BeerHere

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4-3 Cubs. Dempster is amped and has too many walks again but the wind blowing in helps him off the hook. Marmol gets the save. Bold predictions: Barney is 2-4 with a double and a run. Stewart hits the first HR of the season.

Get em Cobs!!!!!!

Looks like Lendy made it. Also Valbuena was picked up (yuck) http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/breaking/chi-cubs-claim-valbuena-off-waivers-set-roster-20120404,0,5632340.story

He was the Rule5 guy that, barring a trade, needs to make the roster or be returned to the Phills. I can't find anything and that makes me think the decision hasn't been made yet with one ST game remaining. Does anyone have other information?

AL East: RedSox AL Central: Tigers AL West: Angels AL WC: Rangers, Rays NL East: Braves NL Central: Brewers, Reds, Cards, Bucs, Cubs, Stros NL West: DBacks NL WC: Reds, Nationals ALCS: RedSox over Tigers NLCS: Braves over DBacks WS: Tigers over Braves

I'd prefer to keep Garza unless the prospects coming back are blue-chip. Soto and Wells might be able to warrant a good prospect or two. Definitely agree on Garza and Soto, both of whom have real value. The other 3 are just worth whatever a team looking to fill a hole is willing to give up. However, I don't know how many "blue chip" prospects Garza is going to bring in. Thinking back a few months, when people were asking for Turner, Castelannos, and one of Smyley or Crosby, I'll admit I was sucked in, but in reality, something more like Drabek, Alvarez, and Snider from Toronto sounds more realistic. Maybe replace Snider with Gose if the Jays were desperate, and even then we might end up tossing in a minor piece. As for Soto, I still think TB , who are still in the hunt for a starting carcher would be the perfect spot, although their once plentiful farm isn't what it once was. I wonder if Soto and Byrd for Upton would be a possibility. Waiting to trade Garza at the deadline may be the approach that Hoyer is taking. Teams in contention come July may be willing to give up more for a front of the rotation starter signed to a team friendly deal. If Garza is traded I'd hope that the package includes a very good pitching prospect not named Drabek.

I'd prefer to keep Garza unless the prospects coming back are blue-chip. Soto and Wells might be able to warrant a good prospect or two.

More detail on the 2011 international signees including Malave (1.6M) and Acosta (1.1M) http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/prospects/international-affairs/2012/2613153.html

Looks like it may be a little more than pain. http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/breaking/chi-another-health-setback-for-cardinals-carpenter-20120321,0,472033.story

3AB's for LaHair today 3K's He's seen 10 pitches and swung at 9 of them. Not even a foul tip to his credit.

When I was something 12 like years old or so (~1982) I lived in Des Plaines and would take the "EL" with friends to Wrigley during the summer. We would sit in the bleachers for $10, and standing room tickets were $8 on game day. Of cource the teams sucked then and the payroll was nothing.

I'm annoyed that the year I move away from Iowa they have some good prospects there that I would really want to watch. At least you don't have to live in Iowa anymore.

Agreed. The first half of the season will probably be pretty bad, but it could be "ok" around .500 or so. The second half should be much more entertaining with younger players moving up and (hopefully) some of the veterans getting traded for prospects.

I've noted here before that I think this guy is a hack. He's doing a chat now on ESPN (link below) and it's terrible. He answers part of the questions, ignores the parts of the question he knows nothing about. http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chicago/chat/_/id/42802 "Any news on the Cubs former first round pick Hayden Simpson?" If you go through the entire chat, he doesn't really answer questions to any depth whatsoever. I'm not arguing that Simpson isn't more "suspect" than "prospect" at this point but he never mentioned the illness nor does he go on to explain the "attrition" that he mentioned. I don't expect a tremendous amount of depth during a ST chat but this is terrible. Jerry (Chicago): "Cubs will be in a very, very strong financial position come next offseason. Right now - it looks like Cole Hamels has good chance of making it to free agency (maybe Cain as well?). He'll be just 28 for 2013 season - he's going to be a Cub in 2013, right Bruce?" Never answered the question on Cain nor did he elaborate on what Epstein said on his "Talkin' Baseball" show though he did manage to pimp his own show and of course he asks people to follow his twitter account at the end of the (crappy) chat. Regarding Campana: Regarding how Vitters has looked in camp thus far: Never answered the question and spews the only information he has (which is known by everyone) that he has a good bat. Doesn't elaborate on the positions he's playing, doesn't elaborate on defense. Nothing other than what everyone else already knew. He also doesn't know if he'll be in Iowa or Tenn. The entire chat is just broad/general answers that anyone that follows the team already knows. No depth whatsoever and he purposely avoids the questions that he should know but doesn't. The guy is a hack and milks his role at ESPN to get free trips to watch baseball games. He's not a fan and only marginally a journalist and a terrible one at that.

Reggie Golden falls flat on his face and is no longer considered a prospect. .270obp .210avg some power and patience

I'll go the other way with Simpson - he has a bounce back year and finished with solid if not spectacular season at Peoria.

I'll take the opposite. Soto has another down year (.700 OPS) and is moved at the deadline to the Astros with Castillo taking over the full-time duties.

Dempster struggles and is moved for scraps at the deadline. 4-9, era in the 5's, whip near 2

I'd take Molina over Soto, but not at that price.

I liked Marshall a lot, but if we got back a guy with the potential to be a solid MOR starter alone I'd have been satisfied, let along that plus a young MI with tremendous upside and another guy who looks to be ar worst a solid 4th outfielder. This trade may not have made headlines, but it just looks better and better every time I think about it. Agreed. I liked Marshall a lot as a Cub and I think the only way I would look at that trade any differently is if the Reds converted him into a starter and he proved to be a solid #3 or better.

WTF don't smilies work for me? Drag and drop, right? Anyway....that made me laugh.

That will probably be blamed on the "unfair scrutiny" he received. Of that Fielder is gone or antisemitism. He'll find something else to point to I'm sure.

He's a cheater that got off on a BS technicality. His numbers will drop this season.