Blueheart05

I just listened to ESPM AM 1000's sports report and there was no mention of this rumor. It doesn't prove/disprove anything but they didn't mention it in the most recent update.

I don't see this as the worst news in the world. It depnds on the offer, his health, and how we would like to use him.

Not in arbitration though. Start too high and you'll have no chance. The arbiter takes both figures and picks one. You want to aim high, but stay reasonable. I agree, but the amounts that were presented weren't too far apart from what the Cubs countered. Unless someone(s) decides that he absolutely doesn't want to negotiate, the team should be able to avoid the arbiter.

I think it's also fair to say that the players are probably asking for much more than they expect so that there is room for negotiating. I doubt Zambrano, Prior, Pierre, et al expect to make what they have proposed. They understand it's best to start high and meet somewhere in between.

Now IMAGINE what Prior and Zambrano are going to ask for...(shudders at the thought) Daily Herald

I see no reason for the Dodgers "B" grade (or the Padres for that matter). Perry's analysis seems inconsistent. If the Cubs had signed Furcal (Dodgers) or Giles (Padres) they probably would have received a grade of B as well. If they had signed both, they would have joined the White Sox with a grade of A. I disagree that Furcal is that much (grade B) of a difference maker (and I advocated the signing at the time). IMO, Furcal is as overrated at leadoff (especially at 13M) as Juan Pierre. I think the grade is more reflective of Perry's bias toward big name signings. Furcal (SS) and Cedeno (2B) > Cedeno (SS) and Neifi (2B). Despite recent hyperbole to the contrary, I think it only a matter of time (unfortuneately) until Walker is gone. I think Hendry realizes that Neifi is not an everyday player; he was signed as insurance for both infield spots. However, when (if) Walker is traded I think a deal for another starting MI will follow. The Cubs seem comfortable starting Cedeno at either SS or 2B but I don't see the same level of comfort with Perez. If the Cubs were truly happy/content with the idea of Neifi starting there wouldn't be rumors of a Lugo trade. Absent of a trade, I wouldn't be surprised to see Hairston start at 2B and hit second (he seems to be lobbying for the spot). link I just don't see Perez starting. To his credit, Hendry didn't sign Perez last year as a starter. Injuries caused Neifi to become over exposed. Of course, one could argue that he's an expensive bench player but again, I think the Cubs were taking into account his versatility. In a perfect world, Hendry would have Furcal at SS and Cedeno at 2B. I have a feeling that the Cubs are working hard to acquire anther MI.

I see no reason for the Dodgers "B" grade (or the Padres for that matter). Perry's analysis seems inconsistent. That's my assessment as well. While I have no issue with the harsh grade on the Cubs, has the Astros offseason been any better? He gives them a higher grade and they've lost Clemens and added Preston Wilson. The Cubs lost no one of significance and added Pierre. I'd think the additon of Pierre would outweigh the loss of Clemens and the addition of Preston Wilson. That's one particular inconsistency, but there were others as well. I agree completely.

I see no reason for the Dodgers "B" grade (or the Padres for that matter). Perry's analysis seems inconsistent. If the Cubs had signed Furcal (Dodgers) or Giles (Padres) they probably would have received a grade of B as well. If they had signed both, they would have joined the White Sox with a grade of A. I disagree that Furcal is that much (grade B) of a difference maker (and I advocated the signing at the time). IMO, Furcal is as overrated at leadoff (especially at 13M) as Juan Pierre. I think the grade is more reflective of Perry's bias toward big name signings.

I see no reason for the Dodgers "B" grade (or the Padres for that matter). Perry's grading seems inconsistent.

I don't see a huge difference in salaries between Hawkins/Remmy and Howry/Eyre. It's the same situation as last year. It is different when you consider that Remlinger (and Borowski) wasn't available at the start of last season. Dusty also leaned on LaTroy too much. At this point, all of the key bullpen arms are healthy so I forsee Baker calling on them a lot. Remlinger didn't go down until a month and a half into last season, almost the exact time Borowski came back. Fox was there at the start of the season until his arm got blown out. We weren't hurting for the veteran arms in the pen. Remlinger didn't go down early but he was limited in the number of pitches he could throw early on. IIRC, Borowski pitched for the first time in late May and wasn't Fox gone in the first Month?

The last sentence is true but I do still think the quality of the bullpen gives the manager options (for instance, feeling comfortable pinch hitting late for a pitcher). Baker definitely hasn't had very good bullpens over the three seasons.

I would not have a problem skipping the 5th guy early. I don't think the extra day off here and there is helpful that early in the season. I do think you should find way to skip guys by June/July though. 12 pitchers is dumb though, and 8 relievers is asinine, but very Cubslike as well. Why? Pitching is a tearing down process. They have 5 starters avail., there's no severe dropoff between Williams and Zambrano and certainly minimal difference between Maddux/Rusch to Williams, not to the point where it would have any impact of the standings. Early on in the year, it will take their bodies longer to recover, especially with the colder weather. I definitely agree with UK on this. Whenever you can give a guy a little extra rest we should always do it. With the way Baker rides his pitchers I think it is imperative to get them as much rest whenever possible. Seeing as Prior has yet to pitch a full season I think he most of all should get the extra days rest. Just an idea to throw out there but if wood is healthy in july wouldn't it be advantageous to go with a 6 man rotation for the month. That way Prior, Wood, Zambrano, and Maddux can all be primed to go for the stretch run. I also agree with saving the starters arms whenever possible. However, this year I think Baker will be more apt to go to the bullpen than in previous seasons. Not only will there be a good mix of veterans and youth in the 'pen there will also be some high priced arms (and even though Dusty shouldn't be influenced by salaries he does seem to take that into consideration when giving play time.) I don't see a huge difference in salaries between Hawkins/Remmy and Howry/Eyre. It's the same situation as last year. It is different when you consider that Remlinger (and Borowski) wasn't available at the start of last season. Dusty also leaned on LaTroy too much. At this point, all of the key bullpen arms are healthy so I forsee Baker calling on them a lot.

I would not have a problem skipping the 5th guy early. I don't think the extra day off here and there is helpful that early in the season. I do think you should find way to skip guys by June/July though. 12 pitchers is dumb though, and 8 relievers is asinine, but very Cubslike as well. Why? Pitching is a tearing down process. They have 5 starters avail., there's no severe dropoff between Williams and Zambrano and certainly minimal difference between Maddux/Rusch to Williams, not to the point where it would have any impact of the standings. Early on in the year, it will take their bodies longer to recover, especially with the colder weather. I definitely agree with UK on this. Whenever you can give a guy a little extra rest we should always do it. With the way Baker rides his pitchers I think it is imperative to get them as much rest whenever possible. Seeing as Prior has yet to pitch a full season I think he most of all should get the extra days rest. Just an idea to throw out there but if wood is healthy in july wouldn't it be advantageous to go with a 6 man rotation for the month. That way Prior, Wood, Zambrano, and Maddux can all be primed to go for the stretch run. I also agree with saving the starters arms whenever possible. However, this year I think Baker will be more apt to go to the bullpen than in previous seasons. Not only will there be a good mix of veterans and youth in the 'pen there will also be some high priced arms (and even though Dusty shouldn't be influenced by salaries he does seem to take that into consideration when giving play time.)

It appears that Hendry values Rusch over Williams so the speculation about his departure may have legs. That's unfortunate. If Hendry feels that way, I really disagree with him. Williams > Rusch. Having said that, I kind of figured Rusch was penciled into the rotation when he was signed. I doubt Hendry invisioned three LHP in the pen when he signed Glendon. To be fair, Hendry never guaranteed Rusch a spot in the rotation; I believe he said Rusch would have the opportunity to fight for a spot... However, his comments do lead me to think that Rusch is the first option. Or, he's planning on using Jerome as the center piece for another trade. Williams in the bullpen is a waste and so is the idea of sending him to AAA when he can clearly pitch in the MLs. Edit: for spelling

What specifically did Stone say about Zito that makes him so convinced that a trade (with the Cubs and Oakland) might be in the futrue?

And possible trade bait... Today's Daily Southtown quotes Hendry saying that he might consider skipping the 5th spot in the rotation. Also, it appears that he views Williams as the potential 5th starter (barring a trade). It appears that Hendry values Rusch over Williams so the speculation about his departure may have legs.

I've got a better one for you. Guys that want to sit here and read gossip stories are like women. The only reason I brought that up was to make a point (seeing things first hand) that Lugo is NOT the ONLY one with these character issues. I by no means wanted to turn this into an AOL gossip/story chatline...... I've got one better for you, some of us here are actually women and we still don't want to read your gossip.

OT: Maddux has pitched more seasons for the Braves (11). 2006 will be his 10th season as a Cub.

I didn't know about the DUI (I thought that was Furcal's issue). Wasn't Lugo in trouble for domestic abuse? In either case, I don't think character issues have much to do with Hendry (or many other GM's) decision making (teams didn't balk much at the idea of acquiring Milton Bradley). I think Walker is being shopped because of his defensive limitations. Edit: Now I see others have clarified the offense... :D

I guess it depends on what you mean by decent... If Corey has a good year in 2006 it might not have anything to do with coaching. He might perform best when the pressure is off (both in terms of team expectations and team market. Afterall, there will be no high expectations from the majority of Baltimore's fandom). That's not to say that Orioles management doesn't want to field a playoff caliber team but they don't have the same pressures to win that exist in Chicago. Plus, being given a fresh start in an environment where he doesn't have to live up to first round pick expectations will be a load off his mind. Similarly, one could argue that if the Cubs didn't have the pressures of trying to satisfy a rabid fanbase in a large market it would be acceptable to allow Patterson to work out his problems at the bottom of the lineup. The truth is Patterson would have remained the Wrigley Field whipping boy (thereby continuing to diminish his confidence). I think the move was best for both he and the team.

FWIW, there are a number of disgruntled O's fans posting on the Baltimore Sun's website.

But he did make adjustments. That was the problem. They were completely the wrong ones to make. He fashioned himself a middle of the lineup run producer because that's the kind of player he is, yet the Cubs decided to ignore what his talents with the bat actually were. If or when he progresses to a point nearing his ceiling, the middle of the lineup is exactly where he was going to be. He led the Lugnuts in 2Bs, 3Bs, and HRs and the Diamond Jaxx in 2Bs and HRs right before making his big league debut at the age of 20. That's a middle of the order hitter. Corey had a ways to go before getting there. Contact and strike recognition were his main problems and he had to really work on that. Everyone knew it wasn't going to be easy for him and yet they decided to pile it on by trying to change his whole game. It ruined his season. And Pie was going to be up last season at the age of 20 if not for his ankle injury. Hendry already confirmed that. Patterson's Minor League numbers are not necessarily representative of the type of player he can become in the MLs. One thing is for sure, he has never shown the kind of discipline necessary to be considered a contact hitter. Major League pitchers make adjustments on hitters. Corey was not able to tailor his swing to counterbalance the changes others were making against him. Were the Cubs suppose to allow him to continue swinging wildly in the middle of the lineup when more effective options were available? Absolutely not! Yes, Pie would have been called up last year. The Cubs season was already over so there was no reason not to give him a look. That doesn't necessarily mean they would have considered him to start CF in 2006. Pie, like Patterson has some strikeout issues to overcome.

BUT HE WAS A FAST BLACK CENTER FIELDER!! Ok...

Gotten a clue to start. It shouldn't take that long to realize that the answer wasn't to continue to turn him into leadoff hitter. Things went south in a hurry. The best option was to go back to his original swing and work from that. He needed to continue to work on his contact and strike zone recognition. It's normal progress that should've been emphasized with more time in the minors to being with, but since they can't go back in time, that should have been the primary focus. It wasn't. How many young players are going to have good seasons when the management and coaching staff tries to completely change a player's mechanics and approach at the plate in the big leagues while the season is in progress and have other basic areas they need to work on? Very few. It is true that the Cubs tried to turn him into a leadoff hitter but they also gave him the opportunity to bat third in the lineup last year (among other spots). The truth is he batted horribly throughout the season.

I don't recall that being anything more than a sports radio rumor. He also went to Mesa first to work with Keller...in July...during the day...outside. And reports indicated that he worked a lot down there. He did more than plenty, clearly outweighing the benefit of playing winter ball. There's no reason that should overshadow his other work. One of the biggest cliches in sports right now is to not get too high with the highs and too low with the lows. That describes Corey very well, yet his lack of visible frustration let the media and fans walk all over him. Corey went into the season needing to work on increasing contact and improving strike zone recognition. The bottom line is that the coaches decided not to focus on that without drastically deemphasizing his power while reconstructing his swing. They made a big mistake. The organization made a big mistake by rushing him and allowing that mistake to be made. And none of them were penalized. Clines and Sarge are still the hitting coaches. There is no indication that this organization learned anything from all of this. That's what scares me. The general tone of your comments is about how others let Corey down. When does Corey take responsibility for his wildness at the plate? Coaches can talk until they're blue in the face (and I think that's exactly what they did) but if the player is unable or unwilling to make adjustments no real change will occur. Let's not fool ourselves. Corey Patterson has never been a disciplined hitter. In his one 'good' year (2003) he had a .329 OBP with .839 OPS which is not impressive. Corey was far too content being a hacker and quite frankly, he was misguided; He fashioned himself as a middle of the lineup run producer but he has yet to make the kind of concerted effort needed to be a real offensive threat. That is no one's fault but his own. I also disagree that the Cubs haven't learned from rushing Corey to the Major Leagues. Pie will be spending an additional year (or more) in the minors for just this reason.