BigbadB

Haven't seen that offer. Gallagher and Guz is definitely too steep. Heck, I think I'd rather trade Rich Hill for Jennings than give up Gallagher AND Guz.

Izturis would make for a nice backup/protection at SS in Coors Field behind Tulowitzki. Jones, Izturis and Marshall (Cubs pick up some of the salary) for Jennings and Barmes. Sign Schmidt, Lugo to play SS and Lofton to play CF.

That's too much for Jennings. One of them and maybe Marmol or Mateo, but not Guzman and Gallagher. What's the deal with Clint Barmes? Was last year an off year because of injury, or is he really not all that good? The Rockies appear to be set with Tulowitzki at SS, which pushes Barmes out of a starting gig. Barmes seems like he has more upside than Izturis.

Did Pagan play winter ball?

Lots of interesting information in there. I still like Marcus Giles/Tim Hudson. Would love to see Baldelli in CF. Wish there were some decent SS options out there. Willy Tavares for Jason Jennings comparted to Sean Gallagher AND Angel Guzman is somewhat ridiculous when determining fair value for Jennings between the two clubs. Maybe Willy Tavares and Jason Hirsch

Gee, look for a reason to file a grievance for making one of the most ridiculous trades of all time? If you were dumb enough to think it was a good trade, you must live with the consequences.

O'Dowd asked about Hill, not demanded. Hendry could come up with a package that could net Jennings.

I'd love to see Walker back in Chicago. I'm just glad to see Hendry talking his players up these days, rather than dragging them down.

Beg to differ on Lofton. While I agree that Soriano will be leading off, simply because it's basically been promised, Lofton makes for a pretty respectable #2. He doesn't K much, gets on base at a very respectable level and is tough to double up. Being a lefty bat, he can get the ball to the right side of the infield much easier also to advance a runner. If he gets on, he can steal bases at will, even at his age. If Soriano can produce the same numbers as last year, the Cubs could go from worst to first in regards to OBP at the top of the order, which would be a rather good deal for Lee, Ramirez and whoever the other big bat might be.

What's the story with Pagan? Did he play winter ball? Would he be a fairly decent platoon for Lofton against LHP? Assuming the Cubs land at least 1 more decent bat anyway? I'm assuming Pagan is being looked at as the 5th outfielder going into the 2007 season, with someone like Trot Nixon or Cliff Floyd as the 4th and DeRosa as another option occasionally. Assuming also that Jones is included in a deal for a SP.

I wanted Lofton last year. Lofton would have been dirt cheap in comparison to Pierre, and he's a better player than Pierre. Lofton would not have cost any prospects, either.

I think there's a lot of reasons that a manager wouldn't do it. Some of these guys who should be platooned are getting everyday starter money. Some guys still put up such great numbers on their split, that their weakness isn't exposed as much. In some cases, a player can make the all star team even though they shouldn't be batting against particular pitchers. Some managers don't pay attention to splits. The Cubs completely ignored it last year with Jones. They seem to be more interested in BA w/RISP than vs. LHP or vs. RHP. I disagree that platoons are only for mid to small market teams. I believe the Yankees were employing platoons for an aging Paul O'Neill and Scott Brosius during their World Series runs. I want to say they also slowly groomed Cano into his everyday job with a platoon. Melky Cabrera is another guy that they could give a start to occasionally because his splits might be better than one of the other OF's. A platoon can keep your bench guys sharper at the plate. It gets them more involved with the games. Who didn't like the Henry Rodriguez/Glenallen Hill platoon? If you can't get a stud player that can hit RHP and LHP equally well, the next best thing is to get 2 guys at equal or less cost to do the same. The other thing a platoon provides is depth. Last year is another perfect example for the Cubs. The Cubs had no depth whatsoever. If Murton got hurt, who plays in his place? Angel Pagan? Freddy Bynum? John Mabry? None of those guys have shown they should get quality playing time. Signing a guy like Cliff Floyd might push Murton to the bench more often than if he wasn't here, but what Floyd brings with the bat is more than likely going to be more productive than what Murton can bring with the bat against RHP. Now you have a stud player that will still get plenty of PT. And if someone gets hurt, you don't lose a single step. Floyd can even play some 1b, and I can't even begin to tell you how much more valuable a guy like Floyd is when you compare him to John Mabry. If you sign Floyd, yep, he's probably going to take at bats from Murton. But, a platoon allows you to keep your starting guys rested more, gives the bench guys more PT to keep them sharp, and just gives the team many more options over the course of a season. And one of those options is trade value at the deadline. If Floyd is tearing it up and Murton is having an all star caliber season, Floyd becomes a nice trade option. Same can be said of Jacque Jones. When Cleveland was in the heart of their mini-dynasty, they were employing platoons. They had so much talent, they could afford to.

That's what I'm saying. This rumor is unverifiable, and there is no such newspaper as the San Diego Tribune. Its called the San Diego Union-Tribune. The other major newspaper in San Diego is the North County Times. I have never heard anyone just call the Union Tribune the San Diego Tribune or even the Tribune. U-T is the common shortened version of the newspaper here.

He's been dealing with a knee injury for awhile now.

Explain who is playing left field and I might be sold on this offseason plan. Floyd and Murton works for me.

Do you think they will look for a lefty shortstop, or a lefty CF and deal Jones? They like Izturis a lot so I don't see them trading him. The latter is more of a real possibility. This is what absolutely kills me. How can someone like a no hit-slick fielding SS a lot? They are a dime a dozen. The Cubs seem to have employed seemingly just about every single one of them over the last 3 or so years. If they went out and grabbed a JD Drew type for the last spot in the outfield and then picked up a Mark Loretta type to play 2b, I think the Cubs could get by. Maybe that's the plan, but with Vernon Wells or someone of that caliber rather than Drew. I've seen Izturis play enough that I just don't understand the manlove he's getting. And after a nearly 2 year layoff, he's bound to be even worse than he was before. Maybe we should sign Marquis. At least then we can count on more offensive production from the pitcher's spot than wherever Piniella decides to bat Izturis. Ughh. #-o

I absolutely hated the Jacque Jones contract. But..... , the Jones contract definitely makes him valuable in this market.

Why would Patterson kill that deal? I'd take Kendrick over Patterson all day long. Patterson is 3 months younger than Kendrick.

The Bears must win against Minnesota. I do not want to wear Minnesota face paint next week.

I think Nady has played some first base, and Bay can play CF if need be - albeit not that well. Nady's been all over the place. I believe he was drafted as a 3b. The Padres attempted to convert him to a 2b when Burroughs was at 3b. Nady has played some 1b and lots of outfield since.

Aren't the Pirates set in the corner outfield spots with X Nady and Jason Bay?

Yep, I'd love to see Hendry steal Drew out from under Boston. And Lugo as well. The turnaround in OBP would definitely impact offensive production.

While the thread title definitely is misleading, the thread creator is requesting feedback on baseball related transactions.

Uribe is nothing to get excited about, but I'd take him over Izturis in a heartbeat.

Well that's a bit uncalled for, don't ya think? First off, why did you only list qualified players? The list shows 92 out of 120 total players. And even though Mark Loretta (using just one example) finished just short of the .350 mark in OBP, he's put up much higher OBP's in previous seasons and it wouldn't be a stretch to think he could do it again. The Cubs are a top 5 spending team in the league. To think they can't afford a couple of .350+ OBP guys at the top of the order is not missing the reality of baseball. They could have easily done it last year by putting Walker in the lead off spot and Murton 2nd. That option right there would have been head over heels better than Pierre and Neifi. I'll argue with you all day. But, can we leave insults out of it when your opinion differs with someone elses?