Hendry NOT looking to rebuild Cubs

[Jazz]

After those three, this team has a glut of young relief pitchers who haven't stepped forward this season. Out of Mitch Atkins, James Russell, Esmailin Caridad, Justin Berg, Casey Coleman, Thomas Diamond, Jeff Stevens, Marcos Mateo, Jeff Gray, Scott Maine, Brian Schlitter, and Jeff Samardzija, there has to be someone who doesn't suck.

 

you left out a couple of the guys who i thought would be on this year's team - parker and gaub. plus there's david cales and maybe dolis if he moves to the pen and throws enough strikes. the problem with the list above is that most of those guys just don't have a big league arm, and the ones who do don't know where the ball is going when they throw it.

 

In fairness, I listed everyone else who had logged time this season in the bullpen. There are a number of other options available in the minors, including Cales, Dolis, Gaub, Parker, Sommer, Shafer, Rusin, Jay Jackson, etc.

 

The problem is, none of those guys have proven themselves in the majors, while all of them have shown they can handle the minors. The only way the Cubs can see if those guys can succeed is by using them out of the bullpen in the majors. If the Cubs are rebuilding next year, they can stomach the hiccups and work with these guys through their growing pains. But, if Hendry's serious about not wanting to rebuild, the Cubs are screwed if they have to rely on a bunch of unproven guys out of the pen.

 

Getting Guzman back would be fantastic, but I'm not counting on it happening.

 

I think thats a little bit drastic to say. Septembither call ups/Spring training should weed out the unprovens, and given Hendry's love affair with free agent relievers, I'm assuming the entire thing will be a moot point.

[TruffleShuffle]

hendry's hardly the only gm who signs free agent relievers. his problem is that he goes after the guys who had a good ERA but a whip of 1.45 (grabow, eyre) and then is shocked when it blows up in his face.

 

the cubs don't look hard enough for the guys who are undervalued due to bad luck (high babip), lack of reputation or just veteran guys who are bargains.

[Dallas Green]

After those three, this team has a glut of young relief pitchers who haven't stepped forward this season. Out of Mitch Atkins, James Russell, Esmailin Caridad, Justin Berg, Casey Coleman, Thomas Diamond, Jeff Stevens, Marcos Mateo, Jeff Gray, Scott Maine, Brian Schlitter, and Jeff Samardzija, there has to be someone who doesn't suck. The Cubs are going to have to figure out what the hell they're going to do with these guys.

 

You would think, but im not so sure #-o but Russell has shown some flashes

[dew1679666265]

While I'm not sold that we should go after a free agent reliever, if we're determined to do it, Rafael Soriano would probably be one of the better options to go after.

[haubrich91]

While I'm not sold that we should go after a free agent reliever, if we're determined to do it, Rafael Soriano would probably be one of the better options to go after.

 

Who would close - Soriano or Marmol?

[dew1679666265]

While I'm not sold that we should go after a free agent reliever, if we're determined to do it, Rafael Soriano would probably be one of the better options to go after.

 

Who would close - Soriano or Marmol?

 

Marmol. I don't know that Soriano would agree to it, but I'd at least get an idea how open to the idea he'd be.

[davell]

With the year Soriano has had, (better than Marmol's) he's in line for a VERY nice payday to be someone's closer. My guess is we'd have to overpay quite a bit to get him to take a setup position. And I don't want to have our setup guy making over 10 mill a year personally.

 

There's enough quality relievers out there this offseason that Hendry should wait around and see who is still sitting out there in January and sign someone on the cheap for once, instead of setting the market for these guys. If that doesn't work, we've got enough guys around right now to fashion an average pen anyway, if you ask me.

[THISisTHEyear09]

This is the 2011 Cubs

1. Castro SS

2. Colvin RF

3. Pena 1B

4. A Ram 3B

5. Byrd CF

6. Soriano LF

7. Soto C

8. Dewitt 2B

 

SP- 1. Demp 2. Garland 3. Z 4. Gorz 5. Siva

Sign Wood and Rauch to help bullpen

 

This is want i want the 2011 Cubs to be

 

1. Castro SS

2. Byrd CF

3. A Ram 3b

4. Dunn or Vmart 1b

5. Soto C

6. Soriano LF

7. Hawpe RF

8. Dewitt 2B

 

SP- 1. Lee 2. Demp 3. Lilly 4. Gorz 5. Minor League Guy

Sign Downs and Rauch for BP help

[XZero771679666304]

Hawpe? Why? I'd just keep Kosuke if Hawpe is the alternative. Or take my chances with Colvin.

 

Hawpe is a good hitter (helped by Coors a bit, but not to a huge degree), but he makes Soriano look like Roberto Clemente on defense.

[Guest]

This is the 2011 Cubs

1. Castro SS

2. Colvin RF

3. Pena 1B

4. A Ram 3B

5. Byrd CF

6. Soriano LF

7. Soto C

8. Dewitt 2B

 

SP- 1. Demp 2. Garland 3. Z 4. Gorz 5. Siva

Sign Wood and Rauch to help bullpen

 

This is want i want the 2011 Cubs to be

 

1. Castro SS

2. Byrd CF

3. A Ram 3b

4. Dunn or Vmart 1b

5. Soto C

6. Soriano LF

7. Hawpe RF

8. Dewitt 2B

 

SP- 1. Lee 2. Demp 3. Lilly 4. Gorz 5. Minor League Guy

Sign Downs and Rauch for BP help

huge difference between Dunn & VMart for first base - not sure why you'd prefer Victor over Pena, frankly.

 

Why Hawpe over Fukudome?

 

I can't get behind signing any pitcher for more than 3-4 years, and definitely not one who is already in his 30's with signs of wear at the end of the season.

 

How are you making Z, Fukudome go away? And why?

 

I'm fine with BP help, but will Rauch get closer money from someone at this point?

[XZero771679666304]

Here's how I might do it:

 

Sign Adam Dunn, or Carlos Pena as a stopgap. Sign Scott Downs and Kerry Wood.

 

1. Fukudome

2. Castro

3. ARam

4. Dunn/Pena

5. Byrd

6. Soriano

7. Soto

8. DeWitt

 

Bench: Colvin, Castillo, Barney, Hoffpauir, Marquez Smith. Colvin gets a decent number of starts at all three OF positions.

 

Rotation: Dempster, Gorzelanny, Zambrano, Wells, Silva

 

Bullpen: Marmol, Marshall, Grabow, Wood, Cashner, Stevens, Downs.

 

If Z or Silva is traded, Marshall or Cashner could be a starter.

[soapy]

Kerry Wood will be 34 years old next year, has made $10 million the last two years and has thrown only 36 innings this year. I'm not seeing it, fellas. Is it just a sentimental thing?

 

Anyway, I do think signing Dunn to play 1B is really the only "major" acquisition the offense needs. I'd probably roll out something like this as a lineup (pretty much what XZero said):

 

Fukudome

Soto

Ramirez

Dunn

Byrd

Soriano

Castro

Dewitt

[SouthSideRyan]

What does Wood's salary the past 2 seasons have to do with anything?

[dew1679666265]

With the year Soriano has had, (better than Marmol's) he's in line for a VERY nice payday to be someone's closer. My guess is we'd have to overpay quite a bit to get him to take a setup position. And I don't want to have our setup guy making over 10 mill a year personally.

 

There's enough quality relievers out there this offseason that Hendry should wait around and see who is still sitting out there in January and sign someone on the cheap for once, instead of setting the market for these guys. If that doesn't work, we've got enough guys around right now to fashion an average pen anyway, if you ask me.

 

The positives about Soriano are that even though we'd overpay (we will with any big name FA reliever) he's been pretty consistently solid and sometimes great, his presence would make Hendry more open (most likely) to moving Cashner to the rotation and his presence would also allow the Cubs to trade Marmol should the right deal come along.

 

That doesn't mean I'm in favor of going after a significant FA reliever, just that if we do, I'd target Soriano.

[Tyrant]

What does Wood's salary the past 2 seasons have to do with anything?

 

Maybe he's saying that since Wood made that much money in previous years, he's not likely to be worth the contract he'll expect this winter.

[Post Count Padder]

I know Scott Downs has been a decent reliever the past few seasons. But some team will overpay for him and I don't want it to be us.

[SouthSideRyan]

What does Wood's salary the past 2 seasons have to do with anything?

 

Maybe he's saying that since Wood made that much money in previous years, he's not likely to be worth the contract he'll expect this winter.

 

It doesn't matter what Kerry Wood expects, if he wants to play he'll take what the market dictates. And I don't see how what he made the past 2 season is going to affect what teams are going to offer him.

[soapy]

What does Wood's salary the past 2 seasons have to do with anything?

 

not much other than to try to figure out what he'll be looking for. basically, i wouldn't be willing to approach that salary, or even half of it.

[Post Count Padder]

MLBTR on the rotation for next year:

 

Ryan Dempster, Randy Wells, Tom Gorzelanny and Carlos Silva may not be utterly dominant, but they will provide the Cubs with certainty this winter and quality innings next season. If healthy, those four starters should account for most of Chicago's rotation in 2011. They won't be enough, of course. The Cubs will need a fifth starter, too and while Carlos Zambrano could continue improving and fill that role, it may not be that simple.

 

The Cubs will likely consider trading Zambrano but their offseason doesn’t hinge on making a trade, like it did a year ago when they flipped Milton Bradley for Silva. Zambrano's season reached a low point when he got into a dugout shouting match with Derrek Lee, but he has pitched well since returning from the restricted list. He has a 2.25 ERA with nearly a strikeout per inning since the end of July, but is walking more batters than usual, which is something, considering Zambrano has a career walk rate of 4.1 BB/9.

 

If the Cubs hold onto Zambrano, they probably won’t be in the market for starting pitching, since they have other internal candidates who could fill in. But if they trade Zambrano - and it wouldn't be easy given the $17.875MM he makes in 2011 - the Cubs would have an empty rotation spot and could consider signing a free agent starter. The caliber of that starter might depend on the savings from a Zambrano deal.

 

But even if GM Jim Hendry doesn't like the options on the free agent market, he has a number of potential starters in the organization. Jeff Samardzija and Casey Coleman could contend for a rotation spot if one opens because of a trade or injury. Samardzija has a high walk rate in Triple A this year (5.4 BB/9), so he'd probably have to show the Cubs that he can limit free passes. Coleman has posted a 5.81 ERA in the majors and has walked more batters than he has struck out, but his Triple A numbers were much better (4.07 ERA, 2.7 BB/9). Baseball America noted before the season that Coleman has a good feel for pitching, which isn't surprising since his father and grandfather pitched in the majors leagues before him.

 

Sean Marshall and Andrew Cashner are both contributing out of the ‘pen now, but the Cubs could stretch them out if necessary. Marshall has been one of the National League's best left-handed relievers this year, but he started games regularly from 2006-09. Cashner's used to starting, too; he had a 2.05 ERA as a starter in the upper minors this year before the Cubs called him up.

 

Thomas Diamond started three games for the Cubs this year, but has struggled to limit walks. The former first rounder has faced just over 100 batters in his major league career, so it seems more likely that he'll pitch in the minors or the bullpen for now. Chris Archer, who doesn’t turn 22 until later this month, posted a 2.34 ERA with 9.4 K/9 in the minors this year, but he has appeared in just 13 AA games, so he will need time to develop.

 

Remember that, in all likelihood, the Cubs will have a new manager by Spring Training. That means the fifth spot in the rotation depends not only on the team's offseason moves, but on their new manager's preferences. It's too early to predict how it will all unfold, but we can safely say that Zambrano appears to be the leading candidate to be the team's fifth starter. If the Cubs trade him, they may consider free agents or turn to internal options like Coleman, Samardzija, Marshall and Cashner.

[XZero771679666304]

Kerry Wood will be 34 years old next year, has made $10 million the last two years and has thrown only 36 innings this year. I'm not seeing it, fellas. Is it just a sentimental thing?

 

 

Yeah, pretty much. But after the past couple years, I think he could be had for cheap. I envision him more as a seventh inning/mop up/occasional set up guy at this point.

 

He's not any worse than some of the filler we've had in the pen, and with potentially good pen guys in the minors like Parker and Gray looking so poor this season, I don't see the harm in it at the right price.

[EhDubya]

What I wouldn't mind seeing happen....

 

Step 1: Sign Freddi.

 

Step 2: Sign Adam Dunn.

 

Step 3: Trade Fukudome.

 

Step 4: Acquire Carl Crawford.

 

Step 5: Pencil in:

 

SS Castro

RF Crawford

CF Byrd

1B Dunn

3B Ramirez

C Soto

LF Soriano/Colvin

2B Dewitt/Baker

 

Step 6: Improve the pitching when possible.

 

Worst case: Demp, Z, Gorz, Wells, Silva should/could be solid enough to start the year, look to trade during season.

Better case: Smart FA sign or trade.

Best case: 1 or 2 young arms develop dramatically and claim spots.

 

Step 7: Lose in the first round of playoffs.

[jersey cubs fan]

why do you want fukudome traded?

[Backtobanks]

why do you want fukudome traded?

 

My guess would be to try to use some of the money to outbid everyone else for Crawford.

[Exile on Waveland]

This just in: Fukudome is good.

 

He's second on the Cubs in on base percentage, OPS, and OPS+, and fourth in slugging. He plays good defense. Why in the world should the Cubs trade him? Sure, meatheads hate him, but I don't exactly find that persuasive.

[EhDubya]

This just in: Fukudome is good.

 

He's second on the Cubs in on base percentage, OPS, and OPS+, and fourth in slugging. He plays good defense. Why in the world should the Cubs trade him? Sure, meatheads hate him, but I don't exactly find that persuasive.

 

Is it wrong to think Crawford is better?