Backtobanks

I'm not sure how you can state that Ascanio and Harrison >>>>>>>>>Grabow when neither one has done anything in the majors while Grabow has been successful for quite awhile.

Let's just hope Grabow does great and then the Cubs have the option of signing him to a "fair" contract or letting him walk and getting draft picks.

I think he had better worry about making the playoffs first. Actually, the Cubs have needed another lefty in the bullpen since Cotts imploded. Gorzelanny and Marshall add a lot of depth to the starting rotation in case of injuries, poor performance, or team matchups. Also, don't forget the impact of this trade on the future. If Grabow doesn't meet expectations, he could net the Cubs 2 draft picks. Marshall and Gorzelanny could step right in as possible starters if Harden isn't resigned.

Obviously you like to exaggerate. There isn't a player involved in this deal that is going to amount to anything better than a 4th starter, a middle relief picher and a bench player. Hart, Ascanio, and Harrison didn't really figure into any Cubs' plans whereas Grabow & Gorzalanny could possibly help this year and in the future. In any case, Grabow will get us Type A compensation if we let him walk.

I'm amazed that people criticize Hendry for this deal without knowing the players involved. How about waiting to see who gets sent to the Pirates before we start the bashing.

Hey, somebody found a worse idea than trading for Teahen. If Ross came cheap enough, a .925 OPS against lefties isn't bad at all. There would be a roster crunch when Reed returned, but he'll be back close to roster expansion, which would make it a non-issue. The last thing the Cubs need at this point is another Reed Johnson. Fukudome slugs less against lefties, but his OBP is comparable to career averages. Fukudome is what he is, an above average defensive OF that gets on base at a good rate. Very similar to Bradley at this point. Fukudome and Bradley don't need to be replaced for the team to succeed, they need to be at the top of the order instead of guys like Johnson and Theriot. Ross has a better career OBP vs lefties than Kosuke (.355 for Ross and .351 for Kosuke) and he slugs 260 points better. It's certainly not pressing and I wouldn't give what Ross is likely to cost, but it's not a bad idea to make a significant upgrade against lefties and improve the bench depth. Might not be a bad idea to have those righties if we're facing the Phillies in the playoffs with their contingent of lefty starters.

UGH... Has any General Manager ever been so obsessed with getting players to fill a very specific need, regardless of whether those players are good or not? I'm tired of this organization fixating on certain areas to the point of acquiring below average and/or overpaid players just to fill them. In other words, please don't trade for Grabow or any other mediocre reliever. Either make a "good" move or no move at all. It probably happens all the time, it's just that all of us are only focused on the Cubs and Hendry. (It could be worse, right now the Yankees are looking at Corey Patterson)

A lot of discussion lately about former Cubs....Patterson, Pie (to the White Sox?), Nolasco, Cedeno, Downs (possible trade candidate), etc.

Today's Tribune mentions Cody Ross as a possible RH OF who can play CF. Put Ross in CF and use Fukudome to spell Bradley.

Fox in center. \:D/ Even with a broken foot, he could play center better than Dunn, Bradley, or Soriano. My question is: Is this another Steve Stone rumor?

I thought he batted righty. This is from the ESPN player profile: Full Name Kelly Andrew Johnson Birth Date February 22, 1982 Birth Place Austin, TX Age 27 Weight 205 lbs. Height 6-1 Bats Left Throws Right Experience 3 years Salary 2009: $2,825,000 Next Game: Braves at Marlins Wednesday 7/29, 7:10 PM ET

From Foxsports: Braves trading Kelly Johnson? Tim Hudson is projected to come back from elbow surgery in late August or early September. Omar Infante should be back to bolster the bench in mid-August. Wren feels their returns will be as big a boost as a big trade at the deadline. When Hudson returns, the Braves will have a surplus of starting pitching but that's a problem Wren is happy to take on. The Braves aren't prepared to trade Vazquez, who has been one of their top performers in the first half. Where they might look to make a deal is with second baseman Kelly Johnson, who is in a reserve role for now. -- Atlanta Journal-Constitution 27 years old with two very good seasons 2007-2008, but having a down year. The fact he bats lefty is a plus.

Must be a slow news day. With all of the media attention now, most trades are forcast before they happen. This is totally a non-story.

I would think one mid-level prospect should be plenty.

Hopefully Selig read his quote and a suspension or fine is in order for questioning the integrity of an umpire.

Maybe we ought to go after Pujols or Fielder so we can have two 1B too.

Wait...what? Why? Because the Hendry bashers have to make sure "Hendry=Idiot" gets mentioned in every thread.

What you say up to this point is, for the most part, true - sure, we could nitpick, but generally, it's all logical. However, your further argument - that the Cubs have been to the playoffs more times than most people - doesn't really help your point much. You said that "Hendry's job is to put the Cubs in the best possible position to win the World Series every year. Period." But just because they've made the postseason 3 times since he's been here does NOT mean that he's put them in the best position to do so. I'm in agreement with Goony (I think it was him), who said that the Aaron Miles-type signings (the ones that cost a relatively small but nonetheless substantial amount of money for essentially zero or even negative value) are the most aggravating, and Hendry is guilty of more than enough of them. Those signings alone prove that he's NOT putting his team in the best position to win the World Series. Then, of course, there are plenty of other complaints, some more legitimate than others, that further demonstrate that Hendry has actually been underperforming, despite his 3 playoff appearances. I don't think anyone's suggesting there isn't room for improvement, and naturally not all of Hendry's moves have worked out. But what GM can't you say the same thing about? If you look at the complete body of work, though, Hendry's tenure has been successful despite whatever missteps one could point to. I totally agree with you Dave and have posted often about this point. I'm not advocating that we ignore payroll, but the bottom line is that Hendry has, and continues to, put the Cubs in a position to get to the playoffs every year. Piniella stated the other day that the Cubs had their "starting" lineup on the field for 2 games in the first half of the season and yet they're currently in 1st place. While we would all love to see a WS title, I've been a fan long enough to remember a decade full of Cub teams trying to get out of the cellar. Now that ARam is back, Soriano and Bradley are starting to hit, and the kids (Wells, Hart, and Fox) are helping, we should be okay. When Soto, Dempster, and Lilly return, we will have a better team on paper than any other NL team except the Dodgers and Hendry deserves credit for that.

All in the same deal? Attaboy Jim. 5 team deal. Royals get Aaron Miles Yankees get Micah Hoffpauir, Wellington Castillo, Phillies prospects Phillies get Sam Fuld, Justin Berg, Robinson Chrinos Brewers get JR Mathes, Bobby Scales, Yankees prospects Cubs ge Greinke, A Rod, Utley, and Hoffman+cash I wouldn't do that deal. Sam Fuld is just too good to part with for anyone less than Pujols. Pujols would be a great addition to our bench and to sub for Lee. =D>

Next Topic: Rickets wins $100 billion in the lottery to help pay for Halladay, Haren, Dunn, and Bradley's contract.

If the Cubs had the money to pay Dunn, Beimel, and $4 million of Bradley's contract, they would have made a deal for somebody weeks ago.

How about a deal for Sherrill with Zaun as a throw-in?

The fact that you have to ask that question is sort of shocking. Yes. It is possible to be a good hitter that does not slug. I didn't say they would be a scrub. I just meant that they would not be considered legends like they are. I think 100+mph fastballs and nasty Carlos Marmol sliders make a little difference. I think that scouting has advanced a great deal over the years as well. Teams have a better understanding of how to pitch guys now that they have instant access to basically any split stat possible. Good question. What would be your answer? I'm getting the vibe that you feel there was a large difference in the game between 1900 and 1950, for example, but not between 1950 and 2000? So where does the line get drawn? I would say that Williams would have a better shot than most of those guys in today's game. I still don't think he'd be anywhere near a batting title though. A great hitter like Williams, Mays, Aaron, Ruth, Gehrig, etc. would be a great hitter in any era. These guys had the hand-eye coordination and timing to be great no matter who they would be facing.

Not if you need a loogy in the bullpen and Hart doesn't really fit into your team's plans.

And people are saying the Cardinals package with Wallace isn't enough? The Jays appear to be looking for MLB ready or near ready talent. Marshall seems like he's "just a guy" otherwise he'd be pitching every 5th day now. Vitters looks very promising, but he's only 19 and at high A right? I don't know much about the other guys, but I figure it's the same for you when Cards fans mention Todd, Jones, Kozma etc. We ALL overvalue our team's prospects. With all the Halladay talk, it's going to be interesting to see if a team swoops in and gets Cliff Lee. I'm not sure you can make that statement about most posters at NSBB. Everytime I read about our prospects they're referred to as "garbage", while every other team seems to have "can't miss" prospects headed to the HOF. BTW, I think that package would be overpaying for Halladay.