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USSoccer

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Everything posted by USSoccer

  1. USSoccer
    Getting back to the Pierre discussion-I think one question that the rumored deal raises is: Is paying Reynel Pinto plus a couple lesser players worth not signing Furcal to an overpriced deal? My thinking is this: If we trade for Pierre, Furcal becomes completely unnecessary. Hendry wouldn't feel the need to overpay just to secure his leadoff hitter. If we pass on Furcal, it lessens the blow from overpaying the guys we've signed so far, and puts us in a position to take on an impact RF via trade. We'd be in a position where we haven't committed long term to a position player, and still have enough spare cash to get a Giles, or maybe absorb some salary in a Manny/Abreu/Dun type deal. Pierre may be overrated, but in this scenario wouldn't he make some sense? I've knocked Pierre many times. I think he's overrated, but if it prevents Neifi from batting 1st, and keeps some cash available for that impact OF bat, then I really would be willing to give up Pinto for him. What do you all think?
  2. USSoccer
    Ease up on the personal attacks. It's just a difference of opinion. No mine was an opinion. Then he called me a moron. So I threw it back at Mr. Intelligence. I didn't see that. I'm sorry for only calling you out.
  3. USSoccer
    Ease up on the personal attacks. It's just a difference of opinion. He's responding to someone calling JH a moran is their avatar. You may want to ease up on your hate for some of the Cubs. I don't "hate" any of the Cubs TBCF. I don't like some of them as players, and have criticism of moves, but I don't "hate" them. Look, I just want everyone to get along. If you disagree with those of us that are critical of JH's decisions, or whatever, fine, that great, but let's debate that instead of talking about how we don't know what we're talking about. Likewise, there's no reason for any of "us" to call anyone a moron, or a moran, or a "Moran", unless your last name is Moran. In any case, let's just chill. Let's agree to disagree. Or, let's have a constructive argument. :D
  4. USSoccer
    So, does anyone else have any other guesses as to the package? I still think it's Pinto, Greenberg and Novoa.
  5. USSoccer
    Ease up on the personal attacks. It's just a difference of opinion.
  6. USSoccer
    So............ then the answer would be no team had all players above average? ;) I think what I was trying to say is that you could compare the Cubs core players to just about any team's core players. The keys are to minimize the gaping hopes in our lineup (and CF, SS and LF were gaping bloody holes last year, and RF barely considered average if at all) while making sure your pitching is good and healthy enough to contend. Look at Cincinatti. They led the league in runs scored, and had the most above average position players of anyone, yet they sucked. Why? Because their pitching sucked. Why did we finish 4th? Because 3 of our 4 other positions were last in the league in OPS, and RF was barely treading water. I think to expect the Cubs to field a team of completely above replacement would be unrealistic, but if they have 4 guys in the top 3 at their positions, and the other 4 guys are around average in the aggregate instead of well below average, you should be okay offensively.
  7. USSoccer
    As funny as it sounds, the Reds had 6 players that were above average replacement value for their positions, with Dunn, Griffey, Lopez, Aurillia, LaRue, and somebody else that I can't remember all within the top 3 in OPS at their positions. The Red Sox had Ramirez, Ortiz, Varitek, Damon, Mueller and Renteria all above replacement value, and in the top 3 in OPS per position. Last year the Cubs had Walker, Ramirez, Lee and Barrett all above average at their positions, and in the top 3 (Lee and Barrett led their positions in OPS, Ramirez was 3rd, I think).
  8. USSoccer
    Agreed 100%. If this move goes through it will be judged based on what they do next.
  9. USSoccer
    thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you Looking at what we have right now, we're going to get better than average production at C, 1B, 2B and 3B. Murton in LF should be better than league average. It comes down to SS, CF and LF. Pierre in CF would be good for lineup construction and it saves money to get an impact RF via trade. Instead of making Furcal your #1 signing, now you can get in the Manny game, or bid on Abreu, or look again at Giles. If trading for Pierre is the marquee move this winter, and we sign trash to play RF, it's a bad move, but if it leads to getting a real good RF and playing Cedeno at SS, then it's a pretty good move.
  10. USSoccer
    But does Hendry care?
  11. USSoccer
    Why no re-work the deal to get both say, Patterson, Walker and Pinto for Castillo and Pierre? Florida is dumping payroll like a bad girlfriend. They won't want Walker or Patterson at their salaries. They want prospects. Then you eat the contracts of one of them. Are you kidding me? That would not make economic sense. I'd rather keep Walker as the 2B at his low cost, fill the CF role with Pierre and have Corey as a 4th OF than take a chance on Castillo's health plus eating a contract for one of the guys you trade.
  12. USSoccer
    That's an awfully detailed post if it's a rumor.
  13. USSoccer
    Why no re-work the deal to get both say, Patterson, Walker and Pinto for Castillo and Pierre? Florida is dumping payroll like a bad girlfriend. They won't want Walker or Patterson at their salaries. They want prospects.
  14. USSoccer
    Hopefully this means they're wrong about the Pierre deal. Pinto may be our best pitching commodity in the minors, as he's got great stuff, isn't constantly injured (a la Guzman), and is relatively close to the bigs. To give him AND two other prospects up for an overpriced, potentially awful Juan Pierre coming off of a bad season for 1 year is absolutely ridiculous. It still depends on who they are. I'd hate to give Pinto up, because he is close and healthy, but I still rate Hill and Marshall higher from the left side. But if the Cubs give up a couple of players with no future, it's a decent deal, depending on Pierre getting back to 2004 numbers. I don't mind this-Pawlecek (sp), Marshall and Hill are still strong LHP in our system. Pierre-even as a rental, keeps Neifi from ever being batted 1st again. It leaves a lot of money for us to address the OF, and we can avoid overpaying for Furcal.
  15. USSoccer
    I'm going to take a shot in the dark and say this deal involves Novoa, Greenberg and Pinto.
  16. USSoccer
    per Ofman one of the minor leaguers is Reynel Pinto. Pie is not in the deal.
  17. USSoccer
    Hmm. $6m/yr locked up in 2 relievers? Whatever, I was resigned to this a couple days ago. If Hendry signs/trades for an impact OF, all will be forgiven, in my eyes, anyway. Lot of $ but heading into spring training you gotta like Eyre, Howry and Dempster a lot better that Remlinger, Hawkins and Borowski. Well, yeah, that pretty much goes without saying. But I still think a bullpen is the last place you want to spend money long term.
  18. USSoccer
    Hmm. $6m/yr locked up in 2 relievers? Whatever, I was resigned to this a couple days ago. If Hendry signs/trades for an impact OF, all will be forgiven, in my eyes, anyway.
  19. USSoccer
    With a 1 million dollar base salary, I think any incentives in the contract would be insignificant in the larger picture of the budget. I would think even if there are incentives, the total package would probably only top out at 1.5 million. I don't think anyone cares about the extra 500k. They worry about giving Baker the appearence of a platoon partner for Murton.
  20. USSoccer
    I don't think he's been promised a chance to start since he first came up with the Cards. Old worries die hard. I think either way it would be a good move, though, because in the end I think Murton performed well enough for Dusty to trust him unlike the other rookie players he's had on a shorter leash. Mabry would be a solid move for a solid amount of money. So, then our bench would right now be: Blanco Perez Mabry ?
  21. USSoccer
    Great bench player. Left handed pop. $1m price tag? Sounds good, as long as he's signed to be a bench player, and Hendry doesn't tell him what he told Hollandsworth last winter (yes, I'm afraid of LH corner OF veterans).
  22. USSoccer
    Hey Ron, good to see you on again! I think Boston in general has a real inferiority complex to NY. It probably goes back to the start of the country, in some ways, and it just gets vented in the form of baseball. It's kinda interesting in a way, but I think the national media take it and run a little too far sometimes. However, I can't say that Cub fans wouldn't be up in arms if we had a team President as inflammatory as Lucchino, and a GM that left as a possible result of a power struggle within the organization like that. I think we would be, but I doubt anyone would call out a player that posts on a message board they way they did to Schilling.
  23. USSoccer
    I also suppose we can't discount the possibility that the optionless Mitre and Wellemeyer might be traded a la Leicester.
  24. USSoccer
    Aardsma or Macias.
  25. USSoccer
    Then we really have to wonder who's getting non tendered.
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