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Hasn't he actually been good this year? According to Rockies fans.

Its interesting to see Villanueva struggle. He was good early in the year. LOL @ the Brewers GM saying there is no one of quality available (to trade for) that interests them. Milwaukee announcers just said Tulowitzki has a Shawon Dunston like arm. LOL

I just wet myself a little. It's not going to happen though. Unfortunately, youre probably right. My only hope is that its not Canning, Bud Seligs friend.

I don't think that will be for long. It seems to me pretty likely at this point that when Petrick is available to come back that Pie will be the position player demoted in order to get back to 12 pitchers. But, but Pie is here to stay! Once again the Cubs organization will say one thing, and do the complete opposite. color me not surprised. This is driven by the fact that the Jones trade was sh*t canned and Hendry can no longer give Jones away. Sam Zell is a new variable that they now have to consider and getting rid of Jones is probably no longer as possible as it once was.

If you arrive at a point where you would make the switch, youre basically opting for someone who could be good vs someone you know is bad. Thats where one is at when they are ready to make such a decision. Its not bad to have options. Right its not bad to have options thats what the minor leagues are for. However from your original post, you are basically advocating giving somebody a spot start or 2 to see this option, which is absurd. You dont take starts away from someobdy, just to give a kid a spot start or 2, while you are in a race. If somebody gets hurt, then by all means, move Gallagher, Guzman, whoever into the rotation and see what they can do. You seem to be really wrestling with my original post. Ive cited it for the benefit of the discussion. Anyway, no, its conceivable to let one of the young guys start during a stretch of games situated closely together or even if not, you can just give everyone an extra day between starts. Not a big deal considering the dividends it can pay in the long run. And Im not as grim about their chances as you are. I feel like Marquis is going to struggle in half of his starts now...and that goes for Rich Hill too. Thats a coin flip so why not cultivate options while giving guys an extra day of rest?

If you arrive at a point where you would make the switch, youre basically opting for someone who could be good vs someone you know is bad. Thats where one is at when they are ready to make such a decision. Its not bad to have options. Right, but we're nowhere near that point. Hill and Marquis haven't even been the worst starters this season for the Cubs. Yeah, Im not really as concerned with Zambranos April and May in terms of looking forward. What I do see is that Marquis and Hill are getting lit up with greater frequency. Both have had their moments but both also seem to be teetering a little bit at this point...and again, Id rather hedge my bets and cutlivate options so youre not blindly picking someone if the wheels come off with Hill/Marquis.

If you arrive at a point where you would make the switch, youre basically opting for someone who could be good vs someone you know is bad. Thats where one is at when they are ready to make such a decision. Its not bad to have options.

So you want Hill and Marquis removed from the rotation? Are you serious? Thats not what I said. Dont put words in my mouth. Id like to have another option. Thats all I said, dont take it beyond that. When you say "another option over Hill and Marquis", you have to assume people think you want Gallagher there instead. Gallagher, Guzman,...whoever. I like what Ive seen this year from the young guys when given the chance. Plus its not a bad idea to hedge our bets against one of our normal starters faltering (or continuing to falter). Its not exactly realistic since Hill had a strong second half last year and theyll likely want to give him the chance to do that again this year and also they didnt sign Marquis to not be a starter...but thats what I would like to see.

Thats not what I said. Dont put words in my mouth. Id like to have another option. Thats all I said, dont take it beyond that. Im not putting words in your mouth. You said you want to see another option over Hill and Marquis, well how do you see this other option if you dont remove them from the rotation, to see this option? Who said I was at the point where Im ready to pull the plug on either as a starter? But the fact is that theyve been very eratic and if you give the young guy a chance to show you something by squeezing in a start for him, it could pay dividends down the road once if either Hill or Marquis continue to be a problem.

Thats not what I said. Dont put words in my mouth. Id like to have another option. Thats all I said, dont take it beyond that.

Actually, Aramis and Soriano have been. Its at D Lees feet. Having a guy who hits for a high average isnt bad if its a 2nd baseman but for a 1B playing in Wrigley Field...? Mark Grace? What about him? I dont remember a lot of winning years when they had Grace. I dont remember the talent surrounding Grace being anywhere close to what Lee has surrounding him OK, so youre acknowledging that theres a matter of degree. I agree. Its about run production whether its timely RBI or HRs. Id take Aramis' .302 and 15 HRs over D Lees .340 and 6 HRs. And actually, Aramis has numbers thats more in line with what youd expect from a 1B than D Lee.

Actually, Aramis and Soriano have been. Its at D Lees feet. Having a guy who hits for a high average isnt bad if its a 2nd baseman but for a 1B playing in Wrigley Field...? Mark Grace? What about him? I dont remember a lot of winning years when they had Grace.

Actually, Aramis and Soriano have been. Its at D Lees feet. Having a guy who hits for a high average isnt bad if its a 2nd baseman but for a 1B playing in Wrigley Field...?

Relax. Barrett was a good hitting catcher and the pitchers had an ERA of over 5 with him as a catcher, while Blanco/Hill saw an ERA of around 2.00. Besides, they have been winning since they traded Barrett. They have been winning in spite of the catchers terrible offense. Didn't Hill throw one into center that kept that inning alive that turned into the 3 runs for the Pirates, too? Hill's defense is also horrid. We traded away the worst catcher in the division for the worst in the world. We didnt trade Barrett for hill, though. But I agree. Barrett was having a bad year. But he was still hitting far better than Bowen and Hill combined. And, yes, barrett's defense was pretty bad, but Hill and Bowen havent shown they are too much better. I'd wager that Barrett would have thrown out that baserunner today. Actually, he wasnt. I can remember several times when he would whiff at a pitch in the strike zone that the batter didnt swing at. Barretts shorcomings have been obscured by a myriad of other problems though...that and he has always been given the benefit of the doubt by reporters since he has been a stand up guy. I think Barrett was a quality person but a liability as a catcher. see Koyie Hill and Rob Bowen Again, Ill defer to the Cubs ERA without Barrett vs when he caught. Lol, whatever man. The pitchers have nothing to do with that do they? Whats happened to Hill in his crappy outings with Hill and Bowen recently? What about Marshalls? Marquis? Youre right, they dont throw the pitches but its not like picher/catcher rapport has no value. Youre delusional if you think otherwise. Plus there are a lot of little things that when you watch the game you say, Barrett would have tried to make that throw, or would have missed that ball, etc. I think you have that the wrong way Yawn

Yeah, in a wierd way, losing isnt necessarily the worst thing. It reminds them that things dont come easy and hopefully its a reminder to do the little things that make winning baseball.