Backtobanks

While it's not the blockbuster trade everyone was hoping for, it does add to the depth and versatility of the team. As of right now, you have 3 options for LF, 3 for CF, 3 for RF, 3 for 2B, 2 for leadoff, etc. Unfortunately, instead of Hairston replacing Macias as supersub, I'm sure Cedeno will go down to AAA. Hopefully, the Cubs will cut Remlinger when Williamson and Wood return. Who knows, maybe they can get a little something (very little) for him when he goes on waivers.

When I saw Arizona's lineup with all of those lefties, I knew the Cubs were in trouble today. Maddux has trouble with lefties.

There's a good chance 2 out 3 of those guys might be starting.

With all of the discussion about Hill and comparing him to Zito and Estes, brought back memories of Koufax, Holtzman, Moyer, Spahn, etc. Is it that they just get noticed more or is it that lefties need to develop a big breaking curve ball. It doesn't seem like the right pitch to encourage lefties to learn since the ball would break in to the majority of batters (RH), but I still think that there the devastating curve ball seems to be thrown more often by lefties than righties.

As disappointed as most of us would be if the Cubs don't make a deal, we should then hope that there are no major trades (which is a distinct possibility). The reason is that we have 3 deals in the works on Friday (Nomar, Williamson, & Wood) and would stand to benefit more than other teams that don't make deals today. So let's keep our fingers crossed that Hendry can make a good deal today OR no big deals are made in the NL.

Why lefties seem to throw a more overwhelming curveball than righties. I know there have been righties with great curves, but it seems to me that the devastating curveball pitchers seem to be predominantly left-handed.

I still think that any trade by the Cubs involving Soriano is part of a 3-way deal (to the Mets for Floyd or Cameron?). I don't think Hendry would mess with 2B (getting rid of Walker for Soriano), plus Soriano does not want to play LF and come to the NL. While Soriano is a good young power hitter, a moody, expensive Soriano might be more trouble than he is worth.

I agree, Murton will be the starting LF and have a long and solid career, but it won't be for the Cubs because they will use him to get a LF. Too bad because I think he will be successful in the majors.

The Yankees new motto: "Quantity over quality"

I don't think there's any way on earth that the Cubs are going to get in the middle of Ramirez' contract. He is one of the 3 best right-handed hitters in baseball, but he is a total flake, lazy, and owed a ton of money. The Tribune won't do this kind of trade.

hill should be kept over murton, in my opinion. i like murton too, but he's a corner OF w/ little power and average speed. hill, on the other hand is a left-handed SP, which is a lot tougher to come by than a mark grace-lite in LF. like i said, i like murton (and he should be playing over hollandsworth), but his .500ish average is a product of a lot of bloop hits, infield dribblers and pop flies lost in the sun. i like soriano as well, but i don't know if i'd do patterson and hill for him. mainly because he's going to command a fortune in arbitration, and the cubs need all the $ they can get their hands on to keep zambrano and prior, who will break the bank when their times come. if you trade hill, lose one of those two guys to FA and never see wood in the rotation ever again, awesome young pitching is just a distant memory for the cubs. Sounds a little like some other OF I know ------ Ichiro.

I haven't turned 58 yet and my right shoulder bothers me, but I think I will start getting in shape----just in case.

"Again, no one said to sit Murton. We were only talking in context of future performance, and if that was good enough to not go after a bat in LF". My point is that unless he gets a chance to play how do you know if we need to go after a bat for LF. Wouldn't it be great if Murton became an everyday player with Mark Grace type of stats at the league minimum salary. Think of what all that the money we save and the prospects we save (by trading for a veteran LF) could turn into for the next 3-4 years. We have enough power, we need what Murton has shown so far in the majors and minors, the ability to get on base. Knowing the Cubs, they will make a deal and send Murton somewhere where he will be a solid everyday LF. In 2016, the Cubs will try to get Murton back at the trade deadline (Of course he will be old enough to play for the new Cub manager Darren Baker).

The Sox were crazy not to go after Randa. He would have been a perfect fit and not that expensive.

Isolated power: SLG-AVG Here we go with another obscure stat. The guy is hitting over .400 and we're worried about is ISOP. Assuming Nomar comes back with some power, we have at least average or better power at 1B, 2B (for the position), SS (for the position), 3B, RF, & C. The last time I looked, the WSox were running away with their Division without a power-hitting LF. I guess I'm too old to get excited about all of these new statistics. Give me the good old days when a guy hitting .400 should be playing. Instead, everyone wets their pants over a guy hitting .240 with 8 million strikeouts and thinks we ought to trade half our farm system for him. I don't disagree with Murton playing, but you don't seriously think he's going to hit .400 over the long run, do you? There's a difference between using stats for projection purposes (as they were used here) and deciding who should play today or who has performed the best. Since it's unlikely that Murton hits .455 for the rest of his career, people are trying to figure out what they should expect from him. i don't see why this bothers you so much. Well, I believe that when a guy is hot you play him and when a guy is in a slump you sit him. Murton won't hit .450 for the rest of his career, but there's a very good possibility he would outhit Hollandsworth. The Cubs are looking for a guy to get on base and then they platoon him. Thank God that Dusty sat him today against Tomko so that the veteran Hollandsworth could show him how it's done (3 strikeouts in the first 6 innings). Sometimes you need a little common sense instead of statistics.

Isolated power: SLG-AVG Here we go with another obscure stat. The guy is hitting over .400 and we're worried about is ISOP. Assuming Nomar comes back with some power, we have at least average or better power at 1B, 2B (for the position), SS (for the position), 3B, RF, & C. The last time I looked, the WSox were running away with their Division without a power-hitting LF. I guess I'm too old to get excited about all of these new statistics. Give me the good old days when a guy hitting .400 should be playing. Instead, everyone wets their pants over a guy hitting .240 with 8 million strikeouts and thinks we ought to trade half our farm system for him.

Did I hear that he has 2 grand slams in the last 5 days?

Do you have a link that says he is earning more playing time. Any right handed hitter has faced probably 4 times as many righties as lefties in his career. I agree that major league righties are tougher than AA righties, but so are major league lefties better than AA lefties and he is killing those pitchers. Start him everyday until the deadline and see what he does. Burying him on the bench proves nothing.

The real advantage in getting Alou is that he's old enough for Dusty to play him.

Thank God Baker puts those guys on the bench so they don't clog up the bases with walks.

Exactly. Ryan has 10 times the stuff that Joe ever had. He has amoving fastball that he runs up in the mid to high 90's, and a wicked slider. If he had great command of the strike zone, he'd be unhittable. Sometimes that word ("if") can be the gigantic.

With the early reports on Williamson sounding good and rather positive news on Nomar, are we going to make a deal or hope for the best with these 2 guys returning? The only problem with depending on these 2 guys is that the results won't show until well after the trade deadline. I would still like to see the Cubs get a young OF (Kearns or Huff) that will help this year and in the future. Of course, the asking price will be cheaper during the off season.

Is there anyone else who watches Dempster and wonders how he escapes with a save. I remember thinking that JOBO used to do it with smoke and mirrors and now I'm seeing the same thing with Dempster. Don't get me wrong, I think we ought to ride this horse (Dempster) as far as we can, but I wonder wether he can continue this success (luck?) for next year. It would be nice to see a closer like Bruce Suter or Lee Smith come in and totally shut down an opponent without putting men on with walks and hits and then ending the game on a screaming line drive or a long fly out. I guess what I'm saying is that the Cubs go into spring training with a plan B (Van Buren, Wagner, etc.) for a closer.

Once Wood gets healthy, the buyers would be lined up around the block. Look at the teams pursuing Burnett with his history of being on the DL. The only obstacle would be Wood's no-trade contract.

There has been a hole on this team since we got rid of Enrique Wilson and Relaford would have been perfect for the spot.