seanhopper
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Everything posted by seanhopper
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After the additions of Eyre and Howry to a relief corp of Dempster, Ohman, Novoa, Wuertz and possibly Wood for the first few months, I can see Williamson being a decent bargaining chip for Hendry this spring. He's still on a comeback from TJ, but his velocity is getting there and he was once a fine closer for the Reds. A team like the Braves could use him in a depleted bullpen. Hendry would likely have to settle for a few prospects, but with Williamson reasonably low salary, he could be attractive to some teams this spring.
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IMO, Hughes comes off as closeminded and uninformed on the "other" side, probably the worst of the 4. Bane and the non-McCracken stat guy come off the best, and McCracken doesn't tolerate the other side much at all. Agreed. Hughes does sound closeminded, to the point where he would railroad a guy through if his "old school" scouting ways told him to even if the stats don't add up. I do however believe he's one of the best scouts out there and like the fact that he's with the Cubs. I just hope Hendry is able to be open to both sides and has some good stat guys as well in-house. The new director of scouting (I believe that's his title) is also old-school, so I wonder what his take is.
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Hendry and Hughes have had a long standing desire for Kearns (at least that's what has been rumored) and according to Ken Rosenthal, he may now be available. No wonder O'Brien was fired, Kearns for Westbrook would have been a nice deal for the Reds--they need pitching. I would think the Reds would have some interest in Williams due to his age and current cost, but he may not be the top line pitcher they're looking for. I also don't know where Kearns would play at this time with the Cubs, but if they really want him, as bad as it has been rumored, then I would assume they'll worry about that later. < The Royals, Cardinals, Cubs and Nationals are among the teams that have had a long-standing interest in Kearns. The Indians recently offered right-hander Jake Westbrook for Kearns, but former GM Dan O'Brien said no to the deal. Those talks could be revisited now that O'Brien is gone. The Indians wanted Kearns to fill the outfield void that could be created by their trade of Coco Crisp to the Red Sox. But the Reds evidently weren't sold on Westbrook, who was 15-15 with a 4.49 ERA last season after going 14-9 with a 3.38 ERA in 2004. Under O'Brien, who was fired Monday, the Reds consistently sought a potential top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher for Kearns, a price that other clubs viewed as too steep. The Royals, for example, were not willing to part with right-handed starter Zack Grienke for Kearns, but they probably would be willing to trade a reliever such as right-hander Mike MacDougal or left-hander Jeremy Affeldt. If the Reds trade Kearns, they could make Ryan Freel an outfield regular or acquire a first baseman and move Adam Dunn back to left field. Scott Hatteberg, Matthew LeCroy and Russell Branyan are among the free-agent options at first.>>
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< Matos was just a fallback option for the Red Sox, who probably won't have much interest if they're able to pull off the Coco Crisp deal. The Orioles may not have been content with Graffanino anyway. The Cubs would be looking at Matos as a backup. Walker would make quite a bit of sense for the Orioles as protection for Brian Roberts and a first baseman against right-handers, even if it'd mean less playing time for Kevin Millar>> Don't know how true this rumor is (saw it on rotoworld, but I believe it came from a Balt. newspaper). The Cubs really like dealing with Baltimore--just wish they had some decent prospects to pick-up rather than continue to either have mid-level prospects or guys that had career yrs. in 2003. Matos is still only 27, but Walker for a back-up outfielder makes little sense to me.
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The Orioles could use him as a back-up at 2nd base, especially if Roberts is still out or slow coming back, and for Jeff Conine at 1st base (wow that's their 1st baseman?) --I guess.
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One quick mention by Chris De Luca of the Orioles possibly taking Todd Walker off of the Cubs hands. First time I've heard the Orioles as a possible destination for Walker.
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I definitely read Rosenthal's comments to mean the Rays were interested in 2 of the prospects the Cubs traded as part of a deal for Huff--not the same deal or the whole deal. Outside of the fact that this could all be heresay, the rest of the deal, i.e. Hill, Guzman, or Pie, could have been way too rich for JH to part with (which we would all agree). If that's the case--pure speculation on my part--then I would rather have Jones and Pierre than Huff and ??? for the prospects they would have given up.
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<> He mentioned this in his recent article on Theo Epstein's return to the Sox. I'm glad Hendry was able to bring in the leadoff hitter the Cubs desperately needed, but they gave up a lot. According to Rosenthal, they gave up some pieces the Rays would have wanted in a deal for Huff. The Cubs could have used Huff's bat, but I'm skeptical about his defense in the outfield.
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<> Didn't know the Cubs had a salary cap? This is where all of the problems start and end for the Cubs. They have money pouring in with little going out in relation to other big market teams, i.e. Mets, Yanks, Red Sox and even the White Sox. Yes, MLB is a business, but you need to invest and invest integillently in the business to win.
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I'm not a Sox fan and never will be, but they are the #1 team in Chicago right now and deserve to be talked about with all of the risky, yet potentially strong moves they made to remain the best team in Chicago. Chicago Sports stations should be talking about everything Williams has done and continues to do this offseason. If Levine needs to "kiss the white sox ass" to get his point accross then so be it. When the Cubs finally win the big one and make moves to ensure they stay on top, and not give excuses why they couldn't, then I will stand up and complain along with you.
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<> Interersting comment. This is from ESPN, a fan trade proposal article where each trade was critiqued by a panel of MLB execs. The deal proposed was Rich Hill for Jason Michaels. I guess Rich Hill is a pretty hot commodity. They said he's a #2 type starter down the road. The other proposal suggested by a fan was Patterson and Walker for Vidro. An exec. said this deal works for the Cubs but not the Nationals.
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Ironic how two staples, the Yanks and Cubs, have become 2nd thoughts in their hometowns. Williams has not only put together a team to win the WS in '05, but he's continued to revamp the team to make them sustainable and ready for a run in '06 and beyond. Minaya over the last two yrs. has spent money like a drunken sailor to make NY a Mets town and put the Yanks in the background (only slightly--NY papers will cover Steinbrenner blowing gas). Wonder how much Williams and Minaya think about competing in the own city when making deals. Williams seems to be sticking it to Hendry every chance he gets and possibly will try to do so again by sticking his nose in any discussions with Tejada. The Mets have brought in players that in the past would have been in pinstripes without a doubt.
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Will Hendry Focus on 2B?
seanhopper replied to HoopsCubs's topic in MLB Draft, International Signings, Amateur Baseball
As Rawaction mentioned, San Diego appears to be willing to trade Loretta--possibly for a starting pitcher. I wouldn't mind seeing the Cubs put together a deal for Dave Roberts and Loretta for J. Williams, Patterson, and a minor leaguers. I'm not a huge Roberts fan, but he does provide speed and OBP the Cubs haven't seen at the top of the order. The Cubs could then use Walker as a trading chip for power hitting outfielder. -
I just heard Ken Rosenthal on the radio say that his article on Foxsports.com was incorect about the Cubs pursuing Burnett. He said that it will likely be down to the Cardinals and the Blue Jays. In the end he believes the Cardinals will win out, even if the overall deal is better from the Blue Jays.
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As I mentioned in my original post, Hendry (likely due to the way the whole debacle between Sosa and the team played out in the press) was dealing from desperation and the entire process was managed incorrectly. If they went into the offseason with the mindset that if the right deal came along they'll take it vs. we need to get rid of him, the outcome would have likely been different.
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The Marlins are looking for inexpensive relievers for any deal for Castillo (and probably Pierre as well). Van Buren, Novoa and possibly one other mid-level prospect should have gotten it done. Hendry should have held on to his cards rather than trade them off for PTBNL's or cash. Castillo would have looked great for the Cubs at the top of the order --right behind Furcal.
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I know this was likely mentioned in the long thread related to the Sox deal for Thome, but I thought it deserved a little discussion. If you look at the deal Gillick was able to put together for a player coming off a major injury riddled season and compare that to what the Cubs were able to get for Sosa, it's night and day. It just goes to show the desperation Hendry was in and how they mismanagement the deal with Baltimore (and anyone else who they spoke with) from the beginning. Now, we have the benefit of hindsight to see that Sosa had an awful year and was clearly on the downside of his career, but who's to say Thome's going to come back and hit 30-40hrs. like he did 2yrs. ago. He's getting up there in age and the Sox are on the hook for more yrs. and more $'s (even after the money Philly sent to the Sox) than the Balt. was with Sosa. The Cubs received practically a platoon player and 2 minor leaguers who were in the top 15 (not the top 5) of one of the worst systems in the ML. The Phillies picked up a legitimate starting center fielder with a few good yrs. under his belt with likely some good yrs. ahead of him, as well as 2 of the better pitching prospects from a strong minor league system. I am just astounded by it really--and again you have to think back to where Sosa was last offseason (with the #'s and age) vs. Thome this offseason. Not much of a difference really and if anything Thome's injury is more career hampering. I guess we can chalk it up to the fact that the scouts, across the ML, really knew Sosa was done or very close to it.
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Now there's a report that claims Giles is in talks with the Blue Jays. The Yanks would sure be in desparation mode at that point if Giles ends up in Toronto. The same report mentions the Jays are still very interested in Burnett as well. Not a bad offseason if they could pick-up Giles, Burnett and Ryan. They'll likely over pay the 3 in yrs. and $'s (by a lot, if Ryan's deal is any indication), but it appears to be the only way they can compete with the Red Sox and Yanks in the AL East. Pretty sad.
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<> According to Ken Rosenthal, Burnitz may be back with the Cubs in '06. Could you imagine Giles signing with the Cardinals and Burnitz back with the Cubs. Wow that would be bad.
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BA Top 20 Prospects: Pacific Coast League
seanhopper replied to Outshined_One's topic in Cubs Minor League Talk
<<-One PCL manager was appalled that Neifi was starting over Cedeno in Chicago.>> Hendry--please find out who this PCL manager is and hire him. A manager from AAA knows more than Baker. -
I could never imagine hearing about money in any conversation with Bobby Cox in regards to his decision making process. Dusty Baker is a complete joke and it makes no sense to sit a young player, who so happens to have the talent to play, because vets are making more than him.
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Deal for Soriano or Dunn close?
seanhopper replied to wilk's topic in MLB Draft, International Signings, Amateur Baseball
According to Bruce Miles, the Cubs may be in the Soriano talks to get there hands on Floyd. I would love to see Floyd come to Chicago for the balance of '05. If they only give up Mitre and a lower level pitching prospect, I say go for it. <> -
Patterson and Dubois sent to AAA
seanhopper replied to Derwood's topic in MLB Draft, International Signings, Amateur Baseball
I'm also interested to see the subsequent moves Hendry makes to fill the slots in the minors. Dubois and Patterson (as of now) will need to be playing in Iowa and the Cubs have 2 OF spots to fill at West Tenn. The more I think of this move, the more I believe there will be a move from the outside. I'm going to be at the game tomorrow in Florida, I hope to see at least Murton playing. -
Minor League Discussion & Boxes 7-6-05
seanhopper replied to Outshined_One's topic in Cubs Minor League Talk
Let's hope Wellemeyer outpitches Buccholz tonight. There's likely to be some scouts in the crowd watching this game and Wellemeyer could pull in some help.