Ding Dong Johnson

It's often been said that the Cubs manager position was the La Brea Tar Pits for managers.

so what you are saying is that you haven't gathered all the evidence possible, and you haven't gathered as much as I have gathered, but you know for sure. you're so openminded about it. it's so obvious you have considered my point of view. now go over to a wall, put your right shoulder against it, imagine a ball is flying to the otherside of the wall, and see if you would be able to reach it. I admire your attempt to be a stand up guy and not make excuses. doesn't change this one simple fact...physically impossible. Oh for crying out loud, have you ever once stopped to consider that you may not be right all of the damn time? That was not an obvious fan interference call. I've seen the replay from different angles dozens of times, and it looks pretty clear to me that if nobody touched it, the ball would have hit right on top of the wall. Not in the stands, not on the field. Must everything be a pissing match?

Unless you stop to remember that Ronny has a whopping 422 major league at bats to Neifi's 4955. Neifi has been proving for over a decade now how horrible of an offensive player he is. Judging by the last 2-3 years, Ronny is still improving. Furthermore, stories of Neifi's defense are greatly exaggerated.

How about making a trade just to improve the team? Would be nice wouldn't it? Use guys like Maddux and Nevin who likely will not be here next year, and get just average to decent prospects. You get something for nothing and have extra trading chips. It takes two to trade. Wait til Tuesday for this angst. No need to wait until Tuesday, Monday evening will be fine.

cobs suk, i h8 thum

Whew! Good thing Novoa or Rusch weren't sent packing.

I don't know which thread to complain in.

Isn't that how we ended up with Jones, waiting until it was too late? If Abreu's available now, he won't be in October. Any team currently in the race that can afford him will keep him for next year. Next year isn't the issue - it's the option for the for the following year that has all teams balking. If you're trading for Abreu, you are commiting to 2.5 years at ~$35 million. Maybe I'm missing something, but it's a club option with a $2M buyout. That shouldn't be an issue to the teams that can afford a $15M salary in the first place.

:shock:

It's nothing like that. Being a great hitting catcher makes that player more valuable because they are more rare.

He also said something about Betemit to NY yesterday, but acted as if they could get him for nothing. I would be upset if the Yanks get Abreu for fringe prospects. The Cubs should be all over that type of deal. "I will gladly give up the number 53, Mr. Abreu." --Rich Hill, 7/31/06

Isn't that how we ended up with Jones, waiting until it was too late? If Abreu's available now, he won't be in October. Any team currently in the race that can afford him will keep him for next year.

They can afford to not tear it down. Assuming they're smart moves, 4 moves could turn these bums into a playoff team.

Marcus Giles' .707 OPS is rather unimpressive. And considering he's arb. eligible, and will probably make somewhere in the $4.5-5.5M range in 2007, I say pass big time. I agree, I'm not too keen on Giles. Too bad a guy like Todd Walker isn't available. Todd Walker and Marcus Giles aren't even in the same class. Giles is a 5-7 win player (actually 9 wins in 2003). Walker is a 2-3 win player. Don't let his injury-deflated stats for 2006 fool you. Giles would be a terrific option at the top of the order, as well as at 2B. I wasn't comparing the two. Giles is not a difference maker. If anything, he's a modest upgrade over Walker. Walker's OBP makes him a very solid player for the price. There's no need to ship somebody off to get him, and his pricetag is a lot lower.

My own personal deadline was a couple years ago. Speaking of deadlines, is it going to be like 3 pm Monday or something? I know they've changed it the past couple years. Looks like it's 4pm Eastern. MLB.com has a countdown if you're bored.

Marcus Giles' .707 OPS is rather unimpressive. And considering he's arb. eligible, and will probably make somewhere in the $4.5-5.5M range in 2007, I say pass big time. I agree, I'm not too keen on Giles. Too bad a guy like Todd Walker isn't available.

I think some people have Radiohead a little overrated.

I think it's bad enough that I spend my 8 hours of work posting here.

Prior and Wood aren't Santana and Liriano. Hunter, Ford, and Sterwart aren't exactly Murderer's Row. What about the Yankees and all of their injuries or the Dodgers and all of the injuries they have dealt with this year? There are comparisons to be made about how teams have dealt with injuries and the Cubs, Jim Hendry in particular constructed a roster that was ill prepared to handle any kind of injuries. The Cubs had a lack of starting pitching depth and a horrible bench add to that few if any prospects in the minors leagues that might be able to come in and give a hand (position players). Bingo, it's not just the Twins that overcome injuries.

I think the NL wild card team will come from the AL Central.

You're mistaking the Cubs for small to mid market teams. They don't have to be sellers -- they can afford not to be. If Abreu for the remainder of this season means a solid run at it in 2007, a deal should be made. The Cubs have cash, and a lot of teams looking for someone like Abreu will not be able to afford the money still due to him. They need to start building for next year now.

Ooh, can I start the official go Twins thread, or do I have to hate the Sox more than I care about everything important in life?

This probably shouldn't be close.

Quite obviously the higher the better, but SLG over 500 is generally pretty good. If coupled with a good OBP, the OPS will be 900+. A 900 OPS will put you in the top 10 of outfielders. Comparison: Jacque Jones - 313 OBP, 497 SLG -- 810 OPS Bobby Abreu - 430 OBP, 440 SLG -- 870 OPS Abreu has taken a hit in SLG this year, but his OBP is 25 points higher than last year making the OPS difference a lot smaller. If you can't do both well, you better be pretty darn good at one of them. Abreu's been outstanding with OBP and a little below average with SLG. Overall, he's still top 15.

To potentially plug some of those holes, that's why. Barrett's trade value is likely as high as it will ever be. If dealing him can plug 2 holes and an adequate replacement could be found to take his spot, it would be a great move. I don't get it the Cubs offense stinks and people are suggesting trading Barrett and ARam. Yes, we might get back some decent prospects or even a veteran OF, but you need to take into consideration that it is much harder finding decent replacements at C and 3B than the OF. For the Cubs to consider a trade of ARam or Barrett, they would need to have Cabrera, ARod, or many can't-miss prospects including a 3B and C. You probably don't get it because you're not reading the reasoning. Nobody is advocating trading Barrett or Aramis for "decent prospects or even a veteran OF". Barrett's value is at an all-time high and a deal should be explored if that deal makes the team better overall, plugging other holes as well as finding a suitable replacement behind the plate. If dealing Barrett and getting that talent in return takes this offense from pathetic to tolerable, that's a huge step in the right direction. Aramis should be dealt if there's strong evidence that he will opt out of his contract and go elsewhere. Losing him for nothing would be dumber than any trade we could make. Having said that, there is nobody within the entire Cubs organization that should be 100% off limits. There is nobody in baseball that should be considered untouchable. Any player should be available for the right price.