Little Slide Rooter

Looks like 100 losses is something that's going to happen, so that's something.

Assuming that we were to keep Garza, trade for James Shields, and sign one of the available mid rotation FAs, we could end up with a very good rotation: Garza, Shields, Shark, Sanchez, Wood could be a hell of a rotation.

If Butler's the best comp, we should probably either try and trade him to an AL team as soon as they show interest. If he were an OF or 3B, it would be super, but for a 1st Baseman, Butler's mid .800s OPS is by no means worth the defensive shortcomings.

Over the past week or so, has anyone else the lack of cocky, [expletive] talking White Sox fans that had been plaguing the city of Chicago and it's suburbs since around June?

As of right now, he seems more like a utility player. . Why does Stephen Bruno seem to get more love than Tim Saunders? Saunders is just 6 months older then Bruno, and hit .381/.431/.536 throughout 3 levels. They each play all around the IF sans 1B, so the utility arguement could be made for both. Either one could potentially fall anywhere between David Eckstein and Adam Kennedy, which would be pretty good for a mostly under the radar prospect.

Very impressive representation by the Cubs, esepcially with Vogelbach as #2 behind a guy who's a likely top 25, perhaps top 10 prospect.

Personally, I still think that we should be targeting James Shields. He'll be 31 in December, and if we plan to try and compete at some level in the next few years, he'd be a great addition. He's a free agnt after 2013, so a 3-5 year extension should follow, keeping through the remainder of his prime. A lot of teams would be interested in Shields, but he'd would cost nothing close to Price. Not sure where we'd start. David DeJesus would be a good piece in the package, but I'll stress the fact that he'd be no means be the primary piece before someone brings up the "and Reed Johnson" nonsense. Perhaps have Volgelbach and/or 1 of Amaya/Hernandez in the mix.

The real value in our farm system are guys 21 and under, and it's likely 2-4 years by the time that they start getting their first cups of coffee. Whichever of those guys become everyday type players, it's likely at least 2015-2017 by the time they hit their strides and become the foundation of the big league team. If all goes to plan with them, it will be great to have a lot of money to spend and build aroud them. This being said, that's 3-5 years away, so I don't see why we sign some guys 3-5 year contracts, and by the time Future Cubs are ready to become a hypothetical, dominant force, those contracts will be expiring.

While the White Sox piss away the AL Central,the Cubs making a statment vs. Rockies for 2nd Pick in the draft. If we have a 1-2 punch like Germano-Berken on the mound next season, the 1st pick in the 2014 draft could be as good as ours.

So The Cubs could give Joe Mather 223 ABs, but couldn't sign Greenerg for 1? My guess is that he'll get on base, but then morph back into an elderly doctor to save a young girl from choking.

That's a sad statement about the upper levels of our farm system. I'm not sure who decides this, but assuming it comes from within the organization, wouldn't that make it a pretty safe bet to be rostered and protected from the Rule 5?

If we were to give up what it would take to acquire Price, it would likely set the farm system back enough that they damn well better drop the there's always 3-5 years from now mentality and put together a team that can win sooner than later. They should also see how willing he is to sign an extension. When he hits free agency in 2016, he'll be 31, and looking at who known what type of contract.

Assuming that the weak market doesn't jack the prices of guys like Jackson, Marcum, and McCarthy to high, go for it. Also rumors that the Angels will decline Haren's 2013 option, which could make him the most expensive of the bunch.

Love our representation on there. I wonder where some of our pitchers fall (Blackburn, Johnson, Maples, Paniaqua, Wells) in the overall rankings. And Everytime I see the same basic reports on Vogelbach, it makes me wonder when, not if we end up trading him. Perhaps the centerpiece of a package for a young pitcher. As always, Oakland could offer some interesting possibilities.

The 2nd Overall Draft Pick Championship Series.

Michael Bowden's been pretty solid since being called back up. He should be a middle relief option going forward. Yeah, that's what I got out of this game.

So if the Cards lose, do the Reds just celebrate the division and not bother taking the field this afternoon?

To this day, the name Victor Diaz and the story of how he grew up idolizing Sammy Sosa remains etched in the back of my mind.

Man, that best of 19 World Series in 2003 would have been BRUTAL. 7 of those games came before the World Series, which is 7 more post season games than the Cubs won since Hendry went into spendthrift mode.

I think that it's inevitable. Their magic # is 11, with their next 6 games vs. The Cubs and Astros. Brewers in turn get The Nats and Reds, and the Dodgers the Reds and Padres. All 3 are on the road. Reds and Nats have clinched playoff spots, but it's too early for them to start resting their regulars.

Williams doesn't have any easier of a division, as many resources or as good of a chance to sneak in via wild card. He also outperformed Hendry so I don't see what your point is. Looking at the current White Sox payroll, I'd say that Wiliams has plenty of resources, though it didn't look that way in 2005. The past 10 years or so of the Cubs and Sox have been very similar. They've had their great years, their good years, and their bad years. The difference is that Kenny's team managed to win an extra 11 games one October, and to some, that seems to make all the difference as far as their legacies are concerned. How much of an impact did Kenny have on October 2005 vs. Hendry's on the 2007&2008 October pants wettings? Probably not much. It also depends on ownership. Assuming that Rickett's was the owner, would Hendry still have a job had the Cubs won a World Series in one of '03, '07, or '08, assuming that 2009-2011 went the way that they did?

Williams doesn't have any easier of a division, as many resources or as good of a chance to sneak in via wild card. He also outperformed Hendry so I don't see what your point is. I'm pretty sure that the Cardinals, Reds, and Brewers are far better organizations than anyone in the AL Central besides the Tigers. The Twins had their moments of being good, but their magical white guy pixie dust ran out. Williams is not much better than Hendry, who everyone eventually agreed was bad. The Twin's pixie dust ran out when they left a ballpark that was designed for their magical, scrappy white guys.

Castro 2-3 with a 3B. Rizzo 2-4 with a 2B. Rockies gunning for our 2nd overall pick. Color me satisfied as long as the Cubs can avoid a non-fake rally.

It's in the job description for being Michael Madsen.

Remaining schedules of WC 2 Contenders: Cardinals 1: Magic Number 12 1 Astros (home) 3 Cubs (road) 3 Astros (road) 3 Nats (home) 3 Reds (home) Easy road trip, followed by what could be a tough homestand. They finish the season on the road vs the NL's 2 best teams, however by then, even if the Cards havn't clinched, the Reds and Nats likely will have and could be resting players, certainly starting pitchers would be on limited duty. Dodgers: 2 GB E# 12 1 Nats (road) 3 Reds (road) 3 Padres (road) 3 Rockies (home) 3 Giants (home) Very tough road ahead of them. Those bats better start swinging, and hope for vintage Beckett and healthy Kershaw. Brewers 2 GB, E# 12 1 Bucs (road) 4 Nats (road) 3 Reds (road) 3 Astros (home) 3 Padres (home) Very similar schedule to the Cards, the difference, and it's a big one being that they face the Nats and Reds on the road, whereas the Cards get them at home. Phillies 4 GB E# 10 1 Mets (road) 3 Braves (home) 3 Nats (home) 3 Marlins (road) 3 Nats (road) Good luck with that. Hell of a second half run, only to go 1-3 vs. The Astros. Going by schedules alone, this thing is the Cardinal's to win or lose. The Brewers are the only team I could see making them sweat. In either case, I'm hoping for the Braves to quickly dispatch them in the 1 game playoff. On a side note, the Nats have a tough road ahead as well, but with their magic # at 9, they should be OK.