Little Slide Rooter

The minute they clinched the series in Atlanta was the most awesome time. That was something we had never seen before, it was huge, and it was a hell of a lot of fun. The folks aboard the Titanic had themselves a grand old time, but I doubt that the survivors ended up with fond memories.

Problem is, we have like 5 guys who would be worth building a package around: Castro, Cashner, Jackson, Szczur, and McNutt. Even McNutt and Szczur are questionabl enough that we'd have to include some more decent guys in any big deal centered around them. The other 3 are too valuable to us to trade. However, if we could find a team willing to deal in quantity, we have several guys who could be intriguing to other teams, such as Lake, Vitters, Struck, J Jax, LeMahieu, Searle, Flaherty, Colvin, Gonzalez, Dolis, Beliveau, Rhee, Ha, Rusin, Castillo, Barney, Carpenter, Russell, Watkins to name a few. Even guys like Coleman, Wells, DeWitt, and Campana. However, none of these guys alone is going to entice teams to give up close to top talent, so we'd likely have to offer 3-5 of these guys just to get our foot in the door. Of course, we do have a lot of up and comers in the lower levels as well, so we might be able to give up several of these guys and not crush the system long term.

I think that an awful ST would be the only thing that would prevent him. Otherwise, we have a starting OF looking something like Soriano/Byrd/Colvin unless someone else is signed or traded. Even if we did get someone like LoMo or Michael Taylor(just thought Id suggest him as a possible target), I'd prefer Jackson in CF and trade Byrd. By keeping him in the minors for 11 days they can push back his service time by 1 year- at least that's the way it used to work. I think they would still probably like to see if Colvin is anyone worth keeping for a couple weeks to start the season. I'm all for letting Colvin platoon with Soriano if he can move to left. or platoon him with Byrd if we can manage to move Soriano.

3,000 years of beautiful tradition, from Moses to Sandy Koufax... But really, I don't see how this drags on more than another day or two. Some of it's not so proud, like Bernie Madoff, Son of Sam, and Jason Marquis. At least we have a nice new crop like Kevin Youklis, Ian KInsler, and half of Ryan Braun.

I think that an awful ST would be the only thing that would prevent him. Otherwise, we have a starting OF looking something like Soriano/Byrd/Colvin unless someone else is signed or traded. Even if we did get someone like LoMo or Michael Taylor(just thought Id suggest him as a possible target), I'd prefer Jackson in CF and trade Byrd.

Shields would be my top choice. Well, Price, Hellickson, or Moore would, but I'd take any one of these guys. I wish that we could find the factory that keeps churning these guys out. Anyway, would a package built around Soto and some prospects be reasonable, assuming we're comfortable with a Castillo/Clevenger tandem? Maybe Geo, 2 major league ready guys(J. Jax, LeMahieu, Russell, Colvin, Barney, Dolis etc) and 1- 2 lower level guys and get a prospect or 2 kicked in from them? Just going off the Garza template but using Geo instead of a top prospect but better big league ready players than Fuld and Chirinos. Shields arguably has as much value as, if not more than, Garza did last year (3 more years of cost-control, albeit, expensive cost-control, weak FA market for pitching, and coming off a strong season). I'd love to go after Shields (although I feel like he'll regress a bit), but I think the price is going to be too costly. Also, I don't see them doing a deal for someone like Soto, who could get costly as well. They really liked Chirinos last year, and by most accounts, still do (had a fairly solid minor league season after the first month). You'd likely have to offer them at least one of our top 3 or 4 guys (from that BJax/Szczur/McNutt trio perhaps), and a lot more. Wouldn't want to move Jax. McNutt since he's the closest thing resembling front end pitchingtalent in our system, although it's too early to tell with Wells and Maples, and Whitenack was looking like he'd have a breakout, but now he's been set back for who knows how long. The boat on J Jax as anything more than a throw in has probably sailed, and I don't know if Rhee really built his value back up this past season.

Dammit, I wish I made up an unconfirmable story about Theo and shared it with Paul Sullivan Beat me to it. I'll have to earn my 15 munutes some other way. On an unrelated not, I'm 63.7% sure that I saw Prince Fielder at a local Chipotle, but it might have just been a fat black guy.

B2B should probably do a bit of research on our farm system so that next time he comes up with a trade proposal for a useful player(s) he can offer guys that might be of some value to the other team as opposed to guys who would be throw ins at best, especially when dealing with a team that's a hell of a lot closer to being a contender than we are.

Oh boy. IP check mods? Don't the mods have to approve new members now for their posts to even show up? I approved the new user before I even made the connection. Then I approved the post because it was awesome - real or fake. Long live purple shirt guy. Sullivans still a douche. Had you "accidentally" spilled your extra hot beverage on him, you'd be our hero.

Zach Wheeler has a decent chance of joining that group. Kevin McReynolds had some pretty good years.

So did Dan Kolb and Derick Turnbow for a short time.

It doesn't work that way in baseball. The only time you'll see that kind of salary dump to the first taker in line is if either the player is a problem to the team or if he sucks. When it comes to good players, especially young ones, you'll always find a taker willing to give up something for value so its senseless to offer our AAAA role players for these guys.

What he said was regarding the all star team. Something like no matter what, he wouldn't be able to shake hands with The Cubs representative, who I think was Marlon Byrd at the time.

They were 71-91, what a [expletive] [expletive]. When you're a big market, big money team, it's really not at all inconceivable that you can rebuild and be completive, in the .500 sense for next year and be a legit contender within 2-3 years.

28 other teams can beat that offer. The Cubs could beat that offer. I could beat that offer.

What if Fielder decides to sign somewhere else? The Cubs are supposed to be leveraging their money into premium talent. Votto is about as premium as it gets. Cheap talent is nice, but we don't need it the way some teams need it. If it were just Castro I would do it in a second. The fact that the Reds are in the division and Votto is a stud tells me that it will take more than Castro, probably throw in Jackson and/or Cashner. If that is the price, I pass. Castro straight up, I would hate to do it but I would do it none the less. Assuming we could lock up Votto, who's a free agent after next season, I'd have to agree. If it was just Castro, and maybe a few other pieces, but nothing major like Jackson or Cashner. If there was any question whether or not we could lock him up, no thanks.

Shields would be my top choice. Well, Price, Hellickson, or Moore would, but I'd take any one of these guys. I wish that we could find the factory that keeps churning these guys out. Anyway, would a package built around Soto and some prospects be reasonable, assuming we're comfortable with a Castillo/Clevenger tandem? Maybe Geo, 2 major league ready guys(J. Jax, LeMahieu, Russell, Colvin, Barney, Dolis etc) and 1- 2 lower level guys and get a prospect or 2 kicked in from them? Just going off the Garza template but using Geo instead of a top prospect but better big league ready players than Fuld and Chirinos.

Zambrano + Colvin + decent prospect + $16 million ($9 million in 2012 and $7 million in 2013) for Nolasco + Morrison. (The $16 million is the difference between the contracts of Nolasco and Zambrano). It would take a good 5 mil more. Zambrano is virtually immovable without Ozzie being interested, and LoMo is a potential star where as Colvin is a potential decent 4th outfielder. I'm not disagreeing with you, just reminding you that Morrison is and has been in the dog house in Florida. Yeah, but were his problems with the organization or mainly the manager? New manager could mean a new start for him. I really don't see them moving Morrison now that a new manager is in town. I think that the best case scenario is sending them Z and about 18-20 mil for Nolasco.

So Colletti then.

For them to send their top player to a divisional rival would have a massive premium. Probably Castro, Cashner, plus a few prospects.

Zambrano + Colvin + decent prospect + $16 million ($9 million in 2012 and $7 million in 2013) for Nolasco + Morrison. (The $16 million is the difference between the contracts of Nolasco and Zambrano). It would take a good 5 mil more. Zambrano is virtually immovable without Ozzie being interested, and LoMo is a potential star where as Colvin is a potential decent 4th outfielder.

So for all the people who think all this stuff is going on behind the scenes and they are just finalizing things, according to that, this is not the case and nothing has been going on behind the scenes. Basically this means that we are back to square 1. Sounds like they haven't granted permission because Theo hasn't made up his mind if he's interested or not. I hope Ricketts has been busy with other canidates and isn't just waiting on Theo, who may not even be interested. This is pretty bleak news. oh well time to stop paying attention to the Theo/Boston rumors for now until some new word comes out that he's interested or they have given permission to speak with him. What a waste of time all this speculation has been. Right now my fear is the reason this is taking so long is because The Red Sox are trying to get Ricketts to give them as much as possible, and they're back and forthing about the compensation and I just hope he doesn't cave if it means giving up any of the few valuable players or prospects we have.

That's the obvious. I think that the Tigers could beat the Brewers because of Verlander. The Brewers are a juggernaught at MIller, but on the road, they're a sub .500 team. Have Verlander pitch 2 games in MIlwaukee, and that could very well take away The Brewers advantage.

It depends on whether his Achilles tendon is torn or not. Even if Howard was out for the season or part of it, they wouldn't be looking to sign someone to a 2-3 year deal, they'd want someone for 1 year. Someone like Derrek Lee would do the trick, or perhaps a trade for James Loney.

It's a risk. See what we could get him for. Concussions are not easy to come back from. Ryan Church and Aaron Hill are 2 examples of promising careers that were derailed by concussions. Hopefully Morneau can recover. Side note: wasn't it Rickey Weeks who took him out at 2nd that caused it?