Little Slide Rooter

Having your BA match your slugging with your OBP mere points ahead is no easy task with as many ABs as he's had.

For what little it's worth, in the 8 games and 44 innings he's pitched over the past 2 years he has a 3-0 record with a 1.43 ERA and 1.00 WHIP. Doesn't he walk a lot of guys though? Another possible mid rotation reclamation project is Chris Capuano.

I don't think the question is will trading him really hurt the team, it's how will it benefit the team? I've said all along, if nothing else Z's a quality mid rotation pitcher. I know that you don't want to pay a mid rotation guy 18 mil but that's irrelevant at this point as we'll be paying most of it wherever he pitches. He's more valuable to us than if we send him away, pay at least 15 of the 18 mil and replace him with Casey Coleman. Z's best value is if we keep him and hope he can make the most out of what is sure to end up a contract year and if he can pitch well and behave himself then shop him around if we're not contending.

While I understand your point, I think that there are two places where I disagree: 1) I think the Cubs can compete as soon as 2012, depending on the available resources and being able to make a few key moves. This means that the remaining peak years will be extremely valuable to making this happen. As we've seen twice from St Louis, all you have to do is make the playoffs - anything can happen from there. 2) While Pujols will inevitably start to decline during this contract, he's starting from a peak as one of the 5-10 best hitters of all time. Even declining production from Albert will still be very good until near the end of the contract. Compete is one of those terms that mean different things to different people. To some, it means automatically become the hands on favorite for the division. In reality, compete means just that. Be good enough to be in the playoff conversation all season long. My thing is how much money do we want to spend to compete? Do we want to have a massive spending spree, sign Pujols/Fielder+Aramis+Wilson so that we're back on top for another 2-3 years before we get old and useless again, and hope that enough prospects pan out to stay competitive at that time? I agree, I would sign Pujols and get those 2-3 peak years and hope for the best the rest of the way, but then how do we want to conduct the rest of the offseason? I'd just as soon sign him(or Fielder) and call it an offseason, unless we can get Sizemore for cheap and perhaps a cheap reclamation type starting pitcher and call it a day. I'd then like to keep building next offseason when we have the Dempster, Zambrano, Byrd, and remaining Pena money off the books, and see what's available then through FA or trade. Our shopping list for the next 2 years is: 1st Base 3rd Base Corner OF Front line Starting Pitcher Mid Rotation Stating pitcher Perhaps a 2nd baseman, but first I'd like to cycle through guys like DeWitt, LeMahieu, Flaherty, and perhaps Junior Lake. Maybe a cheap RH backup outfielder. That will run us at least 70 Mil if we acquire all through free agency, which is doubtful judging by Theo's philospohy, but that's pretty much what's coming off the books between now and next October.

And it was 2 hours he could have spent trying to find a job and move out of his step moms basement or at least thought of quick and painless ways to end his sad, lonely, meaningless existence.

Not sure if this has been posted here yet, but here's an interesting comment by Theo: I like.

Like we said, trade Byrd. Sizemore might take a lower base salary with incentives, but I can pretty much guarantee that wherever he ends up he'll be starting as long as he's healthy.

Would he take something primarily incentive based? I'd love to give him a look see if the price isn't too steep. Maybe something along the lines of 8 mil and we can trade Byrd to someone willing to give us 3-4 mil.

[expletive] yeah! Puljos rocks! Let's him or Flieder!

No. No they wouldn't.

Theo baby!

That's what makes it a true rivalry. It doesn't matter if the teams are tied for 1st or ones in 1st and the other 30 games out, the games matter regardless. With the Cards/Brewers, for example, they had a strong rivalry this year as 2 teams always will when in a pennant race but in a few years time when 1 or both teams become irrelevant, it will be forgotten. Kid of like Cubs/Brewers in 2008. Aside from those of us who have to del with Cheese Balls on a regualr basis, most Cubs fans don't care either way about the Brewers, although their fans feel differently I guess. Cubs/Cardinals will never go away. In fact, aside from Yankees/Red Sox, is there a more intense rivalry in baseball? Maybe Dodgers/Giants. But how much better did the rivalry get when the Sox started to become a real threat to the empire the Yanks were building? There has to be some level of competitiveness for the rivalry to really mean something. I just found this. Interesting http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/lists/MLB-top-10-rivalries-042710#photo-title=Dodgers-Giants&photo=11184034 10. Cubs/Brewers 6. Cubs/White Sox 3. Cubs/Cards 2. Yanks/Red Sox 1. Dodgers/Giants. I had no idea that Dodgers/Giants was more intense than Yanks/Sawx.

Tim is trigger happy. Actually, it seems to be a nice way to vent frustration this morning. Troll bowling. line em up and knock em down.

That's what makes it a true rivalry. It doesn't matter if the teams are tied for 1st or ones in 1st and the other 30 games out, the games matter regardless. With the Cards/Brewers, for example, they had a strong rivalry this year as 2 teams always will when in a pennant race but in a few years time when 1 or both teams become irrelevant, it will be forgotten. Kid of like Cubs/Brewers in 2008. Aside from those of us who have to del with Cheese Balls on a regualr basis, most Cubs fans don't care either way about the Brewers, although their fans feel differently I guess. Cubs/Cardinals will never go away. In fact, aside from Yankees/Red Sox, is there a more intense rivalry in baseball? Maybe Dodgers/Giants.

If he's less unlucky next year, I don't see why he couldn't get better than 2/16. He'll be 35 this May, meaning he'll be 36 next May, with a much better FA pitching class. Teams aren't exactly lining up to give 3 year contracts to 36 year old middle of the rotation pitchers unless there's a severe lack of options.

Stop me if this sounds crazy, but while we have the top of the line hitting coach what could be the harm on stocking up on available former top prospects on minor league deals IE Brandon Wood, Jeff Clement, Andy Laroche and see what he can do with them?

I don't think he was ever truly available for less than a steep price, but he would've been nice. I remember last year their were rumblings of Colvin for Gordon, but that was little more than fan fic. Would sure have been nice though.

I have no problem with it, but it might not have been in Ryans best interest. I doubt he'd get a higher dollar amount, but he could have gotten something like a 3/30 deal due to the weak market. I guess you can't falut a guy for loyalty though.

They like to head on down to the local liberry to type on them fancy electronic typewriters and pick up some Skoal on the way home.

If they must continue interleague, perhaps whichever league comes up on top at the end of it gets home field advantage.

He's going to be 25 years old at seasons start, so he's still youngish. Soto is a free agent in 2014, and by then Castillo will be 27, and hopefully we'll have a good idea which one we want to move on with. If Castillo has a nice season in Iowa, we might want to consider trading Soto next offseason, depending on what kind of value he has, or else we could try to move one of the 2 this offseason.

I mentioned Ethier before. I'd love to get him, injuries or not. However, he would be very expensive. As bad as the Dodgers are, they have 3 great young players in Ethier, Kemp, and Kershaw, and it might be in their best interest to do what they can to hand on to those 3 at any cost assuming it's possible and build from there especially considering that they're in a perenially weak division.

Awesome That must be sarcasm.

I guess good things happen when you hire the best hitting coach/pharmacist money can buy.

When every player and coach on the Cardinals turns up dead from driving while intoxicated, I hope that Carlos Marmol, The Atlanta Braves, The Philladelphia Philles, The Milwaukee Brewers, and The Texas Rangers all feel damn good about what they let happen.