What do you want to see this offseason? (long)

[sporrer17]

Be specific. Don't just say "I want to see a better team, better players, better management." What players do you want to see an attempt made at? What positions do we need to fix, and who would you target to fix them? What rookies deserve a shot at playing time?

 

I'll start.

 

First off, I think one big OF bat needs to be acquired. Patterson is talented and all, but I don't see him figuring it out anytime soon. He still looks overmatched at this level. He's almost 26, he shouldn't be still trying to decide what type of hitter he is. The guy I want to see in LF for us next year...Aubrey Huff. His defense may be horrid, but a LH bat that can hit well and for decent power...that would be pleasant.

 

Pie/Murton/Patterson can make up the other 2/3 of the outfield. If Patterson's struggles here continue, look for Pie/Murton in CF and RF, respectively.

 

I assume 1b, 3b, and C are set in stone, barring injury/blockbuster moves. All of them are productive and under contract through next season at least...which means they'll likely stay.

 

This leaves the middle of the infield open for change. I want to see Nomar the rest of this year before totally deciding, but I'd give him another 1 year deal, and hope like heck he's the Nomar of old, and not an Old Nomar. However, this blocks Cedeno (who's season line at AAA of .370+ with 8 HRs). One solution would be to put Cedeno/Nomar at 2b, preferrably Nomar because of his groin/achilles history, and the lesser stress. Plus, Cedeno's the better defender at SS, IMO. Todd Walker could be resigned, and it would give us another solid LH bat in the lineup. It would again block Cedeno, effectively putting him in AAA or rotting on the bench for another season. Personally, I like the idea of Nomar/Cedeno in the middle, defensively.

 

That rounds out the position players, at least starters. Here's my lineup:

 

RF Murton(not ideal, but hey, there's been worse choices made)

SS Cedeno

2b Garciaparra

3b Ramirez

LF Huff

1b Lee

CF Pie

C Barrett

 

However, if my guess is correct, the Cubs will try Pie as a leadoff hitter kinda like Patterson. His speed/handedness make him look like an intriguing possibility at leadoff. Basically then I'd just switch Pie and Murton in the lineup, leaving the rest unchanged. Lee can move up ifhe continues the .300+ hitting, but I still don't buy that he's improved his game THAT much.

 

PS, I'll do another post on pitchers/bench players in a minute.

[sporrer17]

Reserve players:

 

Blanco is still under contract. Reyes/Soto are his backups who will compete in spring training. Reyes offers more defensively, and is a switch hitter, he's my 3rd catcher if one is needed next year.

 

Macias should be considered strongly to be brought back. I know he's not the popular choice as a backup player, but a bench player who is hitting .300 for the season and can play 7-8 positions is very valuable to a winning club.

 

Like it or not, Neifi will be back as the default backup at SS/2b, IMO. To be honest, you can do worse offensively, and he's a great defender at either spot.

 

No way Hairston will return to be a bench player...is he still under contract? If he is, he'll likely be brought back as a 2b/OF again, and another unhappy player will be on our bench. I see him being dealt if he's still under contract.

 

As for OF's, I think Greenberg and Patterson would be a nice defensive combo as well as providing pinch running options off the bench. If Corey can deal with being a bench player/spot starter, I'd like to see him around just for defensive purposes, especially if we have Huff and Murton manning the corners on a regular basis. This means we need a valuable bat off the bench, regardless of position. Someone with a little pop in his bat.

 

A guy like Geoff Blum or John Mabry would be nice, as each could give Lee days off at 1b. Each can also spot start at 3b for Ramirez. Likewise, both would be adequate in LF/RF if needed, as well.

 

Bench:

C Blanco R

UT Macias S

UT Blum S

OF Patterson L

OF Greenberg L

IF Perez S

 

Also with Patterson on board for speed/defense, we could use a big bat from the right side off the bench. Maybe Eli Marrero? Jose Cruz Jr? Rondell White? Not sure if any of them want to be bench players, but they'd all be decent options.

 

Pitchers

 

Wood, Williamson and Dempster could be a dominant back 3 in the bullpen, add Ohman for lefties, and Novoa/Wuertz for middle relief, and you have yourself a pretty solid bullpen, IMO. Give Woody a shot at closing games down the stretch, get his shoulder fixed, and let him give it a try. Dempster in the 8th, Williamson in the 7th. Potentially nasty combo. Ohman works as a situational LH (LOOGY). Replace Wuertz/Novoa with another LH who fairs well against LH hitters, and there's a VERY solid pen. Scott Sauerbeck would be a great addition, he's having a good year vs. LHs, and has done well in the past.

 

Bullpen:

Wood (closer)

Dempster (8th)

Williamson (7th)

Ohman (loogy)

Sauerbeck (loogy)

Novoa/Wuertz/Wellemeyer (long relief type)

 

Maddux's option will vest pretty soon, meaning he's here again in '06, barring a miraculous trade by Hendry. Too bad he looks like he hit the wall finally this year.

 

Prior and Zambrano are locks, barring injury. 'Nuff said.

 

Williams has looked solid enough to give him another chance, as long as he looks good down the stretch here.

 

With Wood in the pen, a 5th starter will likely be needed. Here's the BIG deal of the offseason. We acquire another starter via FA. (Hill included in the TB deal for Huff, along with Dopirak). If Rusch decides to return for another go-round, he may be the 5th starter, or he could be the long relief man in the pen. However, I'd target Jarrod Washburn of the Angels. I'd like to keep a LH in the starting 5, so that's why I leaned towards him. However Burnett or Weaver would look good as well.

 

Starting 5:

Prior

Zambrano

Maddux

Williams

Washburn/FA

 

If Rusch comes back as the long man, he's also our 6th starter, followed by guys like Pinto, Nolasco, Koronka, etc.

 

Basically this whole entire scenerio has us doing this:

 

Adding Huff, Blum, Sauerbeck, and maybe another starter if Wood stays in the pen. Huff through trade for Mitre, Hill, Dopirak. Blum and Sauerbeck should cost no more than what, 4-5 mil combined, and Huff goes up to 7 mil or so next year right? That's only 12 on those 3 guys, and maybe a little more for Washburn.

 

We replace Burnitz's 5 mil with Murton. We replace Lawton's whatever with Pie. Walker's money replaced by Cedeno at 2b. Nomar is probably going to get lesser/equal money on this next deal, so save money there as well. With 3 rookies in the everyday lineup combining for maybe a million bucks...it gives you a nice flexibility. Our bench looks a little pricey, but we could afford it with Hawkins/Sosa/Remlinger/Burnitz coming off the books simultaneously.

 

Guys who will be getting paid more next season: Dempster, Williamson.

 

I think this is a very realistic offseason, and also could be a very productive one, while also helping build for the future, as well.

 

Any ideas from you guys?

 

Just kinda got on a roll here at 12 AM and decided to spend some time thinking through what I'd like to see done for next year's team.

[minnesotacubsfan]

Be specific. Don't just say "I want to see a better team, better players, better management." quote]

 

 

I want to see a better team, better players, better management.

 

 

COULDNT RESIST.....

[minnesotacubsfan]

 

RF Murton(not ideal, but hey, there's been worse choices made)

SS Cedeno

2b Garciaparra

3b Ramirez

LF Huff

1b Lee

CF Pie

C Barrett

 

 

PS, I'll do another post on pitchers/bench players in a minute.

 

 

I DONT LIKE THE IDEA OF CEDENO BATTING 2, ALTHOUGH i AGREE WITH HIM AT SS AND GARCIAPARRA AT 2B. i THINK IT GOES:

 

MURTON

GARCIAPARRA

LEE

ARAM

HUFF/PATTERSON

PIE

CEDENO

BARRETT

PITCHER

 

 

i AM REALLY NOT SOLD ON HUFF. HE WOULD COST US HILL, PINTO, GALLEGHER, ETC ETC ETC. IS HE WORTH IT?

[minnesotacubsfan]

Reserve players:

 

Blanco is still under contract. Reyes/Soto are his backups who will compete in spring training. Reyes offers more defensively, and is a switch hitter, he's my 3rd catcher if one is needed next year.

 

Macias should be considered strongly to be brought back. I know he's not the popular choice as a backup player, but a bench player who is hitting .300 for the season and can play 7-8 positions is very valuable to a winning club.

 

Like it or not, Neifi will be back as the default backup at SS/2b, IMO. To be honest, you can do worse offensively, and he's a great defender at either spot.

 

No way Hairston will return to be a bench player...is he still under contract? If he is, he'll likely be brought back as a 2b/OF again, and another unhappy player will be on our bench. I see him being dealt if he's still under contract.

 

As for OF's, I think Greenberg and Patterson would be a nice defensive combo as well as providing pinch running options off the bench. If Corey can deal with being a bench player/spot starter, I'd like to see him around just for defensive purposes, especially if we have Huff and Murton manning the corners on a regular basis. This means we need a valuable bat off the bench, regardless of position. Someone with a little pop in his bat.

 

A guy like Geoff Blum or John Mabry would be nice, as each could give Lee days off at 1b. Each can also spot start at 3b for Ramirez. Likewise, both would be adequate in LF/RF if needed, as well.

 

Bench:

C Blanco R

UT Macias S

UT Blum S

OF Patterson L

OF Greenberg L

IF Perez S

 

Also with Patterson on board for speed/defense, we could use a big bat from the right side off the bench. Maybe Eli Marrero? Jose Cruz Jr? Rondell White? Not sure if any of them want to be bench players, but they'd all be decent options.

 

Pitchers

 

Wood, Williamson and Dempster could be a dominant back 3 in the bullpen, add Ohman for lefties, and Novoa/Wuertz for middle relief, and you have yourself a pretty solid bullpen, IMO. Give Woody a shot at closing games down the stretch, get his shoulder fixed, and let him give it a try. Dempster in the 8th, Williamson in the 7th. Potentially nasty combo. Ohman works as a situational LH (LOOGY). Replace Wuertz/Novoa with another LH who fairs well against LH hitters, and there's a VERY solid pen. Scott Sauerbeck would be a great addition, he's having a good year vs. LHs, and has done well in the past.

 

Bullpen:

Wood (closer)

Dempster (8th)

Williamson (7th)

Ohman (loogy)

Sauerbeck (loogy)

Novoa/Wuertz/Wellemeyer (long relief type)

 

Maddux's option will vest pretty soon, meaning he's here again in '06, barring a miraculous trade by Hendry. Too bad he looks like he hit the wall finally this year.

 

Prior and Zambrano are locks, barring injury. 'Nuff said.

 

Williams has looked solid enough to give him another chance, as long as he looks good down the stretch here.

 

With Wood in the pen, a 5th starter will likely be needed. Here's the BIG deal of the offseason. We acquire another starter via FA. (Hill included in the TB deal for Huff, along with Dopirak). If Rusch decides to return for another go-round, he may be the 5th starter, or he could be the long relief man in the pen. However, I'd target Jarrod Washburn of the Angels. I'd like to keep a LH in the starting 5, so that's why I leaned towards him. However Burnett or Weaver would look good as well.

 

Starting 5:

Prior

Zambrano

Maddux

Williams

Washburn/FA

 

If Rusch comes back as the long man, he's also our 6th starter, followed by guys like Pinto, Nolasco, Koronka, etc.

 

Basically this whole entire scenerio has us doing this:

 

Adding Huff, Blum, Sauerbeck, and maybe another starter if Wood stays in the pen. Huff through trade for Mitre, Hill, Dopirak. Blum and Sauerbeck should cost no more than what, 4-5 mil combined, and Huff goes up to 7 mil or so next year right? That's only 12 on those 3 guys, and maybe a little more for Washburn.

 

We replace Burnitz's 5 mil with Murton. We replace Lawton's whatever with Pie. Walker's money replaced by Cedeno at 2b. Nomar is probably going to get lesser/equal money on this next deal, so save money there as well. With 3 rookies in the everyday lineup combining for maybe a million bucks...it gives you a nice flexibility. Our bench looks a little pricey, but we could afford it with Hawkins/Sosa/Remlinger/Burnitz coming off the books simultaneously.

 

Guys who will be getting paid more next season: Dempster, Williamson.

 

I think this is a very realistic offseason, and also could be a very productive one, while also helping build for the future, as well.

 

Any ideas from you guys?

 

Just kinda got on a roll here at 12 AM and decided to spend some time thinking through what I'd like to see done for next year's team.

 

ON THE ROTATION.

 

FIRE LARRY ROTHSCHILD, FIND SOMEONE TO WORK ON WOOD'S MECHS.

 

PRIOR

Z

WOOD

WILLIAMS

PINTO/WEAVER/WASHBURN/HILL

 

CLOSER DEMP

8TH WILLIAMSon

7TH OHMAN (OR LOOGY)

LONGMAN MADDUX/MITRE (PIPEDREAM, I KNOW)

ROOGY OPTION A

LOOGY OPTION B

 

edit: mixed up Williams and Williamson

Edited August 11, 2005 by minnesotacubsfan

[neely crenshaw]

there are many,many choices! a lot will be decided by who is signed or can be signed.

if get a furcal type for lead off then we probably need 2 hitters in the outfield. i like murton but you can not have 2 outfielders with little power at wrigley. especially if the guy you are counting on for power is corey(see:2005)

i really reggie sanders, he is very consistent regardless of where he plays. he is always supposed to be a good teammate. he could be signed for 1 or possibly years not real expensive. last year was the 1st year he signed a two year deal. that would be a good time table for our young outfielders to develop. we definitely would know what corey had, and hopefully pie and murton would be ready.

if we went with cedeno or furcal at short we would need another ofer. it could be huff or giles, trades are tough to guess on because you never know who is available. we must upgrade from burnitz. you can not be a playoff team iif he is your best offensive outfielder.

i am torn on nomar. i like him. i want to be healthy. i might resign him to a cheap incentive laden contract. there really isn't much out there so that may mean you gamble. if he goes down again...i go with cedeno at at least until trading deadline. if nomar has an incentive deal you would have some cash to play with for a deal. if you sign nomar you must sign a lead off man at 2nd or of. i certainly hope everyone has seen that a lead off hitter is a necessity. corey can not do it and if they are even considering pie for it then he better do it the rest of the year and maybe next in the minors. one thought is a trade with washington. they have several options at 2nd. vidro has been hurt and is more expensive perhaps they would deal him. he is good offensive player and would have to be positive he could lead off, and i personally do not know enough about him to be sure.

bullpen needs help. however, i think they are only an arm or two away from being solid. we have a closer in dempster. my next thought is put woody in that role the rest of the year. see if he can do it then that ups his trade value. at 12 mil a year he has to either be a healthy-good starter or a closer(or traded). it would be easier to swallow the 12 mil if he was a great closer, rather than a set up man. it would also keep dempster's value down a little for resigning. we should know if williamson can be the right handed set up guy, if so..all we need is a tough lefty set up man. we would need to spend a bit. you then habe ohman as a loogie, welmeyer,mitre and wuertz as possibly the bullpen. there should be a good battle for these spots. dare i say, it could actually be a strength?

starters for the first time in resent history is a huge problem. you have 2 studs z-prior. what happens with wood/maddux means a lot. if either is not in the rotation, we must sign someone and someone preety good. burnett, schmidt, mulder...it has to be a top 3 kinda guy. we do not have the studs to think that any of our young guys can be a top 3. williams might be ok as an end of the rotation guy but not 3. same with rusch-although i think he is gone if he is not a starter. hill is not looking good but we might as well watch the rest of the season- we will have a good idea then.

if wood and maddux are gone..there would be 21 mil to sign some help.

if they are there, you can not afford to sign more help. so it's hoping that wood is healthy and maddux can hang on for 1 more decent year. then williams is probably your 5, maybe hill.

[ltb]

ON THE ROTATION.

 

PRIOR

Z

WOOD

WILLIAMSON

PINTO/WEAVER/WASHBURN/HILL

 

care to explain?

[minnesotacubsfan]

ON THE ROTATION.

 

PRIOR

Z

WOOD

WILLIAMSON

PINTO/WEAVER/WASHBURN/HILL

 

care to explain?

 

 

ahhh.....I have Williams and Williamson switched around

 

 

......long awkward pause.......

[RynoRules]

LOUD NOISES!!!

 

This team needs help at all 3 OF positions, bullpen, and at SP.

 

Its diffifult to predict who will be available to trade for, but I'll assume that we can get one veteran OF and one veteran reliever via trade. I'd like to see us go w/ Murton in LF, Pie in CF, and trade for a veteran RF like Dunn. That's plenty of power - Dunn, Lee, Ramirez - to make up for the relative lack of pop in CF and LF. And CPAtt is therefore trade bait. Package him w/ Hill and two B or C level prospects for Dunn and a prospect. I can live with that - Dunn is a proven talent and we desperatly need his production.

 

I am fine w/ our catchers. I like Barrett a lot more this year than I did last year.

 

Corner IFs are set. Middle IFs are troubling. I like Walker enough, but as much as I love Nomar, can we count on him? I think we have to bring him back again only b/c, basedon my model, its too risky to play Cedeno (b/c I have also put Murton and Pie in the lineup). May be I am wrong. W/ Nomar:

 

Pie

Walker

Lee

Dunn

ARam

Nomar

Murton

Barrett

 

W/out him, everyone moves up and Cedeno bats 8th. I dunno - may be that works.

 

Bench is a major issue. I can't stand Macias, but I can live with the other most-hated-man at NSSB, Nefi. I think we deperately need a guy who can 1B as well as OF to give D Lee a day off now and then, and therefore I also like Mabry. And we have a major backup OF need also; I'd prefer some veterans in that role. Quite frankly :wink: , I am not sure what to do here.

 

I like Wood as the closer, though I agree with anyone who says that his salary is rich for a closer not named Rivera or Gagne. We need another middle reliever to stabalize the pen, preferably from the left side, IMO. I have always liked Arthur Rhodes, and I would bring back Dempster:

 

Wood

Dempster

Rhodes

Bad Ohman

Novoa

Williamson - I love this guy.

 

Starters:

 

Prior

Z

Maddux

Williams

FA: I like Washburn - veteran with postseason experience.

[sporrer17]

I guess a potential solution for next season's leadoff hitter would be to resign Hairston at 2b and let him leadoff...although I still want to see Cedeno get regular time somewhere. I still don't want to see Pie as leadoff hitter anytime soon. I think he's best suited for 7 or so, a la Patterson right now.

[marc_foust]

I dont know why everyone is so set on moving Todd Walker. His is a very good 2B who can bat anywhere in the lineup, from leadoff to eighth. If we are moving Nomar anywhere why not move him to a corner outfield position? Walker certainly isnt a problem on this team. So instead of losing a talented left handed bat why not fill one of our actual needs?

 

 

Todd Walkers Stats this year:

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BA OBP SLG

71 270 36 80 18 2 7 27 1 .296 .346 .456

 

2005 Salary: $2,500,000

 

 

In Comparison:

Jeff Kent

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BA OBP SLG

109 396 68 118 27 0 22 80 4 .298 .383 .533

 

2005 Salary: $7,350,000

 

Alfonso Soriano

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BA OBP SLG

110 456 80 131 30 2 28 82 18 .287 .326 .546

 

2005 Salary: $7,500,000

 

I dont know why anyone would want to have a guy with Todd Walker's stats and salary on their team? Leave second base alone and fix the actual problems of this team, like the corners, starters, bullpen, bench, and most of all coaching staff.

 

 

My suggestion for this offseason:

 

1) Either trade for Kearns, Huff etc, or sign Giles to play one corner

2) Find a pitching coach that can help Wood stay healthy and make Maddux the number 5 starter (I will take 10-13 wins out of my number 5)

3) Either let Nomar play short or move him to the outfield

4) Resign Demp and Williamson

5) Find a batting coach to help CPatt or trade for a centerfielder like Pierre

6) Try the FA market for a starter

 

My lineup:

1B Lee

2B Walker

SS Cedeno

3B ARam

C Barrett

LF Nomar/Kearns

RF Huff/Nomar/Giles

CF Patterson/Pierre

 

Bench:

Hairston

Murton

Neifi

Blanco

Hollandsworth

Blum

 

Starters:

Z

Prior

Wood

Williams/Burnett/Weaver/Washburn

Maddux

 

Pen:

Dempster

Williamson

Ohman

Rusch

Any 2 of:

Novoa/Wuertz/Aardsma

 

GM: Hendry

Manager: Not Baker

Pitching Coach: Not Rothschild

Batting Coach: Mark Grace

Base coaches can stay :wink:

[TXCubsFan]

This batting order by June 1, 2006:

 

Lawton/Murton LF (platoon)

Cedeno SS

Patterson RF (assuming he can return to form)

Lee 1B

Ramirez 3B

Soriano 2B

Pie CF

Barrett C

 

Starters

Prior

Zambrano

Wood

Guzman/Hill

Williams

 

Pen:

Ohman

Novoa

Hill/Guzman

Williamson

Wuertz/Brownlie

Dempster, closer

 

Bench:

1B/3B veteran that can hit to rest DLee and Aram

SS/2B veteran that can field

Greenburg, OF

Blanco, C

??

 

Trade Mad Dog to SD for prospects. I'm assuming Neifi and Rusch would sign elsewhere to be starters. May want to alternate Hill and Guzman in the 4th spot to be sure not to overwork Guzman in his first full year. (I'm assuming by June 1 of next year Hill will have developed a third pitch)

[sporrer17]

See I've always thought of Corey as a guy who will only thrive in a run-producing role. Whether thats 6-8 or 3 in the order, is up to him. I think when he's hitting like he was in '03, or at times in '04, he's a #3 hitter and would look nice in front of Lee/Ramirez/Nomar. However, if he's going to be the .240 hitter, he may not even be in the lineup at all.

 

A lot of our lineup for next season depends on how Nomar/Corey/Murton look the rest of the year.

[UK1679666180]

1)Trade for Lugo (I'd offer Sing and a pitching prospect)

2)Sign BJ Ryan (Cubs start to develop an above avg. pen)

3)Go after Giles

4)Trade for Kearns (Pitching prospects)

5)Sign Millwood

 

Lineup:

 

Lugo-SS

Walker-2B

Lee-1B

Giles-RF

Ramirez-3B

Kearns-LF

Barrett-C

Patterson-CF

 

Rotation:

Z

Prior

Maddux

Millwood

Wood

 

Bullpen:

Ryan

Dempster

Williamson

Ohman

Rusch

JVB

 

Bench:

Hollandsworth

Murton

Blanco

Perez

1B/3B backup

Cedeno

[rawaction]

See I've always thought of Corey as a guy who will only thrive in a run-producing role. Whether thats 6-8 or 3 in the order, is up to him. I think when he's hitting like he was in '03, or at times in '04, he's a #3 hitter and would look nice in front of Lee/Ramirez/Nomar. However, if he's going to be the .240 hitter, he may not even be in the lineup at all.

 

A lot of our lineup for next season depends on how Nomar/Corey/Murton look the rest of the year.

 

Corey is a run producer, but I think a 6th hitter is his peak now. Even if he hits .320, I don't want him hitting 3rd if his walk rate is unchanged. Sure he would knock in runs, but the #3 hitter sets the tone. I'd rather have a guy in there who's gonna get on base 40% of the time and hit for average and power (see Lee, Derrek).

[rawaction]

1)Trade for Lugo (I'd offer Sing and a pitching prospect)

2)Sign BJ Ryan (Cubs start to develop an above avg. pen)

3)Go after Giles

4)Trade for Kearns (Pitching prospects)

5)Sign Millwood

 

That sounds like the most feasible plan, minus #2. I don't think Ryan is going anywhere. And I'd like the bench to be much different. I'd replace Hollandsworth with an OBP machine like Mark Sweeney or Branyan. I'd let Neifi go, so there's no temptation to play him if Lugo or Walker goes down. I'd try to replace him with a guy that can play several positions WELL and take a walk, like Frank Menechino, Chris Gomez, or Marco Scutaro.

[UK1679666180]

I wish there would be more than Perez, but I don't see the Cubs unloading Perez, there's the impression of how well he did when Nomar 1st went down that many haven't paid attention to how he had done after that hot start. I think Branyan would fit the 1B/3B mold off the bench.

 

Right now, the two priorities have to be OF and BP. I'll be disappointed if they don't improve with the pen.

[rawaction]

I wish there would be more than Perez, but I don't see the Cubs unloading Perez, there's the impression of how well he did when Nomar 1st went down that many haven't paid attention to how he had done after that hot start. I think Branyan would fit the 1B/3B mold off the bench.

 

Right now, the two priorities have to be OF and BP. I'll be disappointed if they don't improve with the pen.

 

Yeah, 1 arm could go a long way in the pen. Ohman, Williamson and Dempster is a nice start. Even nicer, if their roles are lessened due to another arm brought into the equation. I wouldn't spend the money to get Wagner. I would pay anything Ryan wants, but again, I don't see him going anywhere. So, I could settle for a Mesa/Wickman type closer brought in and a trade for a decent lefty.

[abuck1220]

1)Trade for Lugo (I'd offer Sing and a pitching prospect)

2)Sign BJ Ryan (Cubs start to develop an above avg. pen)

3)Go after Giles

4)Trade for Kearns (Pitching prospects)

5)Sign Millwood

 

That sounds like the most feasible plan, minus #2. I don't think Ryan is going anywhere. And I'd like the bench to be much different. I'd replace Hollandsworth with an OBP machine like Mark Sweeney or Branyan. I'd let Neifi go, so there's no temptation to play him if Lugo or Walker goes down. I'd try to replace him with a guy that can play several positions WELL and take a walk, like Frank Menechino, Chris Gomez, or Marco Scutaro.

 

i've mentioned branyan in other threads. he'd be a good lh complement to lee at 1b, plus he gives you the backup 3b which seems to be the role keeping macias on the team.

 

and the cubs have just flat out lacked the guy that you can bring off the bench down by one with two outs in the 9th inning. i always like having an all or nothing type slugger (ie glenallen hill) to keep stashed away on the bench. hollandsworth's not that guy, and i've seen enough of him all together.

[Nobody youd want to know]

This batting order by June 1, 2006:

 

Lawton/Murton LF (platoon)

Cedeno SS

Patterson RF (assuming he can return to form)

Lee 1B

Ramirez 3B

Soriano 2B

Pie CF

Barrett C

 

Starters

Prior

Zambrano

Wood

Guzman/Hill

Williams

 

Pen:

Ohman

Novoa

Hill/Guzman

Williamson

Wuertz/Brownlie

Dempster, closer

 

Bench:

1B/3B veteran that can hit to rest DLee and Aram

SS/2B veteran that can field

Greenburg, OF

Blanco, C

??

 

Trade Mad Dog to SD for prospects. I'm assuming Neifi and Rusch would sign elsewhere to be starters. May want to alternate Hill and Guzman in the 4th spot to be sure not to overwork Guzman in his first full year. (I'm assuming by June 1 of next year Hill will have developed a third pitch)

 

This is getting close to perfect for me--but I'd go further.

 

Like a lot of posters here, I really like Todd Walker, but I think Matt Murton has more upside, power- and baserunning-wise, and this lineup can't really afford two of the same kind of hitters. So we trade for Soriano, which from the sound of things won't take too much. The only other trade I'd make is with Tampa, for an outfielder. Not the usual suspect, tho--I'd rather have Gomes, with Crawford a close second, followed by Gathright. I think Gomes can lead off, even though he has great power. His minor league career OBP is .393, plus he can steal the occasional base.

 

The lineup:

 

Gomes RF

Murton LF

Lee 1B

Ramirez 3B

Soriano 2B

Barrett C

Pie CF

Cedeno SS

 

That is one hellishly young lineup, tho, so I think you'd need to get lots of bench experience. I like other posters' idea of John Mabry, and (gulp) I've actually done a 180 with respect to Jose Macias, who, if used correctly, actually has a lot of value. I'd also like to see Jose Cruz Jr. in pinstripes. And what about Larry Walker?

 

The starting pitching will have one big change:

 

Prior

Zambrano

Penny--only big FA signing

Maddux

Whoever impresses in ST from Hill, Mitre, Welly, Rusch, Pinto

 

Closer: Wood

I know, it's tough to swallow $12 mill at the closer position, but this is a good move for 2 reasons: 1) The Cubs haven't had a dominant closer in years, and Woody would definitely be that, and 2) we're not getting our money's worth out of him as a starter anyway, and since his injuries reportedly are triggered at the 50-60 pitch mark, he should be able to stay healthier throwing only one inning every couple of days.

 

Setup: Williamson

LOOGY: Ohman

Long men: Wuertz (if he can recover from this year's overuse) and Welly

Novoa

Someone with an arm--Guzman?

 

Missing in action: Williams (moved to Texas in Soriano deal), CPatt (moved somewhere for someone), Dempster (not resigned), Neifi (good riddance), Hollandsworth (ditto), Burnitz (not resigned), Nomar (sorry, but I don't throw good money after bad).

 

Manager: Jack McKeon or Grady Little

Hitting coach: Von Joshua

Pitching coach: Mike Maddux

GM: Me, of course

 

Dark horse deal: Three-way trade with Cincinnati and another team (San Diego?) to net us Dunn and someone (Loretta?) for Derrek Lee. Brandon Sing steps in at 1B for us, Dunn plays LF, Murton RF (and leads off). Forget Gomes.

[TruffleShuffle]

Trade Mad Dog to SD for prospects.

 

Nobody is trading anything of value for Maddux, and furthermore, the Cubs would have to eat at least half his $9M salary next year to get rid of him.

 

 

I find these hard to do because I don't know who will be free agents, and don't know how much certain guys will demand. I'd love to see Brian Giles in a Cub uniform next year, but if he won't sign without a four year deal, then forget it. In general, I will say that the team's fundamental problems that need to be addressed are OBP and bullpen (especially in the control department).

 

I don't like the idea of Pie, Murton/Lawton and Patterson in the OF next year. I really don't have any confidence in Pie being better than average next year, and Patterson could be as bad as he was this season. If you're counting on Pie/Murton/Cedeno, then you're counting on three guys from the minors to be able to produce. Chances are that at least one, and probably two of them, will not produce. I like Walker or someone similar at 2B, and I really think Giles would be a perfect fit in RF if the money and the contract length are at all reasonable. I'd give Giles 3 but not 4 years.

[marc_foust]

This batting order by June 1, 2006:

 

Trade Mad Dog to SD for prospects. I'm assuming Neifi and Rusch would sign elsewhere to be starters. May want to alternate Hill and Guzman in the 4th spot to be sure not to overwork Guzman in his first full year. (I'm assuming by June 1 of next year Hill will have developed a third pitch)

 

This is getting close to perfect for me--but I'd go further.

 

Like a lot of posters here, I really like Todd Walker, but I think Matt Murton has more upside, power- and baserunning-wise, and this lineup can't really afford two of the same kind of hitters. So we trade for Soriano, which from the sound of things won't take too much. The only other trade I'd make is with Tampa, for an outfielder. Not the usual suspect, tho--I'd rather have Gomes, with Crawford a close second, followed by Gathright. I think Gomes can lead off, even though he has great power. His minor league career OBP is .393, plus he can steal the occasional base.

 

 

Missing in action: Williams (moved to Texas in Soriano deal), CPatt (moved somewhere for someone), Dempster (not resigned), Neifi (good riddance), Hollandsworth (ditto), Burnitz (not resigned), Nomar (sorry, but I don't throw good money after bad).

 

Dark horse deal: Three-way trade with Cincinnati and another team (San Diego?) to net us Dunn and someone (Loretta?) for Derrek Lee. Brandon Sing steps in at 1B for us, Dunn plays LF, Murton RF (and leads off). Forget Gomes.

 

 

 

1) Maddux isnt going anywhere unless for some reason chooses to retire.

2) You like Walker but would rather trade him because a rookie with about 10-20 games of MLB experience and is a similar player?! Lets trade one of the best position producing players on the team because an unproven rookie plays similar to him? That doesnt make much sense to me. Walker produces at the league average and probably above but you would move him for an OF who has limited power and defense for the position he plays. That just doesnt make sense to me.

3) And you want to trade DLee. who, even if he doesnt produce like this year, will be solid offensivly and makes everyone on the field better defensivly for a player (dunn) who is hit or miss and not the surest player on defense. Lets trade a five tool player for a power hitter? Anyone else on the team ok, but not our most complete player.

4) Bringing back Demp for the pen would not be bad move even if you want Wood for the closer. A proven veteran who start on occasion is not a bad guy to help anchor the pen.

5) I really like your bullpen. I know alot of people are disappointed right now with Wuertz but I think he has a promising career. Same with Novoa. I think if you add Dempster to that pen it is very solid.

6) I like your starting pitching as well. I agree we should seek out a SP from either the FA market or trades. I think if we can add just one starter we will be ok and let the fifth spot be decided between Hill, Mitre, Williams, Rusch, and whoever else is not traded.

[Nobody youd want to know]

2) You like Walker but would rather trade him because a rookie with about 10-20 games of MLB experience and is a similar player?! Lets trade one of the best position producing players on the team because an unproven rookie plays similar to him? That doesnt make much sense to me. Walker produces at the league average and probably above but you would move him for an OF who has limited power and defense for the position he plays. That just doesnt make sense to me.

 

Maybe I wasn't really clear--my point was you either get power from the traditional spot, i.e. the outfield corners, or you get it from non-traditional places, in this case 2nd base, with Soriano. That then allows you the luxury of having a LF or RF without huge power, but in our case excellent OBP, which the Cubs need desperately. Also, we'd probably save a little money, over what we'd have to pay for a FA LF with appropriate power. And I think I mentioned also that I believe Murton has much more upside power-wise than Walker. I figure him to be a 25-homer guy in the future, based on his frame and hitting style.

 

 

3) And you want to trade DLee. who, even if he doesnt produce like this year, will be solid offensivly and makes everyone on the field better defensivly for a player (dunn) who is hit or miss and not the surest player on defense. Lets trade a five tool player for a power hitter? Anyone else on the team ok, but not our most complete player.

 

Let's not forget that the two least important defensive spots in baseball are LF and 1B, and that the defensive letdown from Lee to Sing, for example, is most likely minuscule from a runs-allowed perspective. As for him being solid offensively, yes, but I have a feeling that this may be his career year, and trading him now, while wildly unpopular, would be a very smart move. Buy low, sell high.

 

My problem with this whole thread is that in most scenarios, next years' team looks amazingly like this years', and frankly I have no patience for that. Let's figure out our problems, namely getting on base and keeping other teams from killing us late in games, and make big moves to fix them. Trading DLee, who is my favorite Cub, would most likely net us at least 2 players who would help fix the OBP problem.

[sporrer17]

And trading Derrek Lee takes away a lot of OBP and power. I know Sing has good upside, in OBP and power, but Lee is doing those things right now at a great level. He plays gold glove defense, and say what you want about the importance of defense, but he saves a lot of errors from ARam, Nomar, and Walker.

 

However, I'm not one bit opposed to potentially trading Derrek Lee. You'll never get more for him than you will now.

[marc_foust]

Todd Walkers Stats this year:

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BA OBP SLG

71 270 36 80 18 2 7 27 1 .296 .346 .456

 

2005 Salary: $2,500,000

 

 

Alfonso Soriano

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BA OBP SLG

110 456 80 131 30 2 28 82 18 .287 .326 .546

 

2005 Salary: $7,500,000

 

Walker leads Soriano in BA and OBP. While Soriano may have more HR and RBI's Soriano also bats in a stronger lineup. Why get rid of a guy with very good OBP just to add a power hitter so we can find another OBP guy in the OF? 2B is one of bright spots with Walker. With this trade we are just creating a whole in the OF instead of actually filling a need. I would advocate keeping Walker at 2B and looking at moving Nomar to LF. With Nomar's numbers I think he could be very similar to what we are looking for.

 

Nomar:

SPLIT G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BA OBP SLG

Career 1031 4212 745 1346 294 50 183 716 86 .320 .368 .543

 

 

Nomar's numbers are very similar to Soriano's so we by leaving Walker and moving Nomar that also enables Cedeno to play. Which would fill one of our major holes. Then if we could just add an OF through FA(Giles) or trade (Kearns)

 

 

On a side note a trade for Kearns:

Mitre, Koronka, Holla for Kearns