katway

Although Mueller was traded to SF, he was a rental player set to become a free agent. We tried to resign him before 2003 and he wanted to return to the Cubs because of Dusty and his fried Shawn Estes, but Boston offered more money and a starting position that we could not promise. We started out 2003 with Mark Bellhorn as the third baseman since he hit 27 homeruns the year before.

IMO Hendry has done a fantastic job except when it comes to hiring Managers. Getting D. Lee and Ramirez in trades was highway robbery. We even got Clement in the D train trade... so that wasn't a bad trade. We can't fault Hendry for not resigning Clement, that decision was above his head. We also got Nomar for a song last year. Nomar's injury really was a freak thing even if he has been injury prone. In any event, Hendry has done a good job getting value trades that help the team. Some of the best things he's done is stay away from the Percivals, etc. when everyone said we had to sign a relief pitcher. But, Hendry does need to make one more move to help this team without mortgaging its future -- FIRE DUSTY!!!

I know this has been mentioned repetitively, but Dusty's refusal to play kids is hurting this franchise. His big excuse is that we are in a playoff race and he has to "win" while trying to develope But guess what, so is Atlanta and New York. Year after year, Atlanta and New York are in the playoffs, yet Cox and Torre always find a way to develope talented young players while they continue to contend. I was wondering if Cox and/or Torre run a managing clinic, perhaps we can send Baker there in the offseason. Better yet, lets save the cost of tuition and just hire some of their assistants -- Joe Girardi and/or Fredi Gonzalez.

I would much rather have Murton. He's not a power hitter, but gets the job done and is at least an average defender. Dunn hits for power, but does not adjust at all in situations with runners on base, etc. Dunn just isn't "clutch". I'm not saying that Murton is "clutch", but I can see his approach producing far more valuable hits than Dunn's approach. Finally, I think Dunn will end up in the AL someday, so I wouldn't want to trade much for him. Dunn is a good player, but not the kind of player this team needs. His OBP would be great if he hit leadoff and had some speed, but I just don't see it being as valuable hitting in the 6th slot...

That's the type of game the good teams put away. Our relief pitchers went 3 innings and gave up 6 runs. The last place Reds' relief pitching went 5 innings and gave up 1 run. Anyone think we can capture the wild card with those kind of performances?

That flushing sound in the background is our chance at a wild card going down the drain.

Way to go Novoa!

We keep talking about the need for a left fielder when we may already have one in Murton. But I have to say "may" because Dusty wont let the kid off the pine long enough for anyone to make an informed decision. Murton has always been a solid hitter with a great approach and Cedeno has a better approach than Nefi and a lot more fielding range.

I know this has been mentioned repetitively, but Dusty's refusal to play kids is hurting this franchise. His big excuse is that we are in a playoff race... but guess what so is Atlanta and New york. Year after year, Atlanta and New York are in the playoffs, yet Cox and Torre always find a way to develope talented young players while they continue to contend. I was wondering if Cox and/or Torre run a managing clinic, perhaps we can send Baker there in the offseason. Better yet, lets save the cost of tuition and just hire some of their assistants -- Joe Girardi and/or Fredi Gonzalez.

I'm beginning to wonder if Wood's arm will ever be reliable enough that we can count on him for starting and/or relieving this year. As far as starting is concerned, it currently looks like its the same issue that kept him on the shelf for 2 months; so, I really don't see him providing valuable starts down the stretch unless this is only a slight aggravation that goes away quickly. As far as relieving is concerned, I don't think he can make that switch mid-year given all his arm troubles. It seems like he takes a while to loosen up and his arm isn't durable enough for the pen. At this point, it's really hard to say what can be done with him. He's untradeable with a large contract. He's not reliable as a starter and probably can't make the switch to relief this year. Perhaps shutting him down and deciding what to do with him next year might be the best course of action for the team.

This is awful news and I feel bad for Wood since he really is a gamer. You can see that he wants to do more, but his body isn't up to the task. I like Wood a lot, but his durability is questionable. The organization needs to ask itself whether or not Wood's body is cut out to be a starter in the major leagues for a full season. I keep thinking that he may have to move to relief eventually. If the Cubs want him to start, then, clearly, we cannot pen him into the starting rotation for the rest of the year; the most we can do is pencil him in and we will always have to be prepared that he may not start the next game or need to come out early. I don't see how we can capture the wild card this way.

Agreed. I've watch this guy with San Diego a couple years ago and he has completely lost whatever he had with the Red Sox. They are a team in need of relief help and they are letting him go... that tells you something right there.

Interesting article in Des Moines Register indicates C-Pat is making the adjustments... See http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050719/SPORTS05/507190391/1003/SPORTS Some tid bits include: But the Patterson job isn't a tuneup or an oil change. You can do that kind of work on a big-league roster and weather the storm. This is an overhaul, bumper to bumper.... At the All-Star break two seasons ago, Patterson was hitting .298 with 13 homers, 16 steals and 55 runs-batted-in through 83 games. While the Georgia native was recovering from a knee injury, the book on how to pitch to him got passed around. Instead of making the necessary adjustments, he relied on speed, strength and instinct. "Sometimes what looks good," Patterson says, "isn't always the best thing in the long term."... The new stance is still in the embryonic stages, but there are already signs of hope. In his first five games in Des Moines, Patterson has launched two home runs, both of them line drives. His latest, a rope last Sunday over the wall in center, has Listach encouraged. "It wasn't a big swing, like we're used to seeing with Corey, with his hips flying out and his head flying," Listach says. "It was a more controlled, contact swing." Even better: Against Albuquerque Monday night, Patterson drew two walks, the second coming on four straight pitches. Eureka.

Unfortunately he's past the age of breakout time. If he was going to break out, he should have done it by now. The vast majority of ballplayers are at their best at 27/28, and he's already 27 and will be 28 shortly, without doing much. His 2005 OBP is solid, and so were his minor league numbers, but his 2003 and 2004 numbers were not. There's some hope that he'll be able to show off some of that OBP ability from his minor league days, but he doesn't have much time to improve on his career numbers, given his age and service time. His OBP has always been good, but the Indians asked him to hit more long balls in 2003 knowing that it would deflate his OBP. He made the adjustment to hit more homers to fill a power void in the Indians lineup.

The Indians message boards all paint Gerut as having terrific defensive outfield skills and a nice all around game. Looks like a perfect 4th outfielder that can play all positions well and has a solid hitting approach. The Indians fans seem disappointed to lose him for Dubois, who they perceive as another Ryan Ludwick who will strikeout and have trouble on breaking pitches.

Some Gerut info (not entirely current): As a Stanford history major in 1999, Jody Gerut produced a 20-page senior paper that examined the intricacies of patent law in the Soviet Union. As bright a ballplayer as he was an academic, Gerut determined three years later that his career would stagnate in the minor leagues unless he reinvented himself as a power hitter. "It was what I believed I needed to do to turn heads," says Gerut, who popped 22 home runs and had a .494 slugging percentage in 480 at bats as a rookie last season. "I had been satisfied with my seasons up to that point [.291 career batting average and a season-best 11 homers in three minor league seasons through 2002], but they weren't getting me anywhere. I came to the point of saying, 'O.K., you want home runs? Here are home runs.'" In the Indian's stripped-down lineup -- five regulars began last season with less than 50 games each of big-league experience -- Gerut emerged as the big bopper, testament to both the success of his metamorphosis and the shortage of power around him. Avoiding the division cellar thanks to hapless Detroit, the Indians lost 94 games and finished 13th in the AL in runs per game (4.31), slugging percentage (.401) and total bases. Gerut, however, was a smash, leading the club in home runs and extra-base hits and finishing fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting. "We don't have a prototypical third or fourth hitter, and as a corner outfielder, you have to be a run producer," says general manager Mark Shapiro. "Jody's smart enough to realize it's all trade-offs -- trade off some on-base for some power, and drive the ball a little bit. He's never going to be a pure 50-home-run hitter, but he's the whole package: makeup, character, work ethic, good defense." A second-round draft pick in 1998, Gerut played to Stanford type: He was defensively sound, hit selectively and for average, struck out infrequently and delivered the occasional blast as a bonus. He enjoyed his best minor league season in 2002, batting .322 after a midseason promotion to Triple A Buffalo, but homered only once in 55 games. Postseason conversations with Shapiro and Indians brass left him convinced that he needed to beef up his output. "It was difficult," he says, "because I liked the player I was." Gerut returned to his off-season home in Arizona and began working out with Jay Schroeder -- "He's like the Rocky trainer, in a little room at Gold's Gym," Gerut says -- whose unconventional techniques focus on force absorption and include, for example, a bench-press drill in which you let go of the weight at the top of the press, then drop your hands fast enough to catch it. While Schroeder helped him add muscle mass, Gerut helped himself by studying videotapes of the game's best power hitters, such as Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols and Eric Chavez. The common denominator that he detected? "They were making educated guesses, because they looked bad almost as much as they looked good," Gerut says. "Even Barry, who's the greatest in the game at being patient and having strike-zone command, looks dumb sometimes. You can tell they have an idea of a pitch they want; they go with it, and they live with it if they're wrong." Although his walk-to-strikeout ratio inverted as he whiffed more than ever, Gerut became the long-ball threat that Cleveland's lineup craved. ---- Seems like a smart kid who knows how to play the game and adjust. I think he'll make a fine addition to the team.

Could we see Gerut in center? Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said. "He's an above-average defensive player. He's more suited to play either corner, but he can play center. He played center for Stanford, and he's a guy who can help a club down the stretch."

Gerut, unlike Dubois, can field and hit for a decent average while not striking out soo much. His power numbers dipped because of a knee injury, but he appears to be healthy now. In light of his fielding skills and plate discipline, he made more sense for the cubs than Dubois, who clearly is an AL player.

Seems to me if he wanted to stay and didn't want to play for Felipe, then he could have called Hendry and said I want to come back for __ dollars for __ years. It's just as simple for Alou (or his agent) to pick up the phone as it is Hendry.

I'd give them Trenidad Hubbard.

I think Girardi would be allowed to leave at the end of the year like Randolph was allowed to leave NYY. However, the NYY may not let him go at this point in the season. On another note, I would love to see Dusty let lose and Girardi brought on, but the timing would be lousy. I just hope Girardi is still around at the end of the year. He would make an excellent coach and the opportunity to coach the Cubs would probably be his dream job, unlike Baker who left his heart in San Francisco.

Pierre is a nice table setter... perfect for our lineup, but I wouldn't pay too much for him.

I'd easily give them Corey since Wells put up better numbers than Corey at the same stage of their careers, but it would depend on the prospect, which would be key for toronto b/c Corey alone isn't going to do it.

I agree that Lowell would do better in Camden Yards with the O's lineup than in the huge Pro Player stadium. His average would surely rise since he still consistently makes contact and has only struck out 38 times this year. His power is down, but would likely go up in the O's lineup and Camden Yards.

Agreed. The steroid use will be more evident when we look back at the stats 5 years from now and see that no one comes close to Bonds, Sosa's, and McGuire's numbers. The league clearly turned a blind eye to everything going on....