Carlos Pena

[SouthSideRyan]

I think you could have had all star caliber 1b's available via free agency that hit right handed, and the Cubs would have taken a lefty anyway. And that was basically my point. And I wasn't opposed to picking up Pena. Just disappointed in the results.

 

Any reasoning behind you're assumption or is it just making an assumption for the sake of making an assumption? I haven't heard Hendry say a word about "getting more lefthanded" for at least a couple years now and probably more than that.

 

Basically, you're saying that if Pujols and Pena were both available, the Cubs would only have pursued Pena? Do you have anything at all to back this up?

 

I don't really feel like digging through old articles looking for it, but I could swear they were focused on getting a lefty power bat in the middle of the line up. If it was never, ever said this offseason, then I am wrong and will admit so. Can't say it would have even been the wrong thing to do considering that most of the best free agent 1b bats were left handed, and the Cubs line up was already dominated with righty bats in Castro, Ramirez, Soriano, Soto and Byrd.

 

They couldn't afford Pujols, so it's not even worth discussing that. I was glad they signed Carlos Pena, so I don't even wish to continue this discussion, but unless he turns things around, we all end up with egg on our faces for thinking he still had something left.

 

It would've been tough to sign Pujols last offseason.

[dew1679666265]

It would've been tough to sign Pujols last offseason.

 

He was responding to my hypothetical situation where if both Pujols and Pena were available, I asked if he believed the Cubs would have pursued only Pena with the reasoning being that he's lefthanded and Pujols isn't.

[dew1679666265]

I don't really feel like digging through old articles looking for it, but I could swear they were focused on getting a lefty power bat in the middle of the line up. If it was never, ever said this offseason, then I am wrong and will admit so. Can't say it would have even been the wrong thing to do considering that most of the best free agent 1b bats were left handed, and the Cubs line up was already dominated with righty bats in Castro, Ramirez, Soriano, Soto and Byrd.

 

They couldn't afford Pujols, so it's not even worth discussing that. I was glad they signed Carlos Pena, so I don't even wish to continue this discussion, but unless he turns things around, we all end up with egg on our faces for thinking he still had something left.

 

I believe there might have been a couple of comments somewhere that they'd prefer a lefty bat if all else were equal because of how righthanded the lineup was. It wasn't a scenario where they were consciously looking at only lefties and nothing else - though they may have been doing that by default since there weren't any good righthanded bats truly available (I'm working under the assumption Konerko was going to be a White Sox unless we threw an utterly ridiculous contract at him).

 

There actually were rumors, if I recall correctly, that Hendry wanted to pursue Konerko, but he had no interest in going anywhere but the South side.

[Guest]

I don't really feel like digging through old articles looking for it, but I could swear they were focused on getting a lefty power bat in the middle of the line up. If it was never, ever said this offseason, then I am wrong and will admit so. Can't say it would have even been the wrong thing to do considering that most of the best free agent 1b bats were left handed, and the Cubs line up was already dominated with righty bats in Castro, Ramirez, Soriano, Soto and Byrd.

 

They couldn't afford Pujols, so it's not even worth discussing that. I was glad they signed Carlos Pena, so I don't even wish to continue this discussion, but unless he turns things around, we all end up with egg on our faces for thinking he still had something left.

 

I believe there might have been a couple of comments somewhere that they'd prefer a lefty bat if all else were equal because of how righthanded the lineup was. It wasn't a scenario where they were consciously looking at only lefties and nothing else - though they may have been doing that by default since there weren't any good righthanded bats truly available (I'm working under the assumption Konerko was going to be a White Sox unless we threw an utterly ridiculous contract at him).

 

There actually were rumors, if I recall correctly, that Hendry wanted to pursue Konerko, but he had no interest in going anywhere but the South side.

 

Call it a need for a 1b if you'd rather, I wasn't really even trying to make any point other than the fact that Hendry has a tendency of getting burned when there is something he covets. He was trying to get more left handed when he added Milton Bradley, and that didn't exactly turn out peachy.

[Sammy Sofa]

You're twisting this for a really torturous conclusion, mainly because we have no idea yet whether or not Hendry got "burned" on signing Pena over Berkman and because we don't know whether the main factor of signing Pena over Berkman was him being a lefty. Edited May 4, 2011 by Sammy Sofa

[SouthSideRyan]

I don't really feel like digging through old articles looking for it, but I could swear they were focused on getting a lefty power bat in the middle of the line up. If it was never, ever said this offseason, then I am wrong and will admit so. Can't say it would have even been the wrong thing to do considering that most of the best free agent 1b bats were left handed, and the Cubs line up was already dominated with righty bats in Castro, Ramirez, Soriano, Soto and Byrd.

 

They couldn't afford Pujols, so it's not even worth discussing that. I was glad they signed Carlos Pena, so I don't even wish to continue this discussion, but unless he turns things around, we all end up with egg on our faces for thinking he still had something left.

 

I believe there might have been a couple of comments somewhere that they'd prefer a lefty bat if all else were equal because of how righthanded the lineup was. It wasn't a scenario where they were consciously looking at only lefties and nothing else - though they may have been doing that by default since there weren't any good righthanded bats truly available (I'm working under the assumption Konerko was going to be a White Sox unless we threw an utterly ridiculous contract at him).

 

There actually were rumors, if I recall correctly, that Hendry wanted to pursue Konerko, but he had no interest in going anywhere but the South side.

 

Call it a need for a 1b if you'd rather, I wasn't really even trying to make any point other than the fact that Hendry has a tendency of getting burned when there is something he covets. He was trying to get more left handed when he added Milton Bradley, and that didn't exactly turn out peachy.

 

How are we defining what Hendry "covets?"

[Guest]

You're twisting this for a really torturous conclusion, mainly because we have no idea yet whether or not Hendry got "burned" on signing Pena over Berkman.

 

I certainly hope he didn't, but April was about as abysmal as it gets.

[Sammy Sofa]

You're twisting this for a really torturous conclusion, mainly because we have no idea yet whether or not Hendry got "burned" on signing Pena over Berkman.

 

I certainly hope he didn't, but April was about as abysmal as it gets.

 

Yes, but that's April. And even if Berkman ends up having a much better year it's ridiculous to act like this was some kind of huge mistake at the time of the signing out of anything other than the benefit of hindsight, when it's not something that could have been argued definitively when both were available as FA.

[Guest]

You're twisting this for a really torturous conclusion, mainly because we have no idea yet whether or not Hendry got "burned" on signing Pena over Berkman.

 

I certainly hope he didn't, but April was about as abysmal as it gets.

 

Yes, but that's April. And even if Berkman ends up having a much better year it's ridiculous to act like this was some kind of huge mistake at the time of the signing out of anything other than the benefit of hindsight, when it's not something that could have been argued definitively when both were available as FA.

 

I never wanted Berkman, and I'm not comparing the two. Pena has been awful, and I certainly hope he turns it around before it's too late for this team. They can't afford a black hole at 1b all year.

[dew1679666265]

Call it a need for a 1b if you'd rather, I wasn't really even trying to make any point other than the fact that Hendry has a tendency of getting burned when there is something he covets. He was trying to get more left handed when he added Milton Bradley, and that didn't exactly turn out peachy.

 

I'm confused. What exactly did Hendry covet this offseason? He signed Pena, a lefthanded hitting first baseman, when there were a mass of mediocre lefty hitting first basemen available, one really good lefty hitting first baseman who wanted to get paid more than he was worth, one great lefty hitting first baseman who was traded in a deal we couldn't/wouldn't match and one really old righty first baseman who was determined to stay where he was.

 

No matter what Hendry coveted, odds were incredibly high we were getting a lefthanded first baseman. So what exactly did Hendry covet that Pena had that no one else available did?

[dew1679666265]

You're twisting this for a really torturous conclusion, mainly because we have no idea yet whether or not Hendry got "burned" on signing Pena over Berkman and because we don't know whether the main factor of signing Pena over Berkman was him being a lefty.

 

Am I crazy or doesn't Berkman hit lefty most of the time? Has he dropped switch hitting and I didn't notice it? The only strictly right handed option Hendry had this offseason was Konerko and he wasn't really an option at all.

[davearm2]

You're twisting this for a really torturous conclusion, mainly because we have no idea yet whether or not Hendry got "burned" on signing Pena over Berkman and because we don't know whether the main factor of signing Pena over Berkman was him being a lefty.

 

Am I crazy or doesn't Berkman hit lefty most of the time? Has he dropped switch hitting and I didn't notice it? The only strictly right handed option Hendry had this offseason was Konerko and he wasn't really an option at all.

Derrek Lee says hello

[dew1679666265]

You're twisting this for a really torturous conclusion, mainly because we have no idea yet whether or not Hendry got "burned" on signing Pena over Berkman and because we don't know whether the main factor of signing Pena over Berkman was him being a lefty.

 

Am I crazy or doesn't Berkman hit lefty most of the time? Has he dropped switch hitting and I didn't notice it? The only strictly right handed option Hendry had this offseason was Konerko and he wasn't really an option at all.

Derrek Lee says hello

 

Forgot about DLee, but his .774 OPS and less than stellar peripherals last year didn't indicate he'd be a better option than Pena. And he's not lighting the world on fire this year with a .664 OPS.

 

You can argue DLee was a similar option to Pena, but I really don't see superior at all.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

You're twisting this for a really torturous conclusion, mainly because we have no idea yet whether or not Hendry got "burned" on signing Pena over Berkman and because we don't know whether the main factor of signing Pena over Berkman was him being a lefty.

 

Am I crazy or doesn't Berkman hit lefty most of the time? Has he dropped switch hitting and I didn't notice it? The only strictly right handed option Hendry had this offseason was Konerko and he wasn't really an option at all.

Derrek Lee says hello

A lot of people do. It's polite.

[SouthSideRyan]

You're twisting this for a really torturous conclusion, mainly because we have no idea yet whether or not Hendry got "burned" on signing Pena over Berkman and because we don't know whether the main factor of signing Pena over Berkman was him being a lefty.

 

Am I crazy or doesn't Berkman hit lefty most of the time? Has he dropped switch hitting and I didn't notice it? The only strictly right handed option Hendry had this offseason was Konerko and he wasn't really an option at all.

Derrek Lee says hello

A lot of people do. It's polite.

 

5412 approves.

[davearm2]

You're twisting this for a really torturous conclusion, mainly because we have no idea yet whether or not Hendry got "burned" on signing Pena over Berkman and because we don't know whether the main factor of signing Pena over Berkman was him being a lefty.

 

Am I crazy or doesn't Berkman hit lefty most of the time? Has he dropped switch hitting and I didn't notice it? The only strictly right handed option Hendry had this offseason was Konerko and he wasn't really an option at all.

Derrek Lee says hello

A lot of people do. It's polite.

Hello

[imb]

http://img2.videos.com/thumb/yt/a/ytp57WpK12ulA.jpg

[treebird]

You're twisting this for a really torturous conclusion, mainly because we have no idea yet whether or not Hendry got "burned" on signing Pena over Berkman and because we don't know whether the main factor of signing Pena over Berkman was him being a lefty.

 

Am I crazy or doesn't Berkman hit lefty most of the time? Has he dropped switch hitting and I didn't notice it? The only strictly right handed option Hendry had this offseason was Konerko and he wasn't really an option at all.

Derrek Lee says hello

A lot of people do. It's polite.

 

not when i'm wearing a cape

[Guest]

Yay Carlos!

[Soul]

Bin Laden dies, Pena flies.

 

 

coincidence?

[Sammy Sofa]

You're twisting this for a really torturous conclusion, mainly because we have no idea yet whether or not Hendry got "burned" on signing Pena over Berkman and because we don't know whether the main factor of signing Pena over Berkman was him being a lefty.

 

Am I crazy or doesn't Berkman hit lefty most of the time? Has he dropped switch hitting and I didn't notice it? The only strictly right handed option Hendry had this offseason was Konerko and he wasn't really an option at all.

Derrek Lee says hello

A lot of people do. It's polite.

 

not when i'm wearing a cape

 

ssr is going to SWARM-SWARM-SWARM your sister.

[imb]

ssr is going to SWARM-SWARM-SWARM your sister.

 

He's an old man, he thought he paid for it

 

OH THAT'S PROSTITUTION, ARLI$$ NO

[DivineBovine]

I think you could have had all star caliber 1b's available via free agency that hit right handed, and the Cubs would have taken a lefty anyway. And that was basically my point. And I wasn't opposed to picking up Pena. Just disappointed in the results.

 

Any reasoning behind you're assumption or is it just making an assumption for the sake of making an assumption? I haven't heard Hendry say a word about "getting more lefthanded" for at least a couple years now and probably more than that.

 

Basically, you're saying that if Pujols and Pena were both available, the Cubs would only have pursued Pena? Do you have anything at all to back this up?

 

I don't really feel like digging through old articles looking for it, but I could swear they were focused on getting a lefty power bat in the middle of the line up. If it was never, ever said this offseason, then I am wrong and will admit so. Can't say it would have even been the wrong thing to do considering that most of the best free agent 1b bats were left handed, and the Cubs line up was already dominated with righty bats in Castro, Ramirez, Soriano, Soto and Byrd.

 

They couldn't afford Pujols, so it's not even worth discussing that. I was glad they signed Carlos Pena, so I don't even wish to continue this discussion, but unless he turns things around, we all end up with egg on our faces for thinking he still had something left.

 

It would've been tough to sign Pujols last offseason.

 

 

Don't know if this has been brought up, but speaking of the Cardinals. Lance Berkman signed a 1 year/8 million dollar deal for 2011. Ouch. I think the Cubs might be in first place if we switched the 2.

[SouthSideRyan]

It would've been tough to sign Pujols last offseason.

 

 

Don't know if this has been brought up, but speaking of the Cardinals. Lance Berkman signed a 1 year/8 million dollar deal for 2011. Ouch. I think the Cubs might be in first place if we switched the 2.

 

Oh [expletive] me.

[javy knows my name]

I think you could have had all star caliber 1b's available via free agency that hit right handed, and the Cubs would have taken a lefty anyway. And that was basically my point. And I wasn't opposed to picking up Pena. Just disappointed in the results.

 

Any reasoning behind you're assumption or is it just making an assumption for the sake of making an assumption? I haven't heard Hendry say a word about "getting more lefthanded" for at least a couple years now and probably more than that.

 

Basically, you're saying that if Pujols and Pena were both available, the Cubs would only have pursued Pena? Do you have anything at all to back this up?

 

I don't really feel like digging through old articles looking for it, but I could swear they were focused on getting a lefty power bat in the middle of the line up. If it was never, ever said this offseason, then I am wrong and will admit so. Can't say it would have even been the wrong thing to do considering that most of the best free agent 1b bats were left handed, and the Cubs line up was already dominated with righty bats in Castro, Ramirez, Soriano, Soto and Byrd.

 

They couldn't afford Pujols, so it's not even worth discussing that. I was glad they signed Carlos Pena, so I don't even wish to continue this discussion, but unless he turns things around, we all end up with egg on our faces for thinking he still had something left.

 

It would've been tough to sign Pujols last offseason.

 

 

Don't know if this has been brought up, but speaking of the Cardinals. Lance Berkman signed a 1 year/8 million dollar deal for 2011. Ouch. I think the Cubs might be in first place if we switched the 2.

 

No, it's a good thing you brought that up, because we weren't talking about it anywhere else on here.