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Backtobanks

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  1. Backtobanks
    Provide some scrutiny that disproves it. I don't know of any thinly built speedy guys like Ichiro whose game held up throughout their mid 30's. We're talking about a guy with little patience and very little power whose entire game is based on his ability to make contact and run to first. The closest comparable I can think of is Kenny Lofton, but he had more patience and more power. He has stuck around a while, but has been quite inconsistent. Lofton Otis Nixon Ricky Henderson Ozzie Smith Lou Brock Willie Wilson Brett Butler Davey Lopes Omar Vizquel The difference between Ichiro and most of the guys on the list is that Ichiro probably will end his career averaging over 200 hits per year. With the fact that he is Asian, I would think he will be a a 1st ballot Hall of Famer. Most of the guys on that list would need an admission ticket to get into the HOF.
  2. Backtobanks
    Provide some scrutiny that disproves it. I don't know of any thinly built speedy guys like Ichiro whose game held up throughout their mid 30's. We're talking about a guy with little patience and very little power whose entire game is based on his ability to make contact and run to first. The closest comparable I can think of is Kenny Lofton, but he had more patience and more power. He has stuck around a while, but has been quite inconsistent. I hope you're joking by comparing Lofton to Ichiro. He might lose a step in the next few years, but I think Ichiro will be an "above-average" player into his 40s if he chooses to continue playing. As others have stated, his marketing value is and will continue to be extremely high. Also, I remember hearing that he can really put on a power hitting show in batting practice when he wants to. Ther's no reason to think that his great hand-eye coordination and bat control will diminish significantly.
  3. Backtobanks
    What I've been seeing in names being mentioned, I don't think Hendry can do anything that won't piss off a ton of people. Most of the big names are rentals and people will be pissed if he gives up young players. If he doesn't make a big deal, people will be pissed because he didn't make a big deal. I'm not defending Hendry, but I can see the critics lining up and ready to pounce on July 31st no matter what happens. I think the only way he can please everyone would be to trade Jones, Izzy, and Eyre for Arod plus cash and then resign Arod to an extension at $1 million per year for the next 5 years. I don't know if that is true. But the fact of the matter is that it is Hendry himself who painted the Cubs into this corner. So no matter what happens I think the criticism can be justified. Deep inside of me I'd like to see Hendry trade Z for A-Rod straight up. I don't think Z will be in a Cub uniform next year and Z has a lot of miles on a young arm. He's the bait that can actually bring in what the Cubs desprately need, more bats. I know it won't happen though. That would be tempting, but I just don't have faith in any of our other pitchers to step up to being the ace of the staff. If there was some way to be sure that Zambrano wasn't going to resign, I'd be all over the deal.
  4. Backtobanks
    Hendry gets killed for buying high, for not spending enough, for signing cr*p hoping to catch lightning in a bottle, for trading away future superstars for junk, for hanging on to guys too long, for letting prospects rot, for pushing thier development too fast... If Hendry has done it, he gets killed for it, not always for nothing. Well said! I have mentioned and read possible trade targets and/or deals and everyone of them gets attacked by about half of the posters. Imagine if you were the GM and trying to make the real deals instead of all of us pretending to be the GM. This year looks to be a very bad year to try to make an impact deal at the trading deadline, especially for a right-handed bat.
  5. Backtobanks
    Why would the Phillies do that deal? Cause they irrationally hate Pat Burrell even more than they irrationally hated Bobby Abreu. I'm not a huge fan of picking up Burrell as long as Soriano's gonna stay in LF, but Burrell is essentially the Phillies's Jacque Jones, he's gonna get dealt for virtually nothing and the Phils are gonna pick up most of his salary. The deal mentioned would be the only way I would want Burrell. Burrell is Dave Kingman with a bat and Jose Conseco with the glove.
  6. Backtobanks
    What I've been seeing in names being mentioned, I don't think Hendry can do anything that won't piss off a ton of people. Most of the big names are rentals and people will be pissed if he gives up young players. If he doesn't make a big deal, people will be pissed because he didn't make a big deal. I'm not defending Hendry, but I can see the critics lining up and ready to pounce on July 31st no matter what happens. I think the only way he can please everyone would be to trade Jones, Izzy, and Eyre for Arod plus cash and then resign Arod to an extension at $1 million per year for the next 5 years.
  7. Backtobanks
    After looking for a right-handed bat among the available players, the bigger names (Burrell, Dye, Andruw Jones, Hunter, etc.) all seem to be very expensive in terms of players and contract. I think there are some secondary bats that could serve the purpose. Three names that come to mind are Gomes (Rays need pitching), Thames (Tigers need middle relief), and Cruz (Padres need bench help). While none of these players are in the Arod category, each of them could be very valuable as a role player.
  8. Backtobanks
    Because it's Philly and they will end up being sellers and the fact that they have 2 guys ready to take over CF after Rowand.
  9. Backtobanks
    I'm not sure about that. Of course it depends on who the prospect is. All of the Buerhle rumors had "experts" speculating on Williams only getting a team's top prospect for him. I think it's worth looking into because he's a better fit and much less expensive than many other free agent rentals.
  10. Backtobanks
    I've been a big fan of Aaron Rowand since he played for the Sox and have proposed trying to get him for the Cubs only to be shot down by some posters. It is obvious that Pie isn't ready to play everyday CF for a contending team, especially with offensive holes at other positions. Picking up Rowand solves the CF problem and helps us against lefties. I would think he would be cheaper than many of the names being tossed around. At the end of the season, check on Pie's progress and decide to keep him or let him go for two draft picks. Maybe a pitching prospect and Eyre for Rowand. The Phillies already have Victorino and Bourn ready to replace him.
  11. Backtobanks
    Bowden and Williams can make outrageous demands for their free agents because it's still early. Let's see what they'll accept on July 31st.
  12. Backtobanks
    I don't think he'll be traded. I do think Contreras is as good as gone. Contreras won't get much in return. I think the White Sox were really in a bad way because of Buerhle's popularity in Chicago, but he was their biggest hope to get 1-2 top prospects from another team. With Reinsdorf as owner, I can't see the Sox making too big a splash in the free agent market. The future doesn't look good with three teams better than them in their division and two of the teams are much younger.
  13. Backtobanks
    I think this trade would be worth giving up Murton, but I don't see hendry doing it. Still this would work well. I can't see the Pirates trading him. As others have stated, he's reasonably young, cheap, and productive.
  14. Backtobanks
    I read that article and it appears like a way for Williams to say he improved this year and the future. He and Guillen have recently had another meeting discussing the state of the 2007 team, and they both agreed if the Sox are still in the race, especially if they have a good showing against the Twins this weekend. The Sox have long been out of the race, and I'm sensing Williams is too scared to admit it because he's afraid of losing the trades that are inevitable for his sinking club. The Sox are not only out of the race, but I think they are in very serious trouble for the next 3-4 years. The Indians and Twins are not only better, but much younger and the Tigers are certainly better for now. Kenny Williams needs to trade Buerhle et al. for as many good prospects as he can get to think about competing in 2009-2010. Don't forget that he has an owner that won't spend much on the free agent market.
  15. Backtobanks
    In my neverending attempt to find a way to improve the Cubs, how about trying to get Rauch from the Nationals. I know Bowden will start out asking for Zambrano, Pie, and Marmol, but eventually he might take some prospects. Rauch would be a nice fit instead of the daily shuffle of Cherry/Petrick/Gallagher.
  16. Backtobanks
    Trading for Dye or some of the other names mentioned (Abreu, Burrell, Andruw Jones, etc.) only makes sense if you believe you can "catch lightning in a bottle" for 2-3 months. They might be cheaper, but it would be nice to get someone you know you can count on.
  17. Backtobanks
    Paul LaDuca recently made some comments that upset some of his team mates. Since he's a free agent and the Mets are hurting for OFs, how about a deal like Jones plus a prospect for the half-year rental of LaDuca. Certainly would improve the black hole at C.
  18. Backtobanks
    Morris might be worth going after, but I think the competition for him will be brutal. No thanks to Andruw Jones unless the Braves will include either Saltalamacchia or Escobar in the deal.
  19. Backtobanks
    You have to go with Lou on this one. He's trying to compete with absolutely ZERO hits out of his catchers and CF (when Pie plays). I think Pie will be a star, but the Cubs can't afford to play him everyday with the black hole at the catcher position.
  20. Backtobanks
    I wouldn't mind trading Dempster or Howry to get someone who could really fill a need.
  21. Backtobanks
    This is a wonderful idea. Honestly with the trade market the way it is, there really arent many options that are discernably better than what either of these guys can produce. Give them a couple weeks (albeit small sample size) to prove whether or not they can acclimate to big league hitting this year. If so, you got your upgrade for free. If not, they can't hit any worse than the current production. I suggested this in another thread stating that I didn't really see any better options out there. Of course that idea changes if the Cubs are able to add salary. Using the hottest player until they cool off between Cedeno/Theriot, Floyd/Derosa, Soto/Bowen/Hill, and Pie/Pagan might work better than trading good young players for half-year rentals or over-the-hill vets.
  22. Backtobanks
    According to Benmaller.com: The fact he was not in the lineup is a measure of how marginalized Wily Mo Peña has become in the Red Sox scheme. The Catch-22 remains as true today as when he first came to the Sox. Peña needs to play in order to play better. The Sox can't afford to play him more because he's playing so poorly. Peña's performance, of course, is doing little for his trade value. The Sox like him because he gives them insurance. Would they move him if they could get value in return? With J.D. Drew signed for five years, it's hard to imagine why they wouldn't. But how do you get value when he's playing poorly, when he plays at all, -- Boston Globe He's young (25), makes $1.8 million, and shouldn't be too expensive in the way of players in trade. He's always had a ton of potential although never fully realized. He can play all 3 OF positions. Sounds good to me.
  23. Backtobanks
    Some of this talk about Murton struggling early is true, but I don't think he is the type of player who can come out of a slump by being benched. For all of us who despise Jones (including me), the Cubs turned a good prospect (Murton) and a fair platoon OF (Jones) into two disasters by not using them correctly.
  24. Backtobanks
    After looking at the rumored options and what they would cost in players and salary, are there any options much better than our internal options? I'm starting to think Derosa/Pagan/Floyd in RF, Pie/Pagan in CF, Cedeno/Theriot at SS, and Soto/Bowen/Hill at C might be worth trying. Hendry (or Selig) isn't going to add the salary of Dunn, Tejada, Griffey, Arod, Abreu, etc. Names like Visquel or whoever aren't going to make a difference, so maybe call up Cedeno and Soto and ride the hottest player until they cool off at each of the questionable positions.
  25. Backtobanks
    Cruz Crushes lefties(until this year). They would be taking Jones contract. The Cubs have a player blocking Murton for 8 years. I am as big of a Murton fan as any, but this is the kind of move that is going to have to be made to get rid of Jones. I do believe that Cruz has a very small contract as well. I'm a big Murton fan too, but unless they look at him as a "valuable" trading chip, he has no foreseeable future with the Cubs. Murton and Jones can play backup OFs and pinch hit for the Padres, while Cruz can platoon in RF and CF and pinch hit for the Cubs. I think Cruz is making $650,000 this year, so the bean counters should be happy.
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