sporrer17

I know it was a huge stretch. Even if he maintains his line from AA in '04, he could still be a solid 7-8 hitting SS with good D. I'd be more than happy with .280/.330/.405, which is a point or two better in each category than his actual '04 line, and he's shown improvement since then also. .735 OPS wouldn't be great, but if he plays defense as he is capable of, and isn't counted on as an integral part of this offense, it's definately doable.

Oooh tough call. Eva (no n) wins in a close one... :lol:

One tiny little "n" seperates him from greatness...is he as hott as her?

Alex Gordon= :D Too bad we're middle of the pack.

Defensively, Cedeno mops the floor with Upton. I don't care if he can make the amazing highlight real plays once in a while. Cedeno can make some pretty spiffy plays himself, and he does a heckuva lot better with the routine and easy ones. Offensively, however, I don't think anyone in their right mind would pick Ronny over BJ. BJ was a top pick for a reason, he's a legit offensive force for the middle of any lineup, who can steal lots of bases as well. If Ronny can maintain a .300/.350/.480 and play spectacular defense (this line would be a big step down from his current one) then I see no reason why he can't be an everyday player, and a very good one at that.

You do realize, that's an exact replica of this current team, only minus Burnitz and adding in Murton. We at least need one big addition somewhere to this team.

And trading Derrek Lee takes away a lot of OBP and power. I know Sing has good upside, in OBP and power, but Lee is doing those things right now at a great level. He plays gold glove defense, and say what you want about the importance of defense, but he saves a lot of errors from ARam, Nomar, and Walker. However, I'm not one bit opposed to potentially trading Derrek Lee. You'll never get more for him than you will now.

:shock: Can we have him, PLEASE???? :lol:

Sweet. About time...he was our highest drafted position player this year, something to get excited about. LH hitting SS who supposedly can flat out pick it. Hope he finishes out the season strong.

Even then he'd be okay, because there's no way he tops 130 ABs in one month. That's probably why they made it such a number. The september callups can come up, work on their game without worrying about such a thing as losing their 'rookie' status.

See I've always thought of Corey as a guy who will only thrive in a run-producing role. Whether thats 6-8 or 3 in the order, is up to him. I think when he's hitting like he was in '03, or at times in '04, he's a #3 hitter and would look nice in front of Lee/Ramirez/Nomar. However, if he's going to be the .240 hitter, he may not even be in the lineup at all. A lot of our lineup for next season depends on how Nomar/Corey/Murton look the rest of the year.

I guess a potential solution for next season's leadoff hitter would be to resign Hairston at 2b and let him leadoff...although I still want to see Cedeno get regular time somewhere. I still don't want to see Pie as leadoff hitter anytime soon. I think he's best suited for 7 or so, a la Patterson right now.

I want to see Pie next year. Early on, I was in favor of letting him stay in AAA next season, let him work on the power a little bit, and just have him come up as a "polished" hitter. However, he's got so much talent that he may be able to come up and make an impact right off the bat. An OF featuring Patterson/Pie may be the best defensive OF, if even an average LF is added to the mix (Murton, Huff). They are that good, defensively. If Corey hits .270-.275 with 25 HRs and plays gold glove defense, there's no reason to complain about that at all. Corey hit .266 (i think) last year and had 24 HRs, but remember he hit the wall in September to drop those numbers the last month. I'd definately take that from Corey. Pie is capable of great things. We all know that. If he hits 15-20 HRs this year, it's not all that much different than what they had expected out of Hollandsworth this year. Now we just need to match/equal Burnitz's output. We need at least the '04 (if not '03) Patterson...a solid rookie year from Pie...and a little better than Burnitz (.280 with 25-30 HRs...Huff anyone?) There...OF solved. Murton gets the chance after Pie, if he struggles.

If he stays healthy, he certainly helps shore up our staff next year. Whether he's used as a 5th starter in place of Wood (who could be in the pen) or if he's used in the pen, his command/control/stuff is a great combo.

That's true. That was also way back when I had no idea what minor league baseball was lol.

Cedeno was never a good hitter until the '04 season, where he started to turn it around in AA. However, he was always fairly young for his league (in the majors by 22 isn't bad). This season he's been much better as a hitter than anyone could have ever imagined. He's got great defense, also. If he continues to hit like this in AAA, I don't see how he doesn't get a shot.

Reserve players: Blanco is still under contract. Reyes/Soto are his backups who will compete in spring training. Reyes offers more defensively, and is a switch hitter, he's my 3rd catcher if one is needed next year. Macias should be considered strongly to be brought back. I know he's not the popular choice as a backup player, but a bench player who is hitting .300 for the season and can play 7-8 positions is very valuable to a winning club. Like it or not, Neifi will be back as the default backup at SS/2b, IMO. To be honest, you can do worse offensively, and he's a great defender at either spot. No way Hairston will return to be a bench player...is he still under contract? If he is, he'll likely be brought back as a 2b/OF again, and another unhappy player will be on our bench. I see him being dealt if he's still under contract. As for OF's, I think Greenberg and Patterson would be a nice defensive combo as well as providing pinch running options off the bench. If Corey can deal with being a bench player/spot starter, I'd like to see him around just for defensive purposes, especially if we have Huff and Murton manning the corners on a regular basis. This means we need a valuable bat off the bench, regardless of position. Someone with a little pop in his bat. A guy like Geoff Blum or John Mabry would be nice, as each could give Lee days off at 1b. Each can also spot start at 3b for Ramirez. Likewise, both would be adequate in LF/RF if needed, as well. Bench: C Blanco R UT Macias S UT Blum S OF Patterson L OF Greenberg L IF Perez S Also with Patterson on board for speed/defense, we could use a big bat from the right side off the bench. Maybe Eli Marrero? Jose Cruz Jr? Rondell White? Not sure if any of them want to be bench players, but they'd all be decent options. Pitchers Wood, Williamson and Dempster could be a dominant back 3 in the bullpen, add Ohman for lefties, and Novoa/Wuertz for middle relief, and you have yourself a pretty solid bullpen, IMO. Give Woody a shot at closing games down the stretch, get his shoulder fixed, and let him give it a try. Dempster in the 8th, Williamson in the 7th. Potentially nasty combo. Ohman works as a situational LH (LOOGY). Replace Wuertz/Novoa with another LH who fairs well against LH hitters, and there's a VERY solid pen. Scott Sauerbeck would be a great addition, he's having a good year vs. LHs, and has done well in the past. Bullpen: Wood (closer) Dempster (8th) Williamson (7th) Ohman (loogy) Sauerbeck (loogy) Novoa/Wuertz/Wellemeyer (long relief type) Maddux's option will vest pretty soon, meaning he's here again in '06, barring a miraculous trade by Hendry. Too bad he looks like he hit the wall finally this year. Prior and Zambrano are locks, barring injury. 'Nuff said. Williams has looked solid enough to give him another chance, as long as he looks good down the stretch here. With Wood in the pen, a 5th starter will likely be needed. Here's the BIG deal of the offseason. We acquire another starter via FA. (Hill included in the TB deal for Huff, along with Dopirak). If Rusch decides to return for another go-round, he may be the 5th starter, or he could be the long relief man in the pen. However, I'd target Jarrod Washburn of the Angels. I'd like to keep a LH in the starting 5, so that's why I leaned towards him. However Burnett or Weaver would look good as well. Starting 5: Prior Zambrano Maddux Williams Washburn/FA If Rusch comes back as the long man, he's also our 6th starter, followed by guys like Pinto, Nolasco, Koronka, etc. Basically this whole entire scenerio has us doing this: Adding Huff, Blum, Sauerbeck, and maybe another starter if Wood stays in the pen. Huff through trade for Mitre, Hill, Dopirak. Blum and Sauerbeck should cost no more than what, 4-5 mil combined, and Huff goes up to 7 mil or so next year right? That's only 12 on those 3 guys, and maybe a little more for Washburn. We replace Burnitz's 5 mil with Murton. We replace Lawton's whatever with Pie. Walker's money replaced by Cedeno at 2b. Nomar is probably going to get lesser/equal money on this next deal, so save money there as well. With 3 rookies in the everyday lineup combining for maybe a million bucks...it gives you a nice flexibility. Our bench looks a little pricey, but we could afford it with Hawkins/Sosa/Remlinger/Burnitz coming off the books simultaneously. Guys who will be getting paid more next season: Dempster, Williamson. I think this is a very realistic offseason, and also could be a very productive one, while also helping build for the future, as well. Any ideas from you guys? Just kinda got on a roll here at 12 AM and decided to spend some time thinking through what I'd like to see done for next year's team.

Be specific. Don't just say "I want to see a better team, better players, better management." What players do you want to see an attempt made at? What positions do we need to fix, and who would you target to fix them? What rookies deserve a shot at playing time? I'll start. First off, I think one big OF bat needs to be acquired. Patterson is talented and all, but I don't see him figuring it out anytime soon. He still looks overmatched at this level. He's almost 26, he shouldn't be still trying to decide what type of hitter he is. The guy I want to see in LF for us next year...Aubrey Huff. His defense may be horrid, but a LH bat that can hit well and for decent power...that would be pleasant. Pie/Murton/Patterson can make up the other 2/3 of the outfield. If Patterson's struggles here continue, look for Pie/Murton in CF and RF, respectively. I assume 1b, 3b, and C are set in stone, barring injury/blockbuster moves. All of them are productive and under contract through next season at least...which means they'll likely stay. This leaves the middle of the infield open for change. I want to see Nomar the rest of this year before totally deciding, but I'd give him another 1 year deal, and hope like heck he's the Nomar of old, and not an Old Nomar. However, this blocks Cedeno (who's season line at AAA of .370+ with 8 HRs). One solution would be to put Cedeno/Nomar at 2b, preferrably Nomar because of his groin/achilles history, and the lesser stress. Plus, Cedeno's the better defender at SS, IMO. Todd Walker could be resigned, and it would give us another solid LH bat in the lineup. It would again block Cedeno, effectively putting him in AAA or rotting on the bench for another season. Personally, I like the idea of Nomar/Cedeno in the middle, defensively. That rounds out the position players, at least starters. Here's my lineup: RF Murton(not ideal, but hey, there's been worse choices made) SS Cedeno 2b Garciaparra 3b Ramirez LF Huff 1b Lee CF Pie C Barrett However, if my guess is correct, the Cubs will try Pie as a leadoff hitter kinda like Patterson. His speed/handedness make him look like an intriguing possibility at leadoff. Basically then I'd just switch Pie and Murton in the lineup, leaving the rest unchanged. Lee can move up ifhe continues the .300+ hitting, but I still don't buy that he's improved his game THAT much. PS, I'll do another post on pitchers/bench players in a minute.

I hope you're right, Raw. When it comes to projecting stats, I basically take a stab in the dark and hope I come out looking like a genius lol. I'm sure someone on this board can do a chart or something very scientific/mathematical that would show numerous reasons why he is or isn't likely to maintain this success. Basically I just see a guy who's always been around .270-.280 who had a GREAT (out of his mind) first half...and then started hitting the wall in the 2nd half, where he is usually a much better hitter. Hopefully he can continue to be a dominant slugger in the NL. I truely hope that...however I am not tremendously confident that he'll keep up the type of season (or all that close to it) he's had this year.

Just a question, but why block Cedeno with Fontenot? Let Ronny play 2b the rest of the year and get him some big league ABs if you're set on going with a youth movement. He's played 2b some in the minors, and even once or twice this year for the big league club, so it's not really far-fetched. Plus, he projects to have more long term value than Fontenot. Why Soto? He's not better than Barrett offensively, and if you want a defensive-minded light hitting catcher, go with Blanco. Or even Jose Reyes (AA catcher who has been given amazing reviews on his defense). Makes no sense to ditch Barrett, IMO, though. LF Murton (not my ideal leadoff hitter, but oh well) 2b Cedeno SS Garciaparra 3b Ramirez 1b Lee CF Pie C Barrett RF Patterson Pitchers spot Only 2 lefties...I'd say going with Lawton over Patterson could be beneficial, as it'd give us a leadoff hitter and let Murton go back to a run-producing role, one he's probably more familiar with. However I think if you want a youth movement and you're willing to include guys like Soto, Hoffpauir, Kelton, and Lewis (all mediocre prospects, at best) then you have got to find playing time for Cedeno, and it will only come at SS/2b.

He's a great defender, and a above average-good hitter. This season has been a great year, but it's way above his career norms, and this recent slump (whatever the cause) is kind of telling me he's coming back to the .280 ish hitter. If he hits .280/.370/.530, it's still solid # production. If a team blows me away with an offer for Lee (like say, Joe Mauer, Rich Harden, multiple top tier prospects, etc) then I'm certainly not going to complain if he's gone. If we could maybe get Konerko as a FA, I wouldn't be too depressed about Lee.

Cedeno at SS (Nomar to 2b...or vice versa) Murton in LF Both of them playing everyday. That's as much of a youth movement as I see coming. Maybe Pie in CF over Patterson...but outside of that, there isn't a whole lot else we can do.

34?

Me too...as soon as we're sure Corey's got this "new" swing down pat. Another solid week or so and I'd say bring him up.

Corey has started to pick it up at AAA. He went 2-4 tonight to bring his average up around .250. I know it doesn't look all that glamorous, but considering he was under .190 a week or week and a half ago, it's quite encouraging. If he can continue to cut down on Ks, and get the average up, he'll be back in CF by the end of the month. Everyone knew it would take some time before he got going in AAA, they were "reinventing" his swing and the mechanics that go with it...which will take time for him to master. However, it appears that it's taking effect lately...