Cubs interested in bad utility infielders

[Little Slide Rooter]

I strongly apologize for the thread title, change it if necessary, but this was the only thing that came to mind upong reading this, which is proabably just nothing.

 

The Braves, Cubs and Giants are also interested in utility infielders and Jack Wilson, Ronny Cedeno, Craig Counsell and Aaron Miles are among the available free agents.

 

Are Jeff Baker, Blake DeWitt, Darwin Barney, and Jeff Bianchi not utility infielders? So was Ryan Flaherty. DJ LeMahieu too. Don't forget Marwin Gonzalez. At least Jeff Baker, Blake DeWitt, and Darwin Barney can do somehing resembling hitting the ball, sometimes even out of the infield. Are they just trying to re-construct the 2006 Cubs so that people will be happy when they manage to put together a near .500 team for the following year?

Edited December 22, 2011 by Little Slide Rooter

[CincyCubsFan]

I strongly apologize for the thread title, change it if necessary, but this was the only thing that came to mind upong reading this, which is proabably just nothing.

 

The Braves, Cubs and Giants are also interested in utility infielders and Jack Wilson, Ronny Cedeno, Craig Counsell and Aaron Miles are among the available free agents.

 

Are Jeff Baker, Blake DeWitt, Darwin Barney, and Jeff Bianchi not utility infielders? So was Ryan Flaherty. DJ LeMahieu too. Don't forget Marwin Gonzalez. At least Jeff Baker, Blake DeWitt, and Darwin Barney can do somehing resembling hitting the ball, sometimes even out of the infield. Are they just trying to re-construct the 2006 Cubs so that people will be happy when they manage to put together a near .500 team for the following year?

 

At this point, I wouldn't expect the Cubs to be interested in anyone worth a [expletive], honestly. This sounds about right to me.

[dew1679666265]

Luckily the names mentioned appear to be purely speculative, but even then I don't understand the desire for a utility infielder. If they are interested in one, then why in the world did we let Flaherty and Gonzalez go for nothing?

[toonsterwu]

Ha. As a side note, if this is true, then the Flaherty decision is even more baffling. It was obvious that they were going to have to fill the upper levels and the 40 man with some backup/stopgap positional guys, and Flaherty offered a versatile guy, even if one didn't buy his ability to play any defensive position well (still think he could've settled in at 3rd base to be solid).

 

Oh well, the Flaherty ship has sailed and I think there's next to zero chance we get him back (as Baltimore can fit him in, as there are holes at 3rd/LF, along with questions at 2nd, and he could also DH).

 

I don't know what I'd do if we signed Aaron Miles. Seems like name speculation on Nicholson-Smith's part.

[Guest]

If you have to lead with an apology.....

 

 

A link would also be helpful.

[davell]

Maybe they've got trades working with Baker and/or Dewitt? Or maybe they're looking to send out a NRI? If it's not one of these two things, then I see nothing positive about this.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Had to slightly edit the edited title :D

[Little Slide Rooter]

If you have to lead with an apology.....

 

 

A link would also be helpful.

 

I saw it on MLBTR froma Heyman tweet.

[JeffH]

http://twitter.com/#!/JonHeymanCBS/status/149840950343106560

[dew1679666265]

Maybe they've got trades working with Baker and/or Dewitt? Or maybe they're looking to send out a NRI? If it's not one of these two things, then I see nothing positive about this.

 

We better be getting something good in return if we're trading Baker and replacing him with any name on that list. I'd take Baker and DeWitt over any of them (obviously, as I mentioned before, those names appear to be purely speculative).

[davell]

Heyman tweeted something about 5 teams looking for utility guys and listed 5 that were available. We were listed as one of the teams.

[UMFan83]

Maybe Theo is filling out the Iowa roster

 

I feel like every offseason move has gotten progressively worse. DeJesus ok nice signing, Stewart...eh, trading Marshall for nothing special...are you sure? Cubs sign Rnny Ceen...Good God!

[dew1679666265]

Maybe Theo is filling out the Iowa roster

 

I feel like every offseason move has gotten progressively worse. DeJesus ok nice signing, Stewart...eh, trading Marshall for nothing special...are you sure? Cubs sign Rnny Ceen...Good God!

 

Don't forget about $1 mil+ for Reed.

[Guest]

Maybe Theo is filling out the Iowa roster

 

I feel like every offseason move has gotten progressively worse. DeJesus ok nice signing, Stewart...eh, trading Marshall for nothing special...are you sure? Cubs sign Rnny Ceen...Good God!

 

The Marshall trade was a good deal, wtf

 

 

That's even if you assume the two prospects are absolute trash.

[toonsterwu]

Maybe Theo is filling out the Iowa roster

 

I feel like every offseason move has gotten progressively worse. DeJesus ok nice signing, Stewart...eh, trading Marshall for nothing special...are you sure? Cubs sign Rnny Ceen...Good God!

 

Here's my thing on the off-season so far -

 

a) This feels like the rebuild job that the media was selling, and I was okay with this route.

 

b) At the end of the day, even if DeJesus/Stewart/Marshall trade falters, it doesn't mean that the moves were bad. DeJesus was fine. I personally want another top of the order option at 2nd (still would love to see another top of the order type option at 2nd, giving us more overall flexibility on where to utilize Starlin and have him develop). It's not a long term deal, so it doesn't tie us down, and it provides veteran leadership and a guy who, by most accounts, wanted to be here. Stewart was a fine gamble. We gave up LeMahieu and Colvin, two guys that had debatable pro potential. This was a position of need, the market was weak, the system wasn't ready to fill in the spot. Headley was costly. To be honest, the Stewart price was lower than I expected.

 

And then the Marshall trade. The prospects will matter a lot, but even then, dealing a reliever with 1 year left for more team-controlled guys is valuable if the intent is a rebuild job.

[jersey cubs fan]

Is Jack Wilson still a slick fielder? My guess is the hard ass manager would end up giving serious playing time to a player like that after a Castro misplay.

 

Ronny Cedeno is a garbage fielder though, isn't he? At least very sloppy.

 

 

It wouldn't surprise me if this organization positions themselves to trade Castro in a mega deal considering their obsession with defense.

[bukie]

So...baseless speculation without any link to actual news, and without any link to actual Cub happenings. This is worthy of a thread now? It's a step below the old "BREAKING NEWS!!?!" threads.

[RynoRules]

Is Jack Wilson still a slick fielder? My guess is the hard ass manager would end up giving serious playing time to a player like that after a Castro misplay.

 

Ronny Cedeno is a garbage fielder though, isn't he? At least very sloppy.

 

 

It wouldn't surprise me if this organization positions themselves to trade Castro in a mega deal considering their obsession with defense.

 

That's a bit premature. I realize Hoyer has said a lot about improving the defense, but I think that's relative to how bad last year's team was.

[jersey cubs fan]

Is Jack Wilson still a slick fielder? My guess is the hard ass manager would end up giving serious playing time to a player like that after a Castro misplay.

 

Ronny Cedeno is a garbage fielder though, isn't he? At least very sloppy.

 

 

It wouldn't surprise me if this organization positions themselves to trade Castro in a mega deal considering their obsession with defense.

 

That's a bit premature. I realize Hoyer has said a lot about improving the defense, but I think that's relative to how bad last year's team was.

 

I'm not predicting it or anything, I just think it would fit their gameplan. They have been all about pitching and defense, and problematic SS defense can really put a hole in plans to be defensively solid. They traded Hanley for pitching. It wouldn't surprise me if they traded Castro for a similarly cost-controlled stud pitcher, even after talking about building around a guy like that.

[RynoRules]

Is Jack Wilson still a slick fielder? My guess is the hard ass manager would end up giving serious playing time to a player like that after a Castro misplay.

 

Ronny Cedeno is a garbage fielder though, isn't he? At least very sloppy.

 

 

It wouldn't surprise me if this organization positions themselves to trade Castro in a mega deal considering their obsession with defense.

 

That's a bit premature. I realize Hoyer has said a lot about improving the defense, but I think that's relative to how bad last year's team was.

 

I'm not predicting it or anything, I just think it would fit their gameplan. They have been all about pitching and defense, and problematic SS defense can really put a hole in plans to be defensively solid. They traded Hanley for pitching. It wouldn't surprise me if they traded Castro for a similarly cost-controlled stud pitcher, even after talking about building around a guy like that.

 

Yeesh, I hope not.

[SouthSideRyan]

That's not going to happen.

[Tracer Bullet]

I'm sorry, we don't need another thread about this sort of crap.