Backtobanks

Obviously, Fox would be part of a package deal to an AL team that has the need for a DH/1B/3B.

I know the Braves are trying to move Lowe or Vazquez, but Kawakami might be an interesting target if they would take Bradley. Kawakami can start or relieve and is owed $6.7 million for each of the next two years. He's not great, but he might be a better option than some other names floating around. Bradley would be an upgrade in the OF for the Braves and they could still trade Vazquez for a bigger bat.

From MLBTR (Chicago connections): 19. Vladimir Guerrero - White Sox. The White Sox would generate attention by signing Vlad as a DH and occasional right fielder. Landing Guerrero would also be a solid baseball move on a reasonable one-year deal. 18. Marlon Byrd - Rangers. Byrd is one of the better center fielders available, but not too many clubs are in the hunt at the position. The Cubs could be in the mix here after they trade Milton Bradley. 10. Rich Harden - Red Sox. A one-year deal with a $7MM base salary would be difficult for Harden to resist. His injuries are maddening, but he leads free agent starters with a 10.9 K/9 37. Billy Wagner - Cubs. The Cubs don't have much payroll space, and they may prefer to go with Carlos Marmol as their closer. Then again, they wouldn't do so a year ago when Marmol was coming off a good season. The Cubs could offer Wagner a chance to close, as could the Orioles, Rays, Tigers, Angels, and Braves. Even Wagner's old teams, the Phillies and Astros, have back-end bullpen concerns.

I think Baldelli made $500,000 last season, so money shouldn't be an issue.

I look for Fox to be traded, Hoffpauir is a backup 1B impersonating an OF, and Fuld will make the team as a defensive replacement/5th OF/pinch runner. As for Brad Snyder???????????????????

Now that Reed Johnson has filed for FA and Boston has traded for Hermida, Baldelli would be a cheap pickup to backup CF and RF. He hits lefties pretty good and could possibly platoon with Fukudome.

I guess if Ben Grieve and Micah Hoffpauir can "play" the position, then I supposed Fox can to. Ultimately, it wouldn't surprise me if Fox is dealt to an AL team. I'm just wondering if his offensive production vs lefties would be good enough to offset his defense in right. And with the cash crunch the team has, I'd be a bit surprised if Fox is dealt this offseason. I would think Fox will be traded this offseason to an AL team. He doesn't really have a spot on the Cubs and I think the opponent's pitching started to show his weaknesses toward the end of the season. Now is the time to trade him while teams can remember the success he had this year.

Just what the Cubs need, get older and get no better. I've said this before, but if I'm Ricketts I don't put any money into the big league club and let this group play out. One thing I wouldn't do is give Cameron a typical Hendry contract, One or two years and a vesting requirement for another year. I'd try to find a way to get out from under Soriano's contract as soon as possible and invest in the future. This team isn't going anywhere for the foreseeable future. Hope springs eternal.

I wonder what it would take to sign Marlon Byrd.

the point is that people aren't just praising this move because theo epstein did it. I'm not sure I totally agree with you on this comment. There have been dozens of pages criticizing Hendry on every move he makes (or doesn't make) and praising the genius of Epstein and Beane. and you don't think that's because those people tend to like the decisions epstein makes and dislike the ones hendry makes? people compliment epstein on making good moves a lot because he makes good moves a lot. people critcize hendry for making poor moves a lot because he makes poor moves a lot. I understand complimenting Epstein and criticizing Hendry depending on the move, but you've been here long enough to know that Hendry will get criticized by some posters no matter what moves he makes or doesn't make. There are a lot of posters who have "the grass is always greener on the other side" syndrome. Look at the criticism he got for the Bradley/Wells deal that apparently was never even discussed between the teams.

With Johnson, Fuld, Fox, Hoffpauir, and Snyder manning RF, we probably won't need a midseason trade because we'll be out of contention. Any of those guys might do a decent job for a week or two, but not on a regular basis.

Sounds good to me. Unfortunately, I don't think the Cubs will be signing any more free agents to high price/long term contracts for a long time.

or those are 2 different groups of posters or nobody said he'd be an idiot for getting hermida at all Plenty of people have been saying that Hermida is not that good. He's a decent insurance policy but he shouldn't be counted on as a savior. and just as many people (probably more) have wanted hermida on this board for a while. the point is that people aren't just praising this move because theo epstein did it. I'm not sure I totally agree with you on this comment. There have been dozens of pages criticizing Hendry on every move he makes (or doesn't make) and praising the genius of Epstein and Beane. I agree with you. Hermida is young, cheap, and has had some success at the ML level. As I posted earlier, it would have been interesting to see if Jaramillo could have helped him.

I get a kick out of the fact that this is a great move by Epstein and the RS, but so many posters thought Hendry would be an idiot for getting Hermida.

I would think there would be some big-time money going to the Rockies from the Braves and/or the Cubs. Millions owed: Lowe - $15, $15, $15 Bradley - $9, $12 Hawpe - $7.5, $10 (club option that Hawpe can waive if traded) Maybe Cubs send Rockies $3 million and Braves send Rockies $13 million ($2 million in 2010, $3 million in 2011, $8 million in 2012)

How does it fill two holes? Jake Fox has almost no value to a National League club. Stick him at 1B and let him grow into it. Assuming he will hit, he won't be the worst 1B in baseball.

:pig:

Nothing too special for the WS. A good deal for the Royals, especially if Fields finds his stroke.

I must have missed the part where we have a better internal option right now if Bradley has to leave, as you have said numerous times. Obviously, the Cubs don't have an internal option to start. Fuld is a wonderful story, but he's not a ML starter. My opinion is that Bradley has to leave, but the only opinions that count are the Cubs' front office and they seem to agree.

The Braves have a ton of pitching (which is why Lowe/Vazquez are trade bait) and are at least 2-3 hitters away from coming close to the Phillies. Adding Bradley and Fox fills 2 holes in their offense while decreasing payroll for 2010. Don't forget the target team has to be close enough to contending to think Vazquez will be the difference and be willing to give up an important part of their offense to get him. Names like Hawpe, Cruz, and Crawford are possibilities, but Cruz and Crawford are pretty young to be given up for a 1-year pitcher. Also, the Mets should bounce back some with health and 1-2 free agents. The Braves aren't going to be contending unless they add a lot of offense.

I proposed a deal for Vazquez (page 9) on Saturday: The Braves need bats and maybe Bobby Cox could control Bradley. Other posters shot down the proposal, but if Bradley behaved I don't think the offer would be too far off. I suppose the quality of the prospect might be the sticking point. Are you aware of just how good Vazquez was last year? That wouldn't be close unless we're talking about giving up Castro or Vitters. That's why I have a problem with arbitrarily adding "and a prospect" to the end of trade proposals. You might as well just say two major leaguers and a prospect. I am aware of how good Vazquez was last year. Dave O'Brien (Atlanta writer) posted this: As much as they hate to trade Vazquez, there are also some questions whether he could repeat the type of performance he had in 2009. The veteran hasn’t put together back-to-back seasons like that one before, and if they don’t trade Vazquez now they run the risk of him having a mediocre season and then trying to trade him before the July 31 deadline or take a draft pick as compensation should they lose him to free agency a year from now. The Cubs would be getting 1 year of Vazquez for 2 years of Bradley and many years of Fox and whatever prospect is included in the deal. I think I've answered the "and a prospect" part before. None of us have any idea what another team is looking for in a prospect, so they may put more value on a LH pitcher than a speedy OF. The two GMs would have to negotiate and come to some kind of agreement to complete a deal. The Braves might start out asking for Castro or Vitters with the thought of getting a top pitching prospect. The target team for Vazquez has to be a team that's one top starter from being a contender in 2010 while giving up a top slugger. There aren't many teams that fit that description.

People are talking about Fuld as a starter? Rob's post (a few up from yours): But the Fuld vs. Crisp discussion right now isn't about a bench player. With our insistence on moving Bradley, this is debating about a starting position

Honestly, it has more to do with risk than anything else. I don't expect Fuld to be much worse than Crisp, but the fact remains that maybe some scout somewhere will see a way to pitch Fuld that will near completely neutralize him. With Crisp, the odds of that happening are much lower. The book is already written. Favoring veterans isn't generally a great idea. But when the players are so similar, there is some value to experience... whether or not it's worth the difference in salary is a judgment call. I would say the complete opposite. The only time the veteran is favorable is when he's clearly better. You can say that. You'd be wrong, but you can say it. As Cubs fans, we've all been overexposed to the idea that being a veteran is something that's worth a bunch, and we've had it pushed on us in the dumbest way possible... our bench players, guys that should never be making the kind of money Hendry likes to pay them. But the Fuld vs. Crisp discussion right now isn't about a bench player. With our insistence on moving Bradley, this is debating about a starting position. Just because Hendry went about valuing experience in the wrong way does not mean that it isn't worth something... especially in the case of a situation like Fuld vs. Crisp, where risk management is really the only difference between the two players. Fuld carries higher risk, with no real benefit aside from the financial one. What's the harm in finding out what that financial difference is? If it's cheap enough, a team in our position (close to the playoffs) benefits quite a bit from taking that risk off the table. I doubt that Crisp is much of an option, but I can't believe anyone is talking about Fuld in a starting role next year.

I proposed a deal for Vazquez (page 9) on Saturday: The Braves need bats and maybe Bobby Cox could control Bradley. Other posters shot down the proposal, but if Bradley behaved I don't think the offer would be too far off. I suppose the quality of the prospect might be the sticking point.

Anybody that's shocked about racism in Chicago or anywhere else is being naive. Whenever there is a "majority" race and a "minority" race in a situation, racism will be there. Most racism is covert and not displayed openly, but it's still there. I am white and spent 34 years teaching in the inner-city of Chicago and listened to racist comments made about the minority (whites) by many African-American authority figures (principals, politicians, public figures, etc.) in a public forum. I'm sure that if those same comments were made in a public forum with the situation reversed, there would have been protests and headlines. Also, I've had many discussions with some of these same people who claim that "Blacks can't be racist".