MeatampPotatoesMan

Williams usually performs poorly in ST. He actually lost weight this offseason on his Chicken diet, so I'm not sure how his motivation should be coming into question.

He's a quality dude.

The Cubs bench is in dire need of a slugging RH bat. Let's put Aramis on the bench and Theriot at 3B. Problem solved.

Z should be hitting 5th! What's up with that? :lol:

The Mets supposedly compared him to Beltran (although it was probably one overly zealous drunken scout and not the organization) and then somebody started this thread saying he's heard that before and that there is some sort of credence to that comparison. There is nothing to base that comparison on. Pagan can't hold Beltran's jock. He'll never come close to being as good as Beltran. Being a better major leaguer than minor leaguer is one thing. It wouldn't take much for Pagan to have better numbers in the majors, because his minor numbers weren't good. But talking about him being a diamond in the rough who turns into Beltran, or anything close to that is just unrealistic. No, but I bet Jimmy Edmonds would.

Freddie Bynum it's being discussed more here.

Look at these numbers: http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/J/jacque-jones.shtml Pathetic.

I'm guessing the next 2-3 years would be peak years for Lee, with the final 2 of that contract taking place during his decline. I don't think 5 years is all that outrageous. Lee's defense will be a true asset long after his offensive numbers start to slip. When you factor in what market value will be 4 years from now (i.e., higher), I would probably do it. It's amazing how quickly Derek Lee has become the face of this ballclub. I hope we front load the contract.

Pagan will not be the next Beltran. Let's at least see some success above the AA level before making that comparison. I do like Pagan off the bench, especially instead of Grissom, who looked horrible this spring.

I like parts of this team. Jones sucks. You'll see. When Prior and Wood are back I'll be a happy camper. If Miller comes back as filthy as he can be, I'm going to be super happy. Maddux looked pretty good this spring. Scott Eyre is awesome. Aramis and Lee are going to be awesome this year. Barrett should be much improved defensively and fundamentally. Cedeno is going to tank offensively and his throws to first scare me, but I'm not worried, b/c we have Neifi to save us. Murton is going to rake.

and we know Chuck Finley's does :lol:

5 years? :(

Hendry should be dealing with Bowden, not Beane like the rumors indicate. I'll take Ryan Church.

Aren't you one of the people that talks about the up and down nature of middle releivers constantly?

Why is his mouth such a disadvantage? I really don't care if he likes taking his clothes off a la Slap Stick so long as he's a good ballplayer and not doing anything completely inappropriate. He's paid to be a good player, not to tow the company line. Besides, listening to baseball players give interviews is about as exciting as watching golf. That is to say, extremely boring, uninformative and trite. Walker is interesting. He isn't that bad and it isn't my opinion of him that's keeping him from being the everyday 2B and 2 hole hitter. His D isn't that bad. From what I've seen Hairston has better range but boots the routine plays too often. It balances out Walker's lack of range and knee problems as far as I'm concerned. Walker makes the plays he gets to. the difference in defense doesn't offset Walker's advantage in offense. It's the organization that doesn't like Walker's mouth. If he'd have just kept it shut, they'd of had to evaluate the 2B battle on performance alone. I like Walker's odds in that, even with the Cubs new found love for defense.

Thanks Bruce. ...and Blueheart. :D

Furcal wasn't going to help the rotation (and he was their primary FA target). I think it's about time the team use it's own capable farmhands. Passing on Furcal meant we needed our leadoff hitter (in the organization's eyes). We dealt Nolasco (a solid pitching prospect) for Pierre. Mitre and Pinto weren't anything great. I'm a fan of throwing talent into the ML mix and seeing if they can hack it. Put Hill, Marshall, Ryu, Guzman and Nolasco into the mix for and you'll come out with at least one player contributing every 5 days. Let's be realistic. Some days they're going to dominate and other days they're going to get lit up. That's the nature of rookie SPs, but we need those cheap options, especially with Zambrano being the only SP we can count on (Maddux is gone next season). Hendry said he wanted both Furcal and Pierre all along (he said that early on in the process). It was never one or the other. Remember, he wanted them to bat 1 and 2. Thus, he planned all along to give up prospects for Pierre...I'm also not saying that I expect the rookies to be dominant but they have ability and there's no reason not to utilize them until the veterans are available. Hendry is on crack. I win. :lol: But seriously, I think that statement was just thrown out there in case Hendry didn't get his main man, Furcal. A provable opinion? No, but it's mine. :D Really? I thought he was being honest about wanting the first two guys to be speedy. I also think that the Cubs inability to sign Furcal, coupled with Walker's speed deficiencies (and defensive issues), made Hairston the next best option (in Hendry's mind) for the second slot. Lugo at 2B was preferred to Hairston but when that seemed too costly they decided to make it a "competition" at second. LaMar is so ridiculous in his trade demands I'm surprised Hendry even considered dealing with TB. Hairston was injured last season and didn't tell anyone. He's been a pleasant surprise so far. Walker was always a solid #2 hitter, but his mouth and defense are negatives. Why couldn't he just shut up? If the organization was so high on Pie and he's the player they say he is, why were they so willing to sign Pierre? Pie in a corner OF is a waste and even the old schoolers know that. Trade bait? Signing Furcal and Pierre only decreases his value as he has nowhere to go. We didn't need 2 leadoff hitters and overpaying for that 2 hole hitter (when we have walker) only gains us some defense. Is defense worth that much (premium FA dollars or solid SP talent via trade)?

Are Marshall and Hill going to be 4 and 5, respectively? It sounds like Williams isn't assured a rotation spot according to the cubs.com article. I know you asked dusty the other day if Marshall could get the 4 spot and he said no, but da Muskat seems to contradict that. :?

Furcal wasn't going to help the rotation (and he was their primary FA target). I think it's about time the team use it's own capable farmhands. Passing on Furcal meant we needed our leadoff hitter (in the organization's eyes). We dealt Nolasco (a solid pitching prospect) for Pierre. Mitre and Pinto weren't anything great. I'm a fan of throwing talent into the ML mix and seeing if they can hack it. Put Hill, Marshall, Ryu, Guzman and Nolasco into the mix for and you'll come out with at least one player contributing every 5 days. Let's be realistic. Some days they're going to dominate and other days they're going to get lit up. That's the nature of rookie SPs, but we need those cheap options, especially with Zambrano being the only SP we can count on (Maddux is gone next season). Hendry said he wanted both Furcal and Pierre all along (he said that early on in the process). It was never one or the other. Remember, he wanted them to bat 1 and 2. Thus, he planned all along to give up prospects for Pierre...I'm also not saying that I expect the rookies to be dominant but they have ability and there's no reason not to utilize them until the veterans are available. Hendry is on crack. I win. :lol: But seriously, I think that statement was just thrown out there in case Hendry didn't get his main man, Furcal. A provable opinion? No, but it's mine. :D

A dead rat in CF would make the team better. Sorry, Corey, but it's true.

Does it seem like the Cubs are more open to using young talent? Why is that - organizational philosophy change or budget crunch?

Furcal wasn't going to help the rotation (and he was their primary FA target). I think it's about time the team use it's own capable farmhands. Passing on Furcal meant we needed our leadoff hitter (in the organization's eyes). We dealt Nolasco (a solid pitching prospect) for Pierre. Mitre and Pinto weren't anything great. I'm a fan of throwing talent into the ML mix and seeing if they can hack it. Put Hill, Marshall, Ryu, Guzman and Nolasco into the mix for and you'll come out with at least one player contributing every 5 days. Let's be realistic. Some days they're going to dominate and other days they're going to get lit up. That's the nature of rookie SPs, but we need those cheap options, especially with Zambrano being the only SP we can count on (Maddux is gone next season).

I wasn't big on overpaying for Furcal initially, but after seeing what Pierre cost us for our "bonafide leadoff hitter," i'd have rather the Trib. came out da pocket than costing us talent (it was only 3 years and 3M/year above what they were willing to go). You can't get talent back by spending money. The FA market is noticably barren of late and will continue to be so as organizations sign studs to extensions rather than letting good players see free agency.

I hate to be a downer, but this is what happens when you miss out on your primary FA target, overpay for mediocre bench players and average pitchers, and want to offer a monster extension to a firstbaseman with one career year under his belt. The budget forces you to consider youngsters.

I'll take it with whatever. A side order of grilled onions? maybe it's Rusch for Kielty. :lol: hahaha, dreams are sweet.