Backtobanks

I vote for improving the offense. Most major league players are at least adequate defensively at their positions, while many are well below average offensively. Also, it depends on the position. An error-prone SS is more likely to affect the outcome of a game than an defensively-challenged LF or RF. How many game-saving defensive plays are made in a week compared to game-winning hits?

You might want to use a callup as a pinch runner or in long relief of a blowout game.

He certainly should be penciled in as the starting LF next spring unless the Cubs trade for Manny. I don't see any reason why he can't have .280/.350/ 25 HR. If he does that, he will be a good corner OF with the chance to be an outstanding corner OF with more experience.

The problem with the Cubs is in the dugout, not with the GM.

I wasn't a big Randy Winn fan, but he really impressed me in the Giants series. I don't know his contract details and I know the Giants just got him, but he might be a good CF/leadoff man with some speed. When Pie arrives, he could be 4th OF/pinch hitter/trade bait.

I still say that unless Rusch refuses to sign with the Cubs, bring him back. There's the old saying: "You can never have too much pitching." The origin of that quote goes back before Wood, so it is very relevant in the Cubs' case. Also, I think the Cubs are going to get more help on the trade front than on the free agent market.

All of you are forgetting "Dusty" logic. Obviously, Macias plays and bats first with Perez 2nd. At the end of the season, Dlee, Manny, and Aram combine for 150 HRs and 187 RBIs with Dusty's lineup.

I don't think the Tribune wants to pay anyone $20 million for 1 year. Manny is as good a hitter as you can find, but I think $20 million could be better spent. He might be worth it if he could guarantee a World Series title, but nothing can be guaranteed (especially in Chicago).

It would be interesting to see what he could do when left alone as a starter. Also, with the Cubs counting on Wood as a starter, it might not be a bad idea to have a 6th starter with major league experience. As I stated before, he might be an option to use in a trade package or in case Williams is used in a trade. I think he could turn out to be a pretty good bargain for some team.

Since the Cubs have a ton of money to spend, how about resigning Rusch and using Rusch or Williams as trade bait. I would think Rusch could be signed for a reasonable amount and either pitcher looks like a decent 5th starter on the Cubs. With Patterson, Rusch or Williams, Walker, Hairston, Mitre, Welly, and Hill as tradeable commodities, I would think that Hendry ought to be able to get something of value in 1 or 2 trades with some of these players.

I would like to see the Cubs get Rob Makowiak for the bench. The problem is someone will probably offer him a starting position someplace.

Do you really think the Tribune would eat Baker's salary and then hire someone making more money?

From ESPN Insider Article by Gammons: If the Marlins do not make the playoffs, they will lose $20 million-$30 million, likely cannot get a ballpark built and will have to try to trade Carlos Delgado to the Mets before Omar Minaya, the Mets' GM, starts tinkering with acquiring Manny Ramirez. If the Mets continue to dive and Carlos Beltran gets booed right on into October, it will be interesting to see the Mets' response if and when the Red Sox reiterate the offer they made in July of Ramirez for Beltran. It would save New York close to $30 million. Also of note: • Nomar Garciaparra might now be willing to move positions to take some pressure off his legs. Second and third base seem out because of his elongated arm action and angle, but center or left field would seem very possible. The Cubs plan to put Felix Pie in center field next season, but if they could sign Rafael Furcal (why shouldn't he want more than Jimmy Rollins?) and put Ronny Cedeno at second base, Nomar would seem to make a perfect fit in left field. Not that the Cubs have discussed it. Just a thought. Link: http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/gammons/story?id=2158786 By the way, doesn't it seem like every analyst or beat guy (local or national) is convinced that the Cubs do not have Todd Walker in their plans for 2006? I'm assuming that Walker is good trade bait after we sign or bring back Nomar, Furcal, Cedeno, and Perez. I'm not saying I agree, but I do think the odds of Nomar, Cedeno, and Perez returning are pretty good. That leaves Furcal and Walker. Looking at the teams needing a SS, I would think the Cubs ought to be in the running for Furcal. Something's got to give and Walker has the most trade value.

When you have a lineup like the Cards, you can afford to have a weak hitting catcher.

No way Dusty would let Gonzo go. He's the only guy Dusty would trust because of his age.

With Marte in the Southside doghouse big time, how about Mitre or Welly for Marte. I wouldn't break the bank for him, but he is a pretty good lefty and he might come cheap since he's in the doghouse.

Then we would see how good Lee really is on defense. If Baker is coming back why do I get this sinking feeling the 2 boy toys will be too? I don't think I can do this 3 years in a row. If someone is willing to let Perez start he'll be gone. It may be wishful thinking but I don't believe Macias will be back next year. I haven't looked it up but it seems as though Macias has gotten a lot fewer starts this year than last. Were it not for PH appearances we wouldn't have seen much of Macias. I can't help thinking Baker would like to have someone with more power for PH duties. Why would he leave when he has a guaranteed starting job here with Baker?

I'm not trying to defend Mitre, but Baker needs to figure out how he's going to use these guys and then do it. Mitre has started and relieved at AAA and with the Cubs. Rusch has bounced between the bullpen and starting. Dusty had Dempster starting until he figured out that Dempster should be the closer. Figure out a role for each of these guys and then stick to it.

I'm thinking that Perez will be the first player signed by the Cubs during the off season.

I'm in total agreement with this. I wouldn't have a problem with Neifi one bit if he hit .280 in the 7th or 8th spot all year. That's where you hide guys who have bad OBP's. In reality, a guy with a decent AVG, but horrible OBP is better suited hitting behind the production guys, because he can turn those hits into RBI's. Unfortunately, it's Dusty Baker who put Neifi at the top of the line up, and it's decisions like that that will force Cub fans to watch other teams play in October. Neifi is a quality back up. He's done an alright job filling in for injured players. But, at no time should he have ever been considered for top of the order duties. That falls on the manager. I think a lot of the hatred for Neifi has a whole lot more to do with how Baker used Neifi than what Neifi has done with a bat. Neifi is what Neifi is. To the person who suggests that Neifi should have made some sort of adjustment when put in a top of the order spot, it's not that simple. He's never been a guy who had plate patience or good pitch selection. You can't change that. This team just doesn't grasp the concept of the importance of OBP at the top of the order. And they are sitting at home in October partially because of just that. Derrek Lee is having an incredible offensive year, yet he still has not surpassed the 100 RBI plateau. To give you an idea what Lee might have done with a couple of decent OBP guys at the top of the order, look at what Manny Ramirez has done this year: .280 AVG compared to Lee's .341. That's a 61 point swing in AVG. 64 XBH's to Lee's 88 XBH's. That's 24 more XBH's. Manny has 135 hits in 132 games compared to Lee's 180 hits in 139 games. Manny has 120 RBI's and Lee still hasn't broken 100. Now, how can this be? The Cubs OBP from the lead off spot this year is .300. That's not the AVG, that's the OBP. The OBP for the #2 hitter this year is .321. The Red Sox lead off hitters are getting on base at a .360 clip. The #2 hitters are at a .359 OBP. That's why Manny Ramirez has 21 more RBI's than Derrek Lee. Even though Manny is hitting .280, has less at bats and less XBH's. Between the #1 and #2 hitters, the Red Sox have scored 219 times (lead off 113 times and #2 hitter 106 times). The Cubs lead off hitter has crossed the plate 77 times. The Cubs #2 hitter has crossed the plate 79 times. That, my friends, is PATHETIC!! OBP is not the be all-end all stat. But, at the top of the order it sure is. If Derrek Lee had good OBP guys in front of him all year like Manny has, he would be approaching the RBI record. And that boost in RBI's from the #3 hitter alone would have meant a lot more Cub wins. Give the #4 hitter more RBI opportunities and that also would have provided even more wins. This horrible season is all on Dusty. You used statistics to say what I said a few pages ago....Dusty is clueless. Dusty is not to blame for this whole season, but his stubborness and cluelessness has cost the team at least 10 games which would put them into the playoffs as the Wild Card.

No matter what the topic is, you come to the same conclusion----Dusty Baker doesn't have a clue. Perez hasn't done a bad job as a substitute who was forced to start most of the year, but Dusty batted him at the top of the lineup. Macias isn't horrible as a 25th man, but Dusty uses him as the first player off the bench. Dempster has been great, but it took Dusty quite a while to figure out who the closer would be. I won't go on about Patterson leading off, Remlinger used as a LOOGY, etc., but you get my drift.

I think that a lineup that includes Nomar (SS, 3B, & LF), Cedeno (SS & 2B), and Walker (2B) rotating so that Cedeno is in the starting lineup 80% of the time would be great. Unless Ramirez gets into a good conditioning program, you know he will miss time by tweaking a quad, pulling a groin, or something. If Nomar is willing to add LF to his resume, the versatility of Nomar and Cedeno will be a plus. Also, playing Cedeno and signing Nomar to a high-incentive contract gives the Cubs a ton of money to spend on RF, CF, and pitching (whether the players come from trades or free agency).

It is interesting how statistics can be used in different ways. MVP voting is weighted by being on a winning team, even though another player has a better season. Pitchers who have a lot of wins are not necessarily considered as good as a pitcher who has a better ERA. I think there ought to be 2 awards: MVP (picked from a winning team) and Player of the Year (picked from any team). As for the argument about Maddux, I think we can all agree that he's not the pitcher he used to be and isn't worth $9 million next year, but he is still amazing to watch and his $9 million won't be the biggest problem with the Cubs next year.

Are you kidding me? If the Cubs get to .500, they will probably extend Dusty for 10 more years. He will get all of the credit, just like he has gotten most of the credit for the last 2 years of over .500 ball. I'm still watching and rooting for the Cubs, but any success will be proof that Dusty's the man and his system is working.

I think it's a forgone conclusion that Perez will be on this team next year. Unless Walker is traded, I sure don't see Cedeno starting anywhere. With the discussions about signing Furcal or resigning Nomar and bringing back Walker, where do you put Cedeno. This is especially true with Dusty as the manager. Hendry has already stated that he thinks Cedeno should be able to start for this team next year at SS or 2B. Let's keep our fingers crossed that Perez will get an offer to start for some other team. As for Nomar, he really is starting to look like the Nomar of old. If the Cubs can get Nomar at a reduced rate, it might be a good signing with Cedeno getting a few starts per week for Walker and Nomar. Also, having Nomar might be a good idea to back up Ramirez at 3B with Cedeno playing SS. Hopefully, Hendry will realize that certain players (Nomar, Ramirez, Wood, etc.) have a tendency to break down and will be able to have players ready and able to step in.