, from a fanbase standpoint. And Hoyer probably hates that too, but sometimes it seems like these guys are hamstrung to satisfy the masses. As you said, I don't see them resigning him. But, my guess is they do everything they possibly can to make that happen, before conceding and putting him on the market too. And my guess is that they'll prolong it, to where it stretches into next season.

 

To me, the Pads would have to get some very solid cheap major league talent, along with some very solid prospects, in order to make a deal over the offseason. I'm sure we'll inquire, but the more I think about it, the more I think our options THIS offseason are going to be Dunn and Fielder. For true upgrades anyway.

[TruffleShuffle]

yeah, who do they use to promote the team if they trade him? chase headley? a handful of pretty good pitchers? a great bullpen? nobody cares.

 

i think they may try to keep him and hope he signs a team-friendly deal because he's a home-grown boy.

[Backtobanks]

Am I missing the point of this comparison?

 

Dunn is a FA this offseason, and it makes no sense to give up prospects just to have a chance to resign him.

 

Gonzalez will be on the trade block after this season. The rationale behind trading him was always that they were not going to be able to resign him. That underlying principle has not changed with their surprising season. They simply cannot afford to keep him.

 

But of course Gonzalez would cost more in prospects. He's younger, cheaper, and under contract for longer. The "taste of winning" has nothing to do with it.

 

 

I don't know how you can say a "taste of winning" will have nothing to do with trading their All Star 1B who helped a team make the playoffs when they were picked for last place. He's the drawing card that puts fans in the seats now that they're winning. If they were still floundering, Gonzalez would have been traded last month.

[inari]

And that's a totally different implication than talking about "the taste of winning."

[Backtobanks]

And that's a totally different implication than talking about "the taste of winning."

 

I think it's pretty clear:

 

If the Padres were a losing team - Gonzalez would have been traded last month.

The Padres are a winning team - Either Gonzalez won't be traded or his price has gone up even more. My original point was that the Padres doing well was a consideration in trading Gonzalez and the cost in acquiring him.

[Guest]

The Padres weren't pulling in fans when they had Gonzalez and they were awesome, so they aren't going to cling to him as some sort of fan draw now that they've had some success. What changes is the return they'll want. He's still going to be valued the same, but the Padres are going to want guys at or near the MLB level instead of accepting lower level prospects if the team was terrible. What that means for the Cubs is that any trade would likely have to be a 3-way ordeal, because I really doubt the Padres are dealing Gonzalez without getting a 1B in return, and the Cubs are completely barren of anything resembling a MLB first baseman. Furthermore, the Padres have to realize that they aren't good because they've built a juggernaut or anything. Gonzalez is the only regular with an OPS over .735. I know offense is down and Petco, etc. That's still horrible. If they can get a couple above average hitters that exceed the value of the Type A compensation, they'd be fools not to deal Gonzalez.

[dew1679666265]

The Padres weren't pulling in fans when they had Gonzalez and they were awesome, so they aren't going to cling to him as some sort of fan draw now that they've had some success. What changes is the return they'll want. He's still going to be valued the same, but the Padres are going to want guys at or near the MLB level instead of accepting lower level prospects if the team was terrible. What that means for the Cubs is that any trade would likely have to be a 3-way ordeal, because I really doubt the Padres are dealing Gonzalez without getting a 1B in return, and the Cubs are completely barren of anything resembling a MLB first baseman. Furthermore, the Padres have to realize that they aren't good because they've built a juggernaut or anything. Gonzalez is the only regular with an OPS over .735. I know offense is down and Petco, etc. That's still horrible. If they can get a couple above average hitters that exceed the value of the Type A compensation, they'd be fools not to deal Gonzalez.

 

Don't they have Kyle Blanks who can play first base? If so, getting a first baseman back wouldn't be a prerequisite for them.

[Guest]

Yes, my apologies. I was trying to be quick and after looking at the offense just assumed if they had anyone who could hit anything they would already be at the MLB level.

[dew1679666265]

Yes, my apologies. I was trying to be quick and after looking at the offense just assumed if they had anyone who could hit anything they would already be at the MLB level.

 

Well, he couldn't hit anything at the major league level this year in a tiny sample – .607 OPS in 120 PAs. He's not hit much in the minors this year either – .746 OPS in only 11 games.

[fromthestretch]

Yes, my apologies. I was trying to be quick and after looking at the offense just assumed if they had anyone who could hit anything they would already be at the MLB level.

 

Well, he couldn't hit anything at the major league level this year in a tiny sample – .607 OPS in 120 PAs. He's not hit much in the minors this year either – .746 OPS in only 11 games.

 

He was hurt much of the year and is having TJS, I believe.

[NCCubFan]

Yes, my apologies. I was trying to be quick and after looking at the offense just assumed if they had anyone who could hit anything they would already be at the MLB level.

 

Well, he couldn't hit anything at the major league level this year in a tiny sample – .607 OPS in 120 PAs. He's not hit much in the minors this year either – .746 OPS in only 11 games.

 

He was hurt much of the year and is having TJS, I believe.

He is having TJS (if he hasn't already). I think I read that he's expected to be ready for next year; position players don't take as long to return as pitchers do.

[dew1679666265]

Yes, my apologies. I was trying to be quick and after looking at the offense just assumed if they had anyone who could hit anything they would already be at the MLB level.

 

Well, he couldn't hit anything at the major league level this year in a tiny sample – .607 OPS in 120 PAs. He's not hit much in the minors this year either – .746 OPS in only 11 games.

 

He was hurt much of the year and is having TJS, I believe.

 

Ah, ok. I didn't realize that. I thought it was weird that he only had about 131 PAs between the majors and minors this year.

[KaiserCesar]

It seems an offseason deal would be preferable to a midseason deal since more teams can get involved and there aren't as many financial constraints. Plus, a team might be willing to pay more knowing they would have a lot more time to try to sign Gonzalez long-term.

[Rob]

I don't know about that. If San Diego either makes the playoffs or comes extremely close(which is almost a certainty) I could see them keeping him off the market until the 2011 deadline, IF they are out of the race. I think it would totally kill anything they've done positive to go ahead and trade him after this season, from a fanbase standpoint. And Hoyer probably hates that too, but sometimes it seems like these guys are hamstrung to satisfy the masses. As you said, I don't see them resigning him. But, my guess is they do everything they possibly can to make that happen, before conceding and putting him on the market too. And my guess is that they'll prolong it, to where it stretches into next season.

 

There's a few ways this turns out:

 

1.) Trade him in the offseason = Tons of very good prospects

2.) Hold onto him and the team tanks, allowing you to trade him at the deadline = Some very good prospects

3.) Hold onto him and the team stays competitive through the deadline, but tanks in august and misses the playoffs = Two comp picks

4.) Hold onto him and the team stays competitive through the deadline, follows that up with a playoff appearance = Additional money and two comp picks.

 

Holding onto Gonzalez carries with it some risk, and doesn't seem to offer much in the way of a return. If the rest of the team were better and you could pretty much pencil yourself in for the playoffs next year, I would understand it... but the supporting cast sucks. The only way he doesn't get traded is if there's a stupid ownership mandate. Any GM worth a damn would definitely want to trade him.

[davell]

I just looked up the Pads attendance figures from the past 2 seasons. They are getting close to 26K this season per game and came close to 24K last season. I've never looked at this before, but it seems like 2K more isn't all that much of a spike for how good they've been.

 

If that's correct, then maybe they won't face much of a backlash afterall?

[pccubfan]

ESPN is saying Dunn was claimed. Any guesses to who may have submitted the claim?

[Banedon]

ESPN is saying Dunn was claimed. Any guesses to who may have submitted the claim?

 

I have 29 guesses.

[pccubfan]

ESPN is saying Dunn was claimed. Any guesses to who may have submitted the claim?

 

I have 29 guesses.

 

Let's hear them. :D