Nomar Open to a Position Change?

[ZFan38]

1b-lee

2b-walker

3b-ramirez

ss-cedeno

lf-nomar

rf-giles

cf-damon

c-barrett

[erik316wttn]

1b-lee

2b-walker

3b-ramirez

ss-cedeno

lf-nomar

rf-giles

cf-damon

c-barrett

 

If we can land Giles and DAmon, that would rock. However, I don't think we will.

 

Nomar MAY be brutal in left, but I'd hate to lose his bat. Keep him at short with Cedeno the primary backup for him and Walker, and Murton should start in left.

[abuck1220]

my plan for the middle IF would be nomar at ss, walker at 2b and cedeno as the 2b/ss backup (the role neifi played this year). however, if nomar wants to move to lf (probably the easiest defensive position to play outside of 1b), that'd be fine with me. the FA market for OF'ers is pretty slim, so to have him out there would be nice....then you'd only have to get one other OF'er (assuming you keep patterson).

 

i could live w/ giles in rf, nomar in lf, cedeno at ss and walker at 2b. i don't know if i'd throw murton out there everyday quite yet. it'd be nice if you could see a month's worth of him playing everyday, but for some reason, the cubs feel the need to really get another month's worth of burnitz.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

If Nomar comes cheap enough, I'd keep him at SS, Walker at 2B and Cedeno as the back-up. Nomar also serves as Ramirez insurance with Cedeno stepping in at short when needed.

 

If we sign Giles for right and play Murton in left, I think we'd be ok.

[CubfaninCA]

Damon ends up in either New York, Anaheim or Boston. The Cubs aren't going to outbid the big boys..

 

Here's some moves to ponder, if Damon signs w/ Anaheim...

 

Cubs trade Patterson, Walker and another filler for Manny..

Cubs trade Maddux & Rusch for Finley and Donnelly.. Yes I know Finley's been brutal this year, but he got hurt the 2nd game of the year after crashing into the cf wall. He's been pretty durable over his career, so perhaps he picks it up again. He's basically a 1-year stop gap until Pie's ready.

Cubs sign Millwood, Furcal & bring back Nomar for 2b.

Cubs bring back Hairston for insurance.

 

Lineup - - Furcal, Nomar, Manny, Lee, ARam, Finley, Murton, Barrett

Rotation -- Z, Prior, Wood, Millwood and J. Williams

Pen - - Dempster, Donnelly, JVB, Wuertz, Ohman, Novoa & ???

Bench - - Hairston, Cedeno, ????

 

Am guessing w/ all the money the Cubs have available, this should be affordable. Maybe not tho. :o

[Guest]

The odd man out: well, to me it clearly seems to be Todd Walker. Just hearing Hendry's tone on August 31 when discussing holding Walker's option. You just get the feeling Hendry will pick up the $2.5M option and trade him to an AL team for relief pitching.

 

So, the potential combos for SS/2B seem to be:

 

Perez/Cedeno

Cedeno/Perez

Cedeno/Nomar

Perez/Nomar

Furcal/Cedeno

Furcal/Nomar

Furcal/Perez

If Dusty's still managing and Perez is brought back, I don't consider any starting lineup that includes Ronny Cedeno within the realm of possibility. If Hendry is dead-set on giving Ronny a shot next year he better make dang sure to drop Perez and Macias and not sign (or even invite to ST) any veteran that can play a middle IF position. Otherwise Cedeno will get the occasional start against a soft-tossing lefty but nothing more.

 

I still say Hendry's best course of action is to sign Nomar to a heavily incentived deal and pick up Walker's option. That's an extremely productive infield for relatively cheap, even when figuring in all the money our corner guys will make. I could live with a Cedeno/Nomar middle IF if we got a fair return for walker. And by fair return I mean a top-flight and cheap reliever. (After all, Walker is a top-flight and extremely cheap 2B.)

 

Above everything else, though, Hendry should focus on fixing our deplorable OF instead of tweaking an IF that's already pretty dang good.

[CubfaninCA]

If Nomar comes cheap enough, I'd keep him at SS, Walker at 2B and Cedeno as the back-up. Nomar also serves as Ramirez insurance with Cedeno stepping in at short when needed.

 

If we sign Giles for right and play Murton in left, I think we'd be ok.

 

Giles would be great, but what are the chances of getting him?? 1 in 30???

 

The guy's from SoCal and plays here now. Once you go SoCal, you usually don't want to leave, and LA and Anaheim could also make offers along w/ SD. I wouldn't be surprised to see DePodesta offer him some big money.

[erik316wttn]

At this point, what do you think is the bigger need? Damon (CF replacement for Corey, and a legit leadoff hitter) or Giles (another power bat)?

[CubfaninCA]

At this point, what do you think is the bigger need? Damon (CF replacement for Corey, and a legit leadoff hitter) or Giles (another power bat)?

 

Since the Cubs have Pie, Giles. However, we shouldn't get our hopes up for Giles, Damon or Burnett. Now Furcal is a possibility. A slim one, but a lot of the big market teams have good SS's, so maybe the Cubs get lucky.

[abuck1220]

At this point, what do you think is the bigger need? Damon (CF replacement for Corey, and a legit leadoff hitter) or Giles (another power bat)?

 

you have to get the more productive bat...regardless of whether he is a power bat or a leadoff hitter.

 

having a prototypical leadoff hitter isn't that big a deal. walker can bat leadoff. heck, if murton plays everyday, he can bat leadoff.

[CubfaninCA]

At this point, what do you think is the bigger need? Damon (CF replacement for Corey, and a legit leadoff hitter) or Giles (another power bat)?

 

you have to get the more productive bat...regardless of whether he is a power bat or a leadoff hitter.

 

having a prototypical leadoff hitter isn't that big a deal. walker can bat leadoff. heck, if murton plays everyday, he can bat leadoff.

 

Yes, Walker COULD bat leadoff, but Baker won't put him there. I think the fact that Baker has Neifi batting 2nd now, w/ Walker batting 6th is enough proof that Walker will NEVER bat leadoff as long as Baker's here. :(

[abuck1220]

At this point, what do you think is the bigger need? Damon (CF replacement for Corey, and a legit leadoff hitter) or Giles (another power bat)?

 

Since the Cubs have Pie, Giles. However, we shouldn't get our hopes up for Giles, Damon or Burnett. Now Furcal is a possibility. A slim one, but a lot of the big market teams have good SS's, so maybe the Cubs get lucky.

 

nomar's better than furcal...especially when you consider that nomar will be cheaper, possibly more productive and a short-term replacement. if you sign furcal, it's going to be for at least four years, so you might as well trade cedeno.

[CubfaninCA]

At this point, what do you think is the bigger need? Damon (CF replacement for Corey, and a legit leadoff hitter) or Giles (another power bat)?

 

Since the Cubs have Pie, Giles. However, we shouldn't get our hopes up for Giles, Damon or Burnett. Now Furcal is a possibility. A slim one, but a lot of the big market teams have good SS's, so maybe the Cubs get lucky.

 

nomar's better than furcal...especially when you consider that nomar will be cheaper, possibly more productive and a short-term replacement. if you sign furcal, it's going to be for at least four years, so you might as well trade cedeno.

 

IF Nomar healthy (HUGE IF), he's a better hitter. No doubt. His defense is awful though. Hopefully, the Cubs look @ the future for a change, and sign Furcal. Put Nomah @ 2b, w/ Hairston as the backup.

[abuck1220]

At this point, what do you think is the bigger need? Damon (CF replacement for Corey, and a legit leadoff hitter) or Giles (another power bat)?

 

Since the Cubs have Pie, Giles. However, we shouldn't get our hopes up for Giles, Damon or Burnett. Now Furcal is a possibility. A slim one, but a lot of the big market teams have good SS's, so maybe the Cubs get lucky.

 

nomar's better than furcal...especially when you consider that nomar will be cheaper, possibly more productive and a short-term replacement. if you sign furcal, it's going to be for at least four years, so you might as well trade cedeno.

 

IF Nomar healthy (HUGE IF), he's a better hitter. No doubt. His defense is awful though. Hopefully, the Cubs look @ the future for a change, and sign Furcal. Put Nomah @ 2b, w/ Hairston as the backup.

 

i'm not convinced that nomar + furcal is better than nomar + walker. especially when you consider the huge contract furcal is going to get.

[MeatampPotatoesMan]

If Nomar is willing to play OF, here's what I'd like to see:

 

 

C Barrett

1B DLee

2B Cedeno

SS Furcal

3B Ramirez

LF Nomar

CF Patterson/Other

RF Giles/Other

 

trade Murton and Walker for BP help.

[Guest]

IF Nomar healthy (HUGE IF), he's a better hitter. No doubt. His defense is awful though. Hopefully, the Cubs look @ the future for a change, and sign Furcal. Put Nomah @ 2b, w/ Hairston as the backup.

 

i'm not convinced that nomar + furcal is better than nomar + walker. especially when you consider the huge contract furcal is going to get.

I agree. Walker is a pretty safe bet to be better offensively than Furcal, and I doubt the defensive difference will do much to reverse that. Considering Nomar+Walker would probably be $6-$8 million cheaper than Furcal+Nomar, I don't see it as much of a contest.

[abuck1220]

If Nomar is willing to play OF, here's what I'd like to see:

 

 

C Barrett

1B DLee

2B Cedeno

SS Furcal

3B Ramirez

LF Nomar

CF Patterson/Other

RF Giles/Other

 

trade Murton and Walker for BP help.

 

who would that BP help be? i'm not about to trade a cheap, productive 2b and a cheap rookie whose value is at its peak for some flash in the pan set up guy who had one good season. even guys like remlinger and hawkins, who have had multiple good seasons out of the pen haven't panned out for the cubs.

 

bullpen guys' numbers are so dependent on a small amount of innings, i just don't trust spending or trading big for a 7th/8th inning guy.

[Neuby]

My hopes would be

Walker stays as utility player like he was orginally signed for backing up third,first, second, left.

2.5 million isn't that bad

 

Nomar starts at second , Cedeno at short.

Damon for Center field

Murton for Left

Giles or another power bat for left field

 

I am hoping Nomar can be had for 3 million or less.

[CubfaninCA]

At this point, what do you think is the bigger need? Damon (CF replacement for Corey, and a legit leadoff hitter) or Giles (another power bat)?

 

Since the Cubs have Pie, Giles. However, we shouldn't get our hopes up for Giles, Damon or Burnett. Now Furcal is a possibility. A slim one, but a lot of the big market teams have good SS's, so maybe the Cubs get lucky.

 

nomar's better than furcal...especially when you consider that nomar will be cheaper, possibly more productive and a short-term replacement. if you sign furcal, it's going to be for at least four years, so you might as well trade cedeno.

 

IF Nomar healthy (HUGE IF), he's a better hitter. No doubt. His defense is awful though. Hopefully, the Cubs look @ the future for a change, and sign Furcal. Put Nomah @ 2b, w/ Hairston as the backup.

 

i'm not convinced that nomar + furcal is better than nomar + walker. especially when you consider the huge contract furcal is going to get.

 

Bring back Nomar to play SS and the likelihood of Neifi returning is a lot higher. Bring in Furcal and the Cubs shouldn't have to worry about someone going down for 80 games.

[Havoc 23]

My hopes would be

Walker stays as utility player like he was orginally signed for backing up third,first, second, left.

2.5 million isn't that bad

 

Nomar starts at second , Cedeno at short.

Damon for Center field

Murton for Left

Giles or another power bat for left field

 

I am hoping Nomar can be had for 3 million or less.

 

Sounds good to me, but I think you meant Giles in right.

[abuck1220]

At this point, what do you think is the bigger need? Damon (CF replacement for Corey, and a legit leadoff hitter) or Giles (another power bat)?

 

Since the Cubs have Pie, Giles. However, we shouldn't get our hopes up for Giles, Damon or Burnett. Now Furcal is a possibility. A slim one, but a lot of the big market teams have good SS's, so maybe the Cubs get lucky.

 

nomar's better than furcal...especially when you consider that nomar will be cheaper, possibly more productive and a short-term replacement. if you sign furcal, it's going to be for at least four years, so you might as well trade cedeno.

 

IF Nomar healthy (HUGE IF), he's a better hitter. No doubt. His defense is awful though. Hopefully, the Cubs look @ the future for a change, and sign Furcal. Put Nomah @ 2b, w/ Hairston as the backup.

 

i'm not convinced that nomar + furcal is better than nomar + walker. especially when you consider the huge contract furcal is going to get.

 

Bring back Nomar to play SS and the likelihood of Neifi returning is a lot higher. Bring in Furcal and the Cubs shouldn't have to worry about someone going down for 80 games.

 

giving 30+ mil to an average ss is a pretty stupid way to go about keeping neifi perez off the field.

[gflore34]

I believe Hendry is going to defensively upgrade 2B or SS or both which means Garciapparra may not be resigned. For all the good vibes Garciapparra has generated with his recent hot streak I don't believe Hendry is going to chance getting burned in 2006 as he did with Nomar this season. Add this to his diminished defensive skills and one can see Hendry going hard after Furcal. Who can blame him? Pitching and defense have worked tremendously well for the 04&05 Cards along with the 05 White Sox - that's the direction I see Hendry going for the 06 Cubs.

[abuck1220]

I believe Hendry is going to defensively upgrade 2B or SS or both which means Garciapparra may not be resigned. For all the good vibes Garciapparra has generated with his recent hot streak I don't believe Hendry is going to chance getting burned in 2006 as he did with Nomar this season. Add this to his diminished defensive skills and one can see Hendry going hard after Furcal. Who can blame him? Pitching and defense have worked tremendously well for the 04&05 Cards along with the 05 White Sox - that's the direction I see Hendry going for the 06 Cubs.

 

do you really think the difference between a 4th/5th place team and a world series contender is the defense at ss?

[Backtobanks]

I think that a lineup that includes Nomar (SS, 3B, & LF), Cedeno (SS & 2B), and Walker (2B) rotating so that Cedeno is in the starting lineup 80% of the time would be great. Unless Ramirez gets into a good conditioning program, you know he will miss time by tweaking a quad, pulling a groin, or something. If Nomar is willing to add LF to his resume, the versatility of Nomar and Cedeno will be a plus. Also, playing Cedeno and signing Nomar to a high-incentive contract gives the Cubs a ton of money to spend on RF, CF, and pitching (whether the players come from trades or free agency).

[Rob]

Since Nomar has hinted to being open to a position change, I'd wonder if he would be willing to take over in a super-utility role.

 

Start him almost every day at a different position to give everybody a day off. Kinda like Jose Macias, but more playing time, and actually useful.

 

I doubt he'd be willing to do that to himself, but the Angels managed to make good use of Chone Figgins this way.... so I'd hope the Cubs brass at least makes an attempt at talking him into it.