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jersey cubs fan

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Everything posted by jersey cubs fan

  1. jersey cubs fan
    Or maybe they are just a poorly run organization with poor decision making capabilities.
  2. jersey cubs fan
    And they had something agianst Rich Hill too. I don't really think that's a valid consideration to make. If there's something about Murton they just don't like, that's their own damn problem.
  3. jersey cubs fan
    Considering he's an inconsistent hitter who is a bit weak in the OBP department and he plays the one position among the 4 needs spots that the Cubs actually could get decent production out of already, I don't see how he's precisely what we need. A productive SS is precisely what we need. A solid catcher would help more. Dye isn't really a guaranteed step up from Floyd. He should help, but not a ton.
  4. jersey cubs fan
    Dye's another one with a strange career path. He was on the verge of stardom in 2000, then plateaued with some rather unimpressive efforts for the next 4 seasons. He took a step forward in 2005 and was tremendous in 2006, but now he's crap. As he enters his mid 30's, you might be looking at a guy who is going to give you similar numbers to his career average line of .274/.337/.483, or an OPS+ a bit above 100, but heavily weighted with SLG instead of OBP, so really, somebody that's not all that much better than average. Of course he could, at any time, rattle off a 125 OPS+ type of season. He probably could help the 2007 Cubs quite a bit, I just wouldn't be the least bit interested in signing him to a big longterm contract.
  5. jersey cubs fan
    For some reason I'm thinking there was a player vote to allow that situation. There is definitely a clause about needing X amount of off days.
  6. jersey cubs fan
    I think the motivation for KW is pretty straightforward: he has a club option on Juan Uribe in 2008 for $5M. Based on comments he's made in the press the last 2 weeks here, he doesn't want Uribe back (can't blame him as Uribe has a .606 OPS), so they'll buy him out for $300K. But the free agent class for SS looks really, really bad as you know not counting ARod. And he doesn't have an in house soluton. So, with the offensive woes they've had if they can get a bat like Renteria for 2 seasons (2008-$10M with Boston paying about $3M of it and an $11M option in 2009), he'll gladly sacrifice Garland. I can tell you from one of my sources that even KW knows Garland is vastly over-rated. From Atlanta's side, they feel they need a starter to stabilize their rotation, and feel good about Escobar backfilling Renteria. Makes a lot of sense. I have my doubts about each player. But given the teams, I'd probably rather have Renteria, to help that anemic offense. Garland is a stable innings eater who might actually look more effective in the NL. But there's something about him that makes me think he could fall apart at any time. Not physically, it's just his numbers.
  7. jersey cubs fan
    Update: I followed-up with the source. Stairs didn't look good against Weaver at all on Saturday: 2 weak ground outs and 2 foul ball outs. In fairness to him, nobody really looked good at the plate in that SEA-TOR game - combined 1 run and 7 hits between both teams. The Cubs may look more at Stairs, but they have other scouts looking at "other hitters" this week. No names. I asked about Jeff Conine. He said "why?" One new nugget: the scout supposedly told Hendry that Josh Towers looked great on the mound. Supposedly, Ricciardi has let teams know that Towers is available. Arbitration eligible again after this season. I would think he'd be available, considering he's not any good. But he doesn't walk people so maybe Hendry would want him in the bullpen. It would be very telling of the Cubs and their ways if they decided not to pursue a guy based on one bad game.
  8. jersey cubs fan
    They were committed enough to give him a 3 year $17.5M deal in January. 07:$3.5M 08:$5M 09:$8M 10:$10M club option with a $1M buyout I don't see Hendry bringing on Kearns unless they take back Jones AND Eyre. They were committed when they signed him, but an unproductive season may have changed their minds. Hendry was committed to Jones when he signed him, but apparantly switched his mood within a few months. I don't see why Hendry would need to get rid of Jones and Eyre. Jones and Kearns offset each other next year, and I doubt $8m in 2009 is that big of an obstacle.
  9. jersey cubs fan
    Renteria has had such a strangely unpredictable career, I don't think he's a guarantee for anything. He started out his career nicely as a young guy, improving in his early 20's until he had a major setback season at age 25. Consecutive career years during the normal peak period, 26/27, were followed by 2 more down years, and now he's putting up back to back very good seasons. As an aging middle infielder, I'm not sure how much time he's got left where he'll be effective there, and if he ever has to move, his value will plummet. The closest thing he can guarantee, though, is not being a black hole. His worst year is no better than what the Cubs are getting now, but his other off years would at least be middle of the pack for SS productivity.
  10. jersey cubs fan
    I'd trade any 5 prospects for Miguel Cabrera.
  11. jersey cubs fan
    Granted... but DLee didn't do it with his elbow/forearm to someone's face. If were going with 03 references it'd be more like Robert Fick joining the Cubs. Except Robert Fick has always sucked and Renteria has not, so it'd be much tougher to swallow. Miguel Cabrera mocked the Alou/Bartman incident, but I wouldn't hesitate to bring him in.
  12. jersey cubs fan
    Any prolonged stretch of .600 baseball would be more than acceptable. 12-8 would leave them at 63-54, or a .538 W%, good for a pace of 87 wins. That would also leave them with 45 more games to reach the 90 win plateau, which would mean going 27-18 the rest of the way, also a .600 W%.
  13. jersey cubs fan
    Assuming Conine isn't signed through next year, this would be a solid way to get rid of the committment to Jones in 2008 and fill the RH bench need. I don't think this would be viewed as a way to solve RF. Assuming Baltimore is happy with a marginal Cubs prospect, I could see the value in such a deal. conine's a red. Just figured that one out. Point still stands, though I'm not sure Cincy would be as willing to take back Jones.
  14. jersey cubs fan
    Assuming Conine isn't signed through next year, this would be a solid way to get rid of the committment to Jones in 2008 and fill the RH bench need. I don't think this would be viewed as a way to solve RF. Assuming Baltimore is happy with a marginal Cubs prospect, I could see the value in such a deal.
  15. jersey cubs fan
    I think the triumverate was Encarnacion, Wilson and Jones, as far as available OF who fit the Jim Hendry criteria. I assumed some time that year one of those three would wind up a Cub.
  16. jersey cubs fan
    I'm going to guess cubs.com people voted for relief pitching, because it seems to be the lowest common denominator for "where can we get better" discussions. I guess it's because there are 6-7 positions to fill and you don't necessarily have to say something specific replace Ryan Theriot with a quality SS. It allows people to avoid criticizing their own guys. The Cubs don't need starting pitching, although if they get to the playoffs, they might wind up wishing they had somebody a little more stable and dominant in the 2 spot. The obvious answer is offense. Not sure why it has to be broken down into things like power or speed. They need to get better production. Preferably go from bottom of the barrel production at SS to top of the heap in ARod. Improve from very little out of CF to something near the top of the league, or figure out how to get better RF production when Floyd isn't 100%. Maybe find a way to get a do over in the catching department and find somebody that isn't a black hole. The best thing this team could do would be to get better offensively. Get out of the cellar in one of the black hole positions and/or improve on the positions that are in flux, and we're probably talking about giving this team the best chance to succeed.
  17. jersey cubs fan
    That would be very disappointing, considering what they obviously need more than another marginal LH bat is a hitter who can hit against LHP. They need a RH bat if anything. Matt Stairs is nice and all, but considering the Floyd/Jones/Ward overkill on LH hitting OF types who aren't all that productive, I'm not sure why the loss of Ward would make them think they need to restock that overstocked position.
  18. jersey cubs fan
    And for those with the NFL Network, they are replaying a condensed version of the Bears/Seahawks playoff game from 4:30-6:00 today. Anybody else slightly amused by the thought of a punter going up to the ST coach's office with a sheet of paper highlighting the results of his discovery of the benefits of exercise?
  19. jersey cubs fan
    I would argue it's because of all the bitching people do about GM's not doing enough to improve the bullpen. People acted as though 2004 was ruined because Jim didn't get a real closer. In the past several Cubs fans have blasted them for not getting enough veteran relievers. Relievers are inconsistent and have a short shelf life. Take out the handful of elite closers, and relievers are basically just failed starters trying to make due with a less than perfect arsenal. If a GM relies on kids and they fail, people will say he should have had vets. If he spends big on vets and they fail he can say, "Well, I went out and got the guys, they just didn't come through."
  20. jersey cubs fan
    Floyd scores from 2nd on a PB/WP. Yup, you win. all the way from 2nd? where did the ball go?
  21. jersey cubs fan
    They didn't have to, he was already signed through the next year. But Izturis wasn't so much loved as he was weakly justified. Hendry went out of his way to make a change at catcher this year, starting with Barrett and ending with Kendall. I think that's different than looking to trade Maddux somewhere with very few people showing interest and taking back Izturis. But I think the Cubs would need a situation similar to Theriot surprising on the upsiding and Cedeno raking in the minors to compare them at all. Half the issue is they don't have any realistic starting C candidate in house for 2008. The closest thing was Bowen, and he's gone, and they aren't showing any interest in Soto.
  22. jersey cubs fan
    bad lilly is no fun.
  23. jersey cubs fan
    My early season prognostication had 87-89 on the upper edge. I think 90 is entirely possible, but still a bit of a reach. I think they are a great bet to reach the 84/85 win mark set by Vegas. It's really going to be a roller coaster down the stretch. It's possible 85 could still win it, although it's more probable they will need 90+ for the division as well as the wild card. If they remain a top 3 run prevention team, and improve upon their 8th place run scoring standing (9th in OPS, 10th in OBP), I think a 92/93 win season isn't out of the question. But I just don't see 95 as a possibility, given their early struggles. They are bound to have another setback or two. Replace one of their black hole positions with an above average producer and it might be enough to push them into the 6th or 7th best run scoring team in the NL, and grab the NL Central crown.
  24. jersey cubs fan
    His career numbers batting 5th have been bad. Bad idea from the get-go but I'm glad Lou did see it wasn't working out and made the move. He's barely even hit 5th, but the one year he did hit 5th for a decent amount he was much better in that spot than leadoff. He's had 583 AB hitting 5th in his career. .268 avg .312 obp. When he did play 5th more than leadoff in 2005 his numbers were similar: Leadoff: 98 AB 4HR 7RBI .276AVG .301OBP 5th: 497 AB 30HR 93RBI .270 .315OBP 57 points OPS advantage out of the 5 spot that year, and that was the only year he had significant time in the 5 hole. It's a freaking myth that he can't hit anywhere but leadoff. He had a couple down years, in one of those year he hit 5th mostly. People who really think the down year was because of hitting 5th need to get their heads examined. He was a free swinging hacker who became and easy out and pitchers finally stopped throwing him strikes. It started late in 2003, when he was hitting leadoff.
  25. jersey cubs fan
    There would be more scrutiny in this case, but couldn't the phantom injury come before the playoff rosters were set so they could get on? Yes they could, come to think of it. It's why it's a nice idea to not release Novoa and Miller if you don't have to, so that those spots are there for the taking. Those guys are already off the 25-man roster and on the 60-day DL. Isn't the only way to get a guy on the playoff roster after August 31 if he is replacing somebody who was on the 25-man roster but got injured in September? For the Cubs, it would seem the only way to pull this off would be to have the 5th starter or 7th reliever come down with a phantom injury sometime in September and be replaced by a Sept callup.
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