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fromthestretch

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Everything posted by fromthestretch

  1. fromthestretch
    I would not be surprised to see a couple relievers and probably a young starting pitcher dealt at some point. One of Marshall, Mateo, Marmol, and Ryu will probably be traded. I also wouldn't be surprised to see one or two of the following relievers traded: Novoa, Ohman, Eyre, Dempster, Cotts.
  2. fromthestretch
    If Church is nothing more than a fourth outfielder, Pagan is nothing more than AAA roster filler. Church is way more productive than Pagan. As for the comparison to Jones, Church walks more, hits lefties better, is cheaper, and is younger. I'm not against using Jones in CF this season. However, if some team is looking for a veteran outfielder with a relatively decent contract and is willing to give up talent in return for him, then the Cubs should look into dealing him.
  3. fromthestretch
    I think 2003 Eric Gagne, 2003 John Smoltz, 1981 Rollie Fingers, 1990 Dennis Eckersley, 2006 Jonathan Papelbon - to name a few - might disagree.
  4. fromthestretch
    Are you actually saying that Church, a player who was upset for being demoted, is only willing to play when he feels like it? That he'd actually pass up the chance to get some at-bats at the big league level? I don't buy that for a second.
  5. fromthestretch
    Cubs are stacked in the bullpen. They don't need more bullpen arms. I would be very cautious dealing Marshall. Not too many 6'7 left-handers can throw with control. I love how he keeps himself cool and calm under pressure. First: Just because the Cubs are "stacked in the bullpen" doesn't mean the Cubs bullpen is any good. Outside of Howry/Erye/Ohman, the Cubs bullpen is full of ??? and crappy pitchers. So I think the upside of Wagner is greater then that of guys like Novoa/Wuertz, etc. And I like Marshall, but if the Cubs can fill two needs with one stone, then you do it. Marshall may never be anything more then a 4/5 starter in the majors, and those are expendable. Wuertz has been solid for two years now. There's no reason to lump him in with Novoa.
  6. fromthestretch
    While teams may have been reluctant to trade talent to the Braves in exchange for Giles, I'd have to think quite a few teams would pursue him as a free agent.
  7. fromthestretch
    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/24/AR2005062401922.html Considering my proximity to DC, I follow the Nats a bit. While Church's attitude could probably use some adjusting (he sulked when sent back to the minors), I don't think he's been treated properly by what hasn't exactly been a well-run organization. There aren't many reasonable explanations for giving playing time to Marlon Byrd, Nook Logan, Luis Matos, etc. over Church. Church somehow got in Robinson's doghouse, and it appears there's no exit from there.
  8. fromthestretch
    From 2001-2003, Dotel was a dominant reliever. It's not like he's never had success. He's most likely a big improvement over any other reliver the Royals trotted out to the mound in 2006. The best reliever they had with over 50 IP this season was Todd freaking Wellemeyer.
  9. fromthestretch
    I'd love to have Huff!! Why hasn't his name come up before? I brought him up in another thread a day or two ago. I like him because he gives you flexibility if (god forbid) Lee or Ramirez goes down with an injury. You can easily slot him in at either of those positions for awhile.
  10. fromthestretch
    The guy made a little over $5 million in 2006 and had an awful year. If he's truly fixed a flaw in his mechanics, that's great, and he might be worth taking a chance on. But taking a chance on a guy is a not a three-year deal for $4 million more per year than he made in 2006. Taking a chance is a one-year deal, maybe with an option. In this market, maybe that one-year deal is for $5-6 million, but it certainly isn't $9 million.
  11. fromthestretch
    I said earlier that I have no problem with Marquis joining the Cubs, but I sure as hell don't want them committing three years and several million per year to sign him. There's no justification for that kind of contract for him.
  12. fromthestretch
    That's interesting. IIRC, Rauch was pretty good for them last year. Yep, but I think he could return to starting and be a solid option at the back of the rotation. The Cubs have bullpen depth, so they could afford to part with a reliever if Washington wants one in return. I know that they weren't exactly pleased with John Patterson last year and the way he handled his injury. If he's healthy and they've soured on him a bit, maybe he'd be an option. Problem is we need front-end guys and Rauch is at best a 4th starter. Of course, but how many front-end guys are not only available but that the Cubs could afford in a trade or sign without crippling the team for years to come? Not many. Considering cost and length of contract, I'd prefer to give Rauch a shot over some of the other names being thrown around.
  13. fromthestretch
    That's interesting. IIRC, Rauch was pretty good for them last year. Yep, but I think he could return to starting and be a solid option at the back of the rotation. The Cubs have bullpen depth, so they could afford to part with a reliever if Washington wants one in return. I know that they weren't exactly pleased with John Patterson last year and the way he handled his injury. If he's healthy and they've soured on him a bit, maybe he'd be an option.
  14. fromthestretch
    Well, for one, not everybody is enamored with one good year. No, but apparently the Dodgers are enamored with players coming off two consecutive crappy years, considering the contract they gave Pierre. Perhaps if Jones had played worse this year would could have dealt him to LA for something good in return. :lol:
  15. fromthestretch
    If Hendry is set on getting another starting pitcher, he may want to see if he can pry Rauch away from the Nats, too.
  16. fromthestretch
    Actually, I addressed that quite a few posts ago, when I said:
  17. fromthestretch
    Well Church is an upgrade over Jones in the sense that Jones doesn't want to be here so we have no choice but to find another player :) I'm not sure that should be the question, but, if it is, then it's really hard to say. Church and Jones are different. From a straight rate stat perspective, Church is a pretty clear upgrade. But, Church has also been nothing more than a platoon guy, so it's hard to say what he'd do over the course of a full season. I think it's pretty clear that he'd be an upgrade in the OBP department though. Plus, he costs less money, and Jones doesn't want to be here. He's also more likely to be able to handle CF. I think he'd be a nice 2 hitter, especially if Soriano is locked into the leadoff spot. He'll get on base, and he'll be in scoring position a lot of the time on his own ability. I'm not sure about a straight Jones/Church swap, but I'd think Washington would definitely consider it. Even though it's a small sample size (105 plate appearances), Church has actually been better against lefties than righties, which would definitely be an upgrade over Jones. Church vs. RHP (497 PA): .266/.346/.461 Church vs. LHP (105 PA): .286/.350/.462
  18. fromthestretch
    And I think you're ignoring the fact that pitcher's aren't nearly as afraid to pitch to him as they once were. However, as he nears that record, pitchers will not want to be the guy that gave up the record, so they will likely pitch around him even more. I said I might be wrong. But, I hope I'm not. How am I ignoring that fact? They may not be as afraid to pitch to him, but they still walk him more than just about anyone else in the game. Yet, he still manages to hit home runs. Personally, I think it would be great if he hit the record-breaking home run off of Clemens. I'd love to see how the media would deal with that. A known user of performance-enhancing drugs breaking the record with a home run off a great pitcher suspected of using performance-enhancing drugs.
  19. fromthestretch
    He only hit 26 last year, and he had more protection than he'll likely have this year. I don't think it's out of the question that the record stays in Ruth's closet for another year. Again, you're ignoring the fact that he gets walked regardless of who's behind him. The theory of lineup protection is that you will pitch to one guy because you "fear" the guy behind him. Every teammate Bonds has had for the last decade or so has been someone that pitchers would rather face than Bonds. While it's certainly possible that he doesn't break the record this year, I think the chances are very good that he does, provided that injuries don't force him out of a lot of games. Edited to fix the wording of a sentence.
  20. fromthestretch
    And what pitcher is actually going to give up that famous shot? It may take another season before the record falls, IMO. I think he really walks alot this year. Unless teams are really afraid of Rich Aurilia and Randy Winn. As opposed to the past several years where everyone has pitched to him? He gets pitched around every season and still manages to hit home runs. Pitchers are going to occasionally get more of the plate than they want, or they're just going to be cocky/stupid enough to think they can sneak one by him. Do you think they'll still be cocky/stupid enough to give up the tying or record breaking shot? Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think the record is broken in 2007. He only needs 21 to tie it. The only way I don't see him breaking it is if he misses a significant chunk of the season due to injury. Hell, in 2004 he walked 232 times, including 120 intentional walks, and still managed to hit 45 homers. Look at it this way, if it's viewed as a tainted record in the eyes of many people, how upset is the pitcher really going to be that he gave up the homer? Considering how many people have labeled Bonds as a cheater, the pitcher who gives up that home run has a built in excuse.
  21. fromthestretch
    And what pitcher is actually going to give up that famous shot? It may take another season before the record falls, IMO. I think he really walks alot this year. Unless teams are really afraid of Rich Aurilia and Randy Winn. As opposed to the past several years where everyone has pitched to him? He gets pitched around every season and still manages to hit home runs. Pitchers are going to occasionally get more of the plate than they want, or they're just going to be cocky/stupid enough to think they can sneak one by him.
  22. fromthestretch
    what about hospital jello jokes? There's always room for jell-o.
  23. fromthestretch
    http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0671723650.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg
  24. fromthestretch
    Ohka would be better than Marquis. Tomo Ohka is the Japanese John Garland, with less durability.
  25. fromthestretch
    A lot depends on the type of contract he gets. If he gets a low-cost one-year deal with an option for a second year, I don't mind it...especially if the reports are true that he's worked out some mechanical issues this offseason. A cheap deal for Marquis is a hell of a lot better than $11 mil per year for four years for Meche.
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