BigbadB

This is why there are many of us who didn't get all that excited about Juan Pierre being added to this team. Other than speed and OBP, he really offers little else, and his OBP did take a big hit. In and of itself, it's not a bad addition. Considering what was given up to get Pierre's speed, it doesn't seem like that great of a deal. Couple in the addition of Pierre along with Jones, re-signing Neifi, potentially going with 2 near rookies in Murton and Cedeno and you could have the makings of a disaster, and the Pierre deal just makes you go "meh". I honestly believe Hendry and Baker wanted "speed" at lead off. Whether Pierre has a career .325 OBP or a .375 OBP probably never entered Hendry's mind. They see a guy who doesn't strike out much, and a guy who can make contact as often as Pierre is going to get on base, and then when he gets on base, he can get himself in scoring position. It's why they were shopping Furcal and Pierre. If they really wanted to improve OBP, they could have done it more cheaply than Furcal and Pierre. If they really recognized OBP as a serious problem on this team, they would have been looking for guys with better OBP's than Furcal and Pierre. Todd Walker's career OBP is the same as Furcal's career OBP. Pierre's is only .007 better than Furcal and Walker's. My offseason hopes were that the Cubs would go out and look for ways to improve the team OBP across the board. Significantly. I felt that the Cubs had the potential of putting 8 guys in the field everyday that all had the potential to post a .350+ OBP. There were cheap ways to do it, and there were expensive ways to do it. But, it could have been done. Improving the bench with guys who do better than .320 at minimum wouldn't be asking all that much either. Lee, Ramirez, Barrett and Murton are 4 guys that have the potential to post .350+. Walker staying with the team or getting replaced with equal production makes 5. My offseason hopes look like this: Resign Nomar, extend Walker, sign Giles, sign Lofton Lofton/Hairston .370/.340 (projections with the platoon) Walker .348 Lee .370+ Giles .400+ Ramirez .350 Nomar .360 Murton .340+ Barrett .340+ Now, I went low on some of these guys. But, I went with this Hairston/Lofton platoon for 1 year with the hopes that Pie would be ready in 2007. Giles locked down for 3 years with that heart of the order lefty bat is huge. Defense is a problem with this team, but the guys on the bench coming in as defensive replacements and occasional starts (Cedeno, Fontenot, Patterson, etc....) allows you to put an explosive offense on the field. With the team looking at potentially making Neifi Perez a starter, going with Jacque Jones and possibly Ronny Cedeno, the OBP has the potential to be just as bad as last year. Giles and Lofton were free agent signings, which allowed all of our pitching prospects to be used in trades to beef up the pitching staff and bench. It was a relatively easy direction that I believe would have made the Cubs a scary team in 2006 offensively. But, if Ramirez gets hurt, you stick Nomar over there at 3rd and move Cedeno into a starters role. If Murton isn't cutting it in LF, stick Nomar out there and move Cedeno into a starting role at SS. If Lofton would be better off the bench and Hairston is too lousy in CF, stick Patterson back in there (if he's still around), or go with Greenberg or Pie if either were showing signs of being ready. Don't want Walker? Send all those prospects we sent to Florida for Luis Castillo or Juan Pierre. I'm not so fond of those prospects that I felt the Cubs got ripped off on the Pierre deal, but sticking Pierre in CF while adding Jacque Jones in left makes me feel like it was not worth it. Trading 3 prospect pitchers for a CF in the last year of his contract is the type of deal you make if you are just a player away from being as good as can possibly be to make a run at a division title. That didn't happen. Anyway, Hendry sure went in some crazy tangents to get to where he is with this team right now. All that effort, and it's very arguable whether this team is any better than it was last year. If Brian Giles wasn't a good direction to go because of age or because of the overall weakness it creates defensively, go after Milton Bradley, Brad Wilkerson, Luis Castillo, Cliff Floyd, etc... There were several ways to get it done this offseason. Hendry focused his energy on "speed" at the top of the order and little else. I'm not sure OBP ever crossed his mind. If it did, I'd like for him to explain why Neifi received a 2 year deal. I like for him to explain Jacque Jones' 3 year deal. I apologize for turning this thread into my personal rant, but it's the topic that gets my attention more than any. Juan Pierre could put up a .375 OBP next year in the lead off spot, but if Neifi Perez is hitting 2nd, the Cubs have done little to address the most glaring hole this team has had for quite some time. Only 1 team in the entire major leagues (Tampa Bay) walked to first base less than the Cubs last year. Wasn't a thing wrong with the Cubs team AVG. Not a thing at all. But, that walk rate was brutal.

Same here. Unfortunately, it won't matter what day they draw for the next weekend, I'm all booked up both days. But, they do have a huge projection screen that I can peek in on.

Go Skins! I need the Bears to play on Sunday so I can watch them with no interference.

Per ESPN. 2005 Salary: $3,500,000 Toronto is picking up some of the salary. I think right around half of it. He's slated to make 6.25 this year and 6.75 next year with a 6.5 team option(with 500k buyout) for '08. The Brewers will pay only $4.25 million of the $11.6 million that Corey Koskie is owed over the next two years, according to the Toronto Sun. so milwaukee is only paying $2.125m per year for the next two for him. wow. Wow! That's an excellent deal for Milwaukee. What kind of prospect did they give up? Had to be a decent one for Toronto to eat all that cash.

West: San Diego, Colorado, Arizona, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland Central: Cubs, Cards, Houston, Milwaukee, Cincinnati East: Atlanta, Phily, Pittsburgh, Washington, Mets

The Portland Marlins doesn't have a ring to it. I think if they move, they'll need new colors and mascot, because that teal and black doesn't seem to work there either. Suggestions? How would you realign? Kick the Rockies to the Central and the Pirates to the East? How big is the Portland metro area compared to Miami? And would they be able to pull enough fans from the Mariners to compete in that area? With all the rain, it would have to be a retractable-roof stadium. I would think that one of the Central teams would move to the East and Colorado stays in the West. Those West Coast teams and the pitching friendly parks balance out the Colorado park. Could you imagine the offense if Colorado joined the NL Central? :shock:

Is this something that might happen for 2006?

I don't remember, but I reviewed his game log a while back and it was pretty clear he was over the limit. I was just going over his game log, too. I count 67 games on the active roster and 62 at bats. Wow, if that isn't wasted development time, I don't know what is. Less than an at bat per game.

45, not counting days from September 1st on. What do you have him at? 62 games on the active roster?

All day games please. With the MLB Extra Innings package in my office, games don't begin until 4pm most days, unless the Cubs have a day game. Oh, and the WCIU games have got to go. Those don't telecast on MLB EI for some unknown reason.

Both burned their ROY eligibility - Murton for PAs and Cedeno for days on the active roster. Well, that's quite a shame. What's the magic number for days on the active roster? 40?

Also, someone needs to be handed some serious credit for Cedeno. Wasn't Cedeno added to the 40 man roster after 2003? Cedeno hadn't put up an AVG better than .220 except for rookie ball back in 2000. He's been a stud ever since. Well, maybe not a stud in 2004, but he sure made a huge jump in 2004. 2005 has everyone penciling him in as a starter. I remember the headscratching over the 40 man roster move, but it's looking like a good call.

It may be true that Cedeno will become a special player. However, the only thing Joey Cora knows about baseball is that it's a very difficult game to play. And Cedeno can't be ROY. I thought it was only Murton that couldn't be ROY? :-k

Fielder is listed as 6'0", 260 lbs. at both ESPN and MLB. 260 might be quite generous. Now, I'm 6'1", 205 and I'm probably considered overweight by about 10-15 lbs. I'm considered a pretty big guy relative to the norm. Fielder will need to control this to avoid going the Mo Vaughn/Cecil Fielder/Kevin Mitchell route through the bigs. That wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing considering the millions he can make before his knees give out, but it won't make for a long career. But, that's going to depend on how well and how long he can control that weight. The first knee injury he suffers could be his last.

Well, they do play against Cincinnati's pitchers what, 17 times next year? The AVG is probably close, and the RBI's might be close too if he hits 4th or 5th, but any farther down will decrease the likelihood. The HR's would be quite a shock for such a young rookie. Does he project to be like Ryan Howard? Just curious who he might be comparable to. I'm definitely not the one to ask that question. They seem to have comparable stats in the minors, but Howard started A ball out of college at the age of 22. Fielder will be starting at 1st base for the Brewers at age 22. They have completely differing frames. Howard is 6'4 and Fielder is 5'11. Fielder outweighs Howard by quite a bit as well. Fielder will have to work very hard to control his weight. Diffusion's projection on AVG might be closer than the .274 that is projected on this other site. But, Howard is a candidate to break the strike out record, while Fielder appears to make better contact. It will probably come down to how well either can handle a major league off speed pitch.

Well, they do play against Cincinnati's pitchers what, 17 times next year? The AVG is probably close, and the RBI's might be close too if he hits 4th or 5th, but any farther down will decrease the likelihood. The HR's would be quite a shock for such a young rookie.

Bruce stated he didn't think the Cubs org felt Nefei was an everyday player. I bet Hendry thinks the only true hole for the Cubs right now is at 2B or SS, hence miggy interest. What I believe is that Neifi was signed as insurance. Expensive insurance, yes, but insurance nonetheless. Now, Neifi is still the insurance man, because the Cubs line up is currently projected to feature BOTH Matt Murton and Ronny Cedeno. Now, most of us here will agree that there is nothing wrong with that. However, the most important person that needs to agree with that most likely won't, and that's Dusty. I don't see Dusty giving 2 of the 8 everyday jobs to two players that have proved nothing at the major league level. Maybe he'll surprise me this year, but I doubt it. If the Cubs don't land a corner outfielder to turn Murton into a platoon guy with Jones, which means Murton plays everyday, then I believe Cedeno will take more of a bench role. If the Cubs get a middle infielder that turns Cedeno into a part time player in the infield, then Murton will play everyday. Only on a rare occasion would I expect to see Dusty use Cedeno and Murton in the same line up, or only after it's been proven they are head and shoulders better than their competition at their respective positions. So, if the Cubs trade for a guy like Floyd or Huff or Ibanez, then I would expect Cedeno to have an everyday job while Murton plays partime with Jones. If the Cubs keep Walker or trades for a Soriano or Vidro, then I would expect Cedeno to have a bench job while Murton plays everyday. When Murton gets a start against a lefty pitcher, I wouldn't be surprised to see Hairston playing 2nd and Neifi playing SS that day. Or, maybe Hendry will actually have a much shorter leash with Dusty this year, since it is the last year of his contract. I would expect that the Cubs will do the honorable thing (not necessarily the right thing) and just quietly not renew Dusty's contract for 2007. But, a bad season from this team, and that choice may not be Hendry's to make.

Also, if Clement did happen to put it all together over the course of a whole season, he'd be an ace. The question is whether he can do that or not. He seems to go through periods of wildness. I don't know if it has anything to do with his asthma, but I hope he eventually does figure it out. He's one of the most enjoyable pitchers to watch when he's got his good stuff working.

It was completed a day or two ago. $2m/1yr. Ah, I stand corrected. Thanks.

I think the Brewers are making some good moves. They may still be another year away yet, but they are going to be a good team for years to come. It will be interesting to see what they do with it. The Cubs were sort of in that position in 2003, where they were getting good and still had plenty of room for improvement. Instead of progressing, they regressed and, IMO, are nowhere near the shape they were in in 2003. The Brewers will have cheap replacements for Lee and Clark with Krynzel and Anthony Gwynn in the next few years. The only surprise to me was that they didn't sign Washburn this offseason. One last thing of note: I haven't read anywhere that Kolb has actually signed by the Brewers yet. Kolb has Boras as his agent, and the Brewers declined to offer arby, so unless I completely missed the signing, it's not set in stone quite yet. I believe they were haggling over numbers the last time I heard anything.

I didn't read it either, but I'll guess 4th outfielder.

I think trading prior probably a 50 percent chance of being very regrettable. There has to be another reason that Hendry would move Prior outside of the fact he could get a little more expensive than anticipated. And it better be a darn good reason. Of course, it's only speculation right now, so...

I'm cool with Floyd. I half expected Murton to be more of a 4th outfielder/platoon anyway, since the chances that Dusty would play both Cedeno and Murton everyday in the same line up isn't all that likely. Given the Furcal situation, Cedeno pretty much defaulted into a starting job, which makes upgrading a corner spot in the outfield a higher priority. Murton will probably platoon with Jones against lefties, and get some occasional starts in place of Floyd in LF (assuming the Cubs did get Floyd via trade). I'd be a little happier with this offseason if the Cubs find a way to get Floyd or Huff or the like.

I believe he was talking about going to community college, which would allow him to spend a year playing baseball, but then come out in the draft next year. Sounds like he had serious plans to join a major league team. He had to have a pretty tall stack of scholarship offers that would trump a community college.

Patterson for Meche would surprise me. It doesn't seem like it would free up much money for a potential Tejada deal. Patterson for a B+ prospect or something of that nature frees up close to 3m, as would Walker if they found a way to move him. Could Walker be part of a deal for Tejada? Can Brian Roberts still play SS? I suppose Hendry could make it work, but I was thinking they were getting tight on the budget. I guess the scary part of that is that Prior very well could be part of a deal for Tejada.