Sammy Sofa

Oh, I'm definitely not saying the Cubs should ignore anyone that becomes available that is typically a decent reliever. I just don't think there's anyone like that out there really available now given what a commodity they are.

I'll answer your question with a question. Just because there are bigger issues, why would you refuse to address a smaller problem if it can be done effectively and efficiently? Well, therein lies the catch: I simply do not see how the bullpen can be "fixed" effectively or efficiently at this point in time. I look at it this way; the means for the Cubs to improve their bullpen are likely still going to be there a month or 2 months from now. He'll they'll probably be there until the deadline. Any true improvement to the bullpen is almost certainly going to have to involve a trade. Such a trade is always an uphill battle, regardless of whether they do it now or a couple months from now. I would prefer if they waited to see if the bullpen truly is in a bad way and whether or not the bullpen is even the main problem facing this team. If the offense is looking to be a crapfest again or the starting pitching is horrible after, say, the first month of the season, I'd really prefer if they didn't waste trade bait on the bullpen. If the rest of the team looks to be doing decently and the Cubs will be in the mix except for the bullpen, well, you gotta do what you gotta do. I just don't see the benefit of making such a trade now as opposed to at least a couple months from now. It's going to cost too damn much either way. Might as well wait to see if it's something the Cubs actually need to overpay for, and when there will probably more relievers available.

I have to ask all the people worried over the bullpen...how many of you view it as the Cubs' most pressing need or area of improvement?

or, if they get really lucky, Money and Rose and Top 3 draft pick Oh man, don't get my hopes up. That would be incredible.

Money and Rose. Unless they somehow lose one or both of those factors, game on.

Shows how ridiculous it is to think that their final record is going to wildly sway the opinions of FA's of the team back and forth.

http://petersonstory.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/confused-full.jpg

How far would he go with that? Like if someone just asked him a question in the dugout or during practice, would he just ignore them?

Hahahahaah! You have to actually kind of appreciate that honesty. "Get the [expletive] away from me, kid...ya bother me."

I am offering something; my opinion about the reliever issue. If the Cubs were in a much better position in regards to their offense and starters I'd definitely agree with looking in to what relievers are available for trade or signing (though I still wouldn't be optimistic about getting much more than warmed over crap or having to trade way too much for a solid reliever, which is something almost no teams are looking to give up at this point anyway). It seems completely backwards to act like the bullpen is, for one, the main problem/question the team faces right now, and for two, like it's something that the Cubs can realistically "fix" this time of the year. The guys out there available to be signed are essentially just as much as a gamble as working through the pitchers the Cubs already have throughout their organization. Trading for a good reliever would be ridiculously expensive, and what team is looking to shed good relievers in the spring when they're such a limited and valuable commodity? It makes much more sense to me to wait until guys are closer to regular season form and we've gotten more of a look at who the Cubs have available already and what they can do. It also makes much more sense to me to see how the starters and the offense is panning out before wasting resources on the bullpen. Those two areas are far more critical and it would be even more of a waste if the Cubs focus on "fixing" the bullpen when it's still up in the air whether their offense will look better or if the starting rotation is any good.

If an arm is in bad enough shape to keep the Cubs away then it must be basically erradictaed at this point because they love themselves some broken pitchers.

Dammit, I want the Dodgers game.

he still wasn't good. he had a 1.46 whip in august/september. He was significantly better. Ideal? No, but he knocked the walks down and kept the strikeouts up. Going on past history to this point it's more likely that the first half was the outlier. Is that a sure thing? Of course not, but he's a decent bet to be more effective this year. The most positive thing is that even with all of his trouble last year he was still incredibly difficult to hit. I'd be far more worried if his shitty season entailed both the walks and getting shelled. i agree, and this is aprt of the reason i was worried about the cubs bullpen even before guzman's injury. i just don't like going into the season without a single who you can look at and say "yeah, we know he'll be good at least". marmol is the closest we have to that, and he has big question marks after last year. So who was out there to get to be that person? It's a self-defeating argument. Someone like that either costs serious money or will take a significant trade. It seems silly to waste either when the Cubs have serious questions regarding the offense and the starting rotation. Spending those resources on the bullpen is completely ass-backwards. It's bad enough they wasted money on Grabow; God only knows how much more would have been wasted if Hendry was able to focus on the bullpen. The bullpen should be way down on their list of areas to improve.

Geez dude, do you have anything to offer this thread other than complaints about other people's ideas? Wait, I can't offer my opinion about the Cubs going out and getting more relievers in the thread about the Cubs going out and getting more relievers?

I don't think it necessarily looks like crap. It could easily be crappy, but easily could be fine. It's little different this year from last minus Gregg and Heilman. Sure, you had Guzman last year, but he also missed time due to injury and you could argue that what he did was offset by Marmol's difficulties for most of the season. There's nobody who is considered a "reliable reliever" that the Cubs could get now without having to overpay. It doesn't matter if they're "available;" any team that's contacted by the Cubs for a reliever this early is going to realize that the Cubs think they're backed into a corner and it'll cost way too much. It's been 3 games; I'd prefer it if they waited to waste resources on relievers after seeing what guys are looking like as they get more into regular season form. I agree that a bullpen made out of organizational parts could still be very good, but this bullpen makeup is going to be completely different than the one from last year. The Cubs only have 45 percent of their innings returning this year (this is not including Patton who likely won't see the bullpen this year but includes players like Marshall, Samardzija, and Gorzelanny and one of those players will not be in the bullpen). Out of their big four last year they have one returning. It will probably look a little closer to the bullpen that finished last year but that was a significantly different bullpen then the one that was there for most of the year. A homegrown bullpen for the Cubs this year might be good for them going forward though. They were starting to have a logjam of possible relief pitchers piling up and their major league experiences have not been long enough to show if they are going to sink or swim (and some haven't even been able to get into the majors quite yet). A year of significant roles in the major league bullpen will show the Cubs which pitchers they need to continue to protect before their options are exhausted. On the 40 man right now they have Caridad/Berg/Gaub/Gray/Parker/Stevens who are all probably ready right now with Dolis/Mateo/Parisi/Patton and maybe even Atkins as also possible options. That is a lot of pitchers who are already on the 40 man and have the bullpen in their future. Several of them need to be given a chance. It's definitely a risk to rely on them, but the Cubs have been developing this area of the farm system as a strength. They have to turn that strength into results at some point. Totally agree.

Baed on past success and how he was significantly better in the 2nd half last year after he became the closer. Is he a sure thing? Nope. But almost no reliever is year to year. That in no way made him a guarentee to be good again this year, and even if he was there would have pretty much been the guarentee of missing time due to injury looming over him. If he was supposed to be the cornerstone of this bullpen then the Cubs were fucked to begin with. Hopefully they're just cycling in new pitchers to try from the farm system. They're not going to use every single pitcher they have available by the end of April. You're right, it's never going to be cheap to significantly improve a bullpen, but why rush to have to pay that cost before you've effectively exhausted your in-house options, or to even see if you have a team that needs a better bullpen in the first place?

What team is going to be looking to "unload" a reliever right now unless that reliever either is being paid way too much or just isn't very good?

I don't think it necessarily looks like crap. It could easily be crappy, but easily could be fine. It's little different this year from last minus Gregg and Heilman. Sure, you had Guzman last year, but he also missed time due to injury and you could argue that what he did was offset by Marmol's difficulties for most of the season. There's nobody who is considered a "reliable reliever" that the Cubs could get now without having to overpay. It doesn't matter if they're "available;" any team that's contacted by the Cubs for a reliever this early is going to realize that the Cubs think they're backed into a corner and it'll cost way too much. It's been 3 games; I'd prefer it if they waited to waste resources on relievers after seeing what guys are looking like as they get more into regular season form.

Common sense. What quality reliever is just sitting around unsigned right now?

WE'RE NOT WORTHY.

I didn't see a replay; did the runner sliding back into 2nd turn Blanco's ankle or just kinda jam his foot?

Castro coming in for Blanco.

In watching the play over, it looks as if Theriot didn't have much of a handle on the ball and mishandled the exchange. While I am not going to argue that Theriot has a rocket arm, it isn't as bad as it looked there. The Theriot snark is getting unsufferable, and I don't care too much about him one way or the other. Also, its clear to any fan, average or not, that Soriano is awful out there. No, he's not. Yes, when he screws up it's usually spectacular, but in all he's a plus defender and a defensive asset.

Yeesh.

It's the terrible beard.