shawndgoldman

Apparently, he was drafted in 2002 and then attended that game with all his Cubs fans friends. He says he was "neutral" when picking a team, however: http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20050709/ai_n14822530

er, 2003 NLCS.

I would love Scott in the deal as well, though I'd be shocked beyond all reason if he came. He went to a suburban high school, actually a rival school from my high school. I believe he grew up a Cubs fan too... I read/heard/saw somewhere that Olsen was in the throng of people outside Wrigley during the 2001 NLCS cheering for the Cubs and against the team that was about to draft him into their system. It would be cool to have him with the team, but the chances of getting him in the deal are very very remote.

Hopefully, Cabrera is our new Murton. I first thought this would be impossible, but we have a lot of prospects we could throw the Marlins way if we are brining Miggy to Chicago. Murton and Pie would be blocked for years, Walker could fill their 2B hole, Hill could go and we'd probably have to throw in another pitcher to make it work. I'd do, it, however, and i think a deal of Pie, Murton, Walker, Hill, and a pitching prospect might convince FLA to do it, also. This would leave the minor league system a little bare, but we'd be relatively young at every fielding position except 2B (where Patterson is coming up) and we'd still have decent depth in the pitching in the system.

What an inning! Pagan hits a HR, then we get a Dope-slap, then i get a shout out to State College, PA! The bad news is this all happened while i was cleaning the bathroom, and i certainly hope that i don't have to start cleaning every time the Cubs are on!

Wow, these guys literally put me to sleep.

er, spot=stop...

Any chance at all the Cubs pass him through waivers & he clears? I don't see him having any chance to make the 25 man. I'm guessing the best they will able to get for him is a low to mid level prospect. Ya gotta think someone would take a chance on him. Florida, KC, Tampa. Someone would take the chance on him.. I could see us sending him to Florida with either Walker and cash or Hairston. We should be able to get a pretty good prospect in return for that, as FLA has a deep system right now and has needs in the pen and at 2B. Why did they spot announcing emails? That was so much better than the interview they're doing...

What, did he catch a virus from Z's computer?

I agree. Unfortunately, that's not the issue here. That's the issue. Its not a matter of giving FLA enough for them to part with Cabrera. Its a matter of giving them more than another potential suitor could. For starters, we'd have to beat out the Angels and Dodgers, who would both likely be very interested. Brandon Wood, Howie Kendrick, and Kendry Morales, and Jared Weaver are all names that could be thrown around in such trade talks from the Angels, and the Dodgers have a plethora of picthing and IF talent to offer up. I honestly can't see us beating out either of these teams if one is serious about acquiring Cabrera, unless we included MLB pitchers such as Prior or Zambrano. But why would they trade for one of those guys if the whole reason for trading Cabrera is he is about to start making millions in arbitration? I would love to see Cabrera here, but the chances of it actually happening are slimmer than the chances of Dunn coming ever were.

Derwood, How bad does it suck that we're getting a Cards affiliate here in State College? I'm not sure if i'll root for them or against them...

What does BP project Wood to do? Less than 20 starts? If so, then i think the Cubs could improve on the above projection just out of a healthy season from Wood (yes, i know that may be asking a lot).

I disagree. If we're going to get Tejada, i think now is the time to do it. I fell that players usually cost more at the trade deadline than they do before the season begins, and it will cost us more in July than it would today. Think of it this way: if we play Cedeno and he plays poorly, then we have a clear need for an upgrade at SS. That means we should be willing to pay more for Tejada, and the O's would be able to get more out of us.

I would stay away, but for different reasons that Rozner would. Rozner seems averse to acquiring Tejada due to attitude concerns. I'm not convinced the guy's got a bad attitude, so i wouldn't stay away for that reason... However, i do think the O's were asking too much for him last time around and would only do the deal if it were something like two of Hill/Guzman/Williams and Pie for Tejada.

I'm sure a lot have herad the rumblings started by this article by Barry Rozner. So, now that Dunn appears to set to stay in OH for the near future, and we have nothing better to speculate about, what do we think it will take to get Tejada at this point in the spring? Would we still have to give up Prior/Zambrano, or would we be able to get away with obtaining Tejada for prospects? The best rationale for us getting Tejada without giving up Prior or Zambrano is that the Orioles realize they were asking too much from all potential suitors last time around.

This is why if we get Dunn its more likely to happen during the season, when Jones no longer has a no-trade clause, Murton has had a chance to prove himself (or disprove himself, if you think Dusty will sit him past April), and Pie may be called up. The guy i'd like to pry from the Reds at this point is Ryan Freel. He can start at 2nd and backup 3rd and OF, and would look great in the 2 spot if we move Walker. Come to think of it, the two players match up fairly well salary-wise, and Walker would be a good fit in that ballpark. I think he may be available because he's currently not slated as a starter on the Reds depth chart. Then again, the depth chart on the Reds site could have been written by anyone and may not be reflective of the team's priorities. At any rate... Walker for Freel anyone? Is Freel to similar to Hairston?

Is VORP normalized to position, or is defense included, or both? Why does Cedeno get more VORP with lower rate stats over fewer PAs?

If there is an upcoming trade related to this acquisition, it likely involves Todd Walker. The Cubs are unlikely to trade any of their current OFs, but this acquisition may have been made give the team enough OF depth to allow Hairston back to full time IF duty. That might be desirable if the team is considering moving Todd Walker. Given the recent signing of Miller, the team now has too many pitchers (and too many players in general), so its likely that the Cubs will also deal away a pitcher before opening day. Walker and a pitcher for a bat is my prediction... I think you could be right, but can we really get a good bat for Walker and a half-ass pitcher? I hope so, but I doubt it. Well, i've done some more thinking on what we could bring back for such a deal, and i've come up with a possible answer: Ryan Freel. He is currently buried on the Reds' depth chart, and isn't slated to start at any position. He spent most of his time at 2B and LF last season, two spots currently blocked by Tony Womack and Wily Mo Pena (respectively). He has had decent offensive numbers - given his OBP and speed he'd fit well into the 2 spot currently unfilled in the lineup, and he can be viewed as a defensive upgrade over Walker - his range factor and zone rating are both better, despite his having a lower fielding% (i would be pleasantly surprised if Hendry looked at more elegant defensive stats than these, but i doubt he does). Finally, his ability to play multiple positions could give the Cubs insurance for injuies or poor performance at every position except C and 1B. Walker would be a huge upgrade over Tony Womack, and sweetening the pot with Wellemeyer would only make this deal more doable from the Reds POV. :idea: So what do you all think of Walker + Wellemeyer for Ryan Freel? Doable? Advisable? Horrible?

If there is an upcoming trade related to this acquisition, it likely involves Todd Walker. The Cubs are unlikely to trade any of their current OFs, but this acquisition may have been made give the team enough OF depth to allow Hairston back to full time IF duty. That might be desireable if the team is consiering moving Todd Walker. Given the recent signing of Miller, the team now has too many pitchers (and too many players in general), so its likely that the Cubs will also deal away a pitcher before opening day. Walker and a pitcher for a bat is my prediction...

If you check out Glenallen Hill's baseball-reference page, his most similar player in MLB history is Hidalgo (Hill is 3rd on Hidalgo's list). I loved the power Hill provided for the Cubs back in the day... I think a one year deal here makes a ton of sense for both parties. Worst case scenario is he takes ABs away from Murton instead of Marquis Grissom - and i think even in a worst case scenario that is a good thing. If Murton loses ABs it won't be because of Hidalgo - it will be because of Dusty and it won't matter whether we have Grissom, Hidalgo, or Glenallen himself as the alternative. Best case scenario is Hidalgo finds his patience again and puts up All-Star caliber numbers.

I don't think so. You don't need starters to go 9 to justify going with 6 relievers instead of 7. There are enough off days early on to spread out the appearances. Dusty is a guy who will go with the hot hand everyday until he fails, and sit the last guy for 2 weeks at a time. It makes no sense to go with 12 pitchers, unless you have a great lineup and can afford minimal bench help. Over the weekend, Hendry made it sounds like its was more circumstances that the team carried 12 pitchers all of last year. Its inexcusable to do that again when one of the major focuses of this off season was to improve the bullpen. This bench is already shaping up to be extremely mediocore, they need as many bats as possible. Hey, first post here! :D The circumstances Hendry was referring to were the plethora of injuries to Wood, Prior, et al. Given all the outings from young arms untested at the MLB level, and from older arms that had failed to stay healthy at the MLB level, Hendry wanted an extra bullpen arm for all the short outings that he expected from the situation. As far as Hidalgo is concerned, what is his injury history? Is there reason to believe that injuries are the reason for his decline over the past 2 years? He's only 30, so it shouldn't be an age issue... I'd love for the Cubs to take a chance on him with a one-year deal.