Little Slide Rooter

I know it would be a rent-a-player, and theyd never be able to afford an extension, but I dont even want to think about a Cards rotation of Carpenter-Wainwright-Lee. If they made the playoffs, that would probably make them favs to win it all make them sure fire favs to win it all.

Good question - if we're fortunate enough that Colvin locks down an everyday starting job in RF and Jackson progresses to the point where we have to find a starting spot for him in 2012, I would think that Marlon Byrd becomes a 4th outfielder....if the Cubs are faced with this decision down the road, its certainly a good sign! If it came down to that, Byrd would more than likely be traded rather than become a 4th outfielder. We have plenty of guys on the farm now whoe by then could become 4th outfielders, between Adduci, Campana, Wright, Spencer, or Guyer, or Fuld, Snyder, or Hoffpauir if there stil around we should be able to find a 4th outfielder and trade Byrd and the last year of his contract.

Considering everyone hated the Jackson pick when it happened, and Cashner before that, I think Im going to give Hayden Simpson the benefit of the doubt.

6 IP, 1 unearned run on 5 hits, 2BB 6K

I was listening to the end of the game on the radio, and lets just say if you think Marmol was melting down in the 9th, you should have heard Ron.

I couldnt tell if that Soriano shot was all wind of the camera man just thought it was a routine pop up.

With a very weak FA class, a turnaround may very well lead to Aramis excerising his out clause and getting a 3-4 year deal. There are several teams out there that could use a 3B, starting with the Angels, Twins, and Cardinals.

Wow, Cubs are winning. Thanks in part to Tyler Colvin. vs. a lefty. How bout that.

Very nice pitching day.

Just out of curiosity, is Russ Canzler anyone worth tracking? He was a 2004 pick, but is only 24 years old. In Tenn this year, hes hitting .310/.393./566 with 9 HR. He plays 1st and 3rd. A few more guys who should be in line for promotions sooner than later Robinson Chirinos: .320/.399/.556 7HR. The guy can slug and take a walk. From what Ive heard, hes a pretty good defensive catcher. At 26, its time to give him the bump to Iowa. As far as Im concerned, we should get rid of Koyie Hill and call up Castillo as a backup and bring Chirinos to Iowa, if not leapfrog him to the big league team. Either that or just get rid of Chris Robinson. Matt Spencer: Hes been great all year, hitting .301/.364/.491 in Tennessee. And how great would it be to say we got something of value for Aaron Miles?

The object will be a better team, or at least shed some pieces and start rebuilding. Lee needs to go, and probably will unless he takes a 1 year deal, and even then, if 2011 really is strictly a rebuilding year, I might prefer to just go with Hoffpauir. If Z isnt traded, hes in the rotation. The 8th inning experiment was idiotic. Theres really no point signing De La Rosa or Lowry and keeping Gorz to the pen when we could just keep Gorz in the rotation. With Z, Demp, Silva, Wells, Gorz, Marshall, Cashner, Jackson, Diamond, and even Samardjia and Atkins around, I really see no reason to go after a starter unless a top tier guy becomes availablesuch as Cliff Lee or Dan Haren. Id like to have Vazquez or Hudson, if he could stay healthy, but the issues that need adressing are offense, and to a lesser extent bullpen, and the pen could probably be fixed internally.

It's borderline adequate, from what I've seen. The bigger issue with him is whether or not he'd accept a one year deal, and if not, what could be done with him after 2011. I think he'll be able to get a multi-year deal again. Having said that, I would very much approve of using him as a stop gap between Lee and Adrian/Prince/whoever. As for 2011, I think the Cubs can content next year is things are played shrewdly between now and then. And while I think Hendry will be shown the door immediately after the season ends, it's up to him to effectively sell before this years deadline. I know as a lame duck GM that might not seem likely (to many), but it would behoove him to do it to the best of his abilities for his long term employment chances. I would trade Lilly, Lee, Nady, Silva and Theriot before the deadline, for prospect packages. I think Hendry really would like to trade Z, but wonder if Ricketts will allow it. I hope no, since he and Lou are doing their best to drive his trade value down, and the Cubs would take a huge bath in a Z deal. Kosuke may be traded, but I doubt it. Ramirez would have to be a fool to opt out after this season. Given that, my best case, realistic scenario 2011 roster is this: C: Soto 1B: Dunn 2B: Fontenot/Baker SS: Castro 3B: Ramirez LF: Soriano CF: Byrd RF: Fukudome Bench: Castillo, Barney, Baker, Colvin, Snyder Rotation: Dempster, Gorzelanny, Cashner, Jackson, Zambrano/Wells/Marshall Bullpen: Marmol, Stevens, Russell/Gaub/Parker, Grabow, Marshall No, it's not inspiring, to say the least. Pretty similar in the lineup, but utilizing a lot more of the farm instead of nickel and dime contracts for bit players. But in this division, it's capable of contention, provided a decent manager and Ramirez not absolutely sucking again. When Ramirez and Fukudome come off the books, it will open up a few more options. If the Cubs add a premier 1B and allocate resources better, I can see the team being a championship contender a couple years down the road. Looking at the FA class, Dunn is probably the 2nd best positon players behind Crawford, and he may ver well end up with a 3-4 year deal. Also, Im not so sure that the Nats wont keep him around for a few more years. For this same reason, even if Ramirez has a slight bounceback in the 2nd half, he'll probably opt out for a 3-4 year deal, as the only other 3B that might generate any interest is Jorge Cantu, who I might be interested in if Ram does opt out. Give him a 2-3 year deal, and hope that by the time it winds down Vitters will be ready. He'll only be 22-23 by then.

Don't forget about the Bulls. And the Fire. And the Sky. And the Schaumberg Flyers. And the Kane County Cougers. and any other amateur teams that I might have forgotten that at better than the Cubs.

You can never have to many Sam Fulds.

I think the reason is that we have a few decent outfield prospects, but not many 3B prospects. Marquez Smith is the only other I can think of, and hes not particularly good. Tony Campana is doing well in Tenn, but I really dont see him as a guy who will be blocking Brett. And why the hell was Vitters benched after having his best game in ages? ETA that Marquz has been pretty good since being brought back to Iowa after his short demotion.

Well, I guess its officially check out time. Id act like I gave a damn about this team, but it might get me suspended. Getting shut down by Cliff Lee, King Felix, and Peavy is one thing, but Freddy Garcia, come the [expletive] on. Weve never been able to touch Danks, so I fully expect the sweep tomorrow, not that Ill be watching. I just hope that the past few weeks have been enough to yield some big changes starting with firing Lou.

Ryan Theriot should not be starting over Fontenot or Baker. Theres just no justifiable reason.

Is it too late to erase this thread and let Bhogg start a new one? As far as Im concerned, these next 2 games are the last ones of the season that kind of matter, unless we end up playing some spoiler ball vs. the Cards later on.

If we can trade for Adrian Gonzalez, then its worth it. If not, Id just assume as soon save up to sign him in the offseason. In case anyone was wondering, I REALLY want Adrian, more than Ive ever wanted any free agent. He wont be cheap though by any means, probably dwarfing the Mark Teixara contract. What the Cubs have been lacking since the Sosa days is that one guy, a Pujols or Braun if you will.If has a few extra bucks in his pocket, might I suggest trading for Aaron Hill. I know hes having a rough start to the season, but hes one of the best hitting 2B in the league.

Brian Schlitter of all people? did they just pull a [expletive] name out of a hat?

A. where do we play Pat? B. In 58 PA with the Giants, Pats hiting .314/.379/.608 with 4HR while the Rays pick up the tab, so I doubt they're in any rush to trade him.

My thinking with bringing up Atkins instead of Jackson is the idea that they might not want to promote Jackson for his first ML duty in a lost season with a poor offense that won't give sufficient run support. Also, if you bring up Atkins and get a couple of good months out of him, his trade value might go the way Kevin Hart's did. Plus, you continue not to have the clock start on Jackson in that scenario. I'm not really advocating it, but it's a move I could see them making. And for the reasons I pointed out, I wouldn't necessarily be against it. My main point was considering that this is a lost season, why not give Shark 1 last shot before giving up on him completely? Hes been given chances in the rotation before, and its been awful, but hes going well this year, so maybe, just maybe he can be OK, and if either Shark or Atkins were to pitch their best and raise their trade value, Sharks would surely be higher than Atkins. How much longer is Shark under team control anyway?

Coleman got his ass handed to him. Carpenter with a mediocre outing The Good Vitters 2-4 with a 2B and an HR. More please. Brett Jackson 1/1? Did he just hit a bunch of sacs?

I agree with Gorz replacing Z. I don't know if Cashner, Jackson or Atkins will be next in line for a rotation spot, though. My guess would be they'd go with Jackson over Cashner (since Cashner is already seeing ML time) if they choose to go with one of the top guys. They could look at more of a filler guy to finish out the year, though, which would be Atkins, most likely. If Atkins got Lillys spot, if hes traded, that would be very dissapointing and an awful decision, although that has been the theme of the year. Cashner, Jackson, Diamond, and even Samardjiza since moving to Iowas rotation have outpitched Atkins all year long. In fact, as much as Id prefer Cash, Jax, or Diamond, in a lost season, Shark might be the best choice for the simple fact that I dont know how much longer hes under team control and this could be our last chance to see what he could do in the rotation, maybe build some trade value before giving up on him. As for Z, this must be the nail in Hendrys coffin. Hes given large contracts to probably the 2 biggest headcases in baseball. With 1, we were lucky enough to get something back for him. With Z, I dont know how lucky we'll be. A lot of contenders would love to have him in the rotation, though not at his price, but much like the end of te short Milton Bradley era, things were made way too public and any interested team knows they have the leverage. Ricketts is a business man, in in the business world, one of the rules is when your company is dealing with a crisis, you keep it as quiet as possible and let the public know on an as needed basis. This is the second time in 2 years something like this has happened. Your move Ricketts.

http://thebsreport.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/train_wreck.jpg