Backtobanks

I've been posting all along that Peavy will end up on the Cubs. The facts remain the same as always: 1. The Padres can't afford him. 2. Peavy has a NTC and will only waive it for the Cubs. 3. The Cubs want him and are one of only a few teams that can afford him. I still think that part of the reason for DeRosa deal was to load up on young pitching to either use in a Peavy deal or replace pitching going to SD in a Peavy deal. The only hangup has been the sale of the Cubs, because I think a package of players could be agreed upon by both sides. Peavy would be owed about $5 million for 2009 at the trade deadline. The Cubs could have Harden ($7 million), Gregg ($4.2 million), Viscaino ($3.5 million), Gaudin ($2 million), Heilman ($1.6 million), Cotts ($1.1 million), and Johnson ($3 million) coming off the books after this season to help with Peavy's $15 million next year.

I didn't mean that he ought to be given a roster spot because he's your emergency catcher. My point was that if he could deliver some right-handed power off the bench and back up 1B/3B/LF he might be worth thinking about. His experience as a catcher would be a plus, but only in an emergency. I think Murton was the emergency catcher a few years ago, so he would have to be better than that.

From MLBTR: Lefties May Be Lowering Contract Expectations By Drew Silva [February 25 at 9:08pm CST] FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal reports that the agents for left-handers Joe Beimel and Will Ohman are prepared to offer more flexibility in contract negotiations with clubs. "I would suggest any team holding back on some last-minute interest step forward and express it," Beimel's agent, Jeff Sroba said Wednesday. "Not that anything is imminent, but we are offering flexibility." Beimel, who turns 32 in April, has drawn interest primarily from the Dodgers this offseason. He went 5-1 with a 2.02 ERA for Los Angeles last season. Ohman, 31, has deals on the table from the Pirates, Marlins and Padres, but is reportedly hoping the Phillies, Dodgers or Mets will come calling. He finished 4-1 with a 3.68 ERA last year for the Braves. "We're offering flexibility, too," said Ohman's agent, Page Odle. "We're hoping one of the playoff teams will want that shutdown lefty." Dennys Reyes is another left-handed reliever without a job. He went 3-0 with a 2.33 ERA for the Twins last season. Any of these guys are better than Cotts. I know Ohman is out of the question, but at a very favorable deal the other two might be tempting.

"He traded DeRosa and signed Miles on the same day. If he didn't trade DeRosa, he wouldn't have signed Miles, it's as simple as that. It was one or the other." Dex, that's not necessarily true. He might signed Miles at a later date (if available) to replace Cedeno. I tend to agree with Cubsfan 26, in that you have to look at all the players that left and all of the players they added to do any kind of comparison. I think the closest you can come to making one-to-one replacement comparisons would be Gathright-Pie and Hoff-Ward because the new players will be used in almost identical situations with the old players.

Why? DeRosa was the versatile veteran making a few million to play regularly at 2B and fill-in at multiple positions. But he only hit RH. Miles is the versatile veteran making millions, who replaced him. Miles was brought in to play many positions and bring "balance" to the lineup. They wanted to get more LH and he is the only guy on the roster brought in to replace a RH in order to accomplish that goal. There's no reason not to compare the two. I'm using a much simpler explanation. Miles was brought in as a sub middle IF who can play other positions in a pinch. That role for the past few years was Cedeno's and not DeRosa's. DeRosa was brought in to be the starting 2B and was versatile enough to play other positions in case of injuries. Therefore, Miles is replacing Cedeno. The simple explanation is DeRosa left and Miles replaced him. Cedeno averaged 150 PA a year under Piniella. Miles, as the only backup infielder, and very likely platoon option at 2B, is going to dwarf that number. There is no replacement for Cedeno, as of now. DeRosa had over 500 ABs last year and the year before for the Cubs. He was a starter. Miles might get more playing time than Cedeno, but he won't be playing as much as DeRosa unless there is a catastrophic injury. I would imagine Rivas or someone else might make the roster as an additional IF. My point is that there is no fair one-to-one comparison to DeRosa on this team. Using your explanation, you could say Bradley replaced Edmunds.

Why? DeRosa was the versatile veteran making a few million to play regularly at 2B and fill-in at multiple positions. But he only hit RH. Miles is the versatile veteran making millions, who replaced him. Miles was brought in to play many positions and bring "balance" to the lineup. They wanted to get more LH and he is the only guy on the roster brought in to replace a RH in order to accomplish that goal. There's no reason not to compare the two. I'm using a much simpler explanation. Miles was brought in as a sub middle IF who can play other positions in a pinch. That role for the past few years was Cedeno's and not DeRosa's. DeRosa was brought in to be the starting 2B and was versatile enough to play other positions in case of injuries. Therefore, Miles is replacing Cedeno.

But you still have the at bats missed by Aramis, Soriano and Bradley when/if they get injured. That will be quite a few ABs - especially for Bradley. Had we still had DeRosa, those ABs would have gone to him. Now, they'll be mixed around among Miles, Hoff and Gathright. That's why the DeRosa trade hurt so much. I agree that I would have tried to keep DeRosa, but I guess Hendry felt like he was the one that had to go for whatever reason (salary, need to be more LH, etc.). Once before you posted that time missed by Soriano and Bradley would be covered by Miles, Gathright, and Hoff, but I would think Johnson would get more of the OF ABs over Gathright if someone is injured.

We can throw names around all day, but I still have problems with comparing DeRosa with Miles. DeRosa was a starter who played many positions while Miles was brought in strictly as sub. Obviously their contracts and production are different partly because of that. The way I look at it, Miles is replacing Cedeno not DeRosa.

Why not debate .03 differences in Win Shares? There hasn't been much to get excited about this offseason. :D My ultimate problem with the move is that I tie it closely to the DeRo trade that I thought (and still think) was so bad. Miles' spot on the bench used to be DeRo's (and Fontenot) and that downgrade bugs me. It's not a killer though, so hopefully something good will come of it. Instead of saying Miles' spot on the bench used to be DeRosa's, try saying that Miles' spot on the bench used to be Cedeno's. DeRosa was a starter, not a sub. Fontenot took DeRosa's job and the cash saved helped pay for Bradley. Finally, I still think the DeRosa trade will end up landing us Peavy. Fontenot is the starter, but any injuries to Bradley and Aramis (and perhaps even Soriano) would have been filled with DeRosa. Now they'll be filled with Miles on the infield and Gathright/Hoff in the outfield. I'm ok with Hoff filling some of that OF time, but I'm not with Miles filling the IF time. Fontenot was going to get a bunch of ABs with or without DeRo. And I really don't think the Peavy deal is happening, but I'll have a different outlook on the offseason if it does. Again, though, it appears very unlikely. Right now the deal is dead, but the Padres will probably be the worst team in baseball for the foreseeable future, still have payroll problems, and their prize trading chip has a NTC that he will only waive for the Cubs. I suppose a lot depends on how Shark/Marshall/Heilman look in the 5th spot and if any other pressing needs get exposed by the trading deadline, but I do think Hendry hasn't given up on obtaining Peavy. You knock about $5 million off his 2009 contract after the first half with Harden coming off the books in 2009 and suddenly money isn't quite the issue it was.

If that's how you want to spend your time, go for it.

Man, the hate for Miles is ridiculous. Grudz is a one-position player who is past his prime. Comparing DeRosa to Grudz and/or Miles is absurd since DeRosa is a starter and the other two are reserve infielders.

Why not debate .03 differences in Win Shares? There hasn't been much to get excited about this offseason. :D My ultimate problem with the move is that I tie it closely to the DeRo trade that I thought (and still think) was so bad. Miles' spot on the bench used to be DeRo's (and Fontenot) and that downgrade bugs me. It's not a killer though, so hopefully something good will come of it. Instead of saying Miles' spot on the bench used to be DeRosa's, try saying that Miles' spot on the bench used to be Cedeno's. DeRosa was a starter, not a sub. Fontenot took DeRosa's job and the cash saved helped pay for Bradley. Finally, I still think the DeRosa trade will end up landing us Peavy.

I've asked you this before and you haven't responded to me, but what is it about Aaron Miles that made him a necessity to sign when we did? There are numerous other options who were on the market at the time getting very little interest at the time we signed Miles and are still on the market (getting minor league deals and cheaper contracts than Miles) who have similar or better stats than Miles. So what is it about Aaron Miles specifically that made it important we sign a backup middle infielder quickly when there were numerous other options out there? Sorry I didn't get back to you, but I agree with the other poster. Obviously Hendry wanted Miles (for whatever reason) and paid him the going rate at the time. You may not agree with Hendry on Miles, his ability, his contract, or the timing, but apparently Hendry decided he was the best option to fill the role at that price and at that time. As West Side Roter pointed out, Hendry is an impulse buyer. Sometimes he makes good decisions and sometimes bad, so I guess we'll have to see how this turns out. As for my defense of Hendry, it's more a case of being the devil's advocate because there are so many people that criticize every move he makes or doesn't make.

Come on. It's OK, you don't have to like the Miles signing. You also don't have to reach for assumptions to display your distaste of it. How is it an automatic that "it would have been worth it?" The Dodgers invested alot of money in that middle infield and they have more questions than certainties with them for the money paid. Back injuries tend not to help players and a little guy with marginal power doesn't help himself with a wrist injury (at least in the first year after injury). Sure, there's a chance that both have big years, but there are enough questions about them to at least not fawn over their signings as if it was something masterful. $8 mil and a first round pick for one year of Hudson is not great. I dont hate the Miles signing. It just is what it is. A backup/platoon middle infielder. Im just saying that if we could have gotten something better for a reasonable price, we should have. Every year people have to jump all over 1 player as being an overpaid contract (i.e. Marquis, J. Jones, etc.). It looks like Miles is this year's pick. I agree with you that we have more important issues to discuss than the contract of a backup/platoon middle infielder. Also, I have posted before that you have to take into account when the contracts were signed. Someone like Abreu would have been signed in December if he would have accepted $5 million then.

Yeah, if Crede is reasonably healthy, he could really come back to haunt the WS.

I finally got in and ordered two tickets, but the system wouldn't acknowledge my credit card. After 3 tries with that card and two more with another card, the time expired. Ridiculous - I'll watch them on TV.

Jake Fox can't play C. I didn't mean Fox as the 2nd C, I meant only as an emergency catcher.

While I myself am not quite ready to give up on Kosuke, the thought of trading him for Bedard is quite intriguing. The guy had one bad, injury plagued year, and Id be all about him. Even if Johjima would have been involved as a backup catcher, and they then could have gotten Cedeno in the same deal. As for Washburn, Id just assume take back Traschle or Lieber, but Kosuke, Cedeno, and Olson(asuming the Pie/Olson trade happenes) for Bedard, Johjima, and Heilman doesnt sound half bad. Then, we could have re signed Edmonds for cheap and platooned him with Johnson. That article doesn't say they they would have offered Bedard. It says the Mariners were one of the teams interested in Kosuke, and then listed Bedard as one of the players they have been shopping this offseason. Also, bedard didn't have "one bad injur plagues year". He's injured just about every year and 2007 was the only time he's come even close to being that good. Yeah, I took the article as examples of the kind of bad contracts Hendry might have to accept in a trade.

Has Jake Fox ever tried 3B? He could be pretty valuable as a utilty player if he could play corner OF/C/3B/ and probably 1B.

Why would he take a NL team when he can play OF and DH in the AL. The only disadvantage to Seattle is their lack of coverage by national media.

He would either be a very expensive 4th OF or would be traded for another bad contract. Today's Tribune mentioned that teams approached Hendry about Fukudome, but Hendry isn't ready to give up on him yet. Seattle was mentioned as shopping Jarrod Washburn, Erik Bedard, and Kenji Johjima as examples of the kind of bad contracts Hendry might have to take on.

I was hoping he'd be a fallback option in the offseason (as a FA) in case the second base situation sucks. Now, we've got a whole heck of a lot riding on Fontenot playing well. Of course, I wouldn't have been thrilled with paying Roberts $10 million a year over 4 years, either. Maybe that's a bad value in this market, but I don't think that's overpaid. He is a very very good player. In DeRosa's career year last year, Roberts outplayed him in several areas. The last two years, DeRosa and Roberts would be a tossup depending on what you're looking for (speed-leadoff or power-RBI). Obviously over his total career, Roberts has been far superior, but DeRosa has been very good since he became a regular. Another obvious difference was a few million in salary.

http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/mlb/players_l/20080402/6154.jpg?x=65&y=85&xc=1&yc=1&wc=164&hc=215&q=100&sig=LCwAE1TFB2scz.nmPVAI3w-- You think Soriano is worth 18 million a year? I don't think you'll find many people here who believe Soriano is worth $18 million a year, especially as he gets older. IMHO, nobody is worth $18 million. obviously, nobody should be. but if someone will pay it its "worth" it. that's the point. So Soriano is worth $18 million, Miles is worth $5 million over 2 years, and Marquis is worth $10 million.

People complain about paying Bradley because of health concerns, but let's sign Hudson (who has health concerns). :-k Comparing the health issues of Bradley to the health "issues" of Hudson is silly My point was more about people complaining about any move Hendry makes i.e. signing one guy with health concerns is stupid, but we ought to sign another guy who has health concerns. Some of the same people who complain about Harden wanted to add Johnson or Sheets to the rotation.

The bottom line is that you have no way of knowing which former players were "clean" (whatever that meant at that time) and which players weren't, so you just have to acknowledge this as the "Steroid Era" and move on. To clean up the game, you now have to put in random mandatory drug testing and make sure the players understand that the penalty is a lifetime ban from now on. You can't go back into the past and rewrite history.