Hossman

Totally agree - we should bring in a legitimate power source to play LF, and platoon Murton/Jones. That platoon would actually provide pretty nice production from RF, and it would give Murton time to develop as a hitter at a cheap salary. As far as LF, obviously Carlos Lee is a free agent and would be a big pick-up. I also believe that Geoff Jenkins is a free agent after the season, and I don't see the Brewers re-signing both. For a guy who seems like he's been around forever, Jenkins is only 31 and his offensive production has been very comparable to Carlos Lee's.

That seems like an odd combination of players. Richard Lewis played collegiately in Atlanta at Georgia Tech; and obviously Corey comes from a GT family and, like Barrett, is originally from the Atlanta area. Perhaps that's the link that had those three targeting to work-out together....Maybe they should have invited Nomar, Murton, and Eric Patterson as well (all former GT players).

When I see all this stuff about the Cubs seeking a "left-handed hitting right fielder", it makes me wonder even more why we had no interest in going after Brian Giles....he would have fit the bill perfectly, just doesn't make any sense at all.

Don't want people to think I'm trying to push Corey out the door, I still like him and think he can turn into a good middle of the order hitter - just liked the idea of getting Pierre to lead off a little better. So is Lawton who people want next year at leadoff? Even with Lawton, the middle of our lineup needs a big bat and Giles could fill that role, but then where would that leave Pie and Murton???

I think people who are criticizing Juan Pierre's OPS and comparing it to that of Corey Patterson are completely missing the point. Pierre would fill a needed role for this team - that of a leadoff hitter, something Corey has obviously struggled with. Of course Corey's OPS will be as good, if not better, than Juan Pierre. But we don't need another bat in the #6 hole, we need a leadoff hitter to get on base. Let me use an extreme example here...Brett Butler, one of the game's greatest leadoff hitters, had a career OPS of .752. Preston Wilson's career OPS is .812, does that mean Wilson is a better player than Brett Butler was? Absolutely not. If you can get on base and run as a leadoff hitter, you are filling a vital role for your team.

This team needs to acquire (or re-sign) a leadoff hitter and big bat for next year. However, doing so would come at the expense of getting some of our youth on the field every day - it's a tough situation and hard to come up with an answer that addresses everything. I think this team's biggest problem is that we have gone into the last two seasons without a leadoff hitter that can get on base and spark the offense. I like Juan Pierre's youth and ability to get on base at the top of the lineup, but it looks like most aren't in favor of the move. What would be a better move at the top of the lineup? Re-sign an aging Matt Lawton? Fork over a boatload for Johnny Damon? Sign an overrated Rafael Furcal who really isn't a leadoff hitter?

I agree that Pierre has performed quite poorly this season, but I think he deserves a little more credit. His three year average (heading into this season) was .307/.357/.376 with very good outfield range and over 50 stolen bases per season. He gets on base, scores runs, and only strikes out about every 15-17 at bats. I like Lawton as a player as well, but I wouldn't say he's infinitely better than Pierre, if at all. Lawton's three year averages were .257/.352/.414. I would prefer to trade for the younger Pierre as opposed to re-signing an aging Lawton to a 2-3 year deal.

I think as the Cubs look for possible trades this off-season, Juan Pierre is a player they should target first. Pierre is due for a big salary hike next season and will be a free agent after 2006. I saw a blurb on ESPN that said the Marlins may not be comfortable keeping his salary next season. Would the Marlins be interested in taking Patterson + prospect in exchange for Juan Pierre (they still have Castillo who can lead off)?? After this, my suggestion for the rest of the off-season goes like this: 1. Let Lawton, Nomar, and Burnitz go. This should free up plenty of money when you consider Sosa, Remlinger, and Hawkins' contracts are unloaded as well. 2. Sign Brian Giles to a 2-3 year contract. 3. Sign Billy Wagner or at least acquire another quality arm in bullpen. 4. Start Cedeno at SS, and Pie in the OF. 5. Re-sign Todd Walker 6. Move Kerry Wood back to the rotation after off-season surgery, and give Rich Hill a chance to earn the final spot in the rotation. I think these moves position us well for the short-term and long-term, and gets some of our young talent on the field every day. Perhaps most importantly, our defense would be upgraded up the middle and have more range in the OF. We could win more games with fundamentals and solid defense, instead of having to shut teams down or out-homer them (yes I thought Steve Stone made a great point in the paper). Projected line-up: Juan Pierre CF Todd Walker 2B Derrek Lee 1B Brian Giles LF Aramis Ramirez 3B Felix Pie RF Michael Barrett C Ronny Cedeno SS Rotation: Wood, Prior, Zambrano, Maddux, Hill Setup: Dempster, Williamson Closer: Wagner