Rob

Seriously... Before the break .212/.290/.234 Since .324/.397/.555

A 24 year old first baseman who hits for average, is developing patience, and is placing near the top of the league in doubles? I'd definitely want to be on board when some of those doubles start going over the fence as he hits his prime.

Is Gonzalez not selling high? It depends on the rest of the package. I'd certainly be willing to put Wells in an Adrian Gonzalez trade though, just not as a throw-in.

if the Cubs put him on waivers, I don't think he'd fall that far. He absolutely would pass through waivers. Name one team (non Yankees division) that probably has enough room to add Aramis's contract without first finding a way to shed payroll?

Obvious troll is obvious.

That would depend on the gap defensively.

Guyer with a couple HR through the early going. McNutt out after 3 IP, 6 R, 3 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 6 SO Wallach with three hitless innings so far, 2 SO, 1 BB. Not a whole lot worth noting just yet.

Think about turning the DP in a hurry. Momentum is taking each player in different ways, requiring not just the use of different major muscle groups, but different stabilizing muscles, tendons, ligaments, etc... Think about it this way. If MLB came out tomorrow and said that the order of all the bases had been reversed, that everybody now goes from home to 3B to 2B to 1B and then back around to home... how many people do you think would blow out their knees and ankles in the first couple weeks? Every big fat right handed batter who has to run backward would. 99% of all such injuries would be as a result of baserunning in the opposite direction that you have done all your life. I think you are greatly dramatizing the danger. It's different, sure, but it's not asking a LF to play catcher or a 3B to play CF. Middle infielders routinely play one or the other position. I don't want him switching midseason if possible. But if it comes down to it and he starts spring training at 2B, and then the next season has to move back to short, I think the risks are extremely minimal. I'm not trying to dramatize the danger, I was just using an analogy to make sure the point got across. Something so functionally similar does not mean in any way that your body can handle the different strains placed upon it. So there is certainly at least some degree of danger. Hell, if it played out like you just described, with changes being made in the offseason (and a workout program that can be designed to help with that), I'd have no problem at all. I just don't want the nightmare scenario popping up where Castro is moving between positions every 3 weeks while they decide to give Lee another shot, then send him down, then bring him back up. We need to be pretty damn confident Lee is going to be a ML caliber hitter to justify moving Castro... and that's without even bringing up potential trade value changes and whatnot.

If it's clear that Lee is the better defensive SS and Castro's offense wouldn't be adversely affected by a move to 2B, then having Lee play SS would clearly be the best move for the team. If Lee struggles offensively after being called up, there's no reason why they couldn't just move Castro back to SS and send Lee to AAA. Changing positions does carry with it a heightened injury risk. So if you're gonna make a move, you only want to make it once. There is no reason to move castro off short, move him back when Lee struggles, move him off again when Lee gets another shot, and so on and so forth until we know whether Lee will be a ML caliber hitter. I guess I can buy some of what you are saying, but there can't be that much injury risk of having Castro go from short to second and back to short. Think about turning the DP in a hurry. Momentum is taking each player in different ways, requiring not just the use of different major muscle groups, but different stabilizing muscles, tendons, ligaments, etc... Think about it this way. If MLB came out tomorrow and said that the order of all the bases had been reversed, that everybody now goes from home to 3B to 2B to 1B and then back around to home... how many people do you think would blow out their knees and ankles in the first couple weeks?

Hey, I'm not exactly the #1 Randy Wells fan in the world. The numbers are saying he's been unlucky and he's as good a pitcher as all these other guys. My eyes say he doesn't have quite the same stuff they do. The bottom line is that he's worth keeping around just to see how it plays out. If he pans out, great. If his peripherals erode, whatever, he's still serviceable at the back end of the rotation. There's no reason to go selling him unless we're selling high.

If you think his HR rate is flukey, then take a look at his xFIP, which is higher at 3.8 something (I checked it earlier and am too lazy to do it now), but actually had him ranked 26th or so among all starters.

Nah, I disagree with that. The Cubs have the fanbase they do due to the size of the city they play in, their longevity and, most of all, WGN TV and radio. Anyone who defines themselves as a Cubs fan by the team's futility is just the worst. leave erik out of this.

If you're being picky... He's pitched great. He just hasn't gotten great results.

If it's clear that Lee is the better defensive SS and Castro's offense wouldn't be adversely affected by a move to 2B, then having Lee play SS would clearly be the best move for the team. If Lee struggles offensively after being called up, there's no reason why they couldn't just move Castro back to SS and send Lee to AAA. Changing positions does carry with it a heightened injury risk. So if you're gonna make a move, you only want to make it once. There is no reason to move castro off short, move him back when Lee struggles, move him off again when Lee gets another shot, and so on and so forth until we know whether Lee will be a ML caliber hitter.

http://ohmars.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/shooter38vv.jpg

What's the scouting report on Struck? I'm starting to pay attention.

It is and it isn't. Personally, I'd leave Castro at SS until Lee comes up and proves he's going to be a ML caliber hitter, and then I evaluate whether a switch would do us much good. There's no reason to immediately push Castro off SS like he pushed Theriot off when he came up. Let it work itself out a bit.

I'd say it depends on what we do at 1B. We may need a 1B/3B guy.

They should feel comfortable playing DeWitt at 3B. It's his natural position. But yeah, Barney will be hopping on a plane. It's not a Hendry team without a crazy number of 2B. Barney is actually as much a SS as a 2B, right? And the Cubs now need a back up SS so how do you see bringing up Barney as meaning they will have a crazy number of 2B? I think the Cubs were going to non tender Theriot and Fontenot both in the off season anyway so whatever the minor leaguers Hendry got for them wind up doing is just a bonus. Barney is exactly what you need as a 24th or 25th man, cheap and versatile, much better than paying millions for a guy like Miles. It is a good thing if the farm system can provide guys like this to provide low cost production. I didn't mean to imply it wasn't a smart move or that Barney isn't a fine choice. It's just that Hendry has a history of stockpiling people who can play 2B.

Same

They should feel comfortable playing DeWitt at 3B. It's his natural position. But yeah, Barney will be hopping on a plane. It's not a Hendry team without a crazy number of 2B.

The universe would collapse in on itself until all matter could fit inside a thimble. Which is pretty cool, because what's left of me would be floating up on what's left of Jessica Alba. Go Cubs!

I was happy when Theriot left. I was a little sad to see Lilly go. But damn am I gonna miss Fontenot.

Why leave it to chance? :flame:

I'd be willing to give up Wells, but I'd probably want a window to negotiate an extension.