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goonys evil twin

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Everything posted by goonys evil twin

  1. goonys evil twin
    Maybe, but it would probably be a mistake. I think he's best served as bench help, or maybe platoon with a LH hitter.
  2. goonys evil twin
    But if there was, it would be measured in how much less productive the hitters were. If they weren't any worse, you couldn't say they were affected. You could say they were bummed, but the question is whether or not it affected their production. There really haven't been many underperformers this season, as far as their performance vs what was expected. So there isn't much evidence that they performed worse because of Lee's absence. Your theory assumes the players are all weak willed and crumble in the face of adversity. It's just as likely, or maybe moreso, considering they are world class athletes, that the players actually performed better.
  3. goonys evil twin
    I wouldn't say they "cannot" win. There are always exceptions. It's possible to win with that. It's possible to win the Hendry way. The problem is your odds aren't very good. It's an incredibly inefficient and risky way to build your team. The GM should do a better job of improving your odds, that is what his job is all about.
  4. goonys evil twin
    5 years isn't ideal, but the Cubs don't have much of a choice. Just like Beltran's deal wasn't ideal, but if you want to contend you have to offer it. I'd much rather offer such a deal to a guy who will be 33 when it expires, than to guys who are already in their 30's.
  5. goonys evil twin
    As a guy who played well but rotted in Iowa all year despite an obvious need for the help in the majors, I'd have to believe he and his agent will be looking elsewhere for the opportunity. no kidding - its unbelievable that a team as offensively challenged as the cubs wouldn't even give him a look. what a waste. Staying in Iowa all year probably gave him greater negotiating leverage, as he was allowed to put up great numbers, as opposed to being on the Cubs and not getting any at bats.
  6. goonys evil twin
    It certainly wouldn't considering it's basically staying the same and adding mediocrity. Hendry has had several offseasons to get it right, he has no other option besides pulling off a miracle.
  7. goonys evil twin
    As a guy who played well but rotted in Iowa all year despite an obvious need for the help in the majors, I'd have to believe he and his agent will be looking elsewhere for the opportunity.
  8. goonys evil twin
    Did anybody else hear Brenly the other night refer to Marshall's situation as a problem with his elbow? I swear that's what he said.
  9. goonys evil twin
    Not necessarily. First, Cubs suck at drafting. Second, there's no telling what the pick will be. If the signing team also signs a higher ranked player, or is a bottom 15 team, the Cubs run the risk of getting nothing special out of the picks. Third, and most importantly, offering arbitration means the Cubs risk keeping him, and signing him longterm, which would be a disaster.
  10. goonys evil twin
    not necessarily. pujols and bonds both walk a lot and don't strike out much. I agree wholeheartedly with your last sentence. I just don't think the focus of improving the cubs offense should be putting the ball in play less - that's not the problem. in fact, I think how frequently a player ks should be more or less ignored in light of other more pertinent statistics. The Cubs shouldn't go out and find players who put the ball in play less frequently. That would be as dumb as their previous wish to find guys who put it in play more often. That shouldn't be a topic. Production is all that matters, and Ks have nothing to do with it.
  11. goonys evil twin
    I gave up wondering long ago. Restovich is a big lumbering dude who strikes out a lot. The Cubs want to fill their bench with versatile players who can field many positions and whose primary offensive skill is to put the ball in play. He should be the Nevin of this team, but the Cubs aren't interested in cost-effective solutions.
  12. goonys evil twin
    Between Bay and Brian Giles they've signed some of the most reasonable deals for big time producers over the past decade. My guess is the first chance you'd get to trade for Bay is post-2008, if the team is still crap and Bay is looking for a mega deal.
  13. goonys evil twin
    I am assuming Hendry is going to resign Pierre. But I would love it if he traded him to Philly and then moved on in the CF and leadoff department (hopefully ignoring stereotypical leadoff hitters and concentrating on just productive hitters). I'm guessing he would have to get something of value to make the move though. You would think that after finding the so-called ideal leadoff hitter, and still having the offense and team go in the crapper, Jim would get clued in to the idea that leadoff hitter wasn't the answer to all our problems. The team sucked when Pierre was god awful, and they've stunk since Juan started to hit. He has shown a willingness to change course in the past (to his credit for adapting or discredit for not sticking to his plan?), so maybe he will go away from the idea of needing a base stealer at leadoff.
  14. goonys evil twin
    Innings aren't the same as total pitches. If you have a guy throw 9 every game but he does it in 90 pitches, that's a lot less stressful than a guy who goes 5 every game but throws 120+. Liriano only had 5 outings with 100+ pitches, none over 110. I think the biggest mistake may have been having him start less than a week after he missed a start with elbow problems. He had as many sub 7 inning outings as he had 8 inning outings.
  15. goonys evil twin
    You are the one that wanted to take the scenario out of the business side of things (and in the business of baseball, punches to a fellow players face don't equal throwing a bat at an umpire). You can't try and remove them in once aspect but then qualify that with the society/business in the other aspect. Assaulting a fellow player is part of the game. It happens all the time. Assaulting an official is not.
  16. goonys evil twin
    Pry him away? With what? Hendry will want near ML ready talent in return. Nothing worthwhile is going to pass through waivers. Why not trade him for propsects, and then re-sign Pierre in the offseason? I'm not a fan of Pierre, and I'd rather he go away altogether, but even if you want to re-sign him, this seems like a reasonable option. Then you can give Pie a tryout with the big club for September. What are the rules with waivers and PTBNL? Can the PTBNL be a top prospect or is there some rules about being on/off the 40 man? I can't imagine that a decent prospect will pass through waivers. Decent prospects don't necessarily have to be on the 40-man roster. The "trade the guy away and sign him back later" concept just doesn't fly with me. If it ever works out, fine, but teams should not make such a deal with that sort of intention in mind. When you trade a guy you have to be willing to accept that he'll never be back on your team (unless you specifically trade him for a PTBNL and he is the PTBNL).
  17. goonys evil twin
    That's absurd. A bat is far more dangerous than a fist. Throwing a bat at somebody is also assault, quite possible with a deadly weapon.
  18. goonys evil twin
    I'm not saying I want to sign him to a 4/$40 million deal, I'm just saying you were dead wrong in your assessment of the offensive quality of catchers, and you are probably underestimating what MB could get after next year. If he comes close to repeating 2006, there's no doubt he'll make a ton. He and Mauer are the elite offensive catchers in baseball.
  19. goonys evil twin
    I would say Cabrera is much more likely to get traded than Bay. Bay is signed on the cheap, Cabrera is not. He's at the stage in his career that Pujols was at when he signed his monster deal, and he's putting up comparable numbers. Miguel's list of similar batters at this age is littered with hall of famers (Hank Aaron, Frank Robinson, Mickey Mantle) and future hall of famers (Griffey and Pujols). He is putting up these numbers in a pitchers park. Jeter and Soriano got over $5m in their first forays into the arbitration process, and both were years ago, while neither was as good as Miggy. I say he could easily get $7+ million in arbitration, and might flirt with the $10m mark set by Soriano last year. A good agent should be able to get him a deal that comes close to what Pujols signed in 2004, 7/$100. I would think his agent would want to find a trade. And I would think Florida would still want to keep costs as low as possible. Give them solid young players/prospects still a couple years from arbitration, and throw in some cash and I bet they'd deal. And the Cubs are exactly the type of team that should do whatever it takes to make such a deal.
  20. goonys evil twin
    Bruce Miles wrote about what he believes should be the last weeks of Dusty's and the Cubs relationship. I guess I'll have to take him at his word on that. I sure haven't found it that tough. As Hendry would say, obviously it's a lot different for an anonymous fan to write that line than for a beat writer who has been around the guy for almost 32 of the past 48 months. Then again, being that close might have caused some of us to write that line more frequently. Hopefully that's exactly what happens. It's not ideal, but it's the most we can reasonably hope for now. No, it did not. Bruce describes how Baker's decision to verbalize some complaints about Cubs management the past few weeks has probably greased the skids for his exit. But I would argue that this sort of exit was practically inevitable. I predicted from day one that Dusty was a bad fit and that the era would end badly. I thought, at the time, that Hendry's job was closely tied to Baker and that if Hendry ever got rid of Dusty, he'd be sealing his own fate as well. Maybe that's still true, but only if you accept that his next hire will be his last, as it will open him up for more direct criticism that Dusty previously absorbed. Once again, Bruce hammers home the OBP issue. Most likely, however, that will fall on deaf ears, at least at Wrigley.
  21. goonys evil twin
    he did have .891 in 04, & has .888 so far this year. not exactly .900 but close enough. he hits .300 with 30 hr & 100 rbi every year. not sure what he's worth but there aren't many guys out there available who put up those #'s and the cubs should have alot of cash to spend next year. i would rather see them over pay in salary than in prospects. No it is not close enough. And no, he does not hit .300/30/100 every year. I don't understand why people are so willing to give guys accolades they have not earned. Hitting .300 once does not make you a .300 hitter. Driving in 100 a couple times does not mean you do it every year. The fact is Lee's actual productivity is dwarfed by the productivity given to him by his reputation, always a concern when it comes to overpaying guys. This is the opposite of the situations Brian Giles and Bobby Abreu faced throughout their careers.
  22. goonys evil twin
    I think they should/could be as good as last year's defense. The LB corps is the strength and could very well be better than last year. The Alex Brown injury might hamper them on the sack side of things, but that was never a big part of their game to begin with. The secondary should be significantly better than last year, with upgrades and depth. Health, as always, is the question mark. They were relatively healthy last year, but did suffer some key losses. With the division foes bringing in new coaches, and a lack of big play threats going against them, the defense should be with the elite.
  23. goonys evil twin
    Johnson never plays, I'm used to it. We did alright last year without him. That's how I feel. It's hard to call the guy a big part of the offense when he's a FB who only played in a handful of games the past 2 years. He's been a PUP for most of his time here. DD is a much bigger issue, since he was to play a role in the already banged up d tackle rotation.
  24. goonys evil twin
    i'll take anyone who's good, and i don't know why he's perceived as a "cubs hater". cubs fans don't like him, but i don't see a reciprocation. I don't want him because he's old, fragile and in a clear decline. If they could sign him cheaply for one season, I'd have some interest, but that's about it.
  25. goonys evil twin
    Makes me sick! I found their thoughts on Barrett amusing. They talk about it talking quite a bit of money to retain him. Barrett's basically getting about $4mil/yr for 3 years. He's not a $8+mil/year talent. In terms of top paid catchers there are: Kendal 6/60 thru 07 Bengie Molina 7.5mil in 07 Victor Martinez 7mil in 2010 Kenji Johjima 5.5mil LoDuca 6.25mil thru 07 Brian Schnieder 5mil thru 09 Ramon Hernandez 7-9mil thru 2010 Piazza 8mil Lieberthanl 7.5 ends in 06 Jason Larue 5mil thru 07 Varitek 9mil thru 08 Javy Lopez 8.5mil Pudge 11mil in 07, 13mil in 08 Pierzynski 5.5 thru 08 Posada 12mil in 07 You can (arguably) toss Piazza's deal out of consideration for how Barret should be paid as it was a 1yr deal for an aging vet. You can also arguably toss out any contract negotiated by the Yankees. Of those catchers who are better overall than Barrett? Kendall, LoDuca, Ramon Hernandez, Varitek, and Pudge. Worse? Johjima, Schneider, maybe Larue. Barrett is gonna cost more than 4mil/year, but not elite catcher level. He doesn't have the power bat or the defense to accompany his OBP/BA. His best chance of "big money" would be from Beane. But to make matters worse for him, he's not even the biggest FA catcher on the market in 07. You've got Molina, Kendall, Larue, LoDuca, Posada on the market that year, and Pudge, AJ, and Varitek the next year which could sway some teams to go with a 1yr stopgap and throw money at the next FAs. Barret's probably going to get ~6-7mil/yr on the market due to the defense concerns and the lack of much power in his bat. And that's not that much of raise, in my eyes. I think you grossly mischaracterize the rankings of catchers. Barrett doesn't have the power bat, but LoDuca ranks ahead of him? MB is the 2nd best hitting catcher in all of baseball, and probably the biggest power threat of any of the catchers. He will get $8m per easily, and could get as much as $10-12m if he repeats his 2006 numbers in 2007.
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