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Backtobanks

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Everything posted by Backtobanks

  1. Backtobanks
    While we would all love to make some gigantic deal, basically we need to get healthy. A healthy Soriano and Ramirez, a rebound year from Soto, and re-signing Harden and Grabow puts us at or near the top in the NL Central (if not the whole NL). I know some of you don't believe you can count on health from Soriano and Ramirez, but I do. It is obvious that Soriano has been hurting for a big part of the season. It would be interesting to see what the Cards would do without Pujols from 60-70 games.
  2. Backtobanks
    From FoxSports: Let's see what Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com has for us in his latest Full Count video... The free agent market for starting pitching doesn't look very enticing, but the trade market could be intriguing. Toronto will almost certainly field offers for Roy Halladay again, the Cubs could trade Carlos Zambrano, and the Braves could deal Javy Vazquez if they decide to keep Tim Hudson.
  3. Backtobanks
    He's the latest in "Pick the one player to blame for 2009" contest. As I've stated before, he's nowhere near the biggest problem on the Cubs. Some of the suggestions of Lilly, Theriot, plus 2-3 prospects for Reyes are ridiculous. Theriot plus 1-2 prospects for Reyes is reasonable, but adding our most consistent pitcher is incredible.
  4. Backtobanks
    When the Cubs have their regular lineup healthy (which hasn't been often in the past year), you can't tell me that Aram, DLee, Soriano, Bradley, and Soto (circa 2008) can't support a .290 singles hitter in the lineup.
  5. Backtobanks
    Yes please :D but seriously, I overstated theriot is not garbage but he is a mediocrity. A serious contender can't have a mediocrity out there unless they have a really elite player at another position. Khalil Greene - just what we need, another head case. As for your quote about serious contenders, every team has at least one "mediocre" guy in the lineup and the vast majority of those guys don't have stats anywhere near Theriot's.
  6. Backtobanks
    For the Theriot-bashers (fromMLBTR): Free Agent Market: Shortstops By Tim Dierkes [september 9 at 3:52pm CST] Today let's take a look at the free agent market for shortstops. Marco Scutaro is the OBP leader at .377. He's racked up 83 walks in 639 plate appearances. After him we get down to Omar Vizquel and Miguel Tejada in the .330 range. Scott Boras client Alex Cora was at .371 in limited duty last year, but he's down to .320 in '09. Good luck finding power - you've got Tejada with a .435 SLG, and then Scutaro at .409. Defense is crucial at shortstop. UZR/150 likes Jack Wilson (club option), Alex Gonzalez (club option), Scutaro, and Adam Everett (of course). In his top ten heading into the season, the Fielding Bible's John Dewan ranked Wilson, Everett, Omar Vizquel, and John McDonald in his top ten. Felipe Lopez last spent significant time at shortstop in 2007; it'd be a big gamble to use him there consistently. If you're looking for youth, Lopez, Bobby Crosby and Khalil Greene will be 30 years old next season. Scutaro, Orlando Cabrera, and Lopez project as Type A free agents. Wilson and Tejada project as Bs. Given his contributions on offense and defense, Scutaro is the prize of the free agent shortstop class. Taking into account the better FA shortstops are type A, I don't see anybody there to get excited about. I guess we're going to have to go for a trade. :-k
  7. Backtobanks
    Because he's not good? And yes he not the biggest issue with the team currently but he's still the same guy who everyone wanted gone last year and the year before that and it's not like he's gotten markedly better. Hot garbage is...well...still garbage. Who are you going to replace him with? Will giving up 3-4 players to get someone like Reyes and pay him a ton of money make the Cubs into WS winners? Theriot is a role player that fits pretty well in the Cubs framework. He's not a guy who can carry the team alone for a few weeks, but how many shortstops can? He was the everyday SS on a 97 win team last year and would have done the same this year if some of his team mates could have stayed off the DL, produced as expected, and used their bats to hit baseballs instead of Gatoraide machines. Being the starting SS on a 97 win team is meaningless in and of itself. Theriot took a step back this year. And going on 30, typically a bad age for middle infielders especially mediocre ones like Theriot isn't a good thing. He's mediocrity personified. So answer my question: Who are you going to replace him with? After answering that question, tell me the impact on the team of trading players to get a replacement and then paying the replacement big dollars. Basically my point when I said he's not even close to being the biggest problem on this team.
  8. Backtobanks
    Too bad a deal with the Brewers isnt likely because I think that Theriot and either Marshall or Gorzalanny for JJ Hardy would be a good deal for both sides. Making that deal would have us chasing the Cards and the Brewers.
  9. Backtobanks
    Because he's not good? And yes he not the biggest issue with the team currently but he's still the same guy who everyone wanted gone last year and the year before that and it's not like he's gotten markedly better. Hot garbage is...well...still garbage. Who are you going to replace him with? Will giving up 3-4 players to get someone like Reyes and pay him a ton of money make the Cubs into WS winners? Theriot is a role player that fits pretty well in the Cubs framework. He's not a guy who can carry the team alone for a few weeks, but how many shortstops can? He was the everyday SS on a 97 win team last year and would have done the same this year if some of his team mates could have stayed off the DL, produced as expected, and used their bats to hit baseballs instead of Gatoraide machines.
  10. Backtobanks
    Correct This is 50% right. Theriot is cheap. Why the sudden hatred towards Theriot? Looking at the 2009 Cubs with injuries, payroll issues, and mental health problems and you guys want to gang up on Theriot? I can think of at least 10 guys on the roster that I have issues with before I would get to Theriot.
  11. Backtobanks
    I really can't see what Hendry can do to really change this team. DLee, Theriot, ARam, Soriano, Fukudome, and Soto will be back as starters. Bradley probably (and should) be back because he's more valuable than anything you could get in return. Signing Figgins (or trading for someone like Reyes) will cost a ton in $$$ and/or players and I'm not sure how much will be added to the payroll to a team that's already bogged down by expensive, long-term contracts. I'm sure Hendry will try to do something, but the bottom line is a healthy Soriano and Aram, a circa-2008 Soto, and re-signing Harden and Grabow will do more than Figgins or Reyes. Starting the year with Wells in the rotation, Fox as super-sub, Baker at 2B, Grabow in the bullpen, Marshall and Gorzelanny available as spot starters puts the team miles ahead of this year.
  12. Backtobanks
    That's obviously something they want to check out before hand with doctors and specialist and such, but since he had the surgery done I think he'll get back to 100%, especially considering his age. As far as package goes, that depends on the Mets. I doubt that Minaya tries to sell him off for strictly non-major leaguers, so you could see guys like Lilly, Dempster, Bradley, or obviously Theriot involved, and prospects above A ball like Cashner, Jackson, and Castro could be included as well. Personally, I'd try to sell high with Lilly and see if he and Theriot could get us most of the way to Reyes. Great so we upgrade at SS, lose our most consistent pitcher, send some very good prospects, and still don't have a 2B. If we don't re-sign Harden and trade Lilly, there goes our rotation strength.
  13. Backtobanks
    No way Figgins comes even close to getting that much. He may not get that much, but there will be a lot of teams bidding for him. Figgins is going to cost too much in $ and Reyes will cost too much in terms of players.
  14. Backtobanks
    Personally, I think the cost of Figgins or Reyes is going to be far too much.
  15. Backtobanks
    Are you paying attention at all? How has Bradley had pitiful production? When you build a team of 30-something players with injury histories, you have to expect injuries will be a problem. I think the Cubs expected more than 12 HR and 37 RBI from Bradley. Maybe his production isn't pitiful, but it is less than what was expected. Aside from the Mets, I don't think any team was affected more than the Cubs. Not all of the players that missed significant time were over 30 (Zambrano, Soto) or had injury histories (DLee, Dempster, Ramirez, Johnson).
  16. Backtobanks
    That's sort of the point Hendry tried to make. In a backhanded way, his answer to the whole interview was, "these guys all played like [expletive] and there's no reason they should have." He asked Mac where he picked the Cubs to finish before the season. He said first, of course, and Hendry said everyone loved the team in the winter. So, basically, don't blame him. Problem is, and Mac pointed this out, a lot of us did have concerns about this team. The Bradley signing (which a lot of folks here and elsewhere loved), Gregg, etc. Part of what you hinted at is true: Hendry built a team that was the overwhelming choice to win the NL Central and possibly the NL championship. He can't be absolved of all blame, but nobody expected the injuries that crippled this team all year and the pitiful production generated by Soto, Fontenot, Bradley, and Soriano. Was there any reason to think that these 4 players wouldn't have at least 30 more HRs and 80 more RBIs? If those 4 players produced at 85% of what their career numbers show, the Cubs would be up there with the Cards. To put it another way, I would say that only DLee, Fukudome, Theriot, Fox, Wells, Guzman, and Lilly had decent (or better than expected) years. That means 72% of the roster had below-average years.
  17. Backtobanks
    the white sox chance at making the playoffs is like 5% at best. might as well dump your assets and get something for them. plus we're not idiots; we get mad if someone like harden is non-tendered because he's clearly worth $5M and we wouldn't get mad if we had jim thome and non-tendered him rather than guarantee him $11M for one year. You have posted often enough to know that some posters will find fault with anything that Hendry does or doesn't do. This disappointing season has enough blame to share, but some people can't get past Hendry. Look at how many posts basically say we would be in the World Series if only Hendry didn't trade DeRosa and sign Miles. While we can all agree that wasn't a great decision, the problems on this team go much deeper than that. As I've pointed out before, Hendry's job sure looks easy on this side of a keyboard and with the benefit of hindsight. Give Hendry his fair share of the blame, but don't forget Soto, Marmol, Fontenot, Soriano, Bradley, Miles, Gregg, Zambrano, injuries, and Piniella when spreading the blame.
  18. Backtobanks
    I can only imagine the posters loving a move like this from Hendry. Trading Thome for next to nothing when he's going to be a type A free agent. Brilliant move by Williams. =D> thome is making $13M this year and basically can only DH. if they'd offered him arbitration, the white sox would have been obligated to offer him at least $10.92M, since arbitration rules dictate that a team's offer must be at least 80% of his most recent year's salary, or 70% of his salary from 2 years ago. do you really think the white sox, or thome's new team (dodgers), are going to offer him about $11M a year when he's going to be 39 years old, he's had some injury problems, can't play the field and his production has declined pretty significantly? I still think that if Hendry had done this, the Hendry bashers would have jumped all over it. I can only imagine the length of the thread about trading your middle-of-the-order guy for next to nothing while your team is only 6 games out with a month to play.
  19. Backtobanks
    I can only imagine the posters loving a move like this from Hendry. Trading Thome for next to nothing when he's going to be a type A free agent. Brilliant move by Williams. =D>
  20. Backtobanks
    Teams will hesitate to take on his money because they probably think they can convince Hendry to pick up much of the tab. When Hendry gets it in his mind to get somebody, or move somebody, he'll do so at just about any cost. It would be absolutely inexcusable to pay Bradley to play elsewhere, but that's also why I think the Cubs will end up doing it. I agree that it would be inexcusable to pay Bradley to play elsewhere. I think the best solution is to keep Bradley (and all of his baggage) because I think he will produce more next year. All the drama will have to be settled between Lou, Hendry, and Bradley.
  21. Backtobanks
    I agree that he shouldn't be traded, but everything I've heard and read sounds like the Cubs want to get rid of him. Unfortunately, there's no way to "free up the payroll" because the only options the Cubs will have is to eat most of his contract or take a bad contract in return. I don't see why. A team like the Reds would be absolutely perfect for Bradley, and they certainly need offense and have room in the corners. Jocketty's moves have been downright dreadful since the Mulder trade, so I'm not assuming Hendry would have to contribute any salary. edit: I was unclear. No reason to take on Cordero considering how much the Reds need offense. I hope you're right, but I seriously doubt it. I can't see any team taking on Bradley with all of his baggage and a hefty contract on top of it unless the Cubs eat salary or take a bad contract.
  22. Backtobanks
    I agree that he shouldn't be traded, but everything I've heard and read sounds like the Cubs want to get rid of him. Unfortunately, there's no way to "free up the payroll" because the only options the Cubs will have is to eat most of his contract or take a bad contract in return.
  23. Backtobanks
    You wouldn't be paying $12 million for Cordero, you would be paying the difference between Cordero and Bradley. If the "experts" are right, the Cubs will weaken their team (dump Bradley) and most likely add payroll (paying Bradley plus a replacement). The question is should we receive something useful in return. First let me explain that my original post was based on the absolute declarations by the "experts" (writers and broadcasters) that Bradley has to be removed from this team and that Hendry is going to have to eat a huge chunk (80% ?) of his remaining contract. Rather than paying $7 million next year and $10 million in 2011 for Bradley to play somewhere else while we receive nothing (low A-ball player) in return, I suggested taking Cordero. I totally agree that Bradley (at his salary) is more valuable than Cordero (at his salary), even considering Bradley's baggage. Yeah, but it's still paying $12 mil for a closer. My point is that while $12 million for a closer is ridiculous, is it worse than paying $21 million over 2 years to some other team's RF?
  24. Backtobanks
    You wouldn't be paying $12 million for Cordero, you would be paying the difference between Cordero and Bradley. If the "experts" are right, the Cubs will weaken their team (dump Bradley) and most likely add payroll (paying Bradley plus a replacement). The question is should we receive something useful in return. First let me explain that my original post was based on the absolute declarations by the "experts" (writers and broadcasters) that Bradley has to be removed from this team and that Hendry is going to have to eat a huge chunk (80% ?) of his remaining contract. Rather than paying $7 million next year and $10 million in 2011 for Bradley to play somewhere else while we receive nothing (low A-ball player) in return, I suggested taking Cordero. I totally agree that Bradley (at his salary) is more valuable than Cordero (at his salary), even considering Bradley's baggage.
  25. Backtobanks
    Reds or Cubs: Cordero for Bradley. Reds save $3 million over 2 years and add offense. Maybe Dusty can deal with Bradley. Cubs get a useful piece while dumping Bradley, but add another expensive contract. Unless Hendry plans to keep Bradley, I would prefer this kind of deal rather than paying 80% - 90% of Bradley's contract to play somewhere else while we receive a low A-ball player.
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