Sammy Sofa

It's a massive stretch to call this a waste of payroll a la Rusch or Neifi. Like you said, it's a million dollars...pretty much chump change for these teams. It's a gamble, but hey, it's not big loss. Trying to prop it up like it's some kind of disaster is ridiculous. The biggest problem is that Hendry only made a few stopgap moves in the offseason instead of really stepping things up...had he done those big moves, the Miller deal would have looked fantastic. But even so, it's nowhere near being a waste like Neifi. I'd take Neifi being used correctly for 2.5 than waste 1 million on a guy that won't pitch for you. Then I'm glad you're not running this team. I never thought Miller would amount to anything he once was. The Cubs could find any pitcher to have a 5 or 6 ERA in the pen for less than 1 million. Also, watch the Cubs give Miller a deal for 2 or 3 for next year. Perez has value and yeah, he is by far overpayed but Baker uses him way too much and thanks to Hendry he gets to for 2 years. But, just paying for a player to rehab is a waste of money and unlike a lot of people I don't think Miller will be any good even if he is healthy. But we have no idea what Miller can or can't do at this point. Yeah, it's a gamble, but its the nature of the deal...hence why on the MLB scale, only paying a million dollars for one year isn't even close to being a problem. It's pretty much win-win either way. If he can come back in any capacity and perform, hey, you got him for only a million bucks. If he can't do anything at all, hey it was only a million bucks. That kind of money is nothing on a payroll like this. And given the fact that Miller actually has some decent numbers in his history, it's not a bad idea to take a try on him post-surgery. Neifi Perez, on the other hand, is terrible...always has been and always will be. Nothing in his career has made even close to being worhty of one million dollars, much less the FIVE million dollars he's eating up right now. The guy is a last inning defensive sub at the best and he's locked into a two year minimum five million dollar contract. That's terrible team management and really not even comparable to the Miller deal.

Must we still talk of Hill as a starter? I want to see him tried out in relief so friggin' bad.

That deal doesn't seem like nearly enough offense to convince the Yanks to give up A-Rod. I think you'd have to make it Jones, Prior and Aramis.

Interesting idea...setting aside the wonderful but crazy Cabrera/A-Rod/Jesus type theories, this one potentially could be far more do-able. Atlanta seems like an organization smart enough that if you give them enough young, cheap and good players this could be done. If the Cubs snag Jones that way and still can sign C-Lee in the off season without having to trade off anyone like Aramis, Barrett or even Jaque, that's a pretty potent offense.

It's a massive stretch to call this a waste of payroll a la Rusch or Neifi. Like you said, it's a million dollars...pretty much chump change for these teams. It's a gamble, but hey, it's not big loss. Trying to prop it up like it's some kind of disaster is ridiculous. The biggest problem is that Hendry only made a few stopgap moves in the offseason instead of really stepping things up...had he done those big moves, the Miller deal would have looked fantastic. But even so, it's nowhere near being a waste like Neifi. I'd take Neifi being used correctly for 2.5 than waste 1 million on a guy that won't pitch for you. Then I'm glad you're not running this team.

I predict he'll be gone at the ASB. With the Williamson comments and the loses pileing up, they have to do somehting. Do they? They'll make the same mountain of money either way...what's the rush? I have the gut feeling that IF Dusty goes, it's not until the season is over.

Just hurry up and go on another 5+ game losing streak so hopefully Dusty gets the boot.

The logic of this trading mentality is nothing short of insane given how bad this team is.

It's a massive stretch to call this a waste of payroll a la Rusch or Neifi. Like you said, it's a million dollars...pretty much chump change for these teams. It's a gamble, but hey, it's not big loss. Trying to prop it up like it's some kind of disaster is ridiculous. The biggest problem is that Hendry only made a few stopgap moves in the offseason instead of really stepping things up...had he done those big moves, the Miller deal would have looked fantastic. But even so, it's nowhere near being a waste like Neifi.

Why not? It's not like it was an impossible idea...and with a year like this, what's there left to care about?

Count me skeptical. Me too, though I'm probably closer to the fence. The guy has some great career numbers, and despite them sliding in recent years, the steep drop off this year almost has to be a fluke...maybe.

If Pierre can keep up his offensive bump, I have no problem with him staying at leadoff until the end of the season or whenever he's dealt.

Only Z! is worth such attention at this moment. Blessed be his name.

I'd bank the O's demand at least Prior and Cedeno for Tejada, given Mark's health as of late.

Back to the original topic, while I agree with and cheer on what Williamson said, it hurts that this is pretty much killing his trade value. He was a guy I was really hoping to see come back and impress so the Cubs could use him as a decent trading chip, but now other teams are basically going to expect him for free after this tirade. Nuts.

It's weird, I thought Murton was a "smaller" guy too until I had great seats at PNC Park last year right behind the Cubs' dugout. Holy crap, Murton's got some guns! And some treetrunk legs, too. The guy just randomly looks smaller on TV, but in person, he seems pretty built.

I don't think it's writing him off if that's the kind of playing he's displaying. Yeah, I agree he's getting a crappy "education" from the coaches and raw deals getting benched for players like Nevin, but he still needs to prove himself longterm. Maybe he will, but it's just as likely he won't. IMO, you go with the proven big players over the unproven rookies every single time, and yes, I think C-Lee is one of those players. Is he one of the all time greats? Heck no, but he's a serious OF power bat that mashes at Wrigley, and the Cubs need one of those like crazy. Bottom line, there's not a lot of options out there that would allow the Cubs to upgrade from a player like Murton to a player like Lee. This team isn't hurting for money, and with Wood and Maddux likely gone next year, they've got even more to spend. Lee is making like he wants to play here and at the end of the day if I'm picking between Carlos Lee and Matt Murton for my LF slot, I'd be a fool not to sign Lee. Murton simply doesn't have the power at this point to be a corner starting corner OFer at this point. Will he? I hope so. Will he get a shot to develop on this team? Again, I'd hope so, but at the same time, I want some serious upgrades. I'd love to see Murton platooned against lefties with a decent split hitter in RF because at this point, he's nowhere near being the bat needed to be a starting OFer for the Cubs.

Very true. A-Rod is A-Rod. He's one of "those players" that's just so damn big their name is going to carry them until they finally quit. Booing him when he strikes out would be like Derrek Lee getting booed for doing the same...or to compare it to a local big hitter having an off-year, Aramis. The fans that (almost always wrongly) boo guys like Jacque aren't going to do the same to A-Rod.

Unless it was some kind of major sticking point to getting him here, I'd keep A-Rod at 3rd and Cedeno at SS and re-sign Walker for 2nd.

You've got to be kidding me? He's a rookie. I cannot believe how quickly some people want to give up on young players. Who said anything about giving up? Teams need good 4th OFers, including the Cubs. I think Murton would be an excellent platoon player and OF backup. He simply doesn't have anything even close to the power needed to be a serious fulltime corner OFer. Sure, that could change, but he has a long way to go. I'd like to see Murton stick around, but I'd start Carlos Lee over him in a heartbeat.

I remember the "good" Cubs routinely getting rocked by the Rockies, too. Especially at Wrigley.

It's not like Carlos Lee is a great player. He may be having a good year this year, but he's typically just a bit above average for a corner outfielder. Expecting the difference between Murton and Lee to make a real impact on this club is unrealistic. I never said he was great. But I am saying he's a LOT better than Murton. And I don't think C-Lee would come anywhere close to solving all of the team's problems...but I do think he's a big step in the right direction. Murton, for better or for worse, has shown himself to be a very capable 4th OFer at this point. C-Lee is more than just a bit better than that.

More than likely, yeah. He might be back in time for the playoffs, but that's a big "might." They need the outfield help, and Jacque could definitely give them a boost with how he's hitting this year. I don't think Pierre would be any kind of centerpiece in a trade for A-Rod, but I'd like to see him gone and if adding him onto the pile seals the deal, hey, give it a shot. Definitely trading up.

I heart the Todd. He's dreamy.

Aramis has shown he's the type of hitter who would thrive in a lineup like the Yankees have, even with the injuries. You surround him with other big bats, and I mean BIG bats, and he slams the ball until it cries. Jacque is having a great year and given his history, I think he'd use the shorter porch in NYC to his advantage. Cap them off with a reliever or two and I think this could and should be done, if there's any truth to it.